If not Hickman plan for Fort Worth Stockyards, whose?

All my life I’ve been told that actions speak louder than words.

I have worked in the Stockyards and volunteered on various charitable projects nearly every day for three decades.

While others prefer to talk about how they stand for the Stockyards, there are a small handful of folks who actually support The Herd, Cowtown Coliseum, our two museums, three halls of fame and the Texas Trail of Fame.

Many people say they want to save the Stockyards, but no one other than the Hickman family and Majestic Realty have presented a plan to do so.

Preservation takes investment. While others talked about it, Holt Hickman did it.

From the Livestock Exchange building to the hog and sheep pens and the mule barns, he made the east side of Exchange Avenue viable and safe.

The Hickman family’s actions speak louder than words. If we want the next generation to enjoy the buildings and western heritage in the Stockyards, these buildings must have investment.

The proposed renovation of the mule barns alone is more than $40 million. Visit stockyardsheritage.com for updates.

Abandonment is not preservation. Charming buildings that are left alone crumble. Mayor Betsy Price calls it “demolition by neglect.”

Unfortunately, no historic guidelines or landmark designations require property owners to invest in maintenance, preservation or restoration.

The mayor and City Council invested a great deal of time into researching the historic boundaries and Stockyards properties to see the real story.

They were criticized and threatened for their opinions and actions.

One speaker threatened council members’ re-election, to which Councilwoman Gyna Bivens proudly stated, “Re-election doesn’t come into play, we are looking for what’s best for Fort Worth.”

Bivens saw the larger historic district boundary to be government overreach, which she has faced at Stop Six in Council District 5. It has the largest historic district overlay in the city, one that she feels is too big to manage, resulting in lack of investment and subsequent decay.

The Fort Worth Stockyards has better protection today than it ever has, with new zoning, standards and guidelines and oversight.

My husband Billy and I first met Majestic Realty owner Ed Roski and Executive Vice President Craig Cavileer more than 20 years ago when we discovered they shared our love of the Stockyards and western heritage.

Roski is from Oklahoma; Cavileer is from Texas and a Texas State graduate.

If people take the time to research the amazing authentic architecture that the Majestic team has brought to other projects, along with the passion and preservation that the Hickman family has already exhibited, they will have the faith in this preservation that Billy and I have.

So what is Plan B to save the stockyards? No one other than Hickman-Majestic has offered a plan or investment.

We all have many fond memories of what the Stockyards once was. With investment in preservation, we know the heart of what it can be.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "If not Hickman plan for Fort Worth Stockyards, whose?."