This week, Fort Worth started moving into a new city hall.
I bring this up because I can now boast that I have rappelled down the side of the center of government of America’s 13th largest city.
I might look terrified in that picture, and perhaps rappelling down a 20 story building was a strange assignment for a man who’s strangely boastful about his fear of heights. But I rappelled successfully with office workers staring out the window as I passed them.
A couple years prior to that, the mayor of Fort Worth rappelled down a different building. While he may not have looked as terrified, at the risk of editorializing, I’d suggest he also didn’t look particularly majestic.
Afterward, Mike Moncrief would tell us it was kind of a rough landing.
You do a practice rappel at a smaller height so the organizers can give you some tips. You’re encouraged to get into a rhythm, just sort of bouncing your feet off the wall as you let yourself down. But I remember the office workers because at one point, my rhythm was interrupted, I stopped going down and just started twirling around in mid-air.
It’s probably better I did not have a bunch of reporters on the ground taking pictures of me.
These were fundraisers for Downtown Fort Worth Inc. However, the mayor explained that moving into a new city hall would bring more action to the area around Panther Island Pavilion, saying it’s a part of the city ready for development because it’s right between downtown and West 7th.
She didn’t even mention the rappelling market.
The city manager, meanwhile, explained they got a good deal on the place because Pier 1 doesn’t, technically, exist anymore. Even though the new city hall will cost about $100 million with the cost of the sale and renovations, but he said building a new city hall would have cost about $200.
Loyal Scaiaholics will also recall I’m a landowner. I’d have sold Fort Worth my place for half that!
But Cooke makes a strong point: By moving into a bigger city hall, every department could now be under one roof. It’s possible the Pier 1 building has slightly more space than my house, even though I do have a laundry room.
Also, my house is one story. It probably would not be as entertaining to rappel down.
But now, who can say I haven’t rappelled down Fort Worth City Hall? No one, that’s who.
We may seem divided as a nation, but that can-do spirit is what brings us all together. Just maybe get approval and raise some money before you get your picture taken clinging to the side of a government building.
