Tuesday, November 06, 2012

The Baker Road Extention Deforestration Project

Hello Bert, I hope you have been doing well. I don't know if the City has responded to you in regards to this road expansion. I do know that Mr. Leiper and his staff is exploring and designing a number of bike & walking trails that will link several parks together. One example is what the City is installing down Emmit Hutto Blvd. I think you have a great idea with this being used with the detention pond and tieing into Jenkins Park. Bob Hoskins
2nd photo taken 11-22-12
The proposed solution on top and what was decided.
 Well, a giant retention pond is going in directly behind my forest of trees and wildlife habitat and all vegetation must go.  I hate this and voted against it.  I can't see where anyone but the land owners are going to benefit connecting Sjolander Road to anything.  The bulldozer operator told me a family of coyotes with three pups were chased out their den this morning.  I've heard the coyotes yipping in the woods for over twenty years and never saw one and they are no threat at all.
Directly behind my house in Chaparral Village.
At Barkuloo Road
Future site of retaining pond
I just hate that in the name of "progress", they feel the need to put in a gigantic retention pond instead of keeping the trees and digging out the existing lake, like was discussed.  There could be a nature trail  down the pipeline that ran through the natural setting and continued on to Walter Jenkins Park.  Now, this is what we will get.  Next, I imagine the land owners will take down the remaining forest and build cheap track homes that will sell for a hundred thousand.  Makes me sick to my stomach.
Some folks call this progress.  I call it senseless waste of valuable resources.
November 8, 2012  This is progress in action.  Cut down everything and dig a big hole.

Halfway point between Sjolander Road and Barkuloo Road



24 comments:

Anonymous said...

if this helps relieve traffic on garth i'm all for it... Fred

. . . . . said...

Yea, Fred. Everyone wants to get to Sjolander... This kind of thinking is why people voted for the extension. I hope you didn't use this logic when you voted in the primary... Author

Anonymous said...

Nothing is going to relieve traffic on Garth Rd. Those in charge of planning have done nothing but encourage growth of new business along it's length. Though it is great to have the new businesses... it would be nice to see other parts of town growing and prospering. Until the city Gov. and those in planning encourage growth along N. Main, 330, Cedar Bayou Lynchburg, etc..... traffic along Garth will be a nightmare. You can't have THAT many businesses in one place, that many cars entering and exiting the roadway and expect it to actually flow. Garth, imo.... is living proof of poor planning. Sure, all towns have a "main drag" but Garth is miserable and I avoid it at all costs. Delaney

Anonymous said...

... Again this points to poor planning on the city's part. Rob

Anonymous said...

Looked at the pic you posted on your blog. I'm still trying to wrap my head around exactly how it's going to go through from N. Main to Sjolander. Hard to tell by your pic (for me anyway).

Anonymous said...

I read the post and my thinking this has no reason to ease up Garth Rd of traffic. It's just another Archer and east and west cut through.

Anonymous said...

That is what Bert is talking about. He's upset about it and I don't blame him one bit. These are the woods behind his property where he's lived for like ever....
To a man like Bert her lives half his life in the woods there just has to be many personal mixed feelings going on there. All those tress cut down and all those displaced animals that will be pushed out of their homes and could possibly end up dead on the side of a road somewhere. It's sad and I see him point clearly.

My thoughts are about the purpose of the road. Is it to lessen the traffic on Cedar Bayou Lynchburg and Massey Thomkins during the school year? And if that's the case I don't see it making that much difference except it will be a straight through shot once you finally get on that road from Sjolander. For me I still have to go down 146, cut through kings bend, and make jog around to Sjolander before I could even hit Baker from there. To me it makes more sense for me to just continue on CBL and head to Sterling. Just my personal thoughts here. I don't know......

Anonymous said...

I understand completely. I met Bert a few weeks ago and had just got out of a boat fishing early AM, as he was headed out up Clear Creek in the yak. I understand the passion we both share outdoors and seems when a tree gets cut down we bleed. I didn't know this was near his turf. Bert is there any wetland /ponds in there holding duck or geese?

Anonymous said...

Took the time to have a careful review of the project and I must say that I'm sorry to hear this is, literally, in your back yard. I don't quite understand the need for another road that travels this route, as they extended Massey T into it's current state.... ... and IMO traffic on other roads (Cedar Bayou Lynchburg and Archer) isnt' heavy enough to justify. An absolute rotten deal for those living along the projected path. :-(

Anonymous said...

Doesn't look like they are interested in the bundle plan, a win win. The empty pond is one of the latest codes of road construction. Bert I can't look at the moment but if you could give me width and length of this road I'd like to model it, including the heavy brush and tree removal at Angel Brother rates and see what I come up with. I'm sure some easeways and crossings / ditches will be inroute as well. Pipelines?

Big question, is it a done deal, have they started full blown?

. . . . . said...

I've stood and talked to the Mayor, the City Manager, the assistant City manager, and the Parks Superintendant and told them repeatedly that the only way Baytown is going to attract more educated affluent people is to establish hiking/biking trails and better parks, things they arre used to. We have to make our city more attractive. We have to have bike lanes and shoulders on our side roads. Riding a bicycle around Baytown is 100 times more dangerous than riding a motorcycle and I've rode mine out to Beach City and back more times than I can remember. We need a corridor of miles of interconnecting trails, which could cover the many fingers of Goose Creek. We need kayaking platforms on Cary Bayou and Goose Creek. We need more boat ramps and places to launch jet skis.

Anonymous said...

I would add to your list by saying that, in order to get more affluent and educated citizens, we need a City government that will listen to the people. We have an overabundance of low income housing, too few Police officers, and a crime rate that is not appealing to those with enough income to live where they please. Our proximity to the bay, wetlands and natural beauty could be enhanced, as you say, but, we must have good leadership in order to attract more people that would take pride in making Baytown their home.
I agree and sympathize with you on this poorly planned extension. BC

Anonymous said...

I've been in that old pond. A childhood friend of mine lives right in front of it on Broken Arrow. We've been all through those woods. Shame they are destroying it. BR

Anonymous said...

Most of this thread seems to be about traffic. This extension probably has much less to do with traffic, than a long term plan to extend the airport runway across E. Cedar Bayou Lynchburg Rd. to accommodate larger aircraft.
The only way to do that is to close E. CBL, and the only way to close that is to have another route. The Baker extension seems to fit the bill.

ps- Welcome to 'progress'.

Tavy

Anonymous said...

Bert, looks like it a go anyway you look at it. I don't know if it will be divided, but have done a few projects where trees at a lower cost could be obtained. Mostly live oak being the strongest. If your looking to keep the forest alive I can put in a request for 1000 - 2000 trees if you can put together a title of a restoration project and see they all get planted with care. H

. . . . . said...

It appears it will be for flood control, but I've heard nothing from Bob Hoskins (My councilman) or the Mayor and I've wrote both three times.

Anonymous said...

That is one ugly view Bert. I bet it was awesome before the trees were removed. Seems like you're gonna get your very own mosquito farm. I'm feeling your pain on this. BC

Anonymous said...

Time for a wooden fence! HU

. . . . . said...

I called ASK BAYTOWN last week to get clarification on what exactly is going in back there. They never called back...

My nephew is an Eagle Scout in Jersey Village and as an advanced project and the help of Harris County flood Control District planted a terrific amount of trees along their drainage ditches.

"The HCFCD is very receptive to citizen projects and will provide the trees and sometimes even pre-dig the holes. All you provide is volunteers. The Goose Creek high schools have Key and National Honor Society Clubs that would be thrilled to provide manpower as-well-as your local Boy and Girl Scout Troops. They wil help supervise and supply a liability waiver."

I want to see a hike-bike trail extend from Barkaloo Park to Jenkins Park added as well.

Anonymous said...

Good luck. If for some reason you need to do a petition let me know. I would not only sign it, I would help gather signatures as well.
BC

Anonymous said...

Who provides the trees Bert? Oops. HCFCD... got it. I did many industrial project as you know but they alway include landscaping. When in bulk you can get the fast growers of red and live oaks up to 8' for about $5 to $10 each dependeding on the tree market. Pines even cheaper. I see in your pic you have pines. Some people don't like them and some worry the deadly pine beetle will find them. Well long as they are not over my house or dripping sap on my truck I love them. Did you plan on retiring in that home? HC

Anonymous said...

If it doesn't belong to Harris County, then maybe the city will provide the trees on Arbor Day give away. Yes, I plan to remain Baytown Bert here in Chaparral. I'm one of those people who actually like it here and try to make it a better place for everyone. Peace!

As of today, 11-16-12, I've heard nothing from any city official I've tried to contact, except the Mayor, who sent me this: "Bert-I'm in Dallas-I'll check when I get back on Monday."

Anonymous said...

We do have plans for a connection to Jenkins Park along the new Baker Road. We have not figured out how to cross the RR tracks yet. The short connection between the end of Baker Road and Jenkins Park is going to be challenging to say the least, but we do intend to make that connection in the future. Yes, the Barkaloo Park trail will connect to the Baker Road trail (sidewalk) Scott Johnson

Anonymous said...

Read your blog about the poor trees being murdered behind your house. Trees are also living breathing beings and are carbon sinks. They take carbon dioxide and convert it to carbon and oxygen. When you kill the trees you release the carbon and when all the trees are gone all life will come to an end.

We really don't value life just our own kind of life. CK

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