Some residents of Dallas District 11 are frustrated with an unfinished public works project in their neighborhood, claiming their City Council member, Jaynie Schultz, has ignored their complaints about the unfinished construction.
A “Paving and Drainage Improvements” project has been underway on Hughes Lane from Churchill Way to Lafayette Way in the Preston Citadel neighborhood of Dallas for the past two years.
The $814,300 project is scheduled to be completed this fall, according to details sent by City Public Information Officer Page Jones to The Dallas Express.
Community members say the construction has made their neighborhood markedly worse since it began two years ago.
Neighborhood resident Rick Knobler, who lives at the corner of Hughes Lane and Turner Way, told The Dallas Express that construction has been “very long [and] drawn out” and “doesn’t really seem to show any progress.”
“This project, in addition to being an absolute mess, has continuous delays,” he said. “Nobody seems to be overseeing it.”
Resident Judith Reva, who lives on Lafayette Way, told The Dallas Express the construction has been “terrible” and accused Council Member Schultz of sidelining the people whose interests she was elected to represent.
Reva claimed that one specific pothole caused by the construction project “is so dangerous” that when her daughter drove over it, the pothole “destroyed” her transmission, which cost $10,000 to repair.
Despite the fact that the construction has been ongoing for two years, Reva said that “most of the time, nobody’s working.”
“The construction is awful,” she continued. “The streets where they’re working — they are not walkable. … They’re hazardous.”
The lack of walkability is a notable problem for Preston Citadel in particular, as many residents are Jewish and will not drive vehicles on the Sabbath.
“You’d think you’re living in the projects,” Reva said, alleging that “crime has risen” in her neighborhood, despite the narrative pushed by City leaders.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the construction. I don’t know why, but crime is terrible,” she claimed, explaining that her husband’s wallet was stolen from his locked car parked in their driveway during the middle of the day.
Reva told The Dallas Express that the neighborhood’s council member has been of no help and “never answers” emails or calls.
“The only time she comes around is around election time,” said Reva. “She panders. As a matter of fact, she has been on the side of destruction and lawlessness.”
“Rather than addressing our concerns with basic road maintenance and construction, she usually sides [with] lawlessness and actually decreasing the quality of our neighborhood,” Reva continued.
Knobler similarly alleged that Council Member Schultz has been “awful” and “had no involvement” with this situation until election season began.
“I feel like she has not been involved whatsoever,” he told The Dallas Express.
Barry Wernick, a former candidate for Dallas City Council District 11 and a resident of the neighborhood, also claimed that the “drainage improvements” attempted by the City poisoned the plant life and fish population.
He asserted that “ineptitude” and “lack of care” have contributed to “a loss of vegetation and wildlife,” specifically koi fish in a pond that he says was poisoned by pollution when workers began “drainage improvements.”
Wernick corroborated Reva’s claims about the poor street conditions causing extensive damage to vehicles, claiming that he has spent over $1,000 on car repairs because of these roads.
The Dallas Express contacted Council Member Schultz for comment on the construction in her district and complaints from her constituents but received no response by press time.
Page Jones, the City public information officer, sent additional information on the Hughes Lane project to The Dallas Express that confirmed construction was awarded to MACVAL Associates in December 2020 and began the following May.
The City allocated nearly $1 million of taxpayer money to the infrastructure project.