Editor's note: Now's as good a time as any to introduce Unfair Park's newest contributor, Sam Merten, whose work we've long enjoyed over at Dallas Blog. Sam will be writing for the blog and the paper version of Unfair Park, beginning ... now.
A new and improved timeline for the Trinity River project will be unveiled at tomorrow's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee meeting, and it sure is pretty. If the task was to use all of the colors in the palette, then let me be the first to say, "Bravo!" to city staff.
As for the content, for some reason it's more detailed than what was posted in December to the Trinity River Corridor Project Web site. Perhaps giving people the actual months and years would have detracted from the strategic color coding.
What will you learn from the timeline when it's unveiled the 10:30 a.m. meeting? Well, the obvious, for starters: Not much has been done yet.
But don't worry; 2008 will be big, big, big. As in, come May the lower chain of wetlands is expected to be completed. Finally, something we can all enjoy.
OK, maybe wetlands don't get you pumped. How does the beginning of construction on the Buckeye Trail and the Moore Park Gateway (Phase 1) grab you?
Also in May, the design of the Texas Horse Park is set to begin, pending council approval. This was supposed to start in January, until the committee realized that Texas Horse Park Inc., which is responsible for raising $15 million by September, had only come up with slightly more than $300,000. This item should be hitting the council agenda January 23.
In June and July, construction will get going on the Trinity Trails (Phase 1), the Standing Wave and improvements to Beckley Avenue. But the biggie this year will be in September, when the Audubon Center is scheduled to be completed. Ten years after the vote, citizens will have something to show for their $246 million.
Of most interest is the proposed July 2010 start date and January 2014 completion date for the Trinity Parkway. Maybe the Texas Horse Park can set up an OTB site? Love to lay down some money on those two dates. Alas, the ever-popular "subject to change" disclaimer appears at the top, no doubt meaning all bets are off.
