FORT BEND
FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 , 2013
Phone: 281-980-6745wwwww.fbindependent.com.fbindependent.com
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
VOL 6 No. 19
Seshadri KumarPublisher & Editor
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Staff ord, TX 77477Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487
www.fbindependent.com281-980-6745
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.
“The Secret Gardens of Sugar Lakes” is the theme for this year’s Sugar Land Garden Club’s 14th annual Spring Garden Tour. On Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the public is invited to tour nine unique private gardens in the Sugar Lakes subdivision. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the tour at any garden. Tickets are $15 for all nine gardens making this a perfect Mother’s Day gift. Pictured are Andre and Robin Leeder, along with their proud dog Baxter, who are eagerly waiting to welcome visitors into their “secret garden.” Rain date is Saturday, May 18. Visit sugarlandgardenclub.org and click on Tour and Map. — 534 King-fi sher Dr., 206 Brook Forest Trail, 403 Kingfi sher Dr., 407 Baybridge Dr., 814 Kittiwake Ct., 871 Harbour Place, 234 Kingfi sher Dr., 1122 Heron Way and 819 Oyster Creek @ Teal.
Secret Gardens of Sugar Lakes
Gov. Rick Perry has named Daniel Wong of Missouri City chair of the Texas Board of Pro-fessional Engineers.
The board licenses qualifi ed engineers, enforces the Texas Engineering Practice Act and regulates the practice of profes-sional engineering in Texas.
Wong is CEO of Tolunay-Wong Engineers. He is a mem-ber of American Society of Civil Engineers, Texas Society of Professional Engineers and University of Houston Civil En-gineering Advisory Board, past president of the Asian Ameri-can Architects and Engineers Association, and a past board member of the Houston Coun-cil of Engineering Companies.
He is also a trustee of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, past member of the Sugar Land City Council, and past board member of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, Houston-Galveston Area Coun-cil, and University of Houston Alumni Association.
Wong received a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in civil engineering and a doctor-ate of civil engineering from the University of Houston. He will serve as chair of the board for a term to expire at the plea-sure of the governor.
Wong named chair of Texas Board of
Professional Engineers
Wong
LONGEST SERVING DA’S SECRETARY RETIRES. Barbara Dobson, the fi rst secretary to the District Attorney in Fort Bend County, after working under fi ve different DAs since the offi ce was established in 1977, retired on April 30. At a well-attended farewell party held at Gus George Police Academy, four of the fi ve DAs paid rich tributes to Dobson’s personality, character and professionalism. Above, Dobson is fl anked by current DA John Healey, to her right, and the fi rst DA Charles Dickerson, to her left, with the second DA Bill Meitzon, far right, and Sam Dick, third DA, far left. The fourth DA and Healey’s predecessor Jack Stern is not in the picture. Dobson fi rst began her job in the county attorney’s offi ce in Fort Bend in 1971, then went to Houston for a few years and came back in 1981. She was secretary to the then County Attorney Dickerson, who was appointed the fi rst DA of the county when the position was created in 1977. Healey described Dobson as the most valuable person of the DA’s offi ce for 36 years. “She has been strong-willed, discerning, offi ce coordinator for the last 21 years and she was the face of the DA’s offi ce ( as mentioned by Meitzon). She would tell me if I was making a mistake. She had that much knowl-edge.” Dobson outlived courthouse buildings, Dick said. In the DA’s offi ce, the staff was afraid of the secretary more than the boss, he said as a testimony to her insight into the offi ce.
Two Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra violinists who were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States are look-ing forward to sharing the mu-sic of their homeland during the orchestra’s May 19 con-cert, From Russia with Love. The season-closer begins at 2 p.m. at the Stafford Centre,
10505 Cash Road in Stafford.“When I listen to Russian
music, I want to clap and tell everyone I’m Russian because the music makes me proud of my Russian heritage,” said Anastasia Golenkova Marshall who joined FBSO in 2004. Tofi k K. Khanmamedov, a 12-year member of FBSO, is pleased with the focus on Rus-sian music that includes a mix of folk selections and master-works. “It’s a good, balanced program.”
During From Russia with Love, FBSO will perform Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Ju-liet Fantasy Overture, Glire’s Russian Sailor’s Dance and Kabalevsky’s Colas Breugnon Overture, which features some jazzy syncopation. Also fea-tured is Sabre Dance, an ex-citing Armenian dance where the dancers display their sabre skills. Reserved seats for From Russia with Love are $12 and $17 for adults and may be pur-chased at fbso.org or by call-ing 281-276-9642. Discounts are available for seniors 55 and over, students, military and groups of 10 or more. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult, but need a reserved ticket.
From Russia with love
FBSO violinist Anastasia Marshall, a native of Russia, prepares for the Fort Bend Symphony’s May 19 concert of Russian music while wear-ing the everyday attire for a married woman in Russia. (Photo by Coleman Locke)
By SESHADRI KUMARFort Bend County Commis-
sioners Court is facing a dilem-ma— to approve the $450,000 requested by Sheriff Troy Nehls to pay overtime or not.
If the court approves it, the contingency reserve will be de-pleted.
County Auditor Ed Sturdivant is concerned about the depletion of the $734,000 in contingency because the county will have no money left to pay for the indigent attorney fees to various courts for the next six months.
If the commissioners don’t ap-prove the overtime, the sheriff may be forced to cut patrol ser-vices and the onus for inadequate law enforcement will fall on the commissioners court.
The request for the addition-al $450,000 in overtime being sought by Nehls is not in the 2013 budget, presented by the former Sheriff Milton Wright.
Soon after Nehls took offi ce, the court approved an additional $160,000 to pay for the promo-tions caused by the civil service commission.
Nehls during his campaign last year criticized the then sheriff’s offi ce for spending excessively on overtime and cutting the over-time was one of his main cam-paign pledges.
Wright took note of Nehls’
campaign promise and accord-ingly slashed the overtime from about $735,000 to $200,000, for the enforcement division. That overtime amount was nearly ex-hausted by Wright himself from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012.
County commissioners by ap-proving the budget as present-ed by Wright, acquiesced into Wright’s logic that his successor had promised to slash overtime in the department.
That campaign promise has now come to haunt everyone, those who believe Nehls said so and those who believe otherwise. Nehls denies that he ever prom-ised to eliminate overtime, but only said he would reduce it by effi cient management of person-nel.
“We are fi nding ways to re-duce overtime as I said I would...We will fi nd ways to get enough money to take us through the end of the year,” Nehls said.
In the 2014 budget, Nehls said he would be reducing overtime by nearly 40 percent. The de-partment’s entire overtime bill is about $1.1 million and Nehls plans to cut it down to $650,000. “We have lot of built-in overtime and I have changed that to effect savings,” he said.
As a proof of his control over overtime expenditures, Nehls said in October 2012, the over-
time bill was $63,000, in No-vember 2012, it was $54,000 and in December, the last month of Wright in offi ce, the bill was $77,000.
In January 2013, the fi rst month under the new sheriff, the overtime bill was $31,000 and in February $34,000.
Sturdivant is not comfort-able with the idea of raiding the contingency fund for sheriff’s overtime bill. The $2 million al-located for indigent attorney fees would be exhausted by the end of the third quarter, leaving no funds for payments in the last quarter of the year, Sturdivant said.
Sturdviant suggested that the sheriff could take money from the forfeiture funds, exceeding $1 million, and from the opera-tions budget. But, Nehls is not inclined to do so.
If the contingency fund is tapped, the county will have to scrape money from every other department to allow for future contingencies.
The commissioners could minimize the impact by approv-ing part of the overtime payment from the contingency funds and the rest from other departments or sheriff’s own department.
The commissioners are sched-uled to vote on the item on Tues-day, May 7.
Commissioners court in a bind over sheriff’s overtime request
In early voting for the May 11 local elections in the fi rst six days, 1,439 people have voted in the Fort Bend ISD elections. In Mis-souri City Dist. A, 166 people have voted and in Dist. B, 108 have voted early. In a report in this paper last week, the name of a can-didate in the Missouri City Dist. A race was incorrectly printed as Rodney Smith. It should read Rodney Griffi n. The other two candidates in the race are Bobby Marshall and Yolanda Ford.In Stafford MSD election, 152 have voted through Saturday.
Offi cial newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Page 2 • INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013
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Firethorne from the $210s - 560s 1,600 - 2,800 sq. ft. (281) 693-46772,200 - 3,500 sq. ft. (281) 693-01502,500 - 4,300 sq. ft. (281) 347-10203,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 693-46923,400 - 5,600 sq. ft. (281) 693-4502
Pine Mill Ranch from the $240s - 530s2,200 - 4,100 sq. ft. (281) 391-71712,500 - 4,300 sq. ft. (281) 347-21212,900 - 4,900 sq. ft. (281) 347-21213,400 - 5,600 sq. ft. (281) 392-4322
Cinco Ranch from the $310s - 470s2,500 - 3,000 sq. ft. (281) 395-30102,500 - 3,500 sq. ft. (281) 693-00223,000 - 3,800 sq. ft. (281) 347-2100
Cross Creek Ranch from the $310s - 440s2,500 - 3,400 sq. ft. (281) 633-25552,800 - 3,800 sq. ft. (281) 238-09193,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 633-8500
Westheimer Lakes from the $190s - 260s1,600 - 3,000 sq. ft. (832) 222-2120
The Reserve at Brazos Town Center from the $240s - 350s2,500 - 4,300 sq. ft. (281) 238-0770
The Oaks of Rosenberg from the $230s - 300s 2,200 - 3,400 sq. ft. (281) 633-9366
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Aliana from the $250s - 340s2,100 - 2,800 sq. ft. (281) 207-90022,500 - 3,100 sq. ft. (281) 207-6656
Riverstone from the $320s - 490s2,200 - 3,400 sq. ft. (281) 778-21003,000 - 4,200 sq. ft. (281) 778-3840
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Sugar Land Junior Superstar Finale on May 10
Sugar Land Town Square presents the 3rd Annual Sugar Land Junior Superstar fi nale on Friday, May 10 from 7 – 9:30 p.m. in the Plaza. Due to inclement weather, event organizers were forced to reschedule the popular event, originally slated for April 27. Auditions were held in March and the judges se-lected fi nalists, ages 9 to 13, to perform during the live fi nale. Due to the popularity of Sugar Land Superstar, Town Square’s American Idol-like singing competition held each summer, Junior Superstar was created to provide a venue for the community’s younger vocal talent. Last year, celebrity judges named eleven-year-old Selena Packard the 2012 Sugar Land Junior Superstar. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on the competition, visit SugarLandTownSquare.com.
By BARBARA FULENWIDERBeing at the right place at the
right time can defi nitely take your life in a new direction.
For Bob Graf, Missouri City’s economic development coordinator for the past 12 years, the right place was in front of a big screen television during two weeks of vacation last Christmas. His change of pace, relaxation and enjoyment prompted him to decide that perhaps it was time to retire and spend more of his days that way.
When he returned to work last January he let the mayor and council know that his days on the job were numbered to the end of June.
“I still have two more months to work here,” Graf said. “I’m trying to wrap up some things we’ve already started. We’re looking at some major compa-nies right now,” Graf said.
After all is said and done by Graf for Missouri City he’ll return part time to commercial real estate, which is what he was in prior to joining the city.
“I’ll do some of that and keep busy from time to time, and I’ll also try to help out a little in areas of economic develop-ment where ever I can.”
As for his past 12 years with Missouri City, Graf said he’s enjoyed it. “There’s been a lot of development going on here, and the mayor and council have been great about supporting economic develop-ment. All three city managers I’ve worked with here have also been great and very sup-portive.”
His biggest accomplishment over the years, he said, was working with Trammel Crow in a public/private partnership to develop Lakeview Business Park. Trammel Crow bought the land that had been the Willowisp golf course and the city provided money to build some roads and water and sewer lines.
“The park made Missouri City relevant with companies out there looking for new areas to move into. Companies want areas that are shovel ready – where they can buy the land and start working on building the next day. That is what the
Willowisp land did for us.”Another coup was convinc-
ing Ben E. Keith to locate in Missouri City’s Beltway Business Park just off of South Gessner. Ben E. Keith is to open in June and Graf said,
“Quite a few businesses have popped up right around it al-ready. There are a couple of warehouses there now.
“Last year we had two com-panies move in. American Tire Distributors leased a 15,000 square foot area, and Frank’s Supply, an automotive acces-sory parts company, occupies 72,000 square feet in the busi-ness park. Before that, this past year Twin Star Bakery opened on the corner of Cravens and South Gessner after moving into 276,000 square feet of space,” Graf said.
“At Lakeview (Business Park) last year we worked out a deal to get Niagara Water Bottling Co. in Missouri City. They took 356,000 square feet of space and make their own water bottles for private label companies,” Graf said.
Along with bringing more and more businesses to Mis-souri City over his 12 year tenure, Graf has also worked to change the city’s reputa-tion from being difficult to deal with to being one that welcomes businesses and has made the process far more ac-commodating to prospects.
“We’ve shown businesses that we do work with them and that we don’t ask them to do anything any other city wouldn’t do. I think we’ve nixed our reputation of being hard to deal with. We did a lot of reorganizing internally to create a new development services department that over-sees all development. We also have someone who is business
oriented over it rather than a planner,” Graf said.
Missouri City Manager Ed-ward Broussard said about Graf: “You look at the success Missouri City has had just over the past five or six years in regard to economic develop-ment and you won’t fi nd it du-plicated elsewhere. Bob came into this from a private sector background and was able to fi gure out how to sell Missouri City in a way that resonates with businesses.
“He was also able to talk to the community. He’s quite a hit on Missouri City TV. I think his folksy way of conveying the message from an economic development standpoint has been a big success.”
Broussard also said eco-nomic development depart-ments “are getting more and more important to cities. The recruiting piece is one reason why. You have to go out and recruit in order to have them locate in your community. Another piece is to shepherd them through the development processes in order to have their business built in your commu-nity in a reasonable time period and meet local goals.”
Soon Broussard will hire someone who has experience in relation to economic devel-opment from the municipal side.
“The big thing for Missouri City is redevelopment as well. We need new business parks and redevelopment.”
In a couple of months, Graf will most likely have his feet propped up and be watching his big screen TV while the newly hired economic develop-ment director works feverishly to be as successful as the man who took Missouri City from being a bedroom community to a full-fl edged town.
At a special session on April 15,city council discussed the 2013 economic development strategies.
The 2013 Economic Devel-opment Strategies focus was on developing the City market-ing campaign, establishing a
“strategic investment zone” for the Texas Parkway Corridor, developing the next major business park site(s), further
infrastructure investment, and developing an annual update schedule from City economic development partners.
The strategies build on the 2003 economic development analysis, along with the 2011-12 economic development plan update.
The City Council was briefed on the recruitment process for the upcoming economic devel-opment director position. Staff also discussed marketing in the following areas: development of an economic development site, development of an eco-nomic development map, pro-motion of economic develop-ment projects and opportunities through social media, business briefi ng/network lunches, cre-ation of an economic develop-ment newsletter, Texas Park-way strategic investment zone, upcoming business park site(s), infrastructure investments and furthering relationships with economic development partners.
City Manager Broussard continued with the presenta-tion by discussing further the following: development of an identity for Texas Parkway Corridor; development of an economic development incen-tive package and discussion regarding infrastructure invest-ment.
Councilmember Don Smith inquired if the facility study includes City Hall.
Broussard noted the study is to include City Hall, however, City Hall will not move; also the study will address the old community center and how it will be reused.
Broussard said the City will focus on the next major busi-ness park sites and what can be done to assure their avail-ability for future developers. Broussard emphasized the City goals to further relationships with economic development partners, Greater Houston Partnership, Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Coun-cil, HCC and METRO. He also noted the City plan to provide a growth update. Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Wyatt stated Fort Bend County Commissioners Court should be added to the list of furthering relations.
Missouri City looks for new economic development director
Graf
Despite high winds and cold temperatures, the annual Fort Bend County Peace Offi cers’ Memorial was held Thursday, May 2 at the Peace Offi cers’ Memorial at the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce.
Sheriff Troy E. Nehls pre-sented the keynote speech to a crowd of about 150 residents, including relatives of several of the officers who died in the line of duty in Fort Bend County.
“These public servants un-derstood the meaning of ser-vice above self,” Nehls said.
“These 16 comrades will never be forgotten.”
Nehls said the Sheriff’s Office is taking proactive measures to ensure Sheriff’s Office personnel “have the tools and resources necessary to accomplish their jobs in the safest way possible.”
The sheriff also announced a new policy, which will be enacted May 15. Employees of the Sheriff’s Offi ce will be required to use a hands free mobile device while operating a county-owned vehicle.
“This new policy will assist us in providing a safer environ-ment for our deputies,” Nehls said.
“This new policy will as-sist us in providing a safer environment for our deputies. Additionally, this not only will reduce offi cer-involved motor vehicle crashes, it also will set an example for the motoring
Fort Bend County Peace Offi cers’ Memorial held at sheriff’s offi ce
Offi cers from several Fort Bend County law enforcement agencies placed an American fl ag around the Peace Offi cers’ Memorial during the ceremony.
public, who far too often be-come victims to vehicle crashes where the cause or contributing factor was the use of a cell phone.”
A Roll Call of the Fallen was recited.
Names on the list of Fort Bend County law enforcement offi cers who lost their lives in the line of duty include:
John V. Morton, Fort Bend County Sheriff, Feb. 7, 1843; T.J. Garvey, Fort Bend County Sheriff, Aug. 16, 1889; Henrich H. Hoffman, Fort Bend Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Feb. 19, 1893; Frank Schmid Jr., Texas Ranger, June 17, 1893; Edmond H. Hardin, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce Deputy, Sept. 14, 1927; Frank P. Bell, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce Deputy, Oct. 10, 1930; H.A. White, Texas Ranger, Dec. 1, 1961; and Hen-ry Michulka, Rosenberg Police Department, Jan. 26, 1963.
Also, Dominic S. Carso, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce Deputy, March 8, 1977; Jon A Farrar, Fort Bend County
Sheriff’s Offi ce Detective, Aug. 5, 1977; Joseph E. Cernoch, Rosenberg Police Department, Feb. 9, 1978; Ronald D. Slock-ett, Sugar Land Police Depart-ment, July 4, 1987; Eugene J. Heimann, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce Deputy, March 21, 1988; David L. Braunholz, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce Deputy, April 9, 1990; Ernest V. Mendoza, Needville ISD, Jan. 29, 2007; and John D. Norsworthy Jr., Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Offi ce, Jan. 4, 2011.
Page 4 • INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013
OpinionAROUND THE NEIGHBORHOODS:History of the Quail Valley Club House
You have already voted.
Do you like the selection of Charles Dupre as the FBISD superintendent?
46% 17 Votes Yes
43% 16 Votes No
11% 4 Votes No opinion
Total Votes : 37
10701 Corporate Drive, #282 • Stafford, TX • 77477 • Phone: 281-980-6745 • Email:[email protected]
Above, a screen shot of the poll on the Fort Bend Independent website. Visit fbindependent.com to participate in Today’s Poll.
Pathways to Wellness—this year’s theme for May is Mental Health Month—calls attention to strategies and approaches that help all Americans achieve wellness and good mental and overall health.
“Wellness is essential to liv-ing a full and productive life,” said Jeanne Wallace, Execu-tive Director, MHA of Ft. Bend County. “We may have differ-ent ideas about what wellness means, but it involves a set of skills and strategies to prevent the onset or shorten the dura-tion of illness and promote recovery and well-being. It’s about keeping healthy as well as getting healthy.”
Wallace said wellness is more than absence of disease.
“It involves complete gen-eral, mental and social well-being. And mental health is an
By BASIL HOUSEWRIGHT, JR.As all eyes turn toward the
Gulf of Mexico at the start of the 2013 hurricane season we would like to remind Texans that they should be aware of the potential for deadly fl ood-waters across the entire state. It doesn’t take a Class 5 hur-ricane to paralyze portions of the Texas coastline and inland. Several of the state’s worst natural disasters have come from downgraded hurricanes and tropical storms that have stalled over areas of Texas hundreds of miles beyond coastal waters.
One of the State’s costliest storm was Tropical Storm Al-lison that dumped nearly two feet of rain over Houston on June 8, 2001.
Tropical Storm Allison had actually stalled over Fort Bend county for several hours before moving a little further north and dropped 12 inches of rain causing fl ooding in ar-eas which many would have thought would never experi-ence fl ooding.
Other tropical storms have stalled over Del Rio, south central Texas and north central Texas dropping record rainfall amounts and causing deadly fl oodwaters.
On August 23, 1998, Tropi-cal Storm Charley stalled over Del Rio. The storm dumped 18 inches of rain on the Tex-as border city in less than 24 hours.
More than 600 homes and businesses in the city of 38,000 were destroyed. Hur-ricane Alice was tracked more than 300 miles inland before its storm system stalled over Albany creating the state’s largest one day rainfall total of 29 inches on August 4, 1978.
Tropical Storm Amelia caused little damage when it came ashore on July 30, 1978. But three days later the storm
began spilling torrents of rain in the hill country north of San Antonio. Floodwaters carried away homes of 25 unsuspect-ing riverfront residents and campers sending water crash-ing down the Guadalupe, Medina and Sabinal Rivers. Amelia drifted northward and dropped another 20 inches of rain in the Abilene area before fi nally dissipating.
We all should remember Hurricane Katrina which spared Texas in 2005 but caused almost $40 billion damage to property with over $22 billion of this being in-sured fl ood damage along the Gulf Coast.
In 2005, the storm surge from Hurricane Rita caused more than $51 million in in-sured fl ood damage to the state’s coastal communities, and in 2007, Tropical Storm Erin dumped heavy rainfall throughout eastern Texas, re-sulting in an estimated $45 million in damage.
Many more “uninsured” properties received damage as well. And who can forget the fl ooding in Galveston from Hurricane Ike in 2008?
Homeowners should be reminded that a homeowner policy does not cover fl ood damage.
Flood insurance is a sepa-rate policy that you may pur-chase from insurance agents through the Federal Govern-
ment’s National Flood Insur-ance Program. You must plan ahead.
There is a 30-day wait pe-riod before this coverage goes into effect for existing property owners. It may go into effect immediately if purchased at time of closing on a new property or certain other special conditions. Most companies allow your annual fl ood insurance premium to be charged on major credit or debit cards.
If you have an escrow ac-count for your homeowners insurance and taxes, upon request your Mortgage Com-pany may include the fl ood insurance premium in your es-crow account for subsequent renewals, but typically require the homeowner to pay the fi rst year’s premium.
Many think if they do not have fl ood insurance and they receive fl ood damage the Government Disaster Program will take care of their loss. The Government Disaster Program consists of low interest loans, which you will have to repay. If you still have reservations about buying fl ood insurance, look at it this way, $412.00 (an average for most local neigh-borhoods) would be $34.33 per month.
If you suffer a fl ood loss and do not have fl ood insur-ance what would the monthly cost be to pay off the Govern-ment Disaster Loan you take out to recover? Just the inter-est alone would be more than $34.33 a month.
Basil is manager of Texans Insurance & Financial Group, Inc a local Independent In-surance Agency operating in Sugar Land since 1991. He can be reached at (281) 277-7800, Fax (281) 277-7801, E-Mail – [email protected]. Visit www.texansinsure.com.By MIKE GIBSON
This month, we honor the contributions Asian Pacifi c Americans have made to our nation and more specifi cally to Fort Bend County.
Throughout our county, Asian and Pacifi c Island Americans have helped make Fort Bend the best county in the USA by making signifi -cant contributions in every fi eld, from arts and entertain-ment to science and technol-ogy, from public policy and service to business and mili-tary service.
Americans of Asian and Pacifi c descent have provided the entrepreneurial talent and Texas pioneer spirit to help lead us to the top among plac-
es to live and do business in the country.
As the most ethnically di-verse county in the United States, we have all learned to work shoulder to shoulder with our friends, neighbors and family. Together, we will continue to show we are not divided by race, creed, reli-gion, country of origin or any other artifi cial barrier. We know how to work together to make our community strong, safe and prosperous.
Generations of Asian and Pacifi c immigrants have made Fort Bend County their home bringing with them different cultural histories and tradi-tions. The Texas, Hispanic and American traditions
blended with the Asian and Pacifi c cultures have made a rich new culture formed by living and working together.
I honor and respect those that have left their homeland to fi nd a brighter future for themselves and their families. America, Texas and, especial-ly Fort Bend County, is still the land of opportunity where hard work, dedication to com-munity, public service and de-votion to family will lead to fi nancial and personal growth and advancement. I join with all in my Party in celebrat-ing May as the Asian Pacifi c American Heritage Month.
Gibson is the chairman of the Republican Party of Fort Bend County.
Flooding is hurricane season’s real danger
Housewright
Mental health: Pathways to wellnessessential component of over-all health and well-being. The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that ex-ists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health. “
Wallace said everyone is at risk of stress given the de-mands it brings and the chal-lenges at work and at home.
But there are steps that maintain well-being and help everyone achieve wellness.
These involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emo-tional awareness, and connec-tions to family, friends and the community.
Wallace said these steps should be complemented by taking stock of one’s well-being through regular mental health checkups.
“Just as we check our blood pressure and get cancer screenings, it’s a good idea to take periodic stock of our emotional well-being. One recent study said everyone should get their mental health checked as often as they get a physical, and many doctors routinely screen for mental health, which typically include a series of questions about life-style, eating and drinking hab-its and mental wellness. But a checkup doesn’t necessarily require a special trip to the doctor. There are also online screening tools you can use. While conditions like depres-sion are common—roughly 1 in 5 Americans have a mental health condition—they are ex-tremely treatable.
“Fully embracing the con-cept of wellness not only im-proves health in the mind, body and spirit, but also maxi-mizes one’s potential to lead a full and productive life,” Wal-lace said.
“Using strategies that pro-mote resiliency and strength-en mental health and prevent mental health and substance use conditions lead to im-proved general health and a healthier society: greater aca-demic achievement by our children, a more productive economy, and families that stay together.
“It’s why pathways to well-ness are so important and why we need to spread the word.”
May is Mental Health Month was started 64 years ago by Mental Health America of Fort Bend County national organization, Mental Health America, to raise awareness about mental health condi-tions and the importance of mental wellness for everyone.
Mental Health America of Fort Bend County (MHAFBC) was established in 1988 after a countywide study showed the need for factual, unbiased information regarding mental illness topics.
MHAFBC was founded in 1989 as a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization and also became an affi liate of Mental Health of America.
MHAFBC fulfi lls an im-portant role in Ft Bend Coun-ty as the only mental health education and advocacy or-ganization that focuses on prevention, early identifi ca-tion through depression and mood-disorder screenings and intervention of mental illness-es, provides resource informa-tion for persons with a mental illness, and advocates for im-proving services for persons with mental illnesses.
Mental Health of America is celebrating its 8th Annual Beacon of Hope Banquet on May 31, 2013.
Information about purchas-ing a ticket can be found on-line at www.mhafbc.org.
Commemorating Asian Pacifi c American Heritage Month
By CAROLYN BOWDEN
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE:
In 1969, to get to the club house (which was under con-struction) one had to enter from Cartwright on La Quinta until the bridge on El Dorado was constructed. Unfortu-nately, Cartwright had plenty of chug holes, almost like our speed bumps today. And on rainy days it was worse because you could not see the chug holes. Cartwright started at FM 1092 and ended at Cypress Point. The rest of Cartwright was simply a mud-dy lane.
The club house slab was poured and the framing be-gun. As the two by fours went up two young girls, who lived in the area, rode their horses up to view the construction. As they looked at the “club house” slab, they were doubt-ful of its future.
From the girls’ vantage point, this club house was go-ing to be out in the country surrounded by pecan trees.
One girl said to the other: “Who would want to drive all the way out in the “middle of no-where” to this club to play golf, when they could just play in Houston?”
THE FIRST RESI-DENTS: In 1969 there were existing homes on the prop-erty that was to become Quail Valley Subdivision. They were scattered, but close to FM 1092 and Cartwright. Some had a gravel drive/road to their house. Today these homes would be in the Quail
Valley Sections of Quail Val-ley North, El Dorado, La Quinta, Thunderbird West Courtyard and Thunderbird I. These homes had electric-ity but each required a water well and a septic tank. With the sale of the property they would lose their privacy but gain the luxury of a Utility District.
(TO BE CONTINUED )FAST FORWARD TO
2013: When the CITY took over Quail Valley Golf Course Properties in 2010 there were over 100 homes up for sale. Over the last year the number of homes on the market has dropped by “over” 50 percent.
NEW FACILITIES: City Centre and the Tennis/Recre-ation Center have increased property values. This means the city benefi ts by seeing an increase in property tax rev-enue which has a positive ef-fect on the “entire” city, not just Quail Valley.
Instead of moving, people are remodeling and staying “put”.
QUAIL VALLEY GOLF COURSE CONTRIBU-TIONS: Increased number of rounds of play, golf tourna-ments and golf and non-golf events. City Centre is cur-rently booking events as far out as 2015. These Events bring people into our commu-nity that may have never been here before and, you never know, they could end up be-coming “new” residents.
INCREASES IN 2012: ROUNDS OF GOLF 58,306 (up 4% over 2011 and up 20% over 2010) EVENTS 160 for Golf and Non Golf Events averaged 30 per month, in-volving number of persons ; 10 to 330 per Event. The city is making a PROFIT in Golf, Food & Beverage area.
START UP EXPENSES? The new City Centre is like any new business where the owner doesn’t start making a profi t initially because of the “start-up” expenses. The Quail Valley Golf Course Properties are an “amenity” just like the other 20+ parks in the city. The difference is these Properties generate in-come. In recent surveys, the number one reason people enjoy Missouri City, is our parks.
Contributions to this col-umn courtesy of Fran Nichol-son and The City of Missouri City.
NEXT COLUMN: (May 22nd) History of Quail Valley Club House, “continued.”
Write to: [email protected] about this column.
Bowden
You have already voted.
Do you likekk the selection of Charles Dupre as the FBISD superintendent?
46% 17 Votes Yes
43% 16 Votes No
11% 4 Votes No opinion
ToTT tal Votes : 37
You have already voted.
Do you think the annual compensation of more than $300,000 to the new FBISDsuprintendent is fair, high or low
19% 5 Votes Fair
81% 22 Votes High
0% 0 Votes Low
Total Votes : 27
Visit fbindependent.com and participate
in Today’s poll.You can vote only
once, but your identity will remain
anonymous.
The City of Sugar Land is accepting applications from community members for a cit-izen-based advisory committee to update the City’s Land Use Plan.
The Land Use Advisory Committee will guide a proj-ect to identify policy guidance and future efforts necessary to accomplish the City’s land use goals and objectives. Work is expected to address issues such as housing types, development of activity centers and redevel-opment of aging commercial areas.
The proposed process to update the plan will include various opportunities for pub-lic input to identify community preferences.
The committee, expected to have about 15 members from diverse backgrounds, will serve as a sounding board for ideas.
Tasks will include: review-ing public input and technical analysis; considering policy recommendations; representing the interests of the community by providing detailed input and feedback on the plan; and serv-ing as champions for the project within the community.
Participation in LUAC is an
City accepts applications for Land Use Advisory Committeeopportunity to contribute to the City and guide public policy-making; however, participation will require a signifi cant time commitment, so the City is look-ing for dedicated individuals for the committee.
During the approximate 18-month project, LUAC mem-bers will attend committee meet-ings, “Land Use Forum” educa-tional sessions, public meetings and possibly workshops with the Planning and Zoning Com-
mission and City Council. These meetings will generally be held during weekday evenings and will be scheduled in coordination with selected LUAC members after their appointment.
The City is accepting vol-unteer applications for the Land Use Advisory Committee through May 20. The application and a description of the process is available at www.sugarlandtx.gov/landuseplan.
INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013 • Page 5
News
Asian Pacifi c American Heritage Association will be celebrat-ing the Asian/Pacifi c American Heritage Month in May with theannual APAHA festival.
The festival will be held on Saturday May 18, at Houston Community College parking lot at 5601 West Loop South from10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
APAHA will celebrate the rich heritage of Asian/Pacifi c Is-landers with the greater Houston community by showcasingexciting activities, including cultural performances, games, cul-tural arts/crafts tables and various food booth/trucks.
APAHA will present its signature event - Ramen Noodle eat-ing contest at the festival. This contest is fun and popular to fes-tival participants. This year, APAHA will also be adding a pho-tography contest. Photography clubs are invited to participate.
APAHA’s festival is brought to the Houston communitythrough the collaboration of many non-profi t organizations in-cluding Houston Greeters and Chinese American Citizens Alli-ance. The festival is chaired by Charlene Chuang. The eventis sponsored by Houston Community College, Houston Art Al-liance, Houston Greeters, Art Institute of Houston and Viet Hoainternational food market.
Asian Pacifi c Heritage Month & APAHA’s history: On Oc-tober 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution designating the annual celebration.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebra-tion.
In 1992, the offi cial designation of May as Asian-Pacifi cAmerican Heritage Month was signed into law.
President Barack Obama recently reiterated this declaration. The Asian/Pacifi c American Heritage Association (APAHA)was formed in 1992 to promote Asian/Pacifi c American accom-plishments and heritages through awareness, education and cel-ebration. APAHA celebrates the heritage month with a festivaland annual gala in May.
This year, APAHA’s festival will be on May 18th and galaon May 31st. Visit www.apaha.org for more details and how tosponsor APAHA’s events.
The Fort Bend County community will have the op-portunity to honor our active military, new recruits and veterans during this multi-part event, being held at Con-stellation Field on Tuesday, May 28th.
The fi rst part of the event is a recognition ceremony called “Our Community Sa-lutes Fort Bend”, and was initiated by a local Ambas-sador-level Girl Scout, Bon-nie Worstell, who chose this effort for her Gold Award project -- it is focused solely on honoring and thanking the new recruits of Fort Bend County for their decision to serve.
Worstell, a junior at Clem-ents high school and a mem-ber of NJROTC, shared how she was disappointed to learn of the negative reactions many people had toward her friends who were enlisting in the military after high-school versus the accolades other graduates received who chose to enter college.
Bonnie said, “It’s because they made their decision to serve our country that we are free and able to make our own decision(s)”.
Feeling strongly that these young men and women should be recognized, hon-ored and celebrated for their commitment to serve, Wor-stell has put together a fi rst-time ever appreciation event acknowledging and thank-ing Fort Bend County’s new recruits and their families for their decision, patrio-
More than 45 million Amer-icans suffer chronic, recurring headaches, resulting in medi-cal expenses, lost work time and days spent in pain. Under-standing why headaches occur is the fi rst step to controlling them.
Eddie L. Patton Jr., M.D., board certifi ed neurologist with Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates, identi-fi es three headache types:
Migraine headaches. The head-banging pain of a mi-graine is severe, one-sided and throbbing and accompa-nied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound, light or movement.
Approximately 70 per-cent of migraine sufferers are women, so hormone fl uctua-tions are often identifi ed in at-tacks.
Experts believe a migraine occurs within the brain itself, and once the attack begins, pain and other symptoms arise
from infl ammation. About one in fi ve migraine
sufferers experience aura, symptoms that may include vision disturbances; numb-ness or tingling; and an odd sense of smell or taste.
Tension headaches. Most headaches are related to mus-cle tension in the neck, back
or forehead caused by poor sleep, bad posture, stress or depression.
Some experts believe these headaches arise from chang-ing levels of serotonin and endorphins. The steady, dull ache of a tension headache can be mild to moderate.
Cluster headaches. Some people suffer serial headaches that come in clusters, lasting weeks.
Cluster headaches tend to be rare, affecting only one percent of the population, mostly men. The intense stab-bing pain centers around one temple or eye, which may become infl amed and watery. Most sufferers get one to four headaches a day during a clus-ter cycle.
Botox: A new treatment option for migraines
“Botox treatments have emerged as a new treatment option for individuals who suf-fer from chronic migraines,”
says Dr. Patton. “This therapeutic option
has been shown to decrease the frequency and severity of migraines as well as lower the need for multiple medications to control the headaches. Not just for cosmetic use anymore, this treatment is fairly safe and effective when administered by a specialist trained in its use for medical necessity.”
To learn more about dif-ferent types of headaches and how to treat them, including the latest Botox treatment op-tion, join us at our free semi-nar!
FREE SEMINARJoin us for a free Migraine
Relief Seminar presented by Dr. Eddie Patton Jr., Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m. located at Methodist Sugar Land Hospi-tal’s Conference Center. There will be refreshments and door prizes for attendees. Call 281-274-7500 or email [email protected] to reserve a seat.
A new way to put an end to a pounding headache
Eddie Patton Jr., M.D., neurologist with Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates
Asian Pacifi c American Heritage Association Festival
tism and commitment to serve our country in one of the US Armed Forces.
KPRC Channel 2 news an-chor Bill Balleza, a former U.S. Marine, will emcee the event. US Congressman Pete Olson, a decorated Naval offi cer, and Texas House Representative Rick Miller, a 30-year Naval veteran who also had an im-pressive military career, are two of the key speakers listed in the program. There will be a special treat when Darby Ledbetter, a Chief Warrant Of-fi cer with the National Guard and a well-known Soldier-Songwriter performs his 2010 Emmy-Award winning song “I
Won’t Let My Guard Down” (www.nationalguard.com/events/darby-ledbetter).
To learn more about “Our Community Salutes Fort Bend” on May 28th visit www.goldawardprojectsalute.weebly.com .
The event continues with a pre-game program to honor our military beginning at 5:45 p.m. “Legacy of Freedom - Saluting Our Heroes” will be presented on Constellation Field and will honor the men and women of our Armed Forces. Offi cials from the city, county and state will be presenting proclamations, and as part of the event, the 72nd
BSTB National Guard Unit and other fi rst responders will be on hand to show off their latest equipment and technol-ogy.
The event concludes with the Skeeters Home game start-ing at 7 p.m.
If you are interested in at-tending or sponsoring a ticket for a veteran and/or new enlist-ee to attend this event, please contact Tyler Stamm at 281-207-9127 or e-mail [email protected].
You can also visit the Skee-ters Box Offi ce at 281.240-HITS or www.sugarlandskee-ters.com.
Fort Bend community salutes the Military
Pictured above are military personnel who came out to enjoy some camaraderie and try their luck at the Skeeters pitching booth.
What would happen if you combined Shakespeare’s greatest love story and the fantastic, creative wordplay of Dr. Seuss? Award-winning Fort Bend Theatre’s Action Re-action Troupe is going to find out with The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet.
The show will run from May 10 to 19, 8 p.m, Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. This is a whimsical retelling of the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet if Dr. Seuss had gotten his hands on the script.
Come and experience Shakespeare like never before with rhyming couplets and fantastical machines! Tickets are $9 and are available on the FBT website www.fortbendtheatre.com. For more information or group discounts, call 281-208-3333.
Shrek the Musical auditions
Fort Bend Theatre will hold auditions for Shrek the Musi-cal, to be performed at the Stafford Centre, on Sunday, May 12th from 5-8 p.m. and Monday, May 13th from 6-9 p.m. at N. Main St in Stafford, Texas.
Shrek The Musical, based on the Oscar®-winning Dream-Works film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life. In a far, faraway kingdom that’s been turned upside down, things get ugly when an un-seemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess.
Then, throw in a donkey who doesn’t know when to stop talking, a villain with a SHORT temper, a cookie with a se-rious attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of situation that calls for a real hero. Luckily for everyone there’s Shrek.
Please bring your headshot or a recent photo and resume. For more information, visit the FBT website at www.fort-bendtheatre.com and click the upcoming auditions tab or call 281-208-3333.
Shakespeare and Seuss together at Fort Bend Theatre
The national NRA confer-ence, which lasted from May 2 through May 5, saw huge crowds converge on Hous-ton’s George R. Brown Con-vention Center from all over the country with many Texans
leading the way. The event offered free ad-
mission to NRA members and featured speakers that in-cluded Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Vice Presiden-tial candidate Sarah Palin, and
conservative commentator Glen Beck who was the key-note speaker at a “Stand and Fight Rally.”
According to the NRA, the event shapes up to be one of the best attended NRA con-
NRA convention in Houston ventions in history. This year’s program saw
major international and U.S. gun manufacturers sponsor exhibits ranging from the his-torical Henry Repeating Arms dating back to the late 1800’s, to major hunting fi rearm sup-pliers like Browning as well as military suppliers such as Colt and Beretta.
Hundreds of specialty fi re-arm and accessory manufac-turers also exhibited virtually every type of fi rearm or acces-sory available in the market today.
Traffi c into the event was extremely heavy and the trip on Friday by Fort Bend NRA members via Highway 59 took well over an hour.
But, despite the congestion, the large crowds inside the convention hall, including a large number of families with children, were overwhelming-ly very friendly and courteous.
Many of those attending the event, including hunters, hob-byists, collectors and competi-tive shooters, were open about wanting to make a statement in support of the Constitution’s Second Amendment right to
bear arms. They expressed opposition to what they see as blatant political efforts by liberal politicians to destroy that right while playing off of the emotions generated from shootings perpetrated by men-tally impaired individuals.
In 1949, NRA, in conjunc-tion with the state of New York, established the fi rst hunter education program. Hunter education courses are now taught by state fi sh and game departments across the U.S. and Canada, and have helped make hunting one of the safest sports in existence.
Law enforcement train-ing has been a major NRA effort for 53 years. With the introduction of its NRA Po-lice Firearms Instructor cer-tifi cation program in 1960, NRA became the only na-tional trainer of law enforce-ment offi cers. Today, more than 12,000 NRA-certifi ed police and security fi rearms instructors train thousands of law enforcement and security personnel each year. Top law enforcement shooters from around the world compete an-nually at the NRA National
Police Shooting Champion-ships. Since 2006 this event has been held in Albuquerque, N.M.
NRA also continues to set the standard in fi rearms edu-cation for civilians. More than 50,000 NRA-certifi ed instruc-tors now train about 800,000 gun owners a year.
While now widely rec-ognized as a major politi-cal force and as America’s foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, NRA has, since its inception, been the premier fi rearms education organization in the world.
But NRA’s successes would not have been possible without the tireless efforts and countless hours of service that nearly 5 million NRA mem-bers have given to champion Second Amendment rights and support NRA programs.
An outgrowth of the NRA’s movement to support the Sec-ond Amendment has been a large number of “Friends of NRA” fundraising events including a large number in Texas. Details of those events can be found at www.friend-sofnra.org.
Page 6 • INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013
AUTOMOBILE: 2014 Mazda6
THE STATE OF TEXAS
CITATION BY PUBLICATION
TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS-AT-LAW OF RITA GEORGE RANDOLPH AND THE UNKNOWNDEVISEES OF RITA VIRGINIA GEORGE RANDOLPHADDRESS UNKNOWNNOTICE:You have been sued. You may employ an attorney. If you or your attorney do not fi le a written answer with the clerk who issued this citation by 10:00 a.m. on Monday next following the expiration of forty-two days from the date of issuance of this citation, same being May 27, 2013 a default judgment may be taken against you. Said answer may be fi led by mailing same to: District Clerk’s Offi ce, 301 Jackson, Richmond, Texas 77469, or by bringing it to the offi ce. Our street address is 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond TX 77469. We are located on the fi rst fl oor of the Justice Center building.The case is presently pending before the 434TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT of Fort Bend County sitting in Richmond, Texas, and was fi led on AUGUST 01, 2012. It bears cause number 12-DCV-199821 and is styled:Bank of America, N.A., Successor by Merger to BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, Plaintiff FKA Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, LP vs Senter George, Jr., The Unknown Heirs at Law of Rita Virginia George Randolph and the Unknown Devisees of Rita Virginia George Randolph, Defendants IN RE: 2718 Atlas Drive, Missouri City, TX 77459The name and address of the attorney for PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is:DAMIAN WILLIAM ABREO
BARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TURNER & ENGEL LLP
1900 ST.JAMES PLACE ,SUITE 500
HOUSTON TX 77056
713-693-2027
The nature of the demands of said PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER is as follows to-wit:LOT TWELVE (12), BLOCK THREE (3) OF OLYMPIA ESTATES, SECTION 1, A SUBDIVISION IN FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED UNDER SLIDE NO. 2330/A OF THE PLAT RECORDS OF FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXASIf this Citation is not served, it shall be returned unserved. Issued under my hand and seal of said Court, at Richmond, Texas on this the 10th day of April, 2013.
DISTRICT CLERK ANNIE REBECCA ELLIOTTFort Bend County, Texas
By Deputy District Clerk Brittany Rebeles281-633-7613
LEGAL NOTICE
The City of Missouri City, Texas is now issuing a Request for Proposals for the following:
RFP #127-13
ADMINISTRATION OF STORM WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The City of Missouri City requests proposals from interested parties for the Complete development of revised Storm Water Management Program to address new permit requirements within the allotted time frame as set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality once the new general permit for municipal separate storm sewer system is issued.
It is the intent of the City of Missouri City to contract with one (1) vendor. Vendors are requested to submit a proposal that meets all requirements contained herein. Proposals submitted shall be complete and include all costs associated with the proposal and shall be subject to negotiation by the City. All costs involved with preparing a proposal for submittal, including interview travel expenses, are the responsibility of the proposal respondent.
Proposals will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. local time May 20, 2013 and then opened.
RFP packages are available by contacting the DemandStar bid service at (800)
711-1712 and requesting the bid name above for the City of Missouri City, Texas.
Proposals must be sealed, marked on the outside of the delivery envelope with the RFP name and number as listed above, and the date of opening. Proposals must be delivered to the attention of the Sealed Bid Box, City of Missouri City Purchasing Offi ce, 1522 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, Texas, 77489, prior to the acceptance deadline. Proposal packages marked improperly and therefore misdirected may be disqualifi ed. Proposals are opened in public in the City Hall Council Chambers.
City of Missouri City
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bids in triplicate, one (1) original and two (2) copies, addressed to the City of Sugar Land, Texas, will be received until 11:00 o’clock a.m., Thursday, May 16,
2013, for:
TELEVISION OPERATIONS EQUIPMENT
Sealed bids shall be appropriately marked as follows:
BID NO. 2013-18 TELEVISION OPERATIONS EQUIPMENT
BIDDER’S NAME, ADDRESS, AND DUE DATE
Bidder shall sign and date the bid. Bids that are not signed and dated will be
rejected.
Signed and sealed bids shall be delivered to the Offi ce of the City Secretary, on or before 11:00 o’clock a.m., Thursday, May 16, 2013, City of Sugar Land City Hall, Offi ce of the City Secretary, Suite 122, 2700 Town Center Boulevard North, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479. All bids received after the appointed time shall be returned to bidder unopened. Notice of the award of contract shall be given by the City within thirty (30) days following the date for the opening of bids.
The City reserves the right to revise or amend the specifi cations prior to the date set for opening of bids. Such revisions or amendments, if any, will be announced by addenda or addendum to the specifi cations. Copies of such addenda so issued will be furnished to all prospective bidders and may or may not aff ect the bid opening date.
The City of Sugar Land reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive informalities in bids received. The award will be made to the lowest responsible bidder.
A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting for all interested parties will be held on 10:00 a.m. CST, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, City Council Chamber, City Hall, 2700 Town Center Boulevard North, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479.
ITB documents may be secured from City of Sugar Land, Offi ce of the City Secretary, 2700 Town Center Boulevard North, Suite 122, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479, or by registering at www.publicpurchase.com. Registration is free. All bid documents, amendments and other information relating to the bid will be posted at this site.
Questions regarding this invitation to bid must be received by Thursday, May
9, 2013 on or before 3:00 P.M. Please contact Jason Poscovsky, Contracts Manager, telephone number (281) 275-2302 or email [email protected] .
Glenda Gundermann, TRMC, CMCCity Secretary
LEGAL NOTICEINVITATION TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received in the Offi ce of Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., County Purchasing Agent, Fort Bend County, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469 for the following until THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013 at 1:30 P.M. (CST). All bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Offi ce of the Purchasing Agent, Travis Annex, 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX 77469. Bids received after the specifi ed time will be returned unopened. CDs are available in the Purchasing Agent’s Offi ce. All addendums will be posted on Purchasing Agent’s website located at www.fortbendcountytx.gov.BID 13-059 – CONSTRUCTION OF MASON ROAD SEGMENT 2A pre-bid conference will be conducted on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 9:00 AM (CST). The pre-bid conference will be held at Fort Bend County Purchasing Department located in the Travis Annex at 301 Jackson, Suite 201, Richmond, TX. All bidders are encouraged to attend. Unit pricing is required; payment will be by check. Bonds are required.Fort Bend County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
Signed:Gilbert D. Jalomo, Jr., Purchasing AgentFort Bend County, Richmond, Texas
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PERMANENT ZONING FOR 36.9922 ACRES
WEST GRAND PARKWAY SOUTH
PERMANENT ZONING OF APPROXIMATELY 36.9922 ACRES FROM INTERIM
STANDARD SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R-1-I) DISTRICT TO GENERAL
BUSINESS (B-2) DISTRICT; BEING 36.9922 ACRES LOCATED ON WEST GRAND
PARKWAY SOUTH BETWEEN RANSOM ROAD AND RIVER FALLS DRIVE IN THE
J. KUYKENDALL LEAGUE, ABSTRACT NO. 49.
PURPOSE: ONE (1) PUBLIC HEARING SHALL BE HELD AT WHICH
ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE PROPOSED
PERMANENT ZONING SHALL BE GIVEN AN
OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD.
WHERE: CITY OF SUGAR LAND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
2700 TOWN CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH
WHEN: PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
6:30 P.M., MAY 23, 2013
DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE MAY BE OBTAINED BY
CONTACTING THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OFFICE,
TELEPHONE (281) 275-2218 OR EMAIL [email protected].
THE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING OFFICE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY FROM 8:00 O’CLOCK A.M. TO 5:00 O’CLOCK P.M., AND LOCATED
IN CITY HALL, 2700 TOWN CENTER BOULEVARD NORTH, SUGAR LAND,
TEXAS. PLEASE CONTACT THE PLANNING OFFICE IF YOU WISH TO SET UP
AN APPOINTMENT TO REVIEW ADDITIONAL DETAILS IN PERSON.
Vicinity Map:
Up Next: The Skeeters will play seven games in the next six days, starting with four games at Southern Maryland. Then they will continue to Camden, NJ, for a doubleheader with the River-sharks Friday and single games Saturday and May 13, with a Sunday off in between. Then the Skeeters will return home for their third homestand of the sea-son, hosting the Bridgeport Blue-fi sh starting May 14.
May 5, 2013The Skeeters pounded out 14
hits Sunday afternoon in a 10-1 win, wrapping up a six game sweep of the Lancaster Barn-stormers at Constellation Field and improving to 10-0 at home. The win is the eighth straight for Sugar Land, extending their franchise record. The Skeeters backed starter Michael Nix’s pitching with single runs in the fi rst and third innings. Chase Lambin slammed his fi fth homer of the season off Will Savage (0-1) to make it 2-0 after three. In the sixth, the Skeeters batted around including triples by Dustin Mar-tin and Anthony Granato, as they scored fi ve times and chased Sav-age from the game. Fernando Per-ez had a 3-for-4 day and so did Dominic Ramos, who turned the game into a bona fi de rout with a three-run HR in the eighth.
The frustrated Barnstormers missed an opportunity to score in the fi rst inning and perhaps reverse their fortunes. Jerry Ow-ens singled to lead off the game and then got caught in a rundown between fi rst and second. The umpires fi rst ruled he was safe at second base, avoiding Chase Lambin’s tag. But after they con-ferred, Owens was called out. Lancaster manager Butch Hob-son angrily argued the changed call, and was ejected.
May 4, 2013The Skeeters used a sixth in-
ning three-run home run off the bat of Fernando Perez to win 5-4 Saturday night. It started off as a night dominated by starting pitch-ing as both Gallagher and John-son posted scoreless frames in the fi rst two innings. Chase Lambin broke the tie though in the top of the third with a solo homerun to deep right fi eld, making it 1-0 Skeeters. Aaron Bates then dou-bled down the third base line, and was driven in by Josh Pressley to make it 2-0.
The Barnstormers did not wait long to answer though, tying the game up at 2-2 in the top of the third thanks to a Kevin Howard double. Then in the top of the fi fth with two outs Jerry Owens singled to right and came around to score on a Blake Gailen single, to make it 3-2 Barnstormers. The Barnstormers were not done scor-ing; in the top of the sixth Ryan Harvey hit a homer to left-center, making it 4-2 Barnstormers.
The Barnstormers lead would not last very long. In the bot-tom of the sixth with two men on, Fernando Perez got a hold of a fastball and drove it to left-center to put the Skeeters back on top 5-4. The game was then placed in the hands of the always reliable Skeeters bullpen.
May 3, 2013The Skeeters entered the third
inning trailing 1-0 after Joe
Mather homered in the top of the inning. Then the Skeeters’ bats woke up quickly. In the third, the Skeeters sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring 10 runs in the in-ning. Dominic Ramos started the inning off with a single and the Skeeters never looked back. Ten of eleven hitters reached base at one point during the frame. Ra-mos highlighted the inning with two base hits, while Steve Moss and Dustin Martin both drove in two runs. The Barnstormers were able to tack on another run in the fourth to make it 10-2, but that was as close as it got.
May 1, 2013In game one of the fi rst dou-
ble-header of the young season, the Skeeters needed to come from behind again. The Skee-ters fell behind 4-0 in the third after six consecutive Barnstorm-ers reached base, fi ve by singles. Then the Barnstormers added another run off an Olmo Rosa-rio triple in the fourth to make it 5-0. The Skeeters began to mount their comeback in the fi fth, when Pressley and Clemens walked, then were driven in by a Bates double; Bates was driven in on a Michael Rockett double. Then in the seventh following back-to-back singles by Rockett and An-thony Granato, Dominic Ramos drove home Rockett on a fi elder’s choice, and then Godwin singled home Granato to tie the game at fi ve. The game would then go to extras, where in the top of the tenth, Adam Godwin reached base on a double. He advanced to third on a wild pitch by Jason Urquidez. He then scored and ended the game on Urquidez’s second wild pitch of the inning
In the second game of to-day’s double dipper, the Skeeters jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, on a Steve Moss sacrifi ce fl y. The Skeeters would add to their lead in the sixth off a Josh Pressley homerun to left-center fi eld.
Clemens would follow with a double, he was driven home by Michael Rockett to make it 3-0. Then in the eighth, Moss was able to extend his hitting streak to eight games with an infi eld sin-gle, and later, along with Dustin Martin, came around to score on Michael Rockett’s second hit of the ball game to make it 5-0, which would be Skeeters’ fi nal.
By BARBARA FULENWIDERThe mid-size Mazda6 se-
dan seats fi ve passengers, pricing is within the value-minded reach of the majority of the car-buying public and fuel economy averages 30 miles to the gallon.
For 2014 Mazda engi-neers developed SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, an umbrella term for a number of perfor-mance-oriented, fuel-saving engine, transmission, body and chassis components. Be-neath the hood of the Mazda6 is a 2.5-liter gasoline engine that produces 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 185 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,250 rpm.
Standard equipment for all three trim levels – Sport, Touring and Grand Touring – includes the SKYACTIV-G 2.5L with either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto-matic. The entry-level Sport trim comes equipped with a manual transmission as stan-dard and offers an EPA-esti-mated fuel economy rating of
25 city/37 highway/29 com-bined miles per gallon (mpg).
When compared to the previous generation Maz-da6 Sport with a six-speed manual, the 2014 Mazda6 Sport sees a 19 percent mpg increase in the city and 23 percent mpg increase on the highway. When paired with the optional automatic, city mpg increases by nearly 24 percent to 26 mpg and high-way fi gures increase by near-ly 27 percent to a segment-best 38 mpg. The EPA-rated combined fuel economy is 30 mpg.
Set to be offered in the sec-ond half of 2013, the SKYAC-TIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine will make Mazda the only Japanese manufacturer to offer a clean diesel technol-ogy option in the North Amer-ican marketplace.
With a coeffi cient of drag as low as 0.26 (Grand Touring only), the 2014 Mazda6 is the sleekest of the mid-size sedan segment. The 2014 Mazda6 is
built on the longest wheelbase among its direct competitors at 111.4 inches and features one of the slimmer waistlines at 72.4 inches in width. The body rests on 17-inch alumi-num alloy wheels wrapped with P225/55R17-sized all-season tires, standard for Sport models. Touring and Grand Touring vehicles receive 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels outfi tted with P225/45R19 Dunlop® SP Sport 5000 all-seasons.
The exterior’s fl uidity seamlessly fl ows into the in-terior’s pronounced structure. The contoured dash is unclut-tered yet striking, with warm textures of dark satin when paired with black seat trim and Bordeaux when paired with almond-colored leather.
The instrument cluster of-fers meter lighting that makes the gauges readably clear in bright daylight as well as minimize eye strain in the darkness. Passenger comfort is ample with 38.4 inches of headroom (37.4 inches when equipped with a moonroof) for the front row and 37.1 inches of headroom for those in the rear. Rear legroom is among the segment’s roomiest at 38.7 inches with the driver and front passenger enjoying a comfortable 42.2 inches.
For the 2014 model year, Mazda6 features all-new in-fotainment and connectiv-ity options. A 5.8-inch in-dash touch screen commands the center console stack and features intuitive phone, au-dio and navigation functions when equipped. Streamlined steering wheel controls also enable a more straightforward operation of the infotainment system.
Other available features in-clude Bluetooth® phone and audio connectivity as well as iPod® audio playback in which iPod information can be accessed via the touch screen. USB and auxiliary jack con-nection ports are standard and located within the center con-sole storage bin. An AM/FM/CD/MP3/-compatible head unit paired with a six-speaker sound system is standard for Sport and Touring models while Grand Touring models feature an 11-speaker Bose® Centerpoint® Surround Sound System with AudioPilot® as standard equipment.
When a smartphone is con-nected, Short Message Service (SMS) messages can be re-ceived and shown on the touch screen monitor. The system can then articulate the mes-sages as well as allow users to send replies using fi xed phras-es. A new speech recognition system also allows users to repeat and shuffl e audio tracks as well as search and select folders.
HD Radio™ Technology and Pandora® are both new audio options for the 2014 Mazda6. Pandora offers per-sonalized stations based on the input of a favorite artist, song or genre and continually cus-tomizes its playlist.
An in-dash TomTom tech-nology-based navigation sys-tem is available for Touring models and is standard on Grand Touring.
The Mazda6 starts at $20,880 MSRP. It is equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline en-gine and six-speed manual transmission. It rides on 17-inch aluminum alloys and has power side view mirrors, auto-matic headlight shutoff, push-button start, cloth seats, power windows with a driver’s side one-touch auto up/down fea-ture, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, steering-wheel-mounted audio and cruise control functions, air conditioning with a pollen fi lter, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD radio compatible for MP3/Sirius® Satellite Radio recep-tion, 60/40-split fold-down rear seats as well as auxiliary and USB connection ports as standard equipment.
When equipped with the optional SKYACTIV-Drive automatic, the Sport model Bluetooth phone/audio con-nectivity, a 5.8-inch color touch screen display, a rear-view camera, HD Radio™ Technology, Pandora®, Ra-dio Broadcast Data System program information, SMS text message receipt/delivery, E911 automatic emergency notifi cation and audio menu voice command. Pricing is $22,495 MSRP.
The mid-level Touring trim retails for $24,495 MSRP and the Grand Touring Mazda6 starts at $29,495 MSRP.
The Mazda6 produces a fun drive with plenty of creature comforts. It’s an ideal sedan for a city runabout.
SKEETERS’ CORNER
INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013 • Page 7
FILM REVIEW : Iron Man 3
Keep Missouri City
Moving Forward
Economic Development
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RE-ELECTBobby Marshall
VOTE on May 14th Early Voting May 2nd - May 10th
Vote for An
Experienced Councilman
Vote on May 11 Early Voting April 29 - May 7
Public Safety
Economic Development
Highest Level of City Services
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y
Congressman Pete Olson Mayor Allen Owen
State Senator Glenn Hegar Harris County Judge Ed Emmett
Councilmember Floyd Emery Former Councilmember Eunice Reiter
Former Councilmember Buddy Jimerson Former Councilmember Brett Kolaja
Former Councilmember Barbara Gibson Former Councilmember Carl Bowles
Fort Bend Co. Sheriff Troy Nehls Harris Co. Constable Phil Camus
Parks Board Chair Llarence Turner P & Z Chair Ron Lee
Missouri City Police Offi cers Association
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Missouri City Police/Fire Auxiliary
Yvonne Allen, President, Quail Green West HOA JoAnn Miller, President, Fonmeadow HOA
Janet Alvarez, President, Glen Park HOA Gene Rasbury, Hunters Glen Crime Watch
Jeff Gaspar, President, Colony Crossing HOA Llarence Turner, President, Hunters Park HOA
Roger Morris, President, Fondren Park HOA Arnold Richards, President, Hunters Green HOA
Monica Rasmus, President, Hunters Point Estates HOA Jennifer Williams, Pct. 2081 Chair
Endorsed and supported by these community leaders:
VOTE - Saturday, May 11
This is obviously the third installment of “Iron Man,” so let the argument begin about whether it is the best yet. Usually, the audience is tired of the movie characters by the time it reaches three, and the writers are burned out and lack cleverness. Surprise! This movie might be the best of the three and certainly does not lack ingenuity, so let’s start by giving a shout out to screenwriters Drew Pearce and Shane Black. And this fl ick is funny.
I saw this movie at a screen-ing at Edwards Marquee off I-10; my trusty assistant Eric H. accompanied me and he has a few thoughts and takes of his own. (See below.) Rob-ert Downey Jr. returns as Su-per-Hero Iron Man. The story begins in 1999 to set up the battle that develops between Tony Stark and The Manda-rin (Sir Ben Kingsley) and the cold-blooded Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). Tony is so cool and calm that he announces on TV that he isn’t “scared” of the bad guys and promptly provides his home address as a bold enticement and “good old-fashion revenge.”
This Iron Man characteriza-tion continues with super-hu-man feats and that killer outfi t, but also shows his vulnerable side – “…I’m Tony Stark; I build neat stuff; got a great girlfriend and occasionally save the world, so why can’t I sleep?” Robert Downey Jr. seems to own Iron Man and never makes a misstep in de-livering a hero with a sense of humor that doesn’t always have all the answers and in-vites the audience along for a fun ride while he struggles with saving the world yet again.
That girlfriend, Pepper Potts, is the recently crowned “Most Beautiful Woman in the World” Gwyneth Paltrow. Her character and relation-ship with Tony has developed dramatically and he depends on her more than ever. She is wonderful as Pepper, but my favorite character (other than Tony S.) is The Mandarin played by Sir Ben Kingsley. I saw Kingsley on a TV inter-view recently and he shared that he played the part like a
Baptist Preacher; I disagree. I know you’re not supposed to disagree with Sir BK, but I saw an actor that was playing “tongue in cheek” and tempt-ing the audience to laugh and have a good time at his ex-pense in spite of an evil perso-na. When Tony Stark refers to The Mandarin as that “Ringo-looking guy,” I thought I was going to need oxygen as I was laughing so hard. The cast was superb.
Now here is the background and explanation on the Mar-vel phenomenon by Eric H.: Though this is the third fi lm in the Iron Man franchise, it’s the seventh in the Avengers franchise. The fi rst Iron Man movie came out in May 2008. Seven movies in fi ve years is incredibly impressive.
The budgets for the fi rst seven fi lms was $1.2 billion and the worldwide revenue is over $8 billion, and that’s pre-Iron Man 3! Marvel and Disney know what they’re doing, with fi ve more movies planned for release by the end of 2015.
Iron Man 3 begins with what’s called Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and does a great job tell-ing the smaller story of Tony
Stark while setting the ground work for the remaining fi lms in Phase 2 which include: Thor, The Dark World, Cap-tain America, The Winter Sol-dier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers 2. Phase 3 already has its fi rst title in the works as well (Ant-Man), which may leave some to be-lieve that the Iron Man story is a fi nished trilogy. All of the favorites are back, doing ex-actly what you would expect them to do. Tony is Tony-er than ever, Pepper Potts is still his glue holding him together, and Rhodey, now the Iron Pa-triot, is still the dedicated U.S. Colonel (Don Cheadle) and best friend to Tony.
Go see this movie! Rock ‘n Roll.
Grade 92. Larry H.
Page 8 • INDEPENDENT • MAY 8, 2013
News
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Featuring a Mix ofRussian Folk Music andMasterworks includingthe Fantasy Overture from Tchaikovsky’sRomeo and Juliet
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Congratulations to Fort Bend ISD’s 2013-2014 Teachers of the Year – Johnny DeJesus of Heritage Rose Elementary School was named FBISD’s El-ementary Teacher of the Year; and Walter Benavides of McAu-liffe Middle School, was named
FBISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year. Both were honored, along with FBISD’s Rookies of the Year and all Campus Teach-ers of the Year, at an awards din-ner on May 2.
Johnny DeJesus is a physical education teacher at Heritage
Rose Elementary School. He has been teaching for 10 years, three at Heritage Rose. Johnny agrees that students need to be life-long learners, but he also wants them to be life-long “movers.” He is dedicated to instilling the value of health and fi tness in his stu-dents’ lives.
Walter Benavides teaches Spanish classes to seventh and eighth-grade students at McAu-liffe Middle School. He has taught for fi ve years and has been at McAuliffe for three years. Walter uses many of the latest technology tools in his class-room to reach all of his learners. He believes when teachers use resources familiar to students, the students truly know that teachers connect with them and care about how they learn.
As FBISD’s Teachers of the
Year, both DeJesus and Bena-vides received a special Teacher of the Year ring from the Balfour Company, and iPads from the Fort Bend Education Founda-tion. Steven Leonard also pro-vided complimentary photo-graphs for each of the Teacher of the Year honorees.
Also honored at the awards dinner were the Teacher of the Year fi nalists: Elemen-tary Schools – Amanda Castro (Schiff), Terri Court (Meadows), Amanda Levermann (Settlers Way), Amber Mann (Jones) and Rosa Martinez (Parks); and Secondary Schools – Caroline Bartlett (Kempner High), Shaki-ra Guillory (Progressive High), John Glenn Ramon (Hightower High) and Chelsea Waite (Bowie Middle).
Fort Bend ISD names Johnny DeJesus and Walter Benavides teachers of the year
Patsy Taylor, left, FBISD Board Vice President; Walter Benavides, FBISD Secondary Teacher of theYear; Johnny DeJesus, FBISD Elementary Teacher of the Year; Jenny Bailey, FBISD Board Mem-ber; and (standing, from left) Jim Rice, FBISD Board President; Susan Hohnbaum, FBISD Board Member; Charles Dupre, Superintendent of Schools; and Bruce Albright, FBISD Board Secretary.
