GMS Coaches

[bandkid]

Things are very different. TJ no longer exists. All Port Arthur high schools were rolled into Memorial High School, which is on the old TJ campus. This took place 7 or 8 years ago ('01, I think). I don't think I even remember PN-G - TJ games.

Port Arthur has been overrun with gangs, and it's started to spill over into south Groves and east Nederland. Port Neches doesn't seem to have been effected to the same extent, though. However, that may not last. They're building new government housing on the old Divot's driving range on Twin City across from Hogaboom. Although it's in neither the PN-G nor Nederland school districts, it still has potential for a harsh effect on PN-G and Nederland land values, which only opens us up to more Section 8 housing, meaning more delinquents.

Woodlawn is no longer a junior high school. It's now Groves Elementary, servicing the 4th and 5th graders of Groves. The only middle schools in our district are Port Neches Middle School and Groves Middle School, which hold the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

Another major factor in Groves' declining population, as well as the rest of the area's, is the recent hurricanes. Rita tore up a lot of Groves. Trees were down everywhere, a few homes were crushed, several lost their roof or portions of it, many homes were flooded, etc. It left the area looking... odd. Where there were once trees, there is now a field. The hurricanes, mainly Rita, left most of this area looking like that. It still doesn't feel right when I go to Orange and have a view of the sky that is unobstructed by trees. Many of the school districts have seen reduced attendance since all this started with Rita in 2005. The recent industrial developments were poised to revitalize the area, but, now, with the nation heading for an economic slump, that revitalization may not occur.

It's a little sad.

Maybe I'm too used to working with middle schoolers, but that's extremely well put - especially considering it was written by a high schooler. Great job! I've seen good students that can't write to save their lives. You put your thoughts very well on paper.

Thanks

 

[Former NDNette]

Maybe I read it wrong.....but the old Woodlawn Jr. High is where the Groves Middle School is now. The old Groves Jr. High is now Groves Elementary. If I read it wrong, sorry. Trying to do about 3 things at once.

 

[PNGfan]

I'm one of the Groves residents that moved to Port Neches, and I love it. It wasn't because of sports, but Port Neches had larger homes that I needed to fit three boys, and a family of five. Groves couldn't give me that in an area that I would consider living. Also, I do believe that the schools in Port Neches are a tad bit better as far as for my situation. This is just my opinion, and everyone has thier own. Nothing against Groves. I do think that Groves residents are a closer group than residents in Port Neches. I've lived in the area since 1997 when me and my wife moved here from Beaumont. PN and Groves is better than Beaumont. I've seen Groves decline in the last five years, but the city is actually doing a good job of tearing down old houses and businesses. I wish that Port Neches would follow and do the same thing. I moved into Hughann addition and I like the sense of community that we have here. Both communities are great in my opinion, but there's areas of both communities that need a face lift.

 

[bandkid]

I'm one of the Groves residents that moved to Port Neches, and I love it. It wasn't because of sports, but Port Neches had larger homes that I needed to fit three boys, and a family of five. Groves couldn't give me that in an area that I would consider living. Also, I do believe that the schools in Port Neches are a tad bit better as far as for my situation. This is just my opinion, and everyone has thier own. Nothing against Groves. I do think that Groves residents are a closer group than residents in Port Neches. I've lived in the area since 1997 when me and my wife moved here from Beaumont. PN and Groves is better than Beaumont. I've seen Groves decline in the last five years, but the city is actually doing a good job of tearing down old houses and businesses. I wish that Port Neches would follow and do the same thing. I moved into Hughann addition and I like the sense of community that we have here. Both communities are great in my opinion, but there's areas of both communities that need a face lift.

They were supposed to start tearing down old buildings with the money brought in through investments in the Riverfront Development Project, but then Beaumont decided to do their own riverfront development, Ike hit, and the economy hit a snag, and all our development's investors pulled out. That, too, is sad. I had hopes that the Riverfront Development Project would revitalize our community's local economy, in addition to the industrial expansions. :-\

 

[squaw]

I'm one of the Groves residents that moved to Port Neches, and I love it. It wasn't because of sports, but Port Neches had larger homes that I needed to fit three boys, and a family of five. Groves couldn't give me that in an area that I would consider living. Also, I do believe that the schools in Port Neches are a tad bit better as far as for my situation. This is just my opinion, and everyone has thier own. Nothing against Groves. I do think that Groves residents are a closer group than residents in Port Neches. I've lived in the area since 1997 when me and my wife moved here from Beaumont. PN and Groves is better than Beaumont. I've seen Groves decline in the last five years, but the city is actually doing a good job of tearing down old houses and businesses. I wish that Port Neches would follow and do the same thing. I moved into Hughann addition and I like the sense of community that we have here. Both communities are great in my opinion, but there's areas of both communities that need a face lift.

PN has already torn down over 40 homes. It just takes time.

 

[bandkid]

I'm one of the Groves residents that moved to Port Neches, and I love it. It wasn't because of sports, but Port Neches had larger homes that I needed to fit three boys, and a family of five. Groves couldn't give me that in an area that I would consider living. Also, I do believe that the schools in Port Neches are a tad bit better as far as for my situation. This is just my opinion, and everyone has thier own. Nothing against Groves. I do think that Groves residents are a closer group than residents in Port Neches. I've lived in the area since 1997 when me and my wife moved here from Beaumont. PN and Groves is better than Beaumont. I've seen Groves decline in the last five years, but the city is actually doing a good job of tearing down old houses and businesses. I wish that Port Neches would follow and do the same thing. I moved into Hughann addition and I like the sense of community that we have here. Both communities are great in my opinion, but there's areas of both communities that need a face lift.

PN has already torn down over 40 homes. It just takes time.

Through private investment or the city?

 

[PNGfan]

I'm one of the Groves residents that moved to Port Neches, and I love it. It wasn't because of sports, but Port Neches had larger homes that I needed to fit three boys, and a family of five. Groves couldn't give me that in an area that I would consider living. Also, I do believe that the schools in Port Neches are a tad bit better as far as for my situation. This is just my opinion, and everyone has thier own. Nothing against Groves. I do think that Groves residents are a closer group than residents in Port Neches. I've lived in the area since 1997 when me and my wife moved here from Beaumont. PN and Groves is better than Beaumont. I've seen Groves decline in the last five years, but the city is actually doing a good job of tearing down old houses and businesses. I wish that Port Neches would follow and do the same thing. I moved into Hughann addition and I like the sense of community that we have here. Both communities are great in my opinion, but there's areas of both communities that need a face lift.

PN has already torn down over 40 homes. It just takes time.

That sounds great only about 400 to go ;D Also need to get handle on rent houses to put pressure on landlords that just see money and not the improvement of the community. Just my two cents. Almost forgot, along with 400 homes to plow down add the entire downtown area and restart.

 

[lu cards]

rent houses=bad news apartments=even worse.bridge city is fixing to be rent house nirvana.lot of people are selling there damaged homes to corps that are fixing them for hud housing.

 

[bandkid]

rent houses=bad news apartments=even worse.bridge city is fixing to be rent house nirvana.lot of people are selling there damaged homes to corps that are fixing them for hud housing.

As bad as that sounds, it may be the "saving grace" of Mid-County. Think about it.

More Section 8 Housing in Bridge City = Less Demand

Less Demand = Less Construction/Acquirement of Section 8 Housing in Mid-County.

Bridge City's loss may be our gain.

 

[PNG Proud]

I, for one, grew up in PN, and moved to Groves 11 yrs. ago, and I LOVE it here. I guess it;s all in how you see things. Personally, the people in Groves seem friendlier to me.

 

[akifan94]

I grew up in Groves and lived there until I was 28. I almost moved back a couple of years ago because I loved the small town feel. It is just not the same to me anymore. Maybe in looks, but not the small town feel. I drive through Groves everyday coming to work and I hate to say it but the influences of PA or becoming more and more noticeable.

 

[squaw]

Bandkid--again you are doing what is so common in high schoolers which is "making judgments about things of which you know nothing." Believe me, I know what the City of PN is doing and they are NOT using investment funds to tear down homes. We DO have an investor very interested in our Riverfront Development which, by the way, has nothing to do with Beaumont. They are worried about us--we are not concerned with them at all. Someone else hit the nail on the head when they placed a lot of the blame on rental property. This council has ensured that there will be no more apartment complexes built here. We want homeowners with children and an investment in our community. Nederland officials constantly brag about how PN is handling things in our city. BUT, remember, we have to give people a time period in which to clean up their properties. Geez!!! Move somewhere else if you cannot be supportive of your commuity.

 

[IndianFan]

I know someone who is selling an older home in Groves. The realtor mentioned that PA residents are primarily buying up the older, low cost homes.

 

[squaw]

I know someone who is selling an older home in Groves. The realtor mentioned that PA residents are primarily buying up the older, low cost homes.

PN's older homes are more likely to end up rental property. If the landlords ensure that they rent to decent people who take care of the home and don't cause problems, that is fine. However, unfortunately, that has not always been the case. This is being rigorously addressed. PN and Groves are nice communities to live in and the citizens should be part of the solution, not the problem. We plan on dying in PN so we definitely have a vested interest here.

 

[bandkid]

Bandkid--again you are doing what is so common in high schoolers which is "making judgments about things of which you know nothing." Believe me, I know what the City of PN is doing and they are NOT using investment funds to tear down homes. We DO have an investor very interested in our Riverfront Development which, by the way, has nothing to do with Beaumont. They are worried about us--we are not concerned with them at all. Someone else hit the nail on the head when they placed a lot of the blame on rental property. This council has ensured that there will be no more apartment complexes built here. We want homeowners with children and an investment in our community. Nederland officials constantly brag about how PN is handling things in our city. BUT, remember, we have to give people a time period in which to clean up their properties. Geez!!! Move somewhere else if you cannot be supportive of your commuity.

You state that I made statements about "which I know nothing." This is an assumption on your part with no basis in fact, whatsoever.

I am glad to see that the older homes are being torn down and replaced, but, to my knowledge, it is not the city that is doing that. It is being done at the personal expense of a private investor, and I beleive it is the same developer that built the Riverside subdivision. I agree that rental property is a big problem, but, unfortunately, the only thing the city can do is condemn the houses, and, normally, the landlords keep the houses in a condition that is barely livable as to avoid that.

I'm also glad to see that the city is preventing apartment complexes from being built here, and that is an action that I agree with, but section 8 housing doesn't just come in the form of apartments. It can still be done through rental property. The only way to keep that from happening is to keep the land value up, and that is becoming increasingly harder to do with government housing being built right accross the city's border with Port Arthur. Why do you think Port Arthur is building those complexes there? So they can drive our property values down and try to offload some of their problems on us. That's why I'm hopeful that Bridge City will continue to develop section 8 housing. That way, they can go live over there rather than over here.

I assure you that my opinions are informed. They are affirmed by conversations my parents and I have held with several prominent members of this community, including members of various city sub-committees and the mayor. The Riverfront Development Project has seen a loss of investors due to the creation of another riverfront development project by the city of Beaumont, Hurricane Ike, and the current economic slump. I do know what I am talking about when I make these claims, and for you to state that I do not in the manner with which you have done so (the "uninformed teenager" approach) could be construed as a personal attack.

I can promise you that Beaumont is not worried in the least about our project. I attended a reception at a Beaumont City Council member's home and they have no concern with our efforts.

Geez!!! Move somewhere else if you cannot be supportive of your commuity.

If you believe, for even so much as a fraction of a second, that I am not supportive of the communities of Port Neches and Groves, then you, ma'am, are completely and totally wrong in every sense of the word. I love this school district and these communities, and will support them in any and every endeavor in which they partake. I cannot put into words the pride I feel when I wear a PN-G shirt in some other part of the state and someone says "You're from Port Neches! That's a heck of a school." or "That's PN-G. Noone can match their spirit." I've met people who don't even know their own high school fight song, but, by God, they can whistle Cherokee, and I'll be the first to whistle it along with them. My statements were merely statements of fact. I don't like it, I don't want it to be that way, and I wish I could change it, but it is fact, and there's nothing anyone can do about it until the circumstances change.

Maybe I read it wrong.....but the old Woodlawn Jr. High is where the Groves Middle School is now. The old Groves Jr. High is now Groves Elementary. If I read it wrong, sorry. Trying to do about 3 things at once.

Oh, sorry. I'm still trying to keep it all straight.

 

[PNGWin]

If you think Port Neches does not have gangs you are blind. Talk to a high school student they will tell you the truth. I went to pick my son up from a dance at the high school and there was a huge gang fight outside. There were hispanic youth in white t-shirts fighting and taunting other students.

 

[pngpassion4ever]

after watching our kids last year in a disappointing year i may add, I think all of the middle school coaches, need to be evaluated or a wake up call to stimulate productivity out of our kids....Thank God there is a change in the PNG athletic program....

 

[Cheermom4]

If you think Port Neches does not have gangs you are blind. Talk to a high school student they will tell you the truth. I went to pick my son up from a dance at the high school and there was a huge gang fight outside. There were hispanic youth in white t-shirts fighting and taunting other students.

I can attest that their are gangs in PNGISD, just as their is underage drinking and drugs in our district as well. We can only hope that we have taught our kids to live above the influence and not stick our heads in the sand and think that it isn't happening here.

 

[bandkid]

If you think Port Neches does not have gangs you are blind. Talk to a high school student they will tell you the truth. I went to pick my son up from a dance at the high school and there was a huge gang fight outside. There were hispanic youth in white t-shirts fighting and taunting other students.

I can attest that their are gangs in PNGISD, just as their is underage drinking and drugs in our district as well. We can only hope that we have taught our kids to live above the influence and not stick our heads in the sand and think that it isn't happening here.

I'm proud to say that Mr. Keith has done an exceptional job controlling these problems at the high school. He has cracked down on the "troublemakers," and I am glad to say that the situation has improved greatly since he took over. I can only hope that the other principals follow his example.

 

[Cheermom4]

If you think Port Neches does not have gangs you are blind. Talk to a high school student they will tell you the truth. I went to pick my son up from a dance at the high school and there was a huge gang fight outside. There were hispanic youth in white t-shirts fighting and taunting other students.

I can attest that their are gangs in PNGISD, just as their is underage drinking and drugs in our district as well. We can only hope that we have taught our kids to live above the influence and not stick our heads in the sand and think that it isn't happening here.

I'm proud to say that Mr. Keith has done an exceptional job at the high school of controlling these problems. He has cracked down on the "troublemakers," and I am glad to say that the situation has improved greatly since he took over. I can only hope that the other principals follow his example.

If the "troublemakers" know that they are going to face stiff consequences then they will think twice before starting trouble.