Voters will get to decide fate of Astrodome

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

If there was a politician anywhere who wasn't going to spend the money on something more worthless, I might celebrate but a renovated dome was something I might have actually benefited from.

You might have somehow benefited Bob, but easy for an Austin resident to say since there's not the down side for you that there is for us who live in Harris County/Houston who are stuck with the debt service on the Bonds.
And check out below the "benefit" we taxpayers got for that 100 million plus
bonds the politicians floated 4 or 5 years ago. Yea, local taxpayers did the right thing yesterday.
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HOUSTON (FOX 26) -
For the first time, a cruise ship has set sail from its home port at the controversial Bayport Cruise Terminal.

The Caribbean Princess cast off, Tuesday evening, for a four-day cruise to Progresso, Mexico.

Better late than never for an inaugural cruise at the Port of Houston's Bayport Terminal, which was built with bond money and completed in 2009 at a cost of $108 million.

For the better part of four years, the terminal sat unused – until now.



Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/23...#ixzz2jsimoWMN

[HPF Bob]

Who thought it was a winning idea to sail your first/last half-hour of a cruise viewing the scenic and romantic Houston Ship Channel with its noxious gases from Pasadena and Baytown? I could have told them that wouldn't fly.

[nunusguy]

The results of the Dome vote was at the very least a mild surprise, and one of the more interesting post election analysis I've heard was that the Ben Hall "turnout" was very instrumental in producing those results.

[popanot]

I went to the dome many times and watched a great deal of Oilers and Astros games as well as a few concerts. Fond memories, indeed. However, my lasting impression of the dome will forever be the dilapidated carcass it became after it was abandoned and the ensuing cesspool it became after Katrina. That mess of a facility should have been torn down 10+ years ago. Now, I'm all for a developer coming in and building a nice green space and possibly putting a quality hotel or two there. I certainly think those two things would help us get on the Super Bowl rotation more often.

[nunusguy]

Astrodome, Adios
Houston voters show their good architectural judgment.
Conservatives believe in preserving what is good and true, including some classic architecture, but then there is the Houston Astrodome. The nation's first large covered sports stadium, which opened in 1965, may be razed after Houston voters on Tuesday rejected a $217 million bond measure to fix up the creaking place.

Congratulations to Houstonians on their fiscal wisdom and architectural judgment. Though born of Texas bravado, the Astrodome was always a lousy sports venue—too cavernous for baseball, and football should be played outdoors. Houston's sports teams have abandoned the Dome, and the fire marshal has declared it unsafe to use even for rodeos and livestock shows.

Rather than waste taxpayer money for renovations, better to tear the place down and put up something else. The Astrodome is not the Alamo.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...82311210206636

[Nconroe]

I agree with thoughts Popanot had. Seem final decisions should happen fairly soon.

[nunusguy]

Still, this might not be the stadium's last inning.

"There's a chance," said Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, caretaker of the Astrodome and the rest of the vast complex it's part of, which also includes the Houston Texans' Reliant Stadium. "The building's still there. There's no formal plan or authorization to demolish the building, and until somebody brings such a plan to fruition, there's a chance."

A decision is not on the horizon, though. County commissioners are in no rush to approve demolition and waver on other options.

"It's up in the air," said Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack. "The proposal was rejected by the voters. We're back to where we were. Square one."

http://www.wistv.com/story/23927992/...-after-no-vote
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Really Mr Radack ? And you expect we Houston/Harris County taxpayers to just continue paying the annual expenses to maintain, insure, etc the Dome as we've been doing for some 15 years as it sets there and continues to deteriorate and continues to be a safety hazard and eye sore ? After the vote, seriously Mr Radack ?

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...82311210206636

Well, I wouldn't expect a bunch of New York assholes to understand anyway. They wouldn't save a history-filled landmark like Yankee Stadium so **************** them.

Two major flaws in this excerpt. Baseball and football are largely still being played indoors in Houston so that's shitty logic. We have something called Texas heat down here. Without a roof, people wouldn't show up. Second, the "replacement" is going to be a parking lot, not some new building.

By the way, New Yorkers, I hope you get 20 feet of snow for your Super Bowl. I'd love every minute of that. Or maybe another "superstorm" for you to whine like little babies about.

[chuck]

Since the Texans obviously aren't going to be playing I would love to see horrible weather as a nice payback to the league's arrogance.

And while we're talking about it I guess I'm the only one who isn't all that impressed when Houston gets Super Bowls. It annoys me for several reasons, not least of which is that McNair gets to swan around and act like he's worth a shit.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Well, I wouldn't expect a bunch of New York assholes to understand anyway. They wouldn't save a history-filled landmark like Yankee Stadium so **************** them.

Two major flaws in this excerpt. Baseball and football are largely still being played indoors in Houston so that's shitty logic. We have something called Texas heat down here. Without a roof, people wouldn't show up. Second, the "replacement" is going to be a parking lot, not some new building.

By the way, New Yorkers, I hope you get 20 feet of snow for your Super Bowl. I'd love every minute of that. Or maybe another "superstorm" for you to whine like little babies about.

Hey Bob, quit behaving like a small-town, parochial Texas hick who never read anything beyond the Austin Statesman. The Wall Street Journal's geographic headquarters is incidental to it's ranking as arguably the most prominent media voice of conservatism on the face of the globe, and that includes a philosophy of fiscal responsibility and discipline which I doubt most of Austin's asshole lefties relate to but is the primary reason why we Houston taxpayers sacked the ill-advised Dome Bond Issue. Now tear down the freaking ugly-azz Dome already !