Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
More Park Than Bite
RECEIVED Tue., May 30, 2023
Dear Editor,
In response to your article on the Zilker Vision Plan describing opposition misinformation and unrest at the city hall meeting [“Parks Board Recommends Zilker Plan Despite Misinformation-Fueled Outrage,” News, May 26]: I was there to try to learn about the plan and figure out what was this "misinformation" I kept hearing was being disseminated. I never heard anything other than actual vision plan details put into question by informed citizens and most of the opposition I witnessed was calm and clear. Yes, there were some who jeered, clapped and booed but the majority of the concerned citizens speaking - for or against (such as the former city arborist) were asking valid questions. For example: Why try to build an underground parking structure right on a sensitive waterway? Many of us agree there is a need for better parking at Zilker Park. The reason for the drama at city hall, in my opinion, is that no one wants a parking garage dug right on Barton Springs for obvious reasons. Only one Parks board member had alternative parking suggestions. Most of the dissent focused on the the garages. Your article exaggerated the unrest and minimized the bizarre lack of examination of the plan by Parks board members.
In response to your article on the Zilker Vision Plan describing opposition misinformation and unrest at the city hall meeting [“Parks Board Recommends Zilker Plan Despite Misinformation-Fueled Outrage,” News, May 26]: I was there to try to learn about the plan and figure out what was this "misinformation" I kept hearing was being disseminated. I never heard anything other than actual vision plan details put into question by informed citizens and most of the opposition I witnessed was calm and clear. Yes, there were some who jeered, clapped and booed but the majority of the concerned citizens speaking - for or against (such as the former city arborist) were asking valid questions. For example: Why try to build an underground parking structure right on a sensitive waterway? Many of us agree there is a need for better parking at Zilker Park. The reason for the drama at city hall, in my opinion, is that no one wants a parking garage dug right on Barton Springs for obvious reasons. Only one Parks board member had alternative parking suggestions. Most of the dissent focused on the the garages. Your article exaggerated the unrest and minimized the bizarre lack of examination of the plan by Parks board members.
Maraba DiRaddo
