Former Panther Island project head inks $72,000 contract with Tarrant water district
JD Granger is not done with the Tarrant Regional Water District.
The former head of the Panther Island project, who announced he was stepping down from that post last Friday, is rejoining the district that is coordinating the flood-control aspects of the project as a consultant. The six-month contract is worth $72,000.
“He brings a knowledge of all the project elements, all the project history, and how we can use this information to get the project completed,” said the district’s general manager, Dan Buhman.
The district will pay Granger $12,000 per month, which is roughly $8,000 less than his salary when he was employed by the district.
Granger did not immediately return a call from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.
He will advise the water district on so-called “betterments,” which Buhman explained are design features or flood control elements beyond what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is willing to pay for. Under the Panther Island plan, the Corps will dig a 1.5-mile channel along Trinity River near downtown, creating two islands that will be open for redevelopment with multifamily housing, restaurants and entertainment.
“The example I always use is a ditch. If we could make it a better looking ditch, we would pay a little extra,” Buhman explained.
Granger has the necessary institutional knowledge to advise the district on which of those improvements the Corps would be responsible for, and which would be paid for locally, Buhman said. The water district is a government entity funded by taxpayer dollars.
Doreen Geiger, a member the Water District Accountability Project pushing for more transparency at the district, initially chaffed at the idea of keeping Granger on in any capacity.
She pointed to the district’s $7,500-per-month contract with Mark Mazzanti, a 35-year veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the district’s $833,151 contract with project scheduling company Innovative Management Solutions Inc., to argue there’s no need to keep Granger on.
Buhman said that Mazzanti’s role is to advise on Corps bureaucracy, and Innovative Management Solutions helps with the technical scheduling of different elements of the project.
Granger knows why certain project elements are the way they are and can help advise the district on how to move forward, Buhman said.
Geiger acknowledged the financial benefits of contracting with Granger at a rate lower than what he was making while working for the water district.
“If we don’t do that, he’ll be there for years. It’s cheaper to give him some money for a short term and then he’s gone,” Geiger said.
Lon Burnam, a former state representative and member of the same watchdog group as Geiger, raised concerns about Granger’s contract being negotiated outside of the public eye or public board meetings.
Granger’s contract does not need approval from the water district board. The board weighs in on contracts at or above $75,000, according to a source within the district.
Burnam said he recognizes the value of Granger’s institutional knowledge but questioned the optics of having this contract negotiated behind closed doors.
“This wheeling and dealing behind the scenes is what’s gone on for decades at the water district, which leads to no trust level for the district,” he said.
Buhman said he’s committed to improving that community trust and completing the Central City project, “the right way.”
“Our mindset is for the benefit of the community,” Buhman said.
The Corps announced in January it was allocating $403 million for final design and completion of the 1.5 mile channel. Design is expected to be completed within two years followed by four years of construction.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 5:05 PM.
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