By Carol Bell-Walton
Special Contributor
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of East Dallas-area advocates, the White Rock Lake Task Force is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The Task Force is comprised of stalwart representatives from 17 neighborhood associations, numerous nonprofit organizations that serve the park, recreational users’ groups, and various environmental groups. The Task Force coordinates with the staff of the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department and Dallas City Council District 9 Park Board Representative Maria Hasbany.
Michael Jung, a longtime neighborhood advocate, urged the creation of a citizen task force in 1984 shortly after a fatality occurred at a Fourth of July fireworks show at White Rock Lake Park. The park roads were so congested that the emergency vehicles could not reach the heart attack victim.
In 1988, Jung tried again to start a citizens’ oversight committee for the park. Over the years, committees were formed for the creation of the Master Plan, the Design Plan, and a Dredging Feasibility Study, and there were many overlapping committee members. In 1997, the Task Force that Jung had worked towards for 13 years became a reality with the support of then-District 9 Dallas City Councilmember Mary Poss and Gary Griffith, her appointed Park Board representative.
A Voice For Change
As the organization’s bylaws state, “The purposes of the Task Force are to preserve, protect, and enhance White Rock Lake Park; to ensure compliance with adopted planning documents governing the Park; to provide a vehicle for public participation in proposals, plans, and decisions relating to the Park from their earliest serious consideration to their completion; and to serve as a channel for communication between its member organizations and the City regarding issues affecting the Park.”
Though the White Rock Lake Task Force works most efficiently and effectively when notice of projects is provided from their earliest serious consideration, the group has also been responsive when information not shared with the public is uncovered. Park advocates know that the Task Force will vet their concerns.
At least twice, the Task Force has prevailed in keeping White Rock Lake Park lands public. In 2012, the Task Force helped avoid the expansion by the Arboretum into the park. Their parking garage was built on Garland Road rather than Winfrey Point. In 2014, Boy Scout Hill was preserved as a native Blackland prairie remnant rather than being privatized as a restaurant for profit.
Keeping public lands public is an ongoing challenge. That the attempted privatizations were thwarted by the Task Force and other lake advocates illustrates the value of having citizens organized for the benefit of the park.
By Citizens, For White Rock Lake
Is the Task Force perfect? No, but it does embody the best opportunities for citizen activism and oversight. For example, it would be ideal if the park were maintained for pests and weeds organically but Plateau, an herbicide marketed by chemical company BASF, continues to be sprayed. The Task Force has heard your concerns and hopes to make progress on organic maintenance. Ten meetings are held per year and generally, there are more issues than can be covered on an agenda.
One benefit to having a citizens’ oversight group is that it has historical knowledge of the projects at the park.
Last year, the White Rock Loop Trail completion project, funded by the 2017 bond package, was undertaken by the city’s parks department. Everyone who had worked on the bond package had retired and the engineer who oversaw the project was not involved in 2017.
The project included repaving a portion of E. Lawther, formerly known among cyclists and hikers as “Hamburger Hill.” The previous engineer had not left clear notes that E. Lawther needed to be repaved before tearing out the trail to be replaced. Both parts of the project were funded and it was going to be left to the contractor to determine the order of the work.
Realizing that leaving it up to the contractor could result in E. Lawther and the trail being closed at the same time, the Task Force was able to suggest the intended order of the projects because so many of the members were there throughout the bond planning process. Had both the road and the trail on the east side of the lake been closed at the same time, recreational users could have been adversely affected for quite some time. By suggesting the intended staging of the projects, the scenario was avoided. It isn’t something one can tell by looking at the lake, but many of the Task Force’s successes are avoiding unintended scenarios.
It is the group’s intent to keep the public informed on issues that affect the park. You can Like and Follow the “White Rock Lake Task Force” page on Facebook for the most up to date news or request to be added to the organization’s mailing list by emailing [email protected].
Task Force meetings are public and the public is invited to speak. The Task Force welcomes your involvement and input. While many have set their sites on public lands as opportunities for privatization, thankfully, the implementation of Jung’s model of citizen involvement has kept Dallas’ crown jewel open to all.
