Tag: Reliant Park

09/02/16 12:45pm

Metro Now Hedging Against Inevitable Reliant Park Light-Rail Renaming Backlash

Reliant Park

24 Comments

NRG stadium, NRG Park, Houston, 77054

METRO is currentlyÂ seeking some public input on replacing the Reliant Park light-rail stop’s outdated moniker. The agency’s preface to the poll notes that the naming rights to the station itself were never a part of Reliant’s $300-million park-branding deal back in 2002, andÂ Â saysÂ anyÂ new name “needs to be reflective of the area, but should not include any reference to a corporate entity which might require another change in years to come.”

Setting aside any potential consideration ofÂ that plan from a readerÂ to go ahead andÂ get nearly 30 potential future name changes over with at once,Â the nominated namesÂ currentlyÂ in the running are (drumroll):

Saving NRG

Astrodome, Light-Rail, Metro, Names, NRG Park, Reliant Park

07/22/16 4:30pm

Metro Might Never Need To Change a Station Name Again If It Just Changes 28 of Them Now

Public Transportation, Reliant Park

4 Comments

METRORail Light-rail Map

In response to word from the Chronicle‘s Dug Begley this week that the Red Line’sÂ Reliant Park light-rail stopÂ might get its station name updatedÂ to an even older name, a Swamplot reader jumps on the case with aÂ system-wide list of potential station name changes that might remain unaffected by theÂ sale, rebranding, or demise of any nearby venues or landmarks.Â Begley notesÂ it could cost Metro around $486,000 to change theÂ Reliant Park stop’s signage.Â The agency saysÂ it wouldÂ preferÂ to make the switch at the same timeÂ as 2 otherÂ station name changes currently under considerationÂ (if they’re approved) —Â but not untilÂ after the Super Bowl, for which a set of cheaper temporary stickersÂ will beÂ deployed to help visitors find NRG Stadium.

The reader, in the spirit ofÂ Houston’s buddingÂ redesign-it-yourself urban planningÂ scene,Â suggests thatÂ paying up nowÂ to swap out all the names that might become a problem later might actually be a long-term cost-saver.Â The proposed scheme makes sure every station name mentions aÂ cross-street (or maybe aÂ bayou), and keeps some references toÂ existingÂ transit centers, parks, or neighborhoods.

Here’s the full list of suggested switch-outs, separated by rail line, with the currentÂ names on the left:

What’s In a Name

Astrodome, Light-Rail, Metro, Names, Naming Rights, NRG Park, Reliant Park

07/01/16 1:30pm

How You’d Park Under Astrodome’s Floor, and Where To Fish for More Details

Reliant Park

5 Comments

Here are some of the plans theÂ Harris County commissioners looked overÂ this week as they reviewed the engineering study for theÂ proposal to raise the Astrodome’s below-grade floor and stick a parking garage beneath it.Â The view above shows an entrance ramp for cars from the east, with a service ramp running up from the southwest; NRG Stadium is shownÂ peeking in on the scene from the left.

Got questions about the plan, or about anything else Dome-related? Someone claiming to be involved with the projectÂ is now taking inquiriesÂ from all comers over on Reddit.Â The thread started up yesterday and was still active this morning; topics addressed so far have included how the latestÂ proposal would be funded, theÂ feasibility of thatÂ spiral-ey skeletonized park idea, and the surprising number of people who have suggested turningÂ the Dome into an indoor skiing venue.

The poster says they’ll try to keep checking back to answer new questions. While you wait, have a look atÂ more views of the proposed changes to the structure — here’s what theÂ ground-level park onÂ Level 3 might look like, with pedestrian entrances on all 4 sides:

Park and Parking Plans

77054, Architecture, Astrodome, NRG Park, Parking-Garages, Proposed Developments, Reliant Park

06/15/16 3:30pm

How To Turn the Astrodome into a Vertigo-Inducing 3D Outdoor Park

Reliant Park

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Proposed Astrodome modifications (A-Dome Park)

Proposed Astrodome modifications (A-Dome Park) Architects James Richards andÂ Ben Olschner, dissatisfied with the current talk of turning the AstrodomeÂ into the world’s largest air-conditioned park, have startedÂ drumming up support (and selling t-shirts) forÂ their own idea for overhauling the long-empty structure: stripping the buildingÂ of all but its core steel structure (“like the Eiffel Tower in Paris”, the duo’s website reads) and adding a spiraling hike and bike trailÂ up to the center of the roof.Â The duo estimates the project would cost $180 million to execute ($62 million less than what the indoor park planÂ is estimatedÂ to cost);Â they expect the work could be paid for asÂ a public-private effortÂ like the one that funded Discovery Green (and branded all of its features).

The plan (which also removesÂ all nonessential letters, redubbing the placeÂ A-Dome Park) calls forÂ the replacement of some 13 acres of existing Dome-sideÂ parking lot with live oaks, planted in alignment with the building’s steel columns (as seen here from above). BelowÂ are aÂ bunchÂ ofÂ renderings showing the trees and walkways in place, and some zoomy depictions of the stripped-down ‘Dome back in action:

Dome Dreams

77054, Architecture, Astrodome, NRG Park, Proposed Developments, Reliant Park

Air Quality

04/09/15 2:15pm

The Astrodome’s First Solution to Its Can’t-See-the-Ball Problem

Houston History, Quicklink, Reliant Park

2 Comments

THE ASTRODOME’S FIRST SOLUTION TO ITS CAN’T-SEE-THE-BALL PROBLEM Reliant Astrodome, Houston (6) Before players had that problem losing fly balls in the glare, before a portion of the skylights were painted over, before anyone in Houston had ever considered replacing the outfield grass with something called AstroTurf, there was another system installed in the Astrodome meant to help baseball players keep their eyes on the ball. The Houston Chronicle‘s special section on the Harris County Domed Stadium — on the occasion of itsÂ 50th anniversaryÂ (today) and birthday party open house (tonight) — includes a reprint (PDF) of the same newspaper’s Astrodome extra from April 8, 1965, the day before opening day. And featured on page 62 is a short preview of the stadium’s space-age air-cleaning technology: “An unusual Honeywell-engineered ultraviolet sensor will run a continual check on the transparency of the air. If it gets murky — from dust or tobacco smoke — the system will signal stadium engineers to open a battery of cupola exhaust dampers. Because air cleaners continuously scrub the air electronically, then pass it through special charcoal filters to sieve out any odors, air inside the stadium normally will be fresher and cleaner than the air outside. ‘In fact, it should be the cleanest air in all Texas,‘ says Lamar Bordelon, Honeywell project engineer on the stadium job. The Honeywell system has an ultraviolet lamp underneath the seats along the third-base line, focused on an ultraviolet sensor in similar position along the first-base line, 700 feet across the stadium. These continuously indicate the transparency of the air between them on a meter located on the control center. Any time the transparency of the air drops to the point where a player would have a hard time seeing a baseball in play 350 feet away, a warning light flashes on.” [Houston Chronicle] Photo: RussellÂ Hancock

77054, Air Quality, Astrodome, Houston History, Reliant Park

03/23/15 10:00am

Just a Bunch of Guys Hanging Out on the Astrodome Roof

Public Buildings, Quicklink, Reliant Park

9 Comments

JUST A BUNCH OF GUYS HANGING OUT ON THE ASTRODOME ROOF Visitors to Astrodome Roof, Houston Astrodome security wasn’t the tightest during the Rodeo of 2012, it appears. That’s when builder Russell Hancock snuck inside the unused stadium and sent photos of some of the sorry scenes he found there to Swamplot — sparking a spate of media interest in the long-ignored venue. But Hancock wasn’t the Astrodome’s only unauthorized visitor that year. Brewskies in hand, 4 dudes with cameraphones also snuck into the structure, though it appears they spent much of their time exploring the structure’s peripheral spaces. Over this past weekend, one of the 4 posted an album of pix from their years-ago nighttime venture, the stars of which are the explorers themselves; with blanked-out faces, they’re seen hanging out in locker rooms, hiding in ice machines, operating the scoreboard controls, and pretending to tend bar in an upper-level suite. The highlight, though, is clearly the roofwalk: “After walking around on the top floor,” the anonymous poster writes, “I decided we should try to find our way onto the roof. Not kidding at all — the first door I opened, what looked like a closet door, had a ladder in it. So of course we climbed that shit. It went up about 15 ft. to a hatch that wasn’t locked. So we popped our head out and there was the roof. To the Astrodome. It was surreal. We started to climb up the sky lights to try to get to the top, but about 20—30 ft. up we realized that was probably not the best idea.” [imgur] Photos: Astrodome713

77054, Astrodome, Public Buildings, Reliant Park, Vacant Buildings

02/11/15 12:30pm

The New Old Color They’ll Be Painting the Upper Sides of the Astrodome Soon

Public Buildings, Reliant Park, Renovations

7 Comments

Paint Samples, Astrodome, Houston

What’s next in Astrodome beauty treatments after the unused county stadium’s powerwashing late last year? How about a little color magic? As noted by the KHOU chopper sent out to record the incident earlier this week (which produced the image above), test paint patches recently appeared at the top of the vacant structure’s walls. In concert with the removal of the eighties-add-on stair towers and the latest grime-spray efforts, the painting of a dark bluish-black color on the upper sections of wall just below the roof would help return the stadium exterior to something closer to its original 1965 appearance.

Sprucing

77054, Astrodome, Public Buildings, Reliant Park, Renovations

11/19/14 1:00pm

The Next Big Event Planned for the Astrodome Will Be a Wash

Historic Preservation, Houston Landmarks, Maintenance, Quicklink, Reliant Park

5 Comments

THE NEXT BIG EVENT PLANNED FOR THE ASTRODOME WILL BE A WASH Pressure Washers from Green Team Services, Houston When was the last time anyone bothered to clean the exterior of the Astrodome? Long enough ago to merit media coverage for word that the Dome’s caretakers have now decided to do something about the building’s growing exterior grunge.Â The Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, having presided for 15 years over the former sports stadium’s steady decay, is about to embark on its first notable Dome maintenance operation since firefighters used fans to blow smoke out of the building in the aftermath of a 2011 transformer fire in the vacant facility. With approval from the Texas Historical Commission, reports Fox 26’s Mark Berman, the agency will award local building restoration and pressure-washing practitioners Green Team Services $63,800 to clean the outside of the structure. [My Fox Houston;Â previously on Swamplot] Photo: Green Team Services

77054, Astrodome, Historic Preservation, Houston Landmarks, Maintenance, Reliant Park

10/22/14 11:30am

Curious Poll Pushers Want To Know: Should the County Spend Any Amount It Wants on an Astrodome Redo?

Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Quicklink, Reliant Park

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CURIOUS POLL PUSHERS WANT TO KNOW: SHOULD THE COUNTY SPEND ANY AMOUNT IT WANTS ON AN ASTRODOME REDO? Interior of Houston Astrodome The last time a concrete proposal to spend public money to repurpose the AstrodomeÂ was on the ballot, Harris County taxpayers voted it down. So how hard could it be to come up with a new poll showing potential voters aren’t especially eager to shell out for the latest floated idea, to turn the public facility into a giant indoor park — about which no details, price tag, or even feel-good drawings have yet been released? Maybe harder than you might think: In stories about a survey sponsored by KHOU and Houston Public Media whose results were released yesterday, a few news outlets did produce dutiful variants of a “Taxpayers Oppose Money for Astrodome”Â headline. But coming to that conclusion from the actual data collected in the survey might have been a bit of a stretch. Here’s the somewhatÂ ambiguousÂ wording of the question presented, with no context, to likely voters in the coming election: “Harris County proposes turning the Astrodome into an indoor park. Should the taxpayers of Harris County spend any amount to make the Astrodome into an indoor park if no private investors want to fund the entire project?” 31 percent said yes, 51 percent said no, and 17 percent of respondents said they didn’t know. The subset of respondents who thought they were being asked if they’d be willing to give county government a blank check for a plan they’ve never seen wasn’t broken out separately. [Houston Chronicle; KHOU; Houston Public Media; Astrodome coverage on Swamplot] Photo: Russell Hancock

77054, Astrodome, Harris County Government, Polls, Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park

08/26/14 3:30pm

Judge Emmett’s New Plan To Turn the Astrodome Into the World’s Largest Indoor Park Has Surprise Allies

Parks, Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park

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Astrodome Interior Minus Seats, Houston

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett’s new “not fully hashed out” plan for reusing the Astrodome is to turn the structure into the world’s largest indoor public park and recreation area. The park might incorporate a number of public institutions and museums within it. Plus: a pavilion for music and other events, and sports facilities such as archery ranges and hiking and biking trails, an archery center, and a large open green space. The fully air-conditioned park would be open to the public every day — except when used by the Rodeo and conferences such as the OTC.

Will Harris County citizens support turning the Astrodome into a park? Strangely, the best evidence that a majority would favor it may come from a recent survey commissioned by 2 organizations that have been trying very hard to get the building torn down.

Texans and Rodeo Fans on Board?

77054, Astrodome, Harris County Government, Houston-Texans, Parks, Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park, Rodeo

Houston Landmarks

08/25/14 3:45pm

Judge Emmett Says He’ll Reveal a ‘Major’ Proposal for Reusing the Astrodome Tomorrow

Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Reliant Park

33 Comments

JUDGE EMMETT SAYS HE’LL REVEAL A ‘MAJOR’ PROPOSAL FOR REUSING THE ASTRODOME TOMORROW Astrodome Interior, Houston For a good while now, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has been dropping hints about a new proposal to renovate the Astrodome. He’s set to reveal a few details about it tomorrow afternoon, after he holds a press conference set up in a “special little section” of the Astrodome made safe for media attendees. “Emmett has been in discussions with a series of elected officials, stakeholders and interested parties in recent weeks, laying out the general concept for an innovative reuse of the worldâ€™s first domed stadium,” a press release from the judge’s office declares. “All [the judge’s spokesperson] could tell me is that it’s ‘public use,’ tweets the Chronicle‘s Kiah Collier. [County Judge Ed Emmett; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Joe Stinebaker

77054, Astrodome, Houston Landmarks, Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park

07/17/14 1:00pm

Unmasking the Crafty NSA, NFL Plan To Take Away Our Precious Astrodome and Monitor Your Phone Calls

Houston Landmarks, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Reliant Park

11 Comments

UNMASKING THE CRAFTY NSA, NFL PLAN TO TAKE AWAY OUR PRECIOUS ASTRODOME AND MONITOR YOUR PHONE CALLS AN/FLR-9 Radio Direction Finder at United States Army Security Agency (USASA) Field Station Augsburg Using techniques, he explains, from “The Consipiracy Theory Style Manual” (“I used as many facts as I could come up with, then I made up a few more”), Houston Chronicle penpal Dave Nagel notes the striking similarities between the reconstructed ring of drive-thru concrete pillars meant to be built as part of a memorial to the Astrodome in a proposal released last week by the Rodeo and the Houston Texans and the circular antenna array called the AN/FLR-9 built in several locations during the Cold War to support U.S. intelligence operations. And concludes: “[I]t’s obvious. The National Security Agency has plans to construct a listening post here in Houston. We know the Supreme Court says the police cannot grab cell phones without a warrant, but now the NSA will just grab all the signals emanating from Texas and will process them from the new intel center at Reliant/NRG. By the way, in military parlance, NRG is National Reconnaissance Group! I believe the NSA is planning to collect intelligence on all known and suspected Republicans here in Texas, and turn it over to the Administration. Every proper conspiracy theorist will say YES! Or, does the NSA plan to eavesdrop on all those nefarious and dangerous children pouring across the border from Honduras and Guatamala? If you have ever worked in a school, you know how dangerous children are, especially ones without parental supervision! Children carry cell phones. Cell phones transmit and receive signals. Do you understand now?” A chilling prospect! But what’s the upshot? Continues Nagel: “[I]f the NSA wants to run an intelligence gathering station at Reliant/NRG, then we won’t have to use local tax money to tear down the dome, we can let NSA do it with their classified budget!” [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot] Photo of AN/FLR-9 radio direction finder at United States Army Security Agency Field Station Augsburg: Wikimedia Commons/Chaddy [license]

77054, Astrodome, Houston Landmarks, Proposed Developments, Reliant Park

07/11/14 12:45pm

Behind the Rodeo and Texans’ Latest Scheme To Get Rid of the Astrodome in Their Midst

Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park

37 Comments

Astrodome Blocking Circulation Diagram from Rodeo and Texans Proposal Swamplot will dig into some of the more entertaining and eye-opening details of the proposal later. But in the meantime, before folks go around shouting “heck, yeah!”, hyperventilating, or considering it all but a done deal,Â you might want to make note of a few circumstances surrounding the release of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Houston Texans‘Â 37-page illustrated guide to spending $66 million of somebody’s money to tear down the Astrodome and build a memorial park and “Hall of Fame” in its place.

The proposal was leaked to reporters yesterday — likely before the Rodeo and the Texans had planned, a source tells Swamplot. (A sample “huh?” slide from it is illustrated above.) Nevertheless, the release marks the latest evolution in the 2 organizations’ willingness to publicly acknowledge their (likely longstanding) role as the foremost opponents of preserving the Astrodome in any form. (Last year the Rodeo and the Texans released a cost estimate for turning the Dome into a parking lot.) Whether this is a concerted strategy in the organizations’ campaign to kill the Dome or a fumble, it does signal a possible risk for them: What would happen if the until-now-growing sense among many Houstonians that everything possible has been tried and somehow mysteriously “won’t work” (blow up the place already, I’m tired of hearing about it!) gave way to a realization that the same 2 parties may have, in fact, been responsible for bungling, blocking, discouraging, sabotaging, or outright vetoing every single proposal for saving or revamping the Astrodome over the last dozen years? Would it kill all the seeming public-sentiment victories they’ve achieved so far?

Dome-Be-Gone for $66 Million

77054, Astrodome, Demolitions, Harris County Government, Houston-Texans, Proposed Developments, Public Buildings, Reliant Park, Rodeo

05/16/14 12:00pm

Keeping the Astrodome Around Is a Whole Lot Cheaper Than You Thought It Was

Financing, Public Buildings, Reliant Park

21 Comments

Astrodome, Houston

One of the largest rhetorical weapons in the arsenal regularly wielded by proponents of repurposing or demolishing the Astrodome Â over the last several years has been a brutal financial factoid regularly drawn into arguments over the Houston landmark’s future. How much money in maintenance and debt-service costs have county taxpayers had to spend just to keep the retired sports stadium around and rotting? Why $2.4 million or so each year, claimed news report after news report after editorial after news report. Like the once-record-breaking 642-ft. clear span inside, it was just one of those things people who were paying attention knew.

But that figure isn’t accurate, Harris County’s budget chief now says. And at a meeting called by Judge Ed Emmett this week, Bill Jackson tried to set the record straight: First, he said, the Astrodome is “essentially debt free“; all but 5 percent of outstanding debt payments connected to the facility stem from work done in 2002 and 2003 — after the Dome had been retired from professional sports — to prepare the larger park for the Texans to use it. (The total amount of that remaining debt, according to a Houston Chronicle recalculation earlier this year, is $6 million.) Using the accounting principle of “first in, first out,” this means that all debts attributable to the Dome itself have now been paid for, Jackson said.

How about maintenance and insurance costs, then?