November 2013 ballot?
Astrodome crumbles while Commissioners Court fumbles: Vote on landmark's futurelikely delayed
The Astrodome has long been vacant.Photo by Jack Opatrany/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
A recent study recommends three options for the blighted, beloved landmark.
Despite the abundance of solutions recently posed for the future of the Astrodome, the blighted building's fate will likely not be decided by Houston voters in the upcoming November election.
As KHOU is reporting, the Harris County Commissioners convened on Tuesday for the court's last scheduled meeting before the Aug. 20 ballot deadline.
The agenda for that meeting made no mention of the dome that costs taxpayers $2 to $3 million each year to maintain in its current condition. Recent photos have revealed that state to be derelict.
Voters may have to wait until November 2013 to give the thumbs up or down to a bond issue on the Astrodome.
Recommendations from a May report consider converting the former home of the Oilers and Astros into a unique multipurpose facility (at a cost of $270.3 million) or erecting a replacement performance arena (at a cost of $385.4 million) or demolishing the building altogether for a Reliant Park Plaza (at a cost of $63.9 million).
In a June meeting, Judge Ed Emmett even suggested combining the two former options.
But the court seems to be dragging its feet when it comes to the Houston landmark, and commissioners are hesitant to commit to any one solution, given current economic circumstances and the great costs associated with each.
Voters may have to wait until November 2013 to give the thumbs up or down to a bond issue on the Astrodome. Let's see how many more studies we can commission — and how many other far-fetched options we can suggest — before then.
Watch KHOU's full report below.
