VOL 3 No. 47
Phone: 281-980-6745
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Birds of Fort Bend
Giving thanks for small things . . . and one that eats insects summer until winter in Fort Bend is truly welcomed! The Bluegray Gnatcatcher is the northernmost gnatcatcher and the only true migratory one. While some live on the Texas Gulf Coast year round, this bird will be heading to Mexico and Central America when the insect population thins during the colder weather. This fluttery, fast-moving little bird is literally using its fluttery movements to scare up insects in your plant and tree foliage. You’ll often see flashes of gray and white while this little bird with a long tail is “gleaning foliage.” Smaller than a Chickadee, they’re very curious and may come near to you, but flash away quickly. To see more photos and learn more visit http://traction.typepad.com/birds/ Photo by Margaret Sloan.
Commissioner halts cutting of trees on levee By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend County Commissioner James Patterson has asked the Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District # 2 to take a “recess” from removing trees as a part of the levee “maintenance” in the First Colony and Commonwealth areas. Patterson intervened in the matter following protests from a section of the residents living in the area. The residents complained that the massive removal of healthy trees denuded the area, which provided home for wildlife. The residents in the nearby neighborhoods believe that the removal of healthy trees is unnecessary as the “internal levees” need not be maintained to the same standard as the perimeter or ring levee. Patterson last week attended a board meeting of the FBC
LID #2 and told the directors that the tree removal should be stopped until the issue is reviewed further. FBCLID # 2 Chairman Andre McDonald said he had explained the reason behind the removal of trees to Patterson in an earlier correspondence. The LID is required to remove the vegetation on the levee right of way to ensure the levee’s integrity and the removal of vegetation is in accordance with the rules stipulated by the Corps of Engineers, McDonald said. McDonald also said that the criteria for maintaining the internal levee system is the same as that of the perimeter or ring levee system. McDonald said FBC LID #2 has been a pioneer in maintaining the levee system to the national standards and the National Committee on Levee Safety cited FBC LID# 2 as a
model for others. The levee district has to follow certain rules and regulations to obtain federal certification of the levee, which in turn would help keep the flood insurance risk of the protected residents at a very low level. In the absence of such a certification, area residents would be likely subjected to a huge jump in flood insurance premiums. McDonald said, in the past, Patterson has himself endorsed the internal levee maintenance to the same standards as that of the ring levee system. Patterson said he did not want the levee district to abandon its role in protecting the residents from a devastating flood or an exorbitant flood insurance premium. However, he felt that county drainage engineer Mark Vogler needs to be involved in assessing the issue of internal levee
Cell tower approved; ex-councilwoman protests By BARBARA FULENWIDER Allowing more cell towers to be built in Missouri City has long been a problem for city council and citizens. The two arguments most used to oppose them are aesthetics and health -- they are
ugly and the radiation they emit can endanger health. Both were used at city council’s Nov. 15 meeting where council’s final vote allowed T-Mobile to erect a 104-foot high monopole tower on land occupied by FBISD’s Progressive High
School on Texas Parkway. The 5-1 vote in favor of approving a specific use permit to allow the tower came after numerous questions from Councilman Don Smith regarding notification of T-Mobile’s intent. His point was that T-Mo-
Toy collection
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 ADOPTION DAY. Priscilla Anderson and her son Jesse participated in the Fort Bend County National Adoption Day Celebration on Friday, Nov. 19. Six foster children were among the 14 children adopted. Judges Ron Pope and Robert Kern finalized the adoptions. “This year’s National Adoption Day was a wonderful celebration” said Metoyer Ellis, CASA program director and chair of the event. “It was great to see the attorneys, CPS, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers and judges all work together to finalize the adoptions and ultimately give these children safe, permanent and loving homes.”
maintenance. Patterson said questions have been raised whether the internal levee maintenance should be the same as the ring levee and there are also questions about what exactly is the definition of “maintenance” in the flood control parlance. Patterson said he would hold a meeting with the county drainage engineer, engineering experts and the levee district representatives to draw up the future plan of action on levee maintenance, after Thanksgiving. The levee district board of directors are appointed by the commissioners court, though the levee districts function as an independent political jurisdiction. Flood control and the levee maintenance involving cutting of trees, have thus acquired political overtones.
Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745
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.
Bouche Mickey, left, Sugar Land Rotary President; Jennipher Cole, Santa’s Exchange committee chair; Jake Messinger, Sugar Land Exchange Club member; Armando Saenz, IT physician liaison at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. Bottom Row: Marcia Barham, physician liaison at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital; Kaelyn Stolhand, marketing coordinator at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and member of Sugar Land Exchange Club; Amy Mitchell, Sugar Land Exchange Club President; Leena Taneja, Director of physician relations and marketing and Amy Saenz, physician liaison at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. See Story on page 8.
bile hadn’t told many residents at all about their plan to build a tower in their neighborhood. After numerous questions to David Petrakovitz of T-Mobile West Corp., Smith said, “A lot of the notices went to (property) owners who have no stakehold in that community other than they own property. I want to impress upon you for the citizens who will pass by there and who live in that area that they should have been contacted because that’s the right thing to do.” He said that of the 559 homes in the area “about 550 of them have no clue about this.” Petrakovitz said he’d be glad to post more signs but a city staff member said there’s no state or city requirement for posting signs about such. Councilman Jerry Wyatt noted that “notifying property owners on this wasn’t done any differently than it has been on any zoning request ever made.” See TOWER, Page 3
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