For now, at least, you can forget about the city spending an additional five figures to study the Dallas Wave, which Schutze calls in this week's paper version of Unfair Park "the unbelievably screwed-up man-made kayaking rapids" in the Trinity River. No doubt you recall: A few weeks ago the Park and Rec board OK'd giving Freese and Nichols an additional $76,648 to take a long, hard look at the bypass channel for canoers trying to paddle out of the way of the kayakers. It was supposed to go the city council Wednesday:
Authorize a professional services contract with Freese and Nichols, Inc. for consulting services to include a survey of existing conditions, physical hydraulic model, analysis, coordination, and report for the Trinity Standing Wave (The Dallas Wave) located at 1900 East Eighth Street - Not to exceed $76,648 - Financing: 2006 Bond FundsBut last night, when the City Secretary's Office posted a sneak peek at the addendum for next week's council meeting, that item was listed as "deleted." So too was the additional $75,000 going toward those jury and trial consultants in the city's whistleblower case. Sources say they were dropped from the agenda after City Attorney Tom Perkins briefed the council behind closed doors on Wednesday. Regarding the Dallas Wave (or Standing Wave, whatever) at least, the council was not pleased about sinking even more dough into a project that was supposed to cost $1.5 mil and is now guesstimated to have run the city upwards of $4 million.
So, then: What now? One source says the city will do what its Boulder, Colorado, designers have suggested -- using concrete to alter the lower bypass channel in such a way it will change the gradient and reduce water flow through the side channel. No word on when that's supposed to happen ... or how much that'll cost. Less than $76,000, though. No doubt Schutze has some thoughts on the subject; Charles Allen too.
