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VOL 6 No. 44
FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Fight over ground water surfaces with vigor By SESHADRI KUMAR The fight over future water supply for Rosenberg and Richmond from water wells planned just across the Fort Bend County line in Austin and Waller counties continues with multiple parties claiming a stake in the dispute. The crux of the controversy centers on an application for digging 10 wells in Austin and Waller Counties in the Bluebonnet Groundwater Conservation District by Electro Purifications, LLC. Rosenberg and Richmond have signed a letter of intent to buy 20 million gallons of water per day from the wells to be transported by pipeline. The applicants maintain that the proposed drawing of groundwater will not cause significant ground subsidence, but surrounding landowners in Austin, Waller and Fort Bend Counties and other water districts such as the North Fort Bend Water Authority are opposing the project as they believe the water wells would cause significant shift in ground level, resulting in flooding. An administrative hearing by a judge on the application of Electro Purification began in Bellville in Austin County, on Oct. 28. North Fort Bend Water Authority has contested the granting of permit for the water wells. Meanwhile, Fort Bend Subsidence District in August, modified its rules considering the potential impact of groundwater usage from sources outside Fort Bend County. The new rule says: Groundwater withdrawn from any county outside the District does not qualify as an alternative water supply unless the permittee can demonstrate that the groundwater withdrawals will not cause groundwater level declines or subsidence within the (Fort Bend) District. Fort Bend Subsidence District Chariman Marvin Marcell said the district encouraged the
use of alternative water sources, but the rule change ensued extensive investigation and deliberation after an unprecedented situation arose from the proposed project on the border of Fort Bend County. Rosenberg and Richmond shall be required to reduce and maintain their groundwater withdrawals to no more than 70 percent of their total water demand, beginning in January 2016. The cities of Rosenberg and Richmond, which are governed by the Fort Bend Subsidence District’s rules on groundwater usage, found this rule change as a direct threat to their planned purchase of water from an outside source, at a considerably lesser cost than building a surface water treatment plant like other cities in the area have done. At the time of the rule change, Rosenberg Mayor Vincent Morales said, “The Subsidence District’s actions could limit our options for developing a reliable water source for the cities of Rosenberg and Richmond, and Fort Bend County, at the lowest possible cost. “The cost of attaining the Fort Bend Subsidence District’s mandate for groundwater reduction is phenomenal, and it is our duty to investigate all possible alternate water sources in order to select the most effective, long-term sustainable solution for our communities, while being good stewards of our limited natural resources,” Morales said. Rosenberg and Richmond asked for a “re-hearing” on the rule change and the subsidence district, with 15 members, tabled the item in September since the chairman was not present. The item came up for consideration at the subsidence district’s board meeting on Oct. 23. Morales, and the attorney for Richmond and Rosenberg,
once again made a case for a “re-hearing” so that the cities could produce scientific evidence to the effect that the proposed wells would not cause subsidence in Fort Bend. Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Richard Morrison, who supports the less expensive water supply for many smaller cities in the county, urged the board to reconsider its position. Daniel McJunkin, Mayor of Simonton, testified that the small city cannot afford even a fraction of an inch of subsidence and asked the board to stick to its rule. Attorney for the North Fort Bend Water District Christina Miller said Rosenberg and Richmond should make their case while seeking to amend their ground water management plan and show that their alternative supply would not cause subsidence. There is no need for re-hearing, Miller said. After a lengthy hearing, the board went into a closed session to discuss the issue. Afterwards, the board decided not to take any action on the re-hearing request, but asked the cities and other stakeholders to have a joint meeting and work toward reaching a compromise. Marcell said the board did not take any action because there was no new evidence or data to warrant a re-hearing on the rule change. It will be appropriate for the cities of Rosenberg and Richmond to present their data justifying the alternative water source as a part of the amendment to their ground water plan. The board’s regulatory committee would discuss the amended ground water plan of Rosenberg and Richmond. The informal meeting, instead of a legal setting, would also provide an opportunity to see if the verbiage on the definition of alternative water source See WATER, Page 3
Early voting moves on normal pace By SESHADRI KUMAR A total of 4,978 people have voted early in Fort Bend County during the first week of early voting from Oct. 21 to Oct. 27. Of this, Sugar Land voters accounted for 1,408. Apart from the state Constituitonal amendments, Fort Bend County mobility bonds and Sugar Land’s parks bonds are on the ballot. The voter turnout is not abnormal and seems to fit the pattern in the past elections. Unlike the state Constitutional amendments, the county mo-
bility bonds and Sugar Land bonds are obviously drawing voters to the poll. In 2012, in the Sugar Land City Council election 4,928 people out of 50,073 registered voters came to the polls and more than half, 2,805, voted early in first two weeks prior to the election day. In the current election, early voting is likely to be the same and total turn out is likely to be around 10 percent. The highest number of early voting last week was at the Cinco Ranch Library where
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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942 people voted, followed by First Colony where 660 voted early. At Sugar Land Branch Library on Eldridge Road 385 voted early, followed by Lost Creek (272) and Sugar Land City Hall (241). At Missouri City City Hall, 356 have voted early. Katy ISD received 1,110 early votes, next only to Sugar Land. Also, Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Pecan Grove and Harmony School all in Precinct 3 of Fort Bend County received significant early votes, suggesting heightened voter interest in local county mobility projects. In unincorporated areas, in Randalls at New Territory 302 people voted early and at Sienna Branch Library, 195 voted early. In Missouri City, a section of the residents also voted in the city of Houston and Houston Community College System elections. In Meadows Place 190 people voted early, in Rosenberg 286 and in Fulshear 217 voted early.
Methodist Hospital plans emergency center in Missouri City
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is embarking on a major expansion that will add its first development in Missouri City. Five major projects, with a total cost of more than $131 million, are planned for groundbreaking between now and summer 2014 that will expand the hospital’s physical footprint, significantly enhance its ability to serve patients across Fort Bend and surrounding counties and add a number of new jobs. “We are investing in Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital because Fort Bend continues to grow in size and population and our patients are seeking an ever broader range of sophisticated medical and surgical treatments close to home,” Houston Methodist CEO Marc L. Boom, M.D., said in a press statement on Oct. 22. “Since its inception, Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has achieved a significant number of medical ‘firsts’ for Fort Bend County, and we want to ensure that our outstanding physicians and staff have the facilities they need to continue that level of quality care.” Emergency Care Center The expansion effort kicks off in November with groundbreaking on a new 9,600-square-foot emergency care center on Highway 6 in Missouri City, between the Sienna Plantation and Riverstone communities. The facility is scheduled to open in summer 2014, and will house 10 treat-
ment rooms and the latest technology in diagnostic imaging equipment. “This is an exciting development because it gives us a physical presence in the heart of the fast-growing Missouri City community,” said Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital CEO Chris Siebenaler. “The new emergency care center will give Missouri City residents a first-class medical facility within minutes of their homes.” Patient Tower The hospital is also building a new six-story tower. The new patient tower will be added between the Sweetwater Pavilion and Main Pavilion on the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital campus, and will add 104 beds, bringing the hospital’s total to 339 beds. The tower will add much needed capacity in the form of intensive care beds and medical/surgical beds, with space remaining for future expansion. Groundbreaking will take place in the summer of 2014; the tower should open to patients in the first quarter of 2016. “The new patient tower will provide a number of benefits,” said Siebenaler. “Most importantly, adding more than 100 new beds will enable us to care for more patients here in Fort Bend County.” Siebenaler also stated that parking will continue to be free at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. Orthopedics & Sports Medicine The hospital is also building
a new facility on campus for Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine physicians. Currently located at Highway 6 and Brooks Street, the practice will move to a new 60,000-square-foot building located on the corner of Highway 59 and Sweetwater Boulevard. The facility will include space for physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, aquatic therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, expanded physician clinic space, an outside training facility for athletes recovering from injury and an employee gym. The Spine Center will also be relocated from the Main Pavilion to a larger space in this new building. Groundbreaking will take place in the second quarter of 2014; completion is expected in the first quarter of 2015. “Orthopedics and sports medicine are among the fastest growing specialties of care in Fort Bend, and this new facility will enable us to bring all our related services together on the Sugar Land campus,” Siebenaler said. Cath Lab/Heart Center “Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has been a consistent leader in bringing the most sophisticated and complex cardiac care services to Fort Bend, and our physicians are now regularly performing a number of procedures that simply weren’t possible outside of the medical center just a few years ago,” said Siebenaler. “The expansion and relocaSee METHODIST, Page 4
MODEL RAILROAD LAYOUTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. The Fort Bend Model Railroad Club (N) & Rosenberg Railroad Museum (HO) will open the Model Railroad Layouts first two weekends in Nov. 2nd, 3rd and 9th,10th (Sat 10:00-5:00, Sun 1:00-5:00) at Rosenberg Railroad Museum @1921 Avenue F in Rosenberg. The N scale layout depicts Fort Bend County as it appeared in the transition era with period steam and diesel locomotives pulling trains through recreations of Stafford, Sugar Land, Richmond and Rosenberg on a 14’x26’ layout. A dramatic reproduction of the Imperial Sugar refinery highlights the Sugar Land modules. On display will also be an 18' X 19' HO layout that is a generic representation of the Mountain West with a large passenger depot on one end. The family of the late Lee Frisbie donated this layout to the museum. For directions and hours of operation go to www.rosenbergrrmusuem.org or call 281-633-2846.