County Continues To Force Arcola To Allow Moves Towards Airport Expansion--click the title link for more on Bob Heberts involvement--

FB Star Publisher Critical Of FBISD Administration On Information Access!

This snip-it was taken from the publishers personal column in the FB Star. It is becoming a view point shared by many given the hectic '07-'08 school year:

...Have you noticed......The clamp down in news coming from Fort Bend ISD. Before this new superintendent, (I believe his name is Jenny, although I have never spoken over three words to him--”Hello, how are you?” Nor he to me.) the school district was pretty open with its news. If there were problems, they told you and they told you they were working on them.

Now, there are no problems. Problems? What problems? Oh, you mean that concussion one of our police officers has? Oh, you mean the ambulances hauling students out? Oh, you mean the county-wide “officer assist” call that went out at Marshall high school with news copters hovering overhead? Oh, the three policemen attacked three days in a row? Oh, the computers stolen and the grades hacked were not connected?

Here’s the way it is. FBISD’s paid liar is Mary Ann Simpson. She’s the head of community relations and any news the district issues. She works for the superintendent. If the superintendent tells her to lock down, she locks down.

When Betty Baitland was superintendent, I think she believed that honesty was the best policy and that by being forthcoming, she could depend on the community to help. You see where that got her.

So this Dr. Jenny gets hired and he wants a good face put on FBISD, even if it involves shading the truth.

Since the school police force, and the school news team depend on Dr. Jenny for their jobs, you can see how we can be manipulated.

Oh, there are so many problems in running a large school district. Maybe we don’t need to watch them make sausage.

AHRC Issues Fraud Alert On Potential Homeowners Scams-click the title link for the full story-

Click the title link for the complete story from the American Homeowners Resource Center. . .

FB Star Reports On Tactics By County To Force Airport Expansion On Arcola Area Residents--click here--

"...Hilton maintains that the county is doing the road repairs and extension of South Post Oak for no other reason than to benefit Houston Southwest Airport and the airport’s owner Jamie Griffith. Fort Bend County officials, on the other hand, say the projects are needed for traffic relief and Griffith’s agreement to allow Arcola to annex over 200 acres of prime commercial property would be for the overall good of the city and bring much needed tax revenue to the depressed area when the land was developed. They also said Griffith’s agreement to pay $500,000 toward the project helps the county and lessens the financial burden.

Hilton has demanded the county provide the city of Arcola with plans for the McKeever Road job. The county says there are no engineering studies for this project because none of the planned work is considered new construction, just reconstruction and repair and hiring someone to do an official study to appease Arcola would be a drain of tax dollars they could not justify. In the past, county officials have said that if Arcola wanted such a study, they would have had to fund it with city tax dollars, not county money.

Hilton has inundated the county with public information requests for construction plans and has repeatedly been advised the county has no officials plans. After the Arcola City Council rescinded the agreements last week, with a split vote, Hilton was talking about having the city attorney terminated." (follow the title link above for the full piece)

MCC comment: This article appears fairly biased toward the county position and does not take into account that if parts of the current McKeever alignment are abandoned then tens of thousands of residents in the area including New Pointe Estates, Sienna Plantation, Silver Ridge, Water Brook, Oyster Creek and many others will have no second exit out of the area in case of emergencies. As it stands hwy 6 is the only alternative offered by current county roads for those residents. MCC heartily supports councilman Hilton and those on Arcola City Council fighting the county to make them do what's right for most of the residents and NOT just the special interests.

FB Star Covers Sienna High School Controversy--click here for more--

FBI Covers MC Tax Increase-click here for the full story-

Taxes Going Up Again In Missouri City After More Broken Promises (click the title link for the full story)

Or this chron piece:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/5841393.html

FortBendWeb.com May Be Closing-

After nearly a decade as Fort Bend Counties oldest online community forum, FortBendWeb.com may be leaving the neighborhood. Follow the link above for the full piece. MCC wants to wish our sister website the best!

Arcola Attempts To Save Historical Trees From County Demolition Along McKeever

Click the title to get this full FBN story...

FBISD Trustees Approve Purchase Of Sienna School Site – Again

FBISD Trustees Approve Purchase Of Sienna School Site – Again
by John Pape, FortBendNow

Fort Bend ISD’s on-again, off-again deal to purchase property in Sienna Plantation for the district’s eleventh high school is on again.

Only two weeks after voting to terminate the contract with Hillwood Development for 77 acres during a specially-called meeting, school trustees reversed course again and voted unanimously to approve an amended contract. During the previous meeting, trustees alluded to “conditions” and “constraints” placed on the deal by the seller that caused board members to vote 5-2 to cancel the deal and request return of earnest money paid to secure the property.

The latest vote came early during Monday’s board meeting following a closed-door executive session. Trustee David Reitz, who made the motion two weeks ago to cancel the purchase, moved that the board approve the amended agreement hammered out by representatives of the district and the developer. . .get the full piece by following the link above.

More at:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/5828507.html

Update:

http://www.fortbendnow.com/pages/full_story?page_label=home&id=88131-With-Sienna-School-Site-A-‘Go-’-What-Happens-With-Hannover-Property-&article-With-Sienna-School-Site-A-‘Go-’-What-Happens-With-Hannover-Property-%20=&widget=push&instance=home_news_lead_story&open=&

FBI: More High Density Apartments In The Works For Missouri City?

After many contentious council debates and media exposure, a recent article to advance more high density apartments in Missouri City deserved a response. Read this entire piece from the "Fort Bend Independent" below:

Apartment developments need critical thinking

Apartment developments need critical thinking

This is in reference to the article “Revitalization of Texas Parkway/Cartwright Road,” published in the May 28 issue of Fort Bend Independent.

The article said “Using demographic trends of young professionals and empty nesters the study showed why we may need to change our thinking about apartments.”

These groups prefer apartments (not conventional apartments, but more multi-use spaces with second and third floor apartments and town homes) that are incorporated with shopping, food buying and “walking” for services and a “genuine town center.”

...The standard error, at least in Texas, for high density apartment development, is the method in which they are taxed.

Without an impact fee to equalize the costs, most entities, including the city, that rely on property taxes, would be negatively impacted, thus shifting the cost burden to homeowners once again and causing more school over-crowding because of the high density.

Only a few years ago developers fought this battle and during those debates it was learned that many families move to Fort Bend apartments with a very high percent attending FBISD schools.

The dollar figure that was placed on the per head student coming from these high density apartments was about half the dollar amount that attends the children coming from single family homes.

This appears to be yet another thinly disguised developer sponsored “futures group” pushing this. Is this really an aspect of this plan that will benefit our kids and the school system?

Looks to me like another attempt to urbanize and label it something else.

Certainly there are aspects of this plan that will work and add value to the community, but more high density apartments will not.

They are the only form on land-use that starts off depreciating.

Of course corporate America loves them for the tax shelters they offer, but they change the very character of the community over time.

The Fort Bend Economic Development Council in 2005 & 2006 published its concerns regarding the over-development of this type of housing in our county and the alarming rate it is occurring at.

Many areas of Houston, Sugar Land are already witnessing the problems associated with over development of this land-use regarding city services, crime increases.

Think critically about this plan before blindly endorsing it. Much of it will add value over the short-term, but think long-term if you own a home.

Chronicle Reports: HW Sienna FBISD High School Land Deal May Not Be Dead Yet!

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

Fort Bend Independent Covers Failed School Land Deal Near Sienna--click title link for more--

School board spikes land deal in Sienna
FBISD’s Board of Trustees held a special meeting Thursday and voted to terminate a contract with Hillwood Sienna, L.P. for the purchase of school sites in Sienna South.

In a closed session the board considered the contract for about two hours and voted 5-2 to terminate the contract.

Newly elected trustees Susan Hohnbaum and David Menendez voted against the termination of the contract.

Some trustees expressed their frustration over the long duration of the process in securing this property for a new high school in the eastern part of the district.

Trustee David Reitz made the first motion to terminate the contract saying, “We’ve been negotiating this six month deal since November, it doesn’t sound fair to spend taxpayers dollars for this contract.”

Also the trustees said the seller was placing too many conditions and constraints on the purchase of the two parcels of land located south of the end of Sienna Parkway (62 acres of land and 15 acres of land.) . . . (get full story by clicking the title link above)

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