Travis County Commissioners Court
April 12, 2005
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next, one citizen signed in. That citizen is mr. Bob barstow.
>> good morning, Commissioners.
>> good morning.
>> good morning. I知 bob barstow. Well-known to you. Barstow family owns and operators windy -- owns and operates windy point park out at Lake Travis. I知 one of the most unique pieces of land on the entire lake. Years ago I opened it up for public use. Allowed the public to use it, maintain it as a public park 25 years now. People who come out to it, it's clean, it quiet, it by the water, we keep a grass lawn out there, we water it, mow it, we have courtesy carts to carry your gear out on the lawn, people camp there. It's a public park. Now, you folks often refer to it as a private park. I've lost business because people think that it's a private park. It's not. It's a public park.
>> [indiscernible]
>> private park would be like one for like i.b.m. Employees. Any member of the public who wants to come to my park for 25 years has been able to do that. In addition to that I have operated a free park for members of the [indiscernible] trail community, I haven't charged them, never have for 25 years to use the park. People outside of the community I do charge. I charge $5 a person during the week and $10 on weekends until 3:00 and then 5:00. But during this time, we got in trouble and it came to my attention a couple of week ago when I gave a couple of these things out to some lawyers, john hilly and a few others. These are free passes to my park. I have given them to some of these folks here. I want people to come out and see my park because they will never be my customer if they don't. Now, hilly returned the thing to me, says it's not ethical for me to take this because we are adversarial. I want to examine where in the world are we adversarial when I am providing my public, my property, for public use and why are we adversarial about this when the federal government encourages private use of -- of public to use private property and wants private owners to put their property into public use, when the state government wants that to happen, when Texas parks and wildlife wants that to happen. Bob barstow and the barstow family, why are we adversarial about this. I want you to examine that. I think we will find much of it in the 1991 letter from judge collins of the county attorney's office who has a great deal of misrepresentation in it, misrepresented facts, plain errors, I will take the liberty to save lives. I say that with deliberation because mistakes you have an opportunity to correct. But no one has looked into this to find out the truth of these matters and they have continued to rely on this and john can confirm this, he told me that everyone is relying on this letter. [continue to say lies] lies become truths with people, I知 ieferd they have in your eyes, but in actual fact they are lies. Even john has argued with me about things, facts that I know of, he says that's not true. Based on these things. These lies. Now, we should find out what the basis is. There is -- there is absolutely no reason why we should be adversarial or why john should have returned these free passes to look at my property and enjoy it.
>> if I could answer that question, I don't want to bring up an open meetings -- our office is prosecuting a criminal case against mr. Barstow, it would be more appropriate for our office not to accept any passes. Now, for the Commissioners court to accept a pass to go visit the mark, one of you all's as members, that would probably be an exception under the penal code for you to be able to accept -- I think that pass is what, worth $5? $7?
>> depending on the time of day, the number of people, it's worth anywhere from 5 to $40.
>> that's getting pretty --
>> [multiple voices]
>> I wouldn't advise you to take any more than that.
>> thank you, mr. Barstow. I believe john is looking forward to one of those tickets after the disposition of this case.
>> that's right.
>> I知 sorry, what?
>> after the case.
>> I didn't hear you.
>> give john a ticket after the case.
>> or you -- he can be a paying customer. Which would also support business.
>> what case? There's nothing pending, unless I sue you for damages, I知 trying to avoid that.
>> thank you, mr. Barstow.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 10:09 AM