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2003 Archives

Friday              January 30, 2004

Galveston TIRZ 12 Board of Directors

The City of Galveston Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 12 Board of Directors voted today to approve an agreement with Knudson & Associates to provide administrative, management and consulting services to the zone.  Listen

Chair Steve Schulz named himself, Galveston County Community Services Director Curtiss Brown and Sterling Patrick of the City of Galveston to a committee to review $43,868.88 in administrative invoices from K&A for consideration at the next meeting.

TIRZ 12, the Gateway Zone, is in the area north of Broadway where the new Galveston County Justice Center is being constructed.

"The cotton warehouses in that photograph are not there any more," reported Galveston County Community Services Director Curtiss Brown, updating the board on the justice center development. 

Brown said the entrances to 59th and 54th, the streets bordering the development on the east and west, will be reconstructed in the project, "but we are not going to do that before we build our buildings."

Avenue H is currently being extended to serve the facility.

Brown said November 2005 is the likely completion date for the project.

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Galveston City Council

Thursday's special meeting of Galveston City Council was packed with an unruly crowd that demanded an election on the issue of paid parking on the Seawall, cheering the three city council members who supported their position and booing the four who eventually approved three items related to the issue.

Mayor Roger Quiroga and council members Johnny Smecca, Cornelia Harris Banks and Booker Price voted in favor of new boundaries for the Seawall Urban Park, to approve an $8 daily parking fee on the Seawall and to execute an agreement with Galveston County Commissioners Court to install the meters.  Council members Joe Jaworski, Lyda Ann Thomas and Dianna Puccetti voted against all three issues.  In all cases, a proposed amendment to the motion by Jaworski, to require an election, were defeated by a 3-4 vote.

Mayor Roger Quiroga threatened to clear the room several times, but only once was an out of control participant asked to leave.  Recie Kraemer, who continually commented on the proceedings, from her seat in the council chambers and at the podium, was eventually escorted from the meeting by police officers.

Jaworski prompted an uproar from his supporters in the audience when he noted that the meeting was not being recorded for broadcast on Cable Channel 16.

"I just called on my cell phone the people who do that for us and they were told this morning that that was not going to happen," Jaworski said, adding that City Manager Steve LeBlanc said the city council did not provide funds to televise special meetings.

"You don't want the public to hear it," somebody shouted from the audience, which erupted into protests.

"I'm going to empty the room, if this doesn't get under control," Quiroga said. "Let's have order here; let's all act civilized now. 

The city council voted unanimously to approve two issues related to funding for improvements to Cruise Terminal 2; which were previously approved by the Galveston Port Facilities Corporation and the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves on Monday.

Photos and a recording of the entire meeting are posted on The Online News Station.

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Photos and Audio

Texas City Police Department

Texas City Mayor Carlos Garza on Thursday announced the finalists for the position of police chief.  They are Steve Conroy, a captain from the Harris County Sheriff’s Department; Billy Hammitt, former chief of police in Haltom City; and Anthony Morgan, interim police chief in Texas City. 

A fourth finalist, Michael Jez, the chief of police in Webster, withdrew his application.

The short list was culled from dozens of other applicants by a committee appointed by the mayor.

Garza will make the final selection.

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Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce

Tommy Clark, incoming chair, of the Texas City-La Marque was honored as Citizen of the Year at Thursday's annual banquet in the Charles Doyle Convention Center.

Adrain Johnson, who was master of ceremonies at the event, was surprised by being presented with the Chairman's Award by outgoing chair Tommy Lambright.

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Harris County Homeland Security

Several local and state officials will participate in a town hall meeting on Homeland Security at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3.

The list includes County Judge Robert Eckels, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Honorable Asa Hutchinson, Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian, James A. Baker III, director of the Institute for Public Policy; Patricia McGinnis, president of the Council For Excellence in Government; Major Mike Smith of the Harris County Sheriff's Office; Dr. Herminia Palacio, executive director of the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services Department; Donna Morea, executive vice president of American Management Services Department; and Judge Jay Kimbrough, homeland security director for the State of Texas.

"The purpose of the Houston town hall meeting is to hear
from Houstonians about homeland security concerns, and to
identify critical areas of concern and recommend strategies for
strengthening our nation's ability to respond in the event of future terrorist threats or other national emergencies," said a news release. 

This event is sponsored by The Council for Excellence in Government, a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. 

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Bay Area Council Boy Scouts of America

Five long-time volunteer Boy Scout leaders will be honored by the Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and will receive the prestigious Silver Beaver Award at a luncheon at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, February 7 at Hitchcock High School. 

The recipients are Jeff Antonelli of Galveston; James Geesing, Santa Fe; Tracey Harrington, Brazoria; Dan Martin, Danbury; and Jeane Weller, Lake Jackson. All of the award winners have a long history of generously donating their time to support the Scouting program and to help improve their local communities.

Established in 1931, the Silver Beaver Award is presented for distinguished service to youth within a BSA council. It is the highest award a local council can present to a volunteer. The Bay Area Council serves more than 7,000 youths in Galveston County and Brazoria County.  

Advance tickets for the luncheon are $25 and can be ordered by calling (409) 744-5206. 

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University of Texas Medical Branch

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston will sponsor a lecture titled "Language and Reality at the End of Life," on February 3 at 4 p.m. in the Old Red Amphitheatre on the UTMB campus.

Raphael Cohen-Almagor, a world-renowned ethicist and author, will assess how the language we use shapes our thoughts and actions about dealing with end-of-life issues.

Cohen-Almagor is an expert in ethics, political theory and legal theory.  He was appointed in 2000 to serve on the Steinberg Committee on the Dying Patient, a governmental national committee designed to propose legislation under the auspices of the Ministry of Health.

Cohen-Almagor wrote "The Right to Die with Dignity: An Argument in Ethics, Medicine, and Law" and "Euthanasia in the Netherlands: The Policy and Practice of Mercy Killing." He currently serves as visiting senior fellow in the Institute for Policy Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

For more information, contact Beverly Claussen, administrative manager for the Institute, at (409) 772-2376.

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Business Page

Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher and current Arizona Cardinals running back, will congratulate 80 graduates of The Telecom Opportunity Institute's 2003 Computer Use & Internet Training Series at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 31, as graduates pick up refurbished computers provided by TECH CORPS Texas, loaded with SimHouston software from SimDesk Technologies, Inc. Release

The project is the result of a public/private partnership comprised of TTOI; TECH CORPS Texas; SimDesk Technologies, Inc.; the City of Houston; the SBC Foundation and Genesys ITS.

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

Today, January 30
7:30 "The Oak Ridge Boys," The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston
8:00 Agatha Christie's "Black Coffee," Clear Creek Country Theatre, 18091 Upper Bay Road in Nassau Bay, across from the Johnson Space Center. 

Saturday, January 31
10:00 La Marque Independent School District State Championship Victory Parade
11:00 - 3:00 Kemah Block Party
1:00 Hitchcock Independent School District Board of Trustees Facilities Tour and Workshop
7:30 "The Oak Ridge Boys," The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston
8:00 Agatha Christie's "Black Coffee," Clear Creek Country Theatre, 18091 Upper Bay Road in Nassau Bay, across from the Johnson Space Center. 

Sunday, February 1
2:30 Agatha Christie's "Black Coffee," Clear Creek Country Theatre, 18091 Upper Bay Road in Nassau Bay, across from the Johnson Space Center.

Monday, February 2
9:00 Galveston County Commissioners Court
1:30 Jefferson County Commissioners court
4:00 Galveston Landmark Commission
4:00 Galveston Charter Review Committee
5:00 Friendswood City Council Worksession
6:00 Jamaica Beach City Council
6:30 Dickinson Independent School District Board of Trustees
7:00 Friendswood City Council Regular Meeting

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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.