1. March has been proclaimed as “Purchasing Month” in Missouri City.

2. The City’s Forester gave a short presentation reviewing 2009 accomplishments and activities. Of note, 565 trees were planted in the City in 2009 and all but one of these trees was donated. Approximately 900 hours were spent pruning trees. The City worked with Centerpoint Energy on the “Right Tree Trail” at Ridgeview Park, educating on which trees to plant under power lines, hosted multiple “mulch madness” events and worked to protect trees during construction projects, to name a few.

3. Consent agenda was approved which included approving minutes of special and regular Council Meetings, authorized staff to negotiate an agreement for the purchase of electronic control devices for police personnel, authorize a change order for engineering design services for sidewalk improvements on TXP and CW, authorized the conveyance of deeds from FB MUD #47 and #48 for the Mustang Bayou Wastewater Treatment Plant site and purchasing of camera equipment for Council Chambers.

4. Zoning deviations were approved for new signage for First United Methodist Church and for the Chabad of Sugar Land, which is located at CW and Colonial Lakes Drive.

5. Council authorized a buffer easement to the east of the Mustang Bayou Treatment plant site.

6. Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Snook reviewed the steps the department has taken regarding the “re-development” of the Executive Nine and presented two conceptual plans (which were shared w/ the public back in January). After much discussion, Council approved “Option 1″ noting that the City would need to figure out what it could afford and that the project would be done in phases. Here is a link to the city’s site which shows this option: http://www.missouricitytx.gov/About-Missouri-City/For-Your-Information/Concept-1. This option features rolling brooks, similar to what is found at Sugar Land’s Oyster Creek Park.

7. Council approved language for propositions to be included on the upcoming May 8th election ballot. Council has decided to remove the proposition of a 3% homestead exemption in order to fund the hiring of 5 police officers. It was commented that, on average, a 3% homestead exemption would only save homeowners $25.00 per year on City’s taxes and Council determined the hiring of police officers was in the best interest of the citizens. Additionally, it was mentioned that the City saw a drop of 6% in sales tax collection during January and February. Minor language changes were made to the verbage for the smoking proposition and the language for the proposition for the consolidation of solid waste services was changed so if residents are paying less for garbage collection than the rate the City can negotiate and you are under contract w/ a provider, you have the opportunity to continue w/ your current service.

8. Council resolved and approved submitting a grant application for the Crime Victim Liaison Project and a grant application for a Skywatch Observation Tower Project.

For those serious about safety and curious about crime fighting, the “Citizens’ Police & Fire Academy” starts April 13 and offers an inside look at the dangerous jobs of firefighters and police officers and an opportunity to be trained in public safety operations.

Applicants will receive hands-on training in public safety operations and the free, seven-week program is open to City residents and individuals who work in Missouri City. Classes will be in session on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Missouri City Public Safety Headquarters, 3849 Cartwright Road.

“The Academy is a perfect opportunity for the citizens of Missouri City to learn more about the daily operations of the Police Department. They will get an idea of the training that police officers go through, the different types of crimes that we are confronted with on a daily basis, how the different police divisions work together, and the different jobs that the officers perform,” said Dan Flagg, Community Liaison Officer. “If they like the CSI shows on TV they will enjoy the presentation by our criminalist. They will get the thrill of searching a building for an armed suspect, making a traffic stop at night, and much more.”

Participants will be instructed in the following: traffic laws, criminal law, firearms training simulator, motor vehicle extrication using the jaws-of-life, CPR, live fire demonstration, and much more. There will be a staged SWAT operation, Dive Rescue Team demonstration, traffic stops, building searches, and crime scene investigations. A new feature will be a trip to the firing range where class members will receive firearms instruction and have the opportunity to shoot a Glock .40 calibre handgun. This is an opportunity for citizens to experience what it is like to be a police officer or a firefighter.

“Citizens drive by our fire stations every day and do not know what their tax dollars provide for them,” explained Emergency Management Coordinator John Sheffield. “In this seminar, they will be exposed to the standards we have to live up to in every area of emergency services. They will learn how to be safer by being more conscientious of fire danger, and they will be more proactive with fire prevention in their own lives.”

Interested individuals can get applications from Public Safety Headquarters or on the City’s website: www.missouricitytx.gov by clicking on the “For Residents” tab and selecting “Forms and Applications”. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and either live or work in Missouri City. After completing the academy, members will be eligible to join the Missouri City Police & Fire Auxiliary and/or the Citizen’s Response Team.

For more information, please call Community Liaison Officer Dan Flagg at 281-403-8705 or Emergency Management Coordinator John Sheffield at 281-403-4305.

Missouri City’s historic Freedom Tree is rooted in the strength of the past and the power of the future. Recently, the “strong and steadfast” 200+-year-old Great Oak was the center of celebration again as a new Outdoor Classroom was unveiled underneath its broad branches.

The classroom, an octagon-shaped wooden deck with capacity to seat 30 people, was dedicated in front of the beloved oak on Feb. 24. During the ceremony, members of the Lake Olympia Middle School Choir lifted their voices in tribute to the tree, which reportedly served as a gathering place in 1865 for slaves on the Palmer Plantation to be informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation.

“I think about what this tree has seen, including picnics and meetings,” said Don Smith, Founder and Chairman of the Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. “But also about our people who endured the ordeal of bondage and how these same people expressed jubilation when that bondage and those shackles were removed. The tree is not only a symbol of that era but of what Missouri City is all about when folks come together regardless of what their backgrounds are to become as strong and steadfast as this tree.”
The great-great-great grandson of a former worker on the Palmer Plantation attended the dedication of the Outdoor Classroom. He spoke of the significance of the Freedom Tree Park for him and his family. “This is a tremendous occasion for us to celebrate the history of our ancestors who worked so hard and diligently on this land and to see that we are still around enjoying the prosperity of their work,” said C.W. Gibbs. “And I think the new deck is awesome.”

“We are honored to have the direct descendants of the people who lived here attending today,” said Missouri City Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Snook. “When I come here, I think of the word ‘community’ and that’s what makes this tree so special.”

City Council approved a $47,900 contract for the construction of the wooden deck last December. The City’s share of the cost was about $12,000. The structure was also partially funded through approximately $35,000 in donations from the Lake Olympia Civic Association, Quail Valley Proud and HEB.

The Freedom Tree Park Deck is about 1,500 square feet, and the decking material was made from environmentally-friendly lumber. In addition, the structure is supported by a base that will not affect the Great Oak’s root system.

At the ribbon-cutting, Mayor Allen Owen spoke about future plans for Freedom Tree Park, which involves using the land across the street from the historic tree. “Later, we will have an amphitheater with a replica of a cross-section of the tree designed to show the rings and point out the history of what was happening at each point in time as the tree aged so people can read that and learn about it,” he said.

HEB, Quail Valley Proud and Lake Olympia Civic Association were recognized at the ceremony and Blackgum and Persimmon seedlings were gifted to guests.

Keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while driving. That’s the message City officials are sending to drivers with the City Council passage of an ordinance that bans motorists from texting while driving. The ban will take effect June 1.

At its Feb. 15 meeting, City Council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance and Mayor Allen Owen stressed that the new measure “will prevent accidents and save lives in Missouri City.”

In fact, the Missouri City Police Department has recorded at least six accidents involving drivers either talking on cell phones or reading a text message in the period between May 2009 and Dec. 31, 2009.

“In the one accident that involved reading a text, the driver was at fault,” Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said. “It’s important to get the word out to educate residents on the dangers of distracted driving. Enhancement of public safety is our focus, and preventing accidents is a critical component of our daily duties. We will use all traffic contacts and community meetings to advise drivers of the tenets of the ban before June 1 enforcement goes into effect. If it saves one life, isn’t it worth doing?”

The ban means motorists cannot use a wireless communication device to view, send or compose an electronic message while driving. The ordinance does not limit a motorist’s ability to talk on a cell phone while driving. Exceptions are allowed in the event of an emergency, or when a motorist is pulled over safely to the side of the road. However, sending or reading a text is prohibited while stopped at stop signs or traffic signals.

The City is conducting an intensified campaign to educate the public about the new law. Motorists can be fined up to $500 for a violation.

1. The Mayor proclaimed February 2010 as “Boy Scouts of America Month” in Missouri City. Of special note, 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

2. City Manager Frank Simpson gave short presentation on the City’s processes and procedures regarding working w/ the development community. In 2004, with the help of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, MC held focus group studies w/ developers and contractors to solicit feedback about the City’s processes, with the intent of improving service to developers and contractors, but still balancing the need for quality and safety. With the information provided, staff has made process improvement changes over the last few years. In a recent FBEDC survey to developers where the question was “is it now easier to do business w/ Missouri City”, the City received a 42% improvement in this rating as compared to previous surveys. Staff recognizes that there is still room for improvement and will be performing additional focus group studies, as facilitated by the FBECD starting in April.

3. Consent agenda was approved which included approving minutes to Council meetings, authorizing a contract for Election Equipment and Services, canceling the purchasing of a storm drain flushing machine from SRECO Flexible and re-authorizing purchasing of said machine from Texas Underground, consider awarding a contract for the purchase or body armor, acceptance of the Quarterly Investment Report for period ending December 31, 2009 and adopting an amendment to the Suspected Misconduct and Dishonesty Policy.

4. First of two public hearings was held for the Fiscal Year 2010 Community Development Block Grants. All 2009 recipients have been notified and the second hearing will take place on March 15, 2010.

5. Council authorized necessary easements for the roadway to the Surface Water Treatment Plant.

6. Council authorized an interlocal agreement between the City and the Blue Ridge West MUD for the conveyance of the Hunter’s Glen Park recreation facilities to the City. The MUD will cover 50% of the water bill related to the Splash Park moving forward.

7. Council passed an ordinance which makes in unlawful for an operator of a motor vehicle to view, send or compose an electronic message or manually engage other application software on a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle on a city roadway. Effective date for this ordinance is June 1, 2010. The Police Department will begin a campaign to educate the public on this new ordinance.

8. Council approved an ordinance which adopts the Basic Plan of the Fort Bend County Interjurisdictional Emergency Plan. This document outlines procedures, etc., that the City must follow to be in compliance with Federal regulations regarding an emergency situation like Hurricane Ike, so the city receives Federal reimbursements for clean up, etc.

9. Council resolved to adopt rules governing the investment of funds of the City and designated the Director of Finance to be responsible for the investment of City funds.

Water should be flowing from a new $58 million surface water treatment plant project in Missouri City by the first quarter of 2011. The City and 19 municipal utility districts in the region are working together to make it a reality. By cooperating in this venture, the state- mandated reduction in groundwater usage will mean a savings for taxpayers in the long run.

By 2013, the City must utilize 30 percent surface water and that number will increase to 60 percent by 2025.

“The City had the foresight 10 years ago to reserve surface water options from the Gulf Coast Water Authority to assure an adequate water supply for our residents. Now we are moving forward with the bid phase of the surface water treatment plant to meet our long terms needs,” said Scott Elmer, Director of Public Works. “The plant will be a membrane treatment plant with the first phase expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2011. It will provide 10 million gallons of water per day. Ultimately, the entire plant, when completed around 2030, will be able to provide 32 million gallons of water per day to residents.”

City staff and representatives of companies working with the City on the planning and design of the water treatment plant met with members of the municipal utility districts’ boards of directors at City Hall on Feb. 2 to update the joint effort.

“We currently have a $1.10 per 1,000 gallon usage fee that the MUDs are paying, and we plan to minimize indebtedness as much as possible,” Scott Hibbs, of Enprotec / Hibbs & Todd, Inc., explained during a presentation at the meeting. “Currently, we are cleaning the land, constructing the surface water impoundments and the engineered fill for the building foundations on the plant site, which should save 60 to 90 days on the general construction contract. Bids for construction will be opened on March 2, and we hope to have a recommendation to City Council and start work by late March or April.”

The City is also in the process of seeking a $250,000 matching grant from the state Water Development Fund for regional utility planning studies.

The City also informed MUD representatives about an upcoming educational campaign to remind residents of the importance of keeping storm water sewer systems free of lawn clippings and debris.

Margaret Sloan and Janice Scanlan are building a website of Quail Valley birds that will be added to as Winter, Spring and Fall birds come to Quail Valley. Pictures will be posted as the birds are spotted and photographed. The site will have tips on where and how to spot the birds and how to attract them. Eventually, the site will be large enought to sort by category including year round birds. To see the current offering, copy/past the following link or into the address line of your web brower.
http://traction.typepad.com/birds

Following are notes from the Quail Valley Fund Board Meeting held on Monday, 2-8:

1. Quail Valley Proud is sponsoring a “Meet the Candidates” night on Thursday, February 11th at 7pm in the Grille, so residents can meet those running for the Board: Charlie Butera, George Everitt, Fred Grates and Noel Pinnock.

2. The Board is looking for volunteers to serve on the By-Laws committee. Interested parties should contact Tony DeSantis.

3. The trial on the golf courses has been postponed until the end of February.

4. Marketing Director’s Report:
226 visitors to the website in January
6 homes sold per Null
5 homes sold per HAR
29 homes on the market w/ 4 pending/option pending
Price per square foot remains in the low $60.00, but this is due to homes that have not been updated and foreclosures.
Recent home sold on Glenn Lakes at $74.00 per square foot, East Creek Club at $83.00 per foot.
Annual meeting newsletter mailed on Friday.
Updating of materials
Added new photo application to website so Susan can upload new photos herself.
Gave speech at the Quail Valley Exchange Club
Sent out a news release about Bill and Robyn Tompkins daughter coming home between deployments which ran in the The
Star last week.

5. Executive Director’s Report:
Have placed fertilizer on the annuals that didn’t make it through the freeze so they will hopefully start rejuvinating.
Deed Restrictions for January….began w/ 28, received 14 new, cleared 14 and ended w/ 28. Of those 28, 8 are at the certified
stage and 15 are w/ the attorney.
Currently, 71% of 2010 maintenance fees, which were due 12/31/09, have been paid.
Executing the next stage of the engineering contract for the Cottages street repair.

6. Annual Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 8th at 7:30pm in the Grille. The City will be making a short presentation while the ballots/proxies are tallied.

7. New principal has been selected for Quail Valley Middle School and Toni Mamula will be having lunch w/ him later in the month.

8. The City will be placing a proposition on the upcoming election ballot to consolidate all garbage services into a City wide contract. The Fund is checking w/ their attorney regarding their position on this issue.

9. Nancy Lindsay, on behalf of the Garden Club, gave a short presentation on plans to update and rework the landscaping in the medians/entrances on Cartwright.

10. Consent agenda was approved which included approving minutes from previous meetings and the letting of the contract for engineering services for the Cottage’s street repairs.

11. Councilman Wyatt shared that the construction on Turtle Creek is on schedule, despite the poor weather we’ve had recently and will hopefully complete by April.

12. Community Officer Maxheimer shared information on recent crimes (primarily assaults, thefts and burglaries) and indicated that given the size of our neighborhood, crime remains very low.

1. Consent agenda was approved which included approving meeting minutes and authorizing staff to execute an engineering services agreement for traffic signal synchronization.

2. Council reviewed requested deviations on architectural style for the 9er’s Grill Restaurant that is being built on HWY 6 at Colonial Lakes.

3. Council authorized staff to execute a change order in the mass grading for the surface water treatment plant to include construction of an access road.

4. Council authorized staff to execute a change order to include construction management services with the design services for the surface water treatment plant.

5. Council authorized the purchase of General Obligation Bonds at an interest rate of 3.71%. It was noted that the City achieved a very attractive interest rate on the bonds due to the city’s exceptional credit rating. There was also informal discussion about possibly refinancing some of the current bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates.

6. Council approved an ordinance that would make text messaging and/or the composing and sending of emails on a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle unlawful. Chief Fitzgerald shared that there is similar legislation working its way through Congress at the moment. Additionally, the Police Department would mount an education campaign before enforcement. Date of enforcement would begin June 1, 2010. This was the first of two readings.

About 50 residents turned out on Jan. 12 to hear the latest City update on plans to transform the former Executive Nine property at the Quail Valley Golf Course into a neighborhood/community park, complete with a pavilion, hike and bike trails, water features, a children’s playground area and fitness stations.

During the meeting, the engineering firm of Freese and Nichols of Houston presented the findings of a study of the planned park that started in the Fall and was completed this month.

The firm presented two concepts for the new park and both included input the City has received from residents. One featured a pair of 10- to 30-feet-wide “brook-like streams” running through the park, additional open space, more trees, and a large central lawn. The second concept was more formal in nature and included a large central fountain with a sitting area and a “great lawn” in the northeast part of the park. Both concepts included a playground area for children, a pavilion, a restroom, a butterfly garden, fitness stations and parking areas.

The proposed, passive recreational area would be a combination of a neighborhood park, which is classified by national standards as 5- to 25-acres of land serving the immediate neighborhood within a half-mile radius, and a community park, which is classified as 25- to 150-acres of land serving a 2-mile radius around the area. The proposed park space is 38 acres and will serve an area slightly larger than a half-mile radius. Entrances into the park include Robindale Park, Hampton/East Creek Club Drive and Glen Echo Park.

Hiking and biking trails would be approximately 10-feet wide, where possible, to accommodate police patrols and some of the landscaping on the property would be changed to better accommodate drainage concerns.

“The potential of the project was a pleasant surprise, and it lends itself to a great park,” said Jeff Taylor, vice president of Freese and Nichols. “We tried to balance what we heard from the community and we tried to make it a very beautiful area and a comfortable setting for families, while still limiting the amount of parking.”

When asked for their preference at the presentation, residents sitting in the Community Center overwhelming selected the more natural, informal Concept 1. However, no final plans have been made at this time.

The next steps in the process will involve assessing community reaction, and taking the plan to the City’s Parks Board for a recommendation to City Council.

Residents on-hand for the meeting were pleased with the preliminary plans, and again expressed the hope that limited activities would take place near their homes.

“I think the City and Freese and Nichols really looked at everything to make it a park we can be proud of,” said Bill McCrea, who lives nearby. “I walk there every day with my little dog, and this will be great.”

Tom and Reggie Nichols, who moved to Missouri City from New York City, liked the idea of a central fountain, and hope it would become this area’s “Central Park.” They also use the park every day to walk their dogs.

“It looks like the park will be enjoyable to residents,” said resident Betty Crockett. “I really like the hills in the area, and hope they will keep some of those in place.”

“We were very pleased with the turnout and feedback we’ve received from citizens on this matter,” said Assistant City Manager Bill Atkinson. “The next steps will be presentation of this information and citizen feedback to the Parks Board who will make a recommendation to City Council. It is anticipated the park will be completed in stages, with the initial phase to begin in Spring or Summer of 2010.”

The cost of the proposals has not yet been decided. Funds for the new park will be available from the 2008 voter-approved bond issue.

The concept plans presented will continue to evolve with greater detail regarding a construction schedule and budget for the park project forthcoming.

To view the proposed park plans, visit the city’s website, missouricitytx.gov and click on “The Quail Valley Parks Project” on the homepage. Residents should monitor the City’s website and agenda for future parks updates.