Corps Veteran To Take Key Position In Trinity River Project

Mark Mazzanti, a 35-year veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers, will serve as the new coordinator for a $1.17 billion project that aims to reshape the Trinity River north of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The river needs to be reshaped for flood control reasons, but local leaders have long wanted to use the project to create new riverfront for downtown development.

The Corps of Engineers calls it the Central City Project; local leaders call it Panther Island, after an artificial island that would be created with waterfront to be developed.

The Trinity River Vision Authority board approved a contract with Mazzanti in early November for up to two years at $25,000 per month. Either party can opt out with a 30-day notice.

Creating this position was a recommendation from Dallas-based management consultant Riveron, which was hired to assess the project after the federal government skipped funding it last year. In 2016, Congress authorized up to $526 million for Panther Island, but the Trump administration has not provided new money. The Corps, in coordination with the water district, has asked for $30 million to $40 million each year but has received just $68 million since 2006.
The purpose of the new coordinator position is to improve transparency, with the hope that Congress will fund the Corps’ portion of the project.

Most recently Mazzanti, who recently retired from the Corps, was the director of programs for the Army Corps’ Southwestern Division based in Dallas. He oversaw $6 billion worth of Corps programs and led the emergency response to Hurricane Harvey.

From 2011 to 2016, Mazzanti worked out of the Corps’ Washington, D.C., headquarters where he prepared the budget for the Civil Works Program.