OK, Jim, so Michael Lindenberger didn't ask Angela Hunt for a "told-ya-so" quote. Didn't need to, because, after all, the District 14 council rep has her own blog, to which she just posted an item explaining why she just voted against taking $4.75 million from the Trinity River project bond funds to help the feds pay for that feasibility study that is due in 2013. I think you know where this is going:
The toll road isn't going to happen. The NTTA has said they are more than a billion dollars short in funding for the road. There are no "buckets of money" to dip into that the mayor once proclaimed were lying around for the road. The NTTA has also said that due to its current project commitments, it wouldn't even be able to consider any other projects for five years. So, realistically speaking, the toll road is dead.And I see that right after posting that, she posted this: "Potholes on Lemmon Avenue." I vaguely recall eating there once back in the mid-'80s.
So if the toll road is dead, and the park is still viable, why on earth would we divert funds from the park instead of the toll road? We must move forward on flood safety improvements, so there's no question we need to fund the federal levee study, and quickly. But take the money from a project that is clearly stalled, and let us get going on some park improvements that we can enjoy now.
