For
the Journal newspapers . . . Pearland
Friendswood,
& Alvin, Texas:
THE
SIGNAL FROM HOBBY AIRPORT
Motorists approaching
Hobby Airport can hear a radio message aimed just at them:
"Hobby Airport is making changes that will make your arrival
and departure easier. We are upgrading our roadways,,
expanding our terminal facilities and reconstructing the
airport to better serve you. As you enter the airport,
watch for construction equipment as well as signs and
barricades that indicate construction areas and temporary
traffic detours."
A low-powered station
at 1610 AM, Hobby Airport Radio tells travelers how to
minimize the inconveniences resulting from construction
in and near the airport: "Avoid Broadway between the Gulf
Freeway and Bellfort. The bridge on Broadway over Sims
Bayou is being widened for your future convenience. However,
during construction, all Broadway north And southbound
traffic is in one span of the bridge. Hobby Airport traffic
should use Telephone Road, Bellfort, Monroe or Airport
Boulevard for convenient access to and from the airport."
Additional construction is in progress on Telephone Road
south of Airport Boulevard.
Though certain to speed
traffic in the area,, the improvements for the Broadway
bridge and Telephone Road are not considered part of the
current Hobby Airport improvement project.
Asked for an update on
the work at Hobby, Airport Manager Don Fletcher said,,
"We are about half-way through the projects which total
about $60 million. The work should be completed by June
of 1994." Originally slated for completion this summer,
it has been extended because of some construction delays
and some additional improvements for the airfield.
Approximately $30 million
is going toward upgrading the airfield. Construction includes
new taxiways, some re-surfacing of old pavement, and some
new runway lights.
Fletcher said the access
road into the airport is nearly completed: "We've got
some final work that is going to start about the first
of February when we'll be putting the finishing touches
on the ramp roadways."
Fletcher said the ramps
"will enhance the local traffic using the intersection
of Airport and Broadway because the inbound flow to the
airport won't use the traffic signal." The people coming
into the airport will by-pass the light by taking the
fly-over bridge from either Broadway or Airport Boulevard.
Most of the remaining
work will be done inside the airport. Fletcher said,,
"Part of the access roadway project includes some fairly
major improvements in the terminal building as well. We
are going to be adding a number of escalators to move
people back and forth between the between the different
levels. We're going to be adding a new entrance on the
east end of the building."
New baggage service offices
are being built right next to the baggage claim area.
Fletcher said,, "That's where you go when the airlines
have lost your bag." He said having the offices convenient
for the customers will be "at least a positive step when
they have to go look for their bag."
Other improvements will
include all-new utility feeds in the building for improved
telephone and electrical services. All of the sprinkler
systems in the building will be tied together with a new
alarm system. The air conditioning system will receive
a new cooling tower and water chillers.
Fletcher said, "Although
none of these things may sound like they are very exciting,,
they are infrastructure improvements in the terminal"
which the airport can "expand on and enhance in a future
project."
The main focus of the
next project will be to finish the interior renovations
to the building. Hobby has just selected the design consultants
for the new phase which is not expected to begin until
1995. The future improvements will provide better rest
rooms and will further develop the chilled water air conditioning
system.
Consoling and advising
visitors through all the construction are the Squirt brothers,
Reg and Bert. They are the mascots for the projects who
appear on signs and as live performers at the airport.
Their purpose, Fletcher
said,, is "to explain to people a little bit about what
we are doing and inject a little humor into what sometimes
isn't a popular situation." Modeled after similar efforts
at other airports, he said the characters were created
to "help us through the situation and maybe forget about
how it looks now and focus on what it will look like later."
Reg and Bert are usually around on Friday nights and Sunday
afternoons "so they can talk to the people and make friends
with people," Fletcher said. Costing $7500 apiece, the
costumes contain synthesizers, which generate the voices
of the Squirt brothers. The performers have "had some
training as to what kind of conversations they should
strike up with people."
Fletcher said the Squirts
will be making a greater contribution as the airport moves
into some "difficult phases of this project." This will
involve rerouting people through temporary corridors and
redirecting the vehicles entering the airport. Fletcher
said, "The roadway in front of the terminal building as
we know it now will be completely out of service for about
six months during the period September of this year to
February of next year. We think that those really unusual
circumstances are going to be opportunities where we can
use the Squirt-costumed people to better advantage."
Fletcher asked the public
to "Be patient. It's going to get done." He added, "These
kinds of projects have lot that go into them. We think
a lot about protecting the customers and providing as
safe, friendly environment as we can, given the construction.
We need people to pay attention to signs and watch for
the progress, because it's happening. We're delighted
to have it under way, and we'll be a whole lot more happy
to have it done."
Fletcher concluded by
praising the people doing the construction: "We've been
blessed with a couple of very good contractors on this
project, and the time that we've put into the planning
stages on it is certainly paying off." The new prime contractor
is Hensel-Phelps Construction Co. The company was hired
for the renovation of the airport terminal.
They are also overseeing
the completion of the roadway portion of the project.
Hensel-Phelps has hired, Ramex, Inc., the original contractor,
to serve as subcontractor for the remaining roadway construction.
Fletcher said, "That was really a positive thing because
we had visions of having two separate contractors working
and some problems with it. As it turns out, it has all
melded together. We think highly of both those contractors.
It's worked out well for us."
Hobby Airport currently
serves passengers flying American, Delta, Northwest,,
Southwest,, Trans World, and United airlines. There are
178 daily departures.
Of that number,, 128 are
Southwest Airlines flights. The new entrance on the east
end of the terminal will serve people going to the Southwest
Airlines area.
Asked about the possibility
of Continental Airlines returning to Hobby, Fletcher said,
"Continental is in the process of coming out of Chapter
11 bankruptcy, but they have not indicated that they will
be serving Hobby again. They do serve Ellington with fifteen
Continental Express flights per day to Intercontinental
Airport." Nonetheless, Continental planes are often on
the scene at Hobby when they are flown there for service
from other airports.
In January,, United Airlines
moved its gate location from the C Concourse to the B
Concourse. Fletcher said, "That allows United to have
their own gates. They had been sharing gates with Trans
World."
For
KIOX Radio, Bay City, Texas:
PROTEST
AT SOUTH TEXAS NUCLEAR PROJECT
About 1500 persons gathered
at the gates of the South Texas Nuclear Project today
to protest the nuclear plant under construction near Bay
City. The crowd, which came mainly from Austin, Houston
and San Antonio, was joined by number of local residents
and carried signs reading, "No more corporate murder"
and "Our children will not be slaves to nuclear waste."
Matagorda County Sheriff
Sam Hurta and one Department of Safety trooper were the
only law enforcement officers on the scene of the peaceful
rally. The demonstration took place on state-owned land
across from the plant on Farm-to-Market Road 521. The
recent heavy rains had turned the area into a sea of mud
that forced many of the participants to abandon their
shoes and go barefooted. The Bay City protest against
nuclear power plants was one of many being held this weekend
in the United States and several other countries.
The South Texas Project
is a two-reactor facility being built jointly by Houston
Lighting and Power, Central Power and Light Company of
Corpus Christi and the cities of Austin and San Antonio.
The Plant is expected to be completed at a cost of $2
billion.
SINGLE
APPRAISAL TAX DISTRICT
County Commissioners have
voted unanimously, but reluctantly, to join the Matagorda
Single Appraisal Tax District that was formed last month
to comply with Texas Senate Bill 621. Commissioners did
so in order to participate in the directorship of the
organization.
Senate Bill 621 requires
that each county have an appraisal district to set property
values for the taxing authorities within the county. The
bill specifically mentions cities and school districts,
but county governments may also accept the evaluations.
A proposed constitutional amendment would require counties
to participate.
A controversial part of
the new taxation system is the requirement that property
be taxed on a 100 per cent assessment of the appraised
value. This has led governments throughout the state to
lower tax rates to keep the actual tax bills in line with
what the property owners were already paying. However,
taxes may go up in some places if local leaders do not
fully reduce their rates to equal the same dollar amounts.
Critics also charge that the system will lead to quicker
rises in tax bills if values suddenly go up due to inflation.
At this morning's Commissioner's Court meeting all of
the county officials raised questions about the implications
of the new law. Here is County Tax Assessor-Collector
James Humphrey. (ROLL TAPE).
Also during today's meeting,
local black leaders Dexter Hodge and Bill Smith discussed
the county's plan for reapportionment. County Judge Bert
O'Connel showed them a map similar to the one presented
at the August 6th session. However, Commissioners have
changed one of the boundaries, moving the line between
Precinct One and Precinct Four from Morningside to Lora
Canal. Smith, who heads the local NAACP,, expressed no
objection at today's meeting but said he will go over
the change with his attorney.
BANK
ROBBERY
City, county and state
law enforcement officers are still searching for the man
who robbed the Bay City Bank and Trust Company of more
than $10,000 this afternoon. The man entered the bank
at around 1:30 and handed a note to the teller, Rebecca
Gilpin. The note demanded that she turn over her cash
and promised that no one would be hurt if she cooperated.
No weapon was shown. The robber then absconded with the
$10,000 cash. Witnesses described the robber as a tall,
white male wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
Late this afternoon, police
constructed a composite drawing of the man's appearance.
Detectives are also checking the photographs from the
camera in the bank's lobby.
According to Police Chief
Barney Mason. Sheriff and D.P.S. officers are watching
roads leading out of the city to prevent the man from
leaving the area. The FBI is expected to enter the case.
Bay City Bank Executive
Vice President Frank Krupa emphasized that the $10,000
represented only a small portion of the bank's assets
and that the amount is covered by the bank's own insurance.
The Vasthead is the professional web site of
Grady McAllister of Houston, Texas.
