2005 Archives

2004 Archives

2003 Archives

Monday               February 28, 2005

Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves

The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves today agreed to allow Gulf Copper and Manufacturing additional time to work out details of a contract for lease of the old Todd Shipyard property on Pelican Island.  Listen  Download

Wharves Trustee Gerald Sullivan was concerned about the delay. 

"My concern here is that we need to move this thing along," Sullivan said, explaining that he had thought the contract would be on the agenda for action.  "We are experiencing between $20,000 and $30,000 cost per month."

"There are a number of items that don't quite fit and both sides are going to have to sit down and have some discussion," said Steve Hale, president of Gulf Copper, who explained that his attorney was out of town last week.  He also said that it has been difficult to secure a dry dock for the development.

"There are not that many dry docks available in the world, really," Hale said, adding that Gulf Copper has apparently now won a bidding battle to secure a large dry dock in Philadelphia.  "It is one of the largest dry docks in the country.  It is a 60,000 ton dry dock.  There were four or five entities that were vying to get the dry dock."

Hale said that closing on the purchase of the dry dock is expected and Gulf Copper is working with a contractor to have it moved to Galveston.  Thus, he said he also is eager to complete the contract with the Port of Galveston.

"Now that we have a dry dock headed south, we want to make sure we have a place to put it."

The wharves board approved a new tariff to be imposed on port customers that was recommended by Captain John Cappadona, of the Port of Galveston Police Department, who submitted the top suggestion of the year in the Galveston Wharves Port Incentive Program.  Listen  Download

The new tariff imposes charges of $125 per police officer for the escort of heavy equipment, forklifts, cranes or other equipment from Pier 10 to Pier 37 along Harborside Drive and for blocking Harborside Drive while extra large loads go out of port gates.

"Although the services address public safety issues, it has been a free escort service that has come to be expected by port users," said Port Director Steve Cernak.  "Providing this service takes officers away from the patrol of the port and providing security for the port from 30 minutes to an hour at a time.

The wharves board vote was unanimous, but Chair Benny Holland stressed that the service should be provided only so long as the officers are not needed elsewhere for port business.

The wharves board voted to improve the dirt road from Seawolf Parkway on Pelican Island to the proposed BP LNG facility, to facilitate the movement of equipment to the site for due diligence by BP Energy Company.  BP will reimburse the port for the improvements.

All other action items were approved with unanimous votes.

Cernak reported that the port made a $96,689 net profit in January.

"Increased bulk fertilizer, Ro-Ro and refrigerated fruit cargoes for the month of January resulted in increased wharfage revenues," Cernak reported.  "Grain exports continue to improve but were less than anticipated in the FY2005 Budget, resulting in reduced regular and lay dockage revenues for the period."

Cernak said total vessel calls at the port were up from December 2004 and up from January 2004.

"Passenger service charges were over budget for the month and the number of cars parked was up versus December 2004 and January 2004," he said.  "However, cruise passenger parking revenues were under budget projections, showing that passengers are increasingly using busses and other transportation services to reach the cruise terminals."

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Port of Houston Authority

The Port of Houston Authority and the Port of Victoria today signed a memorandum of understanding for the promotion of intramodal commerce in a ceremony that followed today's meeting of the Port of Houston Authority Commission.  Listen  Download   Photos

Under the agreement, the PHA and the Port of Victoria will work together to develop various intramodal solutions to address the growing problems of air emissions and highway congestion in the Houston region.

Jim Edmonds, chairman of the PHA, Thomas Kornegay, executive director of the PHA and PHA Commissioners, Lee Swearingen, chairman of the Port of Victoria, and Howard Hawthorne, executive director of the Port of Victoria and Port of Victoria Commissioners, were present during the ceremony.

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Galveston County Commissioners Court

Galveston County Commissioners Court this morning voted to lease an office in the League City Annex to State Representative Larry Taylor.

The commissioners court voted to ask the Texas Legislature to create Municipal Utility District 53 on 370 acres northwest of the intersection of FM 517 and State Highway 146.

The commissioners court voted to sell several parcels of tax foreclosed property on the Bolivar Peninsula.

The commissioners court paid special recognition to Agricultural Extension Agent Corrie Bowen, who is moving to Brazoria County.

"I did have four wonderful years in Galveston," who explained that the only reason he is leaving is to be closer to his family. 

"We've been fortunate to have your services for the past four years," said County Judge Jim Yarbrough.  "The department is better off because of your time here."

All other agenda items were approved.   All votes were unanimous.

The commissioners court held a workshop meeting with representatives of the Family Service Center.   Listen  Download

The commissioners court met in workshop with representatives of Constable Skip Gay about staffing in his office.   Listen  Download

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Galveston County Politics

Correction: Albert Choate, a candidate for Galveston County Commissioners Court Precinct 2, is a Republican, not a Democrat.

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Jefferson County Commissioners Court

Jefferson County Commissioners Court today approved a $206,936 contract with MGT of America for a management review of county government.  The action followed a workshop meeting on the contract.

Commissioner Eddie Arnold said that MGT will review all departments under the authority of the commissioners court, and will be available to all other departments that are managed by elected officials.   Listen  Download

MGT will conduct two charrettes, or intensive planning and public input sessions, on Tuesday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Tuesday session will take place in the Jury Impaneling Room at the Jefferson County Courthouse at 1149 Pearl Street in Beaumont.  The Wednesday session will be held at the Jerry Ware Terminal at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, to the right of the main terminal.

"MGT encourages citizens of Jefferson County to attend one of the sessions," said a news release.  "The public sessions will give Jefferson County residents a chance to participate in the planning of public facilities and public funding."

For additional information, contact Dee Christopher at (409) 839-2391.

The commissioners court approved a resolution urging federal legislators to support full funding for the Sabine Pass to San Galveston Bay Feasibility Study, as well as other coastal projects.

The commissioners court named Commissioner Eddie Arnold as the primary voting member of the Jefferson-Orange-Hardin Regional Transportation Study Transportation Planning Committee, and named County Engineer Jose Pastrana as the alternate member.

The commissioners court approved a resolution commending Michael Corbello for 25 years of service to the county in the Precinct 1 Road and Bridge Department.

All other agenda items were approved.

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Galveston City Council

City Manager Steve LeBlanc told Galveston City Council last week that the Park Board of Trustees would serve in a "sponsorship capacity only" for the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally and would not be included as a "promoter" for the event. 

"This will mean that the City will be responsible for all logistical details for the event," LeBlanc said.  "This will be an unplanned burden on city staff's time.  We recommend that we meet with the park board and ask them to reconsider their position.  The rally originated under the auspices of the park board and grew with their encouragement."

The Texas Historical Commission/Certified Local Government program awarded a $10,000 matching grant to the city's Historic Preservation and Neighborhood Planning Division to fund the architectural survey of the Central Business District (Historic Downtown Galveston) in preparation for a downtown plan. 

The downtown area has two National Register listings including the Strand National Landmark District and the Galveston Central Business District/Downtown Multiple Resource Area.

"The last survey of buildings was in the late 1980s and did not include the entire downtown," LeBlanc said.  "Partial matching funds have already been set aside in the Department of Planning and Community Development's FY2005 budget."

LeBlanc reported that Sanitation Division employees have requested that, upon its official opening, the new sanitation building be named after Nancy Williams, a longtime employee in the Public Works Department.

"She was highly respected by all who knew her," LeBlanc said.  "She passed away last summer and the employees would like to honor her by naming the building after her."

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City of Pasadena

Pasadena Mayor John Manlove and members of city council participated in an official ground breaking ceremony for the new Sunrise Meadows subdivision Friday morning.

The city acquired the nine-acre tract of land in the 3500 block of Red Bluff, where an abandoned apartment complex once stood, in July 2002. 

“We took a bad situation and turned it into a good situation by providing quality affordable housing,” Manlove said.  “This is an opportunity in recreating our city.”

The Sunrise Meadows subdivision will consist of 50 single family homes ranging from 1200 to 1400 square feet.  The average cost of the new homes will be from $95,000 to $119,000. 

Priority will be given to families identified by Pasadena’s Housing and Urban Development Section 8 federal housing program.  

For additional information call (713) 475-7243.

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Bay Area Transportation Partnership

The Bay Area Transportation Partnership Long Range Planning Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to support the City of Galveston's downtown transportation terminal, which also received a favorable vote from the Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Committee on Friday. Listen  Download

"The terminal currently serves, and has served in the past, and will increasingly serve in the future, as a rail link between the League City area and downtown Galveston," said Michael Worthy of Island Transit, referring to the excursion trains to the Galveston Island Railroad Museum and Terminal, which is across 25th Street from the proposed downtown transportation terminal.  "Union Pacific Railroad recently approved the City of Galveston to conduct additional railroad passenger demonstration projects."

Rick Beverlin of The Goodman Corporation added that the terminal will serve the extension of the Galveston Trolley to the University of Texas Medical Branch and will serve as an intermodal access to the mainland and other parts of the island."

Robin Sterry of the Grand Parkway Authority updated the BATP committee on the Grand Parkway project.  Listen  Download

"The original concept began in the '60s," she said, recalling the history of the project.  "They envisioned a connectivity of regional parks for the region."

Sterry said the Grand Parkway will encircle the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area, except that there will not be a new bridge across Galveston Bay.

"We will use the existing facility along 146 there," Sterry said.

She said that identifying the corridor for the Grand Parkway through Bay Area Houston is difficult.

"We have to be compatible with the local planning agencies, we look at cost effectiveness, and we just try to address all of these issues," Sterry said, adding that a toll system will likely be included in the project.

"The Texas Transportation Commission has directed Grand Parkway and all highways throughout the state of Texas that are adding capacity to look at toll viability," Sterry said.  "Grand Parkway will be a toll road."

Lily Wells and Lynn Spencer of the Houston-Galveston Area Council updated the committee on the Draft 2025 Regional Transportation Plan and the Draft 2006-2008 Transportation Improvement Plan.

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Photos and Audio

La Marque Independent School District

The La Marque Independent School District, in partnership with the Galveston County Community Portal, will host the grand opening of the Lake Road Community Technology Center, located at 100 Lake Road at the corner of Texas Avenue (FM 1765) at  5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.

The CTC, staffed by students, will provide free Internet access and low-cost computer technology training to the general public, serving all levels of computer users.

The CTC will be open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. During those hours, the GCCP will offer a series of entrepreneur workshops on information technologies and E-Commerce business.

The Lake Road CTC is sponsored by the GCCP as part of a school-to-work program designed to put at-risk students to work.  

Visitors will be eligible to win prizes in a weekly drawing contest. For more information contact Jeffrey Hunter at (409) 392-7739.

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Lamar University

The Lamar University Department of Art will host its 25th annual iron pour, “Hot Pig Iron 2005”  on Friday, March 4 from noon to 2 p.m. in the foundry behind the Art Building, off East Lavaca at Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway on the Lamar campus in Beaumont. 

The public is invited to observe students, faculty and alumni pour molten iron, super-heated to more than 2700 degrees, into sand molds to create unique sculptures cast in iron. There is no charge.

Faculty members Meredith “Butch” Jack and Kurt Dyrhaug are coordinators of the pour. 

The 2005 iron pour will inaugurate a new furnace that Jack, Dyrhaug and their students have built over the past six months. For additional information, call the Lamar University Department of Art at (409) 880-8141.

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San Jacinto College 

The drama department at San Jacinto College Central will present Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5.  The performance will be held at the Slocomb Auditorium at 8060 Spencer Highway in Pasadena. 

The classic family musical retells the biblical story of Joseph, a handsome young man who receives a multi-colored coat and unknowingly unleashes sibling rivalry and jealousy.  The show is characterized by flashy costumes and a variety of music including county, calypso and Elvis.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $10 through the box office from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Tickets purchased at the door cost $15, and group rates are available.

For additional information, call (281) 542-2039.

Jim Brazell, consulting analyst for the University of Texas IC2 Institute, will speak about the future of technology at San Jacinto College South from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Thursday, March 3 in the theater of the Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center, located at 13735 Beamer Road.

Brazell's speech, “Changes and Forecast in Technology,” is part of the South Campus’ Math/Science/Art Institute, a program designed to increase awareness among college students and those in grades six through twelve of different job opportunities available in math, science and art.

The program also trains teachers to excel in their teaching skills by assisting them in developing curriculum related to the math, science and art disciplines. Speakers are invited to participate in the institute and share information about employment opportunities and other happenings in their respective fields. 

Brazell is a Round Table Scholar, co-founder of VentureRamp, Inc. and co-founder of devicePOINT, Inc. 

The event is free and open to the public.

For information, call Ann Tate, head of the institute, at (281) 922-3473.

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League City Big League Dreams

River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash 2005

The Twelfth Annual Rivers, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash, "Clean It Like You Mean It," will be on Saturday, March 12 at ten Trash Bash sites. Registration and check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. 

For maps to each of the sites, visit www.trashbash.org.

Participants should bring sunscreen, insect repellent, hat, clothing and shoes suitable for getting wet or muddy. They are encouraged to download a registration form at www.trashbash.org, and bring the completed form to the event to expedite the registration process. 

Participants are invited to stay for a free lunch, door prizes and environmental activities after the clean up. Boy Scouts may earn merit badges for their participation.

For information call (281) 486-9500. 

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On The Webio

Several items of interest to the Gulf Coast Region are posted on The Online News Station.

Galveston police officer Price Padgett, an 11 year veteran of the department, turned himself in to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office today, in regards to a warrant of arrest for the charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Release

The Clear Creek Independent School District has published a scathing criticism of League City City Council for refusing to provide infrastructures for a new school, which is posted on the Forum Page.  Release

"Is There A Doctor On The Street?" is the title of Victor Lang's essay on the history of Caduceus Place, published in Victor Lang Remembers. Click Here

Lamar University President Jimmy Simmons & Friends entertained a sold out crowd at a Lamar University Homecoming event Friday night.  Webio Report

Houstonians lined the streets of downtown for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade and a record 6,120 participants took part in ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run on Saturday.  Photos and Winners 

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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, February 28
5:00 Galveston Housing Authority, Oleander Homes Community Room, 5228 Broadway
6:00 La Marque City Council 
6:30 Hitchcock City Commission
7:00 Shoreacres City Council

Tuesday, March 1
8:30 Port Arthur City Council  
12:00 Rotary Club of Galveston Island, San Luis Resort. BP Project Director Bob Boyce will speak on the proposed LNG Plant 
1:30 Beaumont City Council
1:30 Houston City Council
2:00 Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
6:30 Bayou Vista Board of Aldermen
7:00 Clear Lake Shores City Council
7:00 Seabrook City Council
7:00 Webster City Council
7:00 Texas Association of School Boards Candidate Workshop, Harris County Department of Education, 6300 Irving, Houston
7:30 Pasadena City Council

Wednesday, March 2
9:00 Houston City Council
4:00 Galveston West End Land Use Policy Committee, City Hall Room 204
4:00 Galveston Arts and Historic Preservation Advisory Board, City Council Chambers
4:30 Texas City City Commission Workshop 
5:00 Texas City City Commission 
6:00 Galveston Independent School District Board of Trustees Special Meeting, Lovenberg Administration Building Library 
7:30 Taylor Lake Village City Council 

Thursday, March 3 
7:00 Bay Area Writers League, Barnes and Noble, Bay Area Boulevard at I-45.  Author Cindy Price will speak on "POD People: What you need to know when working with a Print on Demand publisher." 
8:00 Nunsense, The east-end theatre company, etc., Galveston 
8:00 Same Time, Next Year, Bay Area Harbour Playhouse,3803 Highway3, Dickinson

Friday, March 4 
11:30 Clear Creek Republican Women, Estebans Restaurant in the Fiesta Shack on Main Street in League City.  Precinct 7 Constable Pam Matranga will speak
1:30 Galveston Park Board of Trustees Special Meeting
8:00 Nunsense, The east-end theatre company, etc., Galveston
8:00 Don't Drink The Water, Clear Creek Country Theatre, 18091 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay 
8:00 Same Time, Next Year, Bay Area Harbour Playhouse,3803 Highway3, Dickinson

Saturday, March 5
6:00 - 9:00 ArtWalk, Downtown Galveston
8:00 Steel Magnolias, The Grand 1894 Opera House
8:00 Nunsense, The east-end theatre company, etc., Galveston 
8:00 Same Time, Next Year, Bay Area Harbour Playhouse,3803 Highway3, Dickinson

Sunday, March 6
2:30 Nunsense, The east-end theatre company, etc., Galveston
2:30 Don't Drink The Water, Clear Creek Country Theatre, 18091 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay  
2:30 Same Time, Next Year, Bay Area Harbour Playhouse,3803 Highway3, Dickinson

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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.  

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