AID changes name; Becomes East Aldine Management District

NORTHEAST HOUSTON– Directors of the Aldine Improvement District took the unusual step at their monthly board meeting, of abolishing their name. Instead they voted to adopt the new name of East Aldine Management District.
The change was prompted by the desire to differentiate the Improvement District from other similar entities, according to Clyde Bailey, chairman. AID and AISD, the Airline Improvement District and the Aldine Independent School District, respectively, were often confused with Aldine Improvement District, he said.

In addition, the district wished to further emphasize its unique identity with a place name that would gain in meaning over the years.
The Aldine Improvement District was originally formed by legislation proposed by State Representative Kevin Bailey in 2001, and based on a 1 per cent sales tax collection to be used for community safety and improvements. That year, the name was Aldine Community Improvement District, or ACID for short.
Arlene Nichols, assistant to Bailey, told the Northeast News that “it is nice to see them take control and recognize that it is their district, not a state entity. They have the authority to change it.”
The vote by the directors was 7 for the change, 1 (Gerald Overturff) voting no, and 1 absent (Reyes Garcia).
Prior to the vote, Northeast News pubisher Gilbert Hoffman spoke for keeping the old name. He noted that a poll in the newspaper and on its website indicated 88% in favor of the AID name, and only 12% in favor of the new name. However, he admitted that the sampling was small.
He also pointed out that there really is no place that could be identified as “East Aldine”, and quoted a history passage decrying the loss of Aldine’s individual identity over the years.
In other remarks to the News, Nichols related the difficulty a group has in choosing a name. She recalled a community meeting she attended when the Airline District was trying to reach a consensus on a name. She said that “of 85 people in attendance, they had 85 different names they wanted to use.”
Speaking for Kevin Bailey, she said that “Its wonderful to see them (Aldine) in a position to create signage, logos, and a name that reflects the community.”