By making just a few clicks on a computer screen today, you can help Missouri City map out safer walking and biking paths for its future.

The City, in partnership with the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments, is now hosting an online survey about pedestrian and bicycle needs on select roadways in Missouri City. The five- to 10-minute survey asks residents to offer quick feedback on their use of existing walking and bike paths, potential opportunities to improve pathways and opinions on pedestrian and bicycle access in Missouri City.

HGAC selected Missouri City for its Pedestrian and Bicycle Special Districts’ Study because of the City’s potential to enhance walking and biking opportunities along four roadways in the HGAC study area: Texas Parkway, Cartwright Road, Murphy Road and State Highway 6.

Responses to online survey - comprised of about 25 questions - will be used to shape a conceptual plan that will support safe pedestrian and bicycle mobility within the study area.

To take the survey today, visit www.missouricitytx.gov and click on the “Tell Us What You Think” link beneath the Missouri City Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan icon, located on the right hand side of the City’s home page.

Staying in Missouri City this summer just got a whole lot more fun for kids. That is, if they’re signed up for “Doctor Gonnawannastay’s Institute of Fun.”

Missouri City is now accepting enrollment of children ages 5 to 13 for the 2009 Summer Camp program, presented by Taking Kidz Places Transportation. The week-long camp sessions will begin the week of June 8 and end the week of Aug. 10. The deadline to register for the first session is June 1.

Sessions include crafts, field trips, swimming, cooking lessons, foreign language classes, academic enrichment and indoor and outdoor sports. Camp hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended care available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The sessions include ‘Fun with Food,’ ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,’ ‘Under the Sea,’ ‘Around the World’ and ‘The Great Debaters,’” said Jennifer Milam, Parks and Recreation Specialist. “Each camp session will culminate with an entertaining and educational field trip.”

A mandatory parent meeting will be held June 3 at 6 p.m. in the old Municipal Courtroom next to City Hall, 1522 Texas Parkway. Parents will have an opportunity to meet with camp staff, obtain additional information and ask questions.

The camp is held at the Community Center, 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information or to register, call 281-403-8500, visit the Community Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit www.missouricitytx.gov/Government/Parks-and-Recreation/Programs—Activities to download an application.

Missouri City residents and Quail Valley homeowners shouldn’t be alarmed if the grass on the El Dorado Golf Course starts to look rather tall. Having high grass on the course now means having low maintenance greens in the future, said Scott Elmer, the City’s Director of Public Works.

“The City is purposely letting the golf course grass grow tall, which is necessary for the greens to develop a strong root system,” Elmer said. “By letting the grass shoot up and rest at this stage of El Dorado’s development, we can be sure the terrain will be healthy enough to handle the stress of constant golf course play. And having these greens flourish at this time means the City will have lower costs when keeping up the course in the long run.”

The Quail Valley El Dorado course is being rebuilt and is planned to re-open later in the year.

Grass seeding for the course is set to begin the week of May 18. Heavy rains earlier this month delayed the seeding from taking place the first week of May. With El Dorado’s pump station now fully operational, the City is equipped and ready to begin planting the Princess Bermuda grass, Elmer said.

The seeding and grass growth process for the entire El Dorado course is expected to take about six months to complete. In particular, grass will sprout tall during the first eight weeks after seeding, which Elmer said is an essential stage of development for the blades.

“While the course may not look scenic for a period of time, citizens should know letting the grass grow taller is a requirement for the quality and longevity of the greens,” Elmer said. “Be assured that by the end of 2009, El Dorado will be a picture-perfect course that will make Missouri City a prime golf destination in the region.”

For their safety and for the good of the greens, residents are urged to refrain from walking, riding bikes and four-wheelers or letting pets roam on any part of El Dorado as the seeding and grass growth takes place.

For more information on the Quail Valley Golf Course, visit www.golfquailvalley.com or www.missouricitytx.gov.

Missouri City Police Detective Russell Terry, whose hard work led to solving two high-profile crimes last year, was recognized by the Quail Valley Exchange Club as its 2008 Police Officer of the Year.

The Quail Valley Exchange Club honored Terry with the title at a May 3 ceremony at the Westin Galleria in Houston.

“It is a privilege to be part of the team that keeps Missouri City one of the safest in the nation,” said Terry, who has served with the MCPD for seven and a half years. “I am honored that the Quail Valley Exchange Club would recognize the investigative work done by so many MCPD officers and staff to solve these crimes.”

Terry, 39, was awarded the title this year because of his work as lead investigator on two cases. One involved the robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank on Hampton Drive last February. The second case was the robbery and murder of college student Ashok Bhattarai as he worked the evening shift at the First Stop Convenience Store on Cartwright Road.

“While processing the scene in the bank robbery case, a glove similar to one worn by the suspect was located in the bank parking lot and seized as evidence, which turned out to be a key to solving the case,” said Captain Lance Bothell, who nominated Terry for the award.

A man used cash to pay for the gloves and other items at a local Wal-Mart, then used a credit card to pay for several other goods. Terry traced the credit card information and located an address for the suspect, who turned out to be dating one of the bank tellers.

Confessions were obtained from both suspects. The male suspect led detectives to a large portion of the stolen money. All of this happened with 24 hours of the initial call, according to Bothell.

In the second case, 10 days after the murder of the food store clerk, Missouri City police arrested and charged a local high-school student, who confessed to the crime.

“Detective Terry began his investigation with just a small amount of evidence from the crime scene and an in-store video recording of the incident. This was not going to be an easy case to solve,” Bothell said. “The investigation included statements from witnesses and K-9 scent swab tests, recovering the murder weapon from a local lake, evidence from in and around the suspect’s residence and numerous crime stopper tips.”

Terry stressed he wanted to give credit to Detectives James Joseph and David Avera and the Criminal Investigations Division and the Identification Division for their help in solving the cases so quickly. “One piece of evidence collected by the ID Division was instrumental in solving the convenience store case, and an arrest would not have been possible without it,” he said.

“It’s important to look at all the possible evidence in a case, even if it seems insignificant, because that may be the one item that solves the crime,” Terry said.

Keeping children secure in a car seat is not as easy as it seems. To help parents transport their children around Missouri City in a safe manner, the City’s Police Department plans to purchase child safety seats and give them to families in need. To help that effort, on May 8 State Farm donated $5,000 to purchase about 90 child safety seats.

The seats will be distributed based on need during the Police Department’s child safety seat program, held the first Wednesday of each month at Police Department Headquarters, 3849 Cartwright Road, from 8 a.m. to noon. The appointment-only service is provided free of charge. The child must be present and parents are required to take a one-hour car seat safety class during the appointment. The next Missouri City child safety seat program, during which officers help parents understand proper seat installation and fit, will be held on June 3.

“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children ages 2 to 14, due in large part to the improper use of child seats and seat belts,” said Missouri City Detective Sonny McClamrock, Senior Car Seat Inspector. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 80 percent of children are not properly secured in child safety seats. Our goal is to work with parents to ensure every child is safe every time they ride in a vehicle.”

The City’s Police Department is also participating in a child safety seat inspection from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on May 30 at The Brazos Town Center, 24502 Southwest Freeway, in Rosenberg. Parents can attend this free public safety event, which will feature personnel from the Rosenberg and Sugar Land Police Departments, Texas Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Unit and Safe Kids of Greater Houston, in addition to staff from MCPD. State Farm is the sponsor of the event.

The Missouri City Police Department partners with Safe Kids of Greater Houston, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department and the Sugar Land Police Department to present the MCPD child safety seat program. For more information on the program, contact Detective Sonny McClamrock at 281-403-8736 or hmcclamrock@missouricitytx.gov.

With Missouri City’s population expected to increase by more than 10,000 in the next 10 years and by as much as 101,799 in 2040, the City is asking for help creating a vision for this rapidly growing community.

At 6 p.m. on May 21 in the City Council Chambers, Missouri City will host its final community participation meeting on the new Comprehensive Plan: a document that maps out the future growth and development within the City.

From specifying upcoming land use and urban design standards to ways the City will preserve its natural resources, this plan will outline realistic goals and strategies to manage the escalating needs and development in Missouri City.

“This document sets the foundation of what the City will look like in the next 20 years and beyond,” said Ornita Green, the City’s Director of Planning. “This Comprehensive Plan establishes the policies that dictate our community’s impending growth. Residents who want a say in how the City will handle traffic demands or ways we can attract more retail developers should come to the May 21 meeting.”

The previous Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1990. The City held a Citizens Congress to update the plan in February 2008. During that first community meeting, citizens broke into groups to discuss three topics: growth and development; transportation and infrastructure; amenities and image. Since the Citizens Congress, a group of residents, business owners and Planning Department staff have been hosting public meetings to develop a fresh Comprehensive Plan for the City.

The May 21 meeting will be the last opportunity for citizens to comment on the document before it is presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council this summer. After it is adopted by these governing bodies, Green expects the new plan will be updated every five years.

“Less than 5,000 people lived in Missouri City in 1970 – which means we’ve seen a 13-fold increase in size over four decades,” Green said. “It is imperative that we establish this Comprehensive Plan now so that we can take our City to a whole new level of livability in the years ahead.”

For questions about the 6 p.m. May 21 meeting, call 281-403-8500 and ask for the Planning Department or visit www.missouricitytx.gov.

Meeting was called to order at 7:01pm.

In attendance: Charlie Butera, Tony DeSantis, George Everitt, Fred Grates, Tonie Mamula, Cecil Willis and Susan Fox.

Butera made the following announcements:

1. 4th Annual Police Officers Memorial ceremony will be on Wednesday, May 13th at the EOC center at Cartwright and FM 1092.
2. Everyone should have received their newsletters which once again detailed trash and ACC guidelines.
3. Charlie will respond to the editor of the SUN regarding the article that was published about the Valley View Enews and the Barbara Gibson campaign.
4. On the legislative front, it appears that HB 1976 has been rewritten and is currently more palatable and the understood intent is for this bill to be the major bill addressing HOA issues. All current bills and/or joint resolutions have to be considered by both houses by the end of May. The Fund Trustees are waiting for the legislative process to end before moving forward on amenities and changing the articles of incorporation/by-laws.
5. Following guests were recognized: Mayor Owen, Paul McKeever, Pat Dacy and newly elected Councilman Bobby Marshall.

Fox reported the following:

1. Attended regular City Council and Quail Valley Proud meetings, spring clean up and the Quail Valley Garden Club event. Most of the month was focused on the realtor function held April 16th. Approximately 30 realtors attended. Follow up emails have been sent to all the attendees along w/ mailed letters including the Realtor Survey Card. Ads are in development for the Fort Bend Newcomers guide and La Quinta yardage book. Information is being mailed out weekly to leads being generated on-line by the Fort Bend newcomers. There are currently 37 homes for sale, 6 of these are pending or pending w/ options and approximately 6-8 having sold in the last month.

Willis reported the following:

1. Color switch out has been completed. Collections on maintenance fees are at 85.01%, which is even with the collection rate from last year. Since the STAR article appeared, many more have been calling in to insure there maintenance fees are paid and up to date. Annual audit is almost complete and should be available for review by the residents in June. Newsletter is going to feature a different deed restriction violation each quarter, to hopefully help assist in educating the residents.

2. Restriction scoreboard
Carried Forward: 41
Added: 29
Resolved: 32
Carried Forward: 38

10 of the 38 carried into May have already been resolved. Willis explained that there is due process for all regarding resolving of deed restrictions and showed all the paperwork involved with violations over the last 16 months.

3. Discussion regarding watering of certain esplanades and current lack of irrigation at 1092/Cartwright.

4. The current procedure followed by the staff for working violations of deed restrictions was shared. This is the first of two readings.

5. The issue of addressing driveway concerns at the Glenn Lakes/Hwy 6 entrance was discussed and allowed that these issues will be taken into consideration when Missouri City and TX DOT redo this intersection.

The Mayor addressed the group:

1. Mayor welcomed Bobby Marshall, who was in attendance at the meeting and allowed that Robin Ecklatt who won in District C, also serves on the Parks Board. He shared that both Marshall and Ecklatt have been very supportive of the Quail Valley Parks projects.
2. Golf course is approximately 2 weeks away from having water on La Quinta. Pumps are scheduled to be set on May 15th. Bulkhead and green on #5 is going to be redone.
3. Eldo is on schedule and they are starting to lay some cart paths. Mound at Cartwright and 1092 is going to be adjusted.
4. A new corporation, a separate corporation, has been established for all the Quail Valley Park properties, the golf courses and other acreage. This is so the golf course can stand alone from a P&L and reporting standpoint. Council will act as the Board. Some new directional signs have been put out. Grille is making some money and the golf course is having more play. Eminent domain case goes to arbitration in June. The City has countered on the Tennis Center and is waiting for the bankruptcy court to respond.
5. There are a number of road construction and repair projects underway to include the re-routing of Turtle Creek, so all of Roane Park is on one side of the street. Mayor also shared that the Glenn Lakes/Hwy 6 intersection issues would be addressed.
6. Code enforcement will start, in earnest, on Monday of next week and Paul will be driving the golf course(s) to document violations in backyards, like downed fences and dirty pools.
7. Projects are underway on traffic lights for additional syncing between TX/CW/1092 and lights are being changed to LED bulbs for conservations purposes.
8. Lowes is expected to open at the end of June and the drainage work on 1092 is related to Lowes.
9. Global Geophysical building open has been delayed because they increased the scope of the construction project to include living quarters for people who are visiting for training, etc.

Landscaping contracts were approved:
1. Grates motioned and DeSantis 2nd to approve the contract renewal with Palms Lawn Maintenance to maintain the fig vine on the Cartwright wall. Motion passed.
2. Grates motioned and Everitt 2nd to approve the contract renewal for Tru Green for all other landscaping services. Motion passed.

Consent Agenda:
Everitt motioned and Mamula 2nd to approve the minutes from April 13, 2009 and May 6, 2009 meeting. Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 8:17pm.

The Missouri City City Council approved a resolution at its May 4 meeting to create the Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Local Government Corporation, a nonprofit entity, to aid the City in the acquisition, improvement, maintenance and operation of certain public parks and public recreation facilities, including the Quail Valley Golf Course.

All revenues and expenditures at the golf course will be maintained through the new, non-stock corporation. State law provides a mechanism for local governments, including cities, to create such nonprofit associations, called local government corporations.

“It is the City’s intent that the Quail Valley Golf Course be a self-sustaining enterprise,” said City Manager Frank Simpson. “Forming this local government corporation is a big step toward being able to accomplish that. The corporation will have its own set of accounts, allowing for separate tracking of revenues and expenditures for all its operations and maintenance. The corporation will then be able to benchmark those accounts against others in the industry.”

Simpson said setting up this new corporation will also allow for flexibility in meeting the golf course’s needs for outsourcing certain aspects of operations and maintenance, as well as for a work force that includes more part-time employees than other City operations.

This model has been implemented at other municipally-owned golf courses and Missouri City believes this will be the most effective manner to operate Quail Valley Golf Course, according to Simpson.

The City will maintain ownership of all 400 acres of green space that comprise the Quail Valley Parks project, including the golf course. Members of the City Council will serve as the corporation’s Board of Directors and will consider agreements for the corporation to operate and maintain the Quail Valley Golf Course. The corporation is being set up so other possible future City facilities, such as a tennis center or community center, could also be operated and maintained by the corporation.

There’s no certainty what storms may hit the Gulf Coast region once hurricane season starts on June 1. But no matter what the future holds, there’s surely one question every Missouri City and Fort Bend County resident and homeowner should tackle now: Are you ready?

“All citizens should be preparing for a hurricane before the season begins, not the day before a storm arrives,” said John Sheffield, Missouri City’s Division of Emergency Preparedness Chief. “During Hurricane Awareness Week, May 24 to 30, we encourage families to make a plan for what to do if a severe storm strikes our area. From determining where loved ones might meet when a hurricane is declared to putting together a household emergency supply kit, preparedness is the key to handling any severe weather challenges we might face in Missouri City this year.”

If citizens cannot purchase all emergency supplies at once because of the current economic climate, the City’s Office of Emergency Management encourages residents to buy supplies over a period of time and build up their emergency kit throughout the season.

Fort Bend County is designated by the state as a pass-through county for evacuees who live immediately along the Gulf Coast. As a municipality in Fort Bend County, Missouri City would not be under a mandatory evacuation if a hurricane were to hit the region - so it is imperative that residents be prepared to shelter in place if a storm arrives.

Last summer, the City completed construction of a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Public Safety Headquarters on Cartwright Road. With this state-of-the art facility, Missouri City is equipped to coordinate the response and recovery efforts for any emergency situation, including hurricanes. During Hurricane Ike, the EOC was the critical center of operation for City staff who worked around the clock to protect residents’ lives and safety. After the storm, the recovery efforts were also coordinated from the EOC.

“As this hurricane season begins, residents and home owners can be assured that their City officials are ready to manage any crisis through the EOC,” Sheffield said. “All year, City staff has been participating in emergency management training sessions so that we’re able to respond to every kind of disaster. We are continuously working with the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management and other local and statewide agencies to coordinate preparedness efforts for this season’s potential storms.”

To get ready for the 2009 hurricane season, Missouri City’s Office of Emergency Management suggests taking these steps:

Build an emergency supply kit. Sheffield encourages residents to gather needed supplies and documents before a hurricane threatens Texas. Recommended items include:
. A three-day supply of non-perishable food, a manual can opener and one gallon of bottled water per person per day
. Coolers for food and ice storage
. Flashlights, a batter-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries
. Important documents and records, photo IDs, proof of residence and information to process insurance claims
. Credit cards and cash (with power out, banks and ATMs may not be available).

Prepare to secure your home and belongings. The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management suggests obtaining items needed to board up homes and windows. Other precautions include reviewing insurance policies for protection against wind and flood damage and obtaining waterproof containers for important papers, such as insurance or medical prescriptions.

Stay updated. Monitor the local media to keep updated on developing hurricanes - even those that do not directly strike the Houston region. Major storms can cause flooding and tornadoes hundreds of miles away, Sheffield said. In addition, check these Web sites:
. For tips on regional disaster preparedness: www.readyhoustontx.gov or www.onestorm.org
. For ideas on developing emergency plans and supply kits: www.texasprepares.org/ReadyOrNot
. To catch the latest weather information, check the National Weather Service Web site: www.nws.noaa.gov
. The Texas Department of Transportation’s Hurricane Information Web site has information on road conditions during or after a storm: www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/hurricane.htm.

“During Hurricane Awareness Week, we ask families to commit a few hours to buying emergency supplies and reviewing their emergency plans,” Sheffield said. “Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30. While six months can seem like a long time, remember that all it takes is one storm to do devastating damage. Take advantage of this week to get prepared.”

1. There was an executive session tonight before the regular council meeting and the topic was the Quail Valley Golf Course.

2. Following were proclaimed: Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, Building Safety Week, Public Service Recognition Week, National Police Week, Peace Officers Memorial Day, National Public Works Week.

3. Winners of the Quail Valley Garden Club Earth Day poster contest were recognized.

4. Council member Eunice Reiter was honored for her years of service to the City as this was her last Council Meeting.

5. City Manager was approved to execute an engineering agreement for preliminary services for the TXP (Texas Parkway) and CW (Cartwright) corridors. These preliminary plans will start scoping out options from the George Johnson Development recommendations for beautification improvements, widening of lanes. drainage, sidewalks and signal improvements of these corridors. Scope of this work will take future TX DOT requirements into account and by performing these engineering services now, may allow the City to apply for Federal Funds, in the future, to assist w/ these projects.

6. City is requesting a waiver for a ten year call provision on some bonds for clean water treatment facilities. Facilities have been funded under different means.

7. Council agreed that the Ainbinder Company is in default on their Economic Development Grant for land that is near the Fort Bend Toll Road and HWY 6.

8. Authorization was provided for an development agreement w/ Perry Homes for the Creekmont Subdivision.

9. Council approved an addition of 1.54 acres to the Lowes planned development.

10. Council approved a change in zoning for the Lighthouse Indian Baptist Church at the intersection of Independence and Fifth Street.

11. Council approved a change in zoning at the intersection of HWY 6 and Vicksburg for a Firestone.

12. Council approved providing notice of intention to issue Texas Certificates of Obligation for $5.85 million.

13. Council approved the creation of the Missouri City Parks and Recreation Local Government Corporation. This name might later be changes to avoid confusion w/ the regular Parks and Rec Department.

14. Staff has been participating in multiple conference calls on the H1N1 virus and information is available on the City’s website. Staff also recently participated in a Fort Bend County wide hurricane preparedness conference.