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VOL 6 No. 32
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
UHV, WCJC sign three agreements
Quail Valley Yard of the Month. Lasting summer color during a very hot summer is a feat achieved by Maria Landis of 3722 Ridgeview, just off Glenn Lakes. Her garden is a riot of color beautifully contrasted to vertical “anchor” plants that define areas and make statements. Whether it’s the dramatic ligustrums central to the entry or the cypress adding their winding shapes, this garden is full of ideas. It’s lush with caladiums, bougainvillea, ixora, vinca, society garlic and roses. The yellows, oranges, reds, pinks shade into the lavenders among many shades of green. For dependable color, Maria uses caladium clusters and varieties with their many colors of foliage. Maria received a plant from Flowers by Adela and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Quail Valley Garden Club. If you’d like more gardening know how, our programs, open and free to the public, begin, Thursday September 12 at 9:30. For more details, call Rose Ann Acosta at 832 693 9107 or visit http://traction.typepad.com/QVGC .
Sugar Land approves $84 million concert/performing arts venue By SESHADRI KUMAR Sugar Land City Council at its July 23 meeting approved a development agreement with ACE Sugar Land, LLC., for the construction of a performing arts and live entertainment facility at an estimated cost of $83.65 million. The concert venue of 200,000 square feet, with a capacity to seat about 6,500 people is billed as “one of its kind” and “unique in the U.S.” It will be located on a 38acre site in Telfair, across from the University of Houston Sugar Land campus, abutting Lexington Blvd. and adjacent to the Fluor complex under construction, with access from northbound U.S. 59 frontage road. The city acquired the land for the concert venue from Newland Communities last year at a cost of about $3 million. The city has also to build a plaza outside the concert venue, build a parking lot and make other improvements. The agreement projects the substantial completion date of project by the end of September 2016. Construction is expected to begin in 2014 with an expected 24-month construction period. No general fund revenue will be used to build the concert venue. The Sugar Land Development Corporation, which has a dedicated economic develop-
ment fund through a half cent sales tax, is expected to provide about $40 million. The Hotel Occupancy Tax and the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone will also provide funding for the project, while Ace Sugar Land will contribute $10 million. In November 2008, the city held a referendum asking if the city should use SLDC fund for the indoor concert venue project and if venue taxes could be levied to finance the indoor concert venue. More than two-thirds of about 26,000 people voted in favor of the propositions. But, the referendum did not indicate the total project cost, which is now inching towards $90 million. Three years ago, when negotiations began, the estimated project cost was $70 million. But, the city has since changed the site as well as the type of concert venue. Councilwoman Amy Mitchell asked if the increase in estimated cost from $70 million to $83 million was because the city wanted additional features with better quality and due to increase in construction costs. Mayor Jimmy Thompson said the $70 million figure was arbitrary and pertained to a different type of theater and it could not be compared to the current project which is totally different. According to the city, based
on a market analysis and feasibility study performed in 2008, it was identified that a Concert/ Performing Arts Venue would promote capital investment, create new jobs, enhance educational opportunities and create unique destination activities attracting local and regional visitors. This survey also recommended the ideal venue for Sugar Land would include a concert stage and approximately 6,500 seats. Additionally, the City had the feasibility study updated in 2012 to reflect the current status of the market which confirmed the financial feasibility of the project. The city also expects revenue from renting the facility, but projections are not available at this time. The city will issue certificate of obligations for more than $40 million to finance the construction and SLDC economic revenue would be used to repay the debt. Since this debt is backed by the SLDC revenue, it will not have any impact on the city’s debt service rate. The city will hold a bond referendum in November for $50 million to build new parks. If the citizens approve the bond referendum, the city estimates a small increase in debt service tax rate at one cent per $100 property valuation per year.
Betty McCrohan, seated left, president of Wharton County Junior College, and Phil Castille, seated right, president of the University of Houston-Victoria get ready to sign three agreements between the two institutions on Tuesday with Leigh Ann Collins, left, WCJC vice president of instruction, and Jeffrey Cass, right, UHV provost and vice president for academic affairs. Also attending the signing ceremony at WCJC was Allison Wen, friend of higher education and co-chair of the global initiatives committee for the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council. Administrators from the University of HoustonVictoria and Wharton County Junior College signed three agreements Tuesday to allow students to seamlessly obtain their associate degree from WCJC and their bachelor’s degree from UHV. “These agreements not only strengthen our partnership with WCJC, but also make it easier for students in the Coastal Bend area to graduate with two degrees and get out in the workforce earlier,” UHV President Phil Castille said. Signing both joint admissions and reverse transfer agreements at the WCJC main campus in Wharton were Castille and WCJC President Betty McCrohan. In addition to the presidents of the two institutions, Jeffrey Cass, UHV provost and vice president for academic affairs; and Leigh Ann Collins, WCJC vice president of instruction; signed a 2+2 articulation agreement. McCrohan said she was pleased that the two institutions were collaborating for the benefit of students. “These agreements demonstrate how both WCJC and UHV work together to encourage students to move forward on to the next level of their education goal if they choose,” McCrohan said. By working together, we make it easier for students who desire
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to continue their education and to maximize a return on their investment.” Below are details about the three agreements: •Joint Admissions – Qualified WCJC students who complete their associate degree are guaranteed admission into UHV bachelor’s degree programs. In order to gain admission, students must submit a Joint Admissions Contract during the first 30 hours of course work at WCJC, finish their associate degree, and remain in academic, financial and disciplinary good standing. • R e v e r s e Tr a n s f e r – Eligible students can transfer certain course work from UHV to WCJC to complete requirements for an associate degree at the same time they are working on their bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled at UHV who previously attended WCJC or who are enrolled at WCJC and took a minimum of 24 semester credit hours will be eligible. There will be no additional cost to students to receive an associate degree. •2+2 Articulation – Students can complete an associate program at WCJC and then transfer to UHV to complete t h e i r b a c h e l o r ’s d e g r e e without a loss of credits or a duplication of course work. WCJC students must earn a minimum 2.0 cumulative
grade-point average, complete at least 60 credits and meet all UHV admission requirements in order to participate in the program. “These agreements provide a streamlined approach so that students don’t waste time or incur a lot of debt while they are getting their associate and bachelor’s degrees,” Cass said. Although the three agreements will work for students taking courses at any WCJC campus and for UHV students taking classes online, at the UH System at Cinco Ranch or the university’s main campus in Victoria, it will be particularly helpful to WCJC student at the Sugar Land Campus. UHV offers many programs at the UH Sugar Land teaching center, which shares a campus with WCJC. “Students don’t even have to leave the building to earn their associate degree at WCJC and their bachelor’s degree at UHV,” Collins said. “It can’t get any easier than that.” UHV and WCJC fall classes begin Aug. 26. For more information about how to enroll at UHV, contact UHV Admissions at 877-970-4848, ext. 4110 or admissions@uhv. edu. For more information about how to enroll at WCJC, contact WCJC Admissions and Registration at 979-532-6303 or visit wcjc.edu.
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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