The "To Do List" for the City of Houston

[20thStDad]

Is it me or does it seem like the trees planet along the freeways aren't growing? They look about the same height as when they planted the years ago.

Where is this tree planet? I would much like to visit.

I think some groups are growing. The I-10 and 610W area I look forward to seeing in 10 years. There are some small areas coming up 288 that seem to be growing as well. Which ones are you referring to?

[ihop]

Possibly. I remember hearing some criticism against TxDOT for planting trees too closely, which in turn would not allow them to grow fully or something like that.

I see this a lot in newly planted medians. Leaves me wondering if they don't want them to grow? Maybe limit the size so massive root systems don't tear up the roads later on.

But that might be giving too much credit where none is due, prolly just poor planning.

[CHiPs]

I see this a lot in newly planted medians. Leaves me wondering if they don't want them to grow? Maybe limit the size so massive root systems don't tear up the roads later on.

But that might be giving too much credit where none is due, prolly just poor planning.

I've noticed the trees along 45 S and Cullen the same size...not enough nutrition can stunt their growth.

[citykid09]

Where is this tree planet? I would much like to visit.

I think some groups are growing. The I-10 and 610W area I look forward to seeing in 10 years. There are some small areas coming up 288 that seem to be growing as well. Which ones are you referring to?

LOL! My bad, I didn't realize I miss spelled it.

On another note, guess who called my house today here in Bryan/College Station? It was Houston Mayor Bill White's Daughter. I think it was a prerecorded message, but it said that her father would be in Bryan/College Station today for the Texas Steak & Reds Festival. It also said something else, but I didn't pay attention. I will have to hit the answering machine again to see what it says.

[RocketSci]

Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States has an abundance of problems. From the dated city streets (potholes), to the huge littering problem and the unattractiveness of many of the city's main corridors, many issues exist. So what do you want the next mayor and other city leaders to focus on?

I will try some relatively simple but serious answers:

1 - Clean freeway shoulders and medians more often - nothing to me says "welcome to Houston" more than seeing a dead animal in various states of decay over several days or weeks along the freeway (288, 610S, 45S)

2 - Clean city and neighborhood streets to the curb/gutter - or make property owners liable (ha, that'll work) - I drive along Binz by the museums and there is one property that rolls out onto an otherwise clean street like the hanging gardens

3 - Sidewalks - it is insane that major thoroughfares and bus routes have bad/no sidewalks - try taking a walk down Richmond between Shepherd and Montrose - at least downtown is doing better - also, why is it that sidewalks are allowed to "dead end" during construction projects - where is the hapless pedestrian to go? Sidewalks need to be considered in the same way that roadways are - I know this isn't in Houston, but I regularly see visitors staying at the motels struggle to walk/bike along Bay Area Blvd

4 - At least get the flooding under control on main thoroughfares (Richmond by Greenway, for example, or Montrose and Alabama) to include better drainage and regularly cleaning storm drains (see #2)

5 - Get commuter rail going asap

6 - Clean and fix the bike paths and trails - my first reaction when I see a bike route sign is to go another direction - they are either on horrible roads for biking (Westpark?? NASA Rd 1??), or are poorly maintained to the point of danger to a bicyclist (Dallas, Commonwealth, pretty much any of them)

7 - When are the buildings by the bus station going to be fixed/torn down/or taken over by the city? How can 10-20 years go by with buildings in that condition?

[RedScare]

I will try some relatively simple but serious answers:

1 - Clean freeway shoulders and medians more often - nothing to me says "welcome to Houston" more than seeing a dead animal in various states of decay over several days or weeks along the freeway (288, 610S, 45S)

2 - Clean city and neighborhood streets to the curb/gutter - or make property owners liable (ha, that'll work) - I drive along Binz by the museums and there is one property that rolls out onto an otherwise clean street like the hanging gardens

3 - Sidewalks - it is insane that major thoroughfares and bus routes have bad/no sidewalks - try taking a walk down Richmond between Shepherd and Montrose - at least downtown is doing better - also, why is it that sidewalks are allowed to "dead end" during construction projects - where is the hapless pedestrian to go? Sidewalks need to be considered in the same way that roadways are - I know this isn't in Houston, but I regularly see visitors staying at the motels struggle to walk/bike along Bay Area Blvd

4 - At least get the flooding under control on main thoroughfares (Richmond by Greenway, for example, or Montrose and Alabama) to include better drainage and regularly cleaning storm drains (see #2)

5 - Get commuter rail going asap

6 - Clean and fix the bike paths and trails - my first reaction when I see a bike route sign is to go another direction - they are either on horrible roads for biking (Westpark?? NASA Rd 1??), or are poorly maintained to the point of danger to a bicyclist (Dallas, Commonwealth, pretty much any of them)

7 - When are the buildings by the bus station going to be fixed/torn down/or taken over by the city? How can 10-20 years go by with buildings in that condition?

1 - Interstate Highways are owned and operated by TxDOT. Maintanance of the interstates, including mowing of grass, planting of trees, and picking of litter is the responsibility of TxDOT, no matter how many times HAIF posters complain about the City.

2 - Residents and business owners are responsible for cleaning the gutters and ditches in front of their property. If the debris is too large, the City will clean it if the resident calls 311.

Sidewalks on Richmond will be repaved concurrent with the METRO University Line extension. To repave the sidewalks prior to the street reconstruction is a waste of valuable tax dollars. Other sidewalks are being installed on a painfully slow schedule, or concurrently with street reconstruction, or required with certain new construction (this is why some sidewalks 'dead end').

4 - Both the City and the County are spendings tens of millions of dollars annually in a comprehensive flood control system upgrade. In fact, the County has its own taxing mechanism for funding flood control. In spite of the fact that flood control falls largely to the County and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City has improved its flood control so much that it resulted in an upgrade in the City's flood insurance rating last year.

http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20080129.html

There is also a timely article about Houston flood control efforts in the Chronicle...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/6486933.html

5 - Harris County and METRO are already working on this. Houston has no obligation to provide transit for suburban residents.

6 - Agree that bike paths and trails are not maintained as well as they should be.

7 - As long as the buildings are not a danger to the public, there is little that any city can do to force destruction of a building, especially for aesthetic reasons. This is as it should be. Would you really want to be ordered to tear down your house because the City thought it was ugly?

[musicman]

LOL! My bad, I didn't realize I miss spelled it.

spell check this too. i have a joke on this one but think i'd be censored.

[REALaw]

Something should be done about Bagby St in Midtown immediately. The potholes and dips are verging on insanity. No more filling holes in...the entire street needs replacement.

[rsb320]

Something should be done about Bagby St in Midtown immediately. The potholes and dips are verging on insanity. No more filling holes in...the entire street needs replacement.

I totally agree. Why is every other north-south street of Midtown in good condition, except Bagby? Also, fix or replace that light at McGowan/Bagby. It's always getting out of synch, long cycling, stuck or blinking.

This is largely a residential street now. Don't they deserve better?

I noticed they were grinding down Bissonnet, near Ashby, prepping for new black top. This street was nowhere near the shape of Bagby. Do we have a double standard here?

[RocketSci]

1 - Interstate Highways are owned and operated by TxDOT. Maintanance of the interstates, including mowing of grass, planting of trees, and picking of litter is the responsibility of TxDOT, no matter how many times HAIF posters complain about the City.

OK, so then perhaps the City can work with TxDOT to improve the maintenance of interstates within the city limits. Are our government's required to throw up their hands (so to speak) and give up.

2 - Residents and business owners are responsible for cleaning the gutters and ditches in front of their property. If the debris is too large, the City will clean it if the resident calls 311.

So debris on a PUBLIC road shall be left indefinitely on PUBLIC property? If the owner's are responsible, then give them time to clean it, and if they don't bill them for the cleanup. With responsibility should come accountability.

3 - Sidewalks on Richmond will be repaved concurrent with the METRO University Line extension. To repave the sidewalks prior to the street reconstruction is a waste of valuable tax dollars. Other sidewalks are being installed on a painfully slow schedule, or concurrently with street reconstruction, or required with certain new construction (this is why some sidewalks 'dead end').

Great. So for 4 years there is essentially no sidewalk on a public road. So, then, why not apply the same logic to all road repairs - close a lane for a few years because it will eventually be replaced and repaved. What a waste of tax dollars fixing potholes, etc. Basically, I can't buy that excuse, especially as the cost per mile of sidewalk is relatively low compared to roadways, and the benefit to pedestrians, the handicapped, children, etc in safety and convenience is huge.

4 - Both the City and the County are spendings tens of millions of dollars annually in a comprehensive flood control system upgrade. In fact, the County has its own taxing mechanism for funding flood control. In spite of the fact that flood control falls largely to the County and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City has improved its flood control so much that it resulted in an upgrade in the City's flood insurance rating last year.

http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20080129.html

There is also a timely article about Houston flood control efforts in the Chronicle...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/6486933.html

I agree that flood control of the bayou system is improving, but I was referring more to localized street flooding due to poor local drainage and blocked storm drains.

5 - Harris County and METRO are already working on this. Houston has no obligation to provide transit for suburban residents.

Houston as a city will benefit thru increasing the density of its daytime population thru mass transit and decreasing the need to maintain its road and hiway infrastructure by reduced cars.

6 - Agree that bike paths and trails are not maintained as well as they should be.

7 - As long as the buildings are not a danger to the public, there is little that any city can do to force destruction of a building, especially for aesthetic reasons. This is as it should be. Would you really want to be ordered to tear down your house because the City thought it was ugly?

So, broken windows, access to transients, etc don't represent a danger to pedestrians, or the public? Are there no building codes? Fire hazards? We're not talking just ugly buildings, but vacant and abandoned buildings. Houston is not an isolated country village - why is it ok to leave a gutted burned out building as-is for months on end (I45 feeder just south of downtown)? Ugly I don't like, but I will deal with it, but really there oughta be a law that vacant properties require some level of security and maintenance.

[WAZ]

What should our next Mayor concentrate on?

Lots of things.

1: CRIME! We need better policing. A few things I wish they'd do:

`

[RedScare]

What should our next Mayor concentrate on?

Lots of things.

1: CRIME! We need better policing. A few things I wish they'd do:

`

I think even the Mayor's critics would agree that they are already doing those things.

[rsb320]

Rocksci

I'm not sure which burned building you are speaking of on I-45 S. There was a construction site down that way that was under construction recently. It caught on fire and people were killed. If it's that one, then it's probably due to investigations and insurance purposes.

I do agree that the city needs to find a way to force the hand of those owning the Savoy(s), Days Inn/Holiday and Central Bank. Red may be able to enlighten us on the legal ramifications, though.

[rsb320]

What should our next Mayor concentrate on?

Lots of things.

1: CRIME! We need better policing. A few things I wish they'd do:

`

It was reported today that homocides were down significantly. Theft was up, but we can chalk that up to the economy, it's a national trend.

[RocketSci]

Rocksci

I'm not sure which burned building you are speaking of on I-45 S. There was a construction site down that way that was under construction recently. It caught on fire and people were killed. If it's that one, then it's probably due to investigations and insurance purposes.

I do agree that the city needs to find a way to force the hand of those owning the Savoy(s), Days Inn/Holiday and Central Bank. Red may be able to enlighten us on the legal ramifications, though.

NPW Furniture and Supply at Pierce and Bastrop - burned and half collapsed for more than 6 months just before the southbound onramp to 45 - basically every visitor leaving downtown toward Hobby passes this building.

[WAZ]

What should our next Mayor concentrate on?

Lots of things. In order of importance (and I've put exclamation points after the most important ones.)

1: FIGHT CRIME! We need better policing. A few things I wish they'd do in HPD:

- If they can't afford the $12k signing bonuses, they should:

- Recruit experienced cops from other big cities by matching salaries, advertising Houston's low-cost of living and stronger-than-most economy, and offering job placement for officers spouses.

- Offer free rent in low-cost apartment complexes for young rookie cops.

- Establish 'micro-beats' that cover only one or two subdivisions - where cops and residents really get to know each other.

2: IMPROVE EDUCATION! We need to fix all the schools here in Houston.

- The Mayor needs to work with HISD and other districts to get them to improve. If the districts won't cooperate, he should play hardball (like New York mayor Bloomberg did).

- The Mayor should push for a big, alternative school for kids who cause trouble in mainstream schools, but aren't so criminal that they need to be in TYC lockup.

3: IMPROVE TRANSIT!

- The Mayor has to take the same approach with METRO and TXDoT that he takes with the schools. Work with them is the first option. If they won't cooperate, play hardball.

4: GO AFTER NUISANCE PROPERTIES and replace them.

- Unlicensed SOBs, "Pain Clinics", and Hot Sheet Motels don't serve this City. Parks do. It's time to crank up the legal department, fire up the bulldozers, and plant some trees!

- Houston also has a surplus of crimeridden slum apartments, and a shortage of safe, accessible housing for law abiding poor people. Our next Mayor needs to pull strings and get developers to replace slums with good low-cost housing. (To his credit, Bill White started to do this in his last term - but it took him 4 years to wake up to reality on it).

5: STREAMLINE CITY DEPARTMENTS AND ORDINANCES.

- There are at least half a dozen City departments that send inspectors out to buildings, for example. There should be just one.

- Our City code is frought with stupid laws like the one that required bicycles to be registered. They should all suffer the same fate as the bicycle ordinance.

6: ESTABLISH SENSITIVE GROWTH; NOT ZONING for the City of Houston.

- Listen more to neighborhoods. Require public hearings as part of the permit process for certain buildings. (I'd include any building that qualifies as a high-rise or has an H (Hazardous) occupancy under the Building Code).

[rsb320]

NPW Furniture and Supply at Pierce and Bastrop - burned and half collapsed for more than 6 months just before the southbound onramp to 45 - basically every visitor leaving downtown toward Hobby passes this building.

Well, they need to tear that !@# down. Not sure of the reason, but I'm sure legalities are a big part. Let's get moving on this.

I went by Gallery Furniture on I-45N this weekend. At least the burned warehouse is behind the showroom and is not affecting the aesthetics of the scenic North Frwy.

[WAZ]

I think even the Mayor's critics would agree that they are already doing those things.

Yes, I apologize. I managed to post prematurely.

[RedScare]

Yes, I apologize. I managed to post prematurely.

No worries. Just looking for a cheap laugh.

However, I think it is worth noting that many of the complaints of what "Houston" should be doing are not the fault of the actual City Of Houston, or are being addressed, albeit not as quickly as some would like. My point about the landscaping and perceived litter on the freeways is a prime example. No mayor in Houston's history has been as proactive toward pollution, litter and the environment as Bill White, yet some posters with a general anti-city or anti-government stance blame "Houston for not doing anything. The fact is, the trees that ARE being planted alongside the freeways are only there due to the City's pressuring of TxDOT to devote more time and money to beautification of the freeways. TxDOT literally changed their funding formula several years back to devote more money to freeway landscaping, because of the City of Houston's pressure. Yet, rather than get credit for this, most of the posts...indeed the entire point of this thread...is to blame the City of Houston and its mayor for not doing enough. Maybe it is not sexy to blame a state transportation agency that is going broke for this problem, but in fact, that broke state agency IS the problem. Same goes for mass transit and flood control.

And then there is the little things like litter on the streets and localized flooding. The City instituted the 311 system specifically for non-emergency situations such as these. Those, like me, who use 311 find it generally to be useful. Yet, it doesn't work if the residents do not call. Why should the mayor be blamed for large debris in the road, or a blocked drain when the residents are too damned lazy to pick up the phone and dial three lousy numbers? Seriously! My block has had the ditches cleaned out twice in the last 3 years due to residents calling 311 (it really didn't even need cleaning). It does work when residents call. A self-reliant populace can get great services at a good cost if they pick up the phone. But, expecting the City to hire dozens of extra employees to simply drive around looking for problems that the residents should be calling about is wasteful spending...and if a mayoral hopeful suggested doing so I would vote against them.

My city is not perfect. In the 10 years that I have lived inside the loop, the trash was missed maybe half a dozen times. But, every time they missed it, they sent someone to fix it when I called. I can live with that. I can also live with the fact that HPD is forced to deal with the results of its hiring practises of 20 years ago. When you double your force within a few years, and the full retirement date is 20 years later, you can expect a mass of retirements 20 years later. I do not blame Mayor White for Mayor Lanier's hiring practices. That's just the way it is. However, I do applaud the City for increasing the size of the force in spite of these issues.

[CDeb]

And then there is the little things like litter on the streets and localized flooding. The City instituted the 311 system specifically for non-emergency situations such as these. Those, like me, who use 311 find it generally to be useful. Yet, it doesn't work if the residents do not call. Why should the mayor be blamed for large debris in the road, or a blocked drain when the residents are too damned lazy to pick up the phone and dial three lousy numbers? Seriously! My block has had the ditches cleaned out twice in the last 3 years due to residents calling 311 (it really didn't even need cleaning). It does work when residents call. A self-reliant populace can get great services at a good cost if they pick up the phone.

As a city resident, do you think the COH does enough to promote it?

[RedScare]

As a city resident, do you think the COH does enough to promote it?

From the posts in this thread, you'd have to say no. On the other hand, I find that many of the City's most vocal critics do not even live in the City. It is a favorite pastime for them to take potshots at the City, its residents, and its government and service providers. Certainly, there are those residents who have an unrealistic view of what a city government should provide for the taxes it collects, but, by and large, I find most reasonable residents do not have an unfavorable view when talking of SPECIFIC services, and when speaking from an INFORMED point of view. And, certainly, the City has not always done a good job of running things, and there are areas where they could definitely improve.

As an example, here are some departments where I think the City does a bang up job...

Water & sewer. I have never had low water pressure, except for a few weeks when the City was replacing the 100 year old water lines in my neighborhood, and even then I always had enough pressure to shower. The water is always clean. I drink from the tap. And, I pay $14,97 a month for it in months where I am not watering the yard. Unbeatable.

Trash pickup. Always on time. Picks up regular trash, recycleables, yard trimmings and heavy trash. The drivers are friendly. I even had one get out of his truck to knock on my door and tell me that I was doing something wrong, so that I would not get skipped or receive a citation. People who smack talk municipal employees are repeating outdated stereotypes and should be kicked in the junk.

Fire and EMS. Dedicated, fast and professional. Enough said.

Departments that are adequate, but can improve...

Parks & Recreation

Police

Library

Public Works (other than traffic)

Some of their problems are budgetary, others are manpower related, and some are procedural, but whatever the reason, they could stand to improve.

Departments that my mother says not to say to say anything at all...

BARC

Traffic

Back to your our question, a public education campaign to let residents know what 311 can do would be a winner in 2 ways. It would make residents feel the City is more responsive to their needs, and it would allow the City to actually RESPOND to maintenance issues efficiently. Griping that an entire street should be replaced at a cost of several million dollars is one thing, but calling in that abandoned vehicle or tire, the drainage grate blocked by trash, the broken water main or the burned out street light is quite the other. Seriously, who is shirking his responsibility more, the city worker who is out repairing other broken water mains, and therefore does not have time to drive down your street and see your broken main, or the resident who drives by the broken main daily, but would rather gripe about "incompetent" municipal employees on an internet forum rather than dial 3 measly numbers on his cell phone and actually tell those municipal employees about it?

I certainly believe that this is a societal problem. There has been a 30 year shift in society's attitudes toward government in general, some of it brought on by government indifference, but much of it due to a steady drumbeat of government "being the problem". If residents believe that government is the problem, and worse, elects public officials who believe that government is the problem, then government cannot help but be the problem. I believe that Houston, more than any big city in Texas, has had better luck with public officials who run for office for the right reasons. I hope our luck continues.

[JLWM8609]

1 - Interstate Highways are owned and operated by TxDOT. Maintanance of the interstates, including mowing of grass, planting of trees, and picking of litter is the responsibility of TxDOT, no matter how many times HAIF posters complain about the City.

The City of Houston does a little maintenance along the TxDOT roadways. Sometimes they'll fill a pothole on the feeder. I've even witnessed COH crews changing out bulbs on the high mast lighting fixtures.

[foxmulder]

The City of Houston does a little maintenance along the TxDOT roadways. Sometimes they'll fill a pothole on the feeder. I've even witnessed COH crews changing out bulbs on the high mast lighting fixtures.

I emailed TXdot about some High mast lighting and was told the city "maintains" them. (TXDot/contracter installs them intially)

[WAZ]

From the posts in this thread, you'd have to say no. On the other hand, I find that many of the City's most vocal critics do not even live in the City. It is a favorite pastime for them to take potshots at the City, its residents, and its government and service providers. Certainly, there are those residents who have an unrealistic view of what a city government should provide for the taxes it collects, but, by and large, I find most reasonable residents do not have an unfavorable view when talking of SPECIFIC services, and when speaking from an INFORMED point of view. And, certainly, the City has not always done a good job of running things, and there are areas where they could definitely improve.

As an example, here are some departments where I think the City does a bang up job...

.....

I agree with you.

The City of Houston has great people. Most of the problems come up when people think the City is responsible for things its not.

But I'd like to add one thing to my suggestions from before.

We need a moratorium on the construction of subsidized apartments on open land. Any money we get for low-cost housing in Houston should be used to improve the low-cost housing we already have.

The idea came to me when I looked into the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. This State department gives grants to developers to build low cost housing. The trouble is, they never give money to renovate low-cost housing. It's only to build new, and always on open land. The approach might work in Austin or Dallas, but it misses the point in Houston. Our next mayor needs to DEMAND that they change it up for Houston.

[valdesp03]

The streets in downtown is killing my sports suspension....other than that no complaints

[N Judah]

There was once a plan to establish a network of man-made canals around Houston for purposes of flood control. Whatever happened to that? I think that should be on the top of the list, together with anything related to the Buffalo Bayou plan. The longer the city waits, the more expensive it will become.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

There was once a plan to establish a network of man-made canals around Houston for purposes of flood control. Whatever happened to that? I think that should be on the top of the list, together with anything related to the Buffalo Bayou plan. The longer the city waits, the more expensive it will become.

Something like this?

That's the existing network of Harris County flood control channels (doesn't include roadside ditches or storm sewers).

Harris County Flood Control District is responsible for over 2,500 miles of channels in Harris County...seems like there ain't much room for too many more!

[N Judah]

No, I'm talking about something else. It was supposed to be Amsterdam-like...with the goal being to increase property values around these canals and control floods also.