Trinity River Bridge

The best thing about this article, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is the comments....

Wow. three million for a bridge to downtown that does not really dump into downtown. I guess the bridge at Henderson that connects to the old Tandy parking lot (downtown) was not pretty enough. Oh wait, I forgot, that bridge is being torn down for lake kay

3 million?  Ridiculous.  Where's Mayor what's-her-name who was going to stop all this unnecessary spending and get the budget in line?  That's right, she's busy spending the $3 million the federal government just gave her to strip 200 houses of lead paint.

If someone wants a bridge across the river let them pay for it.  If someone wants lead paint removed from their home let them pay for it.  Whether it's city, state, or fed money it's still taxpayer money.  Quit spending it frivulously.


HOW much is it?  And WHO pays?  You already know the answer.

Federal grants administered by the Texas Department of Transportation provided $2.3 million while the city kicked in $459,000 and Streams and Valleys raised $200,000 from private donors, said David Creek

WHAT water?

The Trinity River Vision (Distraction) has the Tarrant Regional Water District all tied up in Fort Worth.  Watch a couple of minutes of video from the Trinity River Talk that TRIP held this week. John Basham explains that Region C (that's us) is out of water.  What happens to a city that runs out of water?  What happens if that city is already in debt? What happens to the rest of the county?  WHO's next?

If there ain't no water, there ain't no jobs.

Guess WHO?

The same Representative that passed House Bill 2639 when no one was looking tried to pull a fast one on Fort Worth hotels. 

WHY?

The Fort Worth Weekly knows why.  So do some others downtown, but they ain't talking.

Is it a rodeo arena or the Trinity River Vision?  We can't tell.

And then there is the issue of who will pay for it. Proponents want the city to be on the hook an unspecified amount of the cost, which could be half or more of a price tag that some observers predict will come in at more than $200 million.

But even though no plans have been approved or made public, that hasn’t prevented the arena proponents from seeking public tax money for the project.

What’s more, when the convoluted description of what cities the bill would cover is deciphered, it turns out that only one city would be affected: Fort Worth.

The bill was filed by Fort Worth State Rep. Charlie Geren in March. No one in the hotel industry — from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau to local hotel operators to city staff and council members — was consulted prior to the filing. When an Austin hotel lobbyist discovered the bill, local hoteliers were alerted, and most were livid. Geren then pulled the bill, in mid-April.

Hey, Arlington!

Check out the new website!

http://www.savearlington.com/

Downstream

Dallas better hurry and fix their levees. Water, among other things, flows downhill.

Read the latest about the tests and studies for the Trinity River in the Dallas Morning News.com.

$25 million for testing for a $100 million worth of repairs.  Levees in Fort Worth could supposedly be fixed for $9 million.  Sounds like a bargain, ask why it's now a billion.

“From our perspective and the team’s perspective, it is very achievable,” said Col. Richard J. Muraski Jr., commander of the corps’ Fort Worth district.

That should come as good news to property owners along the river, who have grown increasingly concerned about the effect of the uncertainty on their property values.

Getting drawn into a flood plain would lead to increased insurance rates and make it difficult or impossible to obtain building permits and certificates of occupancy.

The race to restore the levees began in February 2009, when the corps rated them unacceptable for basic flood protection. The city spent more than $25 million to test the levees and devise a plan to upgrade them.

In April, with the plan still unfinished, city officials briefed the City Council on a preliminary plan to go forward with $100 million to $150 million worth of fixes.

But by August, when the city presented the plan to the corps, officials there had updated their criteria. To the frustration of city officials, the corps decided some of the methods used to test the soil samples had been inadequate. They wanted more tests.

Going Twice

Tonight on the local news (WFAA.com) they discussed the failed Trans-Texas Corridor again.

A citizen they interviewed stated "It's been ten years, at least, and nothing has been done." Sound familiar?

Guess which group is involved? The North Central Texas Council of Governments. Mike Morris, from the COG, says there was "an irrational, emotional initiative with regard to the Trans-Texas Corridor..."

The citizen then states, "Get off their butts and do something, make a decision and correct the problem."

They did do something, they spent $60 million dollars. And they are about to start all over again.

Another case of -

"Nothing was ever done, it just got worse".

Dallas neighborhoods near the levees were flooded due to pumps not working.

The city council voted earlier this week to spend $26 million dollar on a study of the levees. Sylvia Lagos says, she "doesn't need a study, its been flooding since she was a kid, FIX IT".

There's a thought.

The river is suppose to crest at its highest point since the 1970's Friday.

Money MIA

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper is full of interesting items of late.

The Editorial Board saying they are embarrassed by mayor and council due to the latest HUD fiasco, saying "few officials realized it or they ignored it or, worse yet, perhaps didn’t care enough to do something about it."

This coming from the same Editorial Board that supported all Fort Worth incumbents for relection this month?

"In addition, the government’s concern over the HUD allocation has caused officials to wonder whether the city is capable of handling money it would receive from the federal stimulus package".

Does this mean the government is catching on to what the people have been saying?

The newspaper also claims Fort Worth's budget is now $61 billion dollars short and growing. "Unlike the federal government, cities are prohibited by law from running deficits. The options for closing the gap aren’t pleasant.
This year’s budget shortfall is presenting a reality check for Fort Worth politicians and the populace. You can’t spend more than you bring in, and if you aren’t bringing in as much as before, you have two options: Raise taxes or cut services".

More show me the money

So the Fort Worth budget is $50 million short, with another $5 million still missing...

There has been talk of cutting more services and staff. So when you balance your checkbook and you fall short by a minimum of $55 million, do you go out house hunting? Yeah, us either. But this is Fort Worth, so last night they voted to spend $200,000 to see if the old Post Office will make a nice cushy new city hall. One that will cost somewhere between $4-6 million a year.

This was on the table two years ago but was put off due to costs. Were we in worse shape two years ago?

Is this the most pressing matter in the city? So much so it can't wait until say we have the money?

Does any of this remind you of TCC?

Where will the money come from???