Just two weeks into the con- test to name Sugar Land’s new minor league baseball team, the Team announced that nearly 5,000 entries have been received since the contest launched on July 16. This number of entries makes the contest one of the most pop- ular of its kind in minor league baseball history. Thousands of people from Sugar Land, Fort Bend Coun- ty, and throughout the greater Houston area have been visiting www.NameSugarLandsTeam. com to submit their favorite names for their team that will take the field in the spring of 2012. Team President Matt O’Brien said, “we have been over- whelmed by the response to this Name The Team Contest by the community. Many thanks to our partners in the contest in- cluding Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, NBC2, SportsTalk 790, 100.3 KILT, Mix 96.5, Fort Bend Indepen- dent, and the Houston Chroni- cle.” Team name suggestions range from the zany to the traditional and from the alliterative to the whimsical. Among the thousands of sug- gestions are names such as the Canes, Imperials and the Sug- ar Bears pay tribute to Sugar Land’s sugar refining history, and names such as Jackrabbits, Prairie Dogs and Gators help fill out a roster of animals being suggested. Other thought provoking names include Jailbirds, Craw- fish, Steam, and even Lead Bel- lies and Briskets. Soon after August 20th, the contest will enter “Extra In- nings” when the finalist five to seven team names are an- nounced. During this two week period, fans will then be asked to se- lect their favorite team names among the finalists by ranking their top three choices in order of preference. By mid- September, 2010 the team name and contest win- ner will be announced. The fan submitting the winning name will be awarded a grand prize of lifetime season tickets. If more than one person en- ters the winning name, a draw- ing will be held to determine the winner. Additionally, all fans who submit a name will be entered into a second prize random drawing to win season tickets for the inaugural season. The Team also announced that Christopher Hill will be joining the organization as Vice President of Business Develop- ment. Hill brings over seventeen years of sports and arena man- agement experience to the team. Most recently, Chris was with the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets) for nine years. He also served on the Executive Council for Big Brothers & Big Sisters and as Vice-President of the board for Crisis Services. F ORT B END FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. ww ww w.fbindependent.com .fbindependent.com P.O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010 VOL 3 No. 32 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor 10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745 Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487. Phone: 281-980-6745 Name Your Team and Be a Big Winner! www.NameSugarLandsTeam.com C I T Y O F S U G A R L A N D T E X A S Tyson Stittleburg is the Gen- eral Manager/Head Golf Profes- sional at the Quail Valley Golf Course in Missouri City. City Manager Frank Simp- son said shortly after the City took possession of the property and started running the course in June 2008, staff realized the need for outside expertise to help transition from a private club to a public facility. After advertising and con- sidering several proposals from well-qualified firms and indi- viduals, the City entered into an agreement with Dave Elmendorf of the William Charles Group to help with that transition. “When Dave was brought aboard, he told management that his objective was to work him- self out of a job by training golf course staff and the Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Corporation to fly solo,” Simp- son said. “We are pleased to an- nounce that Dave was success- ful in achieving his goal and has trained an able successor, Tyson Stittleburg.” Elmendorf will remain on-site for the next two to three months as a consultant to Tyson. Simpson said his focus will be providing assistance with developing a marketing plan to increase the number of rounds of golf; Developing more detailed cost analyses for the food and beverage operation so that City Council can make some deci- sions in the short term and for opening the new facility in 2012; and serving as a transitional re- source for Tyson in his new role as General Manager. “While the City is working hard toward growing revenues to continue to meet expenditures, staff is also pleased with how much progress has been made,” Simpson said. “We’re well on our way to fulfilling the original vision of the Quail Valley Parks Project: To preserve green space, im- prove property values across the community, and to create a focal point and a gathering place that will attract people from across the area to Missouri City so they, too, can experience our great community.” YARD OF THE MONTH. The Quail Valley August Yard of the Month goes to Don & Sheila Schweigert at 2903 Lakeview Drive. They received a gorgeous plant from Flowers by Adela and a certificate from the Quail Valley Garden Club. The Schweigerts recently replaced a sick tree with a beautiful water feature as well as showcasing a hand-painted rock with a magnificent Iguana. Besides the water feature that bubbles next to an inviting seating area and gorgeous blooming Crepe Myrtle, the Schweigerts have gourds and interesting plants and crafts throughout the gar- den. Drive by or take a peek at http://traction.typepad.com/qvgc/yard-of-the-month.html Missouri City names new general manager for Quail Valley Golf Course ‘Name your team’ contest draws over 5,000 entries Stittleburg By SESHADRI KUMAR A flurry of lawsuits chal- lenging the appraised value of commercial properties in Fort Bend County has added un- certainty to the final certified taxable value of properties, and delayed the certification process. An undisclosed number of lawsuits challenging the valu- ations in 2010 would skew the final numbers. But, the county, local school districts and cities have to make an unprecedented re- fund of taxes already collected because of lawsuits that have been settled. These lawsuits challenged the appraised value by the Fort Bend County Central Appraisal District in 2008 and 2009. More than 400 lawsuits per- taining to 2008 and 2009 were filed and nearly half of them are yet to be settled. For example, 77 lawsuits pertaining to 2008 tax year were settled which brought down the total appraised value by $55 million. That means Fort Bend County, with a 50 cent tax rate will have to refund $225,000 in taxes and add 8 percent a year interest to that amount. That would make the total about $265,000. Among the lawsuits pertain- ing to the 2009 valuation, at least 180 lawsuits are pending, while 15 were settled bringing the value down by $12 million. The county alone will have to refund $60,000 plus interest in these cases. The school districts are the worst hit because their tax rate is at least $1.04 per $100 valu- ation and also their budgets are already in the red. For example, in 48 lawsuits in Fort Bend ISD, the valua- tion dropped by a little over $80 million in 2008 and that translates roughly to $800,000 in taxes. The Lamar CISD valua- tion in settled lawsuits of 2008 would mean a $13 million drop in valuation. Stafford MSD lost $6 mil- lion in value in 2008, in just three lawsuits. The meager number of sev- en lawsuits settled for 2009 would bring the FBISD prop- erty valuation down by $4 mil- lion or $40,000 in tax refunds. These numbers are only in- dicative of the trend and the actual numbers could be dev- astatingly high for the fragile finances of the schools and the cities as the list of pending lawsuits is incomplete. The taxing entities do not yet have the finite number and uncertainty looms over the fu- ture refunds, not to speak of the new lawsuits being filed over the 2010 valuation. The CAD is expected to provide the final certified tax- able values on Aug. 16, but that computation would not be re- ally final, until the lawsuits are settled. Lawsuits against appraisal district result in huge tax refunds FBJSL’S 2010 SUGAR PLUM MARKET SPONSORS. First Row (left to right): SPM Co-Chair Cindy Dempster, SPM Co-Chair and Sponsor Cari Middaugh, The Hunton Group Lynn Talbot, Westside Resources and SPM Sponsor Committee Johnnie Wright, PB&J Pavement Marking, Inc. and FBJSL President Brigit Engleman, SPM Co-Chair and Sponsor Jana Baumann. Second Row (left to right): SPM Sponsor Committee Trina Sanford, MSLH Kaelyn Stolhand, MSLH Becky Chalupa, MSLH Janet Leatherwood, Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas Lindley Doyle, Stafford Centre Rebecca Hathorn. Last Row (left to right): Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Karen Vannerson, Trustmark Bank Travis Van Horn, SPM Sponsor Chairperson Stephanie Van Horn, Pamela Printing David Smith, Simply Sassy Paper Sharon Dimicelli, and The Hunton Group Richard Hunton. (Story on Page 2.)
Transcript
Just two weeks into the con-test to name Sugar Land’s new minor league baseball team, the Team announced that nearly 5,000 entries have been received since the contest launched on July 16.
This number of entries makes the contest one of the most pop-ular of its kind in minor league baseball history.
Thousands of people from Sugar Land, Fort Bend Coun-ty, and throughout the greater Houston area have been visiting www.NameSugarLandsTeam.com to submit their favorite names for their team that will take the fi eld in the spring of 2012.
Team President Matt O’Brien
said, “we have been over-whelmed by the response to this Name The Team Contest by the community. Many thanks to our partners in the contest in-cluding Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, NBC2, SportsTalk 790, 100.3 KILT, Mix 96.5, Fort Bend Indepen-dent, and the Houston Chroni-cle.”
Team name suggestions range from the zany to the traditional and from the alliterative to the whimsical.
Among the thousands of sug-gestions are names such as the Canes, Imperials and the Sug-
ar Bears pay tribute to Sugar Land’s sugar refi ning history, and names such as Jackrabbits, Prairie Dogs and Gators help fi ll out a roster of animals being suggested.
Other thought provoking names include Jailbirds, Craw-fi sh, Steam, and even Lead Bel-lies and Briskets.
Soon after August 20th, the contest will enter “Extra In-nings” when the fi nalist fi ve to seven team names are an-nounced.
During this two week period, fans will then be asked to se-lect their favorite team names among the fi nalists by ranking their top three choices in order of preference.
By mid- September, 2010 the team name and contest win-ner will be announced. The fan submitting the winning name will be awarded a grand prize of lifetime season tickets.
If more than one person en-ters the winning name, a draw-ing will be held to determine the winner.
Additionally, all fans who submit a name will be entered into a second prize random drawing to win season tickets for the inaugural season.
The Team also announced that Christopher Hill will be joining the organization as Vice President of Business Develop-ment.
Hill brings over seventeen
years of sports and arena man-agement experience to the team. Most recently, Chris was with the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A affi liate of the New York Mets)
for nine years. He also served on the Executive Council for Big Brothers & Big Sisters and as Vice-President of the board for Crisis Services.
FORT BEND
FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.
wwwww.fbindependent.com.fbindependent.com
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
Phone: 281-980-6745
Name Your Teamand Be a Big Winner!
www.NameSugarLandsTeam.com
CIT
Y O
F SUGAR LAN
D
TEXAS
127183_NameYourTeam.indd 1 7/15/10 10:11 AM
Tyson Stittleburg is the Gen-eral Manager/Head Golf Profes-sional at the Quail Valley Golf Course in Missouri City.
City Manager Frank Simp-son said shortly after the City took possession of the property and started running the course in June 2008, staff realized the need for outside expertise to help transition from a private club to a public facility.
After advertising and con-sidering several proposals from well-qualifi ed fi rms and indi-viduals, the City entered into an agreement with Dave Elmendorf of the William Charles Group to help with that transition.
“When Dave was brought aboard, he told management that his objective was to work him-self out of a job by training golf course staff and the Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Corporation to fl y solo,” Simp-son said. “We are pleased to an-nounce that Dave was success-ful in achieving his goal and has trained an able successor, Tyson Stittleburg.”
Elmendorf will remain on-site
for the next two to three months as a consultant to Tyson.
Simpson said his focus will be providing assistance with developing a marketing plan to increase the number of rounds of golf; Developing more detailed cost analyses for the food and beverage operation so that City Council can make some deci-sions in the short term and for opening the new facility in 2012; and serving as a transitional re-source for Tyson in his new role as General Manager.
“While the City is working
hard toward growing revenues to continue to meet expenditures, staff is also pleased with how much progress has been made,” Simpson said.
“We’re well on our way to fulfi lling the original vision of the Quail Valley Parks Project: To preserve green space, im-prove property values across the community, and to create a focal point and a gathering place that will attract people from across the area to Missouri City so they, too, can experience our great community.”
YARD OF THE MONTH. The Quail Valley August Yard of the Month goes to Don & Sheila Schweigert at 2903 Lakeview Drive. They received a gorgeous plant from Flowers by Adela and a certifi cate from the Quail Valley Garden Club. The Schweigerts recently replaced a sick tree with a beautiful water feature as well as showcasing a hand-painted rock with a magnifi cent Iguana. Besides the water feature that bubbles next to an inviting seating area and gorgeous blooming Crepe Myrtle, the Schweigerts have gourds and interesting plants and crafts throughout the gar-den. Drive by or take a peek at http://traction.typepad.com/qvgc/yard-of-the-month.html
Missouri City names new general manager for Quail Valley Golf Course
‘Name your team’ contest draws over 5,000 entries
Stittleburg
By SESHADRI KUMARA fl urry of lawsuits chal-
lenging the appraised value of commercial properties in Fort Bend County has added un-certainty to the fi nal certifi ed taxable value of properties, and delayed the certifi cation process.
An undisclosed number of lawsuits challenging the valu-ations in 2010 would skew the fi nal numbers.
But, the county, local school districts and cities have to make an unprecedented re-fund of taxes already collected because of lawsuits that have been settled.
These lawsuits challenged the appraised value by the Fort Bend County Central Appraisal District in 2008 and 2009.
More than 400 lawsuits per-taining to 2008 and 2009 were fi led and nearly half of them are yet to be settled.
For example, 77 lawsuits pertaining to 2008 tax year were settled which brought
down the total appraised value by $55 million.
That means Fort Bend County, with a 50 cent tax rate will have to refund $225,000 in taxes and add 8 percent a year interest to that amount. That would make the total about $265,000.
Among the lawsuits pertain-ing to the 2009 valuation, at least 180 lawsuits are pending, while 15 were settled bringing the value down by $12 million. The county alone will have to refund $60,000 plus interest in these cases.
The school districts are the worst hit because their tax rate is at least $1.04 per $100 valu-ation and also their budgets are already in the red.
For example, in 48 lawsuits in Fort Bend ISD, the valua-tion dropped by a little over $80 million in 2008 and that translates roughly to $800,000 in taxes.
The Lamar CISD valua-tion in settled lawsuits of 2008
would mean a $13 million drop in valuation.
Stafford MSD lost $6 mil-lion in value in 2008, in just three lawsuits.
The meager number of sev-en lawsuits settled for 2009 would bring the FBISD prop-erty valuation down by $4 mil-lion or $40,000 in tax refunds.
These numbers are only in-dicative of the trend and the actual numbers could be dev-astatingly high for the fragile fi nances of the schools and the cities as the list of pending lawsuits is incomplete.
The taxing entities do not yet have the fi nite number and uncertainty looms over the fu-ture refunds, not to speak of the new lawsuits being fi led over the 2010 valuation.
The CAD is expected to provide the fi nal certifi ed tax-able values on Aug. 16, but that computation would not be re-ally fi nal, until the lawsuits are settled.
Lawsuits against appraisal district result in huge tax refunds
FBJSL’S 2010 SUGAR PLUM MARKET SPONSORS. First Row (left to right): SPM Co-Chair Cindy Dempster, SPM Co-Chair and Sponsor Cari Middaugh, The Hunton Group Lynn Talbot, Westside Resources and SPM Sponsor Committee Johnnie Wright, PB&J Pavement Marking, Inc. and FBJSL President Brigit Engleman, SPM Co-Chair and Sponsor Jana Baumann. Second Row (left to right): SPM Sponsor Committee Trina Sanford, MSLH Kaelyn Stolhand, MSLH Becky Chalupa, MSLH Janet Leatherwood, Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas Lindley Doyle, Stafford Centre Rebecca Hathorn. Last Row (left to right): Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Karen Vannerson, Trustmark Bank Travis Van Horn, SPM Sponsor Chairperson Stephanie Van Horn, Pamela Printing David Smith, Simply Sassy Paper Sharon Dimicelli, and The Hunton Group Richard Hunton. (Story on Page 2.)
The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Planning Division will hold, “Innovative infrastructure,” a half-day conference bringing together “Thought Leaders” in rail, transit, traffi c, mobility, water, drainage, sustainability, public policy and fi nancing on Friday, Aug. 27, at Safari Texas in Richmond.
This regional Infrastructure Conference promises to be in-formation packed and a results oriented meeting of experts in various fi elds of infrastructure and fi nancing.
A public policy power pan-el featuring Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert, Bill Jame-son and Joe B. Allen will be moderated by Transportation Policy Council Chair and Fort Bend County Commission-er James Patterson. Texas Transportation Commissioner Ned Holmes will be the key note speaker for lunch.
Setting the stage for the conference will be urban soci-ologist Dr. Stephen Klineberg of Rice University talking about the demographics, pro-jected population growth and the critical need to focus on infrastructure.
It is often said – “Build it and they will come.” Fort Bend County is most likely
faced with the following sce-nario, “They are coming by the thousands and you better build while you can.”
A session focusing on mo-bility issues will feature Mark Ellis, Chairman of Gulf Coast Rail District highlighting our commuter rail plans in Fort Bend County.
Karen Daly, Assistant Man-
ager of City of Sugar Land will speak on Intelligent Traf-fi c System.
Another dialogue will focus on water issues and sustain-ability. Featured speakers in-clude Marvin Marcell from the Fort Bend Subsidence District followed by two surface water conversion projects case stud-ies by City of Sugar Land and
City of Missouri City. Pablo Martinez from San
Antonio Water System will highlight water reuse appli-cation and this session will conclude by a speaker on sus-tainable and energy effi cient infrastructure.
As one of the fastest grow-ing counties in the nation, it is challenging to keep up with the growth and not risk a com-promise on quality of life.
Infrastructure is the essen-tial key to maintaining the quality – highways, airports, roadways, water systems, drainage and levee systems, wastewater treatment, traffi c lights, bridges, etc.
Having good infrastructure is as critical to a community as having good schools and pub-lic safety. The bridge collapse in Minnesota and a grade of D by American Society of Civil Engineers score card on the nation’s infrastructure are re-minders of this priority. Fort Bend County has proactive communities who think long-term and act strategically for the future economic, physical, social and cultural well-being of the region.
For sponsorship opportuni-ties and reservations call Ellen Bush at 281-491-0277 or [email protected].
Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • AUGUST 11, 2010
THE TIME IS NOW,THE TIME IS NOW, THE WAIT IS OVERTHE WAIT IS OVER
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After two years in a suc-cessful partnership, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has gen-erously agreed to return as the title sponsor of the Fort Bend Junior Service League’s Sug-ar Plum Market. This year’s “A Holly Jolly Christmas” themed event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 4 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Satur-day, Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stafford Centre Performing Arts Theatre and Convention Center.
Other returning sponsors to create “A Holly Jolly Christ-mas” over the three-day shop-ping extravaganza are Trust-mark Bank and Simply Sassy Paper.
“Trustmark Bank has been a part of Fort Bend County for less than 5 years, but we have seen the strong spirit in the community”, says Travis Van Horn, Market President-Southwest Houston of Trust-mark Bank.
“We are proud to once again support the Sugar Plum Market and reach out to the community that supports us. We know the event will be a huge success!”
“As a member of the FBJSL for nearly 10 years, I have had the pleasure of seeing many
of the worthy benefi ciaries fi rst hand” says Sharon Dimi-celli, Owner of Simply Sassy Paper.
“It continues to be such a joy to be able to support and contribute to the Sugar Plum Market and our community in this way. It is going to be an awesome event and I am looking forward to “A Holly Jolly Christmas!”
Additional sponsors include Pamela Printing, The Hunton Group, Raquel & Christopher Smith, M.D., M.B.A., Beth & Phillip Butler, Pam & Jeff Spencer, Methodist Ortho-paedic Specialists of Texas, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, Laura & Rob Thompson, The West Law Firm, DonDulin.com, LP FortBendCalendar.com, Ta-mara S. Osina, DDS, Chick-fi l A of Sugar Land, Jill & Cody Aycock, Johnnie & Jimmy Wright-Westside Resources, Gurecky Manufacturing Ser-vice, Jennifer & Roger Camp, Bank of Texas, Jana & Mitch-ell Baumann, ExxonMobil on behalf of Laura Fillault, and Cari & Scott Middaugh.
The 10th annual Sugar Plum Market will benefi t lo-cal Fort Bend County chari-ties. Last year, FBJSL’s Sugar Plum Market raised $136,000
Fort Bend Chamber hosts conference on “Innovative infrastructure”
Sprint Waste Services is the lead sponsor for the upcoming In-frastructure Conference. Fort Bend Infrastructure Division Chair, Harish Jajoo, left, Sprint Waste Services, L.P., Reagan Swinbank, Fort Bend Chamber Vice President, Keri Schmidt and Fort Bend County Commissioner, James Patterson.
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” for 2010 Sugar Plum Market
for local charities with an esti-mated 6,000 patrons in atten-dance.
Sponsorships are still avail-able with opportunities rang-ing from $250 to $5,000. Indi-vidual tickets will be availablefor purchase in the fall.
For more information onsponsorship opportunities orvendors for the 2010 SugarPlum Market, visit www.sug-arplummarket.com, call 281-636-6272 or e-mail [email protected].
AUGUST 11, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 3
Community news
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The cost is $25.00. For more information please call 281-342-3400.
West Houston Medical Cen-ter (WHMC) has registered as an offi cial drop spot for the Greater Houston YMCA’s Operation Backpack. The drop site is located at 12141 Richmond Ave, in the hospi-tal’s front lobby, and will be available until August 11th. Please see the information be-low on how to participate.
How you can help:1) Purchase a new back-
pack for a young child (ages 5-14)
2) Stuff the backpack with new school supplies (Needed supplies listed below)
3) Place a note of encour-
agement in the backpack4) Drop off the completed
backpack at West Houston Medical Center
Needed supplies include: backpacks, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, crayons, colored pencils, rul-ers, scissors, folders, spiral notebooks (100 sheets), one inch binders, glue bottles, glue sticks, rolls of tape, and wide ruled paper.
West Houston Young Pro-fessionals, in association with the Houston West Chamber of Commerce, made Opera-tion Backpack one of their main community service ini-
tiatives this fall, and turned to WHMC for support. Todd Caliva, West Houston Medi-cal Center’s CEO, jumped at the opportunity to provide his help and support. Todd has a strong passion for the com-munity as well as local edu-cation.
West Houston Medical Center has donated over 100 backpacks to the YMCA’s Operation Backpack in hopes of providing the children within the community a per-fect start to a new school year. Each backpack will be stuffed with school supplies donated by the local community.
By BARBARA FULENWIDERIf you think this is a one-sided story it is, because only one party
would talk. The party that wouldn’t talk has a major beef about the loud barking of the neighbor’s two dogs. The owner of the dogs has a major beef about the neighbor whom she thinks recently attempted to kill her dogs by dumping two piles of rat poison over the fence.
The e-mail that was sent to the Fort Bend Independent listed the subject matter as “needing an animal cruelty investigator.” The writ-er of the e-mail, Victor Grana, said, “This is a very serious problem which is being looked into by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s offi ce and the HOA for Sienna Plantation.”
Grana said the neighbor has threatened to shoot his and the ho-meowner’s Beagle and West Highland terrier, has bought three dog pro anti-barking machines that “sound a lot like burglar alarms” and recently tossed rat poison over the fence into his backyard.
The homeowner and dog owner is Ana Allison who moved into Sienna Plantation four years ago when the lot next door was empty, Grana said. He moved into the house two years ago and said there “was absolutely no communication between Ana and her neighbor so I decided to mend everything but it was impossible.” He went on to say: “We keep the dogs in the house at night and try to keep the noise down to a minimum because the neighbor calls the sheriff’s depart-ment because of the barking. A deputy I talked to said the neighbor can’t be appeased by anything.”
Grana also said his neighbor “offered him money to have the dogs’ vocal chords cut. I said that’s just animal cruelty, and the incident af-ter that was equally strange. I got a call from the sheriff’s offi ce and it was a detective who told me the neighbor had called to report that he was going to shoot the dogs. At that time I asked about making a case against him but there’s no way to fi le on him so far.”
Suzette Peoples ABR, GRI , E-Pro, 21 years Professional
Realtor; Owner of Peoples Properties, a Real Estate & Property Management Co.; American Business
Women’s Association.
Mortgage Banker can do loans in less than 30 days! Call Suzette or email: [email protected]
Suzette Peoples Broker /Owner
21 years of experience!
Direct: 281-980-3322 www.peoplesproperties.com
SUGAR CREEK Great 1 story on huge corner lot. 3 bed-rooms & study. Seller has updated carpet, tile paint in and out and roof replaced. Shows great and price already reduced to go fast in the low $200’s.
FIRST COLONY/ SUGAR LAND! Almost 2400sqft. 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath. Study and sitting/gameroom up. Owner spent over $62K on upgrades/improvements. Gourmet kitchen, tile/pergo thru-out no carpet. Priced in $200’s.
REDUCED
Built in 2006. Popular Perry 1 story home. 4 bed-rooms and both formals or study. 16’ tile and hardwood fl oors. Garage/game room. Covered over size patio. Playground & shed stays. Private Levee lot. Priced to go at $200,000.
SUGAR LAND REDUCED
POOL/SPA & WATERFALL! 2 story 4 bedrooms! Master down. All tile/real wood thru-out, no carpet. All located on cul de sac street. Clements high school! Priced to go fast! Reduced.
FIRST COLONY
REDU
CED
NEW LISTINGFIRST COLONY/SUGAR LAND! Adorable 1-story home on cul de sac street. No neighbors behind you! 3 bedrooms & study or formal living. Open fl oor plan. Detached garage! Priced below market at $220,000.
CUSTOM SHOW CASE HOME! Over 4300sqft 5 bed-rooms 4 baths & 1/2 bath. Study and gameroom. Private culdesac lot. Thousands in upgrades! Designer Decor thru out the home. Gourmet island kitchen & more! Rare fi nd! Hurry priced to go fast under $500K.
FIRST COLONY/SUGAR LAND
Riverstone. Pool, Spa, Waterfall. Built 2003. Trendmaker beauty. Over 4,700 sqft. 4.5 baths. 3 car, 2 masters. Rare fi nd on huge oversized cul de sac lot. No neighbors next to you. Upgrades galore. Zoned to Clements. Priced in the $500’s.
NEW LISTING
NEW LISTING/QUAIL VALLEYUpdated 1 story 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath with new roof and carpet July 2010. Interior all repainted and new fi xtures too. Great location on land-scaped reserve. Priced to go $125,000!!
CONSTABLE SALEUnder and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/ or Order of Sale issued on June 3rd, 2010 by the 268TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Court of FORT BEND COUNTY Texas in cause #08-DCV-161690 in favor of the Plaintiff QUAIL BRIDGE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff , for the sum of $2,299.54 +++ costs as taxed on said Execution and / or Order of Sale and further the sum of executing the same. I have levied on July 13th, 2010 and will off er for sale on the7th day of SEPTEMBER, 2010 at the County Courthouse steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of ten o’clock a.m. and four o’clock p.m., any and all rights, title, interests and claims which the said Defendant(s) - GABRIEL P. CORTEZ had of, in or to the following described Real property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; viz.:
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: LOT 15, IN BLOCK 4, OF BENCHMARK, SECTION 1, A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 28, PAGE 22 OF THE MAP RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, (THE PROPERTY) ALSO KNOWN AS 16707 SONATA COURT, HOUSTON, FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS 77053.
Terms: Cash. Sale to held at or about 11 a.m.
RUBEN DAVIS, CONSTABLEFort Bend County Precinct 2By: Lieutenant G. Majors #73 Deputy Constable
CONSTABLE SALEUnder and by virtue of a Writ of Execution and/ or Order of Sale issued on June10th, 2010 by the 240TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Court of FORT BEND COUNTY Texas in cause #07-DCV-158975 in favor of the Plaintiff QUAIL GREEN WEST HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff , for the sum of $6,049.20 +++ costs as taxed on said Execution and / or Order of Sale and further the sum of executing the same. I have levied on July 28th, 2010 and will off er for sale on the 7th day of SEPTEMBER, 2010 at the County Courthouse steps of Fort Bend County, Texas in the city of Richmond, Texas between the hours of ten o’clock a.m. and four o’clock p.m., any and all rights, title, interests and claims which the said Defendant(s) - BRANNON NEALY had of, in or to the following described Real property situated in Fort Bend County, Texas; viz.:PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: LOT 08, IN BLOCK 01, OF QUAIL GREEN WEST, SECTION 3, A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAPS OR PLATS FILED IN THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, UNDER SLIDES NO. 586/B AND 587/A, REPLATTED UNDER SLIDE NOS. 676/B AND 677/A, AND PARTIALLY REPLATTED UNDER SLIDE NOS. 1676/B AND 1789/B, AS MODIFIED BY ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO OR ADDITIONAL REPLATS THEREOF, COMMONLY KNOWN AS 2030 GREENCREST DRIVE, MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS 77489.Terms: Cash. Sale to held at or about 11 a.m.
RUBEN DAVIS, CONSTABLEFort Bend County Precinct 2By: Lieutenant G. Majors #73 Deputy Constable
By BARBARA FULENWIDERIf there’s a downside to
Missouri City having bought the failed Quail Valley Golf Course at market value via eminent domain, it has yet to surface.
The city took over the prop-erty and immediately began improving it in 2008, and as of June 2010, it still isn’t in the black but is edging closer. City Manager Frank Simp-son presented the information at a meeting of the Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Corp., which has oversight on the property. The assem-bly learned that this year the municipal golf course lost $213,925 for 2010 compared to the 2009 loss of $442,835.
Rounds of golf played on QVCC in 2009 totaled 38,500 and numbered 41,673 in 2010 even with a hotter than average summer, colder than average winter and wetter than usual spring that year, according to Missouri City spokeswoman, Barbara Brescian.
The Acquisition Feasibil-ity Analysis For Quail Val-ley Country Club, prepared by NGF Consulting for Mis-souri City in June 2007, re-ported that 65,000 rounds of golf were played from 2002-04 and 60,000 rounds were played from 2004-06 so the
new community golf course has defi nitely added players.
Total golf club and park as-sets on the 390 acres the city bought for $7.4 million this year amounted to $139,403 for 2010, according to the recreation and leisure bal-ance sheet. Total liabilities are $65,854 and equity (net in-come) was $73,549 for 2010. While the goal is to break even and make money on QV golf courses, in fi scal year 2010 the city made $2,043,044 and spent $2,256,969 on it.
According to Atkinson, one of the reasons why the golf course has yet to break even is because special events in the aged clubhouse are costing the city more than it can charge for them and food and bever-age lost nearly $45,000.
In an effort to break even or make money the city plans to review the number of special events it rents out the club-house for and provide council with the information they have requested.
After the meeting, Atkin-son said the city is looking at adding a third beverage cart to the golf course and will take a closer look at all actual costs associated with the food and beverages.
Even though the QV golf courses are still in the red, Re-
Quail Valley Golf Course raises property values
West Houston Medical Center joins YMCA’s Operation Backpack
altors are particularly glad the city bought the land as a way to stop the drop in the value of homes on and near the golf course and beyond.
Realtor Bryon Underwood, a broker associate with Weichert, Realtors – Wayne Murray, said every time he drives by “the old club and new course” he can’t help but thank the mayor and city council members for taking the steps they did, which in turn created new activity and play on the links, at the club-house and grille.
Why Underwood silently thanks council is the activity has increased property values and home sales in the area. “There is now empirical data that shows the increases and they are real,” he said. There are now 12 golf course homes active for sale on the market, and 11 golf course homes have sold since Feb. 1. The aver-age price for those homes is $212,490 at $70.55 per square foot and at an average size of 3,012 square feet, he said. “These sales include updated and as is homes.”
Even though $70.55 a square foot may not sound like much, Underwood said, “It is a sub-stantial increase. The 17 homes that sold during the three months prior to July 2009 and the three months after had an average sale price of $204,355 or $64.67 a square foot for an average space of 3,106 square feet. The data shows nearly a nine percent increase in the
price per square foot over a year ago.”
When property values de-crease that negatively impacts city tax collections, which pay for city services. In an effort to stem that tide, add almost 400 more acres of green space to the city and provide more rec-reational opportunities to citi-zens, city council members and the mayor took a leap of faith and acquired QVCC.
While the golf courses aren’t in the black yet, the deal ap-pears to be paying off in some other big ways.
Dog fi ght
By RICHARD D. PHILIPSI’m sure you have noticed,
at least I have, that it’s hard to fi nd an edition of most news-papers that doesn’t have at least one article on higher ed-ucation - some good and some not so good. What I want to visit with you about is not the sensational items, but rather the broader issue of why high-er education in general is get-ting so much ink.
I read in an article a while back that public attention to higher education is unprec-edented, and not just in the United States. But it is the United States, and Texas and the greater Fort Bend County in particular, that I do want to comment on. As does the rest of the world, we want and expect access, quality and low cost. You don’t have to tell people in the Fort Bend County region that knowledge is essential to opportunity and improvement or sustainment of a high quality of life.
In previous articles I have articulated the structure and advantages of the two Fort Bend teaching centers, the University of Houston Sys-tem at Sugar Land (UHSSL) and the University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch (UH-SCR).
Being located in your back yard makes them accessible, having degrees imported from well-established univer-sities (University of Hous-ton, University of Houston – Clear Lake and University of Houston-Victoria) is quick and inexpensive compared to building a university from the ground up. And as I have not-ed, partnering with communi-ty colleges to provide the fi rst two years at half the tuition is certainly a cost advantage.
Planning for changeBut the question I am asked
most every day is where do we go from here? I think it is important to view higher education from a regional perspective. It seems to me
the primary focus of a local institution should be to fi rst meet the regional needs, but certainly in a manner that is globally competitive. To simply have a university pres-ence in your community is not enough – it needs to have lo-cal focus to be relevant to the area quality of life.
Both UHSSL and UHSCR are part of a current process undertaken by the University of Houston System Board of Regents to master plan for the future.
An integral step is to fi rst examine what you already have, determine what the fu-ture demands are likely to be, what the structure of higher education in the future will look like (the online move-ment will likely have con-siderable impact) and fi nally how to fi nance the plan.
Let me go back to the newspapers. I am sure you have read about the current, past and anticipated budget cuts - which simply cannot be ignored.
Some might wonder why we would plan at a time of so many uncertainties. I would say that planning is not an op-tion but a necessity in chal-lenging times.
And I remember the old ad-age that a failure to plan is a plan to fail.
Bricks and mortar – maybe not as much
A more educated citizenry is the key to economic and social recovery and therefore is not an option. What higher education looks like in the future is an option, however. Will it be traditional bricks and mortar, or will it be more a delivery system in a more business-like structure?
I suspect personally that it will be both, and that the primary debate will be on how to fund it. With less and less state fi nancing available, funding will rely more heav-ily on the ambitions of the lo-cal community and the users of the product (students).
I’ll again refer to a pre-vious article, where I noted the community partnerships already in place at the Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch cam-puses.
Partnerships with the Coun-ty, the Cities, community col-leges, local foundations, pri-vate businesses and private citizens have led us to where we are and will be integral to moving to the next level, whatever the structure.
Taking the leadI think you will see a leaner,
more focused higher educa-tion enterprise as a result of the challenges, and I think the University of Houston System and partners of greater Fort Bend County will develop an example of how to get things done.
It seems to me that it would be proper to say “as usual” for my friends in local economic development and government leadership roles.
Email [email protected] with questions that you would like to hear dis-cussed.
Dick Phillips, associate vice-chancellor of the Uni-versity of Houston System, is in charge of the Sugar Land and Katy - Cinco Ranch cam-puses.
passed ObamaCare, the attor-neys general of 20 states fi led suit against the administration in a Florida federal court chal-lenging the constitutionality of the new law.
The states claim that Con-gress exceeded its legislative authority and argue that the commerce clause, the taxing authority, and the so-called necessary and proper clause do not afford Congress the power to coerce citizens -- under threat of a fi nancial penalty -- to purchase health care insurance.
Last week both sides fi led briefs with the court arguing their positions. Each exceed-ed 60 pages and can only be summarized here.
The most potent argument for the mandate is that the Con-stitution permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce. The Supreme Court long ago expanded Congress’ authority to pass laws only tangentially related to commerce.
The administration argues that the decision of an indi-vidual not to buy insurance impacts interstate commerce. Although a stretch, the argu-ment is not as ridiculous as it seems in view of past court decisions.
In response the states deny that inactivity -- the failure to have health care insurance -- constitutes economic activity. They argue that ObamaCare is an “unprecedented assertion of unbridled authority [which] usurps powers reserved to the states by the 10th Amendment, disparages the rights of their citizens protected by the 9th Amendment, and obliterates this nation’s unique system of dual sovereignty.”
The government’s second argument is that Congress is authorized to “provide for the common defense and general
welfare,” as provided by the Constitution. Government lawyers argue that the insur-ance requirement is as con-stitutional as social security. Years ago the Supreme Court left decisions of how to pro-vide for the general welfare to Congress.
Finally, the administration argues the law’s new mandate on individuals is a tax penalty permitted by the Constitution, but that it is not a “direct tax” prohibited by the Constitu-tion.
Without quite admitting that the mandate is a tax, the government’s brief invokes another law prohibiting citi-zens from enjoining any fed-eral tax.
Apparently in deference to Obama’s assurances during congressional debate over his health care proposal, govern-ment lawyers have attempted to downplay the role of the tax aspects of the law.
Obama rejected the notion that his proposal was a tax at all. At various times he even called the plan a tax cut.
After his election Obama promised “If your fam-ily earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime.” That assurance vanished with the health care law. Some an-alysts contend that it includes
as many as 12 new taxes.In their response, the attor-
neys general describe the in-surance mandate as a “direct tax” specifi cally prohibited by the Constitution.
The income tax, fi rst cre-ated in 1861, was declared by the Supreme Court to include certain direct taxes, making it unconstitutional.
The result was the 166h Amendment in 1913 allowing the income tax, but not allow-ing other forms of direct taxa-tion.
A ruling came down last week in a similar case brought by Virginia defending its own law which prohibits any gov-ernment from requiring its citizens to purchase health in-surance. Government lawyers there made essentially the same arguments.
The judge strongly suggest-ed that ObamaCare stretches the outer boundaries of, if it does not exceed, congressio-nal authority.
Both cases have just be-gun, and both will ultimately be appealed to the Supreme Court, where a fi nal decision will be made. These two suits are probably the nation’s best hope for stopping the federal health care law.
Elena Kagan was sworn in as the Court’s newest mem-ber on Monday. During the hearings on her nomination, she declared that the require-ment of Obamacare that most Americans must purchase health insurance has a legal basis. We already know one vote will be there to support the federal mandate.
Jones is a member of the Sugar Land City Council, hav-ing been fi rst elected in 2003. He owns a law fi rm and a title insurance company in Sugar Land.
The View from Sugar Land
JonesPhillips
Fighting for freedom in Florida
You may also participate by mailing your suggested “team name”, along with your full name, complete mailing address, and phone to 16160 City Walk, Sugar Land, Texas 77479 postmarked before August 20, 2010.
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Minor league baseball is coming to Sugar Land
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Get into the game and submit an idea of what to name your hometown team!
127183_NameYourTeamAd_2.indd 1 7/15/10 1:47 PM
Higher education under microscope
By JARED & BILL JAMESONAccording to a report from
the Investment Company In-stitute, there are more than 65,000 mutual funds offered worldwide. This abundance of alternatives presents inves-tors with a dilemma. On one hand, having multiple options allows consumers to compare managers to their peers and gain access to traditionally re-stricted markets. But then you have to ask yourself: which one?
In today’s technologically advanced world, there is an incredible amount of data available on mutual funds. But instead of leading to better in-vestment decisions, often the over-saturation of informa-tion leads to decision paraly-sis. For example, is it better to buy a fund with a longer track record or better short-term performance? Should you buy from a manager who invests for value or growth?
Following are four factors that will help you sift through the world of mutual funds to separate the great managers from the average and poor.
ExperienceTenure and time cannot be
underestimated when evalu-ating a manager. The more time a professional has had to
hone his or her craft, the better the end product should be. A manager with little experience typically won’t know how to navigate through the ups and downs of the market, thus putting your fi nancial assets at risk.
It is important to differen-tiate between how long the fund has been in existence and when the manager took over the fund. When you buy
a fund, you are really buying that manager’s skill and expe-rience. If the manager leaves the fund, so does all the per-formance and accomplish-ments that were achieved dur-ing his tenure.
ExecutionPerformance isn’t every-
thing, but if a manager can’t add value over the long-term, he isn’t worth investing with.
The four “EXs” of evaluating and selecting mutual funds
When evaluating the success/failure of a strategy, it is best to start with the long-term returns. Studies show that while past success does not guarantee future success, bad managers typically don’t get better.
Don’t overemphasize re-cent or short-term perfor-
Bill and Jared Jameson
See FUNDS, Page 5
By JANICE SCANLANI actively supported Quail
Valley Park and some golf improvements with my eyes wide open. I expected in good years to break even or make a small profi t, and in bad years to suffer small losses. I expected start up losses. I believed what the National Golf Foundation told us about golf—it’s a tough business because of wet Julys, extra cold winters and springs, and all the other “uncontrollables” like oil prices.
In what is really the fi rst full year of both courses be-ing open, the loss has certain-ly narrowed from last year . . . that is assuming, of course, that utilities were accounted for in the same way . . . and that no changes in accounting have been made. If that’s true, we’ve almost cut our losses 50%--which is going in the right direction at a good clip. If legal expenses of acquiring the property were in the 190K expense item . . . that’s good news.
In supporting QV Park, I expected something like Me-morial Golf Course—a sus-tainable number of holes and a food service like a Beck’s Prime. I envisioned a nice course, not a championship course, with a snack bar to cater to a more recreational, family style experience with a beverage service for adults.
I did not expect the City to
think it could get into the “full service food, banquet and event business.” I thought it might get into the event space rental business, and that, per-haps, the snack bar operation could handle smaller events, with larger events being ca-tered. I expected that perhaps the space might accommodate up to 150 to 200. I didn’t ex-pect “ballrooms” or a 500 car parking lot.
So I agree with Council-man Brett Kolaja: we need more information to move forward and need it fi rmly in grasp with several community meetings to consider any new plan for a “community cen-ter.”
Losing Golf Club Manager Dave Elmendorf may be pre-mature, especially now that we’re starting to get some baseline experience and trac-tion in the operation. I trust
we have records for that, es-pecially demographics and whether people who play El Dorado return to play again. There is a variable pricing on the courses with El Dorado not producing the fi nancial fi gures from our fi scal year end, but that might be ex-plained in operational fi gures and “unlimited fees.”
Surprise, food and beverage service is losing money. You can’t be low cost provider and at the same time try to be a country club. Every success-ful wedding and event planner prices everything separately. So you may have table cloths, but forgo renting chair cov-ers. While I agree the space is not conducive for meetings because of its pillars and bar-riers, its outdoors is fabulous . . . it’s understanding your cur-rent strengths and what niche in the market buys them—not living in wannabe or yester-day lands.
Instead of trying to re-in-vent a country club, I wish an outfi t like Chili’s or Dave and Buster’s would consider out-sourcing our food and bever-age. That would tell me that hospitality professionals saw a viable market. We need our eyes wide open to be success-ful.
Write to [email protected] with your ideas to help close the fi nancial gap at QV Park or get directions to the current fi nancials.
WCJC is making it even more convenient for students to obtain their education by offering “Weekend College”
at it’s Sugar Land campus.
REGISTER NOW THROUGH SEPT. 1
withwith
For more information, contactthe Office of Admissions & Registration
1-800-561-9252, ext. 6303or visit:
wcjc.edu
Core courses offered include:
English
History
Chemistry
Drama
Speech
Mathmatics
Sociology
AUGUST 11, 2010 • INDEPENDENT • Page 5
Community news
Mathematics
at its
Trentia Solomon was hon-ored at the recent Texana Cen-ter Board of Trustees meeting with a HEROES Award for her courageous effort to save not one, but two lives at the Texana Learning Center at Missouri City. Within a two week pe-riod, Trentia performed the Heimlich Maneuver on two individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During one lunch period at the Learning Center, an individual started choking. Onsite nurs-ing staff were called, but before they reached the dining area, Trentia had already performed the maneuver. She stayed with the individual even after the nurses took over to reassure him that he would be okay. Lit-tle did she know that she would be performing the Heimlich Maneuver again the next week on another individual with the same positive outcome.
Trentia Solomon, Vocational Trainer at the Texana Learning Center at Missouri City, receives the HEROES (Helping Ev-eryone Recognize Our Exceptional Employees Service) Award from Dianne Wilson, Chair of the Texana Board of Trustees.
Texana’s HEROES award
Providing fee-only services
to individuals, families and businesses
since 1996.
(281) 634-9400www.wjinterests.com
State Auto’s new Prime of LifeSM Plan provides expanded insurance coverages and substantial premium discounts on auto and homeowners insurance for qualifying customers age 45 and over*! As part of the Prime of Life Plan, you’ll enjoy enhanced coverages for when you travel, anywhere in the U.S.A. or Canada. Call your State Auto agent today for more information.
How about a worry-free insurance plan especially for people age 45 and over?*
*Qualifying age and coverage enhancements/discounts vary by state.
mance. Some of the best man-agers in the world can and will underperform for as long as three years at a stretch. The point is to fi nd the right man-agers for the long haul.
The average mutual fund charges about 1.5 percent an-nually for management ex-penses. Many funds can cost upwards of 2 to 3 percent. This is important because every dollar taken from in-vestors has to be made up in performance to add value. It is very diffi cult for a manager to add more than 1.5 to 2 per-cent above a benchmark in the
long term. The asset class matters
when considering mutual fund expenses. For example, you should be willing to pay more for a manager who focuses on emerging market companies than one who invests in U.S. large companies, and less for a typical bond manager.
Explanation of StrategyIf you can’t understand
what the manager’s strategy is, you shouldn’t invest with him, period. Some profes-sionals try to confuse poten-tial investors by developing complicated processes and criteria, things that ultimately may not add any value. While you don’t need to know ev-
erything about what they are doing, you should understand the basic framework they are using to put their funds to-gether. Strategy, not perfor-mance, is the driver of future returns.
Following these factors will help you select better mutual funds. If you don’t feel com-fortable with the process of selection, fi nd a competent fi -nancial planner to do the due diligence and make recom-mendations.
WJ Interests is a fee-only fi nancial planning and in-vestment management fi rm in Sugar Land. For more infor-mation, contact [email protected] or 281-634-9400.
FundsFrom Page 4
Scanlan
Musings: Eyes wide open Newly elected president
for 2010-2011, Amy Mitchell, and other board members at-tended the National Exchange Convention, recently held in La Quinta, CA .
At the meeting, both Past President Betty Baitland and Mitchell accepted several dis-tinguishing awards for Fort Bend community service in 2009-2010.
Baitland brought back the Distinguished Club President Award. Presidents Baitland and Mitchell were acknowl-edged for their contributions in the formation of the new Lone Star Exchange Club, serving Rosenberg and Rich-mond communities.
Recognition for outstanding recruiting went to Harold Ward and Mitchell. Alicia Marra re-ceived the Distinguished Dis-trict Director Award.
The compassion and tre-mendous hard work of all The Exchange Club of Sugar Land members earned the presti-gious National Service Award,
Local members of the Texas Municipal Police As-sociation (TMPA) recently reelected Chief Deputy Chad Norvell to represent them on the Board of Directors. Chief Deputy Norvell has served on the Board since 2006 and rep-resents a region from Waller County south to the Gulf of Mexico.
“TMPA is a very profes-sional organization and I have personally supported their ef-fort at the Texas Capitol to promote professionalism in law enforcement,” says Con-stable Troy Nehls.
“I am proud to have Chief Deputy Norvell involved with them,” Nehls says.
Norvell also serves on the HGAC Regional Safety Coun-cil and is President of Fort Bend MUD 151 in the Katy/Fulshear area.
TMPA is the oldest State-wide police association in Texas, having been chartered in 1950 and today TMPA is the professional voice for over 16,000 Texas law enforcement offi cers. In addition to com-prehensive training programs for offi cers, TMPA also pro-vides superior legal protection for their members, contract bargaining, and is a powerful voice at the Texas Capitol.
Norvell re-elected to statewide Law Enforcement Association
Norvell
called the Big “E” Award, and honors for the Campaign for Kids initiative.
The Exchange Club is America’s Premier Service Club.
The Exchange Club of Sugar Land promotes Ameri-canism, recognizes outstand-ing youth and participates in community service.
Exchange Club of Sugar Land leads the nation in honors
By BARBARA FULENWIDERThe G sedan is Infi niti’s best
selling model because over the years it has always offered exceptional and sporty perfor-mance, style and luxury.
For 2010 the G sedan got its exterior design revised, technology upgraded and the interior enhanced.
All but the exterior changes are available on the 2010 G37 coupe and G37 convertible. The four models buyers can choose from are the G37 se-dan, G37 sedan Journey, G37 sedan sport 6MT and G37x sedan AWD.
Which ever turns out to be your preference will be pow-ered by a 3.7-liter variable valve V6, which makes 328 horsepower and 269 ft.-lb. of torque.
The motor is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission that is standard equipment on all models ex-
cept the G37 sport 6MT. Esti-mated miles to the gallon for the G37 sedan Journey are 19 in city driving and 27 on the highway.
The 2010 G sedan is a strik-ing looking vehicle. Its long, wavelike hood, raked A-pil-lars and strong stance project a balance of power and grace that suggests plenty of power within.
The front of the G sedan has new headlights and grille and the standard fog lights have been moved from the headlight cluster to the lower fascia for a more distinctive appearance.
All Gs offer standard high intensity discharge bi-func-tional Xenon headlights.
In the rear, the L-shaped LED taillights express the G heritage and Infi niti de-sign identity. The trunk lid is accented by an integrated spoiler and the dual exhausts
add a sporty appearance. The The G37 sedan has a crafted interior environment with luxury features such as stan-dard leather seats and option-al audiophile quality Infi niti Studio on Wheels by Bose, a premium audio system, which combines Bose’s three-way front door speaker array using 10-inch woofers with a parcel shelf-mounted subwoofer.
Other enhancements for 2010 include a new predomi-nantly white color scheme for the gauges and LCD instru-ment display, which improves legibility and provides a more cohesive design.
The G’s optional Infi niti Navigation System has been enhanced with 08IT technol-ogy and a new display screen with higher resolution.
Along with XM NavTraffi c, the navigation system now in-cludes NavWeather and three-day forecast, streaming audio
via Bluetooth and the Zagat Restaurant Guide. The system also has touch screen voice recognition and a 9.3 gig mu-sic box hard drive.
Other technologies include Infi niti intelligent key with push button ignition, a seven-inch color monitor display, XM Satellite Radio, rear view monitor, Bluetooth hands free phone system and cruise con-trol with preview braking.
The Infi niti G packs plenty
of power, is a beauty inside and out, has good cockpit space and layout and lots of luxury. It’s also a kick to drive. The retail price is $34,450.
Options on the Journey in-cluded the premium package, sport package, rear deck lid spoiler, high friction brake pads and navigation package. Those wonderful additions increased the bottom line to $42,345, including destina-tion charge.
Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • AUGUST 11, 2010
Legal Notices
AUTOMOBILE: Infi niti Sedan
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURS-DAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.BID 10-116 – CITY OF KENDLETON WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTA pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 10:00AM (CST). The pre-bid confer-ence will be held at the Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Rosenberg Annex at 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg Texas 77471. All vendors are encouraged to attend.Lump sum pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are required. Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURS-DAY, AUGUST 19, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.BID 10-117 – CHIP SEAL EMULSION CHEMICAL ROAD MATERIALLump sum pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearing at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 for Lakemont Commercial Reserve, Replat No. 1, Pct. 3. The hearing will be held in the Commis-sioners Courtroom, William B. Travis Bldg., 309 S. Fourth St., Rm. 700, Rich-mond, Texas.Under state law, you the owner, have certain rights with respect to the pro-posed replat. Should you wish to exer-cise your right, you may be heard at the planned public hearing. You may con-tact Warren Escovy with LJA Engineer-ing & Surveying Inc. at 713-953-5200 for information prior to the hearing.Submitted by,Dianne WilsonFort Bend County Clerk
By JOHN WHITMORETo tell the story of Sugar
Land and the Kempner fam-ily you have to go back to the 1830s—and, then it all makes good sense.
The 1830s saw the birth of the Republic of Texas. And, this period saw the birth of one Harris Kempner in Poland. At the same time, Stephen F. Aus-tin awarded a league of land to his right-hand man, Samuel May Williams. This league to-day includes the City of Sugar Land. Williams planted sugar cane and named his plantation on Oyster Creek “Oakland.” In the early1840s, the Williams family built a sugar mill on the plantation to capitalize on the profi table sugar cane crop.
In the mid 1850s a couple of Brazoria County landowners—W.J. Kyle and B.F. Terry—bought the Williams property and called it “Sugar Land.” Kyle and Terry modernized the harvesting and milling of cane in the area. They also secured a bend in the railroad line so that trains would run in front of the sugar mill on their plantation. When the Civil War broke out, Terry joined the Confederacy and gained renown as com-mander of Terry’s Rangers. Unfortunately he was killed in 1861 before he could return to his plantation. Kyle died in 1864, and the Terry and Kyle heirs began selling off portions of the property.
A couple of former colonels in the Confederate Army then entered the Sugar Land scene. Col. E.H. Cunningham bought the Oakland Plantation, where most of the City of Sugar Land is today. Col. Littleberry Ellis bought the remainder of the property and called his plan-tation Sartartia—about where New Territory is now.
Now, move your attention back to Poland where 17-year-old Harris Kempner dodged conscription into the Russian army and immigrated to New York in 1853—without funds. He worked as a day laborer un-til he could raise enough mon-ey to buy passage to Texas. In his spare time he learned the English language.
The young Kempner scraped together enough funds and credit to buy a store in Cold Springs, Texas, in what is now San Jacinto County. When the Civil War broke out, he volun-teered to become part of Par-son’s Brigade in the Confed-eracy.
After the war, he returned to Cold Springs, re-opened his store, then decided he should pursue more lucrative business opportunities in Galveston. His wholesale grocery business in the port city soon became one of the largest in Texas. He plowed his profi ts back into land and banks and proved he knew how to make money—lots of it.
He married Eliza Seinsheim-er of Cincinnati, and in 1873 they welcomed Isaac Herbert
(“Ike”) as their eldest son. To-gether they had 10 children, eight surviving to adulthood.
Harris Kempner became a highly successful civic leader and businessman in Galveston and the Texas Gulf Coast. He worked at improving the port facilities in Galveston as well as promoting railroads. He bought out several banks, one of which survives as U.S. Na-tional Bank.
In 1894, Ike was called away from his studies at Washington & Lee law school in Lexington, Virginia. At 21 years of age, he took over the family enterprise upon the death of his father. Though he never completed his law degree, he later was ad-mitted to the Texas Bar without a diploma. Ike Kempner took over a vast business empire which included cotton broker-age, banking, and ranching, in addition to the core wholesale business.
About the same time things were popping in the plantation business. Col. Cunningham constructed the fi rst sugar cane refi nery in Texas. It was the only mechanized refi nery pro-ducing white sugar crystals as opposed to syrup. But, by the 1900s profi ts were down.
The Kempners began look-ing for agricultural deals in the Sugar Land area. They con-nected with W.T. Eldridge, a railroad developer in the new “Sugar Bowl.” Ike and two of his brothers, Dan and Lee, bought the Ellis Plantation (Sartartia) and Eldridge offered his services to run the family’s sugar mill and cane fi elds. It didn’t take long before the wheeling-and-dealing Eldridge suggested “they” also buy the Cunningham land and join the two properties into an 18,500 acre venture with him as the general manager.
On his resume, El-dridge could claim experience operating and building rail-roads, developing company towns, and a substantial record of shooting people. The part-nership was one that makes even today’s businessmen wonder. The Kempner family was to put up all of the money and Eldridge was to provide management for the new ven-ture. Ownership was simple—half and half. Under the agree-ment, Eldridge was to get rid of
his San Antonio banking prop-erties and move his family to Sugar Land.
When the Kempners bought the property, the Cunningham Refi nery was then operated by Imperial Sugar Company. It was named after an impres-sive New York hotel where Ike Kempner stayed as a youth. Ike not only picked up the name, but he also used the ho-tel’s logo of a crown.
As an aside, in a book I.H. Kempner wrote some fi fty years later he said his mother was against the partnership be-cause of Eldridge’s reputation. “She feared Eldridge would shoot one of us, but we had no troubles or serious diffi culties in our business affairs and at-tendant personal problems.”
In those early days of labor intensive sugar cane farming, the talents of Texas State con-victs were hired into service. In 1914 the Texas Legislature banned the use of these “subsi-dized” workers. This, coupled with the sugar industry chang-ing from pure agriculture to manufacturing, changed the game plan. At Kempner’s ini-tiation a new kind of worker was recruited and brought to Sugar Land. Thus, a cadre of permanent employees and their families was created.
Eldridge hired Gus Ulrich, a 26-year-old man from Schu-lenberg, Texas, to run the plan-tation. One of Ulrich’s fi rst tasks was to improve the built environment by constructing houses, and attracting fami-lies to the town. The company houses were quite modern, for those days. The basic house had two or three bedrooms, in-door plumbing, running water, electricity and enough land to support a home garden. Or, at least those were the specs for the 50 percent of the work force who were White.
For the remaining 50 percent—African Americans and Hispanics—housing was above local standards, but not by much. These houses might have two or three bedrooms, but there was no indoor plumb-ing, electricity, or even water. There was a hand pump on the back porch for those residents. But, these homes also had am-ple room for gardens.
Rent was rather low, cer-tainly by today’s standards. For example, hourly workers were paid about 20 cents per hour and rent for the company owned houses ran $5 to $20 per month. Beef at the compa-ny store ran about 6 cents per pound.
In 1932 Eldridge died, and Gus Ulrich continued to man-age the Sugarland Industries, which owned and managed just about everything on the 12,500 acres except Imperial Sugar. The I.H. Kempner branch of the family took over as head of Imperial Sugar. That included I.H.’s eldest son, Herbert, and his brother, Harris, who took over direct management of the Company. Later Herbert’s sons Denny and James held the top job.
The direct infl uence of I.H. Kempner ended with his death in 1967 at the age of 94, ending a six-decade career with Sugar Land and the Imperial Sugar Company.
After managing the grow-ing city and increasingly com-plex company, Harris Kempner made the decision to get out of the company town business. Overseeing activities as diverse as education, garbage collec-tion, hospital affairs, and real estate took valuable time away from running a successful com-pany. In 1958, his predecessor in the executive chair, Herbert Kempner, made the decision to get out of the home-ownership business by selling the homes to the “renters” as well as mak-ing attractive lots available.
Extensive fl ood control proj-ects produced many waterfront lots in Sugar Land that could be purchased for only a token amount in today’s dollars. But the real spurt in home building in Sugar Land came in the late 1960s. The Freeway reached into the center of Sugarland Industries’ 8,700 acres of farm lands, tapping into Houston’s southwestern growth.
Harris and Denny Kempner, who were charged with selling the land, were impressed by a development in Nassau Bay, serving the fast growing space program. And, in keeping with the Kempner family way of doing business, they called on their cousin, Dan Oppenheim-
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.
BID 11-001 – COPIER EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE;BID 11-002 – HAULING AND DISPOSAL OF CONDENSATE LEACHATE;BID 11-003 – CHILDRENS BOOKS FROM A LOCAL VENDOR;BID 11-004 – FORD DEALER PARTS;BID 11-005 – SCHOOL ZONE LIGHTS;BID 11-006 – AUTO BODY REPAIRS;BID 11-007 – CONCRETE STREET REPAIRS;BID 11-008 – TRAFFIC SIGNS, POSTS AND SUPPLIES;BID 11-009 – TIRES AND TUBES;BID 11-010 – OIL AND LUBRICANTS;BID 11-011 – WEED, BRUSH AND INSECT CONTROL MATERIALS
Lump sum pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are not required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent
LEGAL NOTICEREQUESTS FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONSSealed Qualifi cation Statements will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchas-ing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg TX 77471 for the following until THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 AT 1:30 P.M. (CST). Q10-118 – DESIGN BUILD ANIMAL SERVICES SAT-ELLITEA pre-SOQ conference will be conducted on Thurs-day, August 19, 2010 at 10:00AM (CST). The confer-ence will be held at the site located at 2725 FM 521, Fresno, Texas. All vendors are encouraged to attend.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all qualifi cation statements received. Signed: Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURS-DAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.BID 10-120 – BACKHOE LOADERLump sum pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are not required. Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearing on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. for acceptance of the traf-fi c control plan for Falcon Park Drive Street Dedication, Precinct 3.The hearing will be held in the Commis-sioners Courtroom, 309 South Fourth St., Suite 700, William B. Travis Bldg., Richmond, Texas. You are invited to at-tend and state your approval or objec-tion on this matter.
Submitted by,Dianne WilsonFort Bend County Clerk
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearingon Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. for acceptance of the revised traffi c control plan for Sienna Steep Bank Village, Section 1 at the intersection of Steep Bank Trace at North Fitzgerald Way to add a multiway stop, Precinct 1. The hearing will be held in the Commissioners Courtroom, 309 South Fourth St., Suite 700, William B. Travis Bldg., Richmond, Texas. You are invited to attend and state your approval or objection on this matter.Submitted by,Dianne Wilson, Fort Bend County Clerk
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearingon Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. for acceptance of the traffi c control plan for Teal Run, Section 18, Precinct 1.The hearing will be held in the Commissioners Courtroom, 309 South Fourth St., Suite 700, William B. Travis Bldg., Richmond, Texas. You are invited to attend and state your approval or objection on this matter.
Submitted by,Dianne WilsonFort Bend County Clerk
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICEThe Commissioners Court of Fort Bend County, Texas has set a public hearingon Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. for acceptance of the traffi c control plan for Winfi eld Lakes, Section 10, Precinct 2.The hearing will be held in the Commissioners Courtroom, 309 South Fourth St., Suite 700, William B. Travis Bldg., Richmond, Texas. You are invited to attend and state your approval or objection on this matter.
Submitted by,Dianne WilsonFort Bend County Clerk
History of Sugar Land and the Kempnerser, a San Antonio banker, to get involved.
After Oppenheimer con-ducted a tour of the Nassau Bay project, he talked business over coffee at one of the stores in the area with Jake Kamin, the de-veloper. The two businessmen talked and made notes on a pa-per napkin. Finally, they agreed on the sale of 1,200 acres and signed the napkin, making a true Texas deal. Later, the re-maining 7,500 acres were sold to Gerald Hines for $43 mil-lion, at the time the largest land sale in Texas history.
With that, the Kempner Fam-ily pretty well wound down their involvement in the unique Company Town, Sugar Land… But its residents say “Thanks!” for all they did.Author John Whitmore is a member of the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation Board of Directors. For more fascinat-ing facts about Sugar Land’s history, please visit the Foun-dation’s website at www.slheri-tage.org.
I.H. “Ike” Kempner Sr., founder of the Imperial
Sugar Company.
W.T. Eldridge managed every aspect of the refi nery and company town for the Kempners from 1908 until
his death in 1932.
I.H. Kempner’s eldest son, I.H. “Herbert” Kempner Jr., took over management of the company with his brother, Harris, in the 1930s.
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Suite A, Rosenberg, TX 77471 for the following until THURS-DAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Rosenberg Annex, 4520 Reading Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened.BID 10-121 – PURCHASE OF NEW REHABILITATION TRAILERLump sum pricing is required; payment will be by check after products/services are rendered. Bonds are not required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing Agent Fort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
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I saw this movie at 10:30 on a Saturday morning; I en-joyed brunch of popcorn and Mr. Pibb. I’m back home now and trying to bang out a few words about “The Other Guys,” but I’m still weak from watching the movie and driving in feels-like heat of 100+.
This is the funniest ter-rible movie I’ve ever seen. It is dreadful and unworthy of Director Adam McKay and Will Ferrell who teamed up on “Anchorman” and “Tal-ladega Nights.” McKay is a seasoned comedy writer (“Saturday Night Live”) and co-wrote this piece of muck, but even his comedic genius could not save this asinine, juvenile movie.
Don’t get me wrong; I
laughed at least 20 times but as soon as I caught my breath I returned to boredom and weariness. This is the type
of movie that you should see if you have absolutely noth-ing better to do with your time and you just want a few cheap
jokes and maybe a guffaw. This movie should be seen
on your patio with that cheap TV that you keep outside so you can watch stuff while you are grilling the weekend steaks. The kind of movie that you watch out of the corner of your eye on Channel 397 late at night. Or maybe on Chan-nel 51 as you are washing clothes.
Say something positive, Larry H., and quit being such a whiner. Ok, Mark Wahl-berg and Will Ferrell had good comedic chemistry as mis-matched NY police detectives and the opening scene featur-ing Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson as super cops is hilarious and very well done. And Michael Keaton as Cap-tain Gene Mauch shows that he can still bring it. Keaton at 58 needed the gig.
Some of the ongoing jokes about femininity and music are pretty funny and clever. But the storyline is so infantile that there is no way to assign this fi lm any redeeming social value or nominations for any category. I need a nap.
The Vineyard Church of Stafford is partnering with Stafford MSD to provide ev-ery student with a new school back-pack and six basic school supplies to start the school year. On Saturday, August 14, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Stafford Primary and Middle School Cafeterias, the Vineyard Church will be pro-viding canvas backpacks, sup-plies, and on a limited basis hair-cuts, family photos, food and much more. A splatter-paint station will give students an opportunity to personal-ize their back-packs and the younger children can play in a moonwalk.
The 3,100 back-packs will be fi lled assembly line style with school supplies at the church on the preceding Sun-day. Students must provide photo ID, report card, or some other proof of registration.
Sugar Land Democratic Club will hold its monthly meeting on the second Saturday of the month, on Aug. 14, 10:30 a.m. to12 noon at the First Colony Branch Library Sugar Land 2121 Austin Parkway.
University of Houston Sys-tem Chancellor Renu Khator has appointed Tim Hudson, president of UH-Victoria (UHV), to the newly created position of Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Inter-national Programs and Initia-tives.
In this capacity, he will help coordinate the UH Sys-tem’s overall efforts to expand and enhance its international presence. Hudson will work closely with the presidents of the four UHS universities. He is scheduled to begin Sept. 1.
“We’re very fortunate to have someone of Tim’s caliber take on this challenging new
task,” Khator said. “Given his academic background in geog-raphy and international rela-tions, including being a fellow of the Royal Geographical So-ciety and working for the U.S. State Department, he brings a wealth of experience to this position.”
Hudson, who has been president of UHV since 2004, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished at UHV, but this is a rare opportunity and I’m ready for a new challenge,” he said. “We all know what a premium Chancellor Khator places on expanding our inter-
national partnerships, so this will be a very demanding but very rewarding responsibil-ity.”
Khator praised Hudson’s tenure as president of UHV.
“Under his leadership, UHV has made remarkable progress,” she said, noting the recent expansion into a full four-year institution with student housing and intercol-legiate teams in baseball and softball.
Hudson received his Ph.D. in geography from Clark Uni-versity and served as provost at the University of Southern Mississippi before coming to UHV.
UH-Victoria President Tim Hudson to assume newly created post
Have you thought of do-ing business with local, state, or the federal government?
Federal, state and local government agencies have different certifi cation pro-grams with different eligibil-ity factors and application processes. You should fi rst determine which agencies you want to do business with, and then look into the appli-cable certifi cation programs.
PTAC can help you deter-mine if you are eligible for cer-tifi cation and help you apply.
The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at the U of H Fort Bend County SBDC, 117 Lane Drive, Suite 31, Rosenberg, Texas 77471.
For more information or to register for this event, con-tact UH Fort Bend County SBDC at 281-499-9787.
For additional information about the University of Hous-ton Small Business Develop-ment Center and its programs, please call 281.499.9787. The UH SBDC is a program of the C.T. Bauer College of Business and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Statewide mobility and transportation issues, particu-larly funding issues, are al-ways hot topics of conversa-tion.
With the 82nd State Legis-lature preparing itself to fi nd solutions for a projected bud-get shortfall, those conversa-tions and debates are getting even hotter.
The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance’s August Business Luncheon will of-fer expert insight into some of those issues as it presents Sen. Tommy Williams, Dist. 4, who was appointed Chair-man of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Home-land Security on July 14 by Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.
The appointment was the result of a sudden shake-up in Senate committee construc-tion, which saw the removal of Sen. John Carona from that position.
The Chamber and Dan-nenbaum Engineering Cor-poration will present Senator Williams on Friday, August 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Safari Texas Ranch Magnolia Room, located at 11627 FM 1464 in Richmond.
In 2002, after three terms in the Texas House of Represen-tatives, Williams was elected to serve as State Senator for District 4. He is a member of the Texas Society of CPAs, an outspoken advocate for Texas taxpayers and a recognized
and respected leader in bud-getary issues.
The Texas A&M graduate currently serves as President of Woodforest Financial Ser-vices, an affi liate of Wood-forest National Bank in the Woodlands.
Reservations for the lun-cheon are $30 for Chamber members and $40 for prospec-tive members and guests. Af-ter August 10 at noon, a $10 late fee will be added. Cancel-lations less than 72 hours in advance and “no shows” will be charged. For reservations or more information, call 281-342-5464 or email [email protected].
New senate transportation chair to address Central FB Chamber
Fort Bend Aggie Moms! New and returning Aggie Moms will meet on Monday, August 16 for the fi rst meeting of the 2010-2011 school year at the Sugar Land Community Center, 226 Matlage Way. So-cial time, refreshments, and boutique shopping begin at 7 p.m. followed by the program and business meeting. Guest speaker will be Ron Klinger and his topic will be “Support-ing Your Aggie Academical-ly”. For more information visit www.fortbendaggiemoms.org.
Fort Bend Aggie Moms
Back-To-School launch party
benefi ts SMSD
Sugar Land DemocratsGovernment
contracting and
certifi cation course
Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • AUGUST 11, 2010
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The information provided is reliable at the time written; however, it is not warranted or guaranteed. Prices are subject to change without notice. As with any financial decision, buyers are encouraged to do their own due diligence when selecting a home builder.Sienna Plantation makes no representations or warranties on the quality or financial ability of the home builders. Unless otherwise noted, Sienna Plantation is not affiliated with any of the third party builders, developers or governmental entities described herein. 08/10
Memorial Hermann, Texas Oncology and US Oncology announced they will enter into a joint business relationship that will expand the spectrum of cancer care available at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and Me-morial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital.
“This new venture enables Memorial Hermann and Texas Oncology to greatly expand our respective clinical and or-ganizational strengths. Togeth-er, we will offer the very best in radiation therapy services to patients served by these two hospitals,” said Dan Wolt-erman, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Chief Ex-ecutive Offi cer.
“Through this key partner-ship, patients will now have ac-cess to expanded services and can expect the highest standard of cancer care with the latest cancer therapies and most ad-vanced treatments,” said Steve Paulson, M.D., president and chairman of the board, Texas Oncology.
“These services will pro-vide greater availability to key resources that will help patients
fi ght cancer.”At Memorial Hermann Me-
morial City Medical Center, the relationship with Texas Oncology and US Oncology will enable the hospital to add new services such as stereot-actic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain tumors and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for appropriate body tumor in addition to expanding its abil-ity to provide patients access to national cancer clinical trials via US Oncology Research for the latest therapeutic modalities and investigative therapies.
Currently, the physicians associated with the Cancer Center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City treat all types of cancers and specialize in breast, colorectal, gynecologi-cal, head and neck, kidney, lung, neurological, prostate and thyroid cancers.
The Center offers state-of-the-art treatment options for patients, including robotic-as-sisted surgery, radiation oncol-ogy, clinical trials and more.
“Our goal is to provide pa-tients with access to the most advanced cancer treatments and tools,” said Vivek Kavadi,
M.D., radiation oncologist at Texas Oncology and medical director of radiation oncology at US Oncology.
“Not only does this partner-ship expand our services, but it allows our patients to be treat-ed close to home.”
The joint business relation-ship also includes Texas On-cology-Sugar Land’s radiation oncology services.
Located at 1350 First Col-ony Boulevard near the in-tersection of Highway 6, the 16,000-square-foot center pro-vides complete, integrated can-cer care and incorporates the latest, most effective diagnos-tic and treatment technologies, including PET/CT imaging and intensity modulated radia-tion therapy (IMRT).
For more information about Memorial Hermann, visit www.memorialhermann.org or call 713-222-CARE (2273). To learn more about Texas Oncology, visit www.Texas-Oncology.com or 1-888-864-CAN (4426).
To learn more about US On-cology, visit www.USOncol-ogy.com or 281-863-1000.
Memorial Hermann, Texas Oncology and US Oncology join Forces
CanCare, Inc., in conjunction with Interface-Samaritan Counseling Centers
now offers:
Powerful Tools for Caregivers
To register, call Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Spiritual Care office at 281-274-7164or contact CanCare directly at 713-461-0028
Thursday nights 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. August 12 - September 16
at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
NEW 2011 TOYOTA
CAMRY
$16,495Photos for illustration purposes only. Must qualify for all incentives, rebates and discounts to receive sale price.
Rebates from TMS/GST. Plus tax, title and license. Dealer Fees included. See dealer for complete details.
