HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > United States > Texas & Southcentral > Austin


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #61  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2013, 9:43 PM
KevinFromTexas's Avatar
KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
Meh
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: there and back again
Posts: 57,324
I've been commenting on those articles trying to plant seeds to make people see how poorly that land is being used, and how the area is pretty much a no-man's land after 5 pm. The funny thing is, most of the comments on the subject coming from citizens are in support of that area being redeveloped. So far it's only been politicians who have been against the idea. I have seen a few overly emotional posts talking about how it's sacred land or some kind of jewel to be protected.

Actually, the land where the Capitol Complex is now north of the Capitol was mostly historic single family homes before they were torn down in the 1940s to expand the complex. The pathetic thing is what replaced them were mostly huge parking lots and garages with a few fugly state office buildings.
__________________
Donate to Donald Trump's campaign today!

Thou shall not indict
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #62  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2013, 10:44 PM
JAM's Avatar
JAM JAM is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 2,628
I'm going to step in here and stand up for Whitmire. Ya'll are just being short-sighted here. Whitemire is the true visionary. The time will come when Texas succeeds from the US and the great lawns of the Austin Capital Complex will be the staging area for the continuation of the Great Democracy Experiment.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #63  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2013, 11:19 PM
Austinite101's Avatar
Austinite101 Austinite101 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Austin
Posts: 183
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAM View Post
I'm going to step in here and stand up for Whitmire. Ya'll are just being short-sighted here. Whitemire is the true visionary. The time will come when Texas succeeds from the US and the great lawns of the Austin Capital Complex will be the staging area for the continuation of the Great Democracy Experiment.
I hope that was a joke, otherwise I would smack you.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #64  
Old Posted Feb 20, 2013, 3:33 AM
The ATX's Avatar
The ATX The ATX is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the lights are much brighter
Posts: 12,016
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAM View Post
I'm going to step in here and stand up for Whitmire. Ya'll are just being short-sighted here. Whitemire is the true visionary. The time will come when Texas succeeds from the US and the great lawns of the Austin Capital Complex will be the staging area for the continuation of the Great Democracy Experiment.
Those parking lots could then be turned into Texas's version of the National Mall. I think we should hold off with talk of Planetariums, useful public spaces and the possibility of generating money for the state with public/private partnerships. ...Oh and this
__________________
Follow The ATX on X:
https://twitter.com/TheATX1

Things will be great when you're downtown.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #65  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2013, 8:52 PM
KevinFromTexas's Avatar
KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
Meh
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: there and back again
Posts: 57,324
http://www.statesman.com/news/busine...do-over/nWkbB/
Quote:
Posted: 4:44 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2013
Public-private partnerships getting a ‘do-over’

Many officials oppose P3’s for Capitol complex

By Laylan Copelin
American-Statesman Staff

The Texas Legislature is attempting a do-over of its false start on public-private partnerships, including rewriting rules and proposing to build the first state office building in the Capitol complex since 2000 — but without a private partner.

The action is occurring on several fronts as lawmakers address how to plan for the Capitol complex but also keep public-private partnerships as a tool to develop state lands outside the complex.

“The bill we passed last session created all sorts of problems,” said Sen. Kevin Eltife, a Tyler Republican chairing a key subcommittee on the 2011 public-private partnerships law. “There was no oversight. The Texas Facilities Commission was on the path with no real guidance from the Legislature.”

The committee also has included $325 million in its version of the appropriations bill for two new office buildings, one at the Capitol complex and another at the state’s health services compound in North Austin.
__________________
Donate to Donald Trump's campaign today!

Thou shall not indict
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #66  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2013, 11:55 PM
Komeht Komeht is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 294
This is never going to happen. . .c'est domage
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #67  
Old Posted May 15, 2013, 6:37 AM
KevinFromTexas's Avatar
KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
Meh
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: there and back again
Posts: 57,324
http://www.statesman.com/news/busine...t-more-/nXrGk/
Quote:
Posted: 4:04 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, 2013
State developments, Capitol complex would get more oversight under new bill

By Laylan Copelin
American-Statesman Staff

At the start of the legislative session almost five months ago, the Texas Facilities Commission was under fire as lawmakers criticized unsolicited proposals to construct new buildings in the Capitol complex and Austin neighborhood groups objected to the private sector’s plans to develop state lands in their neighborhoods.

On Tuesday, the sound and fury was gone.
__________________
Donate to Donald Trump's campaign today!

Thou shall not indict
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #68  
Old Posted Feb 4, 2015, 9:51 PM
KevinFromTexas's Avatar
KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
Meh
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: there and back again
Posts: 57,324
http://politics.blog.statesman.com/2...ebook_2014_sfp
Quote:
Hegar ‘shocked and utterly embarrassed’ about condition of facilities
February 3, 2015 | Filed in: Comptroller, Glenn Hegar, State Budget.

When Texas’ new chief financial officer appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday to outline his office’s own monetary needs, he reminded upper chamber budget writers that he vowed during his campaign to make the comptroller’s office “a model for all state agencies” in terms of tightfistedness.

However, Comptroller Glenn Hegar — a Republican and former state senator — also said the office needs more money to upgrade its buildings, explaining that he had recently gone on a tour of 28 field offices and had “absolutely been shocked and utterly embarrassed by the condition” of them.

Hegar did not get too specific, but suggested the problems involve “basic sanitation” and gave one example of an office where tissue paper had been stuffed into a hole in the wall.

His comments launched a discussion among committee members about whether the state should conduct an assessment of all its properties, owned or leased.
__________________
Donate to Donald Trump's campaign today!

Thou shall not indict
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #69  
Old Posted Feb 4, 2015, 10:18 PM
wwmiv wwmiv is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Austin -> San Antonio -> Columbia -> San Antonio -> Chicago -> Austin -> Denver
Posts: 5,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas View Post
I love how state legislators who were among the most prone to making "starve the beast" arguments while a legislator suddenly turn into fiscal liberals when they realize the actual real world impact that that "starve the beast" mentality has had on the state bureaucracy's properties and efficiency.

Idiots.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #70  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 4:05 PM
lzppjb's Avatar
lzppjb lzppjb is offline
7th Gen Central Texan
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 3,144
Upkeep of buildings is not exactly fiscally liberal. It's just necessary.

There's so much waste in gov't spending. Things could be done in a much more efficient manner. I work for the gov't, so I experience it daily.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #71  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 7:29 PM
wwmiv wwmiv is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Austin -> San Antonio -> Columbia -> San Antonio -> Chicago -> Austin -> Denver
Posts: 5,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by lzppjb View Post
Upkeep of buildings is not exactly fiscally liberal. It's just necessary.

There's so much waste in gov't spending. Things could be done in a much more efficient manner. I work for the gov't, so I experience it daily.
And I've worked years in government and politics as well:

There's really not very much waste in government spending, as a percent of total spending, any more.

Also, yes any spending at all in today's ideological terms is considered fiscally liberal. Just look at Republican discourse...
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #72  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 7:51 PM
lzppjb's Avatar
lzppjb lzppjb is offline
7th Gen Central Texan
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 3,144
I don't think that's entirely true, but I agree conservatives are anti-spending for the most part. Being one, I mostly side with that ideology.

But there are things conservatives are willing to spend on. As long as they see it as necessary. That's where the rub is between the sides. The definition of necessary.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #73  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 8:11 PM
wwmiv wwmiv is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Austin -> San Antonio -> Columbia -> San Antonio -> Chicago -> Austin -> Denver
Posts: 5,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by lzppjb View Post
I don't think that's entirely true, but I agree conservatives are anti-spending for the most part. Being one, I mostly side with that ideology.

But there are things conservatives are willing to spend on. As long as they see it as necessary. That's where the rub is between the sides. The definition of necessary.
Oi, well you're seeing the ramifications of that ideology in this article. Congrats.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #74  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 8:31 PM
lzppjb's Avatar
lzppjb lzppjb is offline
7th Gen Central Texan
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 3,144
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #75  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 10:41 PM
Jdawgboy's Avatar
Jdawgboy Jdawgboy is offline
Representing the ATX!!!
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Austin
Posts: 5,732
I see where wwmiv is coming from. I worked for a time at TDHCA several years ago and the building we were in was in terrible shape. I'm assuming that the department is still located in the same building. I'm also sure that nothing has been done about it and that it's only gotten worse. I vaguely remember hearing my boss talking with someone that the legislature would rather let the building turn to rubble before they spent a penny for upkeep. Wouldn't you know it was Republican controlled like it's been for more years than I can stand. I do feel that if the Democrats were in control the state office buildings would be in much better shape.

Anywho I'd really like to see something worthwhile happen with the Capitol Complex. Too many surface parking lots. That whole area is a dead zone after 5, on weekends and when the legislature is not in session.
__________________
"GOOD TIMES!!!" Jerri Blank (Strangers With Candy)
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #76  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 10:57 PM
wwmiv wwmiv is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Austin -> San Antonio -> Columbia -> San Antonio -> Chicago -> Austin -> Denver
Posts: 5,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by lzppjb View Post
I don't think that's entirely true, but I agree conservatives are anti-spending for the most part. Being one, I mostly side with that ideology.

But there are things conservatives are willing to spend on. As long as they see it as necessary. That's where the rub is between the sides. The definition of necessary.
Exactly what are the Republicans who are in elected office willing to spend money on except a) border control, b) law enforcement, and c) useless lawsuits against the federal government which are almost certainly doomed to failure.

There's a difference between Republican people (large portions of which are reasonable people who believe the government has a legitimate role in society) and Republican elected officials who are on the whole entirely delusional and crazy.

(don't get me wrong, I'm for a and b).
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #77  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2015, 11:01 PM
KevinFromTexas's Avatar
KevinFromTexas KevinFromTexas is offline
Meh
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: there and back again
Posts: 57,324
Wasn't there a proposal a while back for a couple of new state office buildings? I think they were planned in the Capitol complex. They were up to 10 floors from what I remember. I think there were some renderings even, but I can't remember. I don't have any renderings saved, so maybe I'm daydreaming. lol

EDIT: here's an article on it. Perry vetoed a proposal in 2013, but these are still on apparently. These articles are from December.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/polit...face/20907855/

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news...3554830.735593
__________________
Donate to Donald Trump's campaign today!

Thou shall not indict
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #78  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2015, 12:25 AM
lzppjb's Avatar
lzppjb lzppjb is offline
7th Gen Central Texan
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 3,144
I'm just not so sure politics has anything to do with it. Do you honestly think gov't buildings are in great shape in cities like Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, etc?

I think it's a bi-partisan issue of just kicking the can down the road.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #79  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2015, 12:38 AM
LoneStarMike's Avatar
LoneStarMike LoneStarMike is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Austin
Posts: 2,263
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdawgboy View Post
I worked for a time at TDHCA several years ago and the building we were in was in terrible shape.
Another state building that was literally falling apart was the Robert D. Moreton Building, which serves as headquarters for the Department of State Health Services.

Crumbling state building needs $20 million in repairs
Tony Plohetski
Austin American-Statesman
September 26, 2011


Quote:
Texas officials are preparing to spend as much as $20 million to redo a state-owned building that began showing signs of major structural problems only a decade after it was built.

The walls of the Robert D. Moreton Building in Central Austin, which cost $8 million to construct 22 years ago, are now crumbling, cracking and separating — and the massive concrete panels that cover the building's exterior are at risk of eventual failure.
The article said work was supposed to start in the spring of 2012.

A subsequent article stated the work would begin in November of 2012.

I don't know if they ever did fix the building.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #80  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2015, 1:15 AM
wwmiv wwmiv is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Austin -> San Antonio -> Columbia -> San Antonio -> Chicago -> Austin -> Denver
Posts: 5,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by lzppjb View Post
I'm just not so sure politics has anything to do with it. Do you honestly think gov't buildings are in great shape in cities like Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, etc?

I think it's a bi-partisan issue of just kicking the can down the road.
Detroit and New Orleans are in states run by Republicans and have been by and large run by Republicans for decades in the case of the former and a decade in the case of the latter.

As for Chicago, no the state government buildings in Illinois are actually kept top notch by the state government and for those that are city related they're actually kept up quite well. As are those in New York and Massachusetts as well, states run by and large by Democrats. Oh, and Maryland and California, too.
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Regional Sections > United States > Texas & Southcentral > Austin
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 8:22 AM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.