47 replies to this topic

[JBB]

Very strange. Didn't watch any news tonight, so this is the first I heard about this. Sounds like details are sketchy at this point, but I'm very curious about how something this awful could happen. My prayers go out to the families of the deceased.


Four drown at Fort Worth Water Gardens

The Associated Press


FORT WORTH -- Three children and an adult died Wednesday after they were pulled from 10 to 12 feet of water at a downtown attraction where swimming is not allowed.

The four were rescued from a pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens across from the downtown Convention Center, fire department spokesman Lt. Kent Worley said.

Mary Kay Glass, a spokeswoman for Cook Children's Medical Center, confirmed that two girls, ages 8 and 11, and a 13-year-old boy died at the hospital.

A man, believed to be in his 20s, was also confirmed dead by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.

The 5.4-acre Water Gardens are part of a park that includes waterfalls, pools, hills and canyons. Each minute, 19,000 gallons of water course through the park, according to the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Center Web site.

At one pool, visitors stand 38 feet below street level as 1,000 gallons of water cascade down a 710-foot wall.

Worley said there is a circulating motion with the water, which is recycled.

"A young person would not have the strength or the knowledge of how to get away from it," he said.

It was not clear whether the children were local or part of a group in Fort Worth attending a National Baptist Sunday School convention.

[UrbanLandscape]

I don't even understand how things like this happen. It's really sad, too, because now they're probably going to end up installing railings or something, which will only serve to remind everyone of such a horrible thing happening there.

[Dismuke]

I don't even understand how things like this happen.  It's really sad, too, because now they're probably going to end up installing railings or something, which will only serve to remind everyone of such a horrible thing happening there.

Wow - that's horrible. I can see how it might happen to a small child or even a lone adult. But for several people at once, one of them being an adult? I wonder what happened.

I have only visited the Water Gardens a small number of times over the years. But it has always occurred to me that, considering how steep it is in certain places and how some of the pathways become wet and presumably slippery, there was a danger that somebody might slip and fall unconscious into the water and drown if nobody else was nearby to help out. But I think it would be very unlikely something like that could happen to several people at once.

[Dismuke]

From the Star-Telegram website:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -


Posted on Wed, Jun. 16, 2004





Four visitors drown in Water Gardens

'We've never had a tragedy like this'

By Bill Teeter and Mitch Mitchell

Star-Telegram Staff Writers


FORT WORTH -- A Chicago father, two of his children and a third child drowned late Wednesday afternoon in a swirling pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens despite frantic efforts by bystanders and emergency workers to save them.

Three of the victims were identified as Myron Dukes, 35, Lauren Dukes, 8, and Christopher Dukes, 13, all of Chicago. The name of an 11-year-old girl, also of Chicago, was not released late Wednesday.

The family was identified by the pastor of their church, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago.

The victims were among the thousands of visitors attending the National Baptist Congress at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The pastor, Gerald M. Dew, said he was told that the children went to the Water Gardens to play because the swimming pool at the Fort Worth Plaza hotel was closed for maintenance.

One of the children slipped, which started a chain reaction, Dew said.

Bike patrol officer Tony Maldonado, who was one of the first officers to arrive at the swirling pool, said he jumped in and the force ''literally sucked the socks off my feet.''

Stephanie Dukes, the wife and mother of the victims, ''was holding up as best as can be expected,'' Dew said.

Dew described the Dukes family as ''faithful, dedicated church members.''

The Water Gardens, a 30-year-old park bracketed by the Fort Worth Convention Center and Lancaster Avenue, is a cool oasis at the southern end of downtown. Thousands of gallons of recirculating water create different effects in pools, which are surrounded by landscaping and concrete walls.

The park was designed by well-known New York architect Philip Johnson and donated to the city in 1974 by the Amon G. Carter Foundation.

Small bronze signs at entrances to the park warn visitors ''No wading or swimming,'' but the warning is commonly ignored.

Although the potential danger at the park has been an issue for years, Wednesday's drownings were the first, officials said.

''We've never had a tragedy like this in the Water Gardens,'' said Lt. Kent Worley, a Fire Department spokesman.

The four drowned in the Active Pool, an inverted pyramid in which water slides down the sides, turning into waterfalls before splashing into a small pool at the base. Steps lead from street level into the pool.

According to a firefighter's depth gauge, the water in the pool was 9 feet deep. A drain in the bottom recirculates the water.

Christian Tillis, 14, of Fort Worth said he saw a girl fall into the pool, and when a second child reached out to help her, the first girl pulled her in. Tillis said a man jumped in after the children and then a third child jumped in.

When he saw the man struggling, Tillis said, he jumped in, too.

''When I grabbed ahold of the girl's arm, I almost had her,'' Tillis said.

But the water's suction was strong, Tillis said, and he went back to the surface.

''I wanted to go back and get her, but if I did I might have died, too,'' Tillis said.

Clarence Tillis, 15, also jumped in and tried to save the victims.

He said his hand got stuck between the man and one of the steps, and he had to let go because he was running out of air.

He saw the man come up and go back down three times, ''but he didn't come up the fourth time,'' Tillis said.

Maldonado and fellow bike patrol officer R.B. Owen were the first officers to arrive, two minutes after a 911 call was received at 6:45 p.m.

They said they dropped their shoes and gun belts and rushed down the slope to the pool.

''We jumped in, and it sucked us right to the bottom,'' Owen said.

Firefighters arrived in another minute. ''Everybody just jumped in,'' Worley said.

Emergency crews could be heard on the law-enforcement scanner calling for the water to be turned off. Worley said that was accomplished ''fairly quickly.'' He said he did not know whether the suction in the bottom of the pool was from the drain or from water cascading from above.

Worley said that the Water Gardens would be closed until an investigation is complete. The water had been drained from all pools late Wednesday.

April Barnes, 15, of Hattiesburg, Miss., who was at the pool with her mother, said she jumped in and tried to get one of the girls out.

''I had the little girl by her bathing suit,'' Barnes said.

When Barnes reached for her mother's hand to get pulled out of the water, she lost her grip on the little girl, she said.

Barnes' mother, Stephanie Johnson, said the man jumped into the pool and struggled to save the girls.

''He just jumped in there trying to save them,'' Johnson said.

When the $6 million Water Gardens were donated to the city, the gift was described in 1975 by a New York Times art critic as both ''useless and absolutely splendid.''

Franz Schulze, Philip Johnson's biographer, said that Johnson mentioned to him several times ''the element of danger'' he had designed into the Water Gardens.

''He felt the thrill of what he called 'pseudo-danger' increased the visitors' appreciation of the park,'' Schulze told the Star-Telegram in 1993.

The Water Gardens were intended to create an island of serenity in the downtown area and were never meant as a place for people to swim or cool off.

''It is prohibited for people to swim or wade,'' said Dee Hardin, city parks superintendent. ''Stay out of the water in the Water Gardens. The water is just to look at.''

Over the years, the city has paid thousands of dollars in claims to visitors injured in falls on the irregularly spaced stone steps and ridges.

Before Wednesday, the park's most serious accident was in 1991, when an 80-foot light pole fell and killed two Internal Revenue Service agents taking a break in the park.



Staff writer Anna Tinsley contributed to this report.

[mschrief]

I've always thought this was just a BIG lawsuit waiting to happen.

From what I understand, the father was in the lobby of the hotel when the little girl slipped and fell into the Active pool. What in heaven's name were those children doing, in a strange town (they were there attending a convention) unsupervised? Apparently they were in their bathing suits, wanting to swim, and having no adult supervision, jumped right in.

I'd say the City of Fort Worth ought to get their checkbooks out.

[Jeff T]

>>I'd say the City of Fort Worth ought to get their checkbooks out.

<sigh>....

and then come the handrails, sections will be roped off, or it will just be shut down completely...

perhaps we should fill it with jell-o rather than water.

[Wildcard]

Has the city ever considered putting up some sort of a safety net two or three feet below the water level to prevent this sort of tragedy? Perhaps that and a few small hand rails within reach for somebody who has fallen in would be all that is needed.

[Redshirt]

I agree to the fact that a lot of this is the parents fault for not watching their children, but I think that the only thing that should be done to resolve this is to install a metal grate just under the surface of the water so that if someone does fall they would be able to stand up in just a few inches of water. Honestly I question the sanity behind a hole filled with water that's twelve feet deep and a suction, or return line, at the bottom. You're just asking for trouble. My wife and I got married in the exact spot where this happened and my wife, even with a wedding dress with train and heels, had little difficulty. I think it would be wrong to not allow people down into that area and even worse, for aesthetic reasons, to add a guard rail around the entire walkway. The city could have installed a grate years ago but this is the first and only water-related fatality in the history of the Water Gardens. As much as the city has to look out for the welfare of people, the populous has to be responsible for itself sometimes too. I feel for these people that drowned there and their families but this is an isolated incident and the problem could and should be resolved with the least possible effect to the Water Gardens.

[Sam Stone]

This may sound crazy at first, but bear with me. I think swimming should be allowed at the Water Gardens. I think wanting to take a dip in the water there is a natural reaction. It's hot, the water's cool, the design is interactive. As all the authorities have been quoted, people have been doing it since the park was opened. If we approached it from this point of view, I think we could make it a lot safer. Rather than banning it and worrying about lots of signs and guardrails we could ask, "How do we make it safe for people who want to jump in?" The outcome of this tragedy will result in the alteration of the park. I think we should all expect that. This will change how some of it looks, what we have access to, and how we interact with the art. All of these changes will cost money too. We may have to hire lifeguards. But isn't that a prettier picture than the Water Gardens without people? Opening the park up to swimming and wading and addressing that safety is more realistic and maintains the spirit of the design.

[Dismuke]

What I wonder is why, at the very least, there weren't signs warning people of the danger. Sure, there are signs that say no swimming. But that's not quite the same thing. Many will remember that we had threads on this very forum negatively commenting on the fact that people swim or bathe in the Water Gardens. But those threads were based entirely on aesthetic grounds. I, for one, had no idea that any of the pools were that deep or that there were dangerous currents. As my first posting in this thread indicates, when I first learned about the tragedy (through this thread) I had difficulty figuring out how such a thing could have even happened.

Hindsight, of course, is perfect. But as much as I hate to say it, I do think that the families of the victims probably have grounds for a valid lawsuit. I think it is pretty obvious by now that the pool where it happened is a death trap - and it is actually quite remarkable that something like this had not happened earlier. I guess the question is whether or not City officials should be reasonably expected to have been aware of that danger ahead of time.

I certainly agree that the issue of personal and parental responsibility is important (though I don't know enough details to know whether or not such things were a factor in this instance). But the fact is that it wasn't just the irresponsible and those who ignored no swimming signs who were at risk. According to the various news accounts, the firemen and police officers who entered the pool before the water was turned off had a difficult time fighting the currents. Now, who reading this has not tripped and fallen at some point in their life? My first thought when I read the details about what happened was: "gee, I've been to that very spot - that could have happened to me." Considering the irregular steps that are sometimes wet and slippery, how improbable is it that someone will eventually take a fall? I don't know how to swim let alone fight strong currents - so if I had accidentally fallen into the pool when I visited, it is entirely possible that I might have perished along with anyone else who might have attempted to rescue me. Had I been aware that such a danger existed, I might not have gone down there or, at the very least, have been much more careful doing so.

[jefffwd]

This was indeed a tragic event but I did notice that when I was watching coverage on the Today Show. The national news reporter closed the story by saying "This is Jim Cummins...Dallas."

[jefffwd]

See if you can find any errors in this article from the NBC affiliate in Chicago...

CHICAGO -- A Chicago church is devastated by the deaths of four of its members in a drowning in Dallas-Fort Worth earlier this week.

NBC5's Amy Jacobson reported Thursday night that a memorial to the victims continues to grow outside the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago's south side.

Images: Drowning Victims Remembered
Images: Tragedy In Texas


Jacobson said people had been stopping by day and night "to take a moment and pray for the mother, Stephanie Dukes."

Dukes lost her two children, her daughter's friend, and her husband in Wednesday's tragic accident.

Myron Dukes, 38, died while trying to save the children from the waters of a public fountain across from the convention center in Fort Worth.

With their hotel pool closed for cleaning and temperatures nearing 90 degrees in Dallas, Myron Dukes took the kids to the water garden across the street from the convention center where the group was attending a National Baptist Convention.

Police say 8-year-old Lauren Dukes slipped and tumbled in. Her friend, 11-year-old Juantrice Deadmon, grabbed her hand but was pulled in. Then 13-year-old Christopher Dukes jumped in to help his sister and Juantrice.

Myron Dukes went in after them and was, apparently, sucked to the bottom of the 9-foot pool.

"He was a wonderful person, and he will be missed," said the sister of the oldest victim, Myron Dukes, 38.

"That's our baby brother," Stella Langhorne told Jacobson, fighting back tears. Myron was the youngest of nine children.

"It's something that happened all of a sudden," said Duke's neighbor Sonja Alle. "You would never think that something like that would happen to a sweet little girl like that."

Grieving family members gathered together for support, Jacobson said. They are not surprised that Myron Dukes jumped in.

"They were a loving family, a christian family, and they were strong in the Lord," Longhorne said.

Those close to the family are asking the city of Dallas to construct a barrier or fence around the fountain.

"I hope this won't happen to another family," Longhorne said. "I mean, the pain is almost unbearable, and I know (Stpahnie Duke's) pain ... extends farther than that. So, they just need to put a barrier up."

Stephanie Dukes arrived in Chicago Thursday night, Jacobson said. She is staying with relatives, not wanting to return to the family's south side home alone.

Also Thursday night, the Antioch Church's junior drill team performed as scheduled at the convention in Fort Worth. When they finished, NBC5 reported, the crowd offered a standing ovation.

[JBB]

Let's hunt down articles on this subject from as many news sources as possible that misidentify FW and Dallas. I'm not sure we're working hard enough to trivialize such a tragic occurance.

[cjyoung]

NBC news uses regional offices in their reporting. I saw a story about something that occurred in Saint Louis and the reporter stated "blah, blah, blah...Atlanta."

Jim Cummings has also reported news stories in Houston as "Jim Cummings...Dallas."

Let NBC and their local affiliate know what you think. I personally hate them and wish that they would move all operations to their Harry Hines location.

[cjyoung]

My family and I frequent the WG during the summer and have on occasion "swam" there. Being a native, I've always been aware of the dangers there and have never let my two younger kids go alone anywhere near the fountain. I agree, there should be some type of protective barrier built.

I pray for peace for the Dukes family.

[JOCOguy]

My wife and I stayed downtown FW in March (during FWISD spring break) and the first thing we noticed were so many unattended children playing in and on the pools and fountains, including the active pool.
I remember my wife saying it looked like an accident waiting to happen.
The surviving mother works for my company in our Chicago office. Sadly, her group is being outsourced next month (announced last month) they have been taking collections here at our Kansas City headquarters.
My children are in their early twenties, but we took them many times to the FWWG and never let them go down the steps without one of us holding their hand. And never in swimwear.
The park police need to enforce the law. I am certain that the active fountain will be closed for anyone to go to the bottom of it. I hope it is done in a manner that would not affect the overall look of the park.
This was a terrible thing, a total tragedy for Stehphanie Dukes. But it seems to be very possible this was parental neglect, not the park.
It has an almost thirty year history with no drownings.
It is interesting to read the Chicago media, and even here in KC. They refer to it as a "water park" and called the fountain "dangerous".
If the city is at all in fault, it is for not enforcing the law on swimming. This park was not made for swimming. I remember we saw a dirty disposable diaper in one of the smaller pools also.
A misuse of one of the most beautiful urban parks in the world.
Perhaps they could put a metal or rubber covered metal grid in the bottom drain pool submerged below the surface a few feet, this would not affect the look of the park and I pray this never happens again.
My prayers go the family. I am sad this happened in FW

JOCOguy (KS)

[Willy1]

I wasn't sure where to post this one....

Anyway, I was at the Water Gardens over the weekend. It was the first time I'd been there in probably 20 years. I was shocked at the condition of the park. I know why the active pool was closed. But, the rest of the park seems to be in a state of decay. I noticed that the quiet pool no longer has water running down the walls surrounding the pool and the pool itself was covered with black and green algae and slime. I expected to see the following, which was taken in feb 2004:



Also, the walls seemed to be crumbling in places and the lights that are installed in the walk ways and landscaping look like they no longer work. Also, we climbed tot the top of the "pyramid" like structure on the south end of the gardens that overlooks the giant concrete mall area. On top there is a small pool that looked as if it might have had a fountain or something at one time. It was completely disgusting. It had about 8 inches of water standing in it and it was full of trash, a traffic cone, and really scummy looking slime. West Nile!!!!!!

Out of the three main pools only one was in good shape. The active pool was closed do the the recent tragedy. The quiet pool was only partly working and was filthy. And the aeration pool was okay. Overall the park seemed run down.

I would love to see the city clean up the Water Gardens and sink a little repair money into the park. It was once a gem in downtown's crown. Now it's sort of an embarassment. Does anyone know if there are any plans to clean up the park once the city determines the outcome of the lawsuits/settlements over the drownings? I think the water gardens could be a GREAT oudoor venue if put to good use. They would be a great place for concerts. I was thinking the band could set up either on top of the "concrete pyramid and play to the grassy area to the south and the concrete mall to the north... Or, they could set up in the mall area and let people watch/listen from the pyramid...

[John T Roberts]

Willy, I don't know about specific plans for the park. The aeration pool was restored as a part of the Convention Center Expansion and Plaza between the two areas. I think there is more money for the park when more land adjacent to Lancaster will come into the park's area due to the narrowing of the street. However, I don't know how much money will be spent on the park outside the area taken in on Lancaster.

The city is scheduled to release the engineers study on safety at some point after the Council Meeting. The Council meets regularly on Tuesdays.

[Willy1]

Bad news... the Council is recommending shutting down the active pool. I'm really upset about that recommendation. The Water Gardens are a gem in FW's Crown and I was upset to see the decaying conditions last weekend. Now they're talking about shutting down part of the park. I say that if they're going to kill the Active Pool then they should just close the park and redevelop the land since the Active Pool is the actual symbol for the Water Gardens. Shutting off the water would just created a giant heat-generating concrete canyon in the park. Who needs that?! I can't believe they can't modify the pool to make it safe enough to keep it open to the public and running. I mean, we can put people on the moon and in space stations, but we can't make a frigging waterfall safe enough for the Water Gardens? I was hoping they would be able to make the pool safe and maybe even create a memorial to the people who died there. (Maybe a beautiful piece of public art to remember the victims) I think placing a grate under the water level - like someone in this forum suggested - would make the center of the pool safe by making the depth of the water shallow enough for anyone to stand up on - say knee deep at the most. And, maybe there should be some sort of emergency shut off valve near the pool that would shut down the pool in the event of an accident.

Anyway, here is the ST article about the recommendations:


City gets Water Gardens report

By Anna M. Tinsley and Mike Lee

Star-Telegram Staff Writers


FORT WORTH - An engineering analysis of the Fort Worth Water Gardens recommends shutting off the popular cascading waters or otherwise blocking public access to the Active Pool where four tourists drowned last month.

The recommendations are among key findings in a report from Freese & Nichols that was turned over Tuesday to the Fort Worth City Council in what Mayor Mike Moncrief said was "a very somber moment" during a closed-door meeting.


Moncrief said the Active Pool will remain closed indefinitely until the council can decide how best to proceed with additional safety precautions at the downtown landmark.


"Any time you have been through what this city experienced, you're going to second-guess yourself," Moncrief said. "Our prayers continue to be with the family and loved ones that were lost. It has been a gut-wrenching exercise for the city."


He also said, "I do feel changes will be on the way. It will cost more money."


Four Chicago residents -- Myron Dukes, 39; his daughter, Lauren, 8; his son, Christopher, 13; and family friend Juanitrice Deadmon, 11 -- drowned June 16 after going to the Water Gardens to cool off.


Police say that one of the girls apparently slipped into the water and that the three others died trying to save her.


The city hired Freese and Nichols to study the gardens and recommend possible changes. Private engineers told the Star-Telegram that high-powered pumps and higher-than-expected water levels likely hampered rescue efforts and could have contributed to the drownings. Years of deferred maintenance and staff cutbacks also curbed oversight at the popular gardens, the Star-Telegram found.


The Freese & Nichols investigation found that city attempts to overcome maintenance problems with secondary pumps led to increased water levels sometime after 1996.


The higher water levels and debris clogging the Active Pool drain increased velocity in the pool by about 50 percent what would have been in place if water levels had been at 3.5 feet, the level for which the pool was designed, according to the study.


"The extent to which these forces may have contributed to the drownings on June 16, 2004 is outside the field of expertise of Freese and Nichols," the report states.


The report recommends two options for the city to consider -- either eliminating public access to the pool or installing modifications to reduce the danger of drowning.


To limit public access, the report states, the city could install handrails or other barriers or install an observation platform.


Modifications could include reducing the depth of the pool or installing stepping stones, options that likely would force the shut down of the cascading water.


Other recommendations include development of operating procedures and training materials; restoring sensors and other equipment that automatically set water levels; increasing access to pump controls for emergency workers; and installing new screens to help with debris removal.

[John T Roberts]

There were some computer generated models shown on Channel 8 this morning with some of the suggestions. One of which is to barricade the pool so that no one could enter the pool itself. You would only be able to experience the pool by standing on the outside walk around it. Granted, that is not a perfect solution, but it would keep the water running.

Another factor that should be considered when solutions are being formulated is handicapped accessibility. There are two laws that are applicable here. One is the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the other is the Texas Accessibilities Standards. Depending on the scope and cost of the renovations to make this pool safe, these two laws could force the city into making that pool accessible. I also don't know how they were able to operate the fountains without making all parts accessible over the years. The new public plaza is accessible along with the new entry into the park. I'm not intimately involved with the park like other architects and engineers would be, so I don't know how the accessibility issues were addressed in the past or how they will be in the future.

[John T Roberts]

Here is a link to the full Fort Worth Water Gardens Report:
http://www.freese.co...x.cfm?flash=Yes

[Willy1]

ghughes, I totally agree with you. The city was given a gift - by someone who gave the city many gifts over the years - and the city failed to maintain the gift properly. And, the gift just so happened to be an exquisite work of art. If someone gave the city the Mona Lisa, they certainly would do all they could to preserve it and to keep it safe. Well, the Water Gardens are a work of art, just like a painting. You wouldn't change the appearance of the Mona Lisa, and we shouldn't change the appearace of our Water Gardens. I can't believe that a treasure like the Water Gardens is at risk of being ruined. If it can be made safe - and we all know it can - then by all means make it safe and leave the artistic integrity intact.

I know one thing, a couple years from now when the South side of downtown has caught up with the Sundance Square are (and it will) then the city is really going to regret not having the Water Gardens in better shape and completely intact (assuming they're going to restrict access to the active pool)

The only acceptable change to that part of the park is to create some sort of memorial space to recognize the loss of life that unfortunately occurred there. Maybe the city could contact the artist (if he's still living) who created the gardens to consult on the project... I'm sure he could would with the parties envolved to come up with a way to make the pools safer and still maintain the artist's original vision.

I just hope the city doesn't go for a cheap, quick, fix...

[hipolyte]

Never accepting a gift without a maintenance fund coming with it sounds good, but in fact what that approach will actually do is limit the number of gifts you recieve. Even before this latest tragedy, the Water Garden's problems were casting an inhibiting pall over placing public art in downtown Fort Worth.
Fort Worth already lacks public art, in comparison to other cities of similar size.

[redhead]

Okay, I agree we lack public art but as of last year, we are collecting money for public art. Why can the city council not use some of those funds to fix the magnificent art that we already own??? I agree that the grate idea is a great one (pardon the pun), and maybe full time security could be added using PID funds?

[John T Roberts]

I also agree that we lack public art. We also do need to find a way to fix and maintain the public art that we do have. I think we need to be creative in finding money to train caretakers, provide security, and maintain the Water Gardens and other public places.

[hipolyte]

In Carol Morris Little's 1996 UTA Press 'A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas', Fort Worth's listings run 17 pages.
Included on Fort Worth's lists are the Calder 'Eagle', The Matisse 'Backs' and a fountain by Charles Williams that used to be in front of the Caravan Motor Hotel on Jacksboro Highway, all either removed from the city, or from public view.

While the Dallas listings run 52 pages.

Prominent mention is given to the Water Gardens, designed by Phillip Johnson and John Burgee of New York. The Gardens are called (in the book) "one of the state's most outstanding examples of beautiful and innovative projects....". And of course the picture is of the active pool.

Also, cataloguing and maintaining existing public art is written into the Public Art Master Plan, but I'm not sure anyone is actually working on it yet.

[UrbanLandscape]

HEY.... I heard that they're remaking Logan's Run. It starts shooting in 2005. I wonder if anyone from FW has been contacted and whether or not they'll use the Water Gardens in the remake. If not, someone in FW should contact the producers to offer the Water Gardens again.

Sure enough, there is a remake in the pipleine. They need to use the Metroplex again.

[Willy1]

For those of you who are fans of the movie Logan's Run... the movie is set to be re-made in 2005. Who do we need to alert to get the city to contact the production company to film in the Water Gardens again? Maybe that would be a good push for cleaning up the Water Gardens... Just a thought. I'd love to see the movie filming in FW again. We have some great locations for movies. I've worked in the movie industry and I think they need to really promote the film industry in DFW and bring more Hollywood films to the area for filming...

[Buck]

The Williams sculpture at the Caravan recently was sold to a guy in Abilene.

http://www.reporter-...3124526,00.html

[360texas]

hmmm... heard on the television news this morning water gardens update - 76 million good reasons

Is the City covered with Public Liability Insurance?

Or because they are a City Government are they "Self Insured".

Dave

[360texas]

Yes, I had heard about the State limitation.

I presume then there is no reason why they can't sue for a gadzillion $ they are only going to receive what the courts (state limitation) decide ... the rest of the unrecovered award.. is just a heightened $ignificance to the cities embarra$ment on nation wide media.

[Willy1]

... I also heard there is a 10 year statute of limitations on the city being sued for the Water Gardens... In other words, since the Water Gardens have been opened for waaaay longer than 10 years, the city can't be held liable for any potential dangers surrounding the park. If something like this had happened within the first ten years of the WG's being open then the plantiffs could have had a good case. The story I heard was that they're going to have a very hard time winning any settlements against anyone because of the statute of limitations surrounding public parks and because of the state law capping the cities liability at $500,000. And, of course, Mayor Moncrief has already offerened the victims the maximum amount the city can pay - $500K! So, this deal looks as if it's just going to tie up the courts without any real outcome. Sad deal. I think the folks who lost family are certainly entitled to more than just half a million dollars. But, that's just my opinion.

[normanfd]

I also remember the S-T reporting that such a statute of limitations has expired regarding suing Pillip Johnson and his firm.

[Willy1]

I saw on the news this week that they have come up with a recommendation/plan to fix the active pool and elliminate the risks at the Water Gardens. The only thing that was specifically mentioned was that they're planning on raising the floor of the active pool to be less than 1.5 feet deep while running.... They mentioned other "safeguards" but didn't say what those other changes included. All they said was that they were going to keep the beauty and integrity of the Water Gardens.... Anyone know the specifics?

[lobster]

know what.. after witnessing someone falling off the steps in the summer of 2003, i was inspired to do a citizen presentation speech on the lack of safety at a nov 2003 city council meeting months before the deaths occurred -- and after they chained up the active pool, i did a follow up on the OTHER impending danger that is still sittin' there plain as day.. it's a 30 cement foot wall in the middle of the park.. kids climb on it all the time -- and as i visited the water gardens to take pics of the wall for my speech, i happened to catch a father and his 9 yr old son actually raced to the top of it! made for some perfect photos to prove my point for which I brought to the council meeting ... the ledges are only 6 inches wide, and if anyone loses their grip, they're gonna fall 20-30 feet smack right into the concrete below..

I'm not a huge safety fundamentalist by any means but that wall is the next obvious hazard in that relatively dangerous park.. funny how they rope off the active pool but don't see the dangers on that wall..

lob

[hipolyte]

While I recognize the hazard the wall represents, and the potential liability to the city if someone falls and sues, at some point people must be responsible for their own behavoir.
If you climb a 30 foot wall, you must realize and accept that you are taking a risk.....just as if you make a decision to leap off a tall building......you might get hurt.
Perhaps just a sign, "Climb at your own risk."
The pool was a different matter altogether. The dangers were in the very activity it was designed to safely promote.
Was the wall designed to stimulate people to climb, or simply as a visual component?

[lobster]

The pool was a different matter altogether. The dangers were in the very activity it was designed to safely promote.
Was the wall designed to stimulate people to climb, or simply as a visual component?

although I agree with you that everyone is responsible for their own behaviors, it is for that reason I disagree that the wall and the active pool should be seen differently as hazards. The wall is not intended for climbing, just as the active pool was never intended for swimming -- but these are all assumptions made by park visitors with no indication from the park as to if these are to be "used" (walked onto, into) or merely views as "art".

The wall is a series of six inch recessed ledges all the way to the top, inviting people -- specifically children -- to think it's to be climbed on.. Just like the active pool: well, hey, there's water in there and steps leading to the bottom -- must be ok for swimming! Part of the park's design was apparently to PURPOSELY feature a "danger element" as the designer was quoted, but never really advocating that people dive in to the pool or climb on the massive wall.

Sure people have free will and should use their own judgment when contemplating doing "dangerous" things in life -- but there's also a reason they have an un-climbable fence on the top of the empire state bldg between the 102nd floor observation deck and the ledge of the building. An extreme example, but like at the water gardens, there comes a point where public installations DO have the responsibility of ensuring visitors don't accidentally get the wrong idea and hurt themselves.

No one told the drowning victims the active pool was for swimming but would the presence of hand rails (at the expense of the "integrity of the art piece" ) perhaps have discouraged them ?

The difference here in your analogy that people can fall off the wall just as if they can jump off a building, is that children are let loose to play in the water gardens, and i've seen time and time again parents stand by while their kids are busy scaling that wall... Whereas, probably not many children make their way to the rooftop of Burnett Plaza...

You wait and see the pointing fingers fly when a kid falls off that wall and cracks his head open .. like the drownings it is very bound to happen..

lobs

[safly]

It was an enormous tragedy I hope I will never encounter. It is however ironic that in CHICAGO there is a newly constructed park near Michigan Ave. and the Lake in the downtown area. It is called Millenium Park, it opened up for visitors this summer '04. We took an engineer friend/neighbor from downtown FW to visit it, marveling at the structure. I have wonderful pictures of the inspiring water fall towers that they use for kids to cool off in and play innocently. The flooring is slate, I believe it was used because of how it grips your feet and shoes when wet. The cascading towers allow water to fall on the slate flooring and recirculated to the top of these monstrous rectangular pillars that embody the cities theme of big shoulders. Through out the day you will see close-up video images of people and faces emerging from all sides of the pillars. At night it is lit up in many of colors. If anyone is interested in pic's, let me know. I think it would be a wonderful addition to this city, and a fitting memorial structure to the surviving family members and to the ones lost. A piece of Chicago, forever in downtown FW.

[njjeppson]

Living with loss

A year after four Chicago church members drowned, those who were left behind carry on through faith

By Anna M. Tinsley and Bill Teeter

STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS

Stephanie Elaine Dukes has never lost faith. Not the night she learned that her husband, son and daughter had drowned in the Fort Worth Water Gardens, and not in the year since.

It took some time, but she's back living in the Chicago home she shared with her family, is attending church and has started singing in the choir again, her friends say. "She's very strong in her faith and belief in God," said Yvonne Wesley, a family friend. "It has taken a toll on her, but she's doing a lot better than anyone would expect. "It's hard this time of year," Wesley said. "This is a journey that unfortunately hasn't ended yet."

Dukes has yet to talk publicly about her loss, but those close to her say that the past year has been tough for her and for the congregation of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. One year ago today, she and her family -- husband Myron Dukes, 39; their daughter, Lauren, 8; and their son, Christopher, 13 -- were in Fort Worth with thousands of others for a Baptist church convention.

Stephanie Dukes stayed behind when her husband, children and a family friend -- Juanitrice Deadmon, 11 -- went to the downtown landmark to cool off. By nightfall, Dukes had learned that all four were dead. Police say one of the girls slipped into the water, and the others died trying to save her. "The challenge is to make sense of it," said the Rev. Gerald Dew, Stephanie Dukes' pastor, who calls or checks on her nearly every day. "You have to begin to see the hand of God in this," he said. "Nothing that happens can happen outside his will."

Test of faith

It was to have been a celebration of faith in downtown Fort Worth for members of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. They had packed up to attend the annual conference of the National Baptist Congress, which featured workshops, prayer, and drill team and choir competitions.

But the week turned out to be a test of faith. It was a steamy Texas Wednesday when the Rev. Nehemiah Davis of Fort Worth's Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church sat down to enjoy a dinner downtown. His phone rang. A rescue was unfolding at the Water Gardens, and churchgoers feared that convention members were involved.

Davis, who had lobbied heavily to bring the conference to Fort Worth, immediately went to the Water Gardens to watch and pray with bystanders. Police and firefighters dove repeatedly into the churning, murky depths of the Water Garden's Active Pool, fighting strong currents and deep water in an attempt to bring four people to the surface. The suction in the pool was so strong, two rescue workers said, that their socks were pulled off in the water.

Finally, workers disabled the pool's pumps and brought the victims up from the bottom. They worked intensely to revive them. Davis said information was sketchy for those in the crowd that had gathered. "We didn't know who it was," Davis said. "Word was spreading through the people from Chicago."

Soon came the news that the four were dead. A stunned Davis and other convention leaders began planning ways to help those at the conference deal with the tragedy. At a memorial service the next day, church members cried, sang and prayed -- for those who died and those left behind. They decided that the youth competitions would continue. "We think it was good therapy for them, to let the children who were with the children from Chicago to stay in Fort Worth, to do what they came to do," Davis said. "It helped them work through their grief."

Spiritual support was abundant, Davis said. "It had its difficulties, but there were so many other pastors from this city and surrounding cities," Davis said. "It was an unusual situation."

The Water Gardens were promptly closed to the public, and investigators moved in. They found that high water levels, malfunctioning pumps, and drains blocked by debris had contributed to the strong currents in the pool that day. A multimillion-dollar lawsuit was filed by family members of the victims. Eventually all but the Active Pool was reopened. It remains closed.

Moving forward

Antioch Church members left Chicago on Sunday for this year's annual conference in Charlotte, N.C. Dew said Stephanie Dukes is not attending; Juanitrice Deadmon's grandparents are. In light of last year's events, the church is taking extra precautions. They've lined up additional chaperones, trained them and made sure they know what's required. In recent weeks, church leaders brought in counselors to talk to the youths, many of whom served on a drill team with the Dukes children and Juanitrice Deadmon. "We're all missing those three this year," said Wesley, Stephanie Dukes' friend and a church member. "The kids are not going to be able to not think about them."

Each year, about 20,000 people attend the conference -- many of them regulars at the annual event. The conference will celebrate its 100th year in 2006, Davis said. Davis said he has remained busy with his church and the community in the past year, and he will be among those attending the Charlotte convention. He said he remembers all too well the emotions stirred by the drownings. "You have regrets and frustrations," he said. "You have regret that it happened in Fort Worth and that it happened during a religious meeting that you were hosting."

One message continues to reverberate for him, he said. "You never know where tragedy is," Davis said. "Life is uncertain."

Remembering those lost

A memorial to honor those who died is in the works. Designers are working on a stone monument that will pay tribute to those killed and teach visitors about the unique gardens.

Nearly $3 million in renovations are planned to make the gardens safer, including a design change that will lower the water levels in the Active Pool. The improvements -- which also include a concrete wall with seating around the top of the pool and a railing along Commerce Street -- could start in October and be finished a year later.

"It is our full intention to memorialize the lives lost," Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said. "At the appropriate time, I think there should be a ceremony dedicating the memorial and inviting the families to join us for that."

City leaders agreed in April to pay $750,000 to the victims' families in an out-of-court settlement of the lawsuit. The suit is continuing against more than 20 other entities involved in developing and operating the downtown landmark -- including the architecture firm of Philip Johnson, the designer of the gardens, who died in January, and the Amon G. Carter Foundation, which donated the $6 million gardens to the city in 1974.

"I hope that the settlement of the lawsuit brings some peace of mind and some closure because we know it can never replace those who were lost," Moncrief said. One year later, Dew said, many of those involved are still looking for answers. "This kind of loss is not something that you get over," Dew said. "It's something you learn to live with."

[Stadtplan]

The pool was a different matter altogether. The dangers were in the very activity it was designed to safely promote.
Was the wall designed to stimulate people to climb, or simply as a visual component?

The wall is a series of six inch recessed ledges all the way to the top, inviting people -- specifically children -- to think it's to be climbed on.. Just like the active pool: well, hey, there's water in there and steps leading to the bottom -- must be ok for swimming! Part of the park's design was apparently to PURPOSELY feature a "danger element" as the designer was quoted, but never really advocating that people dive in to the pool or climb on the massive wall.

I was riding my bike through there a couple months ago and I saw a group of people, mostly teenagers with their parents climbing up the wall to pose for a picture. Not a good idea in my opinion - - most people don't anticipate danger or choose to ignore the obvious until it is too late.

[jefffwd]

Okay, first let me say that this was indeed a tragic event. However, do we really need to build a memorial with taxpayers money? I mean... tragic things happen all the time but the city not memorialize every event. I'm all for upgrading the gardens I just don't think a memorial will serve any purpose. The friends and family of those who lost their lives are in Chicago not Fort Worth and more than likely they have been memorialized at their church. I just think it will serve as a grim reminder every time you walk into the gardens.

[seurto]

I agree with jefffwd 1000%!

[Willy1]

I think that what the watergardens needs is an area where it's acceptable for people to play in the water... maybe one of those in-ground fountains that randomly squirts streams of water up out of the ground out of small holes in the concrete.... People love playing in those... I think it would keep people off the climbing wall and out of the active pool. It would also make the water gardens more interactive and less observation-oriented.

[Shocker]

Anyone know the fate of the Water Gardens? I drove by today and was thinking about all this. With the close proximity of the future Omni Hotel and Lancaster corridor, this area has some real potential. While I am sorry for those who perished or lost loved ones, I am also sorry for citizens and visitors of Fort Worth who have lost a beautiful work of art. It frustrates me that an incident like this has such a prolonged negative impact on a city like this. I hope this can be remedied or improved in a timely fashion to complement these upcoming projects.

[JBB]

According to the city, it will reopen this fall. Last time I was in the area, there was visible construction on the large pool where the drownings occurred.