The Trinity Trust Hosts New Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings

July 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Days after Mike Rawlings was elected mayor of Dallas, The Trinity Trust held a reception on June 23 to welcome him to his new job.  More than 100 people came to meet Mayor Rawlings and to hear how he believes The Trinity project will benefit Dallas.

Dr. Gail Thomas, president and CEO of The Trinity Trust, welcomed everyone.  “I speak on behalf of The Trinity Trust Board of Directors and Board Chair Mary McDermott Cook.  Thank you, Mary, for all that you do for this Trinity project. We want to acknowledge our special guests tonight as Councilmember Vonciel Hill, Councilmember Angela Hunt, and newly elected Councilmember Scott Griggs.  And, of course, our esteemed Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm.”

“We’re here tonight for one reason: to meet and to greet and to applaud our new mayor, to wish him well, and to assure him that we gather here tonight to pledge ourselves to work together to make Dallas the best 21st century city on the planet.”  

Mayor Mike Rawlings then spoke. “It’s fitting that we’re here at The Trinity Center with the bridge models, the large model and map of The Trinity project, all of which reminds us of the scope of this visionary project. One of my main goals as Mayor will be to ensure our citizens that The Trinity project will be done.  So much has already happened, and I want to keep these efforts moving forward on behalf of Dallas and its citizens.  

“We have a 20-mile beautiful ribbon of green running through the heart of our city.  We want to give people access to the Trinity River Corridor so they can enjoy this beautiful amenity.  This is a huge amount of green space that, for decades, city leaders have known is a park waiting to happen.  We want people to hike and bike in the Trinity Corridor and the Great Trinity Forest.  Many of these trails are already there; we simply need to give people access to them.  The Trinity Trust and its partners, Groundwork Dallas, the Trinity Strand Trail, and the Texas Horse Park, have been working diligently to open up these areas.

“The Trinity River Corridor Project will have more impact on commercial real estate and development than any other project in Dallas’ history. There are also endless educational opportunities. The corridor will become one very large outdoor classroom. And of course, recreational opportunities abound: biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding and walking.

“And have you seen Santiago Calatrava’s handiwork?  The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is beautiful and will open in March 2012.

“We need to understand and believe in the future of the Trinity River, that it’s real and doable.  We need to break down the project in manageable pieces. We must have a team and a sense of urgency, and quality, but done quickly.  Finally, we must create lines of communication between all of us and work together.”

About The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge:
The first steel bridge across the Trinity River is designed by internationally renowned artist, architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava from Spain.  The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is Mr. Santiago’s first vehicular bridge to be built in the United States.  The world-class bridge is being constructed to seamlessly connect Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas across the Trinity River to Woodall Rodgers (Spur 366) in downtown Dallas and points beyond. Already an icon of Dallas, this gleaming 400-foot white arch, consisting of 25 steel segments, anchors the cable-stayed portion of the bridge with 58 cables ranging in size from four to eight inches in diameter.  Each cable attached to the arch is secured back down into the center spine of the bridge bed itself, thus holding itself in suspension. This spring, the cables were completely installed on the bridge.  Next steps include completion of the roadway approaches on both sides of the bridge.  For more information on the weekend, visit www.mhhbridgecelebration.com.

About The Trinity Trust Foundation and The Trinity Center:
The Trinity project is the most ambitious public works project in the nation, one that is transforming Dallas forever.  By improving the 20-mile swath of nature that runs through the heart of the city, citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy nature and recreation within the public realm.

The Trinity Trust raises private funds and public awareness to implement the Balanced Vision Plan for The Trinity project in conjunction with the City of Dallas. The Trinity Trust has established The Trinity Center as the gathering place for all civic and non-profit groups working to revitalize the Trinity River in Dallas. It hosts meetings, workshops and events for Trinity related organizations.  The Trinity Center facilitates collaboration between these entities and the City of Dallas and encourages seamless integration of all the components of The Trinity project.  More information can be found by calling 214.740.1616, by emailing info@thetrinitytrust.org, or by visiting www.thetrinitytrust.org.