06 October 2008
One million trees for Houston!
Houston Mayor Bill White said the city would plant 1 million trees in the Houston area within the next five years.
White joined with the Houston Parks Department, Trees for Houston, the Texas Department of Transportation, Houston's Quality of Life Coalition, the Greater Houston Partnership and others to kick off the program.
[snip]
The planting will start on Dec. 1 with 41 streets receiving trees.
Wayside Drive, Clay Road and South Dairy Ashford will be planted first.
The mayor also encouraged citizens to replant trees in their own yards and communities.
He also asked local businesses to give employees the gift of trees this holiday season, which he said will last a lot longer than a turkey.
The corporate community can also participate in the Gift of Trees program, in which companies can donate esplanade trees on behalf of clients, customers and employees. Visit www.treesforhouston.org for more information.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/06/08 06:41 PM |
METRO's advantage: tax dollars
In today's Move It! column (one of the last?), Rad Sallee talks about how Wall Street's problems affect local transportation entities. Here are a couple of excerpts:
County Judge Ed Emmett said the toll road authority has more than $800 million in the bank and, if necessary, could build two long-awaited projects, the northeast quadrant of the Sam Houston Tollway and the Hardy Toll Road extension to downtown, with that money alone. Both projects will break ground soon, he said.
And:
Metro has one advantage over the other two agencies: Its main revenue source is a 1-cent sales tax that rises with inflation and is based on a variety of goods, not just motor fuel or toll road use. The agency has collected $520 million from the sales tax in the past 12 months and has cash reserves of $134 million.
At present, Metro is "pretty much a cash business," said Wilson. Compared to its 2008 budget of about $800 million, he noted, current debt is $143 million.
But the debt will increase sharply next year when construction of five light rail lines and the rest of the Metro Solutions plan get under way.
[snip]
Under a 2003 transit referendum, no more than $640 million in bonds may be issued for Metro Solutions.
To cover the remaining cost — and some estimate the total well over $3 billion — it will need 50 percent federal funding and probably substantial help from private companies seeking joint developments with Metro around transit facilities.
What I find interesting is Sallee's characterization of the one-cent sales tax as an "advantage." HCTRA collects its revenues from tolls, and whether or not one agrees with toll roads, drivers make a decision to pay the toll and fund HCTRA. With METRO, EVERYONE within the taxing jurisdiction forks over money, when most of the taxpayers never even use the agency's services. Advantage: METRO. Screwed: taxpayers.
Of course, we know METRO funds itself through tax dollars, not through fare collection. Its (overall) transit offerings are so pathetic, it could never live off fares. Someday, perhaps a local pol will take on METRO, start standing up for those of us who get nothing as METRO takes our money, and put a dent in METRO's entitlement mentality. I can dream!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/06/08 06:29 PM |
05 October 2008
DPW to city: Please give us $3.5 million more for water meters, and we PROMISE results by 2012
Nevermind that the original project was supposed to cost $50 million and be completed in 2003. Then in 2006, it was guesstimated the project would cost $75 million and be completed in 2008.
So, here we are in 2008, and the Department of Public Works wants another $3.5 million:
Now, the Department of Public Works and Engineering is asking for another $3.5 million even as officials acknowledge that more than 200,000 of the devices installed by a Washington-based vendor have had to be replaced. The city has more than 400,000 water customers.
City officials originally projected the automated system would pay for itself by 2003; they now say it will not reach that point until 2012.
Mindful of past problems the city has had implementing new technology and software systems — some of which led them to take legal action against the contractor — the City Council tabled a vote on the $3.5 million request Wednesday.
[snip]
Public Works spokesman Alvin Wright said many of the water meter devices the city bought broke due to "water intrusion on a mass scale.
"At the time of the original implementation, the application of this technology in a water utility was brand new," he said, noting that Houston was the first city to implement an automated in-ground water meter system. "The industry has advanced significantly since that time with several generations of the product having come and gone."
Brilliant. New in-ground technology being used in Houston.
Wright said the department will recoup that amount and an additional $1.4 million in savings by 2012 and begin saving $4.5 million a year after that. Most of that is expected to come from needing fewer workers to manually record monthly water usage from meters.
Really! They promise this time!! What can possibly go wrong?
Last time we voted on this, we were told the technology had improved," Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck said Wednesday, calling the number of devices that failed "staggering."
"We need to know has it truly improved and is the failure rate down to something that is reasonable."
There'll be lots of happy-talk and assurances, plus the argument that it's too late (and too costly) to go back to the old system, and council will vote yes. And in another year or so, we'll see another story about how DPW needs another few million to make it work, along with a new target date for savings.
Typical government.
Ubu Roi adds: I have never been a fan of this project from the start. It was rushed into by managers who wanted to look good to the previous administration, regardless of the cost, which they wouldn't be (and aren't) around to bear. As I've written before, here and elsewhere, the original projections were unrealistic, the technology untested, the application unprecedented, and the plan was completely flawed. Everything since then has been B'rer Rabbit trying to fight the Tar Baby.
(continued below the fold)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/05/08 06:27 AM |
03 October 2008
It's buyout time at the Chronicle!
A friend recently alerted us that buyouts were being finalized this week at the Chronicle
Apparently, today is the day for some of the announcements. We presume this blog post from Julie Mason is related (and the Chron's D.C. bureau just got a little more serious).
John Wilburn, most recently the Chron's managing editor, takes over as Opinion Director. Steve Jetton takes over as Outlook editor. David Langworthy slides into an editorial writing position. Jim Newkirk takes over as reader rep (and will apparently retain his gigs as budget czar and high school liaison).
That's what we are hearing so far. If you have any other interesting Chron buyout tidbits, feel free to pass them along in the comments (or anonymously here if you prefer).
Here's hoping these moves improve what had become simply a dreadful editorial page -- one that recently confused the date of 9/11 and the name of the Harris County Sheriff (calling him Tommy Thompson, and refusing to correct the mistake). We can't say we'll miss the Editorial Journals of one James Howard Gibbons -- or his editorials in an erroneous state. But if he decides he misses the opinion game, we still have his diary space at the ready!
UPDATE: We hear that Rad Sallee has taken the buyout. Will METRO have a position for him?
UPDATE (10/09/08): Per Media Bistro, Mason didn't get the buyout and Bennett Roth of the D.C. bureau was also laid off.
UPDATE (10/12/08): Another source says Mason and Roth were offered the buyout. Maybe at some point the newspaper will issue a press release and clear it all up.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times (and here), Unca Darrell.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/03/08 06:27 PM |
01 October 2008
Texas Watchdog posts Council financial info online
Texas Watchdog, which announced a few weeks ago that it was looking into city ethics info that was supposed to be public but wasn't, has now posted Council financial disclosures (which are also required to be public, although there is no online requirement) to its website. Here is an excerpt from the group's press release:
Almost nothing has been written concerning this treasure trove of information about our city leaders. And little wonder. Although these documents are public, city officials choose not to put them online, and that makes this important information less available to voters, taxpayers and residents.
“These are public records, but city officials certainly don’t break a sweat making them easy to get,” says Trent Seibert, editor of Texas Watchdog. “They sit in a file and can be examined during business hours - but that’s when most folks are working. In a time when everyone has access to the Internet through the public library, this is downright silly.”
The law requires these documents to be public, but doesn’t say that they need to be placed online.
[snip]
”We urge the city to put this information online, but in the meantime, we’ll do it so the folks at City Hall can see how easy it is,” Seibert said. “As the city makes important decisions about the budget, it’s important to see what financial interests the city council and the mayor have.”
This page has links to the disclosure info for the mayor and every member of council.
How's that little bit of civic journalism from the new guys in town?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/01/08 11:37 AM |
30 September 2008
Post-Ike blogger gathering Saturday, Oct. 4
Now that Houston is almost back to normal following the storm, it seems like a good time for a post-Ike blogger gathering.
We're planning on hitting the West Alabama Ice House on Saturday, October 4, from 6 pm - ????
If you're a local blogger, commenter, reader, whatever -- feel free to drop by and have a brew (or several) with us!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/30/08 09:39 PM |
HPD asks for another $1.25 million for crime lab
Talk about a money drain. From Chron.com:
The Houston Police Department is asking City Council to approve $1.25 million to hire outside scientists to review all tests done by the recently reopened DNA crime lab.
Limited DNA testing resumed at the crime lab in July, but the department still outsources the majority of tests to a Dallas firm.
The two consultants, Dr. Charlotte J. Word and Dr. Robin W. Cotton, would review every case involving DNA testing and check the processes and conclusions reached by HPD's in-house laboratory, according to Dr. Laura Gahn, the DNA lab's technical director.
The hiring of independent, outside consultants was a recommendation of the multi-year, $5.3 million probe of HPD's troubled crime lab, completed in 2007.
"Now, you have an extra level of oversight from outside, giving the public an extra level of confidence," Gahn said.
Right. An "extra level of confidence." The problem is, HPD's crime lab inspires little confidence, let alone "extra."
So, there goes another million down the drain. You may recall that, back in February, Crime Lab Director Irma Rios was interviewed by KHOU-11's Jeremy Desel, when she said that the those in the crime lab were "being good stewards of the public's money." And then she commented that cost was not a problem, which is evidenced by this multi-year fiasco. The only time money has been a problem was when the city didn't want to continue funding the Bromwich crime lab investigation. Now, after fighting that report, HPD wants to spend a million implementing one of its recommendations.
PREVIOUSLY: Crime Lab archives
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/08 05:09 AM |
28 September 2008
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion blown to bits by Ike
I missed this among all the Hurricane Ike news:
The Pavilion suffered severe damage to its Teflon coated Fiberglas fabric roof and support structure over the reserved seating area, said officials.
A structural engineering firm inspected the facility and concluded that The Pavilion should not be used for public gatherings until the fabric roof system and steel structure have been completely repaired.
“Our facility is unsafe in its current condition to hold any type of public event do to the damage,” said Jerry MacDonald, president and CEO of The Pavilion.
As for Reliant Stadium, work has begun to repair the damaged roof, as well as interior walls and carpets that were damaged by flooding when the roof panels were blown off.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/28/08 07:25 AM |
26 September 2008
METRO bus driver kills woman; METRO investigates
Earlier this week, a METRO bus driver killed a woman who had just exited the bus. Both KRIV-26 (Fox) and KHOU-11 have stories that suggest METRO officials might not be able to blame this accident on the victim:
(Channel 26) Shawn Cunningham says, he was at the bus stop to pick up his mother, 61-year old Arrilla Carr. He says Carr stepped off the bus, which quickly lurched into a right-hand turn.
And after the bus passed by, he saw his mother crumpled on the pavement. "I looked and my mom was laying in the middle of the street, twisted up like a wrung-out towel."
Cunningham is a trucker by profession, who says the bus driver's turn was too sharp and too fast. He believes if the driver had checked his convex mirrors, he would have seen Carr walking alongside the bus.
And:
(Channel 11) Police say she had just gotten off the bus at Veterans Memorial and Pecan Drive in North Houston when the bus cut across the shoulder of the road. The back end of the bus went up on the curb where Carr was about to cross the street.
Fox's story notes that METRO is investigating (itself??), and that the bus driver has been "relieved of duty." And now, the victim's family has filed a lawsuit.
However, an award-winning Houston Press investigation two years ago uncovered how abominably METRO behaves in these situations:
The Houston Press has spent the last four months independently investigating Metro's bus operations. It took an appeal to the Attorney General of Texas's Open Records Division to open up Metro's records. In examining thousands of public documents and interviewing more than a dozen recent survivors of Metro accidents and families whose relatives were killed by Metro buses, the Press found repeated instances of the following:
• Metro rejecting the safety recommendations of its own investigators
• Metro offering bus accident victims much lower amounts to settle cases than what was recommended by its own claims committee
• Metro hounding victims to settle their cases, even approaching them to sign settlement forms as they lay in their hospital beds
• Metro not offering any form of apology to victims even when their bus drivers caused the accidents
• Metro creatively interpreting accident statistics in ways that enable it to misrepresent the actual number of bus crashes occurring each year
• Metro taking no responsibility for accidents incurred by First Transit, a private subcontractor that operates one-sixth of Metro's buses and consistently posts a higher accident rate.
Mrs. Cunningham's family will have to persevere if they hope to hold METRO to account.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/26/08 06:48 PM |
23 September 2008
Houston City Council Agenda 9/23/08
Last week, Mayor White cleared the entire agenda in order to consider quickly four items related to hurricane clean up. This week's agenda is much more normal, but there are still a few items related to Ike, or of general interest.
Item 11 (no dash) is a series of revisions to the ordinance governing the meetings and agendas. It's worth noting that they strengthen the ability of the Mayor (or other presiding officer) to have disruptions removed. I guess they're tired of ducking eggs.
In Item #11-1, the council is temporarily suspending the maximum vacation time that employees may accrue. Many employees don't bother taking all their vacation days, and accrue close to 750 hours, at which point the city forces them to take days off, or they forfeit the time. Right now, everyone needs to be at work, but no one wants to suffer the loss of a benefit, so the council is arranging for employees to continue to accrue vacation for now.
Item #12, selling some Kirkwood right-of-way to Preach the Word Evangelical Church, Inc.
Item #33 provides for the sale of several blocks-worth of streets to Valero Refinery around 95th through 97th Streets.
Item #32 provides for the annexation of land north of I-10 between Barker-Cypress and Park Row. Go, go, gadget tax base!
Item #34 makes changes to the ordinances relating to regulation of private parking lots, including the right to boot vehicles therein.
Oh, and the big one, going on right now, in a rare evening session:
Item #1. PUBLIC HEARING on the proposal to establish a tax rate of $.63875/$100 of value for Tax Year 2008.
Nothing to see here. Move along...
Posted by Ubu Roi @ 09/23/08 08:01 PM |
METRO says "safety" prevents HOV-lane openings; Judge Emmett criticizes
A reader who resides in Clear Lake emailed us yesterday complaining that METRO continues to run its park-and-ride buses on the main lanes instead of the HOV lanes, turning her commute into a two hour ordeal.
A quick check of METRO's expensive blog turns up this bit of reasoning as to why the HOV lanes are not open:
Our Park & Ride service has been running on its normal schedule since yesterday.
However, all buses are operating in the main lanes. Several of you have e-mailed us, asking why aren't METRO buses using the HOV lanes?
METRO Police Chief Tom Lambert says it's for safety reasons.
"There's no power to operate the vertical gates and the electronic safety signage. Also, some static safety signs are missing. These signs are being made at this time," said Lambert. "We are also working closely with Centerpoint Energy to restore power to HOV gates. We will not open or operate HOVs until power is restored and all safety critical issues are addressed."
In other words, METRO has no sort of disaster plan for the HOV lanes, and no plan to operate them manually in the event of an extended power-loss event. Because of "safety." No solutions to real problems -- That's the customer-oriented attitude we have come to expect from METRO!
Mayor White, who seems to fancy himself an urban General Patton (really!), might consider directing a profanity or two towards METRO regarding their poor planning at some point. Or perhaps Judge Emmett could be dispatched simply to fix things; he seems actually to get results.
BLOGVERSATION: Hair Balls, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/23/08 12:32 PM |
22 September 2008
Houston blog talk linkpost: Random post-Ike edition
- We had ourselves a hitchin' (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport)
- Ike Asides 09/18/08 (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport)
- Crap from Hurricane Ike 2 (Red Lights and Siren)
- Crap from Hurricane Ike (Red Lights and Siren)
- A day in a life after Ike (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
- Slowly getting back to normal, post-Ike (PubliusTX.net)
- Hurricane Fatigue (Houblog)
- Scamminating the Peasants, er, Taxpayers (Houblog)
- Downtown Houston’s Tallest Plyscraper (Swamplot)
- Please (This Blog Is Full Of Crap)
- Astros-Marlins: John Whitmire Falls for Drayton McLane's Bull (Ballz)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/22/08 11:33 AM |
Biz Journal: Recovering from Ike
Houston Business Journal: How Houston was piecing itself back together in the wake of one of the strongest hurricanes in recent history.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/22/08 05:03 AM |
METRO's transit "backbone" up and running again
After taking more than a week off, the Danger Train will operate on its regular schedule today.
Good thing METRO had plenty of buses around as backup!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/22/08 04:50 AM |
21 September 2008
Peter Brown: "Use Ike to rebuild a sustainable Houston...and become like Amsterdam"
What about life after Ike? Is it back to "business as usual," waiting for the next hurricane, hoping that it will strike somewhere else? Or do we regroup, and start organizing and planning, for a different kind of Houston, a city much more resilient to the forces of nature?
Urban experts agree that "sustainability" will define the great cities of the 21st century. Mother Nature has sent us a stern warning. In no uncertain terms, Ike, not really "the big one," is serving to redefine "sustainability" -- in local Houston terms the ability to stay in business after a major storm.
[snip]
Yet with the same vision and fortitude that built the Houston Ship Channel we can become like Amsterdam — a city recognized for its bold actions to overcome its vulnerability to flooding and storms.
To ensure this future as a thriving coastal city, we must make three major investments — in flood control, more stringent building standards and in a "hurricane-ready" electrical power distribution network.
What would we do without urban experts? Does Houston really want to "become like Amsterdam"?
You know how the councilman/mayoral-wannabe wants to fix electrical power distribution:
Houston City Council member Peter Brown is on a mission to clean up Houston's scenic view. He says the city has been littered with overhead power poles that only taint Houston's beauty. Brown says power companies like CenterPoint Energy should look at burying their cables or installing their untility poles on easements behind properties instead of locating them directly in front of homes and businesses.
[snip]
CenterPoint spokesperson Alicia Dixon tells The Insite their company is more than willing to work with the council member and the community. She says however underground utility lines are 15 times more expensive than overhead. She says the extra expense would be passed on to the consumer and or the developer.
Previously, he objected to power lines because they littered his view. Now he can mold his argument around disaster-preparedness; the problem, however, is that it's extremely cost-prohibitive. And while passed-on cost isn't an issue for the wealthy councilman, fifteen-times more expensive will be an issue for folks of more average means.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/21/08 09:34 AM |
20 September 2008
HISD talks make-up days; Gayle Fallon whines
Here's HISD exploring how to handle make-up days:
To the disappointment of some, Saavedra said students will have to make up seven days of school they missed. He is considering adding an hour to the school day, but has not decided on a final approach.
"A certain number of days may be waived by the state, but our principals feel we need to make up the instructional time anyway for the benefit of the students," HISD spokesman Norm Uhl said.
Here's Houston Federation of Teachers President Gayle Fallon's response:
Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, disagreed with the decision to make up the seven missed days. But if teachers are required to work beyond their typical work day, she said, they should be paid overtime.
"They're showing a total lack of consideration for their staff," Fallon said. "Do they think the staff wasn't injured in any way by this storm?"
Now, now, Gayle. Please recall what the Chron's editorial board wrote yesterday:
No one says making schools sound enough to get kids back to their desks will be easy. But HISD officials must rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students, not their own convenience.
The teachers union must also "rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students."
Ending question: Were teachers paid during this unexpected time off?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/20/08 08:18 AM |
19 September 2008
Houston SPCA
The Houston SPCA has taken in many lost and abandoned animals from Galveston and is now sponsoring "Operation Save A Life":
In the wake of Hurricane Ike, many animals have been lost, abandoned, and injured on Galveston Island. The Houston SPCA is asking the community to help give these storm victims a second chance at life by participating in “Operation Save a Life.”
The Houston SPCA’s “Operation Save a Life” is asking every family who is able to foster a Galveston pet for ten days. If after ten days, the displaced animal is not reclaimed by its original owner, the foster parent has the option to adopt the animal or return him/her to the shelter for placement.
Follow this link for more info, or to make a donation to help the HSPCA continue its fine work.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/19/08 04:00 PM |
Editorial LiveJournalists lecture HISD
Add another Chron editorial to the list of examples of why Banjo Jones' Modest Proposal is a good idea:
All schools in the Houston Independent School District, which closed the Thursday before Ike made landfall, will be closed through Friday and possibly longer. In the aftermath of the massive storm, that's understandable. What makes less sense is HISD's game plan to open all schools on the same day.
This strategy has not been well thought out. Obviously, each school will have to remain closed until it has power and water restored. Some parents have expressed relief at not having to worry about maintaining a school schedule during this hectic post-hurricane week. Too, many families who evacuated remain out of the city.
But after a week without class, it is imperative that HISD officials open schools as quickly as power is restored and inspections of grounds and mechanical systems are complete. It is not reasonable to wait to open the first school until the last school is ready.
As of Thursday, about a third of district schools had power, according to district spokesman Norm Uhl.
Anyone with half a brain knows that school districts want to be up and running as soon as possible. As HISD spokesman Norm Uhl has said on KTRH-740, once a school gets power it still takes several days to check out all the necessary electrical functions to see if all is running properly. The Chron editors would be the first ones throwing a hissy fit if HISD didn't practice due diligence to make sure schools were safe and functioning. Plus, add in the fact that districts will schedule make-up days on a district-wide basis, not on a school-by-school basis.
The ending paragraph of the editorial is especially offensive:
No one says making schools sound enough to get kids back to their desks will be easy. But HISD officials must rise to the occasion, keeping foremost in their plans what's best for the students, not their own convenience.
Please, shutter the editorial page.
UPDATE: Obviously HISD was afraid of facing the wrath of the Chron's editorial board:
The Houston Independent School District announced today that 120 schools with electricity will reopen for students on Tuesday. The remaining schools will be phased in as they become ready.
"We will continue to add to the list of ready schools on a daily basis," HISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said.
Dr. Saavedra was no doubt mindful of the Chron's displeasure with the slow pace of schools getting power...as if HISD has anything to do with getting electricity flowing again.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/19/08 11:53 AM |
METRO's "transit backbone" still offline; buses back in service
Barry Klein passed along and highlighted some information on METRO in this Chronicle story that ran in Thursday print editions:
Because of continuing electrical outages on the region's HOV-lane system, Metro cannot operate normal park-and-ride service today, the transit agency announced Wednesday.
Park-and-ride service will continue on an abbreviated schedule, with buses leaving on the hour and half-hour from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Buses will continue to operate in the main lanes.
MetroRail is under testing but because of continuing traffic-signal outages, Metro will have to continue running buses down the MetroRail corridor.
MetroLift will resume normal operations today.
Metro has been running normal local service since Wednesday, but because many traffic signals are down around the city, Metro asks that customers remain patient if their bus arrives late.
More info on METRO operations can be found here.
It's rather a good thing that METRO has such a large fleet of buses, no?
On the other hand, it seems rather less of a good thing that the Danger Train runs down busy streets, at grade, mixes with vehicular traffic, and is dependent upon traffic signals having power (instead of a segregated system with its own infrastructure, including power, if we are determined that we must have rail in our relatively low-density city). We make the point about the follies of at-grade light rail frequently here (which seems to make some METRO fans -- including some who pose as professional journalists and neighborhood/transit "advocates" -- frown), but here's one more illustration of the problems that can result when the pursuit of world-class-ness is poorly conceived. Again, thank goodness for the large fleet of buses!
Just for fun -- leave us your over/under on how many days total that you think the Transit Backbone will be offline.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/19/08 09:17 AM |
18 September 2008
Editorial LiveJournalists forget when 9/11 took place
Matt Bramanti noticed that the Chron Editorial LiveJournalists were playing Editorial Humorists today:
Last weekend, as Hurricane Ike buffeted Southeast Texas, another massive storm pummeled Wall Street, leaving financial institutions reeling and triggering the most precipitous drop in the stock market since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 9, 2001.
That big a gaffe HAD to be intentional, right? They're trying their hand at humor, surely?
If not, then this proposal from Banjo Jones looks smarter and smarter.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/18/08 08:20 AM |
[Previous 20 Entries] [Next 20 Entries]