Month: February 2022

by Grace Rose Gonzalez

Friends,

On Feb 16^th, the HDRC heard the item submitted by Parks staff to cut down 10 heritage trees that line the San Antonio River in Brackenridge Park. There were at least 50 citizens that came to the meeting, which lasted almost 5 hours in which staff tried awfully hard to convince the HDRC commission to approve the removal of the trees.

There is a continuance for about a week, as HDRC asked for a presentation of what will be the design at Lambert Beach after the removal of the trees. Staff pushed back hard, not wanting to give HDRC a presentation, but the public and the Commissioners were adamant that this was necessary before they would approve the removal of the Heritage Trees.

The reasons that Park staff gave for rushing this removal was to beat the egrets time in nesting and that the crumbling retaining wall and leaning trees were dangerous. However, the retaining wall and leaning trees have been in this condition for over 10 years, so that seems disingenuous to say, it is a safety issue. As far as the egrets are concerned, the city staff wants to make sure that there is no nesting that begins in March and ends around the end of the Summer. They will not be able to touch the trees once nesting begins as the egrets are a protected bird by Federal Fish and Wildlife.

The Fish and Wildlife representative presented that the egrets were a nuisance, and they were managing closely the egrets with the city by deterring as much as possible.

Overall, the quality of life at Brackenridge will change in the ecosystem structure. The big shade trees will be gone, and egrets misplaced, and little 4” trees with lots of concrete are what have been shown in previous renderings by design team and staff will be in place. 

It is an atrocity that we will witness and a horror we will remember for the rest of our lives.

However, something to truly consider before these huge trees are cut down, is, the escalation of cost in construction since the pandemic.

According to the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America) the rising cost in materials was 27.8% from April 2020 to August 2021. Projects all over the city have been impacted by this inflation and commodity shortage. This escalation has not been addressed in our discussions on Brackenridge Park project. 

The most prudent action that needs to be taken at this time is a reconciliation to current costs and the scope of the project. We should ask for this reconciliation to verify the variance, and what can really be built. This will help tremendously in prioritization of work. It could be that we wait a year on Lambert Beach area, giving us an opportunity to dig deep into the design with stakeholders. So many stakeholder groups have not had an opportunity to voice their desires, to the point of feeling excluded. This is especially true for the indigenous tribes that these lands were their homes.

A project phasing would be a positive approach in a time of uncertainty in construction.  The reality with almost 30% inflation, the project is one third smaller. 

In an effort to keep the heritage trees, move the retaining wall, do all the studies, and see if this approach would work, phasing would be a positive method to consider in light of the budget shortfall that this and all construction projects are experiencing nation wide.

Your food bill and gas have gone up remarkably since 2018, and you have had to prioritize your shopping. The same holds true for a construction project. 

The reconciliation of the budget variance should be the first homework due by staff to the HDRC Commissioners at the next meeting so to confirm the real size of the project with the money the city currently has designated.  The trees may not need to be cut down just yet.

Just a thought, and you should share with your Councilperson.

 by Grace Rose Gonzales

Hello Neighbors, 

So, what is going on at Brackenridge Park and are Heritage Trees really on the chopping block? 

Yes, the heritage oak trees are on the chopping block. Feb 16th HDRC is going to consider and vote on the removal of up to 9 Heritage Trees some of them forty-eight” or more in diameter. The trees line an area called Lambert Beach close by the Joske’s Pavilion. The reasons for the removal are to rid the area of Egrets and because the stone wall at the river needs to be repaired. The Planning Commission has already approved a removal of 290 trees in the park, many exceptionally large but not heritage. 

The fact of the matter is, the oak trees do not have to be removed to repair the stone walls. The stone walls should be moved out a bit to accommodate the oak trees and a permit is required from the Army Corp of Engineers. That solves that problem of repairing the walls. 

The egrets seem to be the main reason for the removal of these trees as the Egrets use the oak trees for nesting. For years, the city has NOT cleaned up after the Egrets and it led to a hazardous situation. But I would argue, your cat box would become a HAZMAT if you did not clean that out for 4 weeks. There are ways to mitigate the Egrets and thinning the trees is one, and noise is the other. But the solution being proposed is, chop the trees and we solve the bird problem. 

As you all can imagine, this severe proposed solution is not popular. Removing the canopies provided by these trees will cause flooding during a deluge rainstorm. The canopies hold the water and let it go into the river at a slower pace alleviating flooding. Also, the canopies keep the river cooler in the Summer, so the fish are not cooked in the 120-degree sun. Let’s also cover the oxygen these trees provide, and the cultural treasure they are known for, and there is no good reason to chop the trees down. 

The amount of money invested in Brackenridge is nowhere the level that are in put into Hemisphere Park or Hardberger Park. The use of Brackenridge is extremely high from museum goers, tourists, birdwatchers, zoo visitors and residents of the inner-city neighborhoods. The inequity in investment has led to severe deterioration, which this 2017 bond money is to address. But cutting our treasured heritage trees is not responding to the deterioration in a manner that is acceptable. Obviously, it is the easiest solution, and cheapest solution, which staff wants to expedite. 

We have an incredible cultural treasure that has not been maintained, and now, the answer will be to privatize the park. The Sunken Garden Amphitheatre is part of this privatizing plan of “cleaning up ‘the park. Removing trees first, next residents, and making this for a money-making venture, is not what this park was gifted for. It was gifted to be an open park, with access for all, and maintained by the city for the citizens. 

If you do not agree with these future plans for Brackenridge, contact your councilperson and mayor, let them know, Brackenridge is not for privatization, and our trees and birds should be protected as well as our quality of life.