Family Practice of Fort Bend A TRADITION OF CARING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Brent W. Galloway, M.D.
Now accepting new patients; Most major insurance plans accepted
14825 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, TX 77478
281-265-3456 VOL 4 No. 2
Robert L. McClendon, M.D. Phone: 281-980-6745
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2011
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
School board puts off decision to close campuses
STUDENT ARTISTS. Two Lamar CISD student artists have their works featured in the 2011 calendar from one of Texas largest architecture and engineering firms. George Ranch High School’s Isabelle Antes, right, drawing of her school received an Award of Excellence and appears in the May section of the calendar. The drawing of Frost Elementary by fifth-grader Garbriela Benitez, above, is featured in the Honorable Mention section of the calendar. More than 50 schools participated in this year’s calendar art contest.
By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend ISD board of trustees on Monday decided to delay tough decisions and suggested some minor tweaking of the attendance zones. A majority of the board was not in favor of “re-purposing” the Colony Bend Elementary, Christa McAuliffe Middle or Willowridge High campus. Thus no campus is likely to be closed this year. The administration said by closing Colony Bend Elementary, the district would save $1.1 million annually. The board’s initial enthusiasm to save costs by “optimum utilization” of buildings and resources fell by wayside as a majority of the trustees was not inclined to do any drastic change. The idea of converting McAuliffe Middle School into a Technical Education Center and making Marshall and Willowridge High Schools into 10th, 11th and 12th grades also did not gather support.
The administration is yet to estimate the cost of establishing the tech center. The board wants the administration to explore the plan for possible implementation next year. The board, barring Trustee Laurie Caldwell, did not want to make drastic changes and wanted to postpone any decision by a year. Board President Sonal Bhuchar began the meeting by highlighting the funding crisis and reiterated that the rezoning’s main goal was to ensure optimum utilization of buildings and resources. Later, Trustee Daniel Menendez, and Bhuchar said the administration had no plan yet on what to do with the elementary campus after its closure. Also, there is uncertainty about state funding and its impact on the school budget. Hence, they wanted a year to keep the Colony Bend campus open. The board had five work-
shops so far over the past few months and the administration had provided tons of information requested by the board. Caldwell said, based on the information provided by the administration, to convert the middle school into a tech center and augment the enrollment at Marshall and Willowridge is the only fiscally responsible decision. “It is easy to put off the decision and we need to decide what is in the best interest of the entire district,” Caldwell said. Basically, most neighborhoods seem to be getting what they wanted, leaving the underutilized campuses as they are now for another year. The trustees referred to the rally held by supporters of Willowridge High School on Sunday to keep the campus open. Superintendent Timothy Jenney said he would bring “some kind of a middle line” recommendation to the board based on what he heard from the trustees.
Historic Dew House opens to public as museum East Fort Bend County’s first museum, The DeWalt Heritage Center, opened to the public on Sunday, Jan.9. Once sat nestled among the Live Oaks and Cottonwoods on Highway 6, now located at the back of Kitty Hollow Park, the old Dew House, had a formal grand opening ceremony. The previous evening a special preview party was held for Dew family relations who traveled from all parts of Texas to get a sneak peek of their family’s history displayed through out the house. Exhibits, photographs and displays of artifacts highlighted the Dew Family’s prominent role in area history. The area along Texas 6 South, where the DeWalt, Dew and Palmer families once raised sugar cane and other crops, formerly was known as DeWalt, made up a significant
section of what would eventually become Missouri City. The DeWalt Heritage Society, formed as a partnership between Fort Bend County and the Fort Bend Museum Association, is working to preserve the historic Dew Home. One male relation said that when Sue Alston, the granddaughter of Dr. Hugh Saunders Dew, who built the house with his brothers, first told he and his wife about the idea of the house becoming a museum, he thought she was full of hot air. The dream indeed has become a reality, much to the amazement of many and the The Dew Plantation House, built around 1900 by Dr. Hugh hard work and determination Saunders Dew, is one of the last remaining buildings of its kind of Team Dew. in Fort Bend County. This group includes the Schools in the Dropping Pen- ation Special Project Historian Dale Dacus family, the Fort nies Campaign, and local busi- Diane Ware with her own team Bend Junior Service League, nesses. It also includes those of dedicated volunteers. the Woman’s Club of Missouri who sponsored bricks; and the Missouri City Mayor Allen City (WCMC), several Quail concentrated efforts of Fort Owen and County CommisValley organizations, FBISD Bend County Museum Associ- sioner Grady Prestage urged
those gathered to support this project not only financially, but with spreading the word to others and volunteering their time at a work day or as docents when the museum opens with regular hours. At the opening ceremonies, Scanlan Oaks Elementary School music teacher Jaci Elliott played the antique Bird-
cage Piano. Thomas Tristram Dew was Missouri City’s first Justice of the Peace while his son George served on the Missouri City School Board for decades and was one of the founders of the Fort Bend County Fair. The museum will be open by appointment only until the Fall. —LISA GLENN
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
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Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.