Adrienne Culpepper: November 2008 Archives

We have a lot to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at IBCgalveston.com!!!

Islander By Choice will be attending this meeting, hosted by Gerald Sullivan at the SugarBean coffee shop in Evia (Stewart Rd to 99th Street towards golf course, left on Evia Main) and we encourage all who share a "vested interest" in the future of our Island to attend.  See the orginal post here.

The following message is from the host, confirming the date and time...

Message about The Dawning of a New Day on Galveston Island

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving!

The response to the party next week has been overwhelming. I have been inspired to hear the many ideas you have - this is your forum and your future. Mayor Thomas will be our guest to hear about your ideas as well.

In the spirit of the gathering, I want to reassure you that we will not be here all night. Your time is valuable so the following are the topics for discussion: Education, Tourism, Business/Industry, UTMB, Governmental Affairs, Housing and Quality of Life. Please begin to compile your thoughts and ideas - remember, this event is being held for you and your participation is critical.

I wish you and your family Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you all on December 2nd!
Gerald Sullivan
 

For our first-time guests to www.IBCgalveston.com, welcome!  We hope you'll find the site easy to navigate.  Please let us know if there is something you'd like to see us cover and we'll be happy to look into it!

For homeowners who are visiting the site to find out more information about elevating their homes, please remember we have most posts categorized by theme on the right hand side of this page, scrolling down towards the bottom.  The category called "Elevating the East End" is where you can click to read any and all posts regarding what we have found out about the elevation process.

Feel free to post your Ike story, tips you have found that might help other homeowners in the recovery process, or questions you may have in general. 

Thanks for visiting - please come back often!

"The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is funded by FEMA, but administered by the state's division of emergency management," reports Leigh Jones in yesterday's Galveston Daily News coverage.  (click here to read the entire article)

Although part of this grant program includes a buy-out program, which many west-end property owners are looking into, for those of us in-town that want to elevate our flood damaged homes, this could be a good place to start.

"All property owners throughout the city who are interested in elevating their houses or having them bought out should call the city at 409-797-3630 to add their name to the grant program list. The program is voluntary and joining the list now does not require participating."

We've added our names to the list - will you add yours?

Join us to kick off the Holiday Season at the Official City of Galveston Holiday Tree Lighting
 
Friday, November 28, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Hotel Galvez Front Lawn
2024 Seawall Blvd.
 
Hosted by KPRC's Frank Billingsley
* Performances by Temple High School Choir
* Texas Bagpipe Group
* Sneak Peek Performance of Moody Gardens' Christmas Musical
* Holiday Greetings from Santa and Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas
* Photos with Santa by the Sea and Gifts from Santa

Don't Miss Sunday Brunch with Santa at the Hotel Galvez on December 7, 14 and 21.
 
Sponsored by Mitchell Historic Properties, Hotel Galvez, Historic Downtown Galveston Partnership and the City of Galveston.
 
For more information, call (409) 765-7721.
 

I received a call from Dana in the planning department this afternoon.  It was not from Ms. Schwarz, who is the Historic Preservation Officer in the planning dept, though as I had hoped.  What Dana tells me is this:

We (and most of the East End) are 'blue' on the damage assessment map.  http://www.cityofgalveston.org/_private/newstool/newsdoc/Map_11-13-08_25th_East.pdf

From what I understand, that means we were originally categorized as 'yellow' but since we fall under an historic exemption, and are therefore "excused" from having to elevate/comply, we are now 'blue' (which is the new 'green').  I explained to her what I had expressed to Ms. Schwarz in my emails:  we want to be given the chance to be considered "substantially damaged" (those areas that are assessed "substantially damaged" are shown in red on the map) so that we may pursue the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) rider in our flood insurance.  The ICC can cover up to $30,000 to pay for mitigation of future flood damage, in our case - elevating the home.

As it stands now, there is no appeals process for 'blue' properties.  You can appeal if you are any other color, it seems, besides 'blue'. 

Dana has assured me that she will have Ms. Schwarz get to the bottom of this 'grey' area when she meets with the FEMA rep tomorrow afternoon (2pm).  I will be following up with her and posting whatever I find out.

I don't know about you, but I'm about to go color blind!

I've submitted another request for some more specific information from the Galveston Planning Department's Historic Preservation Officer regarding pursuit of the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) insurance coverage for those of us with historic homes.  I will post any response I get as soon as it comes in...

Good news:  the owner of Cherry House Moving has agreed to "work with us" on the cost of elevating our historic homes.  Hopefully, if there is a group of us that can get through the permitting process and then get approval from the Landmark Commission by submitting appropriate and acceptable plans, we can help make the elevation cost a bit more easy on the pocketbook...

Stay tuned for updates...

(the following info was taken from Leigh Jones' November 16th coverage of the ever-developing City's assessment map)

APPEALS PROCESS

Ways to appeal substantially damaged property

1. All property owners appealing a substantial damage ruling must obtain a certified pre-storm appraisal, not more than a year old, which indicates the house value is higher than the Galveston Central Appraisal District value.

2. In conjunction with a certified pre-storm appraisal, submit a complete project bid from a registered contractor to repair the structure and the insurance adjustment determination, if the structure was insured. Property owners who plan to do the work themselves can submit a cost estimate for the materials needed to do the work, but city officials must add a cost estimate for labor to the total to make it consistent with other estimates.

3. Submit an elevation certificate, completed by a licensed Texas surveyor, verifying the structure is located at or above the base flood elevation and complies with current National Flood Insurance Program rate maps. The maps can be viewed online at www.fema.gov.

4. Elevate the structure to the minimum elevation requirement for your area.

5. Move the structure to a property that conforms to the flood plain regulations.

6. Demolish the structure and rebuild according to the current regulations.

Ways to have property ruled substantially damaged

1. Submit a complete project bid from a registered contractor to repair the structure.

2. Submit the insurance adjustment determination, if the structure was insured.

3. Request the damage report from the city and make sure basic information, like square footage, is accurate.
 

So this post is a bit late, but that is in no way a reflection of its importance.  While we were evacuees in evacuation site #2 (casa del Mondo parent's in Victoria) we visited the local Home Depot in preparation for our return to the Island. 

We purchased many things: 

generator (the Mondos)
first aid kits
gas cans
gas
bug spray
gloves
work boots
trash bags
batteries
a cow.

Yes, a cow. 

Yes, you can buy a cow at Home Depot in Victoria.  However, if you DO decide to purchase a cow at the Victoria Home Depot, be prepared to defend its honor to the cashier who will likely insist it is, in fact, a sheep.  Rest assured, it is a cow. A "calm down cow" as we have come to know and love.  Some people use biofeedback, some people count to ten.  We pet the cow.  And it works.

As Christopher Walken might say, we've got a fever...  And the only prescription is more cow... 

 

Host:      Gerald Sullivan
Location: Sugar Bean Coffee and Cream - Private Meeting Room (11 Evia Main, Galveston, TX)
When:     Tuesday, December 2, 6:00PM
Phone:     409.744.5555

Galveston Island is in a recovery and rebuilding mode and we would like for you to participate in that effort!

Please join us for an evening with Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas to discuss your ideas for the future of Galveston Island.  What are our greatest challenges and opportunities, what should be the short-term and long-term goals for the island, how will your family thrive as we rebuild our home?  These and other topics will be discussed and please come prepared to offer your ideas and input as we seize this opportunity to rebuild Galveston Island!  

If you would like to submit topics for discussion, e-mail them to ksullivan@sullivaninterests.com.  Also, feel free to forward this invitation to other friends who have a vested interest in Galveston Island!

Click here for more information.
 
 

(Thanks to Lesley Sommer and the HDGP Board for continuing to be the advocate for businesses and residents of downtown Galveston! Please visit www.downtownGalveston.org for more information!)

City to Clean Downtown Streets -  The mud should be gone by Dec. 1

HDGP met Tuesday with the City Manager to discuss the cleaning of downtown.  While the major debris piles are being removed, the mud and small debris continue to carpet the streets.  Following discussion with the department heads present it was agreed that the "fine cleaning" needed to happen prior to Dickens on The Strand and the Lone Star Rally, and a completion date of December 1st was set.
 
They City has asked that all businesses and building owners honor the November 15 deadline for debris cleanout.  After that point the City requests that debris no longer be placed in the Right of Way.
 
Do you have any suggestions/ideas/concerns you'd like HDGP to address?  How would you like to see Galveston's downtown progress over the next days, weeks, months, etc?
  

We had the chance to visit Gary and Mike at Big House Antiques, 2212 Mechanic, yesterday and are pleased to report they have made phenomenal headway on restoring their showroom.  Although they are not "officially open", the doors are open when they're there working and they'll surely welcome any walk-in customers.

Our good friends Scott and Holly at Antique Warehouse, 423 Rosenberg (aka 25th Street) have also been back in business since cleaning out the sludge and damage from the roughly 8' of water they had inside.  Need any antique long leaf pine flooring?  Bead board? Architectural salvage?  This is the place, and these guys invented service with a smile.  "Best Galveston Antique Store" is right, as they were awarded this year by the Galveston Daily News.

Nautical Antiques is, of course, available by appointment (409) 761-0392, but the gaping hole in the roof keeps us from being able to open up the doors for regular hours just yet.  You can find us at the Winnie Trade Days the weekend of November 7-9th with Antique Warehouse if you care to venture out!

 

It's not really "love", but the Galveston Planning Department, that we want to help lift us (and by "us" I mean our house) up, but it is where we belong, common sense - and Ike's foul waters that seeped into what little insulation we HAD, our electrical box, and 2 complete sets of home appliances - would suggest.  

Michael and I are not alone in our quest.  After canvassing the neighborhood last week, we were thrilled to have been met with such support and positive feedback from homeowners we visited and talked with along the way and from those that called us after reading the notes we left about elevating our historic homes.

Our city council representative has been extremely communicative with us and I am confident that our Planning Department and Historic Preservation Officer will agree that, if we want any history left to preserve, elevating these homes and ensuring they'll be here for 125 more years is imperative.

We'll be posting information as we gather and confirm it, but please feel free to give us a buzz if you'd like to join the cause!