Woodlands Texas Commentary

Elections? Redistricting? Heavens sake, what a mess!

2012-02-15T01:21:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wondered what has become of the principals of our democracy system in the United States? Well, OK, that is a deep subject and far beyond this article, but we will just slightly touch it anyway. There is an issue at all levels of government and political arenas. Believe me, it is not only one party. In The Woodlands, Texas, we are part of the issue and problem, even in local politics. The thinking that seems to go on in some people's heads is questionable. Let's explore a little of that.

First and foremost, who was the politician or group who manufactured district boundaries to favor their own party's position in elections? Or is that my imagination? Ask the DA. Well, then let's just remove those people from office. Something is dramatically wrong with some politicians' methodologies and thinking processes. Manipulating elections is about the same as fraud in my book. If we cannot have level ground democracy, with fairness in elections, why do we have a democracy at all? Of course every one involved has some reason why they are right.

Our system has been slowly decaying, but the root of the problem has been here from the start. It is called human nature, translated egotistical and/or self serving. Have you heard the complaints of those fed up with the system? "Let's get rid of all incumbents." Anyone listening? The Tea Party has emerged as a power house to counter the political mess we have and the overspending of government, but the mainstream politicians are joining it to stay in power, and they are making noise as if they are a part of the movement. I guess that may be OK if they embrace the principals behind it, like sticking to the principals of the constitution and having a government that is by the people and for the people.

Once, I thought whistle blowing was a good thing, but when I ran for office, I discovered those who are doing it are also power hungry with an agenda of their own and not necessarily embracing ethics as they pretend to do. They often focus on the most trivial things imaginable. Once one sees inside political circles, one easily gets a bad taste in one's mouth, and discovers it is simply indigestion. That is, it doesn't last long because there are simply too many other better things to do. However, it can go to the puke stage if you let it. Our system is lacking in every place I look and go. Does it seem that way to you also? Anxiety can be about family, friends, work, and yes Big Brother too.

Well, now we see unfair redistricting is about to defer our elections. Maybe until the summer! The courts are having to deal with the current situation brought on by the 2010 Census and the decisions in the legislature to realign precinct boundaries. I read today that April 17th for primaries is out of the question. And now the situation includes a case in Washington D.C, which will likely be used as a benchmark for other similar cases. Not to complain, because that is of course the role of the court system and part of our inherited governmental checks and balances system. Thank you forefathers for balancing our government with an arm that is not elected, because the other branches of government seem to have a hard time doing things right and for the right reason. And does a double wrong make a right?

Now how are we part of the problem? Last year, our local government decided for us to not conduct local Township elections as part of the November elections of 2012. This was made possible by a law passed in the last legislative session enabling local elections to be moved from the municipal or general election in May to the November election. There is wisdom in that law, but this particular decision makes me have doubts about the foundation of thought by our local politicians in office.

People complain everywhere about the frequency of balloting in the year of national elections. You get a primary in April, a general election in May and the final election. On top of that, you often have a runoff election in June. In the year 2010, we had people confused and disgruntled with the entire election schedule. "I am supposed to vote again? You've got to be kidding! Hey I got a life too you know." Boy do I empathize with that! Spring is the time to celebrate life, to enjoy nature. But politicians think we have to serve them instead, by studying their positions and the like. Then we have to show up at the polls after work or on the weekend. It is the same politicians who do not provide a computer election by which we can vote. How many times must a person go to the polls anyway to do his duty? The people making the decision not to have the Township election in November may not be thinking about their own influence being threatened and their power in the community, but I can't help but be suspicious about their motives. They will tell you they are interested only in the consistency of timing and the general routine expected by voters. Well, guess what? Only a small fraction of the voters show up at Township elections here in The Woodlands. The outcome of the voting has not been the clear decision of the stakeholders, only the voters. It has been only those who have the time and interest to vote. It is even worse than that, because the system encourages polarity and the good-old-boy form of government. You know, scratch my back, and I might scratch yours? Let me see your cute little baby, it is so precious. Can I hold it? Now did you say you would vote for me? Hey my name is Charlie, spelled with an E. Don't forget now...., with an E!

Believe me, there was not a consensus of opinion on the Board of Directors about the decision on moving the date of the election. One director in the Board Meeting discussion actually said that that the people who vote in the November election are not as informed as those voting in May and would not probably intelligently vote for local officials, if we held the election in November. Those going to the polls would feel compelled to vote on every position and many have no interest in local matters. They say we need "informed voters" voting for Township Directors, not those uninformed voters voting in the state and national election. That could translate to more like this: "We can better focus residents' eyes on the local elections in May than in November, so that we have more influence on the outcome." Pardon me ...? Yes, that is the name of the game, isn't it? Influence and power. You would hope it would be for the betterment of the community. But it is more likely, how to achieve personal agendas.

We need stakeholders at the polls to choose the best candidates for the job and need to do whatever we can do to legally get them there. If more residents show up at the polls, the better and more diversified the outcome will be. Do residents want the loud noise of traffic on the roads? Find a candidate with a realistic plan to do so (not the standard "I will try"). Do you want liqueur bars in this community? Night Clubs? Do you want to own boats on the Waterway and how about a skating rink or roller skate rink or maybe even a new theater under the stars? Is that where you want your money to go? There are a lot of questions. When I moved here - no bars, no nudity on cable, a quiet community, a haven away from the city. It was even quiet at night on the streets. Look where we are today? I thought when I moved here that we were getting away from Houston, but we are bringing it here and fast!

Now, we have drunks picked up on the street. We have drunk drivers on the road. But these are different issues than the subject matter, just the outcome of our system, being run by people who promote the business climate that has emerged. The basic issue here is that we need people at the polls to vote on candidates who will represent issues, represent the public, not represent business,and make life a better quality here. Business is important, but what says those who live here? The power is in our/their hands, but residents just do not exploit that privilege. Taxpayers here are not just residents, but residents are the ones allowed to influence what happens here. How about the two poor families in Georgia and Alabama who helped pay for the boats? And then the tourists who came here and have no idea they are paying for maintenance of the boats which they don't use. All of this makes perfect sense?

Let's assume for a moment that we had changed the date of the local election to November. What effects would that have had? Would there be uninformed voting in November? Sure there would be, just like there is now in the May election. People showed up at the polls and thought that would be a good time to start learning about the candidates. Oh well, vote for him because he seems to be savvy about things here. Oh, I remember her, she is the one with the big sign on Kuykendahl!

There are other issues, but surely they could be overcome. One example is the budget which would have to be set by those ending their incumbency, instead of beginning it. That is not so bad though. It preserves the momentum and allows for change to occur more gradually. And change we do need!

So now we wait to see when we can really have local elections - maybe June, July? Budget time is always right after the elections. Since our government's wisdom decided for us to not have the elections in November, it may soon face the issue of having only three elected Board members, out of the seven in office, at the time of developing the budget. The May election could be deferred until June or maybe July after the runoff elections. Maybe we will see a local election in November after all? Maybe we will have a state runoff in July on the same day as our General election.

It would be so much better to have an internet site where a voter could cast his vote electronically. Fears of security should be abated. The technology to secure voting is available. How do you know a person is who he says he is? Let's get real and stop the insane contradiction of values. How is voting security and identity more important than banking security anyway? For heavens sake, we do not need to see bodies and photographs to prove identity. The voting process is ruled by the Czars of Insanity, the same ones who determine whether there should be a mounted rider on a horse in the parking lot of Walmart, simply because we are The Woodlands.

We need more rational people in our government, without their own agendas to protect, people who are regular citizens with moderate income, who deal with everyday issues, as the masses deal with issues. We need diversity (I plan to write on this subject in a separate article). By the way, have you seen a penguin lately? If not, go to a Township meeting and maybe you will understand what I am saying.

Red Light Cameras - Houston's Failure

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

Red-light cameras are here to stay but only if they are deployed intelligently for good reason. The Woodlands, Texas, practices good use of the cameras and is having success. It is a successful program by Montgomery County, initially implemented by precinct #3 commissioner Ed Chance. However, cities have some issues with their deployments. For example, making sure an automobile comes to a complete stop before turning right at a red light is questionable. It is the law, so it is a valid use of the camera, but does that practice result is positive and desired results?

I get feedback sometimes about my enthusiasm for red-light cameras and receive comments like "You are the only person on earth who likes red light cameras." It is true that I like them, but I like them, because we have deployed them here intelligently. I am not the only person who endears the cameras.

If you are going to repeal anything, don't repeal the enforcement of the law. Enforcement is what the cameras are doing and doing so for less cost than hiring law enforcement officers. We have traffic laws for safety and for mobility. Houston just ended their contract, because of the activists in that city and their constant deluge of complaints to the media saying the practice of using technology to enforce the law presents safety hazards.

We need to be careful about the rationale of deploying law enforcement cameras. It is the way the traffic lights were deployed in Houston, and the purpose for which they were deployed, not the cameras themselves that were the problem. Many people do not understand how they work, so some united to fight the use of the cameras. We deployed them to keep traffic moving. We had too many people breaking the law and thereby affecting the movement of automobiles on our primary traffic arteries. The practice of intentionally running certain lights has been stopped due to their deployment. We could have put traffic cops at intersections, one to monitor and one to chase law breakers, but instead we use technology. If there is not a penalty for breaking the law, many people disregard the law and pass their own (mentally). "No need to stop before the light turns red! No need to stay within the determined safe speed of the roadway! No need to stop before turning right. No need to stop at stop signs. I can safely cheat a little." That makes for a lawless society. Let's get real folks. The law is clear. The cameras are not the problem. Much of the problem is simply with modern society. However, people do listen to reason and need to be educated on the rationale behind using technology for this purpose.

Houston has failed, but hopefully someone with sufficient intelligence on deployment strategies will come back for a future project and make their strategies work. This was a failed project, because Houston had the wrong reasons and wrong plan for deployment. To use the cameras for reducing the number of accidents was not the right approach. In any given project, one must define the purpose clearly and have measurements of the project's success afterward, and assess the risk of failure. Houston had measurements, but did not have a good exit strategy. Always plan for the best but provide for failure and a means to deal with operational issues. You must measure your goals in the operation phase of your project and if you cannot get the job done, an exit plan must be envisioned, if not detailed, ready to execute. That is the way business works, it should also be the way government works. An exit strategy should be supported by the contracts. This was an example of not following excellent project management practices, including the education of the stakeholders - those on the road.

Here in The Woodlands, we have the opportunity and need to use cameras for speeding, as well as for enforcement of traffic lights. However, we would have to be careful how to deploy them. People will momentarily speed up in an intersection to make sure they are out of the intersection as fast as possible when the light is changing. Therefore, you don't want to measure speed in an intersection. It is best measured on open roadway approaching a light. There is of course an issue in the legislature with enforcing speed limits with cameras. Enablement for the right reasons is something we must continue to pursue.

Fall has peaked like never before in the Parched Woods

2011-12-20T16:11:00.002-06:00

Rush Haven street in the Village of Indian Springs Fall, 2011

How is it that we marvel at the beauty of the Fall color in The Woodlands Texas this year? Our trees have been stretched beyond their safety zone of tolerance in a severe summer that broke heat records for the area. And the suffering of our trees did not stop there. They had no water to drink to fight the thirst brought by that heat. A drought of previously unknown proportions had gripped the area for months... and now?

Most oftentimes yellow but at times, totally red

The trees are singing after that thirst has been quenched by two months of decent rain followed by an early cold spell to sprinkle the leaves with a light frost. So we have an insanely gorgeous Fall, resembling a painting of a forest in its splendid glory in the Northeast of the country. And just before Christmas, we get to see this spectacular show! How lucky we are!

Flintridge at Gosling Rd, The Woodlands Texas

This story is that we should take our hats off to one species of tree in particular. Some people dislike the gum balls of the Sweetgum tree, but I love this tree. It has beauty that outshines every native tree here. It's bloom in the Spring is not so colorful but intricately beautiful. The gum balls are very useful as fillers in gardens when they fall off the tree. The bright green star-shaped leaves early in the summer are unique and vivid. Every Fall, the Sweetgum drops its yellow leaves, but never have the colors been so vivid as this year.

Hwy 1488 in Montgomery County Texas offers a view of the natural forest setting

When you see these colors in the forest this late in the year, there is an 80% chance that the colors are from this native species alone. There are a few other less plentiful species also contributing to the colors, such as the Red Maple or the Chinese Tallow (an invasive species showing very vivid colors), or the Crepe Myrtle.

Inside looking out at a Sweetgum in its full glory

The spectacular showing of color in the Fall is an excellent reason to have living trees on your property. Living in the forest is why I live here. I hope you would live here for the same reason. That is what this community is - life in the forest, a vestige of the great Piney Woods of East Texas. I would not live in this community without the forest.

Vote against Firefighters union proposition in The Woodlands

2011-10-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

I do not endorse the Fireman's unionization proposition for The Woodlands Texas. In my opinion, public servants should not ethically be unionized. They are paid with tax dollars to serve those who pay those taxes. They lobby for politicians, trying to influence local elections. They should not have extraordinary powers to influence voters. It is an abuse of the unique trusted position they hold as firemen. Let's keep our government clean and government employees on even ground, not giving any group special privileges nor any special bargaining powers. The Woodlands is a respected and good place to work for any government employee, utilizing competitive and comparable salaries for like jobs elsewhere. Let's keep it that way!

Vote "AGAINST" The Woodlands Township Proposition for firefighters. CONTRA la proposición!

Open letter to The Woodlands Township - Save our natural resources

2011-10-26T07:24:00.000-05:00

I was asked to make this letter public, and therefore have published it here.

Situation: Whereas, (1) We are in the worse drought on record in Southeast Texas. (2) The Woodlands is economically dependent on the existence of its natural setting and resources, (3) Tall mature trees form the basis of our natural setting, (4) Large reforesting efforts are very expensive and recovery takes decades, (5) The Woodlands has no evident disaster plan for its resources, (6) Weather forecasts predict we may be in the 10^th year of a 20-year drought cycle, (7) We will likely lose 10-20% of our trees this year alone. Tree service companies are knocking on doors trying to convince people to cut their trees down, (7) Even trees on private property is within the jurisdictional scope of the Township (protected in the covenants), (8) Residents have indicated in past annual polls that the most important aspect of this community is its trees, and (9) The Woodlands Township has a substantial but unknown valued inventory of mature trees on its deeded properties, including parks and green reserves. As stewards of these properties and our tax dollars to care for these properties, The Township is responsible for the health and well being of these properties. Our most basic core value is the forest setting of our community and the wildlife therein. There are unexploited opportunities to deliver non-potable and potable water resources to our green areas, to provide a means to give life to our forests. Esplanade watering in 2011 started entirely too late to save many of our trees at most risk. The Township has a forestry “bible” created by a contractor in 2004 that laid out a forest management plan for this community; we have a reforestation plan derived from that document. We have grown by leaps and bounds since that study was conducted. Although we have not executed that plan in its entirety, the plan itself has a number of pitfalls, one of which we are experiencing today – severe drought. This plan provides for normal actions to Texas forests in general; it is tailored specifically for The Woodlands but is not a disaster plan. We have a strategic business plan, but it is not comprehensive and does not cover such disasters. We must take action now to deal with disaster planning for our future, or this master planned community may cease to exist. A pine tree grows at a rate of two feet a year. We cannot afford to lose all of our mature pines. Status quo is not the answer to this situation. Fire continues to be a hazard for our area as well; the study of 2004 recommended ways to mitigate that threat.

Request for Action

Scope

As a resident and taxpayer of this community, I hereby request the board of directors to immediately take short term and long term actions to save our trees. We should work with the development company, county and MUD districts who are also stakeholders in the health of our forests. The scope of these actions considers the risks to our economic prosperity, both in business and in residential neighborhoods. Home values are significantly at risk; business volume is also at risk. Therefore, I suggest we develop two plans. One is for short term planning, where residents, businesses, and the government partner to provide water to our trees, saving as many as possible. Establish a partnership with tree service companies to inform residents with a common message of preservation. Establish a licensing process for tree service providers, to help prevent misinformation being spread to homeowners on the necessity of cutting down trees. Establish a research and grant partnership with educational institution(s) to find best practices and evolving means to save our forests in the context of current changing issues, including disease control.

Suggested course of action

Immediately establish a task force to recommend near term actionable tasks. Perhaps we could call the program “Save our Woodlands one tree at a time”. As the winter approaches, the drier air is likely to stress the trees even further. We are in our “wet season” but the dry climate over the past three years has demonstrated the need to pay attention to the problem even in cold months and “wet” seasons. The devastation to our forests this summer was predictable. We are way behind in rainfall and have been behind for three years.

Short term (now): To provide vision and possible specifics, I can give a possible start of ideas: develop an immediate watering plan to make sure our trees have sufficient water to survive. Assume this drought continues; don’t wait any longer. Identify the areas most threatened by the drought. Utilize the 2004 study to assist in this process but do not limit an action plan to that study. This includes the high risk of beetle infestations which is very likely to occur over the next 12 months. Be willing to displace other projects in the 2011 and 2012 budget plan to make this happen. Be willing to spend emergency funds to make this happen. Include residential and business-owned trees in an estimated inventory of mature trees. Track and report on the general health of our forest at various locations. Use all resources available – including the RDRCs and DSC which are tasked to protect the large trees on private and business properties. Communicate judiciously and often with homeowners and businesses on their responsibilities to care for trees on their properties. Solicit volunteers to help with the process. It is implied in the covenants that residents must water their trees. Establish a partnership with the water authority to acquire water for this emergency; seek to lower the cost of watering trees. Communicate with residents on their responsibility to the community for saving one tree at a time. Quantify costs and identify funding resources to make this happen. Encourage residents to help with public lands. Utilize Township resources to perform these actions. Prepare a health check of our forests and present it to the community at a widely publicized Townhall meeting. Participate in the Houston-Galveston Fall Planning workshop for the environment and be a regional player to mitigate future risks.

Long term (within one year): Develop the economics of our trees, their impact on our economy and specific risks to their health. Establish a clear vision and strategy in the Township business plan that places the proper importance of our forests and triggers urgent proactive and reactive actions in the future when the forest is thus threatened again. Inventory our large mature trees, especially those with a diameter greater than six inches and establish their location. Have a working relationship with a major university such as Texas A&M to ensure we are on the front line of loss prevention.

If we were an insurance company, our rating would be very low right now to provide coverage for our forests. And yes, we actually are an insurance company. We insure ourselves. Let’s admit we are in trouble and take action.

Thank you for playing close and urgent attention to this matter and aggressively seek to protect our property values and the quality of life in The Woodlands, by saving our forest, what is left of it. Let’s not be in the same position regarding this subject next year at this time.

Randy Scott, stakeholder and resident of The Woodlands

Farmers Market in Grogans Mill

2011-10-03T09:32:00.003-05:00

Today marked the Fall opening of the Grogan's Mill Farm Market, an event sponsored by the Grogans Mill Village Association in The Woodlands for the past four years. George Van Horn pictured here is a Director of the Grogan's Mill Village Association.

George Van Horn (right)

The market is open from 8AM until NOON each Saturday. Today, the management team announced the market will be open all year starting now. There will not be a Fall and a Spring season anymore. That decision was made in response to a unified vendor's request, because they cannot sustain business when the season is so fragmented. Now the market will be there all year long. Some vendors may opt out for a short vacation now and then, but all-in-all, they will sell their goods each and every Saturday throughout the year. All the vendors indicated that they intend to be there each Saturday throughout the year. Some will even take orders and bring them to the market on Saturdays. Many of them have web pages; a few have social network pages. Generally speaking, all the products are natural, with a focus on health.

Dana Denton (left), Katerina Graham (right)

Katerina is the manager of the Grogans Mill Farmers Market, overseeing its weekly operation. She is the person the vendors and public will interface with during the 4-hour event each week and who the vendors do business with during off hours. Dana is a VP in the Grogan's Mill Village Association who is responsible for the event.

Fresh seasonal vegetables are available from several farms

Local honey is sold by several vendors

On this opening day, there was plenty of space for additional tented booths. The space was about 60% filled. There will be many more vendors in the weeks ahead. Neal's Berry Farm, Theiss Farms and one other farm provided the vegetable products today. Theiss and Round Rock Honey were selling local honey. Round Rock has some three million bees in Texas, in various locations. They blend the honey collected to be "Texas Honey" specifically to help all Texans with allergies. Their blend now for sale is for this time of year. They also have bee keeper classes to encourage people to have a hive of their own. I am contemplating taking one of those classes.

Home-made bread

Angela's Oven was there to sell their natural delicious breads and baked goods.

Scented Soaps - food quality ingredients

Honey bees were attracted to the soaps made and sold by Lavanda. As you can see from the photo, there is a wide assortment of colors and scents to choose from, and they smell great!

Chef of the Grande Tamale Factory - fresh and home-made quality

Fresh tamales are sold by Grande Tamales International Kitchen.You can order these through the internet at their site (below) and have them brought here on Saturday morning. The Woodlands is where Higinio Amado started his business a couple of years ago. He has expanded to several other markets since then. HEB is also considering selling his products.

Special Costa Rican coffee by a local packaging distributor was for sale by Don Vittorio. I sampled two of their smooth coffees and found both to be palatable, but personally preferred the dark. They sell the beans and the ground fresh coffee.

Georgia's Texas Grassfed Beef was also here selling their Texas grass-fed beef which is totally natural in all respects. I was told that I had to experience it to know the difference. Maybe next time...

There was an Indian cuisine booth selling a variety of packaged foods. Some of their salsas really looked inviting. There was also an Arabic type food booth.

Muffins for sale

These muffins from Bluebird bakery were very popular today. There were very few left at 11AM.

The market is close to us here in The Woodlands and quite unique. People come from all around the area shopping for natural products. I encourage everyone to visit it at least once, to see and experience its value. At lunch I ate the vegetables I bought there an hour earlier; can't get it much fresher than that! The organizers expect the market to grow over the next few months to not only fill the empty booths of today, but develop another line of tents branching off from the current double-lined configuration.

Neal brings his farm to us. It is located on Gosling Rd. His story of how he keeps crops naturally free from chemicals and insecticides is quite interesting and practical. He is proud of what he has accomplished. I would be too if I were in his shoes! Sea salt is his answer to bugs and fertilizer.

Come out to see these folks at the Grogan's Mill Shopping Center on Grogan's Mill Rd at South Millbend. A list of current vendors and website links are found on the Grogan's Mill Village website at this location. Some vendors will accept credit cards, but I took cash to purchase what I found for myself.

Facebook Follows:
+ Grogans Mill Farmers Market
+ Bluebird Bakery
+ Nativa Soaps
+ Nishas Indian Food
+ Neals Berry Farm

October 2011 email to readers for list of recent articles

2011-09-29T11:11:00.000-05:00

During the period June through September 2011, the following Woodlands Commentary articles were published. We are in our third year of an extended drought which threatens our trees and will continue to stress our water supply. It is far from being over. Related articles from the past remain applicable and can be found using the search engine. This week I was on Channel 11 news, at the TV station's request, to describe the forest situation in The Woodlands and discuss tree watering techniques. See the first article below for a news story link and the story that triggered their interest.

01. Save our Trees

02. Hummingbirds again about to migrate

03. Eagles perpetuate their species -

04. Businesses at Kuykendahl and Flintridge -

05. Houston Grand Parkway goes to Development Status

06. Drought of 2011 - one to remember

07. September Storms - first of 2011 brewing -

08. Next-generation Government for The Woodlands - focus groups for gap analysis

09. Fall Flea Market in The Woodlands

10. Woodlands Parkway and Gosling intersection

11. Letting them go, loss of loved ones

12. Amazing Discovery in the Jungle, the Rainbow Toad

13. Watering Trees, especially during a drought

14. Drought Tolerance of Trees in The Woodlands

15. Texas Wildfire - Northeast Texas

16. Ponds under Stress

17. Forest under Stress

18. Wildfire in Dyer Mill, Texas

19. Museum hosts Kinderfest

20. Children's Fishing Tournament

21. Wildlife and Values of The Woodlands

This blog is provided as a service to The Woodlands residents and patrons of local businesses, connecting to amenities provided in and near The Woodlands. Please forward to anyone who might be interested. Every reader's view on any local matter is appreciated and considered for future articles. Help save out trees and forest!

To get on the email distribution, just send your email address to IndianSpringsGuy@sbcglobal.net

Save our trees - program by Texas Forest Service

2011-09-22T20:12:00.002-05:00

Many of the things I have been saying about watering trees in this drought are found in recently published documents on the Texas Forestry website, stated a bit differently and shortened to my explanations. It has been estimated that we will lose 66 million trees worth two hundred billion dollars in the Houston region this year alone. That is 10% of the total population of the region. Here in The Woodlands, where water runoff is managed, where the soil is sandier and elevated, and concrete is near many of the trees, this will be a larger percentage. The Woodlands is known for its enormous trees and dense forest from the lumber mining days. It is quickly disappearing and cannot be effectively reforested for decades. This potentially will significantly harm the economy of the area and value of private homes. Home owners have the responsibility to care for the trees as well as the government officials who are charged with safeguarding the community's investments and resources.

+ Texas Forest Service video - Water your Trees! How to care for drought-stricken trees.
+ Texas Forest Service downloadable document- T r ee Watering Tips: Caring for trees during extreme drought
+ Houston Chronicle article - Houston may lose 66 million trees this year. Or more. Save yours
+ Channel 11 News 09-25-2001 - Grassroots Effort to Save Our Trees in The Woodlands featuring the author of this commentary, Randy Scott.

Hummingbirds again about to migrate

2011-09-12T15:41:00.006-05:00

Bottlebrush provides a fine nectar

It is that time again as you probably have noticed, if you live in Southeast Texas. Hummingbirds are everywhere there are flowers. Yes, you are so right! Food is available only in cultivated areas, like gardens and homes. This is the reason I write this article. These birds need our help to get ready to migrate across the big pond. There is very little food available for them this year. So far, I have put out three feeders and plan to put out two more in my yard, spread out enough to allow "thieves" to get away with some. Yes, all food "belongs" to the resident bird of the area, which may include two neighbors' homes. Possession is the law with these birds. Territory is protected judiciously and ferociously.

Lickn her chops to get all the leftover nectar on her proboscis from the bush she just visited

Personally, I can be entertained for hours by these amazing creatures. The expend so much energy fighting each other, that in the end you wonder how they can possibly be storing up energy to ride the north winds to Central America and Mexico later this month.

Keeping cool in this heat is no easy task but time out for a rest!

This year, 5-8 birds are in my little plot here in The Woodlands. I expect even more in the days ahead. These are constantly bickering and fighting. They will fly within a few inches of my head or arm when I am watching them on the back deck. I can feel the air as one passes and hear them both and at times, four of five of them with their battle cries. I have been hoping to get a photo of two of them dueling face to face suspended by their wings in mid-air, chirping gallantly, hoping to run off the other. I have not managed that yet but came very close to capturing the scene this morning.

At times, everyone needs some rest and personal hygiene

Even so, the birds manage to get food and water. A splash of water with the sprinkler is received very enthusiastically. They love to get a drink off of leaves when a bush or tree is covered in water. They also love to take a bath in a very small water container. I use one that was designed for that purpose. It sits in a rod three feet tall that is in the ground under the trees.

From every angle, every drop is important

They are very nimble in their ability to reach difficult spots

What was that?!!! exclaims the Tufted Titmouse

Other birds and creatures don't seem much affected by this hullabaloo but watching close, there are cases where others are annoyed by the hummingbirds.

Hey you! Keep your act away from me! That is dangerous!!!!! This is MY space.

It was clear that this exchange of words was due in part from a flyby.

Hey bud! You can eat on your side. I am taking care of the ants on mine!

At the feeder, everyone gets a drink sooner or later. This lizard likes the idea of the ants on the feeder, but the birds could care less.

Man your battle stations!!

And there will be no peace!

Eagles perpetuate their species - a project for The Woodlands.

2011-08-25T01:00:00.006-05:00

Eagle of The Woodlands

Isn't it amazing that our national bird has almost totally recovered from near extinction? It was not long ago in my lifetime that they were endangered, because we used insecticides (DDT) to "nuke" bugs and everything else that got in the way of raising crops or children. Finally, in 1962, "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, a biologist, was published. It revealed the effect of DDT on our environment. "Nuking" our mosquitoes was causing mass murder to the hummingbird population. DDT-polluted water was destroying even our national bird, in addition to water fowl and fish. Butterflies and other insects such as Fireflies were obliterated by DDT. As part of the food chain, humans were also getting poisoned little by little by this nervous system drug. The revelation in 1962 of the grave consequences of this chemical on the earth took another ten years to effectively act upon. It was so heavily used in the 1950's that virtually every living species was affected, including the American Bald Eagle. The shell of it's egg became very thin in the presence of DDT, thereby getting crushed when the eagles sat on them.

Woodlands Eagle, one baby and nest

(click to see full size) The Eagles of The Woodlands have been producing two eaglets every year for the last ten years. I am not aware of one year where they failed to produce two babies. Eagles live to be 30+ years old in the wild, potentially parenting about 60 Eagles. Why would an Eagle pick The Woodlands to nest? It is far enough south to provide a warm but not hot nest in the winter. Of course, we also have the trees that can support a nest weighing up to two tons. These birds do nest in pines here, but they are not limited to Pine trees at all. The critical requirement is to be near water, because Eagles are fishing birds. The other requirements include trees that can hold a nest, which weights as much as a car, and enough space for the parents to hunt, fish and protect their young in reasonable solitude. Eagles can spot a fish at a very high altitude and can go totally unnoticed by a fish near the surface. Lake Woodlands and presumably the reservoir on Kuykendahl both support Bald Eagle nests. These birds also need hunting space and forested protection, so that the parents can oversee the nest and protect the young from man, varmints and other birds of prey. Vultures are constantly watched and attacked when they approach an Eagle's nest. I have seen them chase other raptors away.

Eaglet in The Woodlands

The Eagles talk in the forest. They makes sounds that are unique only to them and tell each other when there is danger, where they are and what they expect of their mate. What a fitting species for our national bird! Strength, agility, speed, flight and domain attributes, skill and cunning, perception and beauty. Are not you proud this is our national bird? I am! And it lives right here among our trees for half a year!

Bald Eagles are "bald" because they have white heads. This name apparently came from old grey haired men who identified baldness and white heads on humans as mature and cunning hunters. Anyone who has studied these birds are aware of their great hunting and fishing skills. I have watched them fish. With keen eyes and high speed flight, a fish will in one second be sun bathing and the next in the grip of Eagle claws. The Eagle Claw brand picked a suitable name for fishing hooks, because they are very effective! Fish are simply plucked out of the water with such skill, that you hardly see the water move except by movement of the fish. When an eaglet is trained to fish, he learns to do this by example. The adult will catch the fish and then after essentially disabling it, drop it with the eaglet following, which dives to pluck it up off the surface of the water. He is rewarded with a meal and the example and feel of the catch is set in his memory.

An Idea for The Woodlands Conservation of our National Bird

There are video cams in various places in the USA and Canada, where nests are monitored and live telecasts via internet occur. One can watch what occurs in an eagle nest and the process of caring for eaglets. A project to educate the public on the natural setting here is quite possible for The Woodlands, and little effort would not cost much money, but have high returns. The primary obstacle is the land use. My idea would be to have a video screen video on our waterway tourist boats to show the live broadcast and feeding stations of other wild animals in our forests. It would show our eagles live to visitors in the Spring and by recorded video at other times. Some creative thinking and ingenuity could leverage what we value and have here at our fingertips, and demonstrate that man and creature can co-exist, each in its unique habitat. To do that, we would need to change our collective attitude about wildlife here. These birds are an asset to us, but at risk to being displaced by development. We should be looking for help from conservationists in corporations or elsewhere to do this. It should be done now! Anyone want to help?

As I have suggested before, I firmly believe that we have a few strengths to competitively draw commerce and visitation, and little of it is in concrete and steel. What is made with concrete and steel can and will be replicated down the freeway or highway or on the other side of the city. Everyone with any business insight will tell you to build on strength, not on weakness. The strengths come from the forest, its inhabitants and the natural creeks that meander through our villages. That is basis of what we are, what we have been and hopefully what we will be in the future. We are part of the East Texas forest system. The Bald Eagle nest is one of those very things that make us unique, right in the middle of town! The birds need their privacy, but visitors on one of our boats could spot an eagle any time in the late winter or spring without disturbing its rituals of nesting. Have you ever ridden one of these boats? Did you feel like you were in nature? That is what I am talking about. The foundation of this place has always been the forest and nature. I keep it close to my heart every single day of my life.

Join me in pushing for nature conservation in Town Center!

Businesses at Kuykendahl and Flintridge - development anew

2011-07-31T16:59:00.004-05:00

After the removal of trees by the former owner of this property in The Woodlands Texas and subsequent withdrawal of plans due to bankruptcy, a new owner, Tom Pisuela has acquired the property and is planning to divide and construct four commercial properties on the site. He has prior commercial experience in The Woodlands, since he was the property developer of the medical facility at 9301 Pinecroft. A 20,000 sq ft medical office building is planned in the middle of the property, and two story facility toward the rear. Two independent one story businesses will be located on the Kuykendahl frontage. According to sources, there will be no connectivity for auto traffic or pedestrians to the Indian Springs Shopping Center which abuts to this property. The medical office building is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The other three commercial entities are in the sales phase. When all properties have been completed, there will be two parking entrances on Flintridge and one on Kuykendahl. There remains hope that a cut-through will be agreed upon later from the HEB parking lot, especially for the planned bank in order to lower traffic volume on Flintridge.

Houston Area Grand Parkway moves to Develop Status

2011-07-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

Recent decisions in June and July by Montgomery County and TXDOT have determined that the Montgomery County portion of the Grand Parkway (State Hwy 99) will be be built and operated as a toll road under the auspices of TXDOT. So the G and F-2 segments near The Woodlands officially moves into the execution phase of the approved plan, previously reviewed and adopted in the planning phase. The past few months have been a transition from planning to execution, as legal issues had to be resolved. Now since Montgomery County has rescinded its right to develop and operate the portion of the G (I-45 to I-59) segment within its territorial domain, it has cleared the way for full steam ahead development. The full completion of the parkway segments F-1, F-2, G is predicted to occur by the end of 2014. Segments E and I-2 are under development, and some portions are being prepared for operation, dependent also on the outcome of this RFI and RFP.

When completed, this four lane 70 mph toll road will provide a much needed means to quickly reach east and west portions of the greater Houston area without using north/south freeway systems. This alternative is expected to bring large commercial developments along the segment, significantly impacting the economy of the area. Some downsides include its close proximity to nearby schools in Northampton and loss of some structures and homes in its path. TXDOT has the means and commitment to mitigate noise, so it is my hope and expectation that the resultant deliverable will not affect classroom learning in Northampton.

During the construction phase, some roads will likely be inaccessible near construction, and traffic is expected to be rerouted. More details will be coming as they become available.

An RFI (Request for Information) was issued in early June in order to decide on which contractors will be chosen to submit a proposal. The RFI has been closed and the information has been submitted to TXDOT and is under review with one-on-one interviews. Requests for Information is preliminary to contracting and establishes materials required and a general knowledge interchange pertinent to the project. It helps develop the language and contractor selection criteria for the contract. We can expect an RFP (Request for Proposal) afterwards to select the general contractor(s) and operators.

References
+ Montgomery County Minute Order (PDF)
+ Grand Parkway Project by TXDOT (PDF)
+ Request for Information

Drought of 2011 - one to remember

2011-07-27T09:32:00.010-05:00

Park sign in The Woodlands

In all reality, the drought of 2011 in Southeast Texas has not ended, especially here in The Woodlands and westward. With temperatures in the 100s in much of the state, the threat of dangerous wildfire remains with us. "Extreme danger" is the highest threat issued in Texas. That level of threat means it is dangerous to light a fire of any sort outside. Just prior to July 4th, there were several huge wildfires raging in Texas. The reason that one of these is so hard to control is the state of the timber, the grass, the wind and temperature. I walked through the forest several times during the worst of the dryness in July. There were few to no butterflies in places where butterfly enthusiasts normally count the bugs for relative annual comparison studies. My friends and I all readily noticed what the forest was saying, long before an extreme danger alert had been posted. Butterflies are a very good measure of the health of the ecosystems and environment. The variety and number of butterflies are measured each year as benchmarks of ecosystem health. These "counts" are conducted at the same times and in the same ecosystems each year. This early summer, we had zero sightings in places we normally see many, and we had less diversity, although it has been amazing me that we generally see a fair diversity in some places, even in these tough times of drought.

We had a reminder just yesterday that the danger is far from being over, with a new wildfire nearby. Very little rain has fallen this year, and the lack thereof is in addition to last year's drought. Due to the lower volume of rain, the water table is diminishing in a similar way as the shorelines of our ponds are retreating. For the first year ever, turtles have been seeking places to lay eggs in our yard. They do not have their normal ecosystem in the park to support their eggs. Even if they did have a protected mud area, their young would not likely survive due to the lack of water vegetation along the shoreline. The fish population will also suffer severely, because fish fry do not have any place to hide from predators.

Inside the forest, where water has always been plentiful in creek beds and marshes, there is no water. Several creeks in the national forest were totally dried up in July. Therefore, many deer and other creatures are struggling to survive. Lack of food and water have surely diminished their numbers. We found a few pools of water and mud in just a few locations, giving us hope that we would have at least a fair survival rate in some areas. There were not many tracks at those locations though. Near Lake Conroe, there will be better survival stats, I am relatively sure. That lake has not suffered as bad as one might think, compared to the lakes of central Texas.

We are sure to remember this year as one of the driest ever, the worse drought in a century. We all have our fire departments to thank for reducing the risk of fire in our neighborhoods, by outlawing outdoor fires and July 4th fireworks this year. As Fire Chief Benson said, "we always have fires generated from our fireworks shows. There is no need (this year) to have buildings catch fire and costly damage because of our fireworks display." I hope my neighbors in The Woodlands are taking measures to trim back vegetation from their home and making sure the dried combustibles are removed. That is the responsibility of every resident in the community.

Here in the heart of The Woodlands, our drought is quite apparent. I along with several other amateur volunteers have rigorously been measuring the rainfall accumulation for years now. We have recorded rainfall to the nearest one-hundredth of an inch every day. Certain areas are naturally drier than others, but theoretically it all averages out over time, like the stock market. However, like the stock market in practice, it just doesn't work out exactly that way. The more measuring stations, the clearer the variations are. If we had a three or four inch rainfall over the entire area, then the severity of this drought would be called into question. Right now, I don't see how we can lower the signs.We are in a very severe drought.

For the first six months of 2011, we received a total of 8.45 inches in our Indian Springs neighborhood. The norm for our area for the first half of the year is about 24.5 inches. We had 16.5 inches last year in the same period during the 2010 drought. The Woodlands is very thirsty this year! Make sure you water your trees and foundation this year, especially if your home is situated on clays which shift and expand. Individual large trees can be watered with a helical soaking drip hose. In porous mulch or sandy dirt, water is not retained very well, so frequent hand watering or drip watering is the most effective means of maintaining sufficient water in the shallow soils of your annuals. Even native plants often require frequent watering in 100 degree heat. Some will wilt and that is OK, but if that condition is allowed to continue for long, native plants will dry out also and die. The term "withering away" is really applicable this summer. Remember that it is necessary to train plants to seek water with deep roots. Try to encourage plants to do so by watering deeply to reduce watering frequency where you are able to do so. Some trees have a defensive mechanism to protect itself from drought. The trees just withdraw their sap as if it is fall and can come back next year or even this year if we receive sufficient rain in the growing months of summer.

When searching for butterfly eggs on native plants, some butterfly enthusiasts have noted the lack of thereof on plants that normally are stripped of their leaves by caterpillars at this time of the year. This has been caused by two weather events - the drought and the extreme cold that reached deep into Mexico this past winter, killing many of the Monarchs and other migratory species.

Maybe we will receive a tropical system to turn this all around. I expect us to go to mandatory outdoor watering schedules very soon, despite the recent rains and the fact that we are operating a full well configuration this summer, pumping at near capacity. Maybe we will get a tropical system to dump a large volume of water to help us out.

ExxonMobil Announces Near Woodlands Location to Employees

2011-06-07T09:00:00.011-05:00

Exxonmobil Campus as depicted by an artist

Yesterday, ExxonMobil announced the consolidation of Houston area employees into a central campus of 385 acres just south of The Woodlands Texas. It is located at the intersection of Hardy Toll Road and I-45. As expected, their intention is to bring work teams together from multiple disciplines to improve their business through innovation and collaboration.

Low rise buildings with "green" technology

The location will provide very near access to three major traffic thoroughfares for commuters. Development in this area has been dramatically active. A nearby master planned community was recently announced for shopping and living, that will compete with the commercial and housing in The Woodlands and nearby areas. The Woodlands Development Company is challenged for finding better commute means for home owners where the new development will likely provide much easier access to new homes for ExxonMobil employees. Employees of ExxonMobil have already started to purchase homes in The Woodlands and the surrounding area, anticipating their future office consolidation. In the Village of Creekside Park, Gosling Road to the Grand Parkway will need to be widened in Harris County. Commercial development along Gosling to the parkway will be quite important. Visionary developers are likely looking and acting on this opportunity now.

ExxonMobil conducted a comprehensive real estate strategy study by a team of consultants and internal staff to determine the benefits and location of this new campus. Construction of the facility has been underway for months. "The campus will include multiple low-rise office buildings, laboratory, conference and training facilities, outdoor open spaces, several food venues and other employee amenities including child care, an on-site wellness center and various retail offerings." Employees will be looking forward to the forest setting, a pot-load of amenities on campus and modern technology throughout the campus. As would be expected, the upstream and chemical business lines will be the bulk of the first deployment to the campus. Additional business lines continue to be studied, notably downstream and its support functions. Financial and corporate services are likely to stay elsewhere, but ExxonMobil has left that open for the future as well.

The company has intentionally retained parts of the forest surrounding the campus to present itself as an environmentally conscious corporation. In its design strategy, it is also considering the wellness of its employees.

Full occupancy is anticipated by 2015, approximately the same time as the projected completion of the new northern segment of the greater Houston outer parkway, segment F-2 of the Grand Parkway. Occupancy should begin in 2014 with a methodical phased approach to relocate employees.

The area's economy will be boosted by this very major corporate commitment and will underscore the presence of a major Oil and Gas technology location worldwide. We can expect inflation of housing prices and continued economic and development growth in the future as demand continues to increase for housing and commercial goods and services.

Related articles:
(1) Commentary: Exxon Mobil Consolidation to have Main Campus here?
(2) Swamplot: Tour of the new Exxonmobil Campus

ExxonMobil Consolidation to have main campus here?

2011-05-15T08:40:00.003-05:00

For sometime now, there has been considerable speculation about ExxonMobil establishing their primary operations location by consolidating their people into one place. More efficiency in the heartland of oil and gas technology and services and at last, the final step of the merge between Exxon and Mobil is now thought to be underway. For a while, many included the corporate headquarters in Irving as part of the deal. That apparently is not going to happen. Officially, the company says it is studying the consolidation.¹ Evidence however suggests this has already been decided. ²

Whispers are just about everywhere. "Corporate staff have been house hunting in The Woodlands." "I sold four houses this past month to Exxonmobil employees." "Did you see the Google map where the new ExxonMobil office consolidation is going to be located?" Well, IndianSpringsGuy is definitely interested in this. He isn't the only one either. Its potential impact is huge! Gradually, little by little, Houston is surrounding us and absorbing us into its midst. Just think, 45 minutes from downtown Houston, and we still see its tentacles on our doorstep!

The preparation of a large tract is clearly seen on Google maps just west of I-45 and south of The Woodlands at Hardy Toll Rd. ³ Very near to this is an area planned for a large development including home sites - obviously competition for The Woodlands. What would the Woodlands Development company think of this? On one hand, there is a very large number of potential customers who could seek homes in the new village in Harris County. These employees would also be searching for places to shop. On the other hand, I would think the Development Company would also be concerned about being boxed away from the new facility, making a significant obstacle to attract employees who will work at that facility. Development of the commercial area in the Village of Creekside Park could be accelerated to accommodate a large influx of people, but would there be sufficient means to move traffic during rush hour?

Demand for housing could cause inflation of prices in The Woodlands. Those employees currently working at Greenspoint might want to stay but with the current price of gasoline, living close to the office is getting much more important. Traffic patterns could change at the intersection of the toll road and the freeway. A better traffic conduit from Creekside might need to be accelerated. I do understand that there is a plan on the books to cut through Sawdust Rd to I-45; this will consist of a four lane bridge over Spring Creek connected to High Oaks. I am am anticipating this development much earlier than the predicted 2023.⁴ The construction urgency of the Grand Parkway segment which will pass by the campus also increases with this. All of this could be in the planning stages now, but none of it can be revealed until ExxonMobil goes public with the decision. Consolidating a large number of employees into one complex has been done before by corporations - a tedious and complex process, requiring very disciplined project management. That includes confidentiality, even if it does mean speculation by us folks taking notice.

¹ Houston Chronicle May 12, 2011
² Swamplot May 05, 2011
³ Google map from satellite view
⁴ Mobility Plans for South Montgomery County

Wildlife and Values of The Woodlands

2011-05-08T13:09:00.004-05:00

Some people say trees are the most prized asset of The Woodlands Texas. What about the wildlife under the canopy of the trees? Slowly but surely, our wildlife is disappearing. Is it not an asset? If The Woodlands is to retain its value, in my opinion, the wildlife must remain. What is our strategy? I am guessing on this, because I have never heard any statement to the contrary. We have no strategy. We have icons to recognize the wildlife but why is the wildlife seemingly ignored in everything we do? We remove and displace the wildlife.

White Tail Deer in Village of Cochran's Crossing

Under the canopy of our forest once lived a multitude and variety of deer, opossum, coyote, tree rat, beaver, snake, lizards, turtles, birds, armadillo, raccoon, tortoise, butterfly, and I am sure a host of other creatures. Birds of prey such as the Bald Eagle still lives here, but its stay is likely imperiled by development. We have buzzards and hawks as well. The diversity was huge but is dropping as forests are displaced by homes and businesses - basically as the development company sells its assets.

Squirrels in Village of Indian Springs

Is our primary value system based on the dollar or on the quality of what we experience and see on a day-to-day basis? Maybe we are too focussed on the traditional concept of a community instead of what this community has always been designed to be. Tourism is now a big priority as part of our value system. That translates to the dollar being extremely important in our value system. I contend that the two (economics and our natural state) should be considered in tandem. As an example, it has been rumored that there is a second eagle's nest in The Woodlands, but that information comes from the development company. I have never seen it. What I truly know exists is an eagle's nest in the land that the development company plans to develop. That is under the radar of the development company now.

Skink in Village of Indian Springs

What are the opportunities in Town Center? If we want tourism in Town Center, why is not the development company trying to leverage our natural state? This is the age of ecological preservation. Right now Town Center offers nothing about The Woodlands ecology and everything about shopping and the traditional vision of economic development. Imagine! We have a Koi garden instead of a protected wildlife area in Town Center. We have had the key to The Woodlands right under the noses of the development company. Where is a vision of Town Center that integrates the existing values of the community into it? We could have deer on the shore of the lake, wild flowers and other creatures on the same shore. We could have a video of the eagle's nest on every boat in the waterway at a relatively low cost, one which emphasizes the beauty of The Woodlands, even showing a live CAM of the eagle's nest. Why isn't the development company being a part of the community instead of trying to make the community something it was never envisioned to be? Instead, we have introduced bars for night life here and crime. Surely we could have more creative goals than what we have. Don't you think?

Opossum in Village of Indian Springs

Who wants a community to talk about the way it was instead of the way it is? Let's get back into thinking we are a forest, not just a few trees with a little nightlife and valet parking. What are we offering that cannot be easily trumped by competitors? Water taxis? The Houston area will have alternatives in the future more attractive than ours. You can build them anywhere. Maybe the red riders on horses is the key. Maybe it makes it look like we are in Canada. I think not; they are there to make us be something we are not, a ploy for plastic tourism that is easily replicated elsewhere. Where is our future? Our uniqueness is the forest, but we are destroying it. Yet our leaders take us right into the foray of disaster. Leadership should be looking at potential competition and leveraging what we have, so we move forward, not what the development company envisions for us. Is it too late? Maybe, maybe not.

Bald Eagle in Town Center

It seems to me the opportunities are endless but gradually fading away. Is that the ultimate goal we seek to fulfill?

Why Peggy Hausman in 2011?

2011-04-29T12:00:00.228-05:00

The 2011 Woodlands Township in Montgomery County, Texas election of May 14th is to fill three director positions. Early voting occurs from May 2nd through May 10th at the community center next to the library at Grogans Mill /Lake Robbins across from HEB at Market Street. On election day, there will be fewer places to vote than last year. See the list and precincts at this link.

In this, the second election after the formation of the township, we have only one contested race, for position #6. What makes this race interesting is the attempt to oust one of the bulwarks of leadership within this community. We are today where we are, partially due to the contributions of our long time resident, Peggy Hausman. If you know me really well, you may be surprised that I am endorsing any candidate. I have never done that before, except for myself. But this contest is quite unusual, and I am going to tell you why there are residents strongly endorsing the re-election of Peggy Hausman to The Woodlands Board of Directors.

It is critical that you get out and vote for her! Don't be passive in this! The challenger, James Stilwell is out to get voters from the masses who may not even know the incumbent. This is another important term for The Woodlands. The Board of Directors will be working on governance in preparation to elect the preferred alternative for our "final" form of government. Peggy is the candidate who brings the values of The Woodlands to the table and will truly represent the views of the public. I am very confident that she will listen and dig into the governance alternatives and be actively involved in it throughout her term. The final form of government will have huge tax consequences. Every home owner should want to participate in the decision. Yes, she stands up for the residents and has done so for years. I certainly do not believe there is any hypocritical motivation or self gain in her work. She gives herself for the love of The Woodlands and the people who live here. She will not try to limit the options in decision making and edit out the alternatives to suit her own purpose, so that you have few or no alternatives. She is not very egotistical (everyone has an ego). She will try hard to let you decide, different than what I would expect from her challenger. She has a history of questioning the rationale of spending your money and looking for alternatives that are likely to be in your best interest. Believe me! It was not her fault that she had to vote contrary to the other directors in a few instances. She held her ground like she was supposed to do, representing us, instead of representing the other board members, the development company or any other special interest groups.

I have known Peggy for a long time now. Frankly, we need Peggy's prying questions in our government. Her opponent accuses her of voting against safety when her vote was "nay" to the fire stations proposal and one other proposal, but the propositions just were not right for approval at the time the Board voted. I don't say I agree with all of her votes and decisions, but I do seek directors who openly question the proposals without the bias of social pressure or political ties and will say "no". She is not a member of what is called by some, "the club". I happen to know that Peggy votes the way she chooses based on what she believes to be right or wrong, after conferring with residents and other contacts. Let's take some examples right from her opponent's platform - I was there for most of them. She speaks well enough for herself, but I will give a testimony of what I have seen and what I believe to be the benefits of electing her to represent residents. I will contrast the two persons running for this position and share with you thoughts of their differing backgrounds and approaches to governing and local politics. I will expound somewhat on three events related to the election that I have personally attended.

Peggy learns the facts, and if not satisfied with the due diligence, economics, probable conflict of interest, or benefits of a proposal, she has voted "nay". What she will do and how she will do it is a known to us. She picks her battles. For example, she might not have been happy with the taxis, but voted for the proposal for the taxis, because the proposal just might work for the benefit of the residents. What is really important in determining outcome is what the residents think and say. Residents get annoyed with spending money recklessly. They get more than annoyed when board members do not listen to their issues. Both candidates say they will listen, but performance is not based on saying so. It is based on doing. This is all about spending taxpayer money and protecting the values of the community. It has nothing to do with profession or technical capability. It has everything to do with the values on why we moved here. Not all residents prize these founding values of our community. Some are here for presence and status. Our assumption is that those who vote are interested in The Woodlands as it was designed to be, not what it has been changed to be. I hope you are reading this because you are looking to support this value system through your tax dollars. If you want to know what I believe to be the value system, perhaps the best place to look is at the articles I wrote on the three propositions. For many, The Woodlands has digressed into something much less desirable than earlier, yet they are willing to put up with some of it it to have lower taxes. There is no consensus on that however. Some people even believe we do not pay enough taxes for local government. It is debatable whether we will be able to sustain our current tax rate in the future. I hope we can for the sake of those on fixed and low incomes. Already the quality of life here has been compromised by crime, pollution and bulldozing of forest. I trust Peggy to ask the right questions and make the right decisions to preserve what we have now. I am personally hopeful that we will be able to keep our taxes in check but have a high quality life as well. Peggy falls in line with that ideal. But we have to deal with our issues, and we need help with that on the Board. The Town Center threatens us in that respect, but it also provides the revenue to keep our taxes under control. We need a person on the board sensitive to this and watching for all of our interests. That person is clearly Peggy. We don't need to fire her. Let's have a person who understands what quality means and has the insights and the fortitude to deal with issues so that every single taxpayer is able to have the same quality of life as our shared vision provides. Not one resident should be disappointed with life in our Woodlands.

Many of us are here for the trees, natural surroundings and the enjoyment of nature through The Woodlands amenities. Peggy has an appreciation of that although I feel it might fall slightly short of my own expectations. Some residents live here to be close to work. Some are here to live the rest of their lives. Some are here to live as they did as a child and as their parents did when they were raised here among the trees. This is not a community designed to be steel and concrete, but we accept some of it for convenience. I do not consider ourselves business-centric, but business-tolerant instead. Peggy had demonstrated the same to me. Many of us work outside of The Woodlands. It is based on the natural state of the East Texas woods.

Let's talk taxes for a moment. Peggy does not want to spend our dollars unless necessary. She does not want to put money into reserves needlessly. In the WCA, there was an excess of fund for reserves. Residents complained about that almost every year. She supports the concept of experts being contracted to study and quantify that reserve for adequately maintaining our hard assets (mostly parks and amenities), instead of Township staff defining it. Combined with her support for a study of how much police protection is actually needed here and her conviction that we need a homestead exemption for property owners, I believe her financial perspective is quite sound. She understand the low interest for bonds and how that spreads the cost of assets to homeowners over 20 years. She understands it all and is totally aboard the boat on our behalf. This is one of the most important election issues for us to understand as voters. I hope and perceive that the other two other incumbents in this election share that same view.

Crime and automobile traffic is attached to commercial presence. Issues with safety and unruliness is often attached to bars, alcohol and drugs. All of it has to be managed through law enforcement. Earlier this year, our bars had become a nuisance with drunkenness and fighting. It had gotten so bad that the Sheriff's officers were looking for small signs of drinking in the parking lots to try to expose DWI possibilities before a person even started driving their automobile. As an example, I was recently accused of being drunk when I walked through Town Center one evening and after I entered my automobile. Those who know me, know I may not even drink a beer for months, yet I was required to take a sobriety test. The reason? We have issues here. It was the relaxed way I walked! The officer said he knew drunkenness when he saw it! I learned at that moment that I had to stand up straight and walk like I was taking a sobriety test all the time to keep from being under suspicion of drunkenness. I could not relax in my walk in Town Center. It is a funny story now, and I tell it now and then just to underscore the need to not be over-policed, but at the time I did resent it. This is indicative of the magnitude of the issue faced by our law officers and the change from our quiet suburban existence in the forest to a somewhat wild and woolly commercial center on the outskirts of Houston. Peggy is tuned in to this issue. We need balance and a cautious approach to law enforcement. It is not about increasing numbers; it is about number and quality of policing. In a way, we avoided being part of Houston, so we brought part of it here. I admit that we are better off with a commercial center,yet we currently lack control of our own destiny. That has been in the hands of the developer all along. We cannot make the vision, they do. This may seem superfluous and not pertaining to the subject, but it is very pertinent. Stilwell has a history of service to the Chamber of Commerce and therefore ties to special interests in the Town Center. He also has ties to the developer as a contractor.

After two debates, I have discerned two very different people running for this director position. One is a lawyer who seeks to be a future leader of the community. He emphasizes his youth and potential for being a future leader. Would it be silly to keep the director who has the experience? Peggy Hausman's challenger, James Stilwell, has played in what I consider a relatively minor role in the decisions of the Township. Yes, Stilwell worked to prepare legal documents for the Township in its infant stages, but that was technical as a contracted lawyer. Yes, he supported the three propositions. I worked with him in that effort and was glad he helped. Peggy on the other hand was part of the communication team deployed to tell residents about the propositions in an unbiased manner without revealing her position. James has business ties to the development company which gives some people the suspicion that he has made a deal with that company. He does have some good notions on private enterprise vs government enterprise, as he has consistently reinforced. That I like about him, but so does Peggy. Both he and Peggy would likely deal with the ice rink in the same manner except in voting. We would not likely hear the arguments or the prying questions from Stilwell. James would likely vote for the ice rink as a business of our government, in order to vote with the others, but he may not like the approach. The destiny of the boats has been set by the board recently. He had no part in it that I know of. I am glad he has positioned himself against government enterprise, but quite frankly, I believe he would have voted for the taxis when the time time came to vote against them anyway. He has said he would vote with the rest of the board, not against them. Peggy has been involved in every facet of the township, in key leadership roles. She is motivated by fact, principle and progress for her constituents in every village in The Woodlands. She is always looking for a solution and is willing to fight for the right solution. That is indicative of a listener and a doer. Her values relate to her memory of The Woodlands in the past, as well as the present. She is a realist as she has totally adjusted to the current situation and weighs everything in context of what is needed now and for the future. In day-to-day life, Peggy usually responds to residents' issues quickly. I would expect Stilwell to be slower to act like the other directors who do not have sufficient time to do their homework or respond personally to resident issues. I recently asked for help for my neighbors in some noise issues. Peggy was the only board member to take any visible action. Can we afford to lose her? I think not.

Let's take the Indian Springs Fire Station as an example of the differences between the two candidates. Peggy's opponent accuses Peggy of voting against the two new fire stations and thereby against safety. What Peggy voted against was the priority order of the construction of the two new fire stations which was defined in the proposal. This assertion is a very obvious misunderstanding and totally incorrect. I did not agree with the motion either, and I can guarantee I would not have voted as the other directors did. I have pleaded for some time to build the Indian Springs station and build it first. I even raised the issue in the last year of the WCA before the merger. The board however voted to construct one in the Village of Creekside Park first, where there was a temporary station at the time. Fire response time in parts of Panther Creek (Peggy's village) and parts of Indian Springs (mine) was atrocious and still is not as we need it to be. When everyone was bragging about obtaining the level two ISO rating, in my neighborhood we were worried that we might never get to that level. Response for emergencies had been mediocre to poor for years. I count seven years at least in our effort to get a station built! That station I am told was in the master plan. It was in the WCA capital plan for five years that I am aware of. Peggy was very aware of all of this. The new fire station construction had been delayed a full year due to the formation of the township. The new fire station for Indian Springs is now nearing completion, not because the board had the foresight and understanding to do it right, and not because they had not acquiesced to the development company and fire department wishes. They just had no alternative but to change the priority, because the construction for the Village of Creekside Park station was not yet even feasible. Yes, the board had passed a measure to build a fire station in the new village before the one previously planned for Indian Springs, even though it was not feasible. Peggy clearly stated that she was not going to agree to the new village getting a station first, so she voted "nay" to the proposal. That was the correct, appropriate thing for her to do. Why did not the rest of the board do the same? It is my intuition that tells me the position of the development company was to attract buyers in the Village of Creekside Park. It was an idea sponsored by the development company but put on the shoulders of the fire department. That is my guess and others as well. As it turned out, the Creekside station plan ran into technical difficulty, so the station could not be constructed on the planned timeline. Therefore, the timeline was changed to build the Indian Springs station first. Personally, I was also unhappy with the original motion and thanked Peggy for casting her vote in protest. Was I against safety? Logic must rule in this. Peggy was very thankful that in the end that she was part of the right decision, but months later than it should have been had the correct station been put on the table for construction. Valuable and possible life threatening time had been lost for residents in Panther Creek and Indian Springs due to the lack of due diligence and rationale by the board. Peggy voted against the proposal for very obvious reasons, and I applaud her for doing that. Thanks Peggy! We need more independent questioning and practical decision making, not less. No one on the board spoke out for the station except Peggy, quite contrary to the claim by Stilwell. He would have voted FOR the proposal! He has made that very clear. Now her opponent is attempting to use her wisdom against her. Sorry to break the bubble, but she did the right thing. Good judgement must be a quality we look for in our directors. We seek our dollars spent appropriately with the urgency and priority that it direly deserves, where safety is first. The board's decision was not based on sound principles of safety, and Mr Stilwell still does not see the logic in it.

There are other cases where she voted against a proposal, and I admire her for doing so in most of those cases as well. There were reasons for each one. I did not necessarily agree with everything, but I wasn't on the board, she was. Why did the other board members vote for these proposals? I want to stop for a second and remind everyone that we have two other board members who also show independent thinking and vote "nay". They also offer alternatives that the other Board members often reject. I invite residents to watch or even attend some of the meetings of the board to see for yourselves.

Success is achieving quality through diversity. Why would we need a third lawyer on the board? We already have two! They happen to be the candidates unopposed in this election. So we would elect three lawyers to these positions in the same election? Quite frankly, I question the need for more than one. And that is based on the need for diversity of background and thought.

Look at the voting records. Check out Peggy's website and James' website. You will see a marked difference between the two candidates. One accuses; the other answers and defends. Rubber meets the road through experience, not through a rubber stamp. Peggy's opponent has established his strategy to go with the flow. Since we have open meetings to discuss the proposals and issues, one would expect the Board members to raise questions and issues, yet that modus operandi is not there. The opponent of Peggy has stated that he will vote with the other members of the board if elected.

I respect many of the board members, but I appreciate due diligence with my tax dollars and not routine acquiescence to the developer. Now I will reveal what I observed at the kickoff campaign of Peggy's opponent, James Stilwell and the two debates between him and Peggy.

At the campaign kickoff in the country club, two board members were present - Director Lloyd Matthews and Director Ed Robb, dressed in what I call Penguin outfits, in apparent support for James Stilwell, of course also dressed formally. When members of the board throw their weight into a campaign against a peer director, one knows that the politics of the election most likely trumps the principles of the campaign. Directors who support a candidate are probably trying to establish a network of consensus behind the scenes instead of transparent and open interaction for the public to see. That is always a red flag to me. Behind the scenes is often money, alliances, and communication. The guy on the street is not a part of that.

In this kickoff meeting, speaking on the behalf of Stilwell was the former development company appointed association director Joel Deretchin, who formerly presided over the western section of The Woodlands (TWA) as appointed by development company. I have always had considerable respect for him. He was a long time employee of the development company, retiring in 2010. He began his political speech by using a smear tactic aimed at Hausman's tenure in office. I could tell immediately that this was going to be a campaign not of what Stilwell can do for us, but would instead be a campaign against the actions of the incumbent. That would not be so bad except the testament was (to be nice about it) twisting the truth. Why was that necessary? It wasn't. It caused a negative reaction for me. What was said, in my opinion, can arguably be stated to violate the agreement Stilwell made with the Township to have a clean campaign. At first I was OK with it, because he can say anything in ignorance. But in the debates, Mr Stilwell maintained his campaign kickoff strategy despite Hausman's explanations and continued to attack Hausman for how she voted. He sent out a brochure in the mail, "I am running a positive grassroots campaign..." You probably received one. I have to disagree based on what I have witnessed and the tone of the kickoff campaign. That would be good and believable if I had not heard Deretchin's kickoff speech myself. Stilwell might have been able to win me over by an apology for misconstruing the facts and smearing his opponent. He did not. As nice a guy as he seems to be, the campaign in my opinion was started in bad taste, totally different than what I would have expected of him. A leader always establishes the tone, so afterwards, the talk around the tables followed that tone. The 40 or so people attending were anti-opponent instead of pro-candidate. We should not elect a director based on mis-perception of fact and a negative campaign. One must stand up for ones own convictions, not against ill-perceived opponent actions. We demand integrity and honesty in those we elect to office. Peggy lives that integrity.

I want to bring something to your attention, because no one else is likely to. In the campaign kickoff of Stilwell, one of the speakers stated that Peggy interrupts Township meetings and said that the staff of The Woodlands Service company can't get their jobs done because of the questions of Hausman. Imagine! I could not rest until I got an answer from the service company on that statement. I had to understand what is was that would make Deretchin make that statement. Yes, Hausman does seek information. Would not you if you were a director? I sure would. When you are a leader, you are accountable to the public for the outcome. If you have a questioning mind, you will ask questions. So I asked the president of the Township about Peggy's direct influence on preventing staff to perform their jobs. His answer was quite simple, generic and straight. Amazing to me, this was clearly and brashly waved in front of his constituents as fact. As stated by the president - "staff receives a number of contacts from Directors. In most cases these contacts represent residents who have contacted the Director because of a particular issue, a service need or simply seeking information. If these residents were not contacting Board members, they would typically be calling The Township offices or sending an email. These inquiries and service requests from residents, whether they come directly from the resident or through a Director, are not interruptions to staff but simply a part of our work day...". In my former days, I had a job to question project managers, turn over every leaf looking for gaps and holes. From that I gain an appreciation for what someone like Peggy does for us to improve the outcome and seek excellence in decisions.

Not everything was smear in his kickoff. A large part of the campaign kickoff was devoted to talking about the candidate. James had one of his supporters to present his background, and then Mr Stilwell presented his ideals and his strategy to show the differences between how Hausman voted and how he would have voted.

At the first debate sponsored by the local chapter of the Tea Party, the campaign strategy of Mr. Stilwell continued, but with much more caution. I heard the same arguments expressed in a more refined manner. I thought at the time, and concluded later that Stilman indirectly criticized the two other directors as well as Hausman when he criticized Hausman for voting against some of the proposals. Like I said earlier, she is not the only person who votes "nay". That would make a good story for later. Then again, some directors have never recently voted against a proposal, unless it came from one of "the three". You can view the voting history on Hausman's website.

Peggy is proud of her accomplishments, which includes the raising of a family in The Woodlands. Her opponent is in the midst of raising a family also. I would much prefer to have the broad experience of Peggy in office than an inexperienced person. She has served on about every Board and local governmental agency there is here. I do not believe the The Woodlands Board members have sufficient time to look at the details of the proposals and do not give the proposals sufficient independent thought. Peggy is an exception to to the rule. She is a home keeper and makes the time to work on Township issues. I have been to her home to observe what she does to prepare for a Board meeting. She takes that responsibility very serious. Her work is apparently not in collaboration with other Board members and should not be. That work should be done in public. If not, it is arguably not "open government". It defeats the purpose of openness and having a diverse board for quality decision making. I don't think residents want penguins with rubber stamps to be levying taxes and spending their money. Peggy finds the facts and makes her decisions based on her independent knowledge and research, using staff, friends and contacts.

In the second debate, sponsored by the League of Women's Voters, both candidates were drilled for their views. In a way, I felt sorry for them, because the other two director positions are uncontested and all the attention was focussed on these two people vying for this one position. Again, Stilwell answered some questions with an attack on Peggy's voting history. There weren't any more than 120 people attending, and there seemed to be that many questions. Let me share some of the statements I deemed noteworthy. My notes do not compare the two contenders directly. They are what I considered to be interesting excerpts in getting to know the candidates. I'll share the first five.

Intro: Peggy - "I believe in transparent government, and asking questions. I won't vote until I know the answer." James: "My wife is a United Methodist minister. We have lived here since 1995 in three villages."
Q1: What is your vision for The Woodlands in 20 years? Be specific. James: I will not support anything that threatens our being a part of Houston. I support what is always number one in value in the surveys - the natural environment, one of the most important things to preserve. Peggy: Steve Burkett expounded the vision long ago. The Woodlands will be the place where our children will opt to return to live and play. We will preserve what we have now.
Q2: Did you support all three bonds? Peggy: I was part of the Woodlands Decides Committee. I taught the public about all three. It was my job to educate the public and not convince them either way. James: Yes I did, unlike my opponent who did not support all of the bond proposals. I was in favor of them.
Q3: Should the two year tenure of the directors be different than today? James: I support a 2/2/3 instead. We will need to change the law to alter it. Peggy: I would go further. The at large election has some flaws. We need to extend the election to consider where the directors are seated.
Q4: Would you lower the tax rate or the amenities? Peggy: we need to accumulate reserves to protect our assets and operations. Your tax check will be higher next year (due to increased assessments). James: No, neither one. We appreciate the style of living we have here and the $86.7mm budget is sufficient to support it. The tax rate we can bear.
Q5: Where do you stand on the controversial improvement of the Grogan's Mill bridge? Is it appropriate for the Township to be spending money on it? James: It is not Township property, so your tax dollars can't be spent on it. Commissioner Chance says it is not in his jurisdiction either. Peggy: I agree. We need to find the owner, facilitate improvements and see to it that it is up to code.

Those were just the first five questions. I am not publishing everything, just too much, but want to give both candidates credit for their thoughtful responses. I noted 19 questions.
Closing: Peggy - Two promises: (1) No robo calls from me. (2) Before I vote, I will read, listen, and ask questions and watch your money like it is mine. James - I have presented a catalog of differences between us. Peggy was against the tax break for over-65. She voted against every proposed park. Instead of spending money earmarked for parks, she favored giving back WCA taxpayers money to WCA's residents in the last two years of the WCA's existence. I am a leader who will listen to you. I will fight for financial strength and for the high quality of life here. I am 40 years old and will be here in the future and do what's right.

The debates are ongoing in the websites of the two contenders for this position. James throws darts at Peggy in "Ask Peggy Why". I do not know James as well as I do Peggy, but I can attest to Peggy's unrelenting commitment to the community. We need her to remain there and lucky she is willing to serve. James is too much like the others on the board. Maybe in the future he will mellow out and run for a position based only on his commitment to the community instead of telling the public his twisted view of why Peggy did what she did or didn't do. I go with truth, sincerity, diverse thinking, and honor. That is what The Woodlands deserves for a leader. Please go vote and vote Peggy Hausman.

Resources:
+ James Stilwell election website
+ Peggy Hausman election website
+ Hausman, Stilwell receiving support in upcoming election (Villager)
+ Township election website

Grand Parkway takes significant step forward

2011-02-28T10:43:00.002-06:00

Segment F-2 of the Grand Parkway near The Woodlands Texas is moving on. On the 24th of February, the Parkway Commission was granted "Construct" authority to accelerate the completion of the Harris County segments of the parkway. Locally, we have interest in this segment that connects the North Freeway (I-45) to the Tomball Freeway (SH249). There will probably be some interest in the segment from I45 to US59 also.

This parkway will have highway speed design, not parkway speed design. The anticipated speed limit is 70 MPH. This will be a freeway with feeder roads in selected locations. There will be full interchanges built at I45 and SH249. The completion target date continues to be 2014. This is a huge $434.2mm project, likely to impact traffic flow in some areas during construction.

Additional definition of access:
"Grade separations with entrance and exit ramps will be built at the following roads: Gleannloch Forest
Drive/ Champion Forest Drive, FM 2920/Boudreaux Road, Spring Stuebner Road/Kuykendahl
Road, Gosling Road, and the future Sawmill Road. Grade separations without entrance/exit
ramps will be built at the following locations: Hufsmith Kohrville Road/Burlington Northern Santa
Fe Railroad (BNSFRR), Northcrest Road, Rothwood Road/Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), and
Mossy Oaks Road. An additional grade separation may be built over a future internal road within
the Lakes of Avalon Village subdivision (exact location will be determined during the final design
of the project in coordination with the City of Houston). Frontage roads will be limited to the
following locations: 1) extending from SH 249 to the future Boudreaux Road intersection; 2)
along the alignment of Boudreaux Road from the Gleannloch Forest Drive intersection to a point
immediately north of FM 2920; and 3) extending westward approximately one half mile from IH
45 to the future location of Sawmill Road." From U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration RECORD OF DECISION.

The parkway is to absorb the traffic growth of the next two decades. It is also to take traffic off of county roads and reduce traffic accidents on those roads. It will provide an alternative for The Woodlands residents who wish to access I45 or SH249. Commute times for some residents will be shortened, and Woodlands Parkway traffic volume should be reduced, especially for some of us living in the villages of Panther Creek, Indian Springs and Creekside Park.

This new freeway segment will be comprised of 627 acres. There will be a price beyond dollars. It will displace some homes currently in its path, move some fences and facilities and impact access to certain locations during construction. This freeway will be a Toll Road, so some residents will choose free public roads over this toll road, especially for short distances. Commuters in Harris County will likely use the road heavily.

As The Woodlands grows up to be whatever it will be, this will provide major traffic relief and access to and from our community. Traffic along Gosling south of Woodlands Parkway and along Kuykendahl south of Woodlands Parkway will no longer need to access SH2920 to the south or Woodlands Parkway to the north for regional transportation.

Segment Focus Area Fact Sheet link (click here)- there is an interesting map on this online document, the last proposal which was slightly altered before finalization. The preferred alternative was presented to the landowners and after hearings, some slight modifications were made to reduce cost and accommodate proposed changes.

Map of Parkway

Volunteers - their giving, their concerns and their rewards

2011-02-15T12:15:00.002-06:00

In any community, there are people who wish to give their time for their neighbors benefit. A volunteer is after all, part of a community with similar issues and concerns and often a similar value system. The community goes to church together; they shop together; they walk and exercise together. In The Woodlands Texas, we are in the midst of an election to select individuals to volunteer positions, neighbors who we want to lead in community activities, to protect our home investment and to make our home environment as pleasant as feasible. Some of the positions are for one year; others are for two.

Those of us who give our time, we want to be appreciated. The giving is one thing, the appreciation for it another. When I started giving my time to the community, I was simply amazed how the community supported their volunteers. There were group activities where you worked side by side with others in The Woodlands and socialized with them a little as you worked for the cause at hand. What was really tremendous was the social party at the end of the year. There would be dinner, volunteer awards, association staff awards, remembrances and celebration of the year's accomplishments, a memory keepsake for each volunteer and wife, and dancing. I remember meeting many of the leaders in the community right there, eating dinner with them and their spouses, talking to them over a glass of wine and d'oeuvres before the event. The first year of the Township brought a huge change to how the volunteers were treated. Instead of the celebration and the social mix, we had a hand shaking and hugs from the Township Board of Directors. Thanks was expressed this year by word from the Chairman of the board, a gift and a photo. This year we also find ourselves one major community event shorter than before. We will not have an Earth Day. I hope this is not setting a trend for the future. Already, in one year, two community values have been compromised.

So what happened? The board decided to find a cheap way to tell the volunteers thank you. Simple as that. I can tell you from my point of view that my wife did not appreciate being ignored. The wisdom and learning of the past has been thrown out the door. In comes with the new order. Forget the past and our heritage. Let's start all over, because after all, the Woodlands Association is no more. What wisdom could there possibly have been in the leaders of the past anyway? We will all see our values compromised until we get people into office who seek opinion, bounce ideas off others and in general, not be so business-centric.

Although I don't want to be overly negative or be unappreciative for what the board did, quite frankly, they spent millions of dollars on things we don't need and did not spend it on what really matters - the community. Will the lack of social interaction for volunteers impact what gets done here? It certainly will. We have enough problems with getting people out to vote and to care about our community without the Township Board putting a lid on it. To me this was a disaster. The first year of the Township, and we get a significant error in the handling of our volunteers.

To make it worse, as a volunteer, I expressed my regret of this to a board member. I simply said "I did not like the new way. I much preferred the old way of showing appreciation." The response? "What's wrong Randy, you don't like change, do you?" My response was simple enough. Of course I like change, but I don't like changing something that is great into something that is awful. How can a Director of the government of The Woodlands make such a comment in a public meeting? It would be good if the Board of Directors give thought into what they change and ask questions. I learned long ago, as a project manager, that stakeholders are the first to be asked in any change affecting them. Were you asked? I wasn't, just like I was not asked about any decision this year. I suspect you weren't either!

Something is wrong here. I will let you think about it and maybe you want to comment on it here. I have given a great deal of thought to what this board has done and not done, what their skills are and what their skills are not. They have made positive strides, but they have also made some serious blunders. We have an election coming up. It is time to reflect on the first year, where we are, where we are going and what skills are needed on the board.

It is also time right now to vote for volunteer leaders for the villages. I encourage you to participate on the RDRCs and on the boards of the villages. If you can't, please support those who are willing to work for you. Vote for them. These people are the grass roots, from which ideas grow and social interaction brings people together for the good of the community. It is easy to vote; it takes about three minutes to do during convenient voting this week. Details are found on the Township website (click here). The location is the Woodlands Township Service Center on Lake Woodlands Drive across from the Methodist Church, just west of Market Street and HEB.

Yes, I am running for a position - President of Indian Springs Village. But like I have been saying, this is not about me, it is about your community. Please be a part of it and help in any way you can. It is important who we put into office!

Texas Legislation for Pets in 2011

2011-01-18T12:54:00.012-06:00

Skip Trimble, THLN

The Houston area has a huge overpopulation of dogs and cats. That includes counties adjacent to Harris County in Southeast Texas, such as Montgomery County. There are several bills being proposed in the 2011 82nd Texas legislative session. We focus on two of them here that are sponsored by the Texas Humane Legislative Network (THLN), a lobby based in Dallas working on behalf of animal advocates in Texas. Skip Trimble from THLN was here in The Woodlands to discuss what to expect to see proposed this legislative session for improving the conditions of domestic animals and reduce their overpopulation.

Natalie Johnson - volunteer welcoming members and guests

The Woodlands Dog Park Club hosted the presentation and discussion. Both bills are preventative in nature and designed to strengthen existing animal cruelty laws. The Woodlands Commentary supports these two bills and will follow them through the 82nd legislative process during the next 5 1/2 months.

License large scale breeders! - this law is commonly known as the Puppy Mill law but is being formally called the "Large Scale Commercial Breeder Bill". (This applies to the volume of breeders, not the size of breeder dogs.) It has no application to retail sales or kennels unless they are also the breeders of the animals they sell. It does ensure that any breeder having more than 10 breeding females, irrespective of size or breed, (and selling their offspring) be required to license their wholesale business. Breeding for profit is considered a root cause for cruelty to animals, thus a law is proposed to regulate the large commercial establishments, to protect the animals being used for breeding. In many establishments ("mills"), the animals are confined to cages and do not live a life with a human companion. It is these conditions under which they live that is the cause for concern and inspection. Those of us who have been regulated by the Texas Licensing understand the Licensing Commission's process and the expectations of the commission to protect the public, in this case the domestic animal population within "puppy mills". This law is also designed to address the conditions of animals raised for fighting. There are approximately 91 such breeders known to sell domestic animals in Texas. The intent from inspection is that the puppy mills should be clean; the animals must be provided exercise opportunities, fed and watered adequately, properly handled, immunized against disease, and in general, be treated humanely instead of simply a commodity. The cost of enforcement will be self-funded, in the same way as other inspections in other industries, e.g., nail salons or beauticians. Texas ranks low in legal protection for animals. This needs to be fixed. The situation is very embarrassing, especially to a native Texan like myself!
Protect animals seized in cruelty cases!- there is a need to clarify the legal processes and tighten the law to minimize the suffering of animals seized using existing laws. We must have up-front and adequate security for the cost of appealing the removal of the ownership of animals which have been mistreated. This is brought about by a slow appellate process in our court system. A surety bond is needed to cover the cost of the care of animals during the appellate process. This is known as the "Clarify Appellate Procedures in Cases Involving Seizure of Cruelly Treated Animals".

Everything here is focussed on the health of animals. Yes, we have laws against cruelty, but they constantly need review for effectiveness and to determine if there are unwanted loopholes. We want laws that prevent as much as practical, the harming of animals, similar to those protecting the health of humans, not waiting to slap the hands of the offenders, but imposing consequences for not treating animals humanely. Man must protect the handling of wild and domestic life found upon this earth. In Texas, the THLN seeks exactly that in our state. There may be no other planet in the universe that supports life. We have been blessed with creatures who love and trust us as much as we should love and trust them.

The Commentary will explore the related issues and facts in subsequent articles. In the meantime, I encourage you to help the THLN in any way you can. They need support when the bills make it to a vote by the committees and on the floor of the two houses. They need local lobbying from grass root constituents and they need financial support. It costs a lot of money to contract lobbyists and push bills through the incredible process maze of our legislature. Legislators are being confronted now with many legislative bills. They are prioritizing their agendas and trading for favors. The time is now! In June, it will be all over again until the next session in two years. THLN has been successful in the past with several projects including the license plate labeled "Animal Friendly" which has provided funding for neutering 800,000 animals in this state. When you see a license plate with this inscription, it signifies the car owner contributed $22 to the low cost neutering grant program.

Please support these bills, especially the puppy mill bill by letting your legislative representatives understand your concern and your desire to protect dogs and cats (and other animals) from abuse.

Legislative contacts for The Woodlands:
Texas House Representative, District 15 Rob Eisler Official Government webpage
Texas Senate Representative, District 4 Tommy Williams Official Government webpage

Since parts of The Woodlands lie outside the districts above, here is a handy website to determine who your representatives are and in what district you reside

Waterway Taxis - issuing an RFI for business operation

2011-01-14T12:11:00.001-06:00

The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) was challenged last year with the responsibility to make the expensive water cruisers cost-effective for The Woodlands taxpayers. Today the CVB announced that the bureau is now accepting business proposals for their use as catered meal vessels on the 1.5 mile waterway. In the proposal, there is room for a variety of related business models including multiple business establishments overseen by an umbrella business. This could be an exciting time for our community if we can find creative thinking in the catering industry to build a profitable business with them, a possible win/win for residents and businesses alike. This initiative is aimed to provide a revenue source to offset expenses of the boats' maintenance and operation. An RFI (Request for Interest) has been issued for sponsorship of all six cruisers including name and advertising.

The scenario is that three of the boats will continue to be used for waterway transportation, principally tourist rides. The other three will be used to provide catered meal services, part of the original vision for these water taxis. Currently, two of the boats are equipped with tables and one is not, of the three to be used for catered services. Twenty people can be seated in each of the two boats with tables and 80 can be seated in the third without tables. The boats will be ready for operation about April of this year after refurbishment, scheduled to begin very soon.

Any business venture interested in this opportunity can contact the Woodlands CVB. Please refer to the link below for additional details and contacts.

The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau

Woodlands Village Associations and Design Review Committees

2011-01-14T09:39:00.001-06:00

The 2011 election for The Woodlands villages are upon us. We are nearing the deadline for volunteers which make this community so great. I am noticing a waning energy among those I know who volunteer their time for the community. We can influence what happens and how it happens by being engaged in the activities of the villages. I made a stand initially for the continuance and even integration of the village associations with the Township, because I could see that the heart and soul of The Woodlands was there. I am seeing more and more complacency and disinterest in the community. Please volunteer and come out to vote for those who you wish to be working for your village. If the volunteers detect a lack of interest, they are less likely to work for you. The deadline for submitting your name for one of the positions in your village is Thursday January 20th at 5PM. Filing forms and instructions can be found on the township website. The election begins February 14th and ends Feb 19th at 6PM at the Township Service Center on Lake Woodlands Dr.

Township website - Election information

Texas Top Dog - Texans vs Cowboys 2010

2010-09-27T15:54:00.009-05:00

If the Cowboys are America's Team, consider me canadian

The Houston Texans gave the Dallas Cowboys a football scare this year, enough so as to flood I-45 with incoming traffic early Sunday morning and then late when Dallas headed back home. The northern invaders headed for the Tailgate parties at Reliant Stadium at the break of dawn. This year, the Texas I-45 champions were not who we had hoped them to be. Yes, those of us living in The Woodlands had to drive amongst those blue shirts as they fluttered their flags outside of their fluttering truck windows, with BBQ pits in back and plenty of beer in the ice chests. It was an invasion! Not every fan liked the idea. Yep! It was time for the national championship! And if you are thinking USA national championship, you aint Texan!

War it is! I am the 12th man! Dallas fans will soon see!!

The Texans are well known for their tailgate parties. The spirit and pride of this year's Texans accomplishments so early are at the forefront now as the season begins to move seriously ahead. So Dallas came here to check us out and participate with us in tailgating. One fellow told me he left Dallas at 3AM. Now his mission was to show off their tailgating skills. Say what? Some say these folks got kicked out of Dallas and were told never to come back if they didn't get the win. Now you can figure out the rest.

Wimps paint faces, warriors win wars

Hahahaha.... responds this Dallas fan. Say what? You're not so big as ya think. Check the map. Dallas IS part of Texas! No painted wimp lady is going scare us! When was the last time YOU were called the national football team anyway?

Ok, this young Texans fan was not exactly thrilled about this guy putting it that way, but he just laughed it off. All were jesting in a very fun filled beautiful afternoon at Reliant Stadium.

We promise - love is why we do this

Truth is, we love each other. We may bash each others faces inside the stadium, but it all boils down to love in our state. Who loves the other the most? Isn't that the true contest? What you say??? Don't nobody fool ya! When ya hear someone growling, he's about to bite, not love ya. Don't stick your fingers in his mouth or you'll bring nubs right back out.

Dallas does it this way

I want to demonstrate the way you throw a pass, Dallas style. They work hard teaching us this, so don't laugh. Plunk!

...I promise, we didn't laugh. We just asked a couple of questions: (1) Do they teach ya to throw the ball down or up? I'm sorta guessing, but don't want to offend ya until we get inside the stadium. (2) Is the beer making you do that or did they teach ya to throw only with the fingers? OK, good job.... considering. Well,we were just wondering ... didn't mean to be mean about it! After all, that Dallas guy down there said we were wimps for painting our faces, but I didn't call YOU nothing!

(An oops!) ... response: You got me wrong mister. I am Texan through and through. This is just my demo of the Dallas QB - you know, what's his name again? Seems like no one can ever remember it. ... OK sweetie, Gotcha. I'm hav'n the same problem. It just seems that almost everybody here is a Dallas fan. It was gett'n to me. You go route for our team and keep that demo going!

Watch out behind you linebacker!

Hey look this way at me! I got a million dollar deal going here on this phone but gonna stop and tell you Texans what I think about all this. You are doomed. We got your number! Say what? ...Yeah buddy, you sure are. You must be a Dallas LINEBACKER cause there's a ball coming your way behind ya and you have no idea where it is! Glad you are using a Miller Light chiller for your beer since it says "Texans" on it. Good advertisement for our team though. Is that the number you are talking about? I'd get back to your deal if I were you. Chances are, it will be the only good thing to happen to you today.

Let me tell you a secret

Tell ya what, since you look like such a good guy with that blue shirt on, I will tell you a little secret to save you from doing something you might regret later. We Texans paint our faces because we are warriors. It just makes our team raging mad when you make fun of 'em. Now one of your buddies is in our camp back there telling folks that those who paint their faces are wimps. I'm about to tell our front defensive line about it. They eat raw meat when they hear stories like that. Personally, I can't tell if the meat is from some wild animal or what. I'll just point you out to them when you enter the stadium if you want to insult me. Think about it.

Seriously mister, you think we will be in trouble in any way whatsoever if the game goes one way or the other? ... Sweethearts, I can certainly see your point. I think we will just move on and give that one to you! By the way, good luck (as if YOU need it). Hot!

Well I thought war paint would be a good idea - not wimpy!

So yours truly decided to get his face done up. Yep. Give me my war paint! I have to say it didn't seem to be getting started very well, a glob here and a glob there, but I ended all painted up and on scoreboard TV during the game. I scared them out of their chairs! That's probably why they won the game! Anybody get a photo of me in war paint? I don't think I want to show it off, because I 'm afraid the other teams we face may win just seeing it! Thanks anyway Miss makeup artist! Go Texans!! Hope to see your painted face on the TV screen next game. Come see me at the next tailgating party.

Footnote: there are several people looking for their photographs to show up here. There are more stories coming in the next few days. You will be here, even if you are a Dallas fan!

Woodlands folks - just next door to our hometown is a whole lot of weekend fun. There is just nothing to compare to a professional football experience with tailgating. I am sharing some of these experiences. All 90,000 of us cannot fit into the stadium though.

Also see related game photo articles:
Memorable faces in the crowd
Fans at the Tailgate Party

Indian Springs Firestation #8 Ground Breaking

2010-09-20T13:16:00.004-05:00

Click on photo to see everyone participating

The customary ground breaking ceremony occurred today for The Woodlands Fire Department in Montgomery County Texas at the new location on Gosling Road. Although not the first real movement of dirt, it was nonetheless, very important to residents of Indian Springs, Panther Creek and the Village of Creekside Park. The Woodlands Development Company, Township directors, Woodlands Fire Department, Woodlands Association (past), Joiner Partnerships (design) and Teal Construction were represented to toss the first shovel of dirt. In approximately 10 months, the first response to an emergency call will be deployed from this station.

Site as viewed from Gosling

Cost for design was about $400,000 and for construction will be approximately $2.3 million. Depending on the weather, availability of materials, etc, we should see the station fully functional in July of 2011, providing emergency fire fighting and EMS services. There will be three bays, one with a ladder truck, one with an pump truck and the other with an EMS vehicle. This will be a conventional 24/7 operation from a location where the department will provide a 5-minute average emergency response to residents and businesses in the three closest villages - Panther Creek, Village of Creekside Village and Indian Springs Village. Currently parts of Indian Springs and Panther Creek have an 8-minute average response. Five minutes is The Woodlands standard.

Fire Chief Benson explaining the traffic light to the media

To meet that objective, the traffic light at Gosling and Flintridge is one of our challenges. It is not expected to be a problem, says Fire Chief Alan Benson. The light will be equipped with a green light emergency switch that is activated by the truck to clear the needed lanes of congestion. There are four lanes at the light for north/southbound traffic. According to the chief, that combination should clear the traffic even at peak traffic hours in the evening.

Township Director Chair Bruce Tough explaining people roles

Traffic on Gosling in the morning underscoring the sound and congestion issues that lie ahead

An interesting consequence of building this new station is the entrance issue. The pathway joining Indian Springs, Panther Creek and Creekside has not been opened yet. Construction of the fire station will apparently preempt its opening. The pathway to the bridge over the creek on Gosling is needed for safety as soon as possible, especially for biking purposes. For noise, there is a great deal of timber left all around the station that is mostly evergreen. However in one area, when the leaves fall, the quiet of the still cold air will be interrupted by the noise of traffic and some noise from the station itself when there are emergencies. At one point in the ceremony, a diesel truck passed by, completely drowning out the speaker.

Oil Cleanup at Gulf Islands National Seashore

2010-08-22T08:00:00.020-05:00

When in Florida a few days ago, I was privileged to visit with various personnel on the cleanup work crews, park rangers and the temporary resource adviser for the Gulf Islands National Seashore park in Florida. All had stories to tell, so I thought I would share some of them with my readers.

The first thing I noticed when I got to the beach was the lack of people. There was not one person on the beach. The park has one public beach with a lifeguard. The one thing to see beyond wildlife and the park was one work crew cleaning the beach of tar. My first thought - oh no! This IS a disaster. No one can swim. On this day, the water was super calm and safe, so I knew it was not the water conditions keeping people away.

This lifeguard showed up shortly after we arrived. It was going to be a long day for him. He said he hoped someone would come swimming later in the day. As the day unfolded however, I doubt anyone ever showed up, because rain pelted the area late in the day. It is the perception of the public he said. They think the beach is covered in oil. Not!

I went to look closely at the beach and wade in it. I saw very small globs of tar, loosely compacted balls of brownish material about the size of a nickel or quarter. I picked a piece up in my hand and noted that is did not even leave tar on my hand. I stepped on it and it did not stick to my shoes. So I asked myself, why would anyone not be going to the beach when the beach is so very beautiful and the presence of tar is non-threatening? I have had to clean tar off my skin before many times in South Padre. What is all this concern about anyway?

I can certainly attest to the fact that the Sandpipers were there enjoying the beach. So were the gulls! The shoreline was clean and the water left no marks on a person's skin. Conditions were near perfect.

So I went to talk to the work crew. Each crew is super cautious. I talked to the foreman who was very willing to do some PR work. He said that they were pulling tar about 18 inches under the surface. A storm had come through after tar had been first deposited on the beach. Now the tar is about 18 inches under the surface. This sand is very fine and drifts rapidly. Therefore, the storm moved a lot of it over the tar. It will take years to clean up the mess, says the crew supervisor.

In the heat of the day, workers are given very large rest periods. For each 10 minutes of manual work, the worker must rest 50 minutes. They are signaled to do so by a black flag. Yes, you heard me right. 1/6 time working, 5/6 time resting in extreme heat. So it looks like the crew is doing practically nothing. When I was there, the black flag was not blowing, meaning that the crew was to work normal breaks. I have to admit, I do not know what normal is for them.

Each team consists of a digger and an extractor. It has a bucket in which the tar is deposited. On this occasion, the day was still early and not much tar had been collected. The team was working in an area containing small amounts of tar.

There were some fairly large pieces of tar in the bucket. The supervisor told me sometimes the globs are 1 1/2 inches thick and fill the buckets quickly. Not on this day however.

The supervisor also wanted to show me the dirt moving equipment that they must use in some areas.

There is constant monitoring of the seashore and waters offshore to determine if any new oil is threatening the shoreline. Currents are ever changing and on this day were fairly strong due to an offshore tropical depression out in the gulf.

In the presence of the supervisor, I picked up another ball of tar, asking about its content and its size relative to what has been recently observed. He told me I had just picked up a ball of toxic material. Workers are very sensitive to the possibility of its toxicity. I've worked in the oil industry for 35 years and was in no way afraid to pick one of these up with my bare hands. I told him just that. Toxicity is a legal issue, not reality, but I refrained from engaging with him further on that subject.

Small fish are doing well and the gulls are feasting on them. Everything is in its rightful place. Wildlife is not suffering at all on the shore. Notice the gull's threatening eyes. I laughed when I saw this incident.

In the background, the resource adviser is taking notes for conditions at each location in the park, looking for changes that might indicate a threat to the park's resources. Flags indicate areas that work crews can or cannot use. These mark a vehicle path for cleanup crews only. It is important to protect all the vegetation resources as well as the creatures. Oil is not the only threat to the park's resources. At this time of the year, the Sea Oats and grasses keep the dunes in place in the windy storms that frequent the area. Conservation includes snakes, coons, trees grass and wild flowers. Life in this park is very diverse. This particular park is blessed with an amazing variety of wildlife and vegetation. I was amazed how many oaks there are on the southern side of the island- primarily due to the forestation efforts of the Spaniards. Fort Pickens is located here in the national seashore. This is a great place to visit. Oil on the beaches? Now you know the rest of the story...

The beach the following day ... no tar balls being washed up on that day either although the surf was high, currents strong and tide was up. Isn't it inviting? So where are the people?