The Astrodome debacle (Houston, Buffalo: houses, floors, discount)

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by astrohip

It no longer meets safety codes, and the Cert of Occupancy has been revoked. It would cost millions to make it even safe for people to walk into. It's cheaper to maintain it at a minimal level, than to make it safe for usage at this point in time.

Regardless, the bond payments continue. None of this affects bond payments.

Again... no good use for it? Tear it down.

This is a ridiculas statement. There have been very detailed analysis done on the Dome already. Recommendations have been set forth by highly sophisticated and experianced consultants all of which Highly reccommend redevelopment of the Astrodome and its adjacent facilities?

FUTURE USE OPTIONS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended the Multi--‐Purpose Facility option be selected fo the future use of the Astrodome.
This recommendation considers more than just the financial projections. It recognizes the magnitude of potential opportunities offered by this one--of--a--kind structure. In the Multi--Purpose Facility option the event floor would be over 300,000 square feet, column free and rising to a height of over 200 feet. The result is any event is possible, making Reliant Park a truly unique destination There is simply no space like this in the world today

http://reliantpark.com/sites/reliant...esentation.pdf page 64

This study is current and takes into account the potential for landing the Supebowl in 2017
Again I quote this is a "ONE OF A KIND STRUCTURE", "THERE IS SIMPLY NO SPACE LIKE IT IN THE WORLD TODAY" This is from a firm based in Dallas and not some pie in the sky or sentimental local outfit.

Houston, Harris County would be foolish to demolish this unique stucture particualarly for some additional parking for a once a year event like the Rodeo and thier cheesy little carnival.

Houston don't let the idiots win, we will all regret tearing down the Dome . Even some of the jealots calling for its destruction now.

[Bily Lovec]

are you people that ignorant ?

seriously ?

tear it down, you cant retrofit it to be anything, its worthless, useless and needs to go.
the playing field is like 20' below grade. it will take a year to backfill that worthless hole.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by Bily Lovec

are you people that ignorant ?

seriously ?

tear it down, you cant retrofit it to be anything, its worthless, useless and needs to go.
the playing field is like 20' below grade. it will take a year to backfill that worthless hole.

That "worthless hole" is going to have to be filled in no matter what option is chosen.


The Rodeo cronies just want to delay and shoot down any reasonable options and attempt to create an aire of inevitability so they can continue to fend off any competition they may have for this facility. If we tear down the dome that will increase the dependency the complex has on the Rodeo....Build a complex that accommodates other options then the Rodeo will not seem as important as they are now.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Bily Lovec

are you people that ignorant ?
seriously ?
tear it down, you cant retrofit it to be anything, its worthless, useless and needs to go.

Everybody in the media says "trash the whole place because is worthless"
and as usual, anybody that disagrees is called crazy.

[jeremy2788]

Can you imagine the faces on everyone if the rodeo ever did for some reason abandon us after all these demands?? LOL.

[katygirl68]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Exactly,
The way corruption works in the US is that they say a stadium is worthless and then sell it a friend for pennies (i.e. Osteen's purchase of Compaq Center for $7.5 million = the price of the land alone)

After they've hired at least two outside consultants to do studies costing millions of dollars.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Jack Lance

This is a ridiculas statement. There have been very detailed analysis done on the Dome already. Recommendations have been set forth by highly sophisticated and experianced consultants all of which Highly reccommend redevelopment of the Astrodome and its adjacent facilities?

That report talks about how unique the Dome is. Totally agree.

And yet no one has come forward with private money to do a single darn thing. No one. If anything made sense, if anything had a smidgen of a chance of making money, they would do it. But they haven't.

So our real choice becomes: Do we want to spend our tax money trying to find some use for the Dome? Or tear it down?

I don't think you would see so much debate if there was actually some great purpose for the Dome. If we had this amazing use for it, I think people would jump to save it (AKA fund it). But we have the cart leading the horse. We're trying to find some reason to save it, trying to find a purpose, any purpose.

I say we put it to a vote, with the actual amount of tax dollars specified in the referendum. No wiggle room. Then let's see what Harris County thinks.

[Schumacher713]

Originally Posted by Jack Lance

The Rodeo cronies just want to delay and shoot down any reasonable options and attempt to create an aire of inevitability so they can continue to fend off any competition they may have for this facility. If we tear down the dome that will increase the dependency the complex has on the Rodeo....Build a complex that accommodates other options then the Rodeo will not seem as important as they are now.

You make the rodeo sound like some evil empire. There is no reasonable option to shoot down. There are plenty of preposterous ones. Why do you think that after ten years we are suddenly going to come up with a good idea. Do you really want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars just so we can undermine the rodeo's perceived power?

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by astrohip

That report talks about how unique the Dome is. Totally agree.

And yet no one has come forward with private money to do a single darn thing. No one. If anything made sense, if anything had a smidgen of a chance of making money, they would do it. But they haven't.

So our real choice becomes: Do we want to spend our tax money trying to find some use for the Dome? Or tear it down?

I don't think you would see so much debate if there was actually some great purpose for the Dome. If we had this amazing use for it, I think people would jump to save it (AKA fund it). But we have the cart leading the horse. We're trying to find some reason to save it, trying to find a purpose, any purpose.

I say we put it to a vote, with the actual amount of tax dollars specified in the referendum. No wiggle room. Then let's see what Harris County thinks.

If you are saying no major sports franchise is ready to occupy this space you are correct. All the big time sports teams have homes already. This is more about attracting convention interest that will see this space as the only space of its kind. Immagine a full scale offshore drilling rig being constructed in this space for the OTC. Perhaps a full scale rocket (on its side maybe) being constructed for some future gathering for the "Commercial Space Industry" convention. There is some "Build it and they will come" thinking to this. But as the report says the OTC and other intities allready embedded in Reliant Park will be able to make use of this space as well.

This plan is not without risk, and if we do build it somebody will argue that another plan would have been better somehow. But if we tear it down all these options will be lost forever and we will only be able to guess at what could have been. This is about preserving a unique space and not about preserving some sentimental memories of our childhood. Even though the Dome will appear similar from the outside, make no mistake about it this will be a whole new facility that will be able to house gatherings that no other space in this city could.

Also remember that the Dome renovation itself is 270 million the other 115 million if for the building of a new Arena and other features that I bet the Rodeo and others will at some future time demand to be built as well, and they will have no additional "private funds" to offer at that time.

So yes lets put the 270 million for the Dome rennovation up for a vote. I feel very confident that at this time it will carry easily. But time is of some essence here I would like to see it on the ballot this comming November, So we can start selling the space for new conventions ASAP.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

You make the rodeo sound like some evil empire. There is no reasonable option to shoot down. There are plenty of preposterous ones. Why do you think that after ten years we are suddenly going to come up with a good idea. Do you really want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars just so we can undermine the rodeo's perceived power?

There have been "good ideas" put forth. I suppose wether an idea is good or not is subjective to say the least. But to dismiss the CS&L option as "preposterous" shows that you have a blind bias against any redevelopment of the Dome and probably are a Rodeo cronie. lol

As far as the Rodeos percieved power. I think they are more the Hatchet man on this, but I do think they, along with the Texans are interested in making themselves even more indespensible to Reliant Park, so that they can leverage that power for some future negotiation with the county. Spending this $270 million today may save us from spending even more in extortion money at some future date.