Lone Star Rally Traffic Information

MEDIA ADVISORY ~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2009
Galveston, Texas

Later this week Lone Star Rally 2009 will roar back onto Galveston Island. Billed as "The World's Largest Halloween Party," the event boasts numerous contests, concerts, attractions, parades and vendors. The Rally will open on Thursday, October 29th and run through Sunday, November 1st. In preparation for the festivities, please review the following key information.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
The EOC will NOT be open for Lone Star Rally weekend. Please direct questions to the Office of Public Information by calling (409) 797-3546.

Unified Command Center
Operated by the Galveston Police Department, the Unified Command Center will be located downtown to address public safety throughout the Lone Star Rally entertainment district. Illegal and unsafe conduct will not be tolerated.

Street Closures
In preparation for the Rally, the following streets will be closed in the downtown area beginning Tuesday, October 27th through Sunday, November 1st.

• 20th Street from Mechanic to the alley between Harborside & Strand
• 21st Street from the south side of Harborside to the north side of Strand
• 21st Street from the south side of Strand to the north side of Mechanic
• 22nd Street from the south side of the alley between Harborside & Strand to the north side of Strand
• 22nd Street from the south side of Strand to the north side of Mechanic
• 23rd Street from the south side of Strand to the north side of Mechanic
• 23rd Street from the north side of Strand to the south side of Harborside
• 24th Street from the north side of Strand to the south side of Harborside
• 24th Street from the south side of Strand to the north side of Mechanic
• Mechanic from the east side of 25th Street to eh east side of 26th Street
• 22nd Street from the south side of Mechanic to the north side of Market for Unified Command Center (access to the drive in window for Frost Bank will remain open)
• Santa Fe Place from 25th Street to 28th Street ~ Parking, Motorcycles only
• 26th Street, between Santa Fe Place & Mechanic ~ Parking
• Beginning on Thursday October 29th through Sunday, November 1st the following streets will be open to motorcycle traffic only:
• Strand from the west side of 29th Street to the east side of 25th Street

Beginning Thursday, October 29th through Sunday, November 1st, the following streets will be open to motorcycle traffic only:

• Strand from the west side of 20th Street to the east side of 25th Street

Beginning Friday October 30th at 6pm and lasting through midnight Sunday, November 1st the following streets will be available for motorcycle parking only:

• Mechanic from the east side of 25th Street to the west side of 20th Street (access to the Tremont House Valet Parking Lot will remain open)

Alternate east/west routes are Market Street & Harborside
Alternate north/south routes are 19th Street & 25th Street

PLEASE NOTE: Sequenced load in of the vendor booths on 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Streets will begin on Wednesday, October 28th at 6am. All vehicles must be moved prior to 6am.

Lone Star Rally Schedule of Events
For questions about motorcycle events, attractions and activities, please call the Lone Star Rally office at (832) 437-2318 or visit the event's website by clicking the live link in the heading of this web post.

For additional information, please contact:

• Alicia Cahill, Public Information Officer at (409) 797-3546 or via email at cahillali@cityofgalveston.org

PCTH Complex Update

• Re-roofing efforts have resulted in completion of new roofs on units 23-37 and 1-4; balance to continue once SBA funding is released. Chimney enclosures and caps are being replaced, as the roofs are being replaced, to minimize the amount of foot traffic once the new roof is in place.
  
• Lower level stucco wall replacement on waterfront units (1-27), as well as a few strategic complete wall replacements. will commence in line with SBA loan funding.
  
• Flowers beds have been re-planted against walls that have already been replaced; future beds will be planted as additional walls are replaced with siding.
  
• Permanent "Power of Attorney" signs have been placed at both entrances to the property.
  
• Work orders have been released to repair/replace the vinyl fencing along the western property line, as well as leveling the waterside end of the existing dock. Fishing lights will be replaced at the end of the dock once the leveling work is complete.
  
• Owners' planting areas throughout the complex are looking nice. Please remember to utilize the ACC form and procedures for any tree installation on the area outside the owners' planting area.
  

Reconstruction efforts are expected to continue over the next few months. Please be cautious around construction material and equipment, and please pick up nails and other sharp materials that you may find on the drive when walking through the complex.

Several homes (or fractional ownerships) in the complex are currently on the market and "For Sale" signs are being placed on the property. Please be advised that the governing documents address such advertising (Section 8.08 - Signs and Other Advertising) and the ACC has been tolerant of such marketing signs for a reasonable period of time. Please make sure they are placed as near to the property front entry as possible and are promptly removed once the unit is sold or the listing contract expires.

Please report all maintenance issues to Sandcastle Industries by e-mail maintenance@piratescovetownhomes.com. For your convenience, there is an easy link to the maintenance request e-mail address located on the complex website www.piratescovetownhomes.com under the "Contact Us" tab.

Phase III Roof Replacement ~ Units 1 - 4

PCTH Owners (1, 3, 4) and Timeshare Owners (Unit 2),

As detailed on the "What to Expect" document, the Phase III Roof Replacement will commence on units 1-4 starting Monday, October 12, 2009 and will likely take until Wednesday to complete.

Please note that the area around affected buildings will be treated as a construction site with limited access for safety reasons. Please take reasonable measures within your home to protect valuables on shelves and hanging on walls as recommended in the attached document and also noted below:

“Remove all loose items from shelving and walls, pictures, mirrors, plates, figurines, etc. Hammering may create vibration that could shake these items off the shelves and walls.”

In advance of the roof replacements, the chimney enclosures located on the roof will have the stucco replaced with hardi-board and repainted to match the existing color. Making these siding upgrades prior to the roof replacement will limit the amount of foot traffic required on the roof once it is complete.

We are scheduling some project work "out of order" from what was originally planned, but we are trying to earmark available funds to buildings with less roof surface and will work back towards the larger buildings as funds are available.

Update on Roof Replacement Schedule

Due to material delivery schedules and expected inclement weather the week of September 28th, the planned roof replacement for Phase II has been delayed until the week of October 5, 2009.

Once again, please review the "What to Expect" document in preparation for this work.

Galveston City Ordinance to Ban Golf Carts

On October 6th, the City Council will again review an ordinance relating to the ownership and use of golf carts. Please see information from the Texas Department of Transportation below.

Effective September 1, 2009, golf carts no longer can be titled or registered. If golf cart owners come in after September 1st, even if they had August renewals, they cannot register their golf carts.

NOTE: Golf carts may continue to be registered in Grayson County, but only with golf cart license plates. Golf cart license plates may not be issued in other counties, however.

Since registration renewal notices are created far in advance of the actual expiration date, customers will receive September and October registration renewal notices for golf carts. Registration should not be renewed on and after September 1, 2009 even if you have customers who present a registration renewal notice.

Renewal notices for golf carts with November 2009 or later expiration will not be mailed. We are sending letters to all golf cart owners we can identify to let them know of the change, effective September 1st. Registration for golf carts can be renewed before September 1, 2009.

We appreciate your assistance with informing golf cart customers of the following:

• Registrations issued to golf carts prior to September 1, 2009, will remain valid until expiration, but will not be renewed at expiration
• DPS will fully recognize and honor all existing golf cart registrations through their expiration date
• Tax, title and registration fees paid prior to September 1, 2009, are non-refundable
• Titles issued prior to September 1, 2009, will not be required to be returned to the department.

If municipalities allow, unregistered golf carts may continue to be operated on public roads within a municipality's boundaries, if:

• The road has a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less; and
• The golf cart is equipped with headlamps, tail lamps, reflectors, a parking brake and mirrors.

Additionally, state law allows unregistered golf carts to be operated on public roads or lands:

• To cross intersections, including a road or street that has a posted speed limit of more than 35 mph
• In a master planned community with a uniform set of restrictive covenants and a county or municipality approved plat
• On a public or private beach
• On a road with a posted speed limit not more than 35 mph, if driven to or from a golf course during the daytime and the golf cart is driven not more than two miles from the location where it is usually parked and the golf course

Golf carts should display a show-moving vehicle emblem if operated on public roads

~ Rebecca Davio, Texas Department of Transportation

Galveston City Council Approves Tax Rate Increase

In a split vote, the Galveston City Council approved a property tax rate increase of six (6) pennies today at a special meeting. Effective October 1, 2009, Island property owners will pay $0.554/$100 value up from $0.494/$100 value. Combined with a $7 million draw from the City’s reserves, funds generated from this property tax rate increase will leverage federal recovery dollars to help rebuild Ike-battered infrastructure.

In addition to approving the tax rate, the Galveston City Council adopted a $96,532,245 budget for the City’s 2010 fiscal year.

City of Galveston Press Release ~ September 17, 2009

Phase II Roof Replacement ~ Units 23 - 27

PCTH Owners (23, 25, 26, 27) and Timeshare Owners (Unit 24),

As detailed on the "What to Expect" document from Tom Korstad with Meadows Construction, the Phase II Roof Replacement will commence on units 23-27 starting Monday, September 28, 2009 and will likely take the majority of the week to complete. The unfinished porch overhangs for units 28-30 will also be completed as part of this phase.

Please note that the area around affected buildings will be treated as a construction site with limited access for safety reasons. Please take reasonable measures within your home to protect valuables on shelves and hanging on walls as recommended in the attached document and also noted below:

“Remove all loose items from shelving and walls, pictures, mirrors, plates, figurines, etc. Hammering may create vibration that could shake these items off the shelves and walls.” Please read full document, titled What to Expect.

In advance of the roof replacements, the chimney enclosures located on the roof will have the stucco replaced with Hardi-board and repainted to match the existing color. Making these siding upgrades prior to the roof replacement will limit the amount of foot traffic required on the roof once it is complete. This process will continue with future phases and will then circle back at the completion of the roof replacements to replace the existing stucco on units 28-36 that have already had such roof replacement.

URGENT NOTICE ~ EFFECTIVE 7pm, August 7, 2009

Water has been restored to all areas west of 81st Street. City crews successfully installed two generators at the Airport Water Pump Station this afternoon and repowered the facility.
Officials caution residents that water pressure will remain low while the system re-pressurizes. Water pressure will continue to fluctuate until the entire system refills. This process will take several hours to complete.

A boiled water notice remains in effect for all areas on Galveston Island west of 81st Street, including Treasure Island in Brazoria County. As a precaution, for the next 48 hours, or until the City of Galveston withdraws the notice, individuals are instructed to boil their water or rely on bottled water for drinking and cooking. Once the City has sampled and tested the water in accordance with TCEQ regulations, the boil water notice will be lifted. At that time, residents and business owners will need to flush their own lines by turning on indoor and outdoor faucets, both hot and cold taps, and allowing water to run for several minutes. Galveston officials are requesting all property owners west of 81st Street to turn off their irrigation systems and refrain from any outdoor watering until further notice.

"It is imperative to conserve water this weekend," stated Brandon Wade, Deputy City Manager. "Our storage tanks are empty and we must concentrate on providing water for indoor use. This means no outdoor watering, period," he added. Water service for all areas west of 81st Street, including Jamaica Beach, was disrupted earlier today due to an electrical fire that broke out at 1:56 am this morning at the City of Galveston's Airport Pump Station. The fire caused significant damage to the electrical circuit that powers the facility. The Galveston City Council convened an emergency meeting at noon today and authorized $100,000 in funding for temporary repairs. It's likely that generators will power the pump station for the next several weeks until permanent repairs are completed. City officials believe the fire started as a result of latent Hurricane Ike damage.

FM 3005 to be Elevated

FM 3005 to be elevated with stimulus funds! More details in the near future, but we understand that work will begin in September.

Hurricane Ike Recovery Update

As of June 1, following is a status of various projects underway and /or completed at the PCTH complex. Certainly, this is a work in progress and we continue to move forward with our list of priorities. If you have questions, concerns or comments you wish directed to the PCTH Board of Directors, please forward them to your Owners Representative, Maureen Appleton at maureenkap@yahoo.com

• Roof replacement completed on units 28 - 37, with the exception of the porch roofs on 28 - 30, which will be completed on Wednesday, due to product delivery delays
• Power has been restored to dock lights
• Exterior walls restored/replaced with Hardi-board on units 37, 22, 12 (lower level) ~ units 9 & 4 will be completed the first week of June
• Irrigation system repairs to be completed the first week of June
• SBA loan documents have been submitted to SBA and the Board is waiting on confirmation that all is in order & the process to begin drawing on the loan
• Complex wide cable went out again on Saturday morning and Comcast was on-site Sunday evening ~ request has been made for them to repair and secure their pedestals throughout the complex, which is believed to be the root of the problem
• Trash pick-up resumes Monday & Thursday collection schedule first week of June
• Recyclable items should be bagged separately and placed by the trash receptacle ~ if you have not replaced your trash can, please double bag to reduce the risk of critter spreading trash throughout the complex
• Water will be restored to the dock after irrigation repairs are completed.