Subject: Willis Winters

• Wherein Corby Davidson Goes to the Cotton Bowl and Takes a Wee-Wee

  October 10, 2006

• Yeah, Absolutely, Highland Park Sucks

  September 5, 2006

• They're Still Horsing Around With That Texas Horse Park

  August 26, 2008

• From Now On, We're Going to Call City Project Delays "Deep Breaths"

  August 29, 2008

• Mean green

  Neighbors in Southeast Dallas find that getting their parks fixed is no picnic

  July 13, 2000

• Dallas Homeless Network Says Stewpot's Not to Blame for Failure to Sell 508 Park Avenue

  View Larger MapIt comes up every single time the subject of 508 Park Avenue is mentioned (which, right, has been plenty in recent weeks both on Unfair Park and in the paper version of Unfair Park): The building in which Robert Johnson, Bob Wills and perhaps even Charlie Parker recorded has not sold because of its proximity to The Stewpot. So say the owners, Glazer's Distributors and Colby Properties. So says the Realtor, now charged with selling both 508 Park Avenue and the neighboring Masonic T

  February 11, 2009

• Corps' Attention to Detail Could Jeopardize More Than Just the Toll Road. The Whole Effin' Trinity Project Could Die!

  flickr member: puuikibeachThe entire Trinity River Corridor Project, including the Texas Horse Park, is tied to the approval of the toll road by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At least, that's what proponents of the Trinity Turnpike want you to believe."Attention to detail delays Army Corps of Engineers, frustrates Trinity Parkway supporters." The headline of Michael Lindenberger's latest story on the Trinity Turnpike in The News serves as a powerful reminder of the fundamental difference b

  February 16, 2009

• Wait, Portland's Jealous of Dallas? Nice.

  The Woodall Rodgers deck park, as it more or less oughta look upon completionIn Portland, where a former mayor once toyed with the idea of turning an overpass into a park, one columnist is very jealous that in Dallas, we're actually doing that very thing with the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park. And getting some of it funded with stimulus dough to boot. Because, gripes Jeff Mapes of The Oregonian, Dallas "has never been accused of being overly sensitive about urban form." Speaking of, Willis Winters -

  March 27, 2009

• White Rock Lake Neighbors Want to Know Whose Bright Idea It Was to Install Lights

  May 1, 2008

• Money to Burn

  The City of Dallas pays consultants millions to write reports. Does anyone read them?

  November 2, 2000

• City Prepared to Spend Bond Money to Keep Dog Parks From Going to, Well, You Know ...

  This morning, the Dallas City Council's likely to approve spending $718,803 in 2003 and 2006 bond money to build the proposed Wagging Tail Dog Park near Preston Road and Keller Springs; it's Addendum Item No. 4, for those playing along at home. As mentioned last week, though, that was but one of two dog park-related items on last week's Park and Recreation Board agenda: The board also stepped up its efforts to make the city's main existing dog park more comfortable, approving more than $43,000 t

  June 10, 2009

• If They Can't Redo the Statler Hilton, Well, They'll Just Cover the Damned Thing Up

  The city's love-hate relationship with the Statler Hilton's been well documented here, so no need to rehash that never-ending story. But there is this bit of news concerning the Hotel Conrad Built on Commerce Street: Mayor Tom and the DowntownDallas-ites would love that sumbitch covered, if'n you don't mind, before the scheduled opening of Main Street Garden in October. Hence the just-announced designed competition open only to American Institute of Architects members: "A Temporary Facade: Veili

  July 14, 2009

• More on the Statler's Shroud, or: That Veil Will Really Tie the Room Together

  Justin TerveenYesterday I got a call from Todd Howard -- namesake of t. howard associates, president of the American Institute of Architects Dallas chapter and former board member of the South Dallas/Fair Park Trust Fund (with my dad, full disclosure). Turns out he wanted to address some of the Friends of Unfair Park's comments concerning the AIA's veil-the-Statler contest about which I wrote yesterday. Howard was a little concerned that some of the comments were a little too down on the endea

  July 15, 2009

• Main Street Garden Needs a Few Finishing Touches Before Its November 13 Opening

  Patrick MichelsLast week, we caught New York-based artist Leni Schwendinger with her Main Street Garden light sculpture, one of five.​We're, oh, 'bout three weeks away from the official dedication of Main Street Garden downtown, as November 13 is now the ribbon-cutting date. And, from the looks of the site last weekend, there's still much to be done -- it looked awful ... squishy, given all the rain of late. There's also much left to pay for: Tomorrow, the Park and Recreation Department will O

  October 21, 2009

• Willis Winters Gives Us a Slightly Soggy, Kind of Early Walking Tour of Main Street Garden

  Less than one month from now, this very spot will be where the city plants Thomas Balsley's 60-foot-tall Christmas tree.​Willis Winters, assistant director of the city's Park and Recreation Department, was kind enough to give Unfair Park a tour of the $17-million Main Street Garden this morning -- and by "garden," I mean mud pit and swimmin' hole. Hence, Winters's acknowledgment that, yes, it's quite likely the garden -- the first of several planned downtown parks -- won't be quite ready for i

  October 27, 2009

• Pulling Up Few More Main Street Garden -- and Downtown Dallas Park -- Details

  The Lily Pad cafe and the light-sculpture canopies, part of the Main Street Garden scheduled to open next month​More than a few Friends of Unfair Park have asked privately and in the comments of yesterday's Main Street Garden sneak peek how the city expects to deal with the homeless. So happens, that was one thing Willis Winters and I discussed toward the end of our tour (along with the state of future park programs scheduled for downtown). So, then, his answer:DowntownDallas's Safety Patrol O

  October 28, 2009

• Main Street Garden Will Open on November 13; Followed By New Fair Park Fountain

  Last week, Willis Winters wasn't too sure -- the Park and Rec Department's assistant director had hoped to get Main Street Garden open by November 13, but, well, you saw the soggy pictures. But, clearly, the mud pit has been Kaboomed: After I noticed the opening dates mentioned on the Cultural Affairs Commission Public Arts Committee's meeting agenda for next week, I called Winters to confirm.From this last week to finished by November 13 -- ka-boom!​"We're still on track," he said this mornin

  November 5, 2009

• State Fair of Texas Files Application to Build Giant Greenhouse, Growing Area at Fair Park

  Something like this Rough Brothers-designed greenhouse is what the State Fair of Texas has in mind.​Earlier this afternoon, I noticed on the Landmark Committee's Fair Park Task Force meeting agenda for Wednesday a most intriguing note: Someone has applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness to build a "7,600 square foot Greenhouse and 6,000 square foot growing area" in the Midway at Fair Park. And by someone, I mean Errol McKoy, president of the State Fair of Texas.Took a little bit of diggin

  November 6, 2009