County Signs Off On Agreement With Arcola, But Will Jaime Griffith (the airport owner)--follow this link for more--

Get this update on the controversy surrounding McKeever Rd improvements and the possible airport expansion over numerous Missouri City and Arcola neighborhoods.....follow the link above!

FBN: AXH Airport Expansion Project Impacting Many Missouri City, Arcola & Fresno Neighborhoods Could Influence The Arcola Elections! -Click the title-

YES THIS HOT BUTTON ISSUE IS STILL INFLUENCING ARCOLA CITY POLITICS AND MAY IMPACT SOUTH MC NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE SIENNA PLANTATION, ARCOLA HEIGHTS, SILVER RIDGE I & II, WATERBROOK WEST, WATERBROOK, PLANTATION OAKS, NEWPOINT ESTATES, COLONY LAKES and many others. Follow the title link for more.

FB Star Covers Houston SW Airport Compromise Offer (This airport expansion would impact negatively many hwy 6 MC neighborhoods if allowed to continue)

They are waiting to see if he “bites”
Morrison: Houston Southwest Airport owner
handed a new carrot by officials

By Cheryl Skinner

Commissioner-elect Richard Morrison says the controversial McKeever Road project could take a bend in the road if Houston Southwest Airport owner Jamie Griffith bites on a new carrot thrown his way. Morrison says that he hoped the road dispute could be settled before he settles into his new elected position in January.

Morrison said he has followed events in Arcola on a number of issues and attended an Arcola City Council meeting last week where discussion of alternative road plans was discussed.

“I have listened to both sides of this issue and feel that I bring a fresh set of eyes to the table to look at the proposals. I don’t have any baggage on this issue, so I figured why not jump in and see what I can do,” Morrison said.

Arcola City Council members discussed the McKeever Road project with Morrison and Marc Grant, the county’s road and bridge supervisor. One councilmember suggested a change in the planned road that would be more beneficial to the city and would, if accepted by Griffith, actually give the airport owner more opportunity to make money off of the land he has suggested would be annexed by the city if the planned road improvements go through.

However, Morrison admits that Griffith, who has steadfastly pushed for the current road improvements, holds the “wild card” in the plan to potentially change the current plan.

“I understand that he (Griffith) wants to get as rich as possible and I certainly don’t begrudge him that. He wants hangars on that land and we have offered him a different kind of carrot. We just have to see if he bites. I think that opening that land up to more commercial development would be very beneficial to him in the long run and it would be good for the city but it is in his court and he is out of town right now,” Morrison explained.

Under the new proposal, city officials have suggested rebuilding McKeever in two phases, extending Post Oak in two, and establishing a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, for a large parcel of land belonging to Houston Southwest Airport owner Jamie Griffith.

Morrison said that is where Griffith could ultimately benefit. “I really think he would make more money and benefit by a TIRZ,” he noted.

The city of Arcola, Fort Bend County officials and Griffith have been in somewhat of a stalemate for years over improvements to McKeever Road and the extension of South Post Oak Road. . . (get the full story by following the title link above)

More at: http://fbindependent.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=1060&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2531&hn=fbindependent&he=.com

Chronicle Covers Strong Arm Tactics By County Against The City Of Arcola To Possibly Advance The Airport Expansion Project-click the title link-

Follow the title link above for more-

Thursday update on airport expansion/McKeever Rd. project: http://www.fortbendnow.com/pages/full_story?article-Pulling-Plug-On-McKeever-Road-Project-Will-Cost-Arcola--400-000--Officials-Say%20=&page_label=home&id=103975-Pulling-Plug-On-McKeever-Road-Project-Will-Cost-Arcola--400-000--Officials-Say&widget=push&instance=home_news_lead_story&open=&

From the FBStar: Will The County Finally Keep The 2000 Mobility Bond Promise For Mckeever Road? -- and what happened to the 4 million dollars???

MCC/CRD comment: Mr. Hilton and the rest of the Arcola city council must be breathing a sigh of relief, but of course as the old saying goes, "it isn't in until it's in"....

Click the title link for the full story:

Consent agenda includes funds for McKeever Road

By Cheryl Skinner
Consent agenda includes funds for McKeever Road

By Cheryl Skinner

Fort Bend County Com-missioners will be considering approval of $1 million to repave the portion of McKeever Road that lies in the incorporated portion of Arcola this week. Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha said the plan is to add six-foot shoulders on each side of the existing roadway and this portion is the most costly because it has more trees that will have to be removed and disposed of.

The funds for the McKeever Road project will come from the Mobility Bonds, approved by voters in 2000. While the original amount set aside by the county for this project was $4 million, the current improvements (which include the $1 million for the city portion and the remaining $1 million plus for the county’s segment) should cost slightly over $2 million, Stavinoha said. “I am still trying to figure out what happened to the other $2 million. I AM TOLD THAT I APPROVED THAT AMOUNT FOR ANOTHER PROJECT BACK IN 2001, BUT MY MEMORY FAILS ME on that one,” Stavinoha said.

When the bond issue was approved in 2000, the county was hopeful that McKeever Road could be turned into a multi-lane boulevard at a total cost, at that time, of about $21 million. The county allowed for the approved $4 million and was counting on the remaining funds being secured through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and perhaps private developers. It soon became apparent that TxDOT did not have the available funds and no interest was shown by any developers, Stavinoha said.

“That plan was downsized—big time,” he added. . .

. . . Some Arcola residents and city officials have criticized the county’s plan to do minor work on McKeever and the delay in beginning the project. Officials there have said the county was holding out on road work to force the city into cooperating with the owner of a private airport that borders McKeever Road. For years it has been rumored that various changes to adjacent roads would allow the airport to extend the runway and benefit only the private business owner.

Stavinoha said improvements will be a benefit to all of those who travel the road. “Of course, there will probably be a lot more speeding tickets written because they will go faster once the shoulders are added,” he quipped.

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Post-script: I think the precinct chair should have been concerned about the school children and families that often travel that hazardous roadway and have waited since 2000, and many promises, for it to get down...


Background:

http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com/2008/01/arcola-city-council-member-speaks-up-on.html

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/?c=Arcola-City-Council

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Fort+Bend+Star%2C+McKeever+Road&btnG=Google+Search (FB Star searches)

FBStar Reports On Landfill & Election Impact--

State grants Blue Ridge Landfill expansion permit
Residents say they will continue to fight

By Cheryl Skinner
Opponents of the Blue Ridge Landfill near Fresno say they will continue the fight to oppose expanding the facility, despite the revelation that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says the company meets all the requirements of law and will be granted the permit for expansion.

The TCEQ sent out letters to those who had opposed the expansion in writing saying the entity had reviewed public comments about the controversial application to expand Blue Ridge Landfill near Fresno, and concluded the owner, Allied Waste, meets the requirements of applicable law.

Blue Ridge Landfill plans to expand the “waste footprint” from 302 to 784 acres, and to increase the maximum height waste can be piled from the current 58 to 170 feet.

Opponents say the fight isn’t over. The Coalition Against Blue Ridge Landfill Expansion, a grassroots organization made up primarily of residents living near the site, say they will file for a contested hearing.

If TCEQ grants that request for the hearing, an independent judge would determine if the landfill application really does comply with the law.

Residents living near the facility have been very vocal about their opposition. The proposal to expand the landfill which is located at 2200 F.M. 521 near the town of Fresno has brought opposition from some government entities as well. Officially opposing the landfill are Brazoria County and the City of Pearland, however Fort Bend County and Missouri City have not opposed the plan to increase the size of the landfill. This is primarily due to the fact that both entities entered into an agreement some years ago that said they would not oppose future expansion plans. Allied agreed to pay a “tipping fee” to local governments and those funds can be used for improvements to the area. Local officials say the nearly $1 million a year in tipping fees has been allocated to the Fresno area. Opponents say the fee is nothing more than a legal bribe to keep officials from opposing expansion plans. . .

. . . While Allied previously acknowledged that, in November 2005 there was barium detected that was deemed “a statistically significant exceedance of barium.” But, company officials said, they felt the barium was a naturally occurring event. Opponents say this event, regardless of what caused it, could be a detriment to water wells located near the site. Some county officials have pointed out that the area will be converting from groundwater within the next few years and that should eliminate or at least reduce concerns. . .

. . . The landfill has turned into a political issue and those in opposition to the expansion are promoting a group of candidates who are running for Missouri City council slots.



Stay tuned as we update this controversy near Missouri City.

Tom Hilton, DeVoge & Rojas File For Arcola City Council and more (from the Chronicle)

Click the title link above for all the city council races impacting our area of the county and support local control candidates (Griffin, Hunter, Tunstall -- Missouri City; Hilton, DeVoge, Rojas -- Arcola). Remember it is essential to Sienna residents to support independent candidates given the airport/road issues in Arcola and the developers agreement with Missouri City (and recent debt loads being approved by our unelected MUD boards here in agreement with the current MC council). Also consider supporting the Missouri City candidate Noel Pinnock for FBISD board (see this release for more: http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2664/noel-pinnock-running-for-fort-bend-isd-board-position-7#c010745).

Stay informed and keep in touch!