Tag Archives: Harris County Sports & Convention Corp

On the uses of the New Dome

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So it’s looking pretty good for the Astrodome renovation referendum. But what exactly will we get if it does pass? In particular, will the New Dome be economically sustainable in a way that the current one is not? To date, … Continue reading →

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Want to buy a piece of the Dome?

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now’s your chance, but act fast. Five hundred pairs of upper-deck “rainbow gut” seats and old Astrodome space helmets worn by the grounds crew nearly 50 years ago are among the items up for grabs Saturday during a sale and … Continue reading →

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Who’s advocating for the Dome?

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some old familiar names are getting back in the game. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Tuesday after the Commissioners Court meeting name-dropped two former county judges — Jon Lindsay and Robert Eckels — who will lead the charge on … Continue reading →

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Hoteliers for the Dome plan

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Count the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston among the supporters of the Astrodome renovation plan. Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. Chairman Edgar Colón, with back-up from Deputy Executive Director Kevin Hoffman, presented the agency’s vision for revamping … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum officially on the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long, strange trip, but at last you will get to vote on the fate of the Astrodome. The Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to place a bond election for up to $217 million to convert the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum headed for the ballot

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve been waiting for the chance to vote on the fate of the Astrodome, your wait will soon be over. Commissioners Court next Tuesday is expected to approve a measure asking voters to authorize the county to spend as … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves HCSCC Astrodome plan for further review

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I noted this briefly in an update to my interview with Willie Loston, but on Tuesday Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the proposal by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation to redevelop the Astrodome for further study. Commissioners … Continue reading →

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Interview with Willie Loston

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Willie Loston is the Executive Director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, which is the not-for-profit company that operates and maintains the public facilities at Reliant Park, including Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome. It was the HCSCC that … Continue reading →

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More on the rejected Dome ideas

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron pays some attention to the 19 ideas that were submitted to the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation for what to do with the Astrodome. Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., said … Continue reading →

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More on the New Dome Experience

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s subscription site story adds some more details to the news about the New Dome Experience. [Harris County Judge Ed] Emmett said that if the court signs off on the plan next week, it likely would ask the county … Continue reading →

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The New Dome Experience

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Behold: If the future of the Astrodome has been keeping you up at night, you’ll rest easy knowing that a major step was taken in favor of preservation at a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon: The Harris County Sports & … Continue reading →

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MBIA appeals lawsuit dismissal

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the brief that MBIA has filed with the First District Court of Appeals to overturn the dismissal of their lawsuit against the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation. The issues presented for review … Continue reading →

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So many Dome ideas

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation has plenty of material to work with as it prepares to make a recommendation to Commissioners Court about the Astrodome. Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. staff will spend the next week evaluating … Continue reading →

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The Texans and the Rodeo will have their say on the fate of the Dome

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s this little matter of their lease agreement to deal with. Five years ago, Harris County appeared on the brink of striking a deal with a group of entrepreneurs to turn the Astrodome into a 1,300-room hotel and convention center, … Continue reading →

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Astrodome-palooza

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

In case you aren’t completely full of my opining on the Astrodome and its possible fate, I was the author of a op-ed in the Sunday Chron on the subject. It’s kind of the Reader’s Digest version of the things … Continue reading →

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Big week for the Dome

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This week things start to get real for the Astrodome. Monday is an important deadline for those who are determined to save the historic Astrodome, as private firms turn in renovation proposals to the Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. … Continue reading →

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It’s about use, not just sentiment

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

NYT reporter Jere Longman, who hails from Houston, penned a love letter to the Astrodome after hearing about its possible impending demise. So it was despairing to hear that the vacant Astrodome might be torn down and its site paved … Continue reading →

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The emotional Dome decision

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody really wants to tear the Astrodome down. That in a nutshell is why the process to determine what to do with it has taken so long even though there aren’t any viable alternatives to demolition at this time. A … Continue reading →

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Adios, Aeros

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice knowing you. After 19 years, the Houston Aeros will be no more after this season. The Minnesota Wild, who own the majority of the Aeros AHL franchise, were unable to reach a new lease agreement with the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome anti-climax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s it?!?!?!? The Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. board of directors approved a resolution Wednesday calling for staff to collect ideas for what to do with the vacant Reliant Astrodome between now and June 10. The Sports Corp., the … Continue reading →

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading →

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Someone will do something sort of soon about the Dome

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t be more specific than that. While Houston’s Super Bowl Host Committee continues its bid to win the vote for Super Bowl LI, the next step in the possible demolition of the Astrodome could be taken next week by … Continue reading →

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Are we getting close to a Dome decision?

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe by the end of the year. But don’t rush County Judge Ed Emmett, who has a few things to say about that study that claimed it would be cheaper than originally reported to demolish the Astrodome. Harris County Judge … Continue reading →

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County disputes cheaper Dome demolition price tag

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on. Harris County officials on Thursday disputed an estimate released this week showing it would cost $29 million to implode the vacant Reliant Astrodome and build a 1,600-space parking lot in two and a half years. The figure, calculated … Continue reading →

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No Dome action yet

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still there. Beyond that, nothing to report. Harris County officials put off any final decision on the fate of the Astrodome on Tuesday, though the top executive suggested a new option for the deteriorating stadium. County Judge Ed Emmett … Continue reading →

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Meet the new “What To Do With The Astrodome” report

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not that much different than the old “What To Do With The Astrodome” report. The Astrodome, a now-empty showplace that has hosted everyone from Elvis Presley to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, should be turned into a multipurpose facility that could spark … Continue reading →

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How much would it really cost to tear down the Astrodome?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps not as much as Harris Country officials have been saying. The expected price tag to demolish the Reliant Astrodome that Harris County officials have cited in recent years far exceeds the cost of razing other stadiums across the country, … Continue reading →

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On cities and counties

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really getting tired of all this BS. Smarting from a $353,000 bill for the Reliant complex under the city of Houston’s new drainage fee, Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday discussed seeking legislation to let it keep city sales … Continue reading →

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Lockout or no, it makes no difference to them

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Must be nice for them. An extended NFL lockout and the loss of a season for the Texans actually would result in a small financial gain for the governmental body that manages the Reliant Stadium complex, officials said Thursday. The … Continue reading →

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Eversole and Surface to be tried together

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There will be only one more trial relating to the Jerry Eversole case. We think, anyway. Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole and developer Michael Surface, two longtime friends who exchanged more than $100,000 in trips and gifts, will be tried … Continue reading →

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Trying Eversole, take 2

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The two sides in County Commissioner Jerry Eversole’s trial are planning for the sequel. The biggest help to each side, seasoned trial lawyers said, are the jurors who sat through three weeks of testimony. “I relied a lot on input … Continue reading →

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Hung jury for Eversole

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the one outcome guaranteed to ensure that nobody is happy. Federal prosecutors plan to retry their corruption case against Harris County Commissioner Jerry Eversole after a judge today declared a hung jury in the three-week trial on charges that … Continue reading →

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Is it finally time to do something with the Dome?

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A few days ago, a woman named Cynthia Neely took to CultureMap to demand that we Do Something about the Astrodome. Regardless of whether you love or hate the Astrodome, the building is owned by the county and in effect … Continue reading →

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Some day, we will do something about the Astrodome

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So says Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “We on the Commissioners’ Court are going to have to make a decision, and I think it needs to be made this year, as to what we are going to propose to the … Continue reading →

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