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It is sad, isn't it? Maybe we need to subscribe to the DMN to hear about breaking news in Houston. Is it oversight, ignorance or deliberate refusal to print this story? Didn't think it was a big enough story, don't know about any story yet, or was the Houston Chronicle asked not to report on Hyatt story, which is it?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston Hyatt is in foreclosure Posting may be factor in Dallas' debate over convention facility 09:36 PM CST on Thursday, February 17, 2005 By BRUCE NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News HOUSTON

Tilman makes the business news section! Tilman makes the front page news, above the fold! Tilman again in the business news, this time in Spanish! better story than the one about Tilman adding to his personal wealth machine! much better story than one more about the Chronicle patting Tilman on the back! One story that didn't even get much of a mention at all in the Chronicle, but deserved more! Spring resident Lance Cpl. Fred Lee Maciel who was buried Thursday didn't get much attention from the Chronicle for some reason. But, as the funeral procession went along Aldine-Westfield to the cemetery for burial, the motorcade passed along a route that includes a fire station, and the firefighters were standing alongside the curb with their hands over their hearts. Businesses up and down the route must have been alerted somehow of the procession too, because businessmen and women and office workers came outside to also stand along the curb with their hands over their hearts. Road crew workers in Precinct 4 pulled their trucks off both sides of the roads and stood with their hands over their hearts. Children came out and waved at the cars in the motorcade. The only out-of-place jarringly noticeable oddity was that the flags at the Commissioner Eversole's district office (along the route and less than 2 blocks from the cemetery) were at full mast, not half-mast like all the other flags passed by that day. When a call was made to the Commissioner Eversole's office later to ask why the Commissioner Eversole was not only missing from the funeral ceremony, but why the flags were not at half-mast, their only response was, "Did he (Lance Corporal Fred Lee Maciel) work for us?"

Gov, one thing that keeps coming up, and you just reminded me of it again is that the Grand Parkway, Segment F-2, was mandated by the Texas Legislature years ago to be considered as a portion of the National I-69 Highway, or NAFTA Superhighway. Although, much has changed since Perry took office and came up with his visionary Trans-Texas Corridor plan, this does not mean that the Grand Parkway, Segment F-2, has been removed from those plans. Perry asked that the I-69 group consider themselves part and parcel of the Trans-Texas Corridor project, and even though the I-69 project is still just in its' "scoping process", the Grand Parkway is still to this day, being looked at as an alternative route. Either as a "only passenger cars allowed" route part of the TTC, or as a "only heavy tractor-trailer trucks allowed" route part of the TTC. The City of Houston is actually in favor of the 18-wheeler only usage of the Grand Parkway if it will eliminate that kind of traffic from the Central Business District of Houston. So, before we can even begin to "fight for the details", as you say, we still have to deal with the big picture, which we continue to do to this day.

Yes, definitely, keeping those lines of communication open is a must. And that's just what we have been doing for the last 3 or 4 years with this project. When I call the Grand Parkway Association or anyone at TxDOT, they do take my calls right away and try to answer my questions. However, no one could have predicted what happened last Tuesday at Commissioner's Court. No one at the Grand Parkway Association even knew about Agenda Item #2. For those of you who do not know what that is, you will never will either, because the transcripts for the Harris County Commissioner's Court are not recorded online, unlike TxDOT. Last Tuesday, seemingly out of the blue but really behind a lot of closed doors, the Harris County Commissioner's Court decided to spend $6 Million Dollars on a schematic for Segments F-1, F-2 and G, a blueprint of where they would like to see the tollway built, in effect leap-frogging over the efforts of the Grand Parkway Association. When Commissioner Jerry Eversole was told of the map with the HCTRA, TXDOT and GPA symbols on it dated January 2005, he said in open court that he had never seen it (the project is within his precinct boundaries), and yet he voted to spend $6 Million Dollars without even seeing the map with only one route marked on it. Commissioner Eversole and Senator Lindsay have refused for over 3 years now to even meet with interested homeowners/residents. Senator Lindsay (also president of the North Houston Association) likes to hold closed door meetings with developers only. No one at the Grand Parkway Association has been contacted since the vote to spend $6 Million Dollars on their project. What worries us most of all is that HCTRA seems to be trying to "fast-track" this project. We have yet to see the Traffic Studies that were completed last April that will or won't prove the viability of the Grand Parkway tollroad. We want to know why HCTRA is going around what the Grand Parkway Association is trying to accomplish with their Supplemental EIS, especially since the GPA is now actively studying routes that go into the Southern Montgomery County area. We do have meetings scheduled with some representatives of HCTRA coming up very soon, and have decided to no longer pursue talking with Eversole since his comment to the Houston Chronicle last week that the "road will be built, and if it means my defeat, then it means my defeat." I'm guessing this means he is not seeking re-election. We will continue to keep those lines of communication open that we do have available to us, and as always appreciate any insights or feedback or suggestions that all you informed, tuned-in HAIF members offer to us.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: FM 1960/Spring/Klein News Coalition dealt blow in parkway battle Save Our Spring tries to regroup after county pushes project By KIM JACKSON, 02/02/05, Houston Chronicle GRAND PARKWAY'S SPRING ROUTE

Gov, I already figured that's what you meant. But, thanks anyway!

I sure hope this is true, we meet with Judge Eckels next week!

The above statement was made by Ric Williamson at the TxDOT TTC meeting in Austin on 11/18/0504. All we've ever wanted is when Ric is considering the needs of the unknown future population, that he never forget about the needs of the people who already live here.

The Grand Parkway is still being considered, to this day, as a potential route for not only I-69 but part of the Trans-Texas Corridor. The width of the I-69 project is 1200', Trans-Texas is a quarter-mile wide. In the transcripted minutes for the November 18th, 2004 meeting of the TTC (that's the Texas Transportation Commission of the Texas Department of Transportation or TxDOT), Commission Chair Ric Williamson said that the Grand Parkway Association needs to make sure that we look bigger, not smaller on the Alignment, in preparation for the 6 million Texans coming. Especially interesting are the comments agreeing with our assertions by the Executive Director of the Grand Parkway Association, David Gornet. Read it and understand. BTW, there really IS a big difference between widening the current roads (which is happening right now) and creating a brand-new roadway, OF ANY SIZE! Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

Although you know that I probably do not agree with just about everything you say, please know that I do appreciate your comments as they only spur me on to work even harder to stop the Grand Parkway; thanks again and have a great weekend! (BTW, Ric Williamson is one scary looking old dude in person!)

The contracts awarded this week ($6 Million Dollars of Harris County Tax-Payer Money) to Kellogg, Brown & Root (a division of Halliburton) are for schematics to be drawn up to show a viable route (Alignment E of Segment F-2) that the Harris County Toll Road Authority could take to "fast-track" this project. Gary Trietsch of the Houston division of TxDOT has admitted that the expenditure of funds here could prove wasteful and redundant as the Grand Parkway Association is still continuing their environmental impact studies and as a matter of fact, the GPA did not even know of the agenda item on the Harris County Commissioner's Court. Alignment E, by the way for those who do not know, is not the Preferred Recommended Alignment by the Grand Parkway Association or TxDOT. One interesting item that you may or may not know is that when the Grand Parkway was first conceived, it was supposed to built with donated properties from interested landowners and no taxpayer funds. Now, that has all changed, no one is donating land for this project, and your Harris County tax dollars are the only source of money for this project, not only to purchase the property from landowners and developers but to pay for all the other costs associated with building the Grand Parkway. No, at the last Public Hearing, the Grand Parkway Association had to admit that it may be a tolled road (now a certainty) and that it may be 400', 600, 800' or more wide. Michael Baker, the prime who prepared the Grand Parkway Corridor Study for Segments E, F1, F2, and G of the Grand Parkway says that the project scope included the development of topographic mapping for a 1200-foot width for the entire length of the preferred alignment. No plan has ever been made to make this anything other than what it is; a highway for 18-wheelers to use to avoid the CBD of downtown Houston. As we discussed in the first two Public Hearings, if the documents will not admit that there may be potential impacts from this road, as far as pollution, flooding, noise, whatever, then these impacts do not have to be mitigated. Please visit our website at; United to Save Our Spring

Sorry if we aggravate you, we get that a lot from engineers, too. We have been working with all the agencies involved, but so far have not come up with any good compromises. Sorry again for the aggravation.... The CONCEPT of this facility was conceived over thirty years ago by Mayor Bob Lanier and his highway cronies. Even Mayor Bob has done a 360 on his position regarding the Grand Parkway, and yes, maybe thirty years ago it might have been a good decision, but not now, thirty years too late. Also, I don't know if you know this about the project, so I apologize in advance if I'm repeating something I'm sure you already know about the Grand Parkway, but the original plan had the entire project running up and down Spring Cypress. Did you know that? Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

We've done all this and we've done it for five years now. Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

At the meeting held recently in the offices of Jones & Carter in the Woodlands, several developers in the Spring area were invited to attend by Senator Jon Lindsay. None of them knew where the road was going, neither did Lindsay. In the Spring area, no one yet knows where it will go. Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

This would the Woodlands Development Corporation. Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

The money is already being spent widening the current roads. And, there is a big difference between widening the current roads and putting in a 1200-1500' wide new path or river of concrete through a semi-rural area. Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

27, Please visit our website at: United to Save Our Spring

Actually, there were no maps shown or used before the vote was taken and approved for $6 MILLION DOLLARS. This map that you are now referring to seems to be without an author. Art Storey, Mike Strech, Jerry Eversole all clammed up when asked who came up with the map. The Grand Parkway Association claims to have never seen it, even though their symbols were clearly on it. So, we don't know who came up with it. But, since it was a recent aerial and very well-done, I'm guessing the guy who WASN'T in attendance today and has been enjoying some private meetings with developers in this area (that would be Senator Jon Lindsay) is the co-author of the map. As to where it extends eastward, since no one will even claim knowledge of the map, even with HCTRA, GPA and TxDOT symbols on it, who knows? Maybe we'll find out more at the TxDOT meeting to be held this Thursday in Houston near the Galleria.

I'm sorry, Sooner, but did you mean to say "Universal STUDIOS"? JK......

Jerry EversoleOh, don't we all wish it would be that EASY to get rid of you, Jerry!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spring residents fail to block Grand Parkway By BILL MURPHY, Houston Chronicle Despite pleas from a group of Spring residents who oppose the road, Commissioners Court gave the Harris County Toll Road Authority permission today to spend $5.6 million to plot out a 52-mile section of the Grand Parkway in north Houston. The county has yet to commit to building the section of the Grand Parkway, a 182-mile super loop around Houston that has been planned for decades. The Texas Department of Transportation will make final decisions on expansion of the Grand Parkway, and the county would need TxDot's approval before it could build the section. The Spring residents say one proposed route for the toll road would divide subdivisions in their town, cut across a high school baseball field and provide no relief to congestion on local roads. "The more I know, the less I like," said Connie O'Donnell, a member of United to Save Our Spring. "I think it is and always has been a developer's dream of a highway." Commissioner Jerry Eversole, whose Precinct 4 includes Spring and most of the other areas where the section would be built, said the road is needed to provide solutions to the area's current and future traffic needs. "It still goes back to I think it's the right thing to do. It has nothing to do with selling homes or building shopping centers," Eversole said. "The solution will be to build the road, to take the consequences and, if it means my defeat, then it means my defeat." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (In other words, to hell with what my constituents want, I'll do as I damn well please, and they'll just have to learn to live with what I've done to them!) HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Front page This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3008546

And this would be a good thing because.... Ahead of what? Their opportunity to "get this laid down" passed by 30 years ago. Yeah, those pesky Spring residents. Why don't they just let the politicians determine what is in their best interests? They DO know best, don't they? Actually, every segment of this has been protested. You're just noticing this one because it's happening now, and we get really good media coverage!

sprawl...will...come...either...way...