Recently, a large construction project has begun adjacent to our humble abode. The crews have built a new road, and hundreds of huge trucks hauling rocks and dirt have come and gone. This flurry of activity piqued my curiosity.
It seemed possible that this could be a long-awaited road that would cut my commute by about 40%. Could it be true? I've considered asking one of the workers about the purpose of the project, but I never got to it.
Sunday, the appearance of a small sign at the entrance to the construction site ended the mystery:
"Improving Austin: Upper Walnut Creek Regional Detention Center"
Detention center! In my back yard?! Oh noes, there goes the neighborhood! I even started to think about how I would blog about this shocking turn of events. Oh how the sympathetic comments would pour in! Since we are planning on buying a house in the near term, I was going to take the position that living in an apartment can actually be a good thing. If a nuclear waste dump goes in, you can leave after the lease. If you are a homeowner, then you are well and duly hosed.
So, today, I got around to actually Googling the "Upper Walnut Creek Regional Detention Center". What type of miscreants would they be foisting on us, the innocent citizens of northwest Austin?
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council_meetings/item_attachments.cfm?meetingid=32&itemid=1645&item=34
There will be no hardened criminals and insane inmates (constantly plotting escape) next door. Apparently, detention centers of this ilk are used to wrangle up and rehabilitate errant storm waters. This can reduce risk from floods and stream erosion in downstream areas. I felt pretty silly about this little leap to conclusion. The crisis has been averted. Our neighborhood is safe for the time being
2 comments:
you never cease to amaze me. when are you going to write your book?
Thanks for the kind words...
Maybe I can publish a book of your collected poems / slightly impaired emails? That would actually be good reading..
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