$20 mill and a decade later and she's still fugly

5,033 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Eliminatus
TaterTot_09
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I think it's safe to say Brazos County Courthouse won't take home the crown for most beautiful courthouse(again). I get that it's historical and that's just the style that was chosen to be built way back when but I've always been a little jealous of counties with ornate turn of the century Victorian style courthouses and thought this county deserved better. Even though the outside is still super fugly I'm really glad they chose to do the necessary repairs/remodels. The new courtrooms are top notch and I have no doubt the employees appreciate having a fully functioning office to come to work to everyday.
TaterTot_09
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I found a link of the old courthouse that was demolished to built the grey box we have now. It was gorgeous! https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2013/10/16/five-of-the-prettiest-and-ugliest-texas-county-courthouses-october-2013
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95_Aggie
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Quote:

I get that it's historical
The only thing historical about our current courthouse is that it is historically ugly
Oogway
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Here is a little article about the demolition of the old courthouse, the fifth courthouse in the county. Apparently, earlier residents deemed it "fussy". I'm torn in that I admire some of the details included in older buildings but I know that there are costs and upkeep issues as well. Somewhere perhaps there is a compromise.

http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/BryanTexas/Brazos-County-Razed-1892-Courthouse.htm

91_Aggie
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Not sure why the aesthetics of a building that has the purpose of holding trials and managing the bueraucratic bloated documents people and business need has to have people so concerned about it.

No one has ever said "oh, I won't live in that county or start a business in that county because the courthouse looks horrible"

That path lead to the Taj Mahal designs that College Station keeps trying to push for a city hall and that completely unnecessary design of that fire house on University.
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techno-ag
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91_Aggie said:

Not sure why the aesthetics of a building that has the purpose of holding trials and managing the bueraucratic bloated documents people and business need has to have people so concerned about it.

No one has ever said "oh, I won't live in that county or start a business in that county because the courthouse looks horrible"

That path lead to the Taj Mahal designs that College Station keeps trying to push for a city hall and that completely unnecessary design of that fire house on University.
Yup. Keep it utilitarian and well under budget.
MTTANK
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I agree with you techno! But if you look at what they spent they could have had a brand new building with less ongoing maintenance and expenses for the same cost as the remodel. They spent the same amount of our tax dollars to band aid an ugly one.
GIG 'EM
techno-ag
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Eh. No need for a new building, that location is fine. It's next door to a lot of city offices, the new police station and the parking garage. To find the space for a new building would have been very inconvenient and taken yet another lot off the tax rolls.
MTTANK
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techno-ag said:

Eh. No need for a new building, that location is fine. It's next door to a lot of city offices, the new police station and the parking garage. To find the space for a new building would have been very inconvenient and taken yet another lot off the tax rolls.
Much like the new tax office, maybe you are right Techno.
GIG 'EM
TaterTot_09
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The county already blew millions building the Taj Mahal on Leonard road so they had no choice to keep the courthouse renovations somewhat budget conscious. So we have a multi million dollar disaster of an Expo Center that loses money and a brand new Tax Office and a Baptist Church turned into an "annex" and a new fancy jail that is continuously being expanded but the county's main artery will forever look like an oversized dumpster with window panes. The jail is more aesthetically pleasing than our courthouse. Kudos to them for polishing a turd, though.
Cholula Verde
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The Expo looses money???? How so, it is booked all the time. The cost to rent it is outrageous. Why all the news we hear is everyone wants to rent the Brazos Center or the Hildebrand Equine Facility because of the significant price point differences. I call it Fake News!
TaterTot_09
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It's a well known fact that it isn't profitable and might not ever be. It's lost millions since being built and that doesn't include the 30 million or so in bonds to build and then to expand over the years. I'm sure there was an article on the Eagle a few years ago about the millions it continues to lose. I doubt it's made a complete 180 since then.
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TaterTot_09
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Ah....here it is. I knew it existed. Not fake news.
https://www.theeagle.com/news/local/brazos-county-expo-is-losing-money/article_046767a0-df8a-5d82-aa11-c2a74449c8ed.html
Cholula Verde
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You reference a 2012 article from the BCS Buzzard that relied on data from 2011! Really? Have you tried to schedule an event at the Expo over past three years. Out dated statistics are nearly as bad as fake news.
oklaunion
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MTTANK
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FlyingMudball said:

You reference a 2012 article from the BCS Buzzard that relied on data from 2011! Really? Have you tried to schedule an event at the Expo over past three years. Out dated statistics are nearly as bad as fake news.


So your stance is local governments do not waist taxpayer dollars. And you think the convention center is at least break even or making money after debt service, maintance, utility cost, and full staffing?
GIG 'EM
mwm
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The last time I was at the Courthouse (2-3 weeks ago), there was a woeful shortage of handicap parking. Hopefully, that has been corrected. If not, how did it pass inspection?
halibut sinclair
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techno-ag
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mwm said:

The last time I was at the Courthouse (2-3 weeks ago), there was a woeful shortage of handicap parking. Hopefully, that has been corrected. If not, how did it pass inspection?
Are there handicap spaces in the garage next door?
Oogway
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Realistically, I am sure there is waste in government at many levels, but I do have to say the tax office that wrings so much $$ out of our possessions is at least a very nice place to sit and wait your turn before they call your number, especially when you compare it to the tiny dark box downtown where they used to be that had little parking, little seating and little light. I don't remember how much it cost to build the new location, which is at least for me, easier to get to and has a drive through and fairly easy to use kiosk. Could they have built it cheaper? I don't know, I haven't researched it, but sometimes when governments are discussing plans for buildings they ask for public input and I suppose that is when knowledgeable citizens can speak up and point out strengths and weaknesses.
As a matter of fact, that is what I was disliking about the CS council deciding to issue COs: they could do things like build something without a vote. If citizens don't feel like we have a say or a stake in something, then why are some surprised when we find it more difficult to take pride in it and support it?
mwm
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Yes, there are several. But, have you ever tried crossing the street on a walker or a cane? If you have, you know it is difficult to navigate the street going down, then up to the crest of the street, then down again, all before you head up to the sidewalk. It is not easy. If I recall, there is one HC spot facing the entrance to the Courthouse.
Cholula Verde
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To be clear, I didn't say one thing about "local governments" waisting taxpayer dollars. Period. I said the comments made by TaterTot regarding the Brazos County Expo were not accurate. Tater chose to reference an article written in 2012 that cited data from 2011. Period. The economic impact of the Expo on our community is assessed annually. Before folks make false statements about that facility being an economic drain on our community then I would recommend you take the time to study the most recent data and not information that was relevant in 2011-12. What they have done to the court house and the number of Handicap parking spaces (or lack thereof) do not presently concern me. BTW mwm there are a whole bunch of Handicap spaces on the ground floor in the garage across the street! I used one on Monday afternoon. Compared to my experiences getting to the court house in years past, having the parking garage is a significant improvement.
91_Aggie
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Oogway said:

but I do have to say the tax office that wrings so much $$ out of our possessions is at least a very nice place to sit and wait your turn before they call your number, especially when you compare it to the tiny dark box downtown where they used to be that had little parking, little seating and little light. I don't remember how much it cost to build the new location,

This is part of the problem.

We don't need a fancy place to sit in and have a nice atmosphere to pay taxes and/or get bureaucratic paperwork done. There doesn't need to be a ski-lodge that big that has to cost a ton to heat/cool//maintain just so people can "feel good" while they way to pay them.

There's no overall benefit to the citizens to spend this much money on these types of buildings.

Utilitarian and Functional is what is needed. If you are an elected official and/or a government worker and you think you need fancy buildings/work environment to provide the basic services that government should be providing, then you picked the wrong career path.

Oogway
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Of course we don't 'need' them. What we needed was more parking and more space and we received that. It has been built so it is a little late for me to walk in and be all grumpy about it, hence my comment about citizen input on projects. Of course, we can give input and then sit back in disgust as our observations are ignored in favor of aestheically pleasing matchy-matchy brick that costs a lot more.....
MTTANK
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Seems like the only poster that brought any real information was in fact tater. All you have done is squawk about how much they charge and how many pony events they have. All opinion. As a general rule of thumb, tax dollars are used inefficiently on almost every level. I could show the post office loss from 6 years ago or 10 years ago, and they would tell the same Over all story as this years loss. I think an appropriate rebuttal would be to post a current real profit or loss for the expo center that negates taters thesis. Instead you call a texags poster stupid for posting the only real factual news.
GIG 'EM
cslifer
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His information is factual but not relevant. Looking at the county budget it appears to have brought in a bit more than a million dollars in fees last year. A state economist told the eagle this January that it added 10 million and 100 jobs to the local economy. I guess it is up to you to decide if it is worth it, but at least use good numbers.
95_Aggie
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Quote:

If you are an elected official and/or a government worker and you think you need fancy buildings/work environment to provide the basic services that government should be providing, then you picked the wrong career path.
Just remember this the next time you have to wait in line for a long time or have to deal with a snarly govt worker. You get what you pay for.
Cholula Verde
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Didn't say one word about pony events in any of my previous comments. But, I did sleep at Holiday Inn Express last night and it sure seems obvious to me that you might need to have your vision checked. One thing for sure, if you don't turn down your squawk box volume someone might turn you in to the Mods for being disrespectful on the Aggieland board.
MTTANK
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GIG 'EM
MTTANK
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FlyingMudball said:

Didn't say one word about pony events in any of my previous comments. But, I did sleep at Holiday Inn Express last night and it sure seems obvious to me that you might need to have your vision checked. One thing for sure, if you don't turn down your squawk box volume someone might turn you in to the Mods for being disrespectful on the Aggieland board.
You attacked a poster and called them stupid. Pretty sure you are the only one that needs to worry about the mods on this entire thread. Some people are just not capable of having an adult discussion. User name checks out.
GIG 'EM
Cholula Verde
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Didn't call anyone "stupid" and I didn't "attack" anyone. Saying that information is fake news does not = stupid. Berating our county government for choosing to build a facility that provides a significant economic impact in both the Bryan and CS communities seems to be a view you and Tater have in common. I am sorry you both choose to remain so poorly informed about use of the Expo. If you are going to continue griping about how bad our local governments are at managing our resources I believe you need to take it to the Politics board as they are more equipped to support your biases which is obviously the intent of your "squawking" (LOL, thanks for the new word choice!). Regarding the Courthouse renovations, I believe Agnerd said it best on the Buzzard comments.....put lipstick on a pig and you still have a pig.
MTTANK
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User name checks out
GIG 'EM
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