Dallas County Commissioners Must Be Smoking “Something”. They Want a 17- Story Ferris Wheel In Founders Plaza?
Share News:
This has got to be some sort of a Texas State Fair related joke. The Dallas County Commissioners apparently want a new attraction, a 21st Century version of the famous Ferris Wheel at Fair Park, in downtown Dallas. They want to construct a huge rotating obervatory in Founders Plaza, to sit on top of the parking garage built under the plaza in 2008. Supposedly engineers for the plan say it can be supported. The “huge rotating observatory” enthusiasts says this is what cool cities like London and Paris, maybe Vienna, have.
OK, so we have no money for basic city services, we had to cut services and raise taxes last year. Remember September ’10 when the Dallas City Council voted 8-7 to increase the property tax rate by more than 6.5 percent to fund millions of dollars in street maintenance, park upkeep, recreation center programs and a host of other services? Just last month, the Dallas County Commissioners approved a pared-down budget for next fiscal year that has no tax increase in it, but chopped more than 150 positions, popped higher health insurance fees on employees, and offered no pay raises. The $486 million operating budget for the 2012 is 1.6 percent smaller than the current budget.
Remember the bond forfeitures? Dallas county has failed to collect millions in unpaid court judgments, never bothered to assess interest on forfeited bonds, and then charges bondsmen way cheap rates (compared to neighboring communities) for court fees.
But we need a Ferris Wheel?
This is the United States, not Europe, in the 21st century where, if someone is injured on this 21st Century contraption, they sue the city.
This is just ridiculous and I urge everyone to voice their opinion. How will this contraption make downtown Dallas a better place to live? Improve real estate values? It won’t. Better transportation, parking, not so many dang one-way streets, and planning will.
So fess up, this was really an early April Fools joke, right?
Thank God: Commissioners still need approval from the city Landmark Commission. That phone number is 214.670.4538. Speak up now, or we’ll be paying more in taxes for this thing come 2012.
No Comments
Leave a Comment
Dallas needs a second ferris wheel like a hole in the head. The first one barely gets ridden, so why would anyone pay a whopping $17-$20 to ride a new one?
Dallas needs a second ferris wheel like a hole in the head. The first one barely gets ridden, so why would anyone pay a whopping $17-$20 to ride a new one?
They should locate the ferris wheel, or as they call it "observation wheel", to the future Trinity River project, or wherever our picturesque River Walk will be some day. From what I have heard, the company proposing this is also pushing it in other cities. I think it's more of them shopping various cities versus us actually needing or wanting it and our County Commissioners are taking the bait. It is a bad idea all around.
They should locate the ferris wheel, or as they call it "observation wheel", to the future Trinity River project, or wherever our picturesque River Walk will be some day. From what I have heard, the company proposing this is also pushing it in other cities. I think it's more of them shopping various cities versus us actually needing or wanting it and our County Commissioners are taking the bait. It is a bad idea all around.
Sorry but Candy have you researched this project fully? All the info I have gathered on this project is that it will be totally funded by a private company with almost no cost to the county. The Private company who makes the Ferris Wheel only came to the city because they wanted to be located in a high traffic area to guarantee successful profits who can blame them for that. Being near Dealy Plaza was their choice because its one of the highest foot traffic areas in DFW. By installing the thing on County land the private company does not have to purchase property or pay taxes of course, keeping their own costs low which allows them to profit share with Dallas county for revenue share.
In fact the company who is wanting to install the 17 story Ferris Wheel on County land in the Dallas County Historical Plaza is going to pay the County at least 50,000 a year from shared revenues. Sounds like the city would be making money on this deal almost enough to keep a extra county employee around. Also another detail to this project is the Ferris Wheel would only be here for two years while they see if its profitable then they will talk to the county about longer term contracts if the Ferris Wheels proves popular.
There certainly is a question whether this is appropriate near such a important historical landmark like Dealy Plaza the site of the JFK assassination but that's a totally different discussion. As far as I am sitting this project would be the County finding more money to put into the budget for city services and its costing the county almost nothing to generate.
Sorry but Candy have you researched this project fully? All the info I have gathered on this project is that it will be totally funded by a private company with almost no cost to the county. The Private company who makes the Ferris Wheel only came to the city because they wanted to be located in a high traffic area to guarantee successful profits who can blame them for that. Being near Dealy Plaza was their choice because its one of the highest foot traffic areas in DFW. By installing the thing on County land the private company does not have to purchase property or pay taxes of course, keeping their own costs low which allows them to profit share with Dallas county for revenue share.
In fact the company who is wanting to install the 17 story Ferris Wheel on County land in the Dallas County Historical Plaza is going to pay the County at least 50,000 a year from shared revenues. Sounds like the city would be making money on this deal almost enough to keep a extra county employee around. Also another detail to this project is the Ferris Wheel would only be here for two years while they see if its profitable then they will talk to the county about longer term contracts if the Ferris Wheels proves popular.
There certainly is a question whether this is appropriate near such a important historical landmark like Dealy Plaza the site of the JFK assassination but that's a totally different discussion. As far as I am sitting this project would be the County finding more money to put into the budget for city services and its costing the county almost nothing to generate.
Thanks William, you shed more light on this and I will try to do a follow up. My concern reamins for lawsuits involving the City of Dallas since it will be city land. If we could insure against that or absolve the City, might not be a bad idea. But the structure seems incongruent wth Dealy Plaza somehow. And isn't Dealy where the birds always poop so much?
Thanks William, you shed more light on this and I will try to do a follow up. My concern reamins for lawsuits involving the City of Dallas since it will be city land. If we could insure against that or absolve the City, might not be a bad idea. But the structure seems incongruent wth Dealy Plaza somehow. And isn't Dealy where the birds always poop so much?
We can't have a Ballpark downtown, but everyone is jumping on board a Ferris Wheel all of a sudden? Nothing surprises me anymore.
We can't have a Ballpark downtown, but everyone is jumping on board a Ferris Wheel all of a sudden? Nothing surprises me anymore.
[…] | Staffing Agency | Dallas – San Antonio …Process Server Texas | The Web Wonk's Daily ReaderDallas Morning News reported this morning that the sheriff would be taking over the civil process de…will receive an additional 23 positions. The sheriff’s new civil division is scheduled to begin […]
[…] | Staffing Agency | Dallas – San Antonio …Process Server Texas | The Web Wonk's Daily ReaderDallas Morning News reported this morning that the sheriff would be taking over the civil process de…will receive an additional 23 positions. The sheriff’s new civil division is scheduled to begin […]