Chet Edwards For Congress

June 11, 2006
Rep. Edwards, McFall continue praise of improvement project

Cleburne Times Review
By Matt Smith & Thomas Phillips |Staff Writer & News Editor

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, and county officials spoke again in support of the Ham Creek Park project recently.

Edwards responded Saturday to comments Johnson County Republican Party Chairman Dan Hunt made in Friday’s Times-Review regarding Edwards’ work to improve the park. Edwards also went after his opponent, Van Taylor. His comments came while addressing about 50 invited guests during the opening of his North Texas campaign office Saturday, at 904 N. Main St. in Cleburne,

“It takes a lot of gall to be able to join the Spouting Rock Beach club in Newport, R.I., and then to criticize a park here,” Edwards said of Taylor.

Taylor is a member of the Spouting Rock Beach Association, a private club with “mega-millionaires” for members, as Edwards called them. Ham Creek is a public park located about 7 miles west of Rio Vista on the Brazos River. The park closed about 20 years ago, but the county, with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Edwards, plans to renovate and re-open it. Edwards secured $900,000 in federal money for the project last year and hopes, with Senate approval, to secure an additional $1.8 million.

Hunt criticized Edwards’ work on the project in the Times-Review story, calling improvements to the park a pork-barrel project and “a boondoggle led by Chet Edwards.” Taylor, a West resident, in the same article did not speak specifically against Ham Creek but instead criticized wasteful government spending. He did not say Ham Creek Park is such a case.

“I see Dan’s point though,” Taylor said. “Because people are mad over wasteful spending in government and want to see it stopped. And that would be a huge priority for me. That doesn’t mean I would never vote for any spending project, but I would look long and hard to weigh the costs and benefits first.”

Edwards’ campaign manager Chris Turner said Taylor “basically endorsed Dan Hunt’s criticism.”

Taylor campaign manager Mike Spellings disputed that claim.

“Van didn’t endorse anything,” Spellings said.

Taylor called Edwards’ comments “another petty personal attack that has nothing to do with solving the problems Central Texans face everyday,” and went on to voice support for the project.

“I have no problem with the Ham Creek project,” Taylor said in a written statement. “In fact, I fully support it and anything else we can do to improve the quality of life for Central Texans.

“These deceptive Washington-style attacks from career politicians are what make people so cynical about politicians today.”

Hunt countered Edwards remarks by saying he does not oppose improvements to the park. Hunt said he had concerns regarding whether project construction contracts would be available to Johnson County residents and businesses. He also opposed the way Edwards sold the project.

“Edwards has taken credit for something that many others have worked a long time for,” Hunt said. “Chet is coming up here and saying, ‘Look what I did, look what I did,’ and not giving us the full story.”

Edwards said the major reason he worked to secure funding for the project is because elected officials in the mostly-Republican Johnson County have asked for his help.

“Till the day I die, I will be glad to have worked with you on that park,” Edwards said.

County Commissioner R.C. McFall said the park improvements continue because the commissioners court, with four Republicans and one Democrat — himself — support it. McFall added that many other elected officials, including Cleburne Mayor Ted Reynolds and Burleson Mayor Ken Shetter also support the project.

“People would talk about the area from time to time and wonder why nothing had been done out there,” McFall said. “Then about two and a half years ago, George Wood [Brazos River Park Project chairman] got the ball rolling. The important point to remember is that this was designed by people around this area, not some bureaucrats sitting around D.C. This was always a hands-on project involving local people to make Ham Creek a real good, functional, clean family area.”

McFall said U.S. Rep. Joe Barton and former state Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, both Republicans who represented the district at the time, supported the project early on.

“Wood started getting resolutions drawn up and talking to city councils and chambers in the county and getting those approved,” McFall said. “Then, with redistricting, Barton moved out and Chet came in and continued to carry the ball. All the years I’ve been around, I’ve never worked on another project that was so supported from inception and from so many levels and entities from local to state to national.”

McFall said three committees, comprised of local officials and residents and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives, met regularly at the Guinn Justice Center over the last two years to gather input and work out the details of the project.

County Judge Roger Harmon and County Commissioner Troy Thompson — both Republicans — agreed that any opposition to the project was never political.

“No party-line opposition, just [from] some of the folks who live in the Fisherman’s Paradise and the area,” Thompson said. “Most of the opposition in the beginning was concerned with what the park would look like and the magnitude of the project. But after we got input from the people, I think most came on board with it.”

Thompson said he’s excited about the project.

“I favor it,” Thompson said. “I grew up down there fishing, swimming, skiing and think it will be a nice outlet for that area of the county. The problem, when the park was closed, is that you had no supervision and a lot of vandalism and other problems. Now it should be a nice family area.”

Harmon said he fully supports the project despite initial misgivings, which had nothing to do with party politics.

“I don’t know that it will pay for itself,” Harmon said. “But you don’t weigh everything solely in dollars. You also look at the benefit the taxpayers will derive, and I think Ham Creek will be a great place for families, kids and recreation.”

Harmon, McFall and Thompson said the court will consider how much to allot to park maintenance during budget talks for next year. McFall said the project is scheduled to be completed in three stages with the first stage estimated to end around September or October.

McFall said the county is prepared to handle maintenance and operation.

“A lot of the equipment, mowers and so on, the county already owns, so that won’t cost us,” McFall said. “And I’m hoping we’ll work with Sheriff [Bob] Alford to use inmate labor for a lot of the work out there. Since tax dollars will maintain it, I certainly don’t want to spend any more than we have to.”

McFall said he expects the park to benefit the county economically given the area populations of Tarrant and Dallas counties. McFall said the planned improvements, such as a new boat ramp and camping facilities, should attract local and out-of-county people.
—
“It’s already a big area for water skiers and I expect that to grow and attract more people,” McFall said. “They like it because the hills on either side block the wind so it’s almost always smooth water, and they like to follow the winding river.”
Roy Bruggman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ham Creek project manager, said the project’s construction offers plenty of economic opportunity for Johnson County residents and businesses.

“The Corps does almost everything through contract now,” Bruggman said. “We’ll have one or two government employees out there overlooking the project but no, we don’t do much of the work anymore.”

Edwards Communication Director Josh Taylor said the federal funds Edwards secured go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which awards contracts, that anyone can apply for through the competitive-bid process.

Bruggman said the Corps has a contract with CSS, a Gatesville construction company, which runs through 2007. After the contract expires, it will be re-advertised for any interested contractors to bid on.

The contract calls for the installation of signs, painting, road work, water and electrical line installation and other items.

CSS has already hired local workers who live in Rio Vista, Cleburne and other parts of Johnson County for the Ham Creek project and plans to hire more as the project continues, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documents. In addition, much of the supplies and services required for the project will be procured locally through a competitive-bid process.

Bruggman credited teamwork between the Corps, Johnson County officials and residents, and state and national officials for the project’s success so far.
He said all involved worked to respect the wishes of the residents of the Fisherman’s Paradise neighborhood, which overlooks the park, by drawing plans tucking picnic areas under trees and employing indirect lighting.

“We set out to work with the whole community,” Bruggman said. “I think the fact that we had balanced groups of equal representation working on this from the beginning was a big factor.”