Fort Worth's Desperate Search For A Visionary To Take The Town To Top-Tier Status

Sometimes my jaded view of the world makes it hard for me to detect if someone is being serious.

Or not.

One of those confusing moments came to me this morning as I was reading the letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I'll copy the letter below and below that I'll comment on the letter.....

Seeking visionaries

Where are our visionaries? Those with big, bold ideas and the drive to see them through? Perhaps not on the City Council, which recently put the brakes on the modern streetcar initiative.

Where are the folks who approved the convention center hotel, supported the Trinity River Vision, Lancaster corridor improvements and new downtown park?

Our city is on a roll. We have momentum that other cities would kill for. But we still lack aesthetics and services that seem so natural to more cosmopolitan cities. Modern streetcars (i.e. efficient, light-rail mobility) are a perfect next step in our evolution to top-tier status.

Dallas has become a national leader in public light-rail transportation, and Denton, too, will soon launch its A train service. That leaves Fort Worth lagging in its vision for solving growing transportation issues, air-quality issues and the continuing vibrancy of our downtown.

We had the government seed money, the feasibility study and popular support. Now it's gone. On leadership one once said, "Search the parks in all your cities, you'll find no statues of committees." When will a visionary leader step up to deliver streetcars to our downtown?

-- Allen Wallach, Fort Worth

Fort Worth is on a roll? With momentum other cities would kill for? What momentum? What roll? The momentum to be on a roll to have the most boondoggles in a row?

Visionaries who approved the convention center hotel, the Trinity River Vision, Lancaster corridor improvements and a new downtown park?

What is this new downtown park the letter writer speaks of? Renovating the Heritage Park boarded up eyesore?

Lancaster corridor improvements? The weeds have been pulled, some lights installed, the Spring Palace is no longer surrounded by cyclone fence. But where are the restaurants and other developments that were supposedly going to occur on this restored corridor?

Fort Worth lacks aesthetics and services that more cosmopolitan cities have, like modern streetcars. And having streetcars are a perfect next step to evolving to top-tier status.

Huh?

Okay, if streetcars are the next step to top-tier status, what in the world was the previous step? It can't be the Trinity River Vision. All that vision saw was copying what was being done in Dallas with its Trinity River Corridor Project. And then downscaling the Dallas Vision.

Was the previous step to top-tier status allowing one of the few unique things in downtown Fort Worth to become a boarded up eyesore, again referring to Heritage Park's  current status. Really, would any town with any pretensions to top-tier status allow a well-designed park to fall into such a state, what with that park being across the street from a county courthouse and adjacent to a jail?

I do agree with the letter writer that Fort Worth is in dire need of a visionary. A visionary with clear vision. Not the type visionary who copies what he or she sees elsewhere.

The Sky Is Clear In Texas For Tonight's Total Eclipse Of The Moon

This morning I was up late, again, after being out late, again, last night. All this holiday cheer needs to come to an end soon because it is starting to wear me down.

As you can see from the view from the bars of my patio prison cell the next to the last Monday of 2010 is another clear blue sky day in Texas.

Clear blue sky should make for easy viewing of tonight's total eclipse of the moon. I have not seen a total eclipse of the moon in Texas.

The only total eclipse of the moon that I recollect seeing was in August of 2004 in Tacoma. I remember having fish and chips at a restaurant in Tacoma's Old Town, then exiting the restaurant after sunset to see a big glowing moon slowly disappearing. And then reappearing.

I do not know what time the moon is scheduled to disappear tonight. I'll try and remember to look for the moon tonight.

Walking In Village Creek Natural Historic Area & Hearing About Theo John and Ruby Jean

You are looking at Village Creek in Village Creek Natural Historic Area around noon today. It was being a perfect walking temperature.

I called Tootsie Tonasket on my way to Village Creek because she'd left an urgent message asking for some counseling due to a terrifying Wal-Mart experience. I know how terrifying those Wal-Mart experiences can be.

But, I was unable to counsel Tootsie due to Tootsie not answering her phone. No one has heard from Tootsie today. This has Tootsie's legion of Facebook Friends very worried.

Me? Not so much.

When I got to Village Creek Natural Historic Area I called my sister. The one who lives in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. I'd not gotten an account of Ronald McDonald singing happy birthday to my dad last Sunday, til today.

I also learned that I sort of have a new nephew and niece. My youngest sister, the one who lives in Tacoma and likes to argue and mind other people's business because she somehow feels entitled to do so due to being a lawyer, adopted a little boy named David awhile back. David is a little over 2, I think. He is a redhead.

My sister also has 2 poodles, Blue & Max. Blue & Max used to have a blog. If I remember right I made it for them. Over the years, I've lost track.

When I was up in Tacoma, in July and August of 2008, I was surprised to learn all sorts of things. One of them is my little sister has some sort of disorder where she can not stand repetitive noises. Even noises as benign as the beeps a camera makes. Or the soothing sound of a waterfall. And God help you if you talk louder than the allowed decibel level.

So, I was a little surprised when my sister started taking in foster kids. Kids can be noisy. At one point she had 3 of the little darlings at one time.

Now, my sister, she being the youngest of my siblings, had no experience with what it is like when a newborn arrives. As in it can be very noisy. Off and on all night long. When my little sister was a baby, she was not all that noisy, but the next youngest sister, she being the one who now lives in Arizona, now that was one noisy baby. I can still remember how sleep deprived it made me. I think my grades took a hit. I would have been a 2nd grader. That was one tough year in school. In many ways I never recovered.

Many months ago I was a bit surprised when my mom told my sister was going to be having twins. Now I was told about the baby making plan when I was in Tacoma in 2008. I was even shown photos of the Dutch male participant in the plan. But that plan was thwarted with the arrival of the foster kids.

Or so I thought.

Well, the twins arrived on Thursday, I think that's what my sister told me. She is going up to Tacoma to help in a couple weeks. The twins names are Theodore John Jones and Ruby Jean Jones. I know the Dutch donor, who's picture I was shown, is not the father. With these particular names I am wondering if the donor dad is possibly African-American.

That'd be a first in our family, I think.

I have not talked to my mom since this blessed event. Mom and dad have no current plans to visit their latest, uh, well, grandchildren, I guess is what they are. Nor do I.

My Arizona sister has seen pictures of my new, uh, well, nephew and niece and she's says they are darn cute. I have seen babies barely out of the oven before and they never look cute to me. The twins must be an exception to that.