From: Sam Morton [mailto:sgmorton@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 12:36 PM
To: judge_eckels@co.harris.tx.us
Subject: Astroworld Closing
Mr Eckels,
As it is turning out building the new stadium is going to leave a black eye on our city. Let's face it the new stadium is just like every other stadium. Granted it is new and grand and all but in the end it's not that special. Not at all as special as the Astrodome was and still is. The Astrodome got a chance to shine yet again in the face of the Katrina disaster and I believe that the dome is something that the whole world associates with the city of Houston. Now that being said.
The Astrodome is doomed.
I see what has happened to Astroworld, it basically boiled down to parking, if you cannot get to the park then attendance will fall and so will revenue and so will upkeep which will further the attendance issue etc... Reliant and the Sports Authority made it hard on Astroworld and now our city is losing a landmark. I believe that people come to Houston to go to Astroworld. I believe that Astroworld provided a quality of life for the city of Houston that is now being taken away and will not be easily replaced. I also think the Astrodome is next on the chopping block. There is nothing that can be done with it now. There is no venture that will be viable for this structure and soon it will have to be raised and then what? Houston will have lost the Astrodomain complex in whole. Something we used to be proud of! Something I was still proud of and now ... time marches on. Are we any better off? I think not. I'd rather have Astroworld and the Astrodome back. I'd rather see Monster Trucks in the dome or the Rodeo in the dome or just about everything else other than football. I agree Reliant is a better football facility. So those 10 days a year she shines very brightly, the rest of the time, I don't see it that way.
A little piece of me died when I heard about Astroworld's demise. I feel this pain for my 7 year old and the now realization of not having Astroworld for his pre-teen years. I feel this pain for myself as well. My first job was at Astroworld. I have lived here my whole life and chose to raise my son here and these are the things that make me question my choices. I complain because I feel this could have been handled better and because I hate to see the greed of 10 days worth of $30 parking take away something many of us found precious.
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Disgusted,
Sam Morton
From: Judge Eckels (County Judge's Office)
To: "sgmorton@gmail.com"
Date: Oct 5, 2005 5:04 PM
Subject: RE: Astroworld Closing
Dear Mr. Morton:
As a frequent patron of AstroWorld over the years, I too was saddened by the news that it is closing on October 30th. AstroWorld has provided decades of family fun for Houston families. Our community will truly miss this theme park.
Six Flags announced that it decided to sell AstroWorld because it has been under-performing financially for several years, and it is my understanding that the Six Flags Board of Directors made their decision to sell the property in June, 2005, as a way to boost value for Six Flags shareholders, before negotiations began on the parking issue. I believe the parking situation can be resolved, but this will not resolve the long-term issues of land values and park revenue.
Property values in the area have greatly increased over the last five years, and the park is currently sitting on some very valuable property. Six Flags Chief Financial Officer Jim Dannhauser has stated that the "value of the land far outstripped the value of the park as an ongoing business enterprise." It is anticipated the land will sell for $20-$30 per square foot. This equates to between $95 million and $142 million.
I believe there is a strong market in Houston for this type of facility and there may very well be investor interest in building a similar park in the Houston area.
Thank you for emailing me with your concern about this issue.
Sincerely,
Robert Eckels
County Judge
What do I have to say... ugh!
Standard line... I found out that Astroworld was tied for 4th among all Six Flags parks, I'm not sure the underperformance holds water. No new rides due to reluctance to invest in facility with an unstable future because of the parking situation makes it, well a vicious circle...
