Elvis
09-04-2007, 10:44 AM
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=investigative&id=5624902
Warning the Astrodome may soon be too dangerous to go inside
KTRK By Wayne Dolcefino
(8/31/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - The county judge warns the aging Houston Astrodome may soon become too dangerous for people to even go inside.
What do you do about an important piece of Houston history? Do you tear it down? The Eighth Wonder of the World has now become a legacy of how not to pay for a sports stadium. Long after the Oilers left and seven seasons after the Astros stopped playing here it sits.
When we went to the dome this week, it was warm inside and didn't smell too pretty. It's home to a few offices but the floor of the Dome floor is now just concrete.
"The dome is old and it's falling apart," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. "It's time as they say to fish or cut bait."
"Now we've got a situation where we have what was the Eighth Wonder of the World sitting there effectively unoccupied," said Harris Co Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt.
And you are still paying. They are numbers many public officials probably had a hard time figuring out themselves. You still owe $38 million on the Astrodome. It's property tax money and every year it's costing millions just to keep it operating. In the last five years it cost $18 million. The tax assessor calls it a money hole.
"We've got to decide what to do with the domed stadium," said Emmett. "It's time to put up or shut up frankly."
Hurricanes have nearly doubled insurance on the dome. The bill has been $894,000 just this year. And you think your utility bills are high? Look at this. The bill was $1.1 million. Operating expenses this year alone were $2.75 million.
The biggest money maker at the Dome is The Hideout. That's the bar the Rodeo operates on the floor of the Dome. We get no money for that. The rest of the year the Dome was used just 13 days, making just $100,000.
"Frankly we can't let people use it much longer, it will become a dangerous place," Emmett said.
"The question we have to decide is if we can't find something for the Dome to become, then they have to think seriously about tearing it down," said Bettencourt.
But tearing down an important piece of Houston history will be a tough and controversial decision.
"As a native Houstonian, that's a sad day," said Bettencourt.
Property tax money doesn't finance stadiums anymore. Cities have turned to hotel, motel and rental car taxes to help finance the debt. The theory is visitors are paying most of the freight, not the locals.
"Everyone is paying everyone else's taxes all across the nation from New York to LA and we are indebted for two generations," Bettencourt said.
We now have stadiums for baseball, football and basketball, but do we know the full price tag?
"You had billionaire type owners holding public entities hostage in negotiations because they wanted more and more," Bettencourt said.
"Our job is to protect the taxpayers," Emmett said. "Only if the case is made that this benefits the taxpayers should we be doing it."
The sports authority pays $75,000 a year to rent space in a downtown office building. The landlord can't get one of its tenants to provide office space in buildings you paid for.
They have approached us several times over the years," said Astros owner Drayton McClane. "We have a limited amount of office space here and we are reluctant to give up office space and need the space in future years. Union Station is just so big."
The sports authority board had its last meeting there in August. We looked around and conference rooms throughout the building were empty.
By the way, until recently the sports authority even had to pay $500 of your money just to rent a conference room in a building you bought.
We're going to stay on top of the Dome debate and the fallout from our sports authority investigation, because it's your money. Last year alone $38 million in hotel motel rent car taxes.
Warning the Astrodome may soon be too dangerous to go inside
KTRK By Wayne Dolcefino
(8/31/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - The county judge warns the aging Houston Astrodome may soon become too dangerous for people to even go inside.
What do you do about an important piece of Houston history? Do you tear it down? The Eighth Wonder of the World has now become a legacy of how not to pay for a sports stadium. Long after the Oilers left and seven seasons after the Astros stopped playing here it sits.
When we went to the dome this week, it was warm inside and didn't smell too pretty. It's home to a few offices but the floor of the Dome floor is now just concrete.
"The dome is old and it's falling apart," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. "It's time as they say to fish or cut bait."
"Now we've got a situation where we have what was the Eighth Wonder of the World sitting there effectively unoccupied," said Harris Co Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt.
And you are still paying. They are numbers many public officials probably had a hard time figuring out themselves. You still owe $38 million on the Astrodome. It's property tax money and every year it's costing millions just to keep it operating. In the last five years it cost $18 million. The tax assessor calls it a money hole.
"We've got to decide what to do with the domed stadium," said Emmett. "It's time to put up or shut up frankly."
Hurricanes have nearly doubled insurance on the dome. The bill has been $894,000 just this year. And you think your utility bills are high? Look at this. The bill was $1.1 million. Operating expenses this year alone were $2.75 million.
The biggest money maker at the Dome is The Hideout. That's the bar the Rodeo operates on the floor of the Dome. We get no money for that. The rest of the year the Dome was used just 13 days, making just $100,000.
"Frankly we can't let people use it much longer, it will become a dangerous place," Emmett said.
"The question we have to decide is if we can't find something for the Dome to become, then they have to think seriously about tearing it down," said Bettencourt.
But tearing down an important piece of Houston history will be a tough and controversial decision.
"As a native Houstonian, that's a sad day," said Bettencourt.
Property tax money doesn't finance stadiums anymore. Cities have turned to hotel, motel and rental car taxes to help finance the debt. The theory is visitors are paying most of the freight, not the locals.
"Everyone is paying everyone else's taxes all across the nation from New York to LA and we are indebted for two generations," Bettencourt said.
We now have stadiums for baseball, football and basketball, but do we know the full price tag?
"You had billionaire type owners holding public entities hostage in negotiations because they wanted more and more," Bettencourt said.
"Our job is to protect the taxpayers," Emmett said. "Only if the case is made that this benefits the taxpayers should we be doing it."
The sports authority pays $75,000 a year to rent space in a downtown office building. The landlord can't get one of its tenants to provide office space in buildings you paid for.
They have approached us several times over the years," said Astros owner Drayton McClane. "We have a limited amount of office space here and we are reluctant to give up office space and need the space in future years. Union Station is just so big."
The sports authority board had its last meeting there in August. We looked around and conference rooms throughout the building were empty.
By the way, until recently the sports authority even had to pay $500 of your money just to rent a conference room in a building you bought.
We're going to stay on top of the Dome debate and the fallout from our sports authority investigation, because it's your money. Last year alone $38 million in hotel motel rent car taxes.