2005 Archives

2004 Archives

2003 Archives

Tuesday               January 25, 2005

Galveston Park Board of Trustees

Transportation consultant Barry Goodman met with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees this afternoon to discuss a proposal for a Seawall Transit Pedestrian Plan that would include a transit terminal at Menard Park, to be constructed in conjunction with an improvement plan for the park that is currently under consideration. Listen  Download

The plan, to be financed primarily with federal funds, would include pedestrian/ADA access; improved sidewalks and ADA ramps, pedestrian scale lighting; landscaping of common areas and in the vicinity of transit stops where right-of-way exists; automotive, transit and pedestrian signage improvements; crosswalks; a gateway and architectural improvements; and new or enhanced transit services.

Park Board Chair Dianna Puccetti stressed that the local share cost of the project will be shared between the park board, the City of Galveston and Galveston County.

Goodman will present the plan to the city council on Thursday and to Galveston County Commissioners Court on Monday, January 31.

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Texas General Land Office

The Texas General Land Office has released an internal audit of the State Power Program that the GLO says has led to significant improvements in how the popular program operates. Text

"Conducted over the summer and published on June 24, the internal audit suggested changes in how the State Power Program could report data and manage gas," said a news release.  "Upon its completion in June, the audit was submitted to the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning, the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas State Auditor's Office and the Sunset Advisory Commission."

Changes made to the program following the audit include:
· Purchase of a gas management software system
· Reallocation of staff
· New accounting procedures
· Creation of a comprehensive operations manual for the program.

"We took a good hard look at this program and we found some areas where it had outgrown its procedures," said Jerry Patterson, Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. "We've taken steps to correct these issues. This audit has really helped us make a good program better."

After reviewing the changes made to the program, Helen Young, Director of Internal Audit at the Land Office, wrote in a January 24 internal memo, "Based on our review of the documentation you have provided and meetings with program personnel, our preliminary assessment is that management is addressing the issues identified in the audit report "

"Since its inception in 2000 under former Land Commissioner David Dewhurst, the program has managed to not only save local school districts tens of millions of dollars on their power bills, it has also made money for the state's Permanent School Fund," said the news release.  "In Corpus Christi, school officials saved $750,000 in just one year. The savings for Plano schools is about $300,000 annually. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley, taxpayers in the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District saved about $1.5 million on electricity."

"This program is the best example of government doing business as a business that I know of," Patterson said.

The State Power Program uses gas from state lands to generate electricity. This electricity is then sold to public customers, such as schools and universities. The proceeds from these power contracts flow directly into the state's Permanent School Fund, which pays for the state's share of public education.

Patterson notes that a recent survey of the program's customers showed 90 percent of respondents are happy with the program, and almost two-thirds would recommend it to their colleagues. 

"And - like Galveston Independent School District recently did - 97 percent said they'd likely continue to contract with the State Power Program," the news release added.

"I have felt since de-regulation that the State of Texas should mandate that school districts use GLO," said Harriet Villalpando, assistant superintendent for Finance and Operations in Edinburg.  "Because the electricity is owned by the state and any profit goes into the Permanent School Fund, any profits for the state and any savings to districts goes directly to education."

The State Power Program counts 171 school districts among its 338 public customers. The program's early success, in fact, caused growing pains that resulted in Land Office staff limiting the number of customers the program accepted. 

Patterson said the improvements have now cleared the way to allow the program to begin accepting new customers.

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Hitchcock City Commission

Hitchcock City Commissioners on Monday voted unanimously to accept, with regret, the resignation of Commissioner William Harris.  He  cited health reasons for the decision.  The commission may or may not appoint a replacement for the position which expires this year.

The commission voted unanimously to call an election for mayor and city commission districts one and two on Saturday, May 7.

Mayor Lee Sander presented information from the Gulf Coast Water Authority regarding predicted water needs of the city through the year 2034.  No action was taken.

All other agenda items passed unanimously.

Commissioner William Harris was absent.

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Beaumont City Council

Beaumont City Council today voted to participate with the City of Port Arthur in a forensic examination of the Southeast Texas Community Development Corporation.

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has requested the city to conduct a formal review of HOME compliance for all SETCDC contracts with the city," said City Manager Kyle Hayes, explaining that HUD has found initial evidence of misuse of $172,000 in HOME funds in the Port Arthur office.  "In order to be more cost effective, HUD has also suggested that the cities consider a joint review."

The cost of the review by the CPA firm of Smith, Jackson, Boyer & Bovard, not to exceed $6,000, will be shared by the cities.

The city council voted to permit the Beaumont Public Library System to increase the fee for nonresident library cards.  Out of town patrons can purchase a $25 card, which permits them to check out a maximum of five items at a time, or a $40 card to check a maximum of ten items at a time.

"Several people requested that these items be changed so that they can obtain more library materials," said Library Director Maurine Gray in her recommendation, explaining that the request was developed by the library's branch managers.  "With nonresident cards, we increased the cost several years ago, but did not increase the number of items allowed."

The city council reappointed Glenn Bodwin to the Planning Commission. 

The city council reappointed Miriam Johnson and George Crawford to the Convention and Tourism Advisory Committee; and named Frank Messina as chair and George Crawford as vice chair. 

The city council appointed architect Greg Wall, engineer Sina Nejad, plumbing and heating professional Raymond Noak and electrician Lee Acevedo to the Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals; and electrician Gene VanMeter and general contractor Tom Neild as alternates.

The city council appointed R. D. Carrington to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway Commission. 

The city council appointed Rachel Hebert and Reverend Frank Alegria to the Community Development Advisory Committee and reappointed Raymond Ambres and Reverend David Robinson; and named Brooks Goodhue as vice chair. 

The city council reappointed Tracy Richardson of the County Historical Commission, architect Phillip Long and attorney Bill Yoes to the Historic Landmark Commission; and named Shaheen Farah as chair and Yoes as vice chair.

The city council reappointed Pat Avery to the Zoning Board of Adjustment; and reappointed Justin Howard and Sam Pullig as alternates. 

The city council met in executive session to discuss the reappointment of City Magistrate Craig Lively.  The reappointment will be considered for action at the next meeting.

A request to change the name of Fletcher Mini Park at the northwest corner of Avenue C and Milam Street to Cesar E. Chavez Park was removed from the agenda.  

All other agenda items were approved.

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Shoreacres City Council

Shoreacres City Council voted unanimously last night to hold a city officer's election on Saturday, May 7.

The Texas Department of Transportation gave a presentation concerning reconstruction of the intersection of Shoreacres Boulevard and State Highway 146.  Two preliminary proposals were presented for citizen input.  A public hearing has not been scheduled.

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Dickinson Independent School District

Dickinson Independent School District voted unanimously last night to call a bond election, totaling $85 million, for Saturday, April 2.  If passed, $72 million would be used to build bus facilities, an elementary school, a fifth- and sixth-grade middle school and a junior high school.  Additional school buses would also be purchased.  A portion of the bond money could be used to purchase land for a future high school.

Voters will also decide on a $13 million bond to be used for a stadium and football facilities.

Superintendent Leland Williams said the DISD Facilities Task Force developed the improvement program after a series of meetings that began over a year ago. Listen  Download

"There will be meetings and opportunities for the community to get information and have their questions answered," Williams said.  "We do plan on having at least one town hall meeting."

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Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves

Port of Galveston Director Steve Cernak on Monday reported to the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves that the port lost $102,844 in the month of December and the Galveston Port Facilities Corporation lost $98,983. Report

"Revenues are on budget," Cernak said, explaining that the loss was from expenses that were over budget due to several factors, including "...the high cost of contract labor in the cruise operations, cost of contract security at the former Todd Shipyard property, recording insurance expense on the shipyard property...cost of shuttle service operating two parking lots."

Cernak reported that the cruise industry recorded increases in embarkations of 16.48 percent in 2004.

The wharves board met in executive session with Cernak to discuss his unsuccessful application for the port director's job in Tampa, but took no action following the closed door meeting. 

The wharves board voted to approve the FY05 Capital Expenditure Budget.

The wharves board approved a concession agreement between the Galveston Port Facilities Corporation and Hertz Corporation. 

The wharves board voted to renew its agreement with the Texas General Land Office for one more year.

All other agenda items were approved.  All votes were unanimous, with the exception of a vote to retain Tony Buzbee and Craig Eiland (Correct) for legal services.  Joe Jaworski, the city council representative on the wharves board, abstained. 

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Port of Houston Authority

Port of Houston Authority Commission Executive Director Tom Kornegay told the commission’s board of directors on Monday that the port set records for both operating revenue and tonnage in 2004. Listen Download

Total tonnage, including Bayport, was 32.7 million tons, compared with 30.0 million tons in 2003. Total tonnage, excluding Bayport, was 26.3 million tons, compared with 24.2 million tons in 2003.

The port had operating revenue of $134.4 million in 2004, compared with $119.3 million in 2003. 

Kornegay said that $90 million of the operating revenue came from Barbour's Cut. 

"We were able to increase capacity (at Barbour’s Cut) by taking three operational steps," Kornegay said.  "we increased the amount of land available to containers by paving additional acreage, we bought additional yard and wharf cranes and we moved boxes after hours with overtime at our cost, to make room for the next day’s traffic."

Kornegay said that both Barbour’s Cut and Jacintoport terminals posted records for total tonnage and operating revenue.

The commission voted to award a contract to HFP Acoustical Consulting for consulting, purchasing, installing and monitoring the system for the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal.

The commission voted to advertise for bids for the Bayport Phase 1A Amenities Building, an elevated storage tank and the marine terminal gate.

The commission voted to advertise for consulting service proposals for the relocation and reconstruction of Port Road. The project will involve relocating a portion of Port Road and its connectors to Todville Road and strengthening an additional portion of the road to support expected truck traffic following the opening of the Bayport terminal complex. The project is expected to cost $8 million to $9.9 million.

The commission approved an agreement not to exceed $1.385 million with CenterPoint Energy for construction of a 138kv-transmission line for the Bayport Phase 1A sub-station.

The commission voted to approve a change order expenditure estimated at $28,111.12 in the contract with Zachry Construction Corporation, to provide additional reinforcement in areas of the Bayport wharf deck and a pre-cast slab connecting to the container yard to improve durability, as recommended by the wharf designer DMJM+Harris, Inc.

The commission voted to award a contract to Science Applications International Corp. for a mobile coordination center. 

The commission approved a $25,000 grant to the Houston Area Urban League to continue its program that helps small minority businesses learn to qualify for port contracts.

Sylvia Brooks, president and chief executive officer of the league, thanked the commission for its support.  Listen Download

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Photos and Audio

Regional Emergency Management

At the request of Governor Rick Perry, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Galveston County Judge James Yarborough are hosting a hurricane evacuation workshop on Wednesday in League City.  Perry said that he wants to be assured that the region is able to respond to the challenges associated with a large-scale evacuation.  

"We are better prepared than we have ever been", Eckels said.  "But we know that we can always improve on our emergency planning."  

The workshop is an excellent opportunity for all the government entities in the Harris and Galveston County region to discuss how we all can have better coordination and communication among our agencies.  

"We can do so much more working together than any one of us can on our own," Yarbrough said.

The public is invited to attend the workshop at 9 a.m. at the Johnny Arolfo Civic Center in League City.

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City of Houston

Houston City Controller Annise Parker announced today that her office is conducting a performance review of operations at the Houston Emergency Center.

“There is universal support for the idea of a consolidated 9-1-1, police, fire and ambulance dispatch facility,” said Parker.  “The problem is that the $53 million HEC has never lived up to its billing as a state-of-the-art facility. We’ve got to get the bugs worked out.”

The controller’s review will be conducted in tandem with a separate study initiated by Mayor White.  Parker said that while the mayor’s review focuses solely on the computer-aided dispatch system, the controller’s office will examine and assess operations, training, staffing and management practices, and provide practical recommendations for improvements.  In order to avoid any duplication of effort, steps will be taken to maintain effective communication between the controller’s office and MITRE, the outside firm hired to conduct the mayor’s review.

This is the first performance review to be initiated under the new authority granted the controller’s office with the approval of Proposition 3 last November.  Parker also is initiating performance audits of the 3-1-1 Citizens Assistance Line and the fire department’s Life Safety Division, which inspects buildings for compliance with fire safety regulations.

The controller’s office will contract with an outside audit firm to conduct the HEC review.  Parker estimates the review will cost about $100 thousand and take 60 to 90 days to complete.

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Greater Houston Partnership

Correction: Greater Houston Partnership Chair Jodie L. Jiles  name was misspelled in a previous edition of Gulf Coast E-news.

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Galveston County Community Coalition

Members of the Galveston County Community Coalition, a local anti-drug coalition, recently attended the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America National Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

Kathy Williams, community coalition coordinator with the Bay Area Council on Drugs and Alcohol, represented the GCCC at the forum and met with legislative staff members of U.S. Representative Ron Paul, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to discuss the coalition's programs, goals and strategies for keeping the communities in Galveston County drug-free. 

"Now is the time to invest in additional resources for substance abuse prevention," Williams said.  "CADCA data shows that communities where anti-drug coalitions exist have a marked decline in drug and alcohol use."

The CADCA Forum offered insights on emerging trends and techniques in drug abuse prevention and coalition building.  Participants received training in how to implement effective prevention strategies in local communities.

The mission of the Galveston County Community Coalition is to make the community safe and drug-free.  It is a partnership of parents, teachers, young people, law officials, health providers, elected officials, leaders in the civic, business and faith community and other concerned citizens. 

The GCCC is currently working to complete a community needs assessment survey that will identify cultural norms and perceptions of underage drinking, implementing a Youth and Media Campaign and increasing community awareness regarding issues affecting young people.

GCCC meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. in the Island Community Center, 4700 Broadway.  For information call Williams at 218-660-0731 or email galvcc@sbcglobal.net.

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Riverbarge Excursion Lines 

The vessel will dock at the City of Port Arthur recreational dock behind City Hall and the Jefferson County Sub-Courthouse at 6 p.m. 

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Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce 

Tickets are still available for the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Epicurean Evening at Space Center Houston on Sunday, January 30, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The price of admission includes food samples from more than 40 area food establishments, beverages, musical entertainment,  parking and Space Center Houston exhibits such as Kids-Space-Place.

Adult tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and children’s tickets are $10.  Presale tickets can be purchased at the Chamber office, 1201 NASA Parkway, and Clear Lake Area Randall’s stores.  Group discounts and ticket sponsorships are available.

For more information call the Chamber at (281) 488-7676 or www.clearlakearea.com. 

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On The Webio

Several items of interest to Southeast Texas are posted on The Online News Station.

Galveston weather expert Stan Blazyk reports that it appears that next weekend will be "near ideal" for this time of year.  Forecast

Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt responded to comments by Senator John Whitmire, Senator Tommy Williams and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst regarding the HPD Crime Lab.  Message

Galveston Artist Eugenia H. Campbell visited with fans, friends and family at a book signing for By the shining Big-Sea-Water, Perimeter of An Island, at Midsummer Books during ArtWalk. Photos and Interview

Reverend John W. Price, spiritual director for The Episcopal Diocese of Texas, will present a retreat entitled “Honor your Dreams” this weekend at William Temple Center, 427 Market Street in Galveston. Release

Galveston Historical Foundation has planned a gala opening on February 26 to unveil a unique collection of Galveston maritime art at the Texas Seaport Museum.  Photos and Details

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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 25
7:00 Dickinson City Council
7:00 League City City Council
7:00 Clear Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees
7:00 Seabrook Charter Review Commission

Wednesday, January 26
9:00 Houston City Council
9:00 Public Meeting on Regional Emergency Evacuation Plan, Johnny Arolfo Civic Center, League City
4:00 Galveston Windstorm Committee Annual Meeting, Henry Freudenberg Insurance Agency, 6902 Stewart Road
6:30 Hitchcock Independent School District Board of Trustees Workshop
6:30 Clear Lake Area Council of Cities, Houston Yacht Club

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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.

Jim and Lynda Guidry are publishers of Gulf Coast E-news and The Online News Station.

Jim Young is Houston City Correspondent.  Dana Patricia Burke is the Bay Area Houston Correspondent. Chuck Lawrence is Galveston City Correspondent.  Carl Guidry covers events in Jefferson County.  Anita Donatto covers the education beat in Galveston.  

Patty Mayeux is editor of Gulf Coast E-news.

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

We are seeking to hire reporters & marketing agents to expand our coverage in Jefferson & Harris Counties. 

Guidry News Service offices at 1818 Church Street, Suite 4, Galveston, TX. 77550 / P.O. Box 2130, Galveston, TX 77553
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Subscriptions to Gulf Coast E-news are $300 per year, or $75 per quarter, plus sales and use tax. 

This electronic  newsletter replaced, and expanded on, the mission of the Galveston Fax, established by Jim and Lynda Guidry on Galveston Island in  July 1996; and Clear Lake Area E-news, begun on January 2, 2002.