City News Roundup

Secret garden sprouting downtown and more of this week's newsy tidbits

There's another park being plotted for downtown, and two Dallas City Council candidates already are getting the side-eye. These are the highlights from news around Dallas this week:

Secret park
The Belo Foundation revealed that it has been secretly buying land for a proposed park near the Dallas Farmers Market. Harwood Park would occupy 3.8 acres bound by Jackson Street on the north, Harwood Street on the west and Young Street on the south. Part of Wood Street would be closed and donated by the city. Chairman Robert Decherd is quoted as saying that the Belo Foundation "is dedicated to the continuing transformation of downtown Dallas with the addition of more green space."

Huh, wasn't it the Belo Foundation that erected a 12-foot "wall of spite" along the edge of its other park, Belo Garden, which wasn't much appreciated by its neighbors? A park, by the by, whose dreary design has always seemed barren and unfriendly. Belo is also responsible for the even more forlorn Lubben Plaza Park, a walled-in collection of oversized sculptures that probably look good from the upper floors of the Belo high-rise next-door, but are foreboding for a pedestrian. These are not people who get urban parks.

Public debate on parks
The Dallas Park and Recreation Department is holding a series of community meetings to share ideas for future recreational programs and facilities. The forums are part of the department's initial steps in developing a recreation master plan as well as updating its overall comprehensive strategy known as the Renaissance Plan. The public can attend any of four meetings, which take place February 4-5, from 6-7 pm, at these City of Dallas recreation centers:

Wednesday, February 4, at Martin Luther King Jr., 2901 Pennsylvania Ave.; and Fretz, 6950 Belt Line Rd.
Thursday, February 5, at Nash-Davis 3710 N. Hampton Rd.; and Pleasant Oaks, 8701 Greenmound Rd.

Candidate qualms
Two candidates for Dallas City Council seats who both previously worked for Mayor Mike Rawlings already are facing scrutiny over matters involving residence and compensation.

Adam McGough, running for District 10 against Paul Reyes, has an unusual residence scenario, involving his living in one place and his wife living in another, apparently so he could run for office but also have his kids attend school in Highland Park. He tried to half-explain it to the Lake Highlands Advocate, but his evasiveness kinda makes things worse. He's offered to give people one-on-one explanations, but doesn't that seem unwieldy? Let's deluge him with requests for one-on-ones.

Sam Merten, running in District 9, received $10,000 from Rawlings, and two conflicting explanations have emerged. Merten claimed it was "additional compensation" for his work with the city that the mayor decided to provide. But Rawlings says it comes from campaign funds and lists it as "consulting." Merten also just moved to the district; the other candidates have greater longevity.

Toll road survey
The Texas attorney general's office has ruled that the North Texas Tollway Authority doesn't have to make public the results of a $1.7 million study it conducted of the traffic impact and revenue situation of the Trinity Parkway. As former city council person Angela Hunt speculates, if the news were good, they would surely share it. So their reluctance to share it probably means it doesn't support an argument to build it.

Sunday morning shutdown
This is implosion weekend, when Trammell Crow demolishes the former Xerox/ACS building at 75 near Haskell Avenue, on the plot of land where they intend to build a Sam's Club. They predict there will be a "loud, albeit brief, series of explosions and noise as the building collapses, as well as a temporary dust cloud in the immediate vicinity." Nearby residents should close their windows and outside vents, turn off their heating/AC for 30 minutes and bring their pets indoors.

Beginning at 7:30 am, all transportation channels will be shut down: DART trains, bus service, even the freeway itself will be shut down, in both directions. The actual implosion is scheduled for February 1 at 8 am, and the aftermath will probably last at least 15 minutes.

More parks are coming to downtown Dallas.

Photo by Renato Rimach Photography

More parks are coming to downtown Dallas.

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Animal News

Wills Point, Texas man charged with cruelty for abandoning 18 animals

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Lucas Wayne Penrod, charged with animal cruelty

Another animal cruelty case has emerged from Van Zandt County, resulting in the arrest of a Wills Point man: Lucas Wayne Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

It began on Friday, October 24, when the Wills Point Police Department performed a welfare check at a mobile home within the city limits. Officers became concerned when they heard multiple dogs barking along with a foul odor of animal waste.

On October 25, after obtaining a search warrant, Wills Point PD and the SPCA of Texas ACI Unit entered the residence and found multiple animals living in deplorable conditions.

The mobile home was filled with trash and animal feces. The team discovered a total of 8 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 4 adult dogs, and 4 puppies, cruelly confined to the unsanitary living conditions on the property.

Two dogs were confined to filthy crates with no access to water.
Three puppies were in a small bathroom covered in urine and feces; one of the puppies was deceased and decomposing.
The guinea pigs were found in a cage without access to food or water.

Most of the animals showed signs of long-term neglect and were in dire need of urgent medical intervention. The animals were seized by the SPCA of Texas and transported to the organization's Dallas location for veterinary care.

Dog in cage Wills Point Lucas Wayne Penrod Dog abandoned in Wills Point by Lucas Wayne Penrod.SPCA

On October 26, Lucas Wayne Penrod, the owner of the animals, contacted an SPCA of Texas Investigator regarding the animals. The Investigator determined that Penrod had unlawfully allegedly abandoned the animals, failing to provide them with proper care, resulting in the death of one of the puppies and the critical state of the surviving animals.

On October 28, the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit obtained an arrest warrant for Penrod, who was apprehended by Tyler Police Department and booked into the Smith County Jail with a $50K bond. Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

On November 1, at a civil custody hearing at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 courthouse in Wills Point, Penrod relinquished custody of the 18 allegedly abandoned, cruelly treated animals to the SPCA.

"The squalid conditions these beautiful animals were living in were abhorrent--locked in spaces without food or water, in their own excrement," said SPCA of Texas ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. "This is some of the worst mistreatment of domestic animals I've seen in my extensive career in animal cruelty investigations. In no small part, these pets owe their lives to the Wills Point Police Department. If it wasn’t for their quick thinking to involve us right away, I don't think the animals would have made it."

"This case perfectly illustrates the team effort that investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases in Texas is," Burns added. "We are extremely thankful to the Tyler Police Department for their efficient assistance in apprehending Penrod so that he can be brought to justice in the timeliest manner possible. And we are especially grateful to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and court system with whom we continue to partner to get justice for abused animals in their jurisdiction."