SW Med vs.

05/20/02 - DART & Dallas County Taxpayers

Well, the mainstream media guys are weighing in our side in this huge, huge debate over DART's light rail alignment down Harry Hines Blvd. Use the "red, underlined" link to read this very well done article. Margaret Allen is talking to real players -- Se-Gwen Tyler, Tim Dickey, DART's Kay Shelton, impressive.

Just remember, you heard about it first on DallasArena.com, 5/13/02. It's really great that DBJ exposed the jerk behind this as Kern Wildenthal (they have a lot more insurance than DallasArena.com). Here's what we said in "If it's their town, how do we take it back?"

1. DART has a preferred alignment for elevated light rail going North -- right down Harry Hines. Their preferred route would hook up with the elevated crossing bridge at Southwest Medical/Zale Lipshy. It's sensible, it's efficient, and it would serve Love Field passengers and the general Dallas County community the most effectively. One powerful jerk in the Southwest Medical Community is blocking the entire route because he doesn't want the riff-raff who might use light rail stopping near Zale-Lipshy. This jerk is frequently called the best beggar in Dallas. He raised over $250 Million in donations for Southwest Medical.

No one would dispute the importance of Southwest Medical to our city and county. They have brought great, positive recognition for Dallas.   The consortium of Harry Hines medical facilities have done wonders to improve the appearance of the boulevard in their area. That does not give them the right to arbitrarily cost Dallas taxpayers -- and all the citizens of DART-participating municipalities -- over $23 Million just because their chief fundraiser has some insecurity problems he hasn't dealt with.

Not only will it cost us $23 Million more than taking the line down Harry Hines, the route this fundraiser-guy is forcing on DART would wipe out a big hunk of Arlington Park, an established single family residential community that is predominantly African-American. When the Hospital people bought off former council member Barbara Caraway, they were able to get an apartment complex plopped down in the middle of that neighborhood over the objection of most of the residents. Arlington Park has already been victimized.

Taking away the homes of elderly Black people is not going to look good for DART's image.

No one will remember it was the top fundraiser for Southwest Medical who forced DART into that wrong alignment. DART is going to be blamed when the houses are taken. No one will remember an employee of the Hospital group was sitting on the DART Board to carry their water when the non-Harry Hines route was approved. No one will remember that Southwest Medical drew an imaginary building on their future site plans just so they could block the best route for DART and/or shakedown DART for millions.

On good authority, it is only one very successful fundraiser who is driving this DART train the wrong way. You need to call your County Commissioner and tell him you want to save our tax money and save Arlington Park by keeping DART light rail going right down the middle of Harry Hines.