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Add this RSS feed to your county news source via feed://www.fortbendweb.com/webapp/webapp.xml. This news-blog draws stories for the Missouri City area and county from many area news sources and blogs and is updated several times a week.



Stay informed and keep in touch!

Arcola Council Stops McKeever Diversion & Possible Airport Expansion (Good news for homeowners in Sienna and surrounding communities of Mo-City)

From FBN: Arcola Council Blocks Post Oak Extension, Southwest Airport Expansion
by Bob Dunn,

The City of Arcola has apparently shut down the latest in what has been a series of plans to extend South Post Oak Boulevard from McKeever Road to State Highway 6.

In blocking the latest version of the South Post Oak extension plan – unveiled July 17 at a meeting attended by city and Fort Bend County officials – Arcola also is effectively preventing Houston Southwest Airport owner Jaime Griffith from executing his preferred plan for expanding that facility.

City and County officials have clashed repeatedly during what has become a seven-year effort by Arcola residents to prevent the airport expansion. . . (click title link for more)


MCC/CRD Comment: This is good news and much is owed to Tom Hilton, city council member, Tom Tuffly, mayor, James Devoge, city council and many others that have worked to contain this potential airport expansion which repeatedly is supported by the GFBEDC, county commissioners.


Stay informed and keep in touch!

Houston Chronicle Covers CABRLE Victory!

Click the title link for the full story!

FBN Covers Victory By Landfill Opponents!

Get the full story by following the title link above!

TCEQ Grants Contested Hearing On Blue Ridge Landfill!

Just in:

The Texas Commission On Environmental Quality just ruled this morning at a hearing in Austin that sufficient evidence did exist to allow for a contested case hearing on the proposed application for the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion near Missouri City, Arcola, Fresno & Pearland. This is good news for the nearly 1100 homeowners who signed the petition against this project. We will update this section as time and information permits.


Stay informed and keep in touch!

FB Sun: More Voting Irregularities Reported To Secretary of States Office In Mo-City District A Recount 8 Weeks After Elections!

Griffin cites irregularity in recent District A race
By: Diane Tezeno

The race may not go to the swift, but it may go to the candidate whose full name is included on the election ballot. Or at least that is what District A challenger Rodney Griffin believes may have impacted the outcome of his recent bid for election in Missouri City.

Griffin lost by a narrow three-vote margin to incumbent Missouri City councilmember Eunice Reiter in the election.
In a recent e-mail to the media, Griffin shared his concerns with what he called "a significant voter irregularity and egregious error" in the May 12 District A election. . . (click the title link above for full story).

Get the latest on consumer/taxpayer risks and related information (follow our judges as they run the dash for cash)--

Click the title link above to follow this consumer link which keeps an eye on the co-optation of our political and judicial systems here in Texas and how they are subverted for special corporate interests and detrimental to families/taxpayers here in our county & state. Is public confidence at risk with this "cashing in"?

Other excellent consumer and homeowner sites:

http://www.hobb.org

http://www.hadd.com/

http://www.ahrc.com



Stay informed and keep in touch as the "at large" and mayoral races approach in '08 for Missouri City, TX!

FBS Reports On BRLE 7/25 Hearing--

Landfill hearing still on for July 25

By Cheryl Skinner
Both sides of the proposed landfill expansion are gearing up for a July 25 meeting in Austin. Landfill officials are expected to plead their case for allowing the Blue Ridge Landfill, near Fresno, to expand its size and opponents, ranging from a grass roots organization to local television stations, will appear to try and stop the expansion.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality agreed to hear the arguments to determine if a contested hearing will be granted. Allied Waste wants approval to increase the size of the existing landfill that would allow the company to take in additional acreage and, over a 40-year period, increase the height of the refuse 58 feet to 170 feet.

Three local television stations, KTRK (Channel 13), KRIV (Fox 26) and KHOU (Channel 11), joined the fight against the proposal late. They voiced concerns that weather-forecasting radar signals will be blocked if the expansion were to take place. The stations say this will pose a threat to public safety, according to attorney Richard Lowerre, who is representing the stations.

Richard Morrison, attorney for the Coalition Against the Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, said while the odds are stacked against the group, he is hopeful the hearing will result in a contested hearing. He said a contested hearing is equivalent to a court case where all sides can present evidence to try and substantiate their claims.

The expansion plan was approved by Fort Bend County Commissioners and the city of Missouri City due to an agreement with Allied years ago.

Under the agreement, which resulted in the controversial tipping fees paid to the city and county by Allied, the agreeing entities would not oppose any future expansion to the landfill. However, governmental entities that did enter into an agreement have organized to oppose the plan. The city of Pearland and some Brazoria County officials have also voiced opposition to the plan. . . (get the entire story by following the title link above)

Chronicle Covers BRLFE Case Hearing In Austin July 25th!

Click title link for more on the case hearing granted after 1000+ homeowners, Pearland, Brazoria County officials, dozens of neighborhoods and politicians (except for GFBCEDC, Fort Bend Commissioners & Missouri City Council) push for contested hearing!

Stay informed and keep in touch as the '08 Missouri City council at large races approach!

From FB Sun: More Apartments Approved By Missouri City Council (Again)--

MCC/CRD Comment: Contrary to the developers reports the "senior facility" is an apartment complex and was approved in the second reading by Owen and company. This in addition to the up to 2700 approved in '05 for MC.

---------------

From FB Sun:

Lenton-Gary takes seat on city council
By: Diane Tezeno, dtezeno@hcnonline.com
07/13/2007

First African-American female councilmember sworn in

Cynthia Lenton-Gary, landslide winner in the recent Missouri City District B runoff election, was officially sworn in to office on July 2.

An overflow crowd of supporters packed council chambers and adjacent lobby to watch as Missouri City's new-est, and first African-American woman, council member took the oath of office.
Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen and Lenton-Gary posed for pictures following the ceremony as cameras flashed throughout the room capturing the historic moment.

As the sociology professor turned city councilmember took her seat, council immediately got down to business.
Initial items under consideration included an authorization to execute an interlocal cooperation agreement between Fort Bend County and the city for tax assessor/collector services and reappointment of members to various boards, committees and commissions.

During the meeting, Lenton-Gary and fellow council members gave the initial thumbs up to a proposed mixed-use development on Hwy. 6 near Colonial Lakes Drive. The project, if given final approval, will bring a senior independent living facility, office-condos and commercial-retail sites to the area.

According to reports, recent concern rose among residents when a flyer depicting the proposed senior facility as "apartments" began circulating in nearby communities. The source of the flyer has not been identified.
The applicant assured council that the proposed development would be an upscale living facility for seniors age 55 and older, and not a "multi-purpose residential unit." The proposed facility would have onsite security and 75 percent of occupants would be senior adult women, the developer added.

During the public hearing on the project, Kathy Wicks, a 21-year-resident of Fort Bend expressed concern with the amount of commercial development in Missouri City, but commended the planned development nature of the project. Wicks urged council to allow the developer to deviate from the city's red brick architectural design standard to implement plans for a landscaped entry to the project.

Council approved the proposed development on first reading and will consider a second and final reading next week. . . (click the title link for the full story).

Get More On Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion (Click title link and get involved)--

Follow the link to get involved with the CABRLE and see how this expansion can impact Missouri City neighborhoods and our broader community!

FBS-Landfill Company Claims Public Welfare Not A Concern In Expansion Hearing!

pict from FBN
Waste firm claims weather radar blockage not public welfare concern

By Cheryl Skinner
Two of the three Houston TV stations, who have contended the proposed expansion of Blue Ridge Landfill could block their Doppler radar signals and prevent accurate tracking of approaching hurricanes, really shouldn’t play a part in the forthcoming hearing to determine if opponents of the landfill expansion will get a contested hearing from the state, say landfill officials, according to Richard Morrison the attorney representing a grass roots organization trying to stop the expansion.

Morrison said a document filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, attorneys for Allied Waste subsidiary Blue Ridge Landfill TX LP did agree that a citizens group opposing a major landfill expansion has issues viable enough to request a contested hearing before the TCEQ, but only one of the television stations has the same right. Two of three TV stations who want to participate in a contested hearing don’t qualify because they are about a mile away from the landfill, Morrison said the landfill attorneys are claiming. A law firm representing the television stations is expected to dispute this contention at the forthcoming hearing.

Allied Waste operates Blue Ridge Landfill at 2200 F.M. 521, a mile north of Fresno in Fort Bend County. Allied wants to increase the landfill from the current 302 acres to 784 acres, and increase the maximum height at which refuse can be piled, from the current 58 feet to 170 feet. The mountain of debris, opponents claim, will create health issues, quality of life deterioration and lower property values.

At the height proposed by the waste company, officials with KTRK Channel 13, KHOU Channel 11 and Fox affiliate KRIV Channel 26, the tower of trash would block weather radar signals from the stations’ towers and effectively create a problem in forecasting hurricanes and tornados in the Gulf Coast region.

A citizens group called Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion organized last year in opposition to the landfill and secured Morrison, an environmental attorney, to file protests on their behalf.

Surprisingly, Blue Ridge owners agreed that nearly every issue CABRLE raised in objection to the expansion is relevant for discussion in a contested hearing, Morrison said Monday. “I am hopeful, somewhat happy but I am still hedging my bets because we still could get screwed,” he said of the hearing that could win the group a contested hearing. A contested hearing is somewhat like a court trial, he explained. Each side would present evidence supporting their claim and a judge would decide the issue. If the CABRLE side prevailed it could stop the expansion. . . .

. . . Click the title link for the full story from FB Star.


OP/ED from Cheryl Skinner (FB Star):


Weather radar not important to the health and well being of the citizens?

I found it extremely amusing, not to mention ludicrous, that the attorneys representing Allied Waste plan to contend that the possible blocking of three major television networks Doppler radar is not a matter of public safety but is an issue of economics.

Well, Duh! Here is a large company who wants to build a tower of trash claiming everyone in watching distance of Channel 11, 13 and 26, can just go out and look at the sky to see if a hurricane is approaching or a funnel cloud swirling in the sky. Give me a break! And, to claim that the TV stations could just relocate those towers elsewhere is strange coming from a garbage company who says it would be “too costly” to relocate that heap somewhere else in the county (or state—hint, hint).

I would think all the citizens in those viewing areas would consider it a matter of public safety. Now what the state regulatory agency thinks should be interesting. Somehow, they always seem to favor the landfills. I wonder if they get tipping fees too.

The ball is in the court or does the commissioner court have the balls?

(get the full OP/ED piece at: http://www.fortbendstar.com/Columns/skinner_cheryl.htm)


Stay informed and keep in touch! Many Missouri City area communities share water-ways with this landfill property and with a 2005 Barium leak (highly toxic and water soluable chemical) and with the Missouri City Council & County Commissioners accepting "tipping fees" to not oppose the expansion, this is getting interesting.

FB Star Looks At New Make-up Of City Council--

Missouri City women make history

By Barbara Fulenwider
History was made in Missouri City when District C Council Member Barbara Gibson was sworn into office in May and joined District A Council Member Eunice Reiter. They made history because it was the first time two women had served on city council simultaneously.

With the votes of the runoff canvassed on June 25, District B Council Member Cynthia Gary was sworn into office at Missouri City’s July 2 council meeting and more history was made. Gary is the first black woman to serve on council and now there are three women serving at the same time. When Reiter was first elected to office 13 years ago she became the third woman to ever serve. The first woman elected to council was Carol Eguia who served from 1978 to 1981.

The second was Maris Reynolds, who was in elected in 1985 and held office until 1991. . .

. . .On July 2 a beaming Gary, who ran against an incumbent and soundly defeated

him in the runoff, was sworn in before a room of supporters who stood and clapped well after she had raised her right hand and taken her oath of office. After the oath was administered by Mayor Allen Owen, he said gesturing toward her seat on the dais, “All right council member, take your seat,” and there was more long and loud applause as she did.

Gary is a southwest Houston native who has lived in Missouri City for 25 years. She received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in sociology at Prairie View A&M. She is currently working toward on a doctorate at Texas A&M. She and her husband of 25 years have three sons and work as real estate investors. (click the title link above for the full story)

MCC/CRD comment:

A more different group of elected officials couldn't be more possible. You have two Owen backed council members and one reform council member. The real history is that for the first time a non "insider" was elected and will attempt to bring about more changes and is leading the reform spear-head on a council that has been characterized as out of touch and linked closely with Houston development special interests (that is what makes Reiter's comment so interesting and somewhat misleading IMO).

Stay informed and keep in touch (and keep an eye on this council)!

FBN: Fort Bend HOA Board Shuts Off Community Lights (See AHRC.com site for HOA fraud info)-

Is HOA fraud common in an unmonitored quasi-governmental Texas/FB county HOA?


Click title link for this full story.

From AHRC Media Services: Is your HOA board elections rigged?

The following article is from the multi-million hit website AHRC media services. It begs the question since open records and the government code do not apply to almost all HOAs in Texas, who is watching out for the homeowners? See this piece from July 7th:


RIGGED ELECTIONS IN HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS

July 07, 2007

By Sandy Meyer
Copyright AHRC News Services

Rigged elections by lawyers and management companies are a common battle that America's property owners face, who are now trapped in homeowner associations.

Homeowner associations are the newest property theft scam sweeping America. With themes like "Strike It Rich" and "Hit the Jackpot" and pictures of slot machines, an organized network of opportunistic lawyers and politicians, judges, and corporate moguls have beeen robbing property owners with rigged elections,illegal laws and lawsuits.

They also leave in their wake wounded families, dead victims, tarred reputations, lost family homes and fortunes and bankrupt communities and have earned for America two of its newest titles:

• America, the homeless capital of the world
• America the lawsuit capital of the world

A wave of rebellion demanding reform and enforcement of property laws has also been sweeping America. . .


-----------


Follow this link below and search the AHRC website for issues on file with your HOA:

http://home.att.net/~petitioners/index.htm

http://ahrc.com

http://pages.prodigy.net/hoadata/ (search this site to see if your HOA lawyer enforcer is on the all time HOA foreclosure abuse list -- first find out who your mgmt company is and then the attorney)



(Get the full story by clicking the title link above)




STAY informed and keep in touch!

FB Star Covers TCEQ Scheduled Hearing for July 25th in Austin-

Click the title link for the full story. . .

Lampson Pushes For Contested Hearing On Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion (Opposition to expansion growing)--

Click title link for the FBN full story & update. . .

FBN Covers Growing Landfill Controversy With Billion Dollar Corporation!

Allied: Blocking Of Weather Radar By Giant Landfill Not A Matter Of Public Welfare
by Bob Dunn, Jul 03, 2007, 12 56 PM

Three Houston TV stations – who contend the expansion of Blue Ridge Landfill could block their Doppler radar signals and prevent accurate tracking of approaching hurricanes – shouldn’t be allowed to raise the issue in a hearing before state environmental officials, the landfill owners say.

In a document filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, attorneys for Allied Waster subsidiary Blue Ridge Landfill TX LP did agree that a citizens group opposing a major landfill expansion has standing to request what’s known as a “contested hearing” before the TCEQ, and has raised several issues eligible for discussion at such a hearing.

But according to the document, just filed with TCEQ, two of three TV stations who want to participate in a contested hearing don’t qualify for status as parties to the case.

And, Allied Waste maintains in the response document, ABC affiliate KTRK Channel 13’s “allegation that the landfill would affect the operation of its Doppler radar is not relevant to the issue of public safety, health and welfare.”

Rick Lowerre of Austin law firm Lowerre & Frederick, the TV stations’ attorney, disagrees. He predicted Tuesday the TCEQ will grant a contested hearing in the case. “And I’m very confident all three” TV stations “will be granted status to participate.”


. . . click title link above for more on this! Ck and see if your community shares water-ways with this site.

A BIG Congratulations to Cynthia Lenton Gary, Newly Elected District B Councilwoman, Who Took the Oath of Office Monday Night!

With all the fanfare and ceremony Professor Gary took the oath of office last night at Missouri City Hall for the district B city council seat once held by Owen backed long-time incumbent Don Smith. Her supporters and MCC/CRD want to congratulate her on this historical and monumental accomplishment and wish her the best as she takes office!

Stay informed and keep in touch!

FB Star Looks At Wyatt Opposition To Gary In This Late Election Report On The Eve Of Gary's Oath!

Click the title link to get this late election report on Smith/Wyatt opposition to reformer Gary's landslide victory in Missouri City, TX council races. This victory really shook up the local industry and establishment folks (and Owen's pol. network).

Under Much Pressure, TCEQ Grants Another Hearing on Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion!

A recent communication from the TCEQ stated that another public hearing has been granted and scheduled on permit number msw-1505A (Blue Ridge Landfill Proposed Expansion) for July 25th 2007 in Austin. This, after much pressure from a coalition of local homeowners from numerous East Fort Bend County, Harris County and West Brazoria County neighborhoods, several Houston T.V. stations and Brazoria municipal and county officials was applied starting in 2006 when the Blue Ridge Landfill near Fresno & Missouri City, TX applied for a permit to go well beyond the current allowable 55 foot limit to nearly 170+ feet.

This controversy has been followed extensively in the local and regional media with the most recent reports of causing potential harm to several counties weather watch system (doplar radar) if the project is allowed to continue. Fort Bend County commissioners and Missouri City officials/city council agreed, through contract with Allied Waste, the second largest waste management company in the U.S., to not oppose the expansion due to substantial tipping fees to both entities. Some have criticized this agreement and the elected officials allowing it. Additionally a significant Barium release, a highly toxic water soluble chemical, was reported released at the site in 2005, which complicated the matter for many local residents still on well water in the immediate area.

Stay tuned as MCC/CRD will continue to follow this ongoing story.

Additional Note: If you live in the Sienna Plantation community (SP Master MUD #1) you may want to check the most recent water reports on flouride levels (still in violation of TCEQ standards) which may pose a health risk to children, elderly and others in the community (Confirm this via TCEQ reports).


Get more on the contested hearing at:

http://cabrle.spaces.live.com/





(c) c.calvin 2007