This morning's meeting of the city council's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee looks interesting all the way around: They're talking Trinity River Park Design Guidelines (which we covered here and here), the Gateway Projects in the Trinity River Corridor (which deals with upgrading parks and even some neighborhoods along the Trinity) and the Great Trinity Management Plan. The latter document's an interesting read this morning, as it plainly states right there on Page 5: "THE FOREST NEEDS OUR HELP!" Which is what Schutze said earlier this spring. But, why come?
Well, first off: "Only about 60-70 large trees are scattered throughout the 6,000 acres"; the Great Trinity Forest is filled mostly with "small diameter, low quality trees that do not support wildlife or allow recreational activities." That means a major planting is in order, and it'll be a drawn-out process: 40 acres a year for the next 25 years. Which is important, because the city today will also discuss the creation of a campground at Roosevelt Heights. As in: "The campground could contain 288 sites for recreational vehicles (RV), 60 sites for tents, and an area suitable for large groups to camp." Only, it'll cost about $13 million, at minimum, And isn't funded for now, which totally screws up our weekend plans. --Robert Wilonsky
