Voters will get to decide fate of Astrodome

[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
*******
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 ?

[nunusguy]

Four recognizable pieces of the beleaguered Reliant Astrodome will be demolished in the coming weeks, Reliant Park officials said Monday.

The four circular ramp towers should be coming down on Dec. 8 just after 9 p.m., according to Reliant Park General Manager Mark Miller. That schedule is dependent on weather conditions, he added.

The Houston Texans will be on the road that weekend, so the area will be clear of fans and tailgaters.

On Nov. 5, Harris County voters rejected a $217 million bond to turn the Dome into an event and exhibition center. The future of the structure is still in limbo.

The towers were constructed during the 1988-1989 round of renovations to accommodate the added seating capacity that came with 10,000 seats and luxury suites added that year after the massive, "exploding" scoreboard was taken out.

The towers helped the Dome not only comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act but also helped getting fans in and out of the new upper deck seats. Elevators inside the Dome also accommodated those with disabilities who attended events at the stadium.

Three of the four ramp towers will be demolished using small charges of explosives, while the remaining one will be brought down with demolition equipment. Cherry Demolition will be handling the project, according to Miller.

During the recent Astrodome garage sale, workers could be seen inside the towers severing the bridges that connected the ramp towers to the Dome structure. That work was put off during the recent rain in Houston.

Miller says the ramps were always on the chopping block, and were due to be removed no matter the outcome of the Nov. 5 vote. They weren't part of any future plans of the Dome.

Meanwhile, other construction work around the perimeter of the Dome continues, with the grass berms being brought down to grade. The ticketing booths are all but gone as well.

The plaza located on the northwest side of the stadium will not be touched.

A sale and auction of memorabilia from the iconic Astrodome on Nov. 2 drew thousands of people, some of whom waited in line for hours. Nostalgic fans started lining up around 5 a.m., three hours before the sale was set to begin at the adjacent Reliant Center.
"We expected 2,000 people and got over 8,000," Miller said.

Miller said any possible similar sales would be online only, if there are any. Reliant is still working on filling an estimated 1,900 pre-orders remaining from the first sale and filling bulk orders from other buyers. As of now, most of the upper deck seats are cleared, and portions of other decks are also bare.

"We need to assess what we have left to be able to sell," said Miller, adding that some of the remaining seats aren't in a condition suitable for sale.

It was rumored that the Diamond Vision screens could also be sold off, but nothing has been set in stone, Miller said. An asbestos abatement project will begin next week, with workers removing material from the interior.

The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission will consider historical landmark status for the Astrodome, Houston's most iconic building, at its Dec. 12 meeting. Such a designation, made without the building owner's consent, wouldn't stop demolition, only delay it by 90 days.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...php?cmpid=hpts
****
It's about time, now get crackin on leveling the rest of it !

[Nconroe]

Well, State Antiquities Landmark is applied for so, we wait some more for something good to happen

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...ition-23701745

[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 !

[HPF Bob]

I'm familiar with the WSJ. It doesn't mean I can't call them out when they are wrong.

[chuck]

Right around the time the comics in other papers ceased to be funny the Journal's editorial page became downright hilarious so it worked out great for me.