Potholes, pollution, no toilets in the park: so why is the City of Houston spending $2 million to destroy our wild Buffalo Bayou?

June 18, 2014

What an experience at the open meeting of the Houston City Council today.

We sat patiently and listened with interest for more than three hours to long-suffering Houstonians complaining about the City not finding the money to fix their horribly potholed streets, their polluted water systems, their backed-up sewer systems, their lack of toilets in their public parks, mental health care, libraries, and more.

It was a privilege to listen to these engaged people, and it gave additional weight to our argument: why is the City of Houston wasting $2 million on a pointless project to destroy Buffalo Bayou in and around Memorial Park, a public natural treasure, an educational resource, a last remaining bit of wilderness in the middle of the city available to all, when there is so much need elsewhere?

By the time we were called to give our testimony around 5:30 p.m. the chambers were almost empty and Mayor Annise Parker and many of the council members had left. Remaining to listen to us were Ed Gonzalez, Robert Gallegos, Mike Laster, David Robinson, Michael Kubosh, Brad Bradford, and Jack Christie. Ellen Cohen and Oliver Pennington, whose districts include Memorial Park and River Oaks on Buffalo Bayou, had already split, along with the mayor.

But those who remained were attentive, thoughtful, and responsive. We thank them.

And we will persevere. They will not get away with this. We are not going to let them destroy our wild Buffalo Bayou or its magnificent, forested banks high or low.

We will continue to urge the City of Houston to withdraw from this ridiculous, pointless, expensive plan to destroy Buffalo Bayou in order to “restore” it. And you should too. Show the force! Contact your city council representatives and let them know that you oppose this stupid, destructive, expensive project.

One thought on “Potholes, pollution, no toilets in the park: so why is the City of Houston spending $2 million to destroy our wild Buffalo Bayou?”

  1. Terry Elkins says:

    I am saddened and concerned that Houston’s city council would vote to allow this project to go thru. As a boy I grew up in Houston and watched the urban sprawl build over areas where I used to find arrowheads, ride my bike and hunt birds. That landscape is gone forever now. We would sometimes retreat into Memorial Park, climb a large oak and swing on a rope over Buffalo Bayou. It’s an area that still seems untouched today, just like it has been for centuries. I can’t understand why those responsible for Houston’s future would choose to alow this important part of Houston and it’s history destroyed. For what? Houston has so many other problems that need to be addressed. All I can think of is that it’s done for the money that goes to someone who wants to profit the public’s holding of a prime piece of real estate. Once this part of Buffalo Bayou is gone, it’s gone forever. It’s important to protect and preserve this public area for generations of Houstonians to come.

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