the Controversial Committee Report
“We don’t raise sacred cows...we just butcher them.”
Amazon’s Roadkill?
If patience is truly a virtue, then it would be safe to say there are many non-virtuous denizens in ‘beautiful downtown Irving.’ How could this be possible?
Frankly, while the city council and staff make plans to provide Amazon HQ2 every possible amenity (maybe, including the Texas Stadium site and whatever infrastructure is necessary?) for a possible corporate relocation, those who have patiently been waiting, for minor and in many cases major improvements (read: primarily street repairs) to better their neighborhoods and streets, are left wondering if their lifelong tax contributions have actually meant anything to the city council and staff.
Is it truly economic development when politicos associated with a project give away and forego sound reasoning at the expense of residential tax payers to provide costly freebies to a business?
While this issue could be debated ad infinitum, the reality still exists that Irving roadways are probably some of the poorest in the surrounding metropolitan areas…not including Dallas.
Take a drive around Coppell (a city which knows how to really repair Beltline Road potholes and dips), or any other suburban municipality. Progress in some of these cities seems to be measured by attending to residential needs which in the long run does assist businesses when relocating to the area.
After all, would a business really want their employees to suffer bouncy, pothole dental fractures due to poor road conditions while driving to work each day in their chosen city?
Since announcing a “Really Big Plan” to improve, fix, or rework many much needed streets in the city, the scorecard of progress might reflect: Street Improvements = 0; Citizen's Patience = <250,000>.
To demonstrate what is afoot, the following is a gentle reminder of what was noted months ago.
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From the 07-19-17 CCR
Roads to Somewhere
While you were on vacation, the City Manager and James Corden of “Carpool Karaoke” fame took a few spins around the city singing the praises of needed road repairs which suddenly required attention.
(The term suddenly is used since citizens have been asking, begging and pleading for years for the city to fix, repair, or replace certain roadways in the city.)
One has to imagine the current determination, that many highly traveled Irving roadways suck, is now front and center. Since attending to ex-QueenB VD’s every whim and fancy, the city was remiss in attempting to redeem Irving’s 1,400 road lane miles of washboard driving created by her royal coach.
And how will the decrepit status of many Irving roads be addressed? Dear readers, please sit down.
How about the City Manager conjuring a plan entitled: “Road to the Future: $100 Million in 5 Years”?
$100 Million? Five years? Is this real money? Did the roadways suck more than what was even anticipated? Will the city have its own Yellow Brick Road? Ouch!
What will this plan do to the current tax rate and bonded indebtedness of the city? Have these figures been provided to the general public? Was citizen input considered when preparing the list of humps and bumps needing consideration for repairs?
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Is there a remedy to alert the city council and staff that the spike in the Patience Quotient has reached pandemic proportions in ‘beautiful downtown Irving?’
Perhaps, one temporary OTC remedy might be the upcoming city council elections.
While the city council might finally see the removal of all Pet Rocks (assuming LaMorgese has read the handwriting on the wall), voters should demand “a clear path,” by those running for office…regarding the immediate implementation of the proposed roadway improvement plan. And when moving forward with the plan, as it may now exist, residential roadwork will not be demoted on an established priority schedule to accommodate a business relocation — by placing their grubby hands on city freebies — at the expense of residential tax payers becoming roadkill.
And while awaiting your particular roadway to be improved, reserve a bit of time and become active in the local political processes. It has been proven this remedy might also assist in addressing your Patience Quotient.
After all, when those spending your hard earned tax bucks don’t hear from you, they might assume their generosity with giving your money — to less than needy corporate relocation enterprises — is divine intervention.
And, dear readers, it has been proven on many occasions the city council has not been gifted with divine intervention.
……………………………………Mark Holbrook
