"In simplest terms, it's just too big for Rockwall County.”
TTC gets thumb's down at TxDOT hearing
August 24, 2006
By Emily Berman
Rockwall County News
Copyright 2006
Several Rockwall County residents attended the Texas Department of Transportation's hearing at the Utley Freshman Center Thursday, Aug. 17 to show their support or opposition to the Trans-Texas Corridor proposed to be built through Rockwall County.
Many political candidates attended, handing out flyers and speaking to residents on their opinions of the TTC-35. The hearing began with a video presentation on behalf of TxDOT introducing the corridor routes and the reasoning behind building them.
Following the video, Doug Booher, the environmental manager for the Turnpike Authority Division, presented a 20-minute PowerPoint show, explaining further in depth what TxDOT would oversee and all the options Texas residents have for voicing their opinions.
Following the presentations, TxDOT staff held a public testimony, giving everyone who wanted to speak, a chance to have their voices heard for three minute periods. Well-known politicians such as Carol Keeton Strayhorn, spoke as well as Rockwall county employees including Commissioner Scott Self.
“Rockwall County commissioners have been working with the city of Rockwall, the city of Royse City, the city of Fate, McLendon-Chisholm and the city of Heath,” Self said. “We have been working over the last couple of years to draw a corridor that goes through Rockwall Š after a lot of work and studying, we have identified this corridor that goes through that we think would have a minimum impact on the county of Rockwall. If we bring the Trans Texas Corridor through this area, we would like for you [TxDOT] to seriously consider that corridor that we have already fit that would have a minimum impact on existent cities.”
Although Self remained rather unbiased on whether this corridor is built, other testimonies proved to be rather passionate and defensive towards these potential plans.
“I'm proud to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Texans who are saying no to the largest land grab in Texas history and no to a secret foreign contract,” Strayhorn said. “I salute to you folks of Rockwall County and surrounding counties here this evening that are speaking up and speaking out. I am absolutely opposed to this massive toll plan. Rick Perry calls it Trans-Texas Corridor, I call it Trans-Texas Catastrophe and as governor I am going to blast it off the bureaucratic books.”
Other representatives such as Hank Gilbert spoke on behalf of the agriculture industry noting how devastating this corridor can be to anyone owning farmland which this corridor will go straight through, wiping out their way of living and rich farmland.
Thom Bouis, candidate for Rockwall County Judge, who it is said organized this “after the fact” hearing for Rockwall County as it was not originally planned in the Dallas area hearings, also greatly opposes this corridor.
“In simplest terms, it's just too big for Rockwall County,” he said.
Most of the others that spoke, including at least one Republican, opposed this corridor. This was the general consensus of the voices of the hearing.
© 2006 Rockwall County News: www.rockwallcountynews.com
August 24, 2006
By Emily Berman
Rockwall County News
Copyright 2006
Several Rockwall County residents attended the Texas Department of Transportation's hearing at the Utley Freshman Center Thursday, Aug. 17 to show their support or opposition to the Trans-Texas Corridor proposed to be built through Rockwall County.
Many political candidates attended, handing out flyers and speaking to residents on their opinions of the TTC-35. The hearing began with a video presentation on behalf of TxDOT introducing the corridor routes and the reasoning behind building them.
Following the video, Doug Booher, the environmental manager for the Turnpike Authority Division, presented a 20-minute PowerPoint show, explaining further in depth what TxDOT would oversee and all the options Texas residents have for voicing their opinions.
Following the presentations, TxDOT staff held a public testimony, giving everyone who wanted to speak, a chance to have their voices heard for three minute periods. Well-known politicians such as Carol Keeton Strayhorn, spoke as well as Rockwall county employees including Commissioner Scott Self.
“Rockwall County commissioners have been working with the city of Rockwall, the city of Royse City, the city of Fate, McLendon-Chisholm and the city of Heath,” Self said. “We have been working over the last couple of years to draw a corridor that goes through Rockwall Š after a lot of work and studying, we have identified this corridor that goes through that we think would have a minimum impact on the county of Rockwall. If we bring the Trans Texas Corridor through this area, we would like for you [TxDOT] to seriously consider that corridor that we have already fit that would have a minimum impact on existent cities.”
Although Self remained rather unbiased on whether this corridor is built, other testimonies proved to be rather passionate and defensive towards these potential plans.
“I'm proud to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Texans who are saying no to the largest land grab in Texas history and no to a secret foreign contract,” Strayhorn said. “I salute to you folks of Rockwall County and surrounding counties here this evening that are speaking up and speaking out. I am absolutely opposed to this massive toll plan. Rick Perry calls it Trans-Texas Corridor, I call it Trans-Texas Catastrophe and as governor I am going to blast it off the bureaucratic books.”
Other representatives such as Hank Gilbert spoke on behalf of the agriculture industry noting how devastating this corridor can be to anyone owning farmland which this corridor will go straight through, wiping out their way of living and rich farmland.
Thom Bouis, candidate for Rockwall County Judge, who it is said organized this “after the fact” hearing for Rockwall County as it was not originally planned in the Dallas area hearings, also greatly opposes this corridor.
“In simplest terms, it's just too big for Rockwall County,” he said.
Most of the others that spoke, including at least one Republican, opposed this corridor. This was the general consensus of the voices of the hearing.
© 2006 Rockwall County News:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Thursday, August 24, 2006
<< Home