Magnolia residents get relief from water rates
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
The City of Magnolia staff and council were pleased with
the results of the first of several water rate audits to
come, which will provide city residents with lower base
rates and adjusted meter charges. The results came during
the Nov. 14 meeting of the council.
City Manager Roger Carlisle
Ordinance 2006-102 was approved in response to a barrage
of complaints and petitions resulting from the
dissatisfaction of residents with the water rates imposed by
the city in May, rates the city says were necessary to
acquire revenue bonds for water and sewer system upgrades.
The ordinance changes the definition of multi-family
rental communities, including apartment complexes, from
commercial to residential. Additionally, it makes provision
for residential and commercial multiple unit rates inside
and outside the city limits.
What does this mean for Magnolia residents?
The rates did not change, but with the change in
definition for multi-family dwellings, lower income housing,
and apartment complexes will see a drop in their meter base
rate to the 1-inch base rate of $27 and commercial multiple
users will see a 1-inch base rate of $45.
“August is one of our higher usage months and we were
able to base our income off this number,” said City Manager
Roger Carlisle. “We are going to look at this again in four
months, after the colder months with less usage.”
Carlisle reflected on the new lower rates in retrospect
to the city’s position a year ago.
“Look at the condition we were in. The two pumps were in
the bottom of the well. July 4 was a long day, one I will
never forget,” he said. The ordinance will make some
adjustments to multi-user apartment complexes and
residential users with commercial users in the city going to
1-inch meters, he said. Another audit is scheduled for
February, said Carlisle.
Council also addressed garbage services for city
residents relative to the city’s contract with McDaniel
Garbage Service. In discussion, council members reviewed
city Ordinance 2006-088, which provides that every
residential unit shall be required to use the city’s
collection service, allowing for no burning of trash in the
city limits.
City Attorney Leonard Schneider advised council members
that if the contract with McDaniel provides for service to
all residential units, a potential breach of contract could
exist.
Assistant to the City Manager Erick Edwards was requested
by council to draft an amendment to the ordinance exempting
multi-family dwellings and allowing for the use of
dumpsters.
Councilman Dave Sutherland requested a review of
Ordinance 292, which provides for residential units to
contract dumpster service. However, in accordance with
McDaniel’s contract, Mayor Jimmy Thornton requested billing
at a single-family rate of $19 for dwellings currently under
alternate contracts for a dumpster service.
Pinehurst couple hoping to make a difference through
adoptions
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
When Ed Paul and his wife, Nancy, retired several years
ago, they both spoke of wanting to make a difference in the
world, a difference that would “last an eternity.”
Ed and Nancy Paul of Pinehurst have adopted (from left to
right) Isiah, Matthew Walter, Thomas, Jacob and Caleb
Ed had just taken early retirement from Shell Oil and
Nancy was winding down her career as a youth pastor at a
large church in Houston.
Their three children were grown and had moved out of the
house, but the couple knew their job as parents was not
over.
Beginning in January of 2003, the Pauls undertook a
responsibility that would no doubt secure their quest of an
eternal difference.
Over a span of two years, the Pauls adopted five boys,
all blood related brothers, and brought them into their
Pinehurst home where they are currently raising them.
All five of the boys, Walter, 8, Tommy, 6, Jacob, 5,
Caleb, 3, and Isiah, 2, were originally more than the Pauls
had bargained for.
Through their work in churches and the community, Ed and
Nancy had always had an open door policy for those in need,
especially children. It was not uncommon for a homeless
person or others in need to spend time at their home.
About four years ago, the couple took over foster care of
Caleb, then a newborn.
“We only had him a few days when we knew he was going to
be our child,” Ed said.
They almost instantly grew attached to Caleb and realized
adoption was a natural way for them to make a difference.
“We found a way to merge our interest,” Ed said. “We
spent a lot of time in a church setting working in the
really poor areas with kids and we discovered that when they
had to go back to really bad environments, that their
success rate was very low.”
During the adoption process, Ed and Nancy met with
Caleb’s birth mother every two weeks. The mother still had
parental rights over Caleb and her other three sons at the
time.
The meetings also allowed the Pauls to get to know
Walter, Tommy and Jacob.
“We very quickly fell in love with all of them,” Ed said.
The Pauls formally adopted Caleb, then another of the
brothers a few months later.
A short time later, the mother gave birth to another son.
She later lost her parental rights and the Pauls were ready
to adopt all of the brothers.
“It is chaotic,” Ed said. “But we’ve raised three
children before so we knew what to expect.”
Raising five young boys is a challenge, he said, but one
he and his wife yearned for.
“We accomplished things through work, but we accomplished
things that may not have any meaning whatsoever 20 years
from now,” he said. “I think we are doing something that
will last an eternity.”
Establishing a legacy was something he and his wife
discussed at great length following their retirement.
“Nancy and I both had a very strong desire to know that
when we left this life we will have accomplished something
with real meaning and real value,” Ed said. “This has given
us the vehicle to do that.”
He believes that the boys were in an unhealthy and
extremely risky environment prior to their adoption and
“would not be taken care of at all.”
Working with the boys and helping them adapt to a more
stable environment was initially a challenge for the couple.
“Children often come into a home having been moved around
a lot and not having anything that they can count on,” Ed
noted. “At first it was just trying to keep order.”
Among the trials for the couple has been working to help
heal attachment issues some of the boys have faced.
“Frequently kids who have been in an abusive or
neglectful situation have problems that need to be
addressed,” Ed said. “When a child has been moved a lot,
just seeing a suitcase or one of us get in the car can
trigger all sorts of alarm.”
Ed said they have made significant progress through the
past few years, but Nancy knows much of the issues of their
past may never be forgotten.
Veterans honored at 15th annual Bear Branch celebration
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
With American flags waiving along the roadside, veterans
were escorted in golf carts through the parking lot where
they were whisked inside Bear Branch Elementary School’s (BBES)
library for coffee at the start of the 15th Annual Veteran’s
Day celebration.
The Bear Branch Elementary fourth and fifth grade Ambassador
Choir, under the direction of Betty Tarver, performed a
patriotic medley of tunes at the 15th annual Veteran’s Day
celebration held at the campus on Nov. 10.
Self-managing fifth grade students directed families,
friends and visitors toward the school’s museum. Here,
donated war memorabilia, photos and news clippings depicting
the war services of American veterans were on display from
all branches of the military. Vinyl recordings of “Till The
End Of Time” and “I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink”, popular music
from the World War II era, played in the background.
The Bear Branch Junior High (BBJH) band played patriotic
tunes as students, veterans, spouses, and visitors filed
into the cafeteria for the program.
“We want to ensure that every boy and girl who passes
through our campus has an understanding of the sacrifice our
men and women in the military have made to guarantee our
freedom,” said Bear Branch Principal Susan Ward during her
opening welcome. “It’s a somber event,” said Ward. “The
children understand that this is a thoughtful holiday.”
The BBES Cub Scout Pack 1213 posted the American and
Texas flags to which all in attendance pledged a solemn
allegiance. To honor the veterans who had passed on and who
had sacrificed their lives for the cause of liberty, Warren
Seago, the BBJH Band Director, played “Taps” on his trumpet.
In her award-winning speech, fifth grader Kailey Robinson
said that veterans sacrifice their lives “so that people
like me can be free.” For Robinson, veterans are some of the
most important people she knows, she said. “I am just a
little girl on a big world. Thanks to them, we are so
blessed to live here.”
Veterans were honored by a second speaker, fifth grader
MacKenzie Varrett, who said, “I got this wonderful privilege
to be free because of the veterans. Let it always be the
land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Bear Branch Choir Director Betty Tarver produced a
musical extravaganza honoring veterans of all the military
branches. A 1,000-voice chorus of visitors and students
joined the fourth and fifth grade Ambassador Choir as they
rang out a medley of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Grand Old
Flag.”
As the students sang and the band played, veterans were
asked to stand in Bear Branch tradition and be recognized by
their respective military tunes. The Army’s “Caisson Song”
followed “The Marine’s Hymn” and the Air Force song, “Semper
Paratus,” followed the Navy’s “Anchors Away.”
Andrew Coe of St. Thomas Episcopal School played “Amazing
Grace” on the bagpipes followed by “God Bless America.” sung
by the BBES students. After which, veterans in attendance
were assembled on stage for a traditional annual picture.
After students and visitors filed outside to the
pavilion, visitors and veterans released a mirage of red,
white and blue balloons into the overcast sky to the delight
of the students. In memory of the event, veterans were
presented with gifts and letters from BBES fourth graders.
Bear Branch Junior High wins appeal, achieves
“Recognized” status
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
Following an appeal award by the Texas Education Agency
(TEA), Magnolia Independent School District (MISD)
celebrated the “Recognized” status of Bear Branch Junior
High School at the Nov. 13 Board of Trustees meeting. The
meeting was held for the first time at the Celeste G. Graves
Education Service Center, located at 31141 Nichols Sawmill
Road.
Director of Language Arts Anita Hebert and Executive
Director of Curriculum Claudine Freeman provided a
presentation of the Gold Performance ratings achieved by
each MISD campus through student scores on the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.
“We got lots of gold this year,” said Hebert.
The Commended Performance (CP) rating is the highest
performance level set by the Texas State Board of Education
on the TAKS. Campuses that received commended performance
ratings on the TAKS had 20 percent or more of all students
and subgroups achieve a score of 2400 or better on the test.
The minimum passing score is 2100.
The Comparable Improvement (CI) rating is a measure that
calculates how student performance on the TAKS test for
Reading/ELA and Math has changed from one year to the next
and is referred to as the Texas Growth Index (TGI). The CI
compares the change to that of the 40 schools that are
demographically most similar to the target school or Campus
Group.
Click here to see Table 1
- Magnolia ISD 2005-2006 Final Gold Performance TAKS Ratings
Three committees have been charged with
researching best practices and recommending changes in
policy and procedure this year. Action Research committees
include ESL/Bilingual with Leslie Schatte as committee
chair; GT/AP/Dual Credit with Gerald Evans as committee
chair; and Grading Guidelines with Tommy Burns as committee
chair.
Motorcycles bring Toys for Tots to Texas Thunder
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) and Texas Thunder
Saloon have teamed up with Mancuso Harley-Davidson and the
Blue Knights to bring “Toys For Tots” to a new level in the
Fields Store Community where motorcycles, music, food and
fun, combined with the generosity of neighbors, bring alive
the spirit of the holidays.
The Texas Thunder Saloon will host a USMC Toys for Tots
day-long fundraising event where more than 400 motorcycles
will arrive following a Toys for Tots Bike Ride from Mancuso
Harley-Davidson to the Field Store Community on Dec. 2.
So, anyone driving west on SH 290 or east on FM 1488 on
the morning of Dec. 2 can expect to see a lot of
motorcycles. The Blue Knights will escort more than 400
motorcycles to Texas Thunder Saloon, located at 29460 FM
1488, from Mancuso Harley-Davidson Crossroads, located at
12710 Crossroads Park Dr. in Houston.
The Blue Knights is a police officer service organization
consisting of active and retired law enforcement men and
women who enjoy riding motorcycles. As of July 2006, the
Blue Knights have 572 chapters in 28 countries consisting of
more than 19,000 members
The registration fee for the motorcycle ride is a new,
unwrapped toy to be collected at Mancuso the day of the
event. Motorcycles depart at 10:30 a.m.
United States Marine Corp reserves will be on hand at
Texas Thunder Saloon to accept community donations. The USMC
Toys for Tots initiative to "bring the joy of Christmas to
America's needy children” remains the trademark of a program
adopted by The United States Marine Corps in 1948.
Entertainers such as the Texas Road Cats, Braid, K-Cee
and the Darwin Macan Band will perform at the event. Texas
Thunder will offer a deep-fried turkey plate for which all
the proceeds will be donated to the Toys for Tots program
along with all vendor booth rental fees.
Anyone planning to attend will find parking for any
vehicle other than a motorcycle provided at the Chad
Treichel Memorial Arena, located at 30540 FM 1488, where a
hayride shuttle will be provided continuously throughout the
day, along with live radio coverage of the event on New
Light 94.1.
The Texas Thunder Saloon toy drive is an authorized USMC
Toys for Tots day-long event. For more information, log on
to
www.texasthundersaloon.com or call 936-372-2232.
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Local charity working to ensure happy holidays for needy
families
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
Thanks to a local charity, more than 100 area needy
families will enjoy a home cooked Thanksgiving meal.
The students of Decker Prairie Elementary collected more
than 3,000 canned and dry goods for Tomball Emergency
Assisstance Ministries (TEAM) during the week before
Thanksgiving. On Nov. 18 fourth grade students assisted PTO
Hospitality Coordinator Crystall Richard in bagging, boxing
and staging the items for delivery to TEAM, who will
distribute the items to needy Tomball families for
Thanksgiving. Pictured are (front row, sitting) Jake Green,
Yareli Guerrero, Anna Booth, Cody Donaldson, Patricio Diaz;
(second row, kneeling) Reya Ybarra, Ann Marie McStraevick,
Michael Turner, Tanner Jones; (standing, left to right)
Jimmy Johnson, Derek Knesek, Brianna Wilson, Francisco Govea,
Joshua Langley, Christian Bigley; (back row, standing)
Principal Teresa Sullivan and Counselor Beth Pitts
Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries (TEAM) will once
again donate a full Thanksgiving meal, complete with turkey
and all the trimmings to about 150 area families who live in
the Tomball Independent School District or Tomball zip codes
this week.
The donations are part of TEAM’s ongoing efforts to aide
needy families in the area.
According to Director Loma Holmes, sign up began in early
fall at the TEAM offices on Main Street. Once the deadline
to sign up passed, volunteers began accumulating the goods
for the meals. Families will pick up the meals this week.
Most of the items that make up the meals are donated to
TEAM through various efforts, but volunteers still needed to
purchase some items such as butter, rolls and eggs.
“People make donations and we feel like this is what it’s
for,” Holmes said.
TEAM is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Holmes and volunteer Elna Smith, who have been with the
organization since its inception in 1986, were recently
honored by the Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce for the
anniversary.
“I love working on this stuff and making it come
together,” Holmes said.
TEAM will not be finished with its holiday efforts
following Thanksgiving. Plans are already underway for their
Adopt A Family program.
Through the program, local families in need can submit
ages and gender of their children and TEAM will work to
provide them with new toys.
Organizations, individuals and churches adopt families
and get the children’s wish lists from TEAM and provide the
families with the gifts for the children.
TEAM will adopt the families that do not get adopted by
other individuals. The group also donates a meal for
Christmas. TEAM assists about 160 total families for
Christmas.
This year, TEAM has cancelled its annual food drive with
Channel 13 due to a lack of participation last year, Holmes
said. Last year’s drive was hurt by cold and rainy weather.
For more information about TEAM and its efforts to
provide for families during the holiday season, call
281-351-6700. TEAM is located at 300 W. Main St. in Tomball.
2005 petitions cost city $1.3 million
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
In her opening remarks Councilwoman Patsy Williams
welcomed Jim Gilley of Coastal Securities to speak on an
agenda item she sponsored at the Nov. 14 Magnolia City
Council meeting concerning last year’s petitions.
Magnolia City Councilwoman Patsy Williams
“I asked Mr. Gilley here today to remind us all of the
impact the 2005 petitions had on the city’s financial
situation. The loss to residents of near $1.3 million is an
accurate and substantial impact due to those petitions,
which were signed by the same 25 people with 5 percent of
those who vote,” she said.
The council determined early in the year that a source of
revenue bonds was available as an alternative, said Gilley.
Certificates of Obligation, Series 2006 were estimated at
$3.49 million to accomplish the city’s improvements.
“We actually priced them and locked in the rates and
compared them to the revenue bonds,” said Gilley.
In contrast, to pay the debt service to the lender on
Revenue Bonds, Series 2006, cash reserves of an estimated
$900,000 had to be established, bringing the total revenue
bond principal to $4.78 million, he said.
The city had to refinance the gas system bonds because
they were tri-pledged with water and sewer at a cost
adjustment of $1,877,735 million, Gilley said.
The cost, including interest, between total Revenue Bonds
of $9,521,168 and total Certificates of Obligation of
$6,340,336 is a debt service increase of $3.18 million, he
said.
When the gas bond debt service is subtracted from that, a
cost difference of $1.303,097 exists as the additional cost
for the Revenue Bonds over Certificates of Obligation, he
concluded.
“I hope this clears up for residents the issue of
financial loss to the city relative to the Revenue Bonds. It
did cost the city $1.3 million, and a little more, to
purchase Revenue Bonds over Certificates of Obligation,”
said Williams.
MYFA freshman team makes history
By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff
The Magnolia Cowboys in the freshman division of the
Magnolia Youth Football Association (MYFA) racked up a 12-1
season for the year following the tournament of champions
held Nov. 11 at the Montgomery County ballpark in Magnolia.
The season started the week of July 24 and ended the weekend
of Nov. 11.
Head coach Mark Schrader lead the Magnolia Cowboys 5- and
6-year-olds in the freshman division for the Magnolia Youth
Football Association’s 2006 season. Pictured are team
members and cheerleaders along with assistant coaches Billy
Lovell, Jesse Mangham and Scott Bagley and cheerleaders.
Team members are Trey Schrader, Ian Bronson, Jaren Mangham,
Wesley Bagley, Mason Bortle, Alex Johnson, TJ Poimboeuf,
Brentsen Meyers, Garrett VanHowten, Sean Marshall, Alan
English, Cameron Powell, Dylan Bujak, and Preston Berry.
Cheer Mom is Tonya LaPlant; Cheerleaders: Victoria Bujak,
Ashlei LaPlant, Brianna Johnson,and Dalyn Berry
The Cowboys finished the regular season undefeated,
making the platinum division for the tournament, and placed
second overall. The team made history as the first freshman
team from Magnolia to go 10-0 in the regular season and 12-1
for the year in the 32-year history of the MYFA. The Cowboys
are also only the second freshman team in MYFA history to
take second place in a platinum division playoff.
“The freshman Cowboys scored a total of 373 points for
the entire season. They allowed only 116 points, including
the tournament of champions,” said head coach Mark Schrader.
A 26-6 win over the South County Texans and a 32-6
victory against the Huntsville Hornets had the Cowboys
primed for the championship. But they hit a wall against the
South County Giants and finished second in the tournament
following the 41-14 loss.
“We have an outstanding group of people,” said Team Mom
and League Coordinator Candy Schrader.
“All the kids played with heart. They never let up all
season, especially the cheerleaders. We’re so proud of them
all,” said Brandy Lovell.
“I want to offer a special thanks to all the parents that
gave us the opportunity to have fun and teach these young
children the fundamentals of football and cheerleading. If
it was not for the wonderful parents, this great victory
could not have happened,” said Schrader.
Gregson elected as new TISD board president
By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff
The Tomball Independent School District Board of Trustees
realigned its positions at a recent meeting, unanimously
electing Sam Gregson as the new president of the board.
Gregson replaces board member Kathy Hanson following her
one-year stay at the helm.
The board annually elects new positions each year
following the general election.
Gregson was originally elected to the board in 2001 and
was re-elected in 2004.
He was complimentary of the current board members and
said he hopes to provide leadership.
“I have what I consider an excellent board to work with
and hopefully I can provide some sort of direction for
them,” he said.
The roll of board president, Gregson said, is to act a
spokesperson for the board when issues may arise.
The board president also meets with district
Superintendent John Neubauer to put together agendas for
board meetings.
For the past two years, Gregson has attended meetings of
the Texas Association of Board Members for training to be
president.
Gregson is set to be at the helm of the board during one
of the most important times in recent board history. For the
past several months, committees have met to discuss the
possibility of building new schools in the district,
including a second high school. The board is expected to
seek a multi-million dollar bond referendum in the spring
following a recommendation by a steering committee.
Mark Lewandowski replaces Gregson as vice president of
the board. Lisa Nicholas was elected board secretary and Ken
Odom as assistant secretary.
Lewandowski and John McStravick also took oaths of office
following their uncontested bid for re-election to the board
this year.
Gregson is a property tax manager for BP America and
serves on the Board of Directors for the Taxpayer’s Research
Association in Houston.
Following Gregson’s election as board president, Hanson
thanked the board and the community for the past year she
served as president.
In other Tomball ISD news, the board unanimously approved
a $5 million three-year technology plan that would “cover
all aspects for the use of technology in the district.”
The board approved only the plan, not the funding of the
plan. The district technology department will submit the
plan to the Texas Education Agency in hopes of garnering
approval from the state and grants for funding. The plan
calls for the implementation of new technology throughout
the district and increased efforts to educate junior high
students about new technologies.
Magnolia Planning Commission tackles city code
issues
By Cari Herr
Tribune News
Though the City of Magnolia has no certified code
enforcement official on staff, forward thinking by city
staff members to bring the city’s codes up to the
International Code Council standards was evident at the Nov.
14 Magnolia Planning and Zoning Commission meeting held at
City Hall.
Erick Edwards, assistant to the city manager, presented
the 2006 International Code Council updates and recommended
a leap from the 2000 codes the city has currently adopted to
the more current codes over settling for the 2003 codes.
“City Hall is a perfect example where codes were not
followed,” said Edwards. Codes that endorse health, life and
safety make a significant impact on the community, he said.
With the impending construction of new developments like
Magnolia Ridge, it is imperative the city establish
consistent guidelines for new construction, Edwards said.
City Attorney Leonard Schneider advised commission
members that the Texas legislature had adopted the 2003
International Building Code and the Texas Local Government
Code had adopted the International Residential Code for
municipalities.
“A city can adopt codes which support those three issues
or improve upon them,” he said.
Commission member Barbara Gardner requested clarification
on renovations and remodels for existing structures.
A change of occupancy or usage of a structure would
require significant renovations according to the
International Existing Building Codes for structures built
prior to the adoption of the 2006 codes, said Edwards.
City Manager Roger Carlisle said that DPIS, the city’s
contracted inspection company, operates under the 2006 codes
with the exception of the City of Magnolia due to the
disparity in the city’s current code standards. To
paraphrase, the current codes are out of date and pose a
safety hazard to new residents purchasing new construction,
said Carlisle.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re here to protect the
citizen,” Carlisle said.
Commission member Bo Mauck suggested adopting only the
2003 codes due to the lag in education for area contractors
to the 2006 codes. “A contractor takes classes each year to
refresh their license and keep current, but most of them
aren’t familiar enough with the 2006 codes.”
In the state of Texas, the larger portion of cities are
adopting these codes as a minimum standard, which includes a
broad range of knowledge, Edwards said.
Edwards is recommending the Fuel Gas Code (FGC), the
International Fire (IFC), Residential (IRC), Building (IBC),
Mechanical (IMC), Energy Conservation (IECC) and the Private
Sewer Disposal (IPSDC) codes. Additionally, he offered an
option to adopt either the International Electrical code (IEC)
or the National Electrical Code (NEC) and the Uniform
Plumbing Code (UPC) or the International Plumbing Code (IPC).
The city has currently adopted the 2003 National
Electrical Code, which is a more strenuous code than the
International Electrical Code. The commission must review
the existing codes to determine if conflicts will arise from
a new code adoption.
There is no cost to the city or the planning commission
to adopt the more current codes, Edwards said. The newer
codes provide higher efficiency, improved safety, and an all
around better product, he said.
“My job is to protect the citizen and give them the best
shake for their money,” said Edwards.
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