SAN ANTONIO | City and Metro News Thread

[kingkirbythe....]

‘A green solution to a green problem’: Manmade wetlands get green light at Mitchell Lake

https://sanantonioreport.org/manmade...mitchell-lake/

When Gregg Eckhardt pitched the idea of cleaning up the banks of Mitchell Lake with manmade wetlands more than two-and-a-half decades ago, he wasn’t sure he’d ever see the project actually take off.

The formerly very stinky site on the South Side between Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the Mission del Lago golf course was once a spot where the City of San Antonio stored raw sewage, then later partly treated sewage to use in irrigation.

Although new sewage ceased being added to the lake in the 1980s, residual sludge caused blooms of algae to grow and change the water’s pH levels. Because of this, anytime water overflowed the banks, SAWS was in violation of the wastewater treatment plant permit it secured for the lake in 1974.

In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an administrative order calling on SAWS to develop a plan to address the periodic overflow. It was then that Eckhardt, a senior analyst with production and treatment operations at SAWS, again brought up the idea of manmade wetlands to his administrative peers at SAWS. The wetlands would act as a filter, cleaning escaped water before it reached the nearby Medina River, Eckhardt explained.

Now, six years later, SAWS has deemed its 1-acre pilot successful and is readying to scale up the man-made wetland across up to 100 acres on Mitchell Lake’s southern banks. It’s a dream come true for Eckhardt and his partner on the project, Dan Crowley, director of governmental relations at SAWS.

“Pardon the pun, but it’s a green solution to a green problem,” Crowley said with a grin.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio home sales plunge in June as prices and mortgage rates keep climbing

https://www.expressnews.com/business...s-17315049.php

Rising sales prices and mortgage rates that have doubled since a year ago are squeezing more would-be buyers out of the San Antonio-area housing market.

The number of homes sold last month in Bexar and surrounding counties was down 9 percent from a year ago, according to new data from the San Antonio Board of Realtors.

It marked the third consecutive month of sliding sales, after a 7.6 percent decline in April and a 2 percent dip in May.

The median price of homes sold in the area surged to $348,200, up 20.2 percent from June 2021 and 39.6 percent from June 2020.

Rising prices and mortgage rates mean higher monthly payments, and are pushing homeownership out of reach for more buyers.

Average rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.5 percent for the week ended July 14, according to Freddie Mac. That was up from 5.3 percent a week ago and 2.88 percent a year ago.

[forward looking]

Well my God, it is about time. Why doesn't the EPA merely issue an order for SAWS to just clean the up the Mitchell Lake area up by the removal of old sludge from the "SAWS sludge storage" area? The existence of the area itself is a violation of the EPA. It is old sewerage just lying on open ground.
This Mitchell Lake area is a disgrace to the City. So is the fact that the "Riverwalk" has barely cleaned up Zoo water running along its' banks?
Because there isn't any room anywhere nearby for the construction of a treatment plant for the water draining from the Zoo? This is only an excuse.
Well then.
Please tie the water exiting the Zoo into own existing human sanitary sewerage lines already sitting nearby, for God's sake. Not into our vaunted Riverwalk.

Inside the Edwards Aquifer website are some interviews of residents who live along the banks of the San Antonio River, downstream from the City. Their claim was that the River is but an open sewer. Anybody- living downstream knows this and Nobody will swim in it.
Not all read off the internet is true, but I believe the people in these interviews. If, the Edwards website itself has the San Antonio River summed up in this way, why should I doubt its' veracity?

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

‘A green solution to a green problem’: Manmade wetlands get green light at Mitchell Lake

https://sanantonioreport.org/manmade...mitchell-lake/

When Gregg Eckhardt pitched the idea of cleaning up the banks of Mitchell Lake with manmade wetlands more than two-and-a-half decades ago, he wasn’t sure he’d ever see the project actually take off.

The formerly very stinky site on the South Side between Texas A&M University-San Antonio and the Mission del Lago golf course was once a spot where the City of San Antonio stored raw sewage, then later partly treated sewage to use in irrigation.

Although new sewage ceased being added to the lake in the 1980s, residual sludge caused blooms of algae to grow and change the water’s pH levels. Because of this, anytime water overflowed the banks, SAWS was in violation of the wastewater treatment plant permit it secured for the lake in 1974.

In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an administrative order calling on SAWS to develop a plan to address the periodic overflow. It was then that Eckhardt, a senior analyst with production and treatment operations at SAWS, again brought up the idea of manmade wetlands to his administrative peers at SAWS. The wetlands would act as a filter, cleaning escaped water before it reached the nearby Medina River, Eckhardt explained.

Now, six years later, SAWS has deemed its 1-acre pilot successful and is readying to scale up the man-made wetland across up to 100 acres on Mitchell Lake’s southern banks. It’s a dream come true for Eckhardt and his partner on the project, Dan Crowley, director of governmental relations at SAWS.

“Pardon the pun, but it’s a green solution to a green problem,” Crowley said with a grin.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio ranks as the U.S. city with the most scam calls, according to new study

Residents in Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Ohio were disproportionately affected by scam calls, according to the analysis.

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/san-a...study-29468249

Scam calls are a major headache, as anyone who's been barraged with daily inquiries about their car's extended warranty can attest.

However, nowhere are people receiving more scam-related calls than San Antonio, according to a new report. An analysis by call-protection service First Orion ranked the Alamo City as No. 1 in the nation for cell phone scams. Dallas; Fort Worth; Cleveland, Ohio; and Tulsa, Oklahoma came in next, in respective order.

To compile its study, First Orion surveyed more than 2,100 mobile subscribers to examine their experiences with phone scams. Residents in Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas reported being disproportionately affected by these annoying — and sometimes costly — calls.

Scam calls also appear to be becoming more common on a nationwide basis, the study notes. Nationally, more than half of Americans surveyed said they received more scam calls this year than in 2021.

What's more, two-thirds of people between 18 and 34 years old said they lost money due to a dialing swindler. Nearly half of people over 55 reported losing money in phone scams.

Many are familiar with con calls that involve vehicle warranties, Medicare or Social Security. However, those involving cryptocurrency or people impersonating utility personnel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are becoming more common, according to the report.

In an emailed statement, First Orion Chief Data Officer Kent Welch suggested consumers protect themselves by not answering calls from unknown numbers and refusing to give out personal information over the phone.

Moreover, Welch also encourages those receiving scam calls to report them to the Federal Trade Commission.

[SproutingTowers]

Missions future looks grim unless a new stadium is built.

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022...-requirements/

[Runner]

Originally Posted by SproutingTowers

Missions future looks grim unless a new stadium is built.

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022...-requirements/

As long as no tax dollars are used for this. If so send the mission packing.

[kingkirbythe....]

Originally Posted by Runner

As long as no tax dollars are used for this. If so send the mission packing.

Damn right.

[kingkirbythe....]

Westside San Antonio groups seek historic title for destroyed brothel site

A fire destroyed the building in February.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...l-17343749.php

Miller has yet to return to the Historic and Design Review Commission with any new or updated plans for the site, but committee members recommend denying historic designation, according to agenda documents. Instead HDRC recommends the donating of any materials and newly discovered artifacts to a local archeological group, and funding for research and a permanent exhibit at the Museo del Westside.

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Westside San Antonio groups seek historic title for destroyed brothel site

A fire destroyed the building in February.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...l-17343749.php

Miller has yet to return to the Historic and Design Review Commission with any new or updated plans for the site, but committee members recommend denying historic designation, according to agenda documents. Instead HDRC recommends the donating of any materials and newly discovered artifacts to a local archeological group, and funding for research and a permanent exhibit at the Museo del Westside.

So it does not exist yet they want the designation?

[kingkirbythe....]

After fire destroys former San Antonio brothel and outlaw hideout, city says site is not landmark

https://www.expressnews.com/business...c-17350078.php

A request for historic landmark designation for the downtown site of a brothel said to have been visited by gunslingers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has gone up in smoke.

After a fire destroyed the structure at 503 Urban Loop — which later was a childcare facility serving the working poor in the “Laredito” neighborhood — the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission voted Wednesday not to deem it historically significant.

But they recommended the owner, a company linked to Douglas W. Miller II of the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q family, conduct an archaeological investigation, donate any artifacts to a local public archive and nominate it to a historic markers program.

The HDRC’s decision ended a saga that began more than a year ago, when preservation groups pushed back on plans to raze the structure. Since the fire in February, those groups have been working with the owner on next steps, said Vincent Michael, executive director of the Conservation Society of San Antonio.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio is starting to plan a second tricentennial for 2031

https://www.expressnews.com/news/loc...d-17357083.php

City Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia is ready to party like it’s 2031 — the 300th anniversary of San Antonio forming the first civil government in Texas.

Garcia won support for the concept from at least a few members of the Bexar County Historical Commission last week, building on momentum from the 2018 San Antonio tricentennial, which had its highlights but was a disappointment to some.

She said the city and county, working with heritage groups, have an opportunity “to ensure that 2031 is a festive year, full of commemorative events, celebrations and educational forums.”

[forward looking]

No one will give the obscure place any commemoration once the Millers take the property and use it for something ? It is already being blacked now.
This building was probably a part of the Red Light District, now a famous phrase for the designation it received as a part of the naming for the, original , the very first, "Red Light District" ? This name, this distinction, which has lived on in infamy for describing ever after more, as places where "Ladies of the Evening" plied their ancient trade. There was even a booklet men could get
their hands on which told the location of these westside, Houses of Ill Repute. The famous Red Light moniker was put in place because the Railroad Signalmen of San Antonio would leave their red lanterns, used only for the signaling of incoming locomotives on the track,- outside the front door on a nail of these houses to indicate -quickly- these guys location so these fellows could be quickly located in the event of an incoming train. Instead...
New Orleans will probably get the sole credit instead, for the questionable originality, use, of this Red Light District practice, as a public service. This phrase was invented here. Not seemingly so after all?
Incidentally, the now famous French Quarter of New Orleans is actually, of Spanish design or origin. Not French. Both Cities also possess very narrow downtown city streets. San Antonio is 20 years older than New Orleans. Roughly.
This area here, was officially made off Limits for soldiers by FDR urged on by Eleanor during World War Two, due to the high transmission rate of Gonorrhea, there. Eventually "City Hall", outlawed this practice (which they turned a blind eye towards for a very long time) and so eventually this protected practice died out in the fifties. Here. As far as I know.

"

Originally Posted by Rynetwo

So it does not exist yet they want the designation?

[Fireoutofclay]

Originally Posted by forward looking

New Orleans will probably get the sole credit instead, for the questionable originality, use, of this Red Light District practice, as a public service. This phrase was invented here. Not seemingly so after all?
"

Wasn't that building Fannie Porter's brothel? I thought it was. I agree with you. I've lived in this city my whole life and just recently learned of the Sporting District, the Blue Book, etc. I find it pretty fascinating that the city actually regulated it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_An...rting_District

It's a thin page, but at least it's something. Maybe a movie will be made about it.

[kingkirbythe....]

Landlord attempted to burn down Dignowity Hill apartment because tenants didn't pay rent, records show

https://www.expressnews.com/news/art...o-17361549.php

A San Antonio woman is accused of threatening to burn down an apartment she owns because her tenant didn't pay their rent, according to court documents.

Elizabeth Romo, 35, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of arson with a bail amount set at $30,000.

On Aug. 4, police said they responded to a burglary-in-progress call at an apartment in the 1000 block of Lamar Street in the Dignowity Hill area east of downtown. According to an affidavit supporting Romo's arrest, a tenant said their landlord, who is Romo, broke into his apartment.

The tenant told police that Romo attempted to set fire to his door frame.

Officials said they learned during their investigation that Romo had used the tenant's cellphone earlier in the day to text her brother to tell him that if he didn't get her rent money, "she's going to burn down the house," according to the affidavit.

About an hour after the initial call, police returned to the property because Romo had set her apartment on fire, the affidavit said. Her residence is only a few feet behind the tenant's.

The tenant told police that he saw Romo standing outside looking at his apartment minutes before he saw the smoke coming from her residence.

Investigators found a torch lighter next to a burned mattress inside one of the rooms in Romo's apartment, according to the affidavit.

Romo told police that she had been smoking a cigarette on the bed before she left the apartment to go to her cousin's house down the street. She later admitted to trying to use the torch lighter on the tenant's door frame because they hadn't paid the rent or kept the apartment clean, the affidavit said.

[forward looking]

Thankyou. For the link upon this topic. Fireoutofclay.
Contained inside the city data forum San Antonio, is a post where I had a conversation with a guy and some other members about this "sporting girls" topic. So, this guy uploaded copies of pages from the Blue Book from a verylong time ago. maybe the twenties I think. In singular vertical long lists were the names of the girls, addresses, all of it and even uploaded the blue book's outside front cover.
I don't remember if he had a copy of the Blue book, booklet, himself or
knew where to find this information as it was quite some time ago. 2004post

Originally Posted by Fireoutofclay

Wasn't that building Fannie Porter's brothel? I thought it was. I agree with you. I've lived in this city my whole life and just recently learned of the Sporting District, the Blue Book, etc. I find it pretty fascinating that the city actually regulated it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_An...rting_District

It's a thin page, but at least it's something. Maybe a movie will be made about it.

[kingkirbythe....]

Nelson Wolff to San Antonio leaders: stop chasing a second pro sports team and protect the Spurs

'They are all a lying bunch of sons of bitches, every one one of them,' the outgoing county judge said of sports franchises who have teased relocating to the Alamo City.

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/nelso...spurs-29605744

Outgoing Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff in an interview with the Express-News warned other San Antonio civic leaders not to hustle so hard or a second professional sports team that they drop the ball on keeping the Spurs here.

“In my view, you are not going to see an NFL team here for a long time," said Wolff, who's retiring at the end of the year from a five-term stint as the county's top elected official. “You are not going to see a Major League Baseball team here for a long time."

That sentiment appears to contradict public statements by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who's said at least twice that the city could land an NFL team in the next 10 years.

Despite San Antonio's size, it lacks the wealth and corporate heft to be more competitive in the "corporate game" of major-league sports, the former mayor and councilman told the daily. Only two San Antonio companies are in the Fortune 500 ranking of the biggest U.S. companies by revenue, for example.

“We need to do a much better job of trying to attract corporate headquarters,” Wolff told the Express-News. “We are just very, very light [in corporate headquarters], so it’s a hard sell. … And so it’s been my opinion, you had better protect what you got, and that’s the Spurs.”

Wolff also ticked off San Antonio's past failures to attract a second pro-sports team, cautioning that franchise owners play local leaders like carnival rubes so they can leverage better deals out of their home cities.

“They are all a lying bunch of sons of bitches, every one one of them," Wolff told the Express-News. "I fell for the [Miami] Marlins. [Former Mayor] Phil [Hardberger] fell for the New Orleans [Saints]. [Former Mayor] Henry [Cisneros] fell for the Oakland football thing, and I fell for Major League Soccer. And all of them screw you. You are wasting your time talking to them. They just use you.”

The warning comes after San Antonio sports fans suffered meltdowns earlier this year when the city's NBA team sought approval to schedule a handful of games in Austin and Mexico City.

Although many took it as sign the Spurs were looking to jump to greener financial pastures, Bexar County approved the deal after team managing partner Peter J. Holt penned a letter assuring his commitment to the Alamo City.

The Spurs’ non-relocation deal with the county runs through the 2031-32 season and would impose cutting financial penalties if the team leaves before then. Even so, observers continue to warn the team could have longer-term designs on a market that could provide a better bottom line.

[theOGalexd]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

Nelson Wolff to San Antonio leaders: stop chasing a second pro sports team and protect the Spurs

'They are all a lying bunch of sons of bitches, every one one of them,' the outgoing county judge said of sports franchises who have teased relocating to the Alamo City.

https://www.sacurrent.com/news/nelso...spurs-29605744

Outgoing Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff in an interview with the Express-News warned other San Antonio civic leaders not to hustle so hard or a second professional sports team that they drop the ball on keeping the Spurs here.

“In my view, you are not going to see an NFL team here for a long time," said Wolff, who's retiring at the end of the year from a five-term stint as the county's top elected official. “You are not going to see a Major League Baseball team here for a long time."

That sentiment appears to contradict public statements by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who's said at least twice that the city could land an NFL team in the next 10 years.

Despite San Antonio's size, it lacks the wealth and corporate heft to be more competitive in the "corporate game" of major-league sports, the former mayor and councilman told the daily. Only two San Antonio companies are in the Fortune 500 ranking of the biggest U.S. companies by revenue, for example.

“We need to do a much better job of trying to attract corporate headquarters,” Wolff told the Express-News. “We are just very, very light [in corporate headquarters], so it’s a hard sell. … And so it’s been my opinion, you had better protect what you got, and that’s the Spurs.”

Wolff also ticked off San Antonio's past failures to attract a second pro-sports team, cautioning that franchise owners play local leaders like carnival rubes so they can leverage better deals out of their home cities.

“They are all a lying bunch of sons of bitches, every one one of them," Wolff told the Express-News. "I fell for the [Miami] Marlins. [Former Mayor] Phil [Hardberger] fell for the New Orleans [Saints]. [Former Mayor] Henry [Cisneros] fell for the Oakland football thing, and I fell for Major League Soccer. And all of them screw you. You are wasting your time talking to them. They just use you.”

The warning comes after San Antonio sports fans suffered meltdowns earlier this year when the city's NBA team sought approval to schedule a handful of games in Austin and Mexico City.

Although many took it as sign the Spurs were looking to jump to greener financial pastures, Bexar County approved the deal after team managing partner Peter J. Holt penned a letter assuring his commitment to the Alamo City.

The Spurs’ non-relocation deal with the county runs through the 2031-32 season and would impose cutting financial penalties if the team leaves before then. Even so, observers continue to warn the team could have longer-term designs on a market that could provide a better bottom line.

I rarely agree with him, but he's right. SA needs to focus on attracting more corps before anything.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by kingkirbythe....

“They are all a lying bunch of sons of bitches, every one one of them," Wolff told the Express-News. "I fell for the [Miami] Marlins. [Former Mayor] Phil [Hardberger] fell for the New Orleans [Saints]. [Former Mayor] Henry [Cisneros] fell for the Oakland football thing, and I fell for Major League Soccer. And all of them screw you. You are wasting your time talking to them. They just use you.”

Here's the best all time quote about the business of major league sports.

[kingkirbythe....]

San Antonio’s industrial market is expanding. One example: A $230 million project in China Grove

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sa-inc/...e-17370541.php

San Antonio’s industrial real estate market has long paled in comparison with major Texas distribution hubs such as Houston and Dallas, with relatively little construction of new space.

That’s begun changing as the city attracts businesses, its population swells and more manufacturing, warehouse and distribution space is built.

“We are becoming a more looked-at market,” said Michael Kent, executive vice president at Stream Realty Partners. “We’ve had a lot of space get built here, and that does tend to help tenants as they’re looking around Texas.”

One example: A developer is breaking ground this summer on a sprawling $230 million industrial park in China Grove.

NorthPoint Development’s Foster Commerce Center will include six buildings spanning more than 2.2 million square feet off South Foster Road south of Joe Louis Drive.

[kingkirbythe....]

Spurs announce dates for 2 'home' games at Austin's new Moody Center

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...s-17379113.php

And then there were two iterations of the Austin Spurs. Talk of the Spurs playing "home games" outside of San Antonio were approved this past May. Now we know the dates for said "home games." The San Antonio Spurs have set dates for two games at Austin's new Moody Center, on April 6 and April 8.

“We are honored to host the San Antonio Spurs for two games in Austin and help the organization celebrate their 50th anniversary season,” said Senior Vice President for Oak View Group and the Moody Center Jeff Nickler in a release. “Events like these not only generate significant economic impact for our community, but also further elevate Austin’s reputation as a world-class destination for sports and live events. We look forward to welcoming the Spurs and their growing fanbase in the capital city to Moody Center next spring.”

The Spurs have not named their opponents for the Austin games as of this write. The full Spurs schedule is set for release at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17. A KENS 5 reporter has pointed out that games against the defending NBA champs the Golden State Warriors are not listed at the AT&T Center on a preliminary schedule release.



Two games in Austin
One game in Mexico City
One game in the Alamodome