© 2003, Guidry News
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Story Links: City of Beaumont Layoffs Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant Houston Independent School District Groundwater District Management Association Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association League City Chamber of Commerce |
Beaumont City Manager Kyle Hayes is preparing to lay off several city employees on Friday. "We have worked through a $5.9 million budget deficit," Hayes noted, blaming a shortfall in sales tax. "The sales tax numbers for the first four months of this fiscal year, to date we are down $470,000 from what we budgeted." "It's tough," Hayes said, noting that the layoffs will not solve the budget deficit. "But we will be moving in the right direction by reducing our expenses." Hayes won't say how many people will be laid off. Employees who are terminated will be provided four week's pay and benefits. Friendswood resident Larry Taylor was sworn in as the new Texas State Representative for District 24 on Tuesday, the opening day of the 78th Legislative Session. In addition to his family and friends, supporters on hand for the ceremony included Friendswood Mayor Harold Whitaker, Friendswood City Manager Ron Cox, Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark and members of Leadership Friendswood. "I am touched by how many people that have taken out time from their busy lives and schedules to come see this," Taylor said about those who traveled to Austin for the event. "I can't wait to go to work for them." Houston Independent School District Houston Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Kaye Stripling delivered the annual State of the Schools Address Tuesday to a crowd of over 2,000 at Reliant Center. The superintendent gave a glowing report. “I stand before you humbled and proud as the leader of the best urban school district in the country," Stripling said. "Did we have a great year or what?” Stripling said the main accomplishments of HISD in 2002 were the November passage of the $808.6 million bond election, the issuance of laptop computers for all 15,000 HISD teachers and the awarding of the 2002 Broad Prize for Urban Education to the HISD. The Broad prize honors urban school districts that are making the greatest overall improvement in student achievement. The Broad Foundation gave HISD $500,000 in scholarships for students. “It is the top prize in urban education,” Stripling said. Stripling praised the implementation of the Teacher Toolbox project, which gives teachers state-of-the-art technology. She said teachers can now access lesson plans and educational databases through their new laptops. “I think it will have a profound, positive impact on the art of teaching in HISD," Stripling said. "There is no other program like it in the nation.” Stripling noted that HISD did very well in the last year of the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) tests. All Texas schools will be using the new TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test this year. Stripling said TAAS scores improved across the board in grades three through eight, and that improved scores overall resulted in a doubling of the number of "recognized" schools and an increase in the number of "exemplary" schools. Stripling said that HISD graduated more than 5,500 Texas Scholars, an increase of over 1,000 students from 2001. “That’s tangible progress," Stripling said. "But it was not enough to help us reach our stated goal of being a recognized school district this year.” Stripling said the bond election will allow the building of 20 new schools, 30 renovated campuses and 10 additions to existing schools. She noted that HISD would be selling their current headquarters building at 3830 Richmond. “It’s too big, too expensive and we don’t need it anymore,” she said. Stripling
said that HISD has not yet made a decision on a new
location, but will do so sometime this year. She said shortfalls in the state budget will force a reorganization of the GISD budget. She said that she was confident that could be done because of decentralization. “We’ve been steadily decentralizing for four years now, and in 2003, nearly 80% of district funding will be decentralized to school control,” She said. Stripling said that HISD will be implementing an all-day pre-kindergarten program, and will continue with a high school reform initiative. The HISD goal is to have an 85 percent graduation rate by 2006, and that principals and teachers will be held accountable for increasing graduation rates. She hopes to make the PSAT, a test that measures students fitness for college work, mandatory for all high school sophomores. “Graduation for many students is simply not a priority. I say that is unacceptable,” She said. Stripling recognized HISD teachers of the year; elementary teacher Kristi Hernandez and high school teacher Mildred Espree. Hernandez, in turn, noted that the superintendent had been named one of the Top Ten Tech Savvy school administrators in the nation. The Pasadena City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday that expressly objects to the currently proposed route of the San Jacinto Rail Limited through the city of Pasadena and southeast Harris County. The San Jacinto Rail Limited, a partnership formed by Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad, is proposed to operate along a city wastewater plant, a busy roadway, and several suburbs, including Baywood Oaks. “Keep the railway track from going by our houses," pleaded Baywood resident Betty Gauntt. "It will affect many more people than the homeowners in Baywood Oaks, but it will affect our quality of life and the schools nearby by bringing increased rail traffic and hazardous chemicals by our neighborhoods.” Council Member J.J. Isbell agreed that the railroad line is “bad for the city of Pasadena, bad for the quality of life of its residents and our neighborhoods.” “It seems better served for everyone to use the same existing rail line and settle the outstanding rate issues,” between the affected plants and the railroad line, said Mayor John Manlove. The city council resolution supports a negotiated settlement to the outstanding issues between the plants and the railroad, negating the need for construction of additional rail lines. The city council accepted a $450 donation to the Employees’ Activity Fund that will be used for various city employee events and accepted $14,850 in donations from the Pasadena Rotary Foundation for the construction of an additional medium-sized Pasadena gateway welcoming sign. The city council voted first reading approval of the purchase of traffic signal equipment and furnishings needed for implementing a computerized traffic control system. The city council approved on first reading the purchase of lubricants and additives for the next two years from H&W Petroleum Company, Inc. The city council approved on first reading a two-year contract with Recovery Technologies Group for waste tire disposal. The city council approved on first reading a two-year contract with Southern Crushed Concrete, Inc., for flexible base and bedding material. The council voted final approval to a cable franchise agreement with Texas Cable Partners LP, also known as Time Warner Cable. Jack Douglass cast the only negative vote. Mayor John Manlove appointed Stella Walters to the Pasadena Library Board and reappointed Buddy Harris to a three-year term as a civil service commissioner. The city council approved two sign variance requests for signboards at 4610 NASA Road One and 829 W. Pasadena Parkway, where former Texaco gas stations are now owned by Shell Oil. All other agenda items were approved. The City Council of League City voted unanimously to amend the ordinance creating a tax reinvestment zone for tax abatement purposes for the new ANICO building. The amendment begins the abatement in 2004 rather than this year. The city council voted 6-1, with Tommy Cones opposed, to approve a right-of-entry agreement with Centerpoint Energy for the South Shore sanitary sewer improvements project. “My only concern is that we’re getting this tonight without the chance to read it over," Cones said. "I’m not in favor of passing something I just received.” The city council voted to deny a variance for the installation of speed humps in existing neighborhoods. “We are not denying this neighborhood speed humps," explained Council Member Darlene Anene. "We are putting the burden on the neighborhood to collect the 51 percent approval of the neighborhood.” The city council voted 6-1, with Barbara Meeks opposed, to create Tax Reinvestment Zone 4 on 528 acres of land near FM 518. Meeks said she believes that a municipal utility district would better serve the residential portion of the development. The city council voted 5-2, with Meeks and Katie Benoit opposed, to table a request from Samuel Trevino for reimbursement of rental fees for the use of Sportsplex Fields, because Trevino was not present. The city council voted to table a request to set a public hearing for a zone change application along FM 2094 between Glen Cove and Marina Del Sol. All other agenda items were approved.Beaumont City Council approved lease agreements with Boston Store Dry Goods Company for parking lot property located in the Downtown Business District on Park Street, and a second agreement with Jefferson County for maintaining the property. The county will pay a nominal fee of one dollar per year. The city council approved a $184,000 six-month contract for the purchase of asphaltic concrete for use by the Public Works Department, with APAC-TEXAS, Inc. The city council approved a $74,750 one-year contract for the purchase of cement-stabilized base for use by the Public Works Department, with Trinity Aggregate Distribution. The city council approved a $345,000 contract with Southeast Texas Community Development Corporation to use 2001 Home Funds for down payment assistance for ten scattered homes in the M. L. King, Jr. area of Beaumont. “The City of Beaumont has a contractual relationship with SETCDC to provide home buyers assistance for newly constructed homes in targeted neighborhoods," explained City Manager Kyle Hayes. The city council approved a contract with Habitat for Humanity. The city council re-adopted the Land Use Plan element of the Comprehensive Plan and its accompanying “Development Strategies Plan”. The city council also re-adopted the Major Street and Highway Plan of the Comprehensive Plan. All other agenda items were approved. Several people addressed the city council asking that city bus service continue and not be cut back. Most of the speakers had handicaps. Other speakers addressed the issue of upcoming layoffs in the city’s workforce. Jefferson County Criminal Court Judge Lupe Flores administered the oath of office to newly appointed City Magistrate Craig Lively on Tuesday. Lively, who will preside over the city's municipal court, thanked the city council and others for the support he has received. Dickinson City Council voted 5-1, with Mark Townsend opposed, to approve the second and final reading of an ordinance that places an annual occupation tax of fifteen dollars on any coin-operated machine within the city limits. The city council approved a $2,600 addendum to the budget for implementation of the tax. "Passage of the ordinance will require additional staff time and related expenses and the recommendation included increased funding for the part-time code enforcement inspectors to conduct the survey of coin operated machines and administrate the process," explained Fire Marshal Keith Kiplinger. The new ordinances does not apply to "stamp vending machine, service coin-operated machine, or if subject to a city gross receipts tax, a gas meter, a food vending machine, a confection vending machine, a beverage vending machine, a merchandise vending machine, or a cigarette vending machine." The
city council voted unanimously to place a moratorium on the
location and operation of eight-liner machines in the city
of Dickinson. The city council discussed but took no action on drainage issues caused by the new St. Edmond's Green subdivision. Residents Tony Vale and Diane Helmer complained that the developers, "raised their property up at least 14 inches higher than ours, and got a type two drainage approved for them. Now the water drains off onto our properties." The city council approved a request for a specific use permit for Lighthouse Baptist Church to construct a new building on a 6.851-acre tract of land between Camp Allen Road and the I-45 feeder road, along Hughes Road. The city council voted to require contractors to maintain a license and permit bond. The city council approved a resolution endorsing the appointment of a list of members to the Galveston County United Board of Health. Council Member Mark Townsend requested that Craig Eiland's name be added to the list. The
city council voted 4-2, with Linda Murrie and Kay Neal
opposed, to assign positions for members of the Park and
Recreation Board: Carl Uland, Position 3; Roslyn Barnett,
Position 4; and Teri Laird, Position 7.
Murrie said she felt that the names should be
assigned through random drawing. The
city council approved the appointments of Mitzi Womack and
Robert Braselton to the park board. All other agenda items were approved. The city council met in executive session to discuss litigation between the City of Dickinson and Dickinson Leisure, but no action was taken. Morgan’s Point City Council tabled taking any action Tuesday on amending the city’s zoning ordinance that would define what constitutes a trailer and a semi-trailer, in reference to parking such vehicles in residential neighborhoods. Council Member Brian Smith urged that the amendment be referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission. He was concerned about the definition of trailers and how that would relate to boat hitches. “We need to send this back to P&Z for further clarification,” Smith said. However, City Attorney John D. Armstrong offered the council an alternative way to get changes done without another public hearing, recommending that he meet with the mayor and city administration to hammer out further changes for the proposed definitions. The city council unanimously approved a new fee structure for the enforcement and violation of zoning ordinances within the city. The city council met in a 20-minute executive session to discuss litigation, but took no action. A public meeting on flood plain management has been scheduled for 8 a.m. on Thursday at Kemah City Hall.
Larry Larson, executive director of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers, will speak on "No Adverse Impact Floodplain Management."
The meeting is targeted for the Clear Lake-area mayors, council members, city floodplain managers, city engineers, city managers, city attorneys and interested citizens.
The presentation will detail city governments' liability regarding floodwater transfer as well as the building blocks required for the development of a watershed flood management plan, a new requirement for the Clear Creek watershed cities in order to participate in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flood control project. For more information, call Mona Shoup, chair of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers Public Education Committee and Friends of Clear Creek at (281) 335-7194. The San Jacinto College District Board of Regents announced on Monday that longtime employee Dr. Gwen Tilley would be the interim vice chancellor of instructional programs and services for the district. Tilley is a 32-year employee at SJC who has served the past 22 years as vice president of instruction at the Central Campus. In this interim position, she will be working from the district administration building on Fairmont Parkway. "I am delighted and honored that the board has chosen me for this position," Tilley said. "I have enjoyed working with the faculty and administration on Central Campus, and this position gives me the chance to work with faculty and administration from all of our campuses. This is an exciting time to be employed at San Jacinto College." Tilley holds a bachelor and master's degrees from Texas A&M Kingsville (formerly Texas A&I University). Her doctoral degree is an Ed.D. from the University of Houston-University Park. As vice chancellor of instructional programs and services, Tilley is responsible for instruction for three campuses and 10 extension centers that serve 24,000 credit and an equal number of continuing education students. Her
position of vice president of instruction is being filled on
an Groundwater District Management Association The Groundwater District Management Association met in Galveston at the Hotel Galvez this week. Dean Pennington, executive director of Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District, and vice president of the GWDA, said the members are mostly interested in groundwater management for agricultural uses. "This is a group that has a lot in common, in terms of they are looking for ways for agriculture to be more efficient with water," said Pennington. Although subsidence is not an issue for most of the nation, Ron Neighbors, general manager of the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, presented an overview of efforts to retard subsidence in Harris, Galveston and Fort Bend counties. Galveston Bay Conservation & Preservation A new space/efficiency analysis by the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association contends that the Port of Houston Authority's plans for its proposed container port at Bayport would create a "sprawling, inefficient facility, outdated before the first container could ever be unloaded from a ship." The study compares U.S. container cargo terminals. "An existing Port of Long Beach terminal of 1,017 acres has a container through-put capacity nearly three times higher than the plans show for the proposed Bayport facility, even though the Bayport footprint is also close to 1,000 acres," said a GBCPA news release. Click Here "This absolutely flies in the face of Port of Houston Authority claims about creating a modern, state-of-the art facility," said transportation analyst Nancy Edmonson, who conducted the study for the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association. "The Port is a tax-supported agency, yet it is proposing to spend tax dollars developing an old-style facility three times larger than it needs to be." "Notice also that the container facility at the Port of Long Beach is not property tax-supported," said Larry Tobin of GBCPA. "It is funded by revenue bonds, which means that commercial users--not taxpayers--are paying the tab." He noted that plans at Texas City "are likewise for shippers' lease payments to cover the costs of developing the container terminal." Visit http://www.gbcpa.org/Publications/SizeTechnicalReport.pdf for the full report. Galveston College's late registration continues through Thursday, January 16, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the College's Main Campus located at 4015 Avenue Q on Galveston Island. Call (409) 763-6551 for more information. A Sage Source program sponsored by the UTMB Senior Services Office and the Galveston College Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division will provide a Spring Lecture Series for Senior Citizens and Winter Texans beginning Wednesday, January 15, 2003 The lectures, that feature experts in the field of health and healing, are free to the public. The lectures will be offered Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. on the third floor of the Fort Crockett Campus at 5001 Avenue U in Galveston. The first lecture will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2003. The program is "Recognizing Stroke Symptoms: A Brain Attack" featuring speaker Lois A. Killewich, M.D., Ph.D. Killewich is a vascular surgeon certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery. She went to medical school at the University of Washington, received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York, performed her surgical residency program at the University of California Davis and completed her clinical vascular surgery fellowship at St. Louis University. She was on the faculty of the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Maryland prior to joining UTMB as an Associate Professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery. For more information, call (409) 763-6551, extension 344. Dr. Robert Shope, UTMB professor of pathology and co-director of the World Arbovirus Reference Collection at UTMB will be the speaker at the University Area Association Roundtable Meeting on Monday, January 20. His topic will be "UTMB’s Proposal to the Federal Government for Designations and Funding as a Regional Center of Excellence and as a National Biocontainment Laboratory. This proposal is seeking federal funds to construct a key component of the new national biodefense initiative - a building with 48,000 square feet of high containment laboratories that would help UTMB researchers safely develop the means to diagnose, treat, cure and prevent emerging infectious diseases. The meeting will be held at the William Temple Episcopal Center, 427 Market at 5:30 pm. The Fourth Annual WaterSmart Landscaping Workshop on techniques that can make area yards and gardens "water smart" will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2003, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the University of Houston-Clear Lake Bayou Building.
More than a dozen local experts will present workshops on topics ranging from organic gardening to water gardening to landscape design. Keynote speakers are noted author Malcolm Beck, who will discuss organic gardening methods, and Heidi Sheesley, owner of Treesearch Farms, speaking on water-smart plant selection.
The program is open to the public. Tickets are $35 when purchased by February 21, or $45 at the door. Obtain a registration form by calling (281) 333-5067 or visiting http://www.watersmart.cc. Admission includes continental breakfast, lunch, exhibits, a wide selection of classes, landscape plant sale, and book signing.
Texas Cooperative Extension is hosting the program in conjunction with the Environmental Institute of Houston, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority, Houston Endowment, Reliant Energy, Texas Sea Grant, and The Jacob and Teresa Hershey Foundation.
League City Chamber of Commerce The Small Business Committee of the League City Chamber of Commerce will sponsor monthly Brown Bag Seminars beginning February 5. The events will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the chamber board room at 260 Park Avenue. The February seminar is entitled "Improving Your Sales Skills" presented by Dr. Gloria Goldstein. The cost to chamber members is $15, and $30 for non-members. For additional information, contact Kathy Pagan-Silva at (281) 338-7339 or visit www.leaguecitychamber.com. College of the Mainland announces that musicians Charlie King and Karen Brandow will "entertain and enlighten" audiences in a series of free 1-1/2 hour programs scheduled beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, February 3rd in the Learning Resources Auditorium (L131). King said his central vision as an entertainer is to leave audiences with a sense of optimism and possibility about the future. "I try to cover a broad emotional landscape in my concerts," explained King. "The stories I collect and the songs I write take the listener on a journey of humor, heartache and hope. For more information, call (409) 938-1211, extension 212 or (888) 258-8859, extension 212. Beaumont Fire and Rescue Grant U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration announced a $592,216 grant to Beaumont Fire & Rescue. The grant money came from Round 12 of the 2002 Assistance to Firefighter Grant Awards for fire departments throughout the United States. "The men and women of our fire departments confront new challenges and risk their lives everyday. I am proud to announce this grant which will help provide Beaumont Fire & Rescue with the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively," said Lampson. "This grant demonstrates our commitment to improving fire safety and to protecting the lives of firefighters and people living in our communities." "We anticipate this round to be the last large announcement for the 2002 program. Our focus and a great deal of planning has gone into the 2003 program. I encourage the nation's fire service members to watch the USFA website for the most current information regarding the 2003 program," said USFA Administrator R. David Paulison. The Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. Scheduled
Meetings 9:00 Houston City
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Webio Tips: Story Links, on the left side of this page, is composed of "bookmarks" to the stories in the newsletter. Click on the link to go directly to the article. Print individual articles by first clicking on the "Print Version" link, then using your regular print program. On The Online News Station, if you click on an audio cut and the photos stop loading, click on Refresh or Reload and they will resume. Gulf Coast E-news, published by Guidry News Service, provides comprehensive coverage of posted public meetings in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson Counties.
This electronic newsletter replaces, and expands on, the mission
of Galveston Fax, established by Jim and Lynda Guidry on
Galveston Island in Galveston County reporters, covering the city council meetings of all 13 municipal governments plus several school boards and special utility districts, include Jinelle Boyd, Drew Gilbert, Marcie O'Keefe, Shannon Hall, Kristina Weaver, Tom Foster, Jo Ann Gowing and Dedra Kratts. Weaver, Foster, Gowing and Kratts also cover the Harris County entities surrounding Clear Lake. Scott Nowell covers Harris County Commissioners Court, Houston City Council, and meetings of organizations in downtown Houston. Carl Guidry, representing Guidry News Service in Jefferson County, covers Jefferson County Commissioners Court, Beaumont City Council and Port Arthur City Council. We are seeking additional reporters to expand our coverage in Jefferson County. Gulf Coast E-news also will continue coverage of regional organizations in the Gulf Coast area. Gulf Coast E-news is interactive with The Guidry News Service Online News Station, providing coverage of special events and public meetings with photos and audio. Johnna Johnston and Terry Arnold are marketing representatives for The Online News Station. Marketing representatives are being recruited in Harris and Jefferson counties. Subscriptions to Gulf Coast E-news are $300 per year, or $75 per quarter, plus sales and use tax. A fax-only version of the newsletter is available for $350 per year or $87.50 per quarter, plus tax. Current subscribers to Galveston Fax or Clear Lake Area E-news will automatically receive Gulf Coast E-news.
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