There's a new page in town. The Richardson Independent Facebook Page. It's run by "Lauren Decker; a local, independent journalist residing right here in Richardson." In her first series of articles, she's publishing interviews with the eight contested candidates for Richardson Mayor and City Council. I highly recommend that you, first, read her interviews and, second, follow her page so you don't miss her future work.
One of Decker's questions was, "What is the responsibility of the city council when it comes to ensuring Richardson residents continue to have enough water?" Answers were very revealing about the candidates' attitude towards our neighborhood parks. Let's look at part of mayoral candidate Bob Dubey's answer.
First, some background. The North Texas Municipal Water District is divided into different "Pressure Zones." Zone 825 is in northwest Richardson and is serviced by water storage facilities and a pump station in Point North Park. Note that I said "in" the park. Not near the park. Not next to the park. It's right there in the park. You can see two of the water storage tanks in the city's map of city parks. Soon there will be a third, even bigger.
What's the problem this new water tank will help alleviate? Richardson is running out of water. The City's solution? Sacrifice park land for more water storage. The City is in the process of building a honking big 5 million gallon water ground storage tank, bigger, wider, and taller than those two tanks already shown in that map. Is the City saying, we know it's in a park and we're sorry? No. Instead, they are denying it's park land. Really?!? Maybe because state law prohibits cities, under most scenarios, from taking any public land used as a park and putting it to any other use. All I know is that land has been considered park land by neighborhood residents for years, and is still considered to be park land by the City's own maps. That land is being sacrificed for use other than a public park.
Now back to Bob Dubey, candidate for mayor. Before he was elected to City Council, he was Chair of the City of Richardson Parks Board. Surely he's standing up for neighborhood parks. Spoiler alert: he's not.
Let's parse Bob Dubey's answer to the question posed by The Richardson Independent:
I think the 825, it didn’t take away a park, it took away an area that we use as a park and provided those amenities. Good thing is we’re moving the park a little bit and it’s still going to be there. And it will be bigger and better when it’s all said and done. So, I don’t think we owe the neighbors an apology, because we stepped up and offered to do fences and a bunch of green trees. We did a bunch of things to help them, and from everyone I’ve seen, other than one person, I think everyone’s pretty happy.
But I think that the city made a decision, and understand that all that land over there is not our land. It’s UT Dallas land, so we don’t control it anyway. It’s a partnership. So it is important.Source: The Richardson Independent.
No, Bob, the City is not "moving the park a little bit." The park is not going to be "bigger and better." The park's boundaries are not being moved; they are not being enlarged. What's being moved are amenities (playground, ball field, trail). The newly opened space is not "still going to be there." It's gone forever under a honking big water tank.
Yes, Bob, you do owe the neighbors an apology, and all residents who value parks. Anyone who believes, like Thoreau, "In wildness is the preservation of the world," is done a wrong when even part of a public park, even if it's just mowed grass, is permanently erased by a concrete building. "Do[ing] fences and a bunch of green trees" is the least you can do; it's not a substitute for lost park land. Even if "doing fences" is the best of bad options, it's what you should follow "We are sorry" with, not pretend it avoids the need to apologize.
No, Bob, it's not true that "all that land over there is not our land. It’s UT Dallas land, so we don’t control it anyway." It's true that parts of Point North Park are on land owned by UT-Dallas and leased to the City of Richardson. But not where the amenities are. Richardson has been careful to use only its own land to install the amenities, probably because if UT-Dallas ever decides not to renew Richardson's lease on the land, the City will at least be able to keep those amenities. As for the land owned by the City, the City surely does control that. It's our land. We can do what we like to it. I just wish Bob Dubey would do something other than take it for a water storage tank and then tell us he's not sorry that it's being done.
Thanks again to The Richardson Independent for interviewing the candidates. Readers, check out all the questions and answers. Then vote.
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