VOL 5 No. 31
Phone: 281-980-6745
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST , 2012
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Fort Bend Symphony auditions on Aug. 25
FBISD plans for a Culinary Center By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend ISD is planning to build a “Culinary Center.” The Culinary Center will be located in the Central Warehouse on Julie Rivers Road and serve as a training facility for FBISD food service employees and as a test kitchen for developing new menus for school campuses. This facility will provide training for employees in operation of kitchen equipment, food preparation, cooking, and serving. Space will also be provided for classroom teaching activities and storage space for Child Nutrition programs. This Center will provide a consistent level of food preparation for children district wide. The district received qualifications from 15 firms for providing professional services to build the Culinary Center.
Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra musicians Lonny Yu, trombone, and Kathryn Herod, French horn, are ready for the orchestra’s 2012-13 season and for college football as they show support for their alma maters. FBSO will hold auditions for its upcoming season on August 25. Yu and Herod are graduates of Kempner High School in Fort Bend ISD. (Photo by Coleman Locke) Fall means football as chestra has immediate open- age and older. To schedule an well as auditions for the Fort ings for two French horn play- appointment time between 9 Bend Symphony Orchestra. If ers, a bassoon II player and a.m. and 3 p.m., please e-mail you’re a musician looking for tympani and auxiliary percus- audition@fbso.org or call 281a group to perform with, then sion players. Both permanent 276-9642. Rehearsals are held plan to audition for FBSO’s and alternate positions are on Tuesday evenings begin2012-13 season on Saturday, available with all musicians ning at 7:15 p.m., generally at Aug. 25 at First United Meth- serving as unpaid volunteers. First United Methodist Church odist Church, 3900 Lexington Candidates should prepare a in Missouri City. This year, FBSO will play three- to five-minute solo and Blvd., in Missouri City. The orchestra is particularly be ready to demonstrate their five concerts as part of its season subscription series and at in need of additional string sight-reading skills. Auditions are open to all least two other free concerts players - violin, viola, cello, and bass. In addition, the or- musicians who are high school around Fort Bend County.
LJ Parkway, Palm Royale connection goes back to the drawing board By SESHADRI KUMAR The proposed connection of Larry Johnson Parkway in Riverstone with Commonwealth Boulevard at Palm Royale is not set in concrete. The proposed connection has evoked opposition from area residents. City council has concurred with the staff recommendation to do an additional study of the connection of LJ Parkway and to determine the final configuration of the future intersection with Commonwealth.
City Manager Allen Bogard told the city council that he, and Dist. 4 Councilman Harish Jajoo, along with City Engineer Christopher Steubing, visited the site and found some physical barriers like power lines for the extension of the LJ Parkway. There are some legal issues as well. In view of the public comments during a public hearing at the planning and zoning commission and the obvious obstacles, Bogard said the city would proactively conduct a
study to find a variety of options. The developer and the community would be involved in finalizing the right option to meet the transportation needs, without negatively impacting the neighborhoods, Bogard said. Steubing said Johnson Development supports the city in moving forward with an analysis of the proposed connection and will assist the city as needed through the analysis See ROAD, Page 3
Dulles High School Student earns ThirdBest Score at International Math Olympiad Bobby Shen, a senior at Dulles High School, helped form Team USA at the 53rd International Mathematical Olympiad, held July 4-16 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The six-member team representing various states throughout the US competed among 548 students at the annual competition, which challenges pre-college students to solve six math problems covering a wide range of mathematical components. Participants may be asked to determine composite positive integers, prove that the lengths of all sides of polygons in a dissection are also rational numbers, and so forth. After competing in various rounds at the competition, Team USA placed third overall with a score of 194. Shen, the only member from Texas, earned 39 points, which was the third-best score among students competing in the contest. Students with a score
Bobby Shen of Dulles High School (center) is shown with teammates during the closing ceremonies at the 53rd International Mathematical Olympiad. of at least 28 points received a gold medal. Those who earned 21-27 points received silver, and students earning 14-20 points were presented with bronze medals. Combined, Team USA members earned five gold medals and one silver. Shen’s academic competition
experience includes the 2011 US Physics Team, the USA Math Olympiad (2009-2011), Mathematics Olympiad Program 2011, Romanian Masters of Mathematics, USA Biology Olympiad Semifinals 2011, USA Physics Olympiad Finalist 2011, and various other competitions.
The firms were evaluated and scored based on the established criteria. At the July 9 board meeting, the trustees approved the ranking list and PBK Architects was named the top ranking firm. A proposed contract for professional services to build the center will come up for consideration on Aug. 13. Trustee Dave Rosenthal asked about the need for the culinary center and if it was a government program. Gail Stolter of the child nutrition department said new regulations for the National School Lunch Program are extremely complicated, with menu patterns and composition of food. For example, the regulations stipulate very strict limits for sodium in the food served to students and the cafetaria staff has to test for sodium levels. “We have been striving to
put a menu that meets legal requirements. It is extremely complicated. Probably, we need to hire a chef next year,” Stolter said. Stolter described the culinary center as a “self-funded” project. Part of the funds come from federal grants and part comes form the students who pay for the lunch. The estimated cost of the culinary center is not immediately available. The new standards mark the first major change to school meals in more than 15 years. According to the district website, “Fort Bend ISD’s Child Nutrition Services will only need to make minimal changes to our menus to comply with the new standards because the District already follows a more nutritional meal plan for our schools.”
County joins Walk with Pride Shoe Program County Judge Robert Hebert and County Commissioners Richard Morrison, Grady Prestage, Andy Meyers and James Patterson joined the Fort Bend County Department of Social Services recently as it received donations from several local businesses for the “Walk with Pride” kids shoe program. More than $20,000 has been raised by Fort Bend County’s Department of Social Services to provide shoes for children in the community. Local donors include Sprint Fort Bend Landfill, TXU Energy, Fluor Daniel, Champions Technology and State Farm Insurance. Anna Gonzales, Director of Fort Bend County Social Services said, “Our Corporate and Individual donations this year have been phenomenal. And because of our generous contributors, we will be able to serve approximately 1000 school age children to start the new school year off with a new pair of shoes.” For more than 20 years, Fort Bend County Social Services has hosted the “Walk with Pride Shoe Program” in collaboration with various contributors including charitable organizations, private businesses, and individuals in the community. Each year before school begins, children of low income families can register to receive a free pair of shoes from select Payless Shoe stores. Last year 700 children received a new pair of shoes. For more information call 281 238-3504 or 281 2383506. Registration ends August 10, 2012.
Walk With Pride Recipients with Richard Morrison, left, Commissioner Precinct 1; Grady Prestage, Commissioner Precinct 2; County Judge Robert Hebert; Andy Meyers, Commissioner Precinct 3; and James Patterson, Commissioner Precinct 4.
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.