Archives

2003 Archives

Tuesday              January 27, 2004

Galveston City Council

Galveston City Council has scheduled a special meeting at 2 p.m. on Thursday to consider issuance of Wharves and Terminal Revenue Refunding Bonds and a "bridge loan" to the Galveston Port Facilities Corporation to refinance the outstanding balance of the corporation's note payable to Royal Caribbean, to provide funds for Phase 3 improvements at Terminal 2.

The special meeting also will deal with three issues related to paid parking on Seawall Boulevard.  The city council's actions will follow today's special meeting of the Galveston Planning Commission.

The planning commission agenda includes a proposal to remove all properties north of Seawall Boulevard from the Seawall Urban Park and to expand the eastern and western boundaries of the park.  A second item would establish an $8 beach user fee for the park, including Seawall Boulevard.

Those two items, plus authorization for the city manager to execute a permit with Galveston County to install the parking meters on the Seawall, are on the special city council agenda.

Council Member Joe Jaworski said that he will try again to get the city council to call an election on the issue.

"Even if a majority of council members approve the plan without a public vote, whether the plan actually gets implemented in its council-approved form will not be immediately clear," Jaworski said in an email message distributed in the San Jacinto neighborhood.  "After the plan leaves council chambers, city
staff must submit the plan to the General Land Office in Austin where the GLO will have 60 days to comment."

Jaworski notes that Park Board CEO Langley told council he
needs thirty days after GLO approval to implement the plan, which allows time for an election.  

"Assuming the plan is immediately sent to Austin after council’s approval, the GLO comment stage plus the park board’s thirty-day period to erect the meters puts us into May," Jaworski said.  "So we know that holding a May election on this matter as thousands have asked us to do would not delay the plan’s implementation if the voters approve it."

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Galveston Charter Review Committee

The City of Galveston Charter Review Committee Monday evening continued to fine-tune language in proposed amendments to the City Charter, and agreed to call a public hearing for 5 p.m. on Monday, February 2, following a 4 p.m. meeting of the committee.  Listen

The committee agreed on language for amendments to require elections by majority vote, rather than plurality; exempting downtown from the Charter's prohibition against privatizing the sanitation department; requiring that emergency appropriations and debts be retired within 36 months; to delete responsibility for the capital improvement program and the need for a budget from the provision regulating the Planning Commission; and to amend the section on open records and meetings to make them track state law.

The committee will discuss an amendment to the seven percent limit on spending language to exempt grant funds and proceeds from loans at next week's meeting.

The commission discussed again, but took no action on Steve Greenberg's proposal to limit loans from the enterprise funds to the general fund.  Greenberg will meet with Finance Director Rick Glasset and bond attorney Bob Randolph to try to resolve differences on that issue.

Ruth Kempner was again unsuccessful in gaining enough support from other members of the committee to remove bonded indebtedness from the tax cap.

All members were present except Andrew Houston and Debbie Cano.

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La Marque City Council

La Marque City Council voted unanimously to approve the installation of a ferric iron OdoFree pump station to resolve an odor problem near Duroux Road.  The pump station is designed to combine the odor-causing chemical with a liquid which will then be sent to a treatment plant to eliminate the odor and prevent corrosion.

The only other item on the brief agenda was the award of a contract to Traffic Data & Associates, Inc. to perform a traffic study for Newman Road. That was approved unanimously.

The city council honored Geoff Price of the police department, Mandy Craig of the judicial department and Doug Abendroth of the fire department as employees of the month.

The city council met in executive session with City Attorney Ellis Ortego to discuss the firefighters collective bargaining contract.

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Hitchcock City Commission

Hitchcock City Commission voted Monday night to officially call the May 15 municipal election. The terms of District 3 Commissioner Anthony Matranga and District 4 Commissioner Henry Coger are up for election.

The city commission voted to delete final water bills, prior to the last six months, from the utility system.

The city commission approved the sale of tax foreclosed property at 7218 Speaker to Arlette Brown.

The city commission approved the sale of tax foreclosed property bounded by Clem, Frazier, Brown and Phelps streets to Christopher Barret and Jerome Spells.

The city commission voted support the reappointment of Russ Furley on the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District.

All other agenda items were approved.

The city commission presented Mayor Kyle Campbell with a "man of the year" certificate from city employees, in recognition of a similar honor bestowed by the Hitchcock Chamber of Commerce.

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Shoreacres City Council

Shoreacres City Council voted to purchase a laptop computer and air card for the police department at Monday's regular meeting.

The only other action item on the agenda was appointment of members to the Shoreacres Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.  Mark Jones, a juvenile, Sean Garner, Mary Beth Maher, and Charles Christensen were appointed to two year terms; and Diane Victor, Tracy Revak and Mary Becker were appointed to one year terms.

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Beaumont City Council

Beaumont City Council voted this afternoon to declare a 120-day moratorium on the issuance of permits for the erection or construction of any off-premise signs within the city limits.

"Within the next 120 days the administration, along with the regulated community and citizens of the City of Beaumont, will analyze the regulation of off-premise signs for the purpose of determining the best possible approach for such regulations," said City Manager Kyle Hayes.  "In recognizing that off-premise signs may endanger the public safety  by distracting the attention of drivers and also result in harm to the welfare of the city by creating visible clutter and blight, the administration feels that the proliferation of off-premise signs should be addressed."

The city council voted to purchase 25 police vehicle lightbars from GT Distributors of Austin for $1,734 each.  Hayes said the lightbars will be installed on 25 new Chevrolet Impalas recently purchased by the city council.

The city council voted to approve utility joint use agreements and a standard utility agreement with Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline and EnterPoint Energy Entex for the Delaware Street Extension Project.

The city council approved a new pay telephone service agreement with Southwestern Bell/SBC Public Communications for the pay phones in county buildings.

All other agenda items were approved.

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Houston City Hall

Houston City Controller Annise Parker had a positive report on the early days of the White administration in her first newsletter since moving into her new office at City Hall.  Newsletter

"When Mayor Bill White praised new Council Member Pam Holm in his inaugural speech for taking on the billboard industry, his inclusiveness signaled his administration's new direction," Parker wrote.  "White was no less generous in his remarks about other new council members Adrian Garcia, Ronald Green, M.J. Kahn and Toni Lawrence as well as council as a strong partner. Inclusion has not always been the theme of new administrations, and time will tell if this grand honeymoon gesture will develop into a healthy marriage."

Parker said the new administration is already hard at work on the FY 2005 Budget.

"The mayor's new staff is scurrying around City Hall trying to get settled in with one hand and working frantically with the other hand to find 'budget efficiencies' - the new buzzwords," Parker said.  "The search for efficiencies is already intense as a huge budget crisis looms for FY05. We hope the recent minor upturn in the economy continues because the city faces dramatic increases in the expense column, notably a $50 million contractual raise for police and a $20-$30 million jump in health insurance costs as well as pension fund underfunding."

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Kemah City Hall

Kemah Mayor William King is seeking input from citizens about the location of a new water tower.

"As many of you are aware, the City of Kemah obtained an ORCA grant for $350,000 to construct an additional water tower in Kemah," King wrote in an email to Kemah residents.  "To date we have been unable to reach a decision on the location and whether to enhance the appearance of the tower with a lighthouse motif."

King said the city council hopes to address the issue as part of an overall capital needs assessment in the next couple of months.  

"ORCA has agreed to extend the grant for an additional six months to give us time to carefully consider the best course," King said.  "Hopefully, over this time we will be able to settle on a location and design that will be both practical and aesthetically pleasing."

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Port of Houston Authority

Port of Houston Authority Executive Director H. Thomas Kornegay delivered a presentation highlighting PHA’s 2003 record results in operating revenue, container volume, and  tonnage at Monday's regular meeting of the port commission. Presentation

“These results show that despite rising costs and a weak economy, the port authority’s operations are efficient, our facilities are in excellent shape, and our people remain committed to our customers,” stated Kornegay. 

Also at Monday's meeting, the commission rejected all competitive sealed proposals that had been received for the potential negotiation and awarding of a contract for the construction of Phase 1A of the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. The commission determined that obtaining new CSPs would provide the best value for PHA, and authorized re-advertisement for proposals. 

The commission approved recommendations to issue purchase orders to Motorola, Inc., Dictaphone Corporation, and SBC, respectively, for radio system equipment, voice recorder equipment, and telephone lines that will be installed in the PHA’s Emergency Command Center. The combined total amount of the purchase orders is not expected to exceed $385,000.

The commission approved a recommendation to authorize an interlocal agreement between PHA and the Harris County Central Technology Regional Radio Center to install equipment and provide personnel training for the radio system at the command center. The system is expected to be a vital link between PHA and other governmental and law enforcement agencies throughout Harris and the surrounding counties. 

The commission approved a recommendation to authorize a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Border and Transportation Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agricultural Inspection, and a memorandum of agreement with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to permanently implement a program for recycling disposable wooden material generated by PHA operations. 

In a separate matter, the commission approved a recommendation to evaluate and rank qualifications and authorize negotiations for a professional services contract for environmental and professional engineering services related to project oversight of remediation activities along Haden Road.   Cleanup Oversight Partners, a joint venture of Gahagan & Bryant Associates, Inc. and Shaw Environmental, Inc., received the top ranking followed by Premier Environmental Services, Inc. and CH2M Hill, respectively. 

The project is expected to involve monitoring activities stemming from the recent settlement of the five-year dispute related to the GB Biosciences pesticides plant located on Greens Bayou. 

The commission approved a recommendation to declare approximately 114 acres of PHA land as surplus and authorize PHA staff to sell it. The surplus declaration and sale will involve land located in PHA’s Wah Chang, Haden Road Railroad, and Greens Bayou dredge disposal area properties near Greens Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel. 

The commission approved one-year service agreements with the Harris County Southeast Economic Development Council (SEED), the Greater Houston Port Bureau, Inc., and the Houston International Seafarers Center.  SEED is expected to continue helping PHA promote the development and enhancement of port facilities and related activities in southeast Harris County at an estimated cost of $40,000 beginning February 1. 

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United States Senate

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee today considered a proposal to amend the Constitution to ensure the continuity of government.  The effort, which builds on the work of hearings held by Senator John Cornyn last year, aims to accomplish the goal of continuity while respecting the prerogatives of each house of Congress.

Cornyn, who chairs the Judiciary Committee’s Constitution subcommittee, led today's hearing and also introduced new implementing legislation focusing exclusively on the Senate, the Continuity of the Senate Act of 2004.

“If House members decide to rely solely on special elections to cure continuity problems in their chamber, I will not stand in their way," Cornyn said.  "By the same token, the House should not prevent Senators from resolving continuity issues in our chamber.  I recognize that some House members favor emergency interim appointments to ensure immediate continuity of House operations, while others prefer to rely solely on expedited special elections. Under my approach, each state would make its own choice.”

Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general, recently received the Children’s Champion Award, primarily "for his outstanding contributions that promote and strengthen the nation’s child support enforcement program".

“I’m honored to receive this award and will continue to work hard on behalf of children and families,”  Cornyn said. “I believe that the family is the fundamental institution of our society. And when families are weakened, children suffer the most. We are seeking not just to serve those children in need, but to encourage and support the creation of strong and healthy families."

As attorney general, Cornyn reported that he collected more than $3 billion in child support for more than one million Texas children. 

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Pasadena Football Field

A new football field in Pasadena , built by The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club with a grant from the NFL Youth Football Fund and the Houston Texans, is being dedicated this afternoon.

The field is one of 100 nationwide built or revitalized in the last six years with $10 million in grants from the NFL’s Grassroots program, administered through Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the nation’s leading community development support organization. 

Cedric Jones, NFL senior director of youth football and a former Patriots player; Jamey Rootes, Houston Texans senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer; Darrell Green, chair of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and a former Redskins player; Major Henry Gonzalez, Salvation Army Houston area commander; David Benson, executive assistant to Pasadena Mayor John Manlove; and Gloria Sanderson, and Houston LISC program director were scheduled to participate in the ceremony, which was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

In addition, the Houston Texans and the NFL were scheduled to conduct a clinic for 50 Boys & Girls Club football players; and Texans cheerleaders were to host a cheerleading clinic for 25 youth cheerleaders who will benefit from the new field.

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Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce

The Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce 34th Annual Membership Banquet and Reception, is scheduled for Thursday, January 29 in the Texas Heroes Room of the Charles T. Doyle Convention Center in Texas City.

Special community awards will be presented for Outstanding Citizen, Community Service, and Business of the Year.  Also, Tommy Lambright, outgoing 2003 chair will pass the gavel to Tommy Clark, the incoming 2004 chair.  

"The Dean Scott Show will be the featured entertainment for the evening," said Jimmie Hayley, president.  "We welcome back a hometown boy, as Dean returns to his roots and the community where he grew up and looks forward to visiting with his many friends and acquaintances from his youth."

A wine reception will be held 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner, the award presentations and entertainment beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Price is $45 per person $450 for reserved corporate tables for eight.  For tickets or further information call (409)935-1408 (888) 860-1408.

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Galveston Historical Foundation

Galveston Historical Foundation will sponsor a "Stewardship Day" on February 7 to spruce up Ashton Villa prior to the historic home being featured as one of 12 National Trust Save America's Treasures sites on the popular HGTV Restore America Series.  

As one of the properties selected, Ashton Villa will share a $1 million dollar donation from HGTV to go toward future preservation and restoration needs. 

Volunteers will add fresh coats of paint to the master bedroom and second floor hallway.  Others will help clean and polish furniture and conduct a spring-cleaning of the house. 

"This is a great chance for people in the community to help Galveston Historical Foundation with an island landmark that will receive national recognition for its contributions towards historic preservation," stated Marsh Davis, executive director of GHF.  "When the entire community comes together, a lot can be accomplished in a few hours, so any time that may be donated is truly appreciated."

For more information or to volunteer contact Beth Shriner, director of historic properties at (409) 762-3933 or email beth.shriner@galvestonhistory.org.   

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Spindletop/Lamar University Film Festival

The Spindletop/Lamar University Film Festival will be this weekend, Friday, January 30 through Sunday, February 1.

Three Oscar-nominated films will be screened, including the 2003 documentary "Spellbound," with producer Sean Welch and Texas spelling champion Angela Arenivar attending the event.

The documentary "Sing" and animated short, "Stubble Trouble," also former Oscar nominees, will be shown during the festival. Calabash Animation, which created “Stubble Trouble” will screen their new animated short “Tryst Watch” at Spindletop.

Screenings with Texas ties include "Horns and Halos," "BachelorMan," "George Wallace: Setting the Woods on Fire;" the vintage horror film "Tourist Trap" and select films from CinemaTexas. The Houston Film Commission will screen its Texas Filmmakers Showcase and Stephen Mims will showcase short films highlighting the first 10 years of Austin FilmWorks.

J.D. Feigelson, a 1963 graduate of Lamar, who got his start as a production assistant on Shock Theater, a local Saturday night TV horror show on KJAC Channel 4 in Port Arthur, will be inducted into the Southeast Texas Filmmaker Hall of Fame during the festival's awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m on Sunday at the University Theatre on the Lamar campus.

"This is a filmmaker who is talented and humble, and eager to share his knowledge with others," said Chris Castillo, festival director and founder.  "J.D. is one of the first Southeast Texas
filmmakers to make a mark in Hollywood.  With help from people like J.D., this festival has grown tremendously within its past five years."

Feigelson wrote the original script for "Red Water," which aired on TBS in August.  He also recently appeared on an episode of "Conquest," a History Channel series. 

For information about the festival call (409) 880-8490 or visit
http://dept.lamar.edu/advancement/spinfest/.

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College of the Mainland

The Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Nephrology Nurses Association recently contributed $500 to the College of the Mainland Nursing Program.

“At first we planned to institute a scholarship program through which we would distribute funds to qualified applying individuals, but we feel that educational institutions know best about how to use such monies,” said Jeanne Nishioka, treasurer of the Gulf Coast Chapter, in making the gift.

Dr. Gay Reeves, COM nursing program director, responded that she was particularly pleased with the contribution and the flexibility it allows to meet the needs of nursing students.

“The nursing shortage is critical in Southeast Texas and throughout the country,” said Reeves.  "College of the Mainland trains outstanding nurses who have an exceptional pass rate on the NCLEX-RN test and are immediately employed in local health care facilities.”
 
The American Nephrology Nurses Association is a large group of nurses working with persons with varying degrees of impaired kidney function including end stage renal disease.  They work in hospitals, dialysis and surgical units.  The Association helped foster legislation to gain Medicare coverage for kidney patients.

For further information, contact Heather Flynn, director of the College of the Mainland Foundation at (409) 938-1211 or (888) 258-8859, extension 508.

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San Jacinto College

The San Jacinto College Board of Regents recently voted unanimously at its January meeting to approve $1.7 million bid from Angel Brothers Enterprises of Baytown for a major project that includes enlarging an existing retention pond in the back of the San Jacinto College South campus and the addition of a new parking lot.  Dirt from the pond enlargement will be moved to the 35 acres of land adjacent to the campus for re-cultivation purposes.  A driveway is also being constructed near the new parking lot, providing a connection between existing South Campus driveways.

"The new lot will go a long way in helping to relieve the parking congestion on our South Campus," said Dr. Ron Rucker, SJC vice chancellor of administration.

The new lot is being constructed behind the new Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Building.  Currently, more than 7,100 students are enrolled at the South Campus, which has gained recognition in recent years as one of the nation's fastest growing community colleges.

San Jacinto College North is urging all licensed vocational nurse graduates from 1975 to the present to attend an All-Class LVN Reunion from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 4 in the Slovacek Student Center on the North Campus, 5800 Uvalde.        

"This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet old friends," said Marilyn Husby, North campus nursing instructor.

Each person attending should bring food to feed six people. Entertainment and prizes will also be available. For additional information call (281) 458-4050.

San Jacinto College Central will host the South Central Association for Language Learning Technology conference "From Chalkboard to Blackboard: New Technologies for Language Teaching and Learning" on Friday and Saturday, February 6 and 7, in the Interactive Learning Center.

The association includes members from colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

San Jacinto College South is sponsoring breakfast during the conference and the Central Campus is sponsoring lunch during the first day.  Participants must provide their own lunch during the second day.

For more information call Dr. Karima Benremouga, Central Campus associate dean of fine arts and language arts, at (281) 476-1868 or Ute Lahaie, associate professor of German, department of foreign languages, Gardner-Webb-University, at (704) 406-4415; or visit http://www.tulane.edu/~socallt.

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League City Parks and Recreation

The City of League City Parks and Recreation Department is busy preparing to stock the municipal pool with approximately 1,900 pounds of rainbow trout and catfish for the city’s annual Fishing Extravaganza on February 6, 7,and 8. 

The rainbow trout is purchased from Texas Parks and Wildlife through their stocking program.  Money generated from this program enables Texas Parks and Wildlife to introduce approximately 90,000 rainbow trout into Texas lakes, streams, and other activities such as the fishing extravaganza annually. The catfish are purchased from local farms.    

The fee is $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents.  Participants may bring their own bait and poles, but cheese and corn is available for purchase, and cane poles may be rented at the event.  

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On The Webio

United States Congressman and House Majority Leader Tom Delay visited Hitchcock, Santa Fe and La Marque on Monday, visiting with residents and elected officials in the area that he will represent if he wins reelection to the re-districted 22nd Congressional District.  His visit was covered by The Online News Station Photos and Audio

The Historic Downtown Strand Partnership will announce a new entry into the Downtown Renaissance Hall of Fame at tonight's annual meeting at the Tremont House Davidson Ballroom.  That announcement, plus the winners of other awards, will be posted on The Online News Station at 7 p.m.

Visit www.guidrynews.com. 

Scheduled Meetings
Meetings will be held in the regular meeting place of the city council or other governmental body, unless otherwise specified.

Today, January 27
4:00 Galveston Planning Commission Special Meeting
4:30 Galveston Families, Children and Youth Board Executive Committee, Rosenberg Library Wortham Auditorium
6:00 Clear Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees
6:00 Galveston County Community Action Council, Mt. Carmel Head Start Center, 2902 Avenue F, Dickinson
6:30 League City City Council
6:30 Historic Downtown Strand Partnership Tenth Annual Awards Dinner, The Tremont House 
7:00 Dickinson City Council
7:00 Seabrook City Council Special Meeting

Wednesday, January 28
9:00 Houston City Council
11:45 Galveston Families, Children and Youth Board Task Force Committees, ANICO Tower 19th Floor Dining Room
12:00 Rotary Club of Galveston, Brothers Petronella Top Gallant Room. The program is classification talks
12:00 Livable Houston Initiative Meeting, Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons
4:00 Galveston Landmark Commission Special Meeting
4:30 Galveston Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Eiband's
6:00 Galveston Independent School District Board of Education Training Meeting
6:30 Clear Lake Area Council of Cities January Dinner Meeting, Houston Yacht Club, 3620 Miramar Drive, Shoreacres  
7:00 Galvestonians Against Paid Parking on the Seawall, GISD Annex Building, 3908 Avenue T

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Gulf Coast E-news, published by Guidry News Service, provides comprehensive coverage of posted public meetings in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson Counties as well as regional news impacting the Upper Texas Gulf Coast.

Chuck Lawrence is Galveston City Correspondent.  Carl Guidry covers events in Jefferson County.

Robert John Mihovil is a special photographic correspondent for Guidry News Service

Ivan Arceneaux is a special correspondent. 

Drew Gilbert, who covered the Galveston City Beat, was recently reactivated into the Coast Guard for the Iraq war.