Panther Island Oktoberfest permit conflict recounted in lawsuit against water district
A dispute over what constitutes a public asset is at the heart of a former Tarrant Regional Water District project coordinator’s lawsuit against the water utility.
Shanna Cate Granger, who left the district in November 2021, is suing her former employer for breach of contract after it pulled her permit for a planned Oktoberfest event in the Panther Island pavilion this September.
Granger’s lawsuit alleges the district illegally withdrew the permit after it tried to get other organizations, namely the downtown business advocacy nonprofit, Downtown Fort Worth Inc. involved in hosting.
At issue, though, is a legal stipulation in the Texas Constitution that prevents the district from giving a, “profit making event,” to a private entity, said water district general manager Dan Buhman.
The district invested roughly $2 million producing and marketing the event between 2014 and 2021, and giving it a private profit making entity would be a violation of the law, he said.
Buhman, who took over as general in May 2021, has pushed to keep the district’s focus squarely on its core mission of providing raw water, protecting against flooding, and promoting outdoor recreation.
He instituted a review of the district’s policies, which determined events like Oktoberfest are not core to its mission.
Granger is the wife of JD Granger, who in April stepped down from his 16-year role as head of the Panther Island/Central City project. The district signed a six-month, $72,000 consulting contract with JD Granger.
The district’s board adopted in October 2021 a new policy on nepotism that prohibits employees from directly supervising relatives. Granger had been his wife’s direct supervisor before she left the district the following month.
As she neared her departure, Granger told district management that she planned to privately produce an Oktoberfest this year. She created a business, Prost Production, LLC.
The district initially supported Granger producing the event. However, a further legal review raised concerns about Granger, a private citizen, benefiting financially from an event who’s public profile had been built with public funds.
Water District General Manager Dan Buhman called Shanna Granger in May and said that TRWD was considering rescinding the permit because of concerns that the event would appear too much like the Oktoberfest that TRWD produced last year, according to the lawsuit.
Shanna Granger changed the event name and hired a firm to create new event branding, including a different logo.
Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. also called Shanna Granger in May. The district had asked him to propose an arrangement in which DFWI would own and produce an Oktoberfest celebration at the shack, Taft said, according to the lawsuit. He proposed that the district would rescind Shanna Granger’s permit and issue a separate event permit to DFWI. Taft would hire Granger as a contractor to execute the event.
Shanna Granger suggested that DFWI serve as a presenting sponsor while her company maintained ownership of the event.
The district last week notified Shanna Granger that her permit would be terminated for “reasons relating to [TRWD]’s function as a Water Control and Improvement District.”
The defendants in the lawsuit are the water district; its board president, Leah King; its vice president, James Hill; and board member Mary Kelleher.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 5:28 PM.
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