Just when you thought it was safe to celebrate the salvation of the West 11th Street Park, you find out that there may be another bullet to dodge.
About a week ago, I posted a press release from Senator John Whitmire’s office stating that the remaining monies needed to save the 11th Street Park from development had been added to the state budget and the park was now safe.
Um…cough.
I got an email from a VERY reliable source stating that Councilwoman Toni Lawrence said there is a glitch in Whitmire’s deal and that the funds may be MATCHING funds still leaving the park some $1.5 million short. There was no mention of this in his victory proclaiming press release.
Gah. I hope this is just a misunderstanding, and that a phone call will clear it up. Cutting the debt in half would have been huge if there were enough time to pay it back, but at this point it’s pretty much all or nothing. The difference is chump change for the state budget, but a huge hurdle for park supporters. When I hear how this shakes out, I’ll post an update.
It looks like they are matching funds. Here’s the conference committee report on HB 1, the general appropriations bill. Page VI-40 lists the local park grants; they include “$3,750,000 in matching funds for the City of Houston 11th Street Park.”