Mo Money

For the Trinity River Vision.  Check out the Fort Worth City council Agenda for the November 15, 10:00 a.m council meeting, lots of interesting stuff.  Several maps and lots of talk of expediting and increasing costs...

It is recommended that the City Council authorize the execution of Amendment No. 1 in the amount of $1,580,000.00 to City Secretary Contract No. 37013 with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., for water and sanitary sewer main relocations for the Trinity River Vision-Central City Project and the Trinity Uptown City Project and the Trinity Uptown Service Area, Phase 2A on Main Street, Commerce Street, Channel Segment B, White Settlement Road, Beach Street and Gateway Site E, thereby increasing the contract amount to $4,113,113.00.

In order to expedite design and construction of the water and sanitary sewer improvements ahead of the construction of the TRV projects, the proposed water and sanitary sewer relocation project was divided into the following phases,

There is also a partnership for a voluntary clean up at the Police and Fire Training Academy between the TCEQ and the Tarrant Regional Water District.  

That has to be relocated for the Trinity River Vision too.  What's that going to cost? And what will it increase to?  WHO pays?

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When NEWS goes bad...

What happens when the newspaper of record in your town gets its marching orders from the downtown money crowd? They forget WHY they are there in the first place.

This is an exchange between a Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist and a local citizen. Other citizens copied in responded too. This is just one example of many, sit tight, more on the way.

What happens to YOUR city when YOUR news is run by your local "governments" and "the industry"?  What happens when people mistake columnists for reporters?  What happens when there is no difference?

Recently, someone wrote that when a news outlet gets all its "news" from politicians and industry, they make themselves irrelevant.  Poignant, isn't it?

Mitch Schnurman recently wrote a column concerning tax abatements, which prompted a letter from the citizen. Schnurman didn't respond. He then wrote one about the TCC boondoggle on the Trinity River which prompted the citizen to follow up. Below is the exchange.

Act 1 - Citizen to Newspaper
To: "mschnurman@star-telegram.com"
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 9:40 AM
Subject: Thoughts

Mitch,

I had a question concerning your recent tax abatement article - while I finally agree with something you say, I wonder why you are upset with the abatement's but not with the $95 million needed for a new fire/police training facility??  Since the council sold this land to the Tarrant Regional Water District, now the taxpayer has to foot the bill once again.  Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,
X

Act 2 - Citizen to Newspaper.  Again.

On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 1:49 PM, X wrote:

Although I didn't expect an answer, I would have appreciated one.

Now I just have more questions...

How is the sunken plaza a boondoggle but the Trinity River Vision is not?  The only good thing about TCC is they should walk away with an education, then maybe the next generation will be smarter than selling/sailing our checkbooks down the river.

Also, TCC is leasing space in Haltom City, for I believe - a $1 a year.  Is there not a way they could look for the same deal for an arts center in a nearby city?  With all the vacant space in Tarrant County, there has to be a more affordable choice.

Again, would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,
X

Act 3 - Another citizen to newspaper.

An excellent point. Why would the city council sell the training academy without first having the funding secured for a new facility?

Will they build it with Certificate of Obligations like the Will Rogers parking garage and without public approval?

Another chapter in the TRV folly that should provoke public outrage.

Act 4 - Another citizen responds

How is the TCC a boondoggle and the TRV is not?
GOOD question. Excellent question!

Answer:  Not a dime’s worth of difference.

We made our maiden voyage to the completed TCC boondoggle yesterday.  Pity bad weather and the poor co-ed and 58 steps from Belknap down to her classroom.

Perhaps as a hotel, with a path all the way to the river, it might have been a fine tourist attraction.  But the college as I and others envisioned when we campaigned for its birth circa 1968 was to be a place where people could be trained in local class rooms to enable them to earn a living.

X can’t get over the fact that all the buildings are what on the farm we used to call lean-tos.  An architect friend called me this morning and asked me when they’re going to straighten them up.

In the words of General MacArthur:  I could not answer.

Act 5 - Finally...a response?  (We have to give him credit for the last line, but do YOU buy it?)

I don't know about the police training center, so I didn't have much to contribute to your thoughts on the subject.

I try to weigh in on issues that I have examined. I am not the beat reporter for TCC, so there is much that I do not follow. As for Haltom City having cheap rent, I don't see that as the issue in North Richland Hills.

The money has already been collected for that project; the question is whether TCC will stick to the original budget (or at least close).

I have written many times about the TRV, and I continue to support it. To rehash all that now is a waste of my time and yours.

I expect to revisit it again, in light of the cuts that are coming in federal spending. Perhaps my view will change then.

Thank you for writing,
Mitchell Schnurman
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Business columnist

Act 6 - Citizen responds to news paper.

Mitch,

I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

My point on TCC may not have been clear, my thoughts were we could use the money and look at other options that would provide what is needed while staying within the budget.  The Haltom City campus was just an example of that.

Concerning TRV, while I realize I am just an average citizen, I am somewhat confused by your response.  If you aren't aware of the police/fire training center, which was another known ripple of the TRV, how can you be in full support of the project?

I realize your employer is a large advocate of the project, however the taxpayers and your customers need advocates too.

Thanks,
X

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How much more?

It's only the beginning.

The "City Council Brief" article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram could have been called "TRV wants more". 

Remember when our new mayor was on the campaign trail, one of the promises was Fort Worth would not spend a dime over the double digit millions (of OUR money) they already promised.  So, WHO will pay the $95 million for new facilities? WHY do we need new facilities?  Because the current ones are in the way of the Trinity River Vision.  WHO owns the land?  The Tarrant Regional Water District.  WHY?  YOU know the answer.  WHO wrote the Brief?  Bill Hanna, WHO else.

Kathleen Hicks says she is "worried" how the city will pay for it.  Isn't she on the TRV board?  And NOW she's worried?

Critics have long said the cost of the Trinity River Vision will be more than the $909 million dollars (of tax payer money) the project "leaders" have claimed.  The project pushers have called the critics "crazy".  Critics have asked the question about the fire and police training academy before.  Not so crazy now, is it? 

The current site was sold to the Tarrant Regional Water District as part of the Trinity River Project for $4.2 million, and the city bought four 250,000-square-foot warehouses at the Federal Depot in south Fort Worth for $6.4 million.

The city has an eight-year lease on the current site but doesn't have a way to pay for a new facility and could exercise options to stay a year or two longer, said Mark Rauscher of the planning and development department. But Rauscher noted that a new shooting range must be in place by the end of 2013. "At this point we have not identified a full funding plan for the police and fire training center," Rauscher said.

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