Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VIII

www.freerepublic.com | September 24, 2005

[Txsleuth]

Good catch....unless there was a LOT of inbreeding!!

[bonfire]

Got two auctions coming up here.......goodie goodie. I've been trying to STAY AWAY from them! We live in Auction Alley.......must be 6 auctions houses within a few miles. Verrrrrry dangerous territory.

[onyx]

You MUST go! I stay with one auctioneer, but he has an extra one in two weeks at an estate. Otherwise, it's only once a month, but I have fun checking on the merchandise in between. :)

[CedarDave]

Some on this thread were speculating 10 to 20% graft and under the table payments? Is it that high in your opinion? No doubt it is widespread and all involved have their hands out. It's hard not to say yes when all around you are getting "their share".

[Txsleuth]

I would be dangerous at an auction.... I don't know anything about antiques as far as what is a "good antique"...I just know what I like...

I would probably overbid on things..I am what you would call an "impulse" buyer.

Luckily, I am also very frugal...so I am pretty good at controlling my impulses....but at an antique auction?

I would probably be having buyer's remorse that night! LOL

[CedarDave]

Thanks, now it all becomes clear...

[Jaded]

I thought it was the Red Cross handing out the cards. That's what the logo indicated.

[bonfire]

Because we have so many Auction houses.......the auctioneers all show up at eachother's auctions and help out. It's a hoot!

[Ellesu]

Did you know she owns a home in Lafayette. Why couldn't she stay there while the mold is removed? She says the state can't afford to pay the base salary for police/firemen, but Mitch and Kathleen get new digs. BTW, the work will not be finished by Sept. 30. I think Arkansas's governor lived in a trailer while the mansion was remodeled. But Blanco is too good for that.

Governor's Mansion redo costs push past $800,000 -

Master bathroom also getting a facelift

Times-Picayune, The (New Orleans, LA)
August 6, 2005
Author: Ed Anderson
Capital bureau
Estimated printed pages: 3

BATON ROUGE -- The state is paying $41,479 to renovate the private bathroom and dressing room on the second floor of the Governor's Mansion while asbestos and mold are removed from the structure, officials said Friday.

The tab for the entire project, originally estimated at $525,300, is now expected to reach $804,500, including other repairs and the cost of moving the governor to a private residence, according to the state Division of Administration, the fiscal arm of the governor's office.

This is the first time such work has been done since the mansion was built 42 years ago, said Maris LeBlanc, executive counsel to the commissioner of administration.

LeBlanc said remodeling the 170-square-foot bathroom area is long overdue and was recommended to the mansion's previous occupant, Gov. Mike Foster. "But he didn't want to deal with it, LeBlanc said. "It is aged and dated. They were having difficulty . . . buying replacement parts."

Foster also refused to go along with a plan to remove the mold while he was in the mansion, officials said.

LeBlanc said the state Office of Buildings and Grounds got approval from Gov. Kathleen Blanco to do the work in the bathroom while she and her husband Raymond are uprooted for the mold work.

The bathroom job includes demolition of the existing bath area for $2,800; a marble-top lavatory, new tile floor and tub renovation for $14,160; cabinetry, millwork and labor for $5,500; new drapes, wallpaper and mirror for $5,487; new fixtures, including toilet, basins, shower, tub and faucets for $6,082.40; paint and labor for $2,500; and "design fees" costing $4,950.

LeBlanc described the bath fixtures as "good quality, state of the art . . . but nothing extraordinary." She said Blanco requested a separate shower and tub but said it will not expand the size of the bathroom.

State officials also provided a breakdown for mold and asbestos work on the mansion:

-- $525,300 to clean or replace an estimated 5,000 feet of ducts and vents in which mold was detected.

-- $180,248 to remove asbestos from parts of the mansion.

-- $33,410 to replace the fire alarm system, which has been called "obsolete and unreliable."

The work also includes installing new air-conditioning components in the basement and attic, and a system to more efficiently monitor air conditioning and heat use.

While the renovation is going on, the Blancos are living in a fully furnished home owned by businessman Michael DiVincenti Jr. The state is paying rent of $5,000 per month.

The state's lease on the home runs through Sept. 30, but state officials said the Governor's Mansion should be finished by the end of August. Under the terms of the lease, the state does not have to pay September's rent if at least 10 days notice is given, which would cap lease payments at $15,000.

The rented home is 4,900 square feet, including 3,666 square feet of living area in the main house and a 1,200-square-foot swimming pool and pool house. LeBlanc said to make the home ready for the governor, the state had to spend:

-- $3,174.25 on eight security cameras. LeBlanc said the cameras will be taken out of the private home and moved to the Governor's Mansion once the renovations are finished. The labor to install the cameras was $1,428.

-- $1,334.70 for high-speed Internet connection for three months and a one-time charge of $80 to install the lines.

-- $1,318.35 for voice communications lines for three months, and $1,342 to install those lines. LeBlanc said the lines will stay at the house because it would be too expensive to remove them, but they probably will be deactivated.

-- A $340 fee to connect and disconnect the lines.

http://www.nola.com

[Txsleuth]

You are correct...it was Red Cross that handed out debit cards..I apologize..

but, I think that FEMA was going to..and changed their minds.

I misspoke...but still, the people from NO have been promised housing costs for 6 months...and other help.

I feel bad for those people...but it is unrealistic and just plain political for Neville and others to get on TV and complain that these people can't return to NO right now.

[Ellesu]

I'd guess 25%.

[ncountylee]

I'de guess about 15% graft adder.

[hoosiermama]

Discussing antique over tea....
My father refers to FR as "the back yard fence"....and always complete the phase with "and America has a really big back yard now"

Minute Girls' DIL has a great tea room....Leni provide link please for all these ladies. And Bah Bah has purchased one of the biggest greatest antiques...A Sears home..... Vacationing with Freepers on the Cruises was wonderful....Like a great big family reunion, where you actually enjoy and have something in common with the relatives.

[Colorado Doug]

Humblegunner still doesn't have power

He does now.

Everybody:

Shhhh, he's back.

[ekwd]

Yes we have trees here (They come in handy when you need shade) and, because we have them, we have a healthy respect for what can happen when one falls on a house. Right now Rita is passing through here and those trees are swaying a bit in guesstimated 25+ MPH wind gusts.
No big deal, there will probably only be a few hundred small limbs on the ground in my neighborhood tomorrow morning.

If you are not in danger from flying debris then okay. But at least keep in mind that, according to some of the people describing what happened to them, a considerable amount of damage in east TX and SW LA was caused by flying debris. Included in that was a big window in one of the emergency operations centers that was hit by a flying Entergy sign.

[onyx]

Do they hog the bidding?

[ekwd]

Apparently none touched down. Still getting some breeze and rain from Rita. Need the rain badly.

[ekwd]

Have the matches they requested from FEMA arrived yet?

[Colorado Doug]

I have read that 1000 pounders were moved. That would be 24 to 36 inch riprap, I would think. It was more the waves than the wind that displaced the boulders from what I understand. Still, an amazing feat.

[Sunnyflorida]

Well I spend most weekends on the water and fish in or around Boca Grande Pass. When I leave Burnt Store Marina I see the mouth of the pass and head straight for it. I'm say 14 feet above the water or so. And the objects on the islands are trees and 2-3 story condos on stilts (about 20-30 feet or so) I can't say I can make out any of the items on the land or boats in the pass with detail. But I sure can see the pass as a depression on the horizon. If the sunsets just to the north of the pass (in summer) I would say it set over Gasparilla Isand. In winter it would be Cayo Costa. I just measured it it is 12 miles. Today when we made the turn coming home at the green number five in Charlotte Harbor we saw the green of Punta Gorda about 9-10 miles up. It depends on how high up you are, of course and how much haze there is. Ironically that is place is called Cape Haze and it rarely ever hazy. I'd say unless you are up in a tower and the land is pretty flat 12 miles is decent estimate to the horizon. I will admit if you are laying on a beach or out in the water up to your nose the horizon is closer. That said. You are making it a real stretch to think you are watching sunsets over the water in Galveston and it should be clear to you that you cannot watch sunset over the water from a land mass that is an island and nothing more. Looking at Padre Island the distance from the land varies westerly. Looks like about six/eight miles or so from South Padre to Laguna Vista. Other places on South Padre it looks like the land is considerable more than 12 miles.
http://mappoint.msn.com/(4tj0itnexxqwbq453xeh2t55)/map.aspx?L=USA&C=29.29533%2c-94.80787&A=43.00000&P=|2DB6|&TI=Galveston%2c+Texas%2c+United+States

I'll do some math on this tomorrow. Simple geometry. jeffers probably does this in his head.

Try this.
http://www.boatsafe.com/tools/horizon.htm?height=14&units=feet&nautical=5.227926931394509&statute=6.019494995429435