just a few thoughts on the arboretum proposal to park on the wildflowers and grasses at winfrey point ... i can only hope that it reaches the right people prior to the meetings to discuss this issue with the city ...
it is against city code for anyone to park vehicles on the grasses at any park ... a towable offense ... much money has been spent to install the wooden poles to prevent people from driving into the parks ... the arboretum should be no exception (i am a member of the arboretum, but i totally disagree with this plan)
the arboretum has just invested 56 million dollars to build an 8 acre playground in the arboretum ... this is not for the public ... only children whose parents or schools can provide them the luxery of getting into the arboretum have access to this playground ... yet, the arboretum wants to destroy public park land that is paid for with our taxes to provide parking for their private entity ...
a private 8 acre playground is huge ... 2 to 3 acres of that land could have been used for a parking building on the arboretum's property without compromising the playground ....
the arboretum just built a parking lot on garland road, diagonally across from the arboretum ... why wasn't this a parking garage? there are other 2 story buildings on garland road & it is a commercial venue ...
additionally, there is land for sale on garland road, notably the tree service directly across the street ... the arboretum can surely spend the money on land for a parking facility if they were able to finance a 56 million dollar playground!!
the remoteness of the parking if it were at winfrey point would create an environmental problem with the number of cars going there to park & then the need for the volume of buses that would be needed to take people to the arboretum ... this does not fit with the image dallas should be projecting for a city that won the urban wilderness or grassland or whatever designation...
there are huge parking lots up on garland where it turns to gaston at a nightclub venue ... this establishment would probably welcome the revenue that could be provided if the arboretum would rent that lot from them when they needed the overflow parking ...
the arboretum is getting very "high handed" in its dealings with the people of dallas & are thoughtless of the public ...
i doubt that i will continue my membership ...
