This change may mean Panther Island project finally gets its funding, Sen. Cornyn says
Updated at 2:15 p.m. to clarify Mark Mazzanti’s role in working with the Army Corps of Engineers:
Sen. John Cornyn said Friday that he’s hopeful a change in local supervision of the Panther Island flood control project will finally move the needle on federal funding.
Cornyn said he has discussed the project with acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and hopes the hiring of former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Mark Mazzanti could “be a breakthrough” on the $1.17 billion project, thanks to a renewed emphasis on flood control rather than economic development or other construction.
He noted that Mulvaney met with Mayor Betsy Price and Rep. Roger Williams on the issue in July. That meeting, you may remember, prompted Price to sound hopeful notes that at least $250 million in funding might soon be on its way — though nothing has actually changed yet.
“There’s been, it’s fair to say, some disagreements on this between Congresswoman [Kay] Granger and them on the direction here,” he said. Granger, the veteran Fort Worth lawmaker who is the top Republican on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has been the project’s main champion in Washington.
Cornyn added: “The part of it that has to do with flood control and the like is not controversial, but some of the other aspects of it that Congresswoman Granger has been pushing for, we’ve seen some push-back from the White House.”
The Republican senior senator, speaking on a conference call with Texas editorial page editors, said that Mazzanti’s hiring could be a significant step.
There “hopefully will be a breakthrough with that new leadership there,” he said. “We have had continuing conversations over the last several years on Panther Island and would love to see some sort of consensus on the way forward.”
The project, which is a partnership among local water officials, the city, the county and other entities, is designed to cut a bypass channel for the Trinity River to reduce the risk of a catastrophic flood north of downtown. Doing so would create an island that local leaders believe would be ripe for development.
But the project is well into its second decade, and it’s approaching a point at which little additional work can be done until the channels are dug. Congress has authorized Corp of Engineers funding, but the Trump administration has been reluctant to sign off.
Mazzanti’s hiring on a contract basis reduces the public role of J.D. Granger, who has been executive director of the project’s coordinating board, the Trinity River Vision Authority.
Granger is the congresswoman’s son. He’ll remain the project’s leader, but Mazzanti will advise the board on working with the Corps.
Cornyn’s comments laid bare a problem that local leaders have acknowledged: the plans for condominiums, entertainment options and retail on the island may have spooked some Washington officials into thinking that flood control wasn’t that big a factor for the project. The hiring of Mazzanti, a step recommended by a consultant that reviewed the project for the river vision board, was one of several steps designed to reinforce the importance of the flood aspect.
Cornyn’s confidence that that message is getting through is a welcome sign. He’s a White House ally, and if he’s willing to help push to resolve the matter, that might help to finally get the gears in motion.
But, as Cornyn noted on a different subject, “the White House is distracted by a lot of things” right now.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 12:22 PM with the headline "This change may mean Panther Island project finally gets its funding, Sen. Cornyn says."
