VOL 3 No. 51
Phone: 281-980-6745
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2010
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Feud between sheriff, constables stymies private patrol contracts
Warm, welcoming and lighted up for the holidays . . .that’s how you’ll find Quail Valley and Fort Bend this season. The Quail Valley Garden Club has announced winners for Quail Valley Holiday Lighting. This year QVGC used three categories: Hope, Joy and Faith. Winners for Hope are: Sue and Dave Adam, 2911 Nancy Bell Ln with mention to Kay and Steve Grooms, 2918 Carnoustie Drive. Winners for Joy: Gayle and Mike Combs, 3119 Stoney Brook Ln with mention to Patrick & Adrienne Villreal-Mathews, 3102 Silver Springs Ct. Winners for Faith: Jane and Bob Thompson, 3214 El Dorado Blvd with mention to Monica and Lenny Doucett, 3107 Villa Ln. Drive around the neighborhood or visit http://traction.typepad.com/qvgc/holidaylighting-winners/ for more pictures and a downloadable list of winners.
Star Cinema Grill lands in Missouri City TMJ Property Services and Pinnacle Alliance Fund, Inc. have purchased 5.5 acres of retail property in Missouri City, which will house Star Cinema Grill. Located at 4811 Highway 6 South at Austin Parkway/ Dulles Avenue, the Missouri City Shopping Center contains 55,985 square feet of retail space and will include a new pad site for current tenant AutoZone, as well as the addition of tenant Star Cinema Grill. Star Cinema Grill will occupy approximately 40,000 square feet, housing 9 theatres, 1300 seats and a full restaurant and bar. Owner of Star Cinema Grill, Omar Khan says “This entertainment concept has proven successful in our other two Houston-area locations and we have great expectations here in Missouri City. A menu of classic American favorites and cocktail of your choice are all delivered to each guest while they enjoy first run movies in an upscale atmosphere.” “Star Cinema Grill will be a
welcomed addition to our City and expands entertainment options for not only our citizens but all of Fort Bend County,” says Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen. Bob Graf, Missouri City Economic Development Coordinator, notes, “We are excited to add this new entertainment venue along with the estimated 100 new jobs it will bring.” “Getting this transaction closed required application of many unique elements not normally seen in routine real estate transactions,” says Todd M. Jurek, president of TMJ Property Services. “Through a series of challenges and obstacles – from existing lease restrictions on movie theaters and stringent REA requirements, along with the need to convince retailers of the value of a pad site in the project – the deal was very complex and we were rejected numerous times before we got to agreement,” adds Jurek. Pinnacle Alliance Fund, Inc. was brought into the transaction to provide the debt and
equity component. Partner John G. Meador, Jr. says of the property purchase, “Failure was not an option. But this deal was just short of a miracle and that if it were not for persistence, tenacity and a large number of longstanding relationships with lenders and equity sources, there is no chance the deal would have closed.” The leasing process started Aug. 29, 2009 with the signing of Star Cinema Grill and culminated with the purchase closing on Oct. 29, 2010. “There were many hurdles to jump over in coordinating this complex deal, and we are so thrilled to have created a winwin for the parties involved, including the community,” says Bruce Frankel, president of Frankel Development Group, Inc. who co-brokered the Star Cinema Grill lease with TMJ as the Landlord’s representative. “We’re pleased to be working with our long time friends at Pinnacle Alliance Fund and See CINEMA, Page 4
By SESHADRI KUMAR An internecine feud between the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and Constables over providing contract patrol services to homeowners associations and municipal utility districts has resulted in a dispute over the costs for providing the services. Individual HOAs and MUDs have been traditionally contracting with the county for additional security in their neighborhoods. In most cases the HOAs either contracted with the sheriff or with the constable and in some instances, both the sheriff and the constable shared the contract. Recently, some HOAs have been led to believe that the constable provided better service than the sheriff. This is based on the premise that a sheriff’s deputy spends time in taking offense reports (which the constables don’t) and also a sheriff’s deputy is likely to be pulled out of a neighborhood to attend to a problem elsewhere. Pct. 3 Constable Rob Cook says the Cinco Ranch HOA, does not want him to write reports or function as the law enforcement agency, but merely patrol the neighborhoods. In fact, the Cinco Ranch
HOA liked the services of his deputies so much that initially, the HOA wanted him to provide more deputies and cut the services provided by the sheriff. The Cinco Ranch HOA currently hires 5 sheriff’s deputies and four deputies from Cook. Last week, after a marathon deliberation and several failed motions, the HOA board decided to renew the contract with the county, keeping five of the sheriff’s deputies and cutting the constable’s deputies from four to three. Cook was expecting to have five of his deputies to be hired and three from the sheriff’s office. Cook is disappointed with this development as he has to fire one of the deputies who will be rendered surplus. The sheriff’s office, on the other hand denies the allegation that their service is inferior to that of the constable’s. The sheriff’s office claims that if their deputy goes out of a neighborhood on a different assignment, the HOA is given credit for that period of nonservice. The sheriff’s office further claims that their deputies are better trained and equipped and they provide “real” law enforcement service. The constable’s deputies,
merely ride on the patrol car, wave to the people on the sidewalk and pad up their monthly reports showing they had “contact” with over 1,300 people, Deputy Chief Craig Brady from the sheriff’s office says. “That way, while attending to an accident on U.S. 59, I would have come in contact with 10,000 people,” Brady says. The constable’s deputies should act as real police men and they could easily transmit reports via the computer in their patrol cars, Brady says. The county contract with the HOA stipulates that the county will provide law enforcement service . The definition of law enforcement includes preparing reports, apprehending, arresting and transporting suspects. While the feud between the sheriff and the constables has been simmering, Commissioner Andy Meyers was drawn into the controversy because there are 15 contracts in his precinct, while all the three other precincts have a total of seven contracts. Of these, Pct. 2 Constable Ruben Davis disagrees with the other three constables and he takes incidents reports as well. He has three contracts. See PATROL, Page 3
SANTA’S EXCHANGE
As part of Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land’s recent grand opening celebration, the hotel was a drop-off location for Santa’s Exchange. Hyatt Place employees and representatives from the Exchange Club of Sugar Land gathered to collect the toys. Pictured are (Back Row: L-R) Anas Khallaayoun, Linda Cahue, Shawn Weiner, Allison Gullet, Exchange Club Board Member Jake Messinger, Michael Gleeson, Exchange Club John Robson, (Front Row: L-R) Tina Nguyen, Elisha Lewis, Selma Samad, Kristen Williams and Shirly Chai. Santa’s Exchange celebrates its 15th anniversary this year providing toys for children in need in the Sugar Land community. Photo by Aventography Studios.
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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