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ENGcons

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  1. ENGcons
    I'll spend two cents here. I live in Klein and have some really close ties to the school district here and fel that some are taking their positions seriously and some are not. And the feedback I hear about Klein's Super is he is not earning his money. In fact I feel that way about some, but not all on the school board as well. There is a severe leadership problem with the klein district and it is really going to come to light when this zoning issue passes with all the grumbling from residents but the board will pass what ever Tom Ricker, (who is not qualified for the current position he holds imo) puts in front of them because few will take the effort to actually make their own assesment. But is start with Jim Cain. It is truly pathetic and come voting time I hope people in the district take a hard look at who their representation is and how they are utilizing their tax dollars.
  2. ENGcons
    All I know is that I was told that Construction would likely begin in 5 years on the next Klein HS with 2 years of construction.
  3. ENGcons
    Ok I got the skinny form the source. there will be an intermediate built as well. Estimated completion of he new buildings is 7 years from now. Also the plan is to have Cutten Road come all the way through to Spring Cypress to alleviate some traffic issues.
  4. ENGcons
    My understanding is that this is only a High School, not including an Intermediate. If it does have an Intermediate it would be great and it would solve the dilema right now with the new zones splitting Gleannloch between Doerre and Krimmel. And then some Doerre kids going to Klein, and other to Klein Oak. KISD has a littel mess going on with these zones and needs to patch it up. As it sits right now I am really not happy about hte new zoning for Frank, Hassler, and Doerre, Krimmel. all that being said I am looking forward to the new HS, and hope those of us getting the short end of the stick on Hassler don't get it again on the new HS.
  5. ENGcons
    Actually HS #5 which is a couple years away from starting will be on a piece of land around 68 acres along Spring Cypress just East of 249. It will not have a new Intermediate, or Elementary on the property. The deal was just finalized. Redistricting will show that this school will affect directly areas that attend Klein Oak and Klein. HS #6 is planned but too far out to discuss.
  6. ENGcons
    mr football I couldn't agree more. I graduated from Klein Forest in 1990 and it is not even close to the same school it was back then. I had friends at Cy Creek, and dated a girl that was at Westfield and i can see how far these schools have slid. It is very dissapointing to see what used to be a great schools go downhill so fast. Unfortunatly I think the downhill slide all these schools are facing is a irreversible trend.
  7. ENGcons
    I will be there. I am leaning towards Jim Smith. He has lived in Klein for a long time, kids went to Klein schools, and has had a vested interest in the district for a long time. The other guy, who's name is escaping me has only lived in the district for about 8 years, and has no kids. So I am not quite sure I understand his motivation for running. It will be sad to see Rick Mann leave the board, and he will be tough to replace. I know Rick and went to school with his kids. I believe Rick and some other board members are supporting Jim in this election.
  8. ENGcons
    pineda, the school board election is coming up in Klein. Just curious, are you going to the debate at Klein on May 4 I believe, and who are you leaning towards, if you don't mind me asking.
  9. ENGcons
    My understanding that Northgate and Olde Oaks wanting out of Spring goes like this. Those neighborhoods are forcing the SISD Boards hand by doing their best to vote down any School Bonds that are up for election. Basically trying to get kicked out. In the meantime they have petitioned Klein for annexation, and it has been discussed by the board behind closed doors, reults of those discussions are something I am not privy to. Anyhow, Klein really has nothing much to gain from annexing these neighborhoods since the tax base is all residential. So I have no idea which way they will go. It is a process that will not be easy, and I can't believe that SISD would willingly give away that area without getting something in return. Perhaps Klein can trade SIS those areas, and give them Klein Forest, or the south sliver of the district in return? Yeah, in their dreams. Another funny thought would be if Klein took in Northgate, and Olde Oaks, then zoned them to go to Klein Forest. Grass isn't always greener.
  10. ENGcons
    Wow, this along with a brand new huge Carnival ship coming in 2007, plus the huge Princess ship already there this terminal is gong to be crowded. Looks like Galveston needs to expand some more.
  11. ENGcons
    Pipe Dream IMO.
  12. ENGcons
    If this goes through it will be a great asset to the area which I live in. I am curious how they will thread the needle between Champions Golf Course and Raveneaux Golf Course at Champions Forest. It is a pretty tight squeeze through there. Also, Cy Creek gets pretty dang high when a good rain comes along, will there also be drainage improvements as well?
  13. ENGcons
    Nobody knows what will have to change yet, it is way to early to tell. And the feature on top is not an eagle, it is a pegasus according to the original drawings. If this drawing moves forward it will be modified drastically. The Orion people came back with a 20% reduction in budget. That is a big chunk of money, so I think the building, if built will look nothing like the original intention.
  14. ENGcons
    Spoke with my friend who is involved in this project still and last time we talked which was a while back his opinion was that the project was dead. However the Orion people have come back to the table to talk about starting up again. The only catch is that they have less money than original planned and the budget as of right now is much smaller. If built, the building will not be as elaborate as once thought. My guess is that the building will have to go through an rather large redesign to get rid of some of the architectural features tht are driving up the costs. We will see. On a side note the question about the work going on right now is the completion of the utility lines being installed and the prep work for the building foundation. Ths was put under contract in order to get started while the building itself was getting the problems with the design worked out.
  15. ENGcons
    Well, since your curious about the turnaround I will just say this project is on life support as it is, and I just point blanked asked him if it was dead or not, he said he thinks so. The problem is that it is difficult for a contractor to walk away from a potential $200 million project. Especially if they have already mobilized on the site, done some utility work for it, and not to mention the countless hours getting this deal together with the owner.
  16. ENGcons
    I lived at post in midtown when I first came back to houston 4 years ago and the bus station is the only thing there that is hurting additional redevelopment. Moving the bus station to the northside is the logical thing to do becasue of the easier access to the freeways that travel north, east. I however don't see this happening due to the efforts to rebuild the east side, or north side of the downtown area. The last thing those people want is the bad element the bus station brings with it. There is no real area that will want a bus station next to it in the downtown area because all areas of that part of houston are undergoing some type of redevelopment. I am afraid midtown is stuck with it for a while.
  17. ENGcons
    Another update from my buddy. In his opinion this project is dead. They are anticipating the revised design in January, but the outlook is not good. If this project is ever to be built they will have to probably find a new Contractor, and start over from scratch. Shame, damn nice buildings, but I am glad I resigned.
  18. ENGcons
    Uh not quite. I used to be on the project team for this project myself until I resigned and went elsewhere. My friend heads up the Project team.
  19. ENGcons
    I have a friend who is very involved with this Project.
  20. ENGcons
    Orion is currently on hold due to some of the 5000 sf units being split to make more 2500 sf units. However, the owners want to have a good number of 5000 sf units for sale so they are adding 3 floors to the building making it 40 stories total. The redesign will hopefully be complete in January.
  21. ENGcons
    "In the intervening months, construction costs have gotten away from them which will push the cost of even the newly designed smaller units up. " How do you know about the Construction budget? Also there was no interview process for these buildings for a contractor. The budget was presented to Orion for tower one, and the clubhouse over a year ago. There was no sticker shock then.
  22. ENGcons
    Oh, this project is definatly moving forward, there is to much already invested by the owners to get out. The deposit returns alone for the future condo owners would kill any development company. It is just not moving at the quickest pace possible. These condos start at $1.2 million with no finishes, and only go up from there. A deposit is required to secure a spot, $120,000 I believe. If you ever get the opportunity to take a look at the model condo over at the sales office I highly recommend it. Mind you, the model is not even the high end pad, and It is like a Rock Star house.
  23. ENGcons
    Here is Manhattan's website. http://www.manhattanconstruction.com/index2.cfm They are one of the largest firms in Houston, and top 50 according to ENR. They were slated to be the GC for Orion from the get go. Manhattan resume includes: Reliant Stadium Hermann Hospital additions St Lukes Proffessional Tower IAH multiple Projects Criminal Justie Building Downtown Baker Street Jail La Berge Dulac Casino in Lake Charles Bayou Place They are a big time Contractor not only in Houston, but in the United States. Their next big thing is the new Cowboys Stadium, which was set in motion a long time ago.
  24. ENGcons
    If you want an update on Orion I can give it. It is still in the works but on hold. This project has been faced with many difficulties since it began. Manhattan is to be the General Contractor on it. Currently the project is only under contract for the Foundation portion, the plans were not sufficient to meet ode but the owners wanted to get started. Manhattan is owed over $1 million fromthe owners and has decided to stop work after the Utility work goes in until they are paid. The original plan was one tower goes up, and the second 6 months after. Tower one last I heard was about 50% sold, and is probably more by now. This project has changed both owners, and architects. Having seen the plans myself I can understand why the original achitect was let go. Anyhow, the project is budgeted, and Manhattan is just waiting to pull the trigger, the owners are just having financial issues at the moment.
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