SPORTS AND CONVENTION CORP.: WE HAVE WAYS TO MAKE YOU LIKE OUR ASTRODOME PLAN 
Unlike that rather inadequately advertised call for private bids about what to do with the Astrodome, the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. appears to be taking very public pains before the November bond referendum to make sure everyone knows about its $217 million plan to slim down and spruce up the dingy behemoth into a convention center and event space. KUHF reports that the HCSCC has agreed to form a committee charged with getting the word out and appealing to voters that its plan is the best plan. Judge Ed Emmett explains: “Most voters have an opinion — either they want to save the Dome or they don’t want to save the Dome. And those that are leaning towards saving the Dome, have to be convinced that this is a purpose that makes sense.” [KUHF; previously on Swamplot] Rendering of New Dome Experience: HCSCC
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vote no
let the nostalgia/architect nerds start their bs rant about how we need to save the dome – where no houston team did anything but sh-t the bed
Let the useless relic go already, this is like Weekend at Bernie’s but with a dead useless building.
Elvis did more in that building than any Houston sports team….
We need to know the ballot language as soon as possible so we can organize now to start a campaign to Save the Astrodome! Check out our facebook group and join the Movement!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/170332419780833/
Smart move on the part of Emmett. The plan is solid, it’s a matter of fully educating the people of Harris County to what a “yes” or “no” vote really means we’ll get. At first glance the plan sounds like a bad deal, but after more than a one sentence explanation of the future possibilities, the only logical vote is “yes”.
Save the Dome. Vote Yes.
HCSCC has set themselves up to win either way. 2500 new parking spots, or a shiny new convention center, both on the public dime.
How about voting for the dissolution of the current committee and getting Ed Emmett out of office instead?
They’ll spend hundreds of millions of dollars converting this to a convention center. Then, when they can’t attract any large conventions, they’ll blame the lack of adjacent hotels and want to spend hundreds of millions more on new hotels. Sounds like déjà vu all over again.
the only thing that makes sense is to convert it into a min-storage with first floor retail.
Vote no. If we are going to spend money to make Houston more of a convention destination, spend the money on GRB, Discovery Green, and Market Square.
so we should assume that vast amounts of tax dollars are to also be used for this propaganda campaign or is all this privately funded by the HCSC? or wait, isn’t the HCSC ultimately backed with public funds as well?
The effort to save the dome is a rouse. They put up lame plans so people will vote against it, forcing authorities to demo the building. Then, the Texans will claim that their stadium is inadequate and want to build a billion+ dollar stadium in the place of the Astrodome.
This is a wise move by the County Commissioner. Let’s hope that this referendum is the last word on the Dome. I’ll vote yes, because I think the dome is a Houston icon and I don’t just consider it an old worn out useless building, I believe it does have potential in another capacity, however, if the no’s win, I’ll accept that and move on, let’s put it to a vote and be done with this ongoing drama
If they actually wanted this plan to pass, they could call it “infrastructure improvement bonds to convert existing public spectating facilities to commercial and civic exhibitional [sic] space for future growth and community harmony” and it would sail through with 60% of the vote just like all the other incomprehensible bond proposals on the ballot.
The Harris County power brokers are trying to bamboozle us! Where is the real public benefit here? Smells like corporate welfare to help Bob McNair attract more Super Bowls to his taxpayer financed stadium. There must be a better use for that $220 Million….
The KHOU talking heads last night floated the suggestion that this vote is merely “air cover” for Harris County to wash its hands of the Dome. Are they going to go through the motions of “supporting” the plan, but with extremely faint praise, see it defeated, then trot out “the people have spoken” while scraping it off? Are our elected County officials smart enough to pull that off?
And if somehow it actually passes, some of their friends get to make some money! Is this what they call a “win-win”?
For $8 a year in extra taxes…it’s an easy YES vote to save Houston’s only world renown landmark. If we save just one thing in this city…let it be THE Dome.
If it doesn’t show when the increase tax ends, I’m voting no, and if they really were republicans that didn’t put something like that in it, then they need to shut up about all the stuff on the Demo side.
Speaking as someone who actually pays taxes, I say no, no, hell no.
I like how all the YES comments are from new commenters… seeding much?
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Not a penny for the dome!!!
re: “If we save just one thing in this city…let it be THE Dome.”
I know this is the internet and hyberbole kind of goes with the territory, but this kind of rhetoric is one reason anti-Dome people don’t change their minds. If it were actually that important, would we let it rot to the state that it is in in the first place?
We are bereft of landmarks, this much is true, but if the best we can claim is a run down sports stadium within spitting distance of one that is better in every way except for nostalgia, I’d be fine doing without one for a while.
The “project proposal” process was a joke, but ever since the Astros moved out, there have been thousands of ideas floated, and none of them sounded feasible to my ear. A giant building like that is a money hole, they need a permanent tenant to justify their existence.
As someone who can afford $8 per year, I say save the Dome. Remove the tightwads.
Yes, the tax increase would be small, no, I don’t want it to go towards the dome. I’d rather have my 8 bucks go to putting more constables on the street than an empty convention center no one will use (don’t we already have a convention center no one uses?)
If this goes the rubble way, it will win the mother of all Swampies.
lipstick on a pig.
I like how all the NO voters are people who have nothing better to do with their lives than goof off at Swamplot all day – everyday. People with no lives have no use for anything beyond their computer monitors or front lawns.
Make the visionless grumpy old men with too much time on their hands pay double taxes to save the dome.
“let the nostalgia/architect nerds start their bs rant about how we need to save the dome – where no houston team did anything but sh-t the bed”
Those pesky nostalgia/architect nerds who complained about the demolition of Penn Station in NY, the Ursuline Academy in Galveston, and who saved Grand Central Station from idiots.
And what does the success of Houston sports teams have to do with anything? It’s an engineering landmark, the building that tripled the existing world record for longest unsupported roof span.
Do we really want to trust these shysters after the circus they have made out of this?
I plan to vote yes. The Dome is a treasure worthy of preservation.
love how everyone is willing to pony up $8 a year to save a property with no future. god fobid we use that money to set up medicaid exchanges to provide more people with access to adequate health care and help lower the cost of health insurance for the majority of folks by making companies compete against each other for access to those increased enrollees.
how much would it have cost for the city of houston to buy astroworld?
it’s not that we couldn’t have the money, it’s just we have a thousand better things to spend on it with clear cost benefits to the economy/job creation or to the health and safety of our citizens. no i haven’t seen the economic case studies and surveys they’ve received back from prospective clients that they used to forumlate this plan, but the citizens of houston obviously need full access to this information before we can even consider it a worthy cause of blowing scarce tax funds.
There are much better civic uses for new tax dollars than converting a rotting sports stadium to a convention space in a bad part of town. Maybe I could get on board with another park or useful public space, but this Astrodome convention center plan is just dumb. BTW, I love the Dome, but it’s time has long passed.
The only reason to save the dome is to keep Houston’s most iconic symbol standing. This time it isn’t about money. It is about pride. The Astrodome stands for something to people who love Houston. It doesn’t have to have a purpose. The fact that anyone found even a part time use for it is just icing on the cake.
Anyone who can’t understand that should immediately abort their next child. You don’t need it. The world doesn’t need it. It will likely cost more money than you will ever see a return from. If you have an elderly parent, euthanize them. They are not cost effective.
NO.Actually HELL NO! Another tax sucking hole. The GRB has been around since 1988 and it still isn’t used year round. And this is all the suck heads @ Harris County can come up with? THEY need to voted out of office. They have no vision or imagination.They’re gray political drones.And as far as nostalgia is concerned,get real this IS Houston.We manufacture our nostalgia. The Dome has seen better days. A convention center remake will NOT make the building viable again. Making it into an attraction that people actually would visit is way better,but Harris County REALLY wants it gone!
There is not much doubt that this will pass, the reason is evident in this thread. The no’s simply don’t want to pay for it, there is no real passion, just, you know, I pay enough Tax’s, but with the Dome supporters it’s passionate, there is real love for the building and they’ll make it their mission to vote, I just don’t feel the passion on the other side. You’ll see come Election Day. The Domw is going nowhere
Doze it.
Geez people just vote, there is no need to call the building a dump etc (it most certainly isn’t). If you don’t like this plan just vote against it. I plan to vote for it, I think this plan is viable, but that’s my opinion, feel free to cancel my vote, this is America
Joel- maybe I’m willing to pay an extra $8 for the dome and another $8 for universal healthcare. What do they have to do with each other?
I thought the HCSCC was temporary. When do we get to vote on it?
Don’t you get it? George R. Brown is owned by the city. So what if we already have a good convention center located near businesses and hotels?
This way the astrodome-convention center will be run by the county. How come the county can’t have all the toys other government rulers get?
Same story as the botched Port of Houston cruise terminal that was built years ago and hasn’t had yet a regular client. They just wasted taxpayer funds to build it because they were jealous of the nice one in Galveston (which from what I heard was largely funded by the cruise lines themselves.)
If the city has a useful, functional convention center located in a good position why can’t the county have one? Waaah.
Nope
@35 – Haytaz gotta hate.
Look at it this way – at least they’re just venting on an inanimate object instead of people who didn’t have the forethought to have the same ancestors they did.
Here’s a solution – Let the folks who vote ‘Yes’ come ballot time pay for it. If 2 million folks vote for it, hit ’em up for a bill of $110. If only one million vote yes, ask them for $220. I promise, as a ‘No’ voter and non-payer, never to step foot inside the Astrodome again. Wish I would have had that same opportunity when I paid for Reliant…
This is America not Russia, we are a democracy, you don’t just take your marbles home when you lose. I suppose those that have children should be the only one paying school Tax’s, etc. Survival of the fittest, etc.
*Russia is a democracy in name only. Exhibit A: Vladimir Putin
@WASP, although uncle Vlad has been in power for a while, he’s still the most popular Russian leader in recent history. On some levels the modern Russian system is more fair than US, for one they have flat 13% income tax on anybody and everybody so everyone has skin in the game, while still supporting the elderly and offering free or affordable healthcare for everyone. And no property taxes.
I don’t understand the convention center plan. Not only because of GRB and the idea of making downtown more attractive but because there already is Reliant Center in Reliant Park.
Hmmmm, yes and we believe those Russian polls on the popularity of Putin because after all Russia is so transparent. My point was that it’s a bit ridiculous to say that only those who vote for the dome should pay for it, talk about a slippery slope