ricco67 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2915259 Nov. 23, 2004, 1:23AM Uprooted tree severs MetroRail power line By MIKE GLENN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Heavy rainstorms uprooted a tree at Hermann Park tonight, severing a MetroRail power line when the tree fell across the southbound tracks. Edited February 13 by editor Edited for copyright reasons. Do not copy and paste. Summarize and link. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Ha! I wondered what happened.I was downtown, and they kept making these garbled announcements about "an incident" and how shuttle buses would ferry people from the Wheeler Street station. Thought for sure we'd succeeded in winning the Nat'l title for most light rail accidents this year. Incidentally, wish they'd refine those announcements a bit - there were a bunch of people jabbering away in the background, and it really was difficult to make out what the announcer was saying. Too bad about the tree; they add so much to that area of town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hey everyone---Please excuse me if I am way off here:I have heard that certain areas of towns can be 'redlined' by mortgage lenders, meaning that the property can be considered too high risk to loan money for. Is this true? If so, does this apply to any areas of the East End of Houston? Many of these neighborhoods have such obvious potential. Though, I wonder if I would have better luck getting a loan for a property in the Heights?Anyone have a thought on this?Thanks,Danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rps324 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hey everyone---Please excuse me if I am way off here:I have heard that certain areas of towns can be 'redlined' by mortgage lenders, meaning that the property can be considered too high risk to loan money for. Is this true? If so, does this apply to any areas of the East End of Houston? Many of these neighborhoods have such obvious potential. Though, I wonder if I would have better luck getting a loan for a property in the Heights?Anyone have a thought on this?Thanks,Danny<{POST_SNAPBACK}>No, that is not true. The practice of "redlining" was outlawed years ago, I believe in 1968. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 No, that is not true. The practice of "redlining" was outlawed years ago, I believe in 1968. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Looks like I need to brush up on my history a bit... Thanks for the reply 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorAggie Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 yeah, redlining was outlawed as well as "blockbusting". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 In fact, in many parts of the east end, you can get BETTER mortgages because they are considered areas in need of investment. Even in my neighborhood of Idylwood, where some homes run into the upper 200's, Bank of America offers some sort of 0-down loan (they must get credit from the Fed gov't for this). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 In fact, in many parts of the east end, you can get BETTER mortgages because they are considered areas in need of investment. Even in my neighborhood of Idylwood, where some homes run into the upper 200's, Bank of America offers some sort of 0-down loan (they must get credit from the Fed gov't for this).<{POST_SNAPBACK}>There are tons of 0-down loans out there right now, for credit scores down to 570, which is not a real good score. The only issue you might have would be if you bought an old house and it needed some work to obvious things like roof, flooring, structural, that the appraiser would make note of, or if the house only had space heaters. In that case, the seller would probably have to install some kind of wall mounted whole-house heating system, at the least.I work in the mortgage business and have had that happen a couple of times. I also live on the East End. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to help, just P.M. me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Thanks to everyone for your replies!It is nice to see there is opportunity for a 1st time home buyer to live near downtown. I had started to lose hope after looking at prices for the Heights and Montrose areas... I am going to do a little exploring out in the car this Sunday. Any Eastside neighborhoods that are must-sees? I am definately checking out Idylwood, Forest Hill, and Pineview. Riverside Terrace had some amazing homes, but I haven't seen many for sale.Danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rps324 Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Thanks to everyone for your replies!It is nice to see there is opportunity for a 1st time home buyer to live near downtown. I had started to lose hope after looking at prices for the Heights and Montrose areas... I am going to do a little exploring out in the car this Sunday. Any Eastside neighborhoods that are must-sees? I am definately checking out Idylwood, Forest Hill, and Pineview. Riverside Terrace had some amazing homes, but I haven't seen many for sale.Danny<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Riverside has some incredible homes, but the prices can get up there. Idylwood and Houston Country Club Estates are two must see, along with Glenbrook Valley & Eastwood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Thanks to everyone for your replies!It is nice to see there is opportunity for a 1st time home buyer to live near downtown. I had started to lose hope after looking at prices for the Heights and Montrose areas... I am going to do a little exploring out in the car this Sunday. Any Eastside neighborhoods that are must-sees? I am definately checking out Idylwood, Forest Hill, and Pineview. Riverside Terrace had some amazing homes, but I haven't seen many for sale.Danny<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Mason Park Terrace has some cute houses in it, but is kinda ghetto. Eastwood Supplement also has some cute houses, but again, is kinda ghetto, although less ghetto than MPT. Anyways, welcome to the same boat I'm in. I want to live close in, but can't afford the west end unless I buy a condo, and that ain't gonna happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I know the inventory seems to be kinda low in Idylwood & Eastwood right now (mainly the homes that were on the market all winter), but spring always has a number of new homes show up on the market. If you don't see anything you like this weekend, just sit tight! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Thanks to everyone for your replies!It is nice to see there is opportunity for a 1st time home buyer to live near downtown. I had started to lose hope after looking at prices for the Heights and Montrose areas... I am going to do a little exploring out in the car this Sunday. Any Eastside neighborhoods that are must-sees? I am definately checking out Idylwood, Forest Hill, and Pineview. Riverside Terrace had some amazing homes, but I haven't seen many for sale.Danny<{POST_SNAPBACK}>You also might want to check out the Broadmoor area, which is near Lawndale and Telephone. They're mostly brick bungalows from the 20s & 30s from the $80s to 130s, I believe. The man that sort of started the Eastwood rehabbing in the 80s, Bill England, supposedly has bought some houses over there. It still looks a little ragged though right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rps324 Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 You also might want to check out the Broadmoor area, which is near Lawndale and Telephone. They're mostly brick bungalows from the 20s & 30s from the $80s to 130s, I believe. The man that sort of started the Eastwood rehabbing in the 80s, Bill England, supposedly has bought some houses over there. It still looks a little ragged though right now.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I got an e-mail from him about the Glenbrook Valley web site. I saw one of the houses he redid in Eastwood received a good brick award from GHPA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I got an e-mail from him about the Glenbrook Valley web site. I saw one of the houses he redid in Eastwood received a good brick award from GHPA.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Cool. There's potentially a great organization if all of the old house people could get together. I still haven't made it to the Eastwood Home tour yet but I've heard some first hand accounts of the beautiful work that he and his partner have done and inspired many others to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rps324 Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 There are some great bargains still in the East end. I know there are one or two in Idylwood that can be bought right now for under $150,000. There are two on North Dover( a good block) in Glenbrook that are 2500 sf range that can also be bought for under $150k.Idylwood:6621 Fairfield $149,9006602 Meadowlawn $149,000Houston Country Club Estates1019 Villa De Matel $139,9006503 Pinehurst $149,0006402 Jefferson $155,000Glenbrook Valley8110 Dover $149,9008224 Dover $149,9007742 Morley $137,500 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 For anyone who says that there has been NO development on the Main St/Fannin line, then they obviously NEVER went in that vicinity before the rail. Here's a list of things, off of the top of my head, that have been built or are planned for the Redline area...1) New UH Downtown classroom for Criminal Justice2) Hotel Icon3) Main St Square4) Commerce Towers5) Humble Tower Apartments6) Kirby bldg condo conversion7) Marriott Courtyard8) Residence Inn by Marriott9) McKinney Garage with ground floor retail10) Catholic Diocese Hdqts11) Metro Hdqts with transit center12) Citiplace Apartments by farb13) T'afia14) Byrd's Lofts15) Hotel ZaZa15) 1000 Main/Reliant Energy Plaza16) Laidback Manor17) Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza18) Texas Woman's University Health Science Center19) TMC Transit Center development by Transwestern20) Heart and Vascular Institute21) Texas Children's Nureoscience Center22) Texas Children's Maternity Care Tower23) Museum Tower Apartments24) American Apparel25) Inman Gallery at Isabella Courts26) Calais at Courtlandt Square Apartments27) Ventanna Apartments by Farb28) Toyota Center29) Hilton Americas HotelStop lying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 I tried looking for a thread to resurrect that was relavent, but couldn't find one.On KTRK, I heard a report something about light rail construction is slated to start next year. Is this a done deal? I was in the next room during the report so I didn't hear the whole thing and I can't find anything online about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I've seen statements from Metro recently that indicated that the Southeast, North, and Uptown lines would begin construction in July, 2007. So it would be reasonable to assume that the short extension of the light rail to the planned intermodal transit facility north of downtown would begin around the same time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Digging deeper into a 100-page study the Texas Medical Center released Wednesday was one revelation of particular concern; an indication METRO might be withholding data. The report reveals new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I'm glad someone started this thread this morning, because I had a few questions concerning the current.What is "stray current"? Does it affect buildings/foundations? Does it affect people (shocks, cause cancer, etc..)? Will all this "stray current" affect the progess of the future light-rail routes?LAYMAN'S ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE! (That goes for you too Niche!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 (edited) I'm glad someone started this thread this morning, because I had a few questions concerning the current.What is "stray current"? Does it affect buildings/foundations? Does it affect people (shocks, cause cancer, etc..)? Will all this "stray current" affect the progess of the future light-rail routes?LAYMAN'S ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE! (That goes for you too Niche!)basically when you have a circuit, there is an intended path that the current should follow. it should go out he hot lead and come back the neutral one....basically it is going out the hot lead but it is not all returning and is seeping into other conductors. it can induce shocks in buildings an explanation by METRO would help in this instance, but if it goes unexplained and gets bad publicity you never know how it could affect future routes.disconnect the neutral at your house then suddenly your ground becomes hot. it will affect anything attached to the ground and can result in a shock.In the hospital setting with sensitive equipment, the consequences could be major which is probably why TMC spent 100k on this study. Edited July 14, 2007 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 If they could find a way to harness the stray current, they could lower their power bill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 I'm glad someone started this thread this morning, because I had a few questions concerning the current.What is "stray current"? Does it affect buildings/foundations? Does it affect people (shocks, cause cancer, etc..)? Will all this "stray current" affect the progess of the future light-rail routes?LAYMAN'S ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE! (That goes for you too Niche!)Well, stray electricity is common for most electric powered rail systems. While New York has some of the worst of it in the nation (it's been documented that DOGS have been fried stepping on manhole covers), Houston's relatively minor, HOWEVER, depending on where the current is straying to, it CAN corrode metal (Rebar, plumbing) and cause some damage for extended periods of time. "extended periods of time" can mean several YEARS. Houston's (and the residents) aren't quite used to it, so they're not understanding completely what it's about and probably exaggerating the danger (which is what media has a tendency to do). But as long as they're on top of it, very little damage should occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) Great thread, I heard about this the other day and it got me to thinking about the mistake of grounding things to your water pipe. Edited July 15, 2007 by Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Great thread, I heard about this the other day and it got me to thinking about the mistake of grounding things to your water pipe.it sure would redefine the phrase "hot water" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Well, stray electricity is common for most electric powered rail systems. While New York has some of the worst of it in the nation (it's been documented that DOGS have been fried stepping on manhole covers), Houston's relatively minor, HOWEVER, depending on where the current is straying to, it CAN corrode metal (Rebar, plumbing) and cause some damage for extended periods of time. "extended periods of time" can mean several YEARS. Houston's (and the residents) aren't quite used to it, so they're not understanding completely what it's about and probably exaggerating the danger (which is what media has a tendency to do). But as long as they're on top of it, very little damage should occur.It doesn't have to be rail systems leaking, either. There were some reports on TV a few months ago about dogs being zapped on wet manhole covers in Chicago's Grant Park by stray current from nearby light poles. I believe one dog died and several others were hurt. The city's response was something along the lines of shrugging its shoulders and telling people not to let their pets wee on the manhole covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 It doesn't have to be rail systems leaking, either. There were some reports on TV a few months ago about dogs being zapped on wet manhole covers in Chicago's Grant Park by stray current from nearby light poles. I believe one dog died and several others were hurt. The city's response was something along the lines of shrugging its shoulders and telling people not to let their pets wee on the manhole covers.I heard about that several years ago,but forgot all about that.The article in the chronicle mentions where it's not leaking and their conclusions as to why it's not. Seems that the ballast in the south station keeps water from pooling in those areas and they plan on using ballast on the U-Line. My problem with this is that you can expect kids/vandals/morons to get the rocks and use them for other purposes, or have them wind up on the street proper. I'm just wondering why they can't do a slight design change that would get the water away? Personally, I think think the whole "blame it on the rain" thing is overblown. While we do get a fair amount of rain, it doesn't rain every bleedin' day. Just keep the current from straying into pipes and manhole covers to keep our structures and fido safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDeb Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 It doesn't have to be rail systems leaking, either. There were some reports on TV a few months ago about dogs being zapped on wet manhole covers in Chicago's Grant Park by stray current from nearby light poles. I believe one dog died and several others were hurt. The city's response was something along the lines of shrugging its shoulders and telling people not to let their pets wee on the manhole covers. This is the reason why junction box covers that you see in the sidewalk for traffic signals and street lighting are made from a non-metallic material. Of course, there are some older metal ones out there and while they are most likely safe, I wouldn't step on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Metro's been sending out alerts all night. Things are back to normal now, but here's what happened:METRO CONTINUES METRORAIL REPAIRSMETRO is continuing to make repairs to METRORail overhead power lines knocked down by a trash hauler earlier today.For the remainder of Friday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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