2005 Archives

2004 Archives

2003 Archives

Friday               April , 2005

Houston-Galveston Area Council

The Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy this morning unanimously voted to put the City of Galveston's $4.5 million downtown transportation terminal project on the H-GAC contingency list for funding by the United States government.

"The only thing we are waiting on now is for Congress to pass the transportation bill," said City Manager Steve LeBlanc. Listen  Download  "Galveston sitting pretty right now."

Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, who represents the city council on the TPC, said the H-GAC is eager to work with Galveston on transportation projects, including establishment of a rail link to Houston and other communities in the region.

"We are very much on the minds of this council," Thomas said, adding that transportation consultant Barry Goodman deserves credit for helping the city secure funding for projects. 

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Galveston City Council

Galveston City Council will hold a special joint meeting with the Park Board of Trustees at 6 p.m. on Monday to discuss proposed changes in a bill under consideration by the Texas Legislature to impose fees on businesses who benefit by special events.  The fees would support the special events or provide funds for projects to improve the Seawall.

"On Monday the chamber of commerce and the downtown groups are going to meet regarding the recent negotiations with (Representative) Craig Eiland on the assessment bill," Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas announced following a special meeting this morning.  "Therefore the council is going to have a special called meeting Monday afternoon. Listen  Download

Thomas said the Park Board of Trustees also will participate in the special meeting.

"The actual vote, if there is to be one, by the (legislative) committee, would not be taken until possibly Tuesday or Wednesday of next week," Thomas said.  "We need to meet so that we can agree, and hopefully the chamber will agree and the downtown people will agree to this new amendment."

This morning, the city council voted unanimously to amend the ordinance regulating "vehicles for hire" at the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal at the Port of Galveston.  Listen  Download

The amendment permits out of town vehicles for hire to deliver passengers to the terminal, and to pick up passengers on "pre-arranged" round trips from out of town; but not to compete with local taxis for trips on Galveston Island.

“The city stands ready to do its part to help cruise ship business to be as efficient as possible,” said City Manager Steve LeBlanc.  “These amendments will enhance public safety and prevent traffic bottlenecks, especially on Harborside Drive."

Port of Galveston Director Steve Cernak applauded “the city’s quick response in amending this ordinance since the happiness of cruise ship passengers is important to the long range goals of the Port of Galveston.”

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Pasadena City Council

Pasadena City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to express appreciation to the Trust for Public Land for choosing Armand Bayou for its first watershed planning program in Texas.

"This will enable us, as the community of Pasadena and all the folks in the Armand Bayou Watershed, to look at what we know and figure out what is it that we want to save," said Linda Shead, program director of the Trust for Public Land. "What is it about Pasadena and Armand Bayou that are special?"  Listen  Download

"This program is a great thing for our city," said Council Member Jerri Neely.

The city council voted 7-1, with Jack Douglass opposed, to authorize a $76,679.99 payment to Chicago Title Company for the purchase of property at 624 Scott Street, in connection with the Strawberry Road Extension Project.

All other agenda items were approved with unanimous votes.

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Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves

The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves on Monday will consider a renegotiated contract with Gulf Copper and Manufacturing Corporation of Port Arthur to operate a dry dock at the Pelican Island property once occupied by Todd Shipyard.

The wharves board will consider an amendment to its agreement with Carnival Corporation relating to increasing the primary loan amount by $2 million to facilitate improvements to the front of the cruise terminal complex.  The project would relocate the Mallory Yard rail tracks, and expand circulation roadways and staging areas to facilitate arriving and departing passengers.

The wharves board will consider lease and development of channel front property at Pier 19/20.

The wharves board Finance Committee and the Port Facilities Corporation also will meet on Monday.

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Port of Houston Authority

The Port of Houston Authority Commission on Monday will consider a recommendation to award Klotz Associates, Inc. a nearly $2.7 million professional services contract for container yard design at the Bayport Terminal Complex Phase 1.  If approved, Klotz Associates would be expected to design approximately 100 acres of additional container yard, including drainage, electrical service and lighting. 

The commission will consider a recommendation to evaluate and rank competitive sealed proposals for a potential construction contract award ranging from $1.4 million to $1.61 million for an elevated water storage tank at Bayport Phase 1A.  

The commission also will consider a recommendation to reject all proposals for five diesel electric container yard cranes for Bayport with the option for up to seven additional cranes.  The PHA will seek proposals for cranes with a priced option of adding a container locating system and automatic steering to the cranes. 

The commission will consider a recommendation to award a two-year, $250,000 contract to TRC Environmental Corporation for air quality environmental consulting services.  If approved, TRC would be expected to review and implement federal, state and local air quality standards, conduct emission inventories and assist with general and transportation conformity, permitting, modeling and grant funding. 

The commission will consider a recommendation to evaluate and rank qualifications for a potential professional services contract award for an ANAB-certified ISO 14001 registrar to evaluate the PHA environmental management system's conformance to the ISO 14001:2004 standard at the Turning Basin Terminal, Central Maintenance Facility and Barbours Cut Container Terminal.  

The commission will consider a recommendation to authorize the PHA to accept the $6 million bid from Agrifos Fertilizer, Inc. for the purchase of nearly 342 acres of surplus land located at the PHA's East and West Jones Dredge Disposal site. 

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City of Houston

The City of Houston will sponsor its second area City Council Cleanup at Tidwell Park on Saturday.

"Mayor Bill White's office has partnered with city council members, HPD's Neighborhood Protection Corps, and other city agencies to conduct monthly clean-ups in different council districts," said a news release.  "The first area clean-up, conducted last month in Council Member Toni Lawrence's District, with the assistance of city employees and area
residents, resulted in the removal of more than 500 bags of trash and 100 tires, as well as the clearing of several weeded lots.  In addition, graffiti was painted over at several locations in the Spring Branch area." 

District B Council Member Carol Mims Galloway, Assistant Police Chief Brian Lumpkin, and other city officials will participate in Saturday's cleanup.

"Neighborhood clean-ups provide a perfect opportunity for city
employees to work shoulder to shoulder with citizens and contribute to make Houston the cleanest and safest city in the nation," White said. 

Volunteers can sign up at (713) 839-8855 or online at c3community@cityofhouston.net.

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City of Friendswood

The City of Friendswood has issued a news release detailing recent economic development activity.

"From office buildings and shopping centers to retail outlets and mixed-use developments, the city of Friendswood is currently managing 10 new commercial projects with a combined property value of $25 million," said the release.  "The 10 projects total more than 168,000 square feet."

The projects include:

South Friendswood Square, a 14,245-square-foot retail center located on 1.5 acres of land on FM 528 next to H-E-B. This $1.4-million project will soon be underway and is slated for completion in late 2005.

Pecan Plaza is a 12,000-square-foot office building and retail center located on one acre at the intersection of FM 2351 and Pecan Drive. With an estimated building value of $400,000, this building is slated for completion by late 2005.

Raton Plaza is a $5 million, 34,000-square-foot retail center that will sit on 4.25 acres along FM 528 at Sunmeadow Boulevard. The project should be completed in summer 2005 and will feature numerous retail outlets and eateries.

Starbuck’s Coffee will open a 1,800-square-foot location, featuring a drive-thru, on FM 528 at FM 518. The coffee shop will have an estimated building value of $500,000 and will be open for business by early summer 2005.

Friendswood Lakes Office Building will be a $3 million building offering 25,000 square feet of office space. It will be housed on 1.4 acres on FM 528 at Friendswood Lakes Boulevard. Development is projected to commence in spring 2005.

Primrose School, a private early development center, will soon occupy a 2.5-acre piece of land along Friendswood Drive. A $1.3-million project, the 10,175-square-foot school will be complete by fall 2005.

Riley Sherman Shipping Agency is developing a 9,000-square-foot office building and retail center on 1.7 acres along Winding Way. This $1-million project will be complete by summer 2005. Riley will occupy a small office within the building and lease out the remaining space to office and retail tenants.

Mary’s Creek Village is a $10-million, mixed-use development that will reside on 9.7 acres along North Friendswood Drive. While still in the early stages of planning and development, when complete, it will feature 21,000 square feet of office space, along with 39 townhomes.

Best Storage will construct a 26,297-square-foot storage center on 2.02 acres along FM 528. Valued at $1.6 million, the new location is slated to be open by late 2005.

Walgreen’s is building a new 14,820-square-foot location on 1.5-acres at the intersection of FM 518 at FM 2351. This project is valued at $1.31-million and will be complete by late summer 2005.

"The 10 commercial developments are helping to diversify the tax base," said Karen Capps, economic development coordinator for the city of Friendswood, adding that it would take 185 new homes to equal the tax revenue that will be generated by these 10 projects.

“Quality economic development projects help the city to continue providing its residents with the high level of services and amenities they have come to expect,” Capps said. “Furthermore, the increased development diversifies the tax base and reduces the tax burden of the local homeowner. The year 2005 has started off to be a dynamic one in terms of economic growth, and we look forward to continue the momentum in the months to come.”

For more information, call (281) 996-3250 or visit www.ci.friendswood.tx.us. 

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University of Texas Medical Branch

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston report that they have produced "the strongest proof yet" that infectious misformed proteins known as “transmissible spongiform encephalopathies” cause mad cow disease and other mysterious brain disorders.  Release

This controversial “prion hypothesis” was proposed by Stanley Prusiner in 1982, and led to Prusiner receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1997.  Until now, however, scientists have been unable to confirm its validity by causing a TSE in normal lab animals by infecting them with malformed proteins (dubbed “prions” by Prusiner) created entirely in a test tube. Such an approach eliminates the possibility that some other agent might be causing the disease.

In a paper published in the journal Cell on Thursday, the UTMB researchers describe the use of a method they developed called “protein misfolding cyclic amplification” to vastly accelerate the activity of a small number of prions taken from infected hamsters and placed in test tubes containing healthy brain proteins; and then.  When the healthy proteins had been largely transformed into prions, the samples were diluted over and over again and the process repeated, until the only remaining prions were those that had been generated in the test tubes.  These were then injected into the brains of healthy hamsters, which began showing TSE symptoms within four months and, on average, died less than six months after inoculation.

“For many years, people have tried to make these infectious prions in test tubes, because what is needed to prove the prion hypothesis completely is to be able to produce this process in vitro in the absence of living cells and thus rule out the presence of a virus,” said Claudio Soto, professor of neurology at UTMB and senior author of the paper. “The evidence in favor of the prion hypothesis was strong, but the final proof was still missing. Now we have supplied this proof.”

Soto emphasized that a tremendous increase in efficiency of the PMCA technology played a crucial role in the work of his team, which included study co-authors Joaquín Castilla, Paula Saá and Claudio Hetz. 

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Gleanings From the Harvest

Gleanings From The Harvest will distribute 20,000 pounds of potatoes to "the hungry and the working poor" in Galveston on Saturday in the parking lot of St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1010 35th Street. 

Mark Davis, director of the organization, said this will be the third distribution of potatoes.

"In January of 2005, arrangements were made to bring in approximately 19,000 pounds of potatoes and through the cooperation of St. Patrick's Catholic Church we were able to distribute this quantity of potatoes within three hours," Davis said.  "It was then discussed that we would strive to host this event every other month at St. Patrick's because of its centralized location and the response of people that were able to walk and receive from the neighborhoods as well as the ones who could drive."

In addition to Gleanings From the Harvest volunteers, Boy Scouts and the Ball High National Honor Society are helping to bag the potatoes for distribution. 

"For those that may not need potatoes for themselves but know of neighbors in need and would like to come and receive for them and make deliveries to others, please come as your help is appreciated," Davis said.  

For additional information or to volunteer, contact Davis at (409) 762-8641 or e-mail mark@gfthgalveston.com. 

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Communities in Schools

Albert Shannon, market president of Frost Bank, and Billie J. Rinaldi, principal of Rosenberg Elementary School, were recognized at Thursday's "Hats Off" to Communities in Schools Starlight Award Benefit at the Tremont House Davidson Ballroom in Galveston.

"Mr. Albert Shannon has been a supporter of Communities in Schools," said Juan Pena, president of the CIS Board of Directors, in presenting the Starlight Award," which is given annually "to recognize a person who has demonstrated exemplary service and commitment to the mission of our organization, and by making a difference in the lives of Galveston's young people."

"This is a very memorable day," Shannon said in an emotional speech, noting that the event coincided with the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto.  "I think what I have heard tonight is that there are a lot of continuing victories.  These people exemplify those victories."

Rinaldi was presented with the Shining Star Award "for her dedication and commitment to the student body in recognizing what a student's potential can truly be."

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Photos and Audio

On The Webio

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

Ron M. Rodriguez took issue with comments by Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc on access to the Seawall by the disabled that were published in Gulf Coast E-news, in an essay on the Forum Page titled, "Galveston Needs to Send Their City Manager to ADA 101".  Message

Deborah Winters responded to Harold Whitaker's criticism of a report on a Friendswood Candidates Forum that was published by Guidry News Service.  Message

Chris John Mallios added another comment to the debate about Representative Craig Eiland's position on a proposed cap of ad valorem tax values, in "Look At The Forest Instead Of One Leaf On The Tree".    Message

The Community Page features an article on the state’s "oldest and largest gathering of antique-car buffs" which will be held at the Victorian Condo-Hotel on Galveston Island in May.  Photos and Release

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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, April 22 
6:00 Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Awards Gala, Houston Hyatt Regency
8:00 Bus Stop, College of the Mainland Community Theatre 

Saturday, April 23 
Texas Adopt A Beach Cleanup
9:00 Spirit of Flight Air Show, Lone Star Flight Museum
9:00 Galveston County Fair and Rodeo Parade
9:00 - 5:00 NASA Johnson Space Center Open House
9:00 - 6:00 San Jacinto Day Festival, San Jacinto Battleground State Park 
10:00 Dedication of the Flags of the International Space Station Monument, 1800 NASA Parkway, Nassau Bay
10:00 - 4:00 Gulf Coast Gardening Expo, Moody Gardens
12:00 Neches River Festival Parade, Downtown Beaumont 3:00 An Afternoon Delight, Houston International Ballet, League City Convention Center 
6:00 - 9:00 ArtWalk, Downtown Galveston
8:00 Bus Stop, College of the Mainland Community Theatre

Sunday, April 24 
9:00 Spirit of Flight Air Show, Lone Star Flight Museum
10:00 - 4:00 Gulf Coast Gardening Expo, Moody Gardens
2:30 Same Time, Next Year, Bay Area Harbour Playhouse,3803 Highway3, Dickinson
2:30 Bus Stop, College of the Mainland Community Theatre
3:00 Ronan Tynan, The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston
 
Monday, April 25 
7:30 Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves Finance Committee
7:30 Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament and Lobsterfest, Brentwood Country Club
8:50 Galveston Port Facilities Corporation
9:00 Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves Regular Meeting
9:00 Galveston County Commissioners Court, Holbrook Building  
12:30 College of the Mainland Board of Trustees 
1:30 Jefferson County Commissioners Court
6:00 Galveston City Council Special Meeting
6:00 La Marque City Council 
7:00 Shoreacres City Council 
7:00 Water Control and Improvement District 12, 905 SH 146, Kemah 
7:00 Kemah Historical Society, Kemah Community Center.
7:30 Lobsterfest Golf Tournament Dinner, Brentwood Country 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 and Dana Patricia Burke are editors 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
(409) 763-NEWS (6397), or email us at News@guidrynews.com

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.