Sunday, August 5, 2018

Point Of No Point Sand Castle Building With Theo & Ruby Without David Or Orcas

Yesterday afternoon my favorite Theo nephew asked his mom to send me some photos.

When I saw the photo you see here I was able to figure out why Theo wanted me to see what he was doing.

Building a sand castle.

Last summer Theo and I and my favorite Ruby niece had a mighty fine time building sand castles and sand forts in the sand at Birch Bay, up northwest, in Washington, a few miles south of the border with Canada.

Looking at the photos I could not tell where the sand construction was taking place.

And so I inquired.

I was then told that Theo wanted me to guess the location.

My guesses which followed ruled out Birch Bay, due to the sand not looking right. I then ruled out a Pacific coast beach because the little waves did not look right. I thought maybe it was a beach by Fort Worden, on the far northeast side of the Olympic Peninsula. My final guess was some location on Hood Canal, perhaps a Hood Canal beach near the Clancy and Fancy estate.

I was wrong on all guesses.

Eventually Theo let me know he was doing his sandy work at Point No Point. The name sounded familiar to me, but I required Google to fine tune my memory.

Googling brought up a lot of Point No Point information, including two Wikipedia articles, one about the Point No Point Light, and another about Point No Point.

I think that must be the Point No Point Light, known as a lighthouse, in the distance behind shovel waving Ruby.


In part Wikipedia had this to say about Point No Point Light...

Point No Point Light is an operational aid to navigation on the northeastern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula on the west side of Puget Sound, at Point No Point where Admiralty Inlet joins Puget Sound, near the small community of Hansville, Kitsap County, in the U.S. state of Washington. Point No Point Light is considered the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In case you are wondering this is how Wikipedia explains the Point No Point landmark name...

Point No Point is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington, the United States. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty and is the site of the Point No Point Light.

It appears Ruby was the project engineer for the sand castle building project, directing Theo and mama Kristin.


There was no photo evidence provided documenting Ruby doing the actual sand castle building.

And where was Theo and Ruby's favorite David brother?

My guess is David has been watching the news and has developed a totally irrational fear of getting anywhere near Puget Sound. All the news stories of late about the Puget Sound Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, would be the type thing to make David nervous.

Last summer David totally freaked out over one Dungeness crab in Birch Bay, requiring he be air lifted, well, carried, back to shore.

Orcas used to be known as Killer Whales. A totally inaccurate name. Orcas are harmless to humans. It is humans who the Orcas might accurately call Killer People. But, the humans have long been trying to rectify the harm done to Orcas.

To limited success.

I think I have mentioned before my one and only up close encounter with a pod of Puget Sound Orcas. I was fishing with mom and dad, out near Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands. Suddenly a pod of Orcas appeared, heading towards us. At least 20.

Mom got a bit panicky. Dad stopped the boat. This was before the current era of always having photo documenting equipment on ones person.

Soon the pod of Orcas was all around us. Some slowed to take a close look. Right up to the boat. There were one or two baby Orcas in the group. There was something about the way the Orcas were looking at us that seemed friendly and totally non threatening.

Even mom totally calmed down.

And then it was over, as we watched the pod swim away from us.

Orcas are not the only whales which visit Puget Sound. They are just the most well known.

Soon before I moved to Texas I was out at the Rosario Beach part of Deception State Park. We were walking along the beach and suddenly an enormous whale showed up, slowly going along the edge of the steep beach, feeding on who knows what. This was a whale much bigger than the biggest Orca.

I do not not know how David would react to seeing a giant whale up close to shore. But, I suspect his reaction would be amusing...

UPDATE: After reading the concern about the missing David he arranged to have the following photo sent confirming that he was also with his brother and sister at Point No Point. But David opted out of sand castle building for driftwood collecting.

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Wind Chilling Saturday Wichita Bluff Hike With A Hoodoo

What with today being almost chilly, what with the outer world in the low 80s, and a strong wind providing some wind chilling, it seemed like a good idea to make my semi-regular monthly Saturday return to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to do some paved hiking on Wichita Bluff.

Since my last visit to this scenic area of Wichita Falls the new sign you see here has been installed. I don't quite understand the need for this sign, what with it being located only a few feet from the big sign over the trail which tells one they are entering the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

Today, whilst hiking the paved trail which traverse Wichita Bluff, the scenery was reminding me of the Tandy Hills which I used to regularly hike in Fort Worth. The Tandy Hills are located a short distance east of downtown Fort Worth. Wichita Bluff is located a short distance west of downtown Wichita Falls.

It was that which you see below which brought the Tandy Hills to mind.


What looked to be a collapsed Hoodoo. One of the many mysteries of Fort Worth's Tandy Hills was the frequent appearance of Hoodoos at various random locations. The Tandy Hills Hoodoos could be quite large, tall, and elaborately balanced.

There are a few seating opportunities on the Tandy Hills. But not nearly as ubiquitous and luxurious as the rocking benches one finds along the Wichita Bluff trails.


I do not remember if one ever gets a good view of the Trinity River from any location on Fort Worth's Tandy Hills, even though that sad river runs quite close to the north side of those hills.


Above you are looking east, with that shiny object in the center of the photo being the Wichita River. The stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls is in the distance, with the, uh, interesting landmark known as Big Blue dominating the skyline. Looking at these photos one would not think one is surrounded by a city.


The foliage looked almost un-naturally green to me today. I was expecting brown to be the dominant color scheme, what with a lack of natural irrigation falling from above of late.

The Wichita Bluff hills were busy today with more activity than I have witnessed previously. Walkers, joggers, bikers and that which you see below.



A dog directed a pair of people on what appeared to be motorized skateboards. This means of locomotion looked fun. The motorized skateboards seemed to have no trouble going up hill. The skateboarders and their dog zipped by so fast I has no opportunity to ask any questions.

I hope Wichita Falls voters find it in their hearts to vote yes to fund the completion of the Circle Trail. Connecting the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to Lucy Park would be a good thing.

Friday, August 3, 2018

August 3 Low Tide At Wichita Falls Sikes Lake

If you spent most of your time on the planet near the ocean, in my case that being the Puget Sound affiliated with the Pacific Ocean, when your handlebars see something like what they saw today at Sikes Lake, a specific thought comes instantly to mind.

As in...

Tides out.

A low tide.

Must be a full moon.

On Wednesday, that being the first day of this new month of August, when I visited with Beto O'Rourke, he made mention of the drought which tormented Wichita Falls for years earlier in this current century. And that it looks like North Texas may once again be at the start of a drought.

Which means that is not a low tide on Sikes Lake you are looking at above. It is Sikes Lake in low water, starved for rain, possible drought mode.

The ducks and geese which reside at Sikes Lake seem to be adjusting to the low water. Much of the lake no longer has water deep enough for the birds to float. So, they stand in the goose knee deep water and do their food foraging from a standing position.

I do not know if the Sikes Lakes ducks and geese know of Lake Wichita, which is only a couple miles south of their shrinking Sikes Lake location. I saw Lake Wichita yesterday. So far at that location I am seeing no low tides. There is one dried up creek. With lily pads looking a bit dehydrated.

Rain is in the forecast a week from now. That type forecast seems to happen frequently. And when those anticipated wet days arrive those day's forecast reverts, more often than not, to the regular blue sky. And hot.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Huge August 1 Beto O'Rourke Rally In Wichita Falls Stone Palace

Beto O'Rourke made his 4th return to Wichita Falls last night, on the first day of August, a little over three months before I, along with millions of other Americans, hope Beto puts an end to Ted Cruz being the senator from Texas.

I had previously watched short clips of Beto speaking. I had had others tell me how impressive he is in person.

Last night I found myself among those impressed to see Beto in person.

I do not recollect ever previously witnessing a political figure be so articulate, speaking so long, with no notes, or teleprompter, and with that which was being said seeming so authentic and so in the moment, what with Beto making Wichita Falls and surrounding area references over and over again.

The Beto rally took place in the Stone Palace in downtown Wichita Falls. Last night marks the first time I have been to an event in the Stone Place without running into one of my favorite Texans, Dana Wood Knot.

Miss Wood Knot was likely in the Palace, but I did not see her due to the size of the crowd, with some estimating the number as high as a thousand, and some as low as 700. There were not enough chairs, so it was literally standing room only.

I do not recollect when I was last at an event where those attending were so fired up. When Beto arrived a rock band began blaring, with the crowd standing, trying to see the incoming Beto.

I only had my phone camera with me, hence the bad photo above, and the equally bad YouTube video below, with that video showing part of the aforementioned Beto arrival.

Way back in 2016 I found myself in downtown Fort Worth on the same day Trump held one of his campaign events at that town's convention center. This was before the term "Deplorables" had been used to describe many of those not repulsed by Trump's repulsiveness. That day I had a visceral bad reaction to all the creepy people I was seeing lined up to get in to see Trump.

Last night, surrounded by hundreds of liberal, progressive, democrat decent type people, it felt like I was witnessing something historic, like this is what it is like when America comes roaring back, decent, good, right-minded, intelligent, caring America.

I hope I am right....

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Perplexing TRWD Land Swap Deal For Fort Worth LaGrave Baseball Park

A couple weeks ago, whilst I was in modern America, Arizona to be precise, Braig Prickley Facebook messaged me with a link which led me to the TRWD PRESS RELEASE you see partially screen capped here.

I read the press release and thought to myself what fresh ridiculousness is this nonsense.

I then replied to Mr. Prickley telling him something along the line of what with me currently being in modern America I just don't have the energy or desire to much care about fresh nonsense from back in backwards America.

And then I got back to Texas and soon found myself reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's "news" article about this fresh nonsense, with the article titled Deal to reopen Fort Worth Cats’ LaGrave Field full of dreams, but is there money?


Reading the Star-Telegram's question about money was not the question I was asking when I read about this "deal".

Before we get to looking at this deal let's look at what Mr. Prickley had to say after I replied to his message...

Yeah, looks like slimy Jim Lane got his way.  When they won the election, he said his TOP PRIORITY was getting minor league baseball back at Lagrave Field.

The slimy Jim Lane to which Prickley refers is one of the TRWD board members.

There is no mention made of it in the Star-Telegram article, but wasn't it Jim Lane who finagled an earlier "deal" regarding the land around LaGrave Field? A deal which had the TRWD spending multiple millions of dollars to rescue a bankrupt friend of Jim Lane. A friend somehow associated with LaGrave Field and its demise, if my memory is serving me correctly.

And then after the TRWD paid for that land, part of that land became the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century.

Any of this ringing a bell with anyone? No mention is made in the Star-Telegram article about the previous TRWD property purchasing shenanigans in the LaGrave Field area.

This Star-Telegram article about LaGrave Field tells us...

The Fort Worth-based water district, teaming with the federal government to split the Trinity and create the new island, also got $1.3 million in the trade plus 8.1 acres including the stadium.

The water district is teamed with the federal government to split the Trinity River and create a new island? Does the federal government know they have been teamed with the TRWD to split a river and create an imaginary island?

And then this about the land that was swapped so the TRWD could take over LaGrave Field...

In exchange, Houston-based Panther Acquisition Partners will get 15.3 acres along what is now a levee, giving the group a total of 26 acres on what will become Panther Island when the river is split.

What is this new nonsense about splitting the river?

Am I understanding correctly? The land which the TRWD swapped for the land including LaGrave Field is currently underneath 15.3 acres of Trinity River levees, which will be removed if the Trinity River Vision ever becomes something someone can see, with that land under the levees then part of the imaginary island.

And then there is this...

Right now, we’ve only heard lofty promises. If they come through, the new Panther Island development across the Trinity River from downtown will be anchored by a boutique ballpark and events facility built around the legendary 92-year-old ballfield. Here’s how iffy this deal is: It requires $4 million at signing from a charity foundation that does not even have a board of directors yet but is already collecting money.

The imaginary island development will be anchored by a boutique ballpark? And an events facility? Built around a legendary ballfield?

You reading this somewhere in modern America, have you ever heard of Fort Worth's legendary ballfield?

The deal required $4 million from a charity?

Why does Fort Worth never seem to do things the way towns wearing their BIG CITY pants get things done?

If you are reading this and have not seen Fort Worth's LaGrave Field, back when it re-opened, after reading what seemed likely to be hyperbolic exaggeration in the Star-Telegram about this newly re-opened facility, I ventured to the future imaginary island and took some photos, and then webpaged what I saw in Fort Worth's LaGrave Field.

During my multiple visits to the Phoenix metro zone this year, and last, I have seen multiple baseball parks, some beautiful big complexes, complete with a hotel and other amenities, such as the Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field at the north end of Dobson Road, in Mesa. Or my most recent last day in Arizona when Miss Daisy's driver drove us by the spring training ballpark for the California A's. Any of these Cactus League ballparks would be a worthy ballpark model for a big city like Fort Worth.

And why is the TRWD, as in Tarrant Regional Water District involving itself in something like trying to re-open a defunct ballpark?

Perplexing...

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Giant Duck Takes Over Wichita Falls Catfish Pond


Driving Southwest Boulevard, east, this morning, heading to Walmart, as I drove by my neighborhood catfish pond at the south end of Weeks Park I was surprised to see a giant duck floating by the catfish pond's fountain.

I decide to put the short drive to Walmart on hold whilst I parked at the catfish pond's parking to get a closer look at the plus-sized duck via walking the paved trail which circles the catfish pond.


When I reached the part of the trail which afforded a look at the duck's backside I learned that, apparently, the duck's name is WALLY. That may be an erroneous assumption. Maybe WALLY is who owns this duck. Or maybe WALLY made the duck.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Sikes Island Leads Me To Ponder Fort Worth's Deluded Ridiculousness


What you see above, under the pavilion at Sikes Lake, is an island born from the lack of rain. Sikes Island has existed so long greenery has sprouted on the island. I know of no plans to build bridges across water to the new island.

Behind my handlebars there is a bridge which crosses Sikes Lake, it being one of two bridges over water at Sikes Lake.

I have no way of knowing if the Sikes Lake bridges were built over dry land during the period of time during which Sikes Lake was drained and dredged, with the dredged residue hauled to Lake Wichita where it was deposited near the lake shore, eventually becoming Mount Wichita, after a year or two of the mud sludge solidifying.

I also do not know if anyone in Wichita Falls was deluded and ridiculous to a level sufficient to embarrass themselves by referring to the simple little Sikes Lake bridges as "signature bridges", which is the case in another Texas town with which I am familiar.

Fort Worth.

Where bridges are built over dry land with astonishingly long bridge building construction timelines, and touted as being "signature bridges", you know, like the Golden Gate Bridge.

And also touted by those responsible for Fort Worth's public works debacle as being built over dry land to save time and money.

When there was never any other option but to build Fort Worth's simple little bridges over anything but dry land, since there was no water where the bridges are being built. And where there will never be any water until a ditch is dug under those three simple little bridges, with water diverted into the ditch from the Trinity River.

Deluded and Ridiculous.

That really should be Fort Worth's city motto. Drop "Where the West Begins" and go with the more accurate "Deluded and Ridiculous"...

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Star-Telegram Actually Answers A Question I Asked

A couple days ago I blogged that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Was Unable To Answer Why Boondoggle Bridges Take So Long To Build.

In this Saturday morning's Star-Telegram, on the front page, top of the fold, I saw another headline question asked...

When your plane lands at DFW Airport, why does it take so long to get to the gate?

Once again I found myself hopeful the Star-Telegram was going to answer a question I recently found myself asking.

This time the Star-Telegram did not disappoint me, sort of.

My last two times landing at DFW I have found myself annoyed at how long it took to get to the gate after touchdown.

Last Saturday was the longest taxi ride yet. I was beginning to think the pilot was lost on the tarmac. I only had 55 minutes to make my connection to Wichita Falls. When the pilot finally parked the plane at the gate, and after the 10 or 15 minutes it took to finally get off the plane, I hurried to the SkyLink to make my way to Terminal B, Gate 38.

Upon entering Terminal B I heard the loudspeaker loudly speaking "Flight 3715 to Wichita Falls is now boarding at Gate B38. That's Bravo 38".

I did not remember hearing this type announcement before upon entering a terminal. And so I picked up my pace. I got to the Gate B38 to find everyone already on board. I handed the check-in person my boarding pass, and then boarded. Less than ten minutes later we were in the air.

I had 55 minutes to make this connection. And managed to get there with only ten minutes to spare. This tells me we took around a half hour between touchdown and parking at the gate.

This article in the Star-Telegram explains why it takes so long to get the gate, what with the planes having to taxi across active landing zones, waiting for an all clear to proceed, so that question did get answered. Along with an upcoming solution.

But, the article claimed the taxi time is usually between 5 to 10 minutes.

A taxi ride on the DFW tarmac has never been as short as 5 to 10 minutes in my experience. Maybe I just have bad luck.

The return last May to DFW was particularly annoying. After the long tarmac taxi ride, when we reached the gate, the pilot soon announced something along the line of "We seem to have caught the ground crew by surprise. We are bugging them to hurry up."

I recollect thinking the "bugging them" verbiage was amusing. And likely not officially approved pilot-speak.

About 20 minutes went by and then the pilot again apologized for the delay. The elderly man sitting next to me was getting nervous. I soon found out his nervousness was due to needing to make a connection to Abilene. And time was running out. And that this was the first time he had flown anywhere since the Vietnam War. I had plenty of time, so I told him I would help him get to his connection, if we ever got off the plane.

Landing at other airports I have never experienced the long waits I have experienced at DFW, after the plane docks.

And the only other airport at which I have experienced an ultra long taxi ride over the tarmac, was at the Denver airport, flying United. The tarmac taxi ride was long, but at a much faster speed than that which the DFW airport allows its pilots to taxi.

This morning David, Theo and Ruby's mama texted me from Reagan International in Washington, D.C., verbalizing what a terrible airport the one named after Reagan is. I do not know what, precisely, my little sister finds annoying about the D.C. airport.

My mom called me last night, asking me to come back to Arizona as soon as possible. I do not see that happening for more reasons than just that I do not like flying...

Friday, July 27, 2018

Lake Wichita Biking With Snakes & Nurse Canecracker Thinking About Trump's Dementia

When I opted to roll my wheels to Lake Wichita this morning, about an hour before noon, the outer world was chilled to somewhere in the high 70s.

Brrrr.

I had to find my sweatpants and insulated underwear before venturing out into the semi-Arctic blast.

There were a lot of other wheel rollers enjoying the momentary respite from triple digits.

When I reached the top of Lake Wichita Dam I decided to roll down to the floating dock which today was not occupied by people wielding fishing poles. You can see the Mount Wichita pseudo volcano on the far side of the lake. The pseudo volcano is my eventual destination.

Today, for the first time since I have been in my current North Texas Wichita Falls location, I saw a snake.

It was in the drought dried lily pond creek which flows into Lake Wichita I saw the snake, slithering in the little bit of water remaining in the creek.


What you see above are my handlebars perched on the Circle Trail bridge which crosses the aforementioned dried up creek. Apparently the snake slithered out of camera view by the time I snapped the above photo.

Lately dementia has been on my mind. I deal with a lot of dementia in Texas.

And when I leave Texas.

Last night Nurse Canecracker called.

My favorite nurse and I had an hour long conversation about dementia, and other topics. It is useful to consult a wise medical professional when one is troubled by such things as dementia.

I heard from David, Theo and Ruby's mother this morning. She has been in Washington, D.C. all week. I do not know the precise purpose of my little sister's D.C. visit, but I am just about 100% certain the visit did not involve consulting Donald Trump about his obvious dementia issues...

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Unable To Answer Why Boondoggle Bridges Take So Long To Build

Just a day or two or three ago I blogged about a Bizarre Star-Telegram Propaganda Video About Boondoggle Bridge Detours.

That video contained no useful information of the factual sort which in anyway explained how or why these simple little bridges have been so difficult for Fort Worth to build.

Over dry land.

Bridges to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, with that imaginary island not really an island, but in actuality, if it is ever dug, a chunk of land surrounded by water in the form of a cement lined ditch filled with diverted polluted Trinity River water.

And then a day or two after the Star-Telegram's propaganda video showed up about the Boondoggle's bridge detours, another article appeared, the headline of which you see above, asking Why is it taking so long to build those bridges over the Trinity River?

I saw that headline and thought, wait, what? The Star-Telegram is finally publishing an article looking into why those bridges which began construction in 2014 are still in an early stage of being built, four years later, when, originally these simple little bridges were supposed to take an astonishing four years to build. Longer than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge over actual, real, treacherous water.

And now the Boondoggle's bridge construction timeline has been stretched to 2020.

So, I eagerly read this article, thinking the Star-Telegram is finally doing some honest investigative journalism, perhaps actually telling its few readers about all the engineering complications and disagreements the design of the V-piers have caused.

But, in true Star-Telegram fashion, one reads this entire article to find not one iota of an answer to the question asking why it is taking so long to build these three simple little bridges.

Yesterday there was only one comment to this Star-Telegram article, with someone named Will Smith asking...

An interesting article, but it doesn't answer the headline's question: Why IS it taking so long to build those bridges?

Let's take a look at some of the erroneous nonsense in this latest Star-Telegram propaganda piece about America's Biggest Boondoggle's pitiful bridges...

The first paragraph...

Three bridges over Fort Worth’s Trinity River just north of downtown are now set to open in 2020, a year later than previously scheduled.

Uh, no. Construction of those bridges began with an absurd TNT explosion celebration back in 2014, with the then four year construction timeline having the construction of the simple, little bridges completed in the year we are in now. 2018. We blogged about this already way back then in A Big Boom Begins Boondoggle Bridge Construction Three Months Late.

And again the Star-Telegram repeats one of the biggest lies associated with this bridge building boondoggle...

Construction of the bridges is taking place over dry land to save time and money, said Val Lopez, Texas Department of Transportation spokesman. Once the bridge work is done, the new river channel can be dug beneath them.

The bridges are not being built over dry land to save time and money. There was never any option but to build the bridges over dry land. Due to the fact that funding for the ditch and diversion dam does not yet exist. It does not take being an engineering whiz to think that digging the ditch and the bridges at the same time makes more sense than digging the ditch under the bridges after they are built, with that idea seeming fraught with the possibility of more project stalling complications.

Does the Star-Telegram have any editors who check this drivel before it goes to print? Like this gem...

The island would be built in the area that currently features LaGrave Field and the Coyote Drive-In.

Island would be built? Whoever wrote this thinks an island is going to be built? In an area which currently features a closed eyesore of a cobbled together baseball park and an equally tacky looking drive-in movie theater? The writer failed to mention one of the Boondoggle's early failures on the imaginary island, that being Cowtown Wakepark, which the Boondoggle's project manager, J.D. Granger long ago breathlessly bragged this doomed to fail operation would bring the coveted sport of wakeboarding to an urban setting.

And this paragraph with another bit of propaganda erroneousness...

Panther Island has been planned for more than a decade, and at times the Trinity River Vision Authority has struggled to obtain funding for the project, which is being billed not only as an economic development effort but a crucial flood control improvement project to protect Fort Worth’s city center from future storm water drainage problems.

Panther Island has been planned for more than a decade? Really? What, and kept a secret from the public til years later? Way back in September of 2010 I was biking the Trinity Trails and near what later become the now defunct Cowtown Wakepark I encountered my first instance of bizarre over the top Trinity River Vision signage in full TOUT the project mode. I blogged about this in The Trinity River Vision Is Underway With A Lot Of Signs.

At that point in time, eight years ago, what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle was still referred to as the Trinity River Vision. Over time additional monikers have been used, such as Central City and Uptown. And then a few years ago suddenly what had been known as the Trinity River Vision morphed into Panther Island, where there is no island, where there never will be a legitimate island. Which is actually a perfect metaphor for the entire mismanaged boondoggle.

And again the Star-Telegram repeats the lie that this is a crucial flood control project, protecting Fort Worth's city center, where there has been no flooding for well over half a century, due to massive levees which have kept the Trinity River under control ever since they were built back in the 1950s.

And the following, most outrageous bit of misinforming propaganda in this article...

In May, Fort Worth-area voters approved the issuance of about $250 million in bonds to ensure there would be enough local money to build Panther Island, much of which is being federally funded.

On the ballot, the bond measure which was approved, indicated the money was supposedly for flood control and drainage. There was no mention made of the money being approved for ensuring there was enough local money to build the imaginary island.

And the following on the same subject from one of those responsible for creating America's Biggest Boondoggle...

Jim Oliver, water district general manager, said the approval of the bond sales by about two-thirds of voters was “very important. It’s going to allow us to complete the project, keep it online and on track.”The money is needed to buy land, rechannel 1.5 miles of the river and build water storage areas and floodgates, he said.

So, Oliver is admitting the verbiage on the ballot measure was a fraud. The Boondoggle and its Godmother, Kay Granger, have used the fact this measure passed to refute the claim, made by many, that the public has never been allowed to vote on this pseudo public works project. Such would be true only if the ballot measure somehow asked voters whether or not they approved of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision project. Instead the ballot measure asked voters to approve a quarter billion bucks for flood control and drainage.

Outrageous fraud, just as fraudulent as this article in the fraudulent Fort Worth Star-Telegram...