Zoning gets initial approval from council after ‘overwhelming’ support for plan

Passage of second reading of ordinance will enact law

By Brian Walzel
Editor

The City of Tomball is on the doorstep of zoning after the city council unanimously passed a proposed ordinance and map during a Jan. 21 meeting in which dozens of citizens turned out to either voice their support or opposition to the plan.

More than 100 local residents crowded city hall Jan. 21 for a public hearing for a proposed zoning ordinance and map.

More than 100 people crammed into the council chambers with still more spilling out into an adjacent hallway and the entryway waiting to be heard.

By the time the required public hearing concluded an hour and a half into the meeting, more than 35 people addressed the council. The vast majority of the speakers, more than 20, pleaded with the council to pass the ordinance. Many of the speakers brought along petitions calling for the council to vote on the issue.

Tina Salem brought a petition with 48 signatures from residents of the North Star subdivision.

“I’m for a vote to approve zoning before we lose anymore of our town,” she said. “I don’t want a gas station going in next to a school.”

Salem wasn’t alone. The council received at least 23 petitions, some with as few as four signatures, some with as many as 100, asking for the council to approve zoning.

Former mayor H.G. “Hap” Harrington gave one of the more impassioned speeches of the evening.

“I sat behind that desk for 16 years and listened to people ask for help. Yes, we need housing for low-income families, for senior citizens,” he said. “We need a lot of things in our community and we need a plan. No plan is perfect. But we’ve got to start somewhere.”

According to City Secretary Doris Speer, the council received more than 800 signatures and voices of support for council approval of the zoning ordinance.

The council had the option of either voting on the ordinance or turning the issue over to voters in a May election.

However, the comments were not all in favor of zoning, or a council vote.

The first speaker of the evening, Ron Haffner, presented a petition with 207 signatures of people he said were in favor of a citizen vote.

“I could have gotten 400 if I wanted to,” he said.

Local developer Art DePue warned that if zoning were to be passed, too much control may lay in the hands of a zoning commission.

“I’d be hard pressed to pick who should be on that board,” he said.

The last time the zoning issue came up in 1999, voters turned the measure down in a 450-394 vote.

This time, council took the action upon itself, mostly after listening to city residents, they said.

“I talked to citizens and sought out what the citizens wanted,” Councilman Roy Lazenby said. “You listen to what people have to say and you act accordingly to their wants and needs.”

Lazenby called the support for zoning “overwhelming.”

Councilman Warren Driver said that he initially assumed people would want to vote on the proposal, but his opinion quickly changed.

“Then I talked to my constituents and of the ones I talked to, 70 people said they want zoning, five said, ‘We don’t want zoning,’ and four were for zoning and a public vote. Sixty-one were in favor of a council vote,” he said. “I feel like this is highly representative of the people out there.”

Councilman David Quinn echoed Driver’s comments. ”I’ve had the same experience,” he said. “They are very positive for zoning.”

The zoning map divides the city into 21 districts, which are all designated for a variety of land uses, such as single-family residential, multi-family residential, light industrial, commercial, and public use.

The council will vote on the second reading of the zoning ordinance at the Feb. 4 meeting. If it is approved, the ordinance will officially go into effect.

Passer-by lends aid to three in head-on accident

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The family of two Magnolia teens is grateful for a Sunday morning stranger who stopped to lend assistance at a gruesome scene early Jan. 20.

The family of Sarah Mellott looks on, hugging each other for support, as Magnolia firemen work to cut her from her vehicle.

The two teens and one unidentified driver are recovering after a near head-on collision that sent them all to the hospital.

Sarah Mellott, 17, was driving her brother, Jasper, 14, to the Fellowship at Fieldstore Church Sunday morning when she and an unidentified man driving a Dodge Caravan collided in the 24500 block of FM 1488.

As Sarah lay unconscious in the driver’s seat of her Geo Metro, a man known only as Eric arrived on the scene and lent assistance to Jasper, offering him the use of his cell phone for Jasper to call his family.

When their father, David Mellott, and Riki Parks, a close friend of the family, arrived on the scene, Eric was gone.

Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department personnel were the first responders, followed by Waller and Montgomery County emergency services.

When Sarah and the driver of the Caravan collided, the Caravan veered onto the southbound shoulder, coming to rest at the base of a pine tree. The unidentified driver was taken by air to Memorial Hermann Hospital and treated for injuries.

The force of the collision, spun the Geo Metro, and wedged Sarah’s knees under the dashboard, while the engine pushed nearly into her lap.

While Jasper, David and Riki looked on, hugging each other for support, firemen worked to cut Sarah from her vehicle. She was transported by air to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Still in shock, bleeding and limping badly, Jasper refused medical treatment, but finally relented as David and Parks quickly made their way to Hermann Hospital in their own car.

Jasper suffered a broken nose, deep tissue bruising in his left hip and received seven stitches in his left leg.

“He moves with difficulty,” said Parks, “but he’s going to be all right.”

As church family and friends gathered around the three they prayed, said Parks.

A full body scan revealed no internal injuries for Sarah, but a large gash on her forehead required 100 stitches. She suffered two broken bones in her left foot and a broken right thumb.

“That’s a blessing, because she’s left handed,” said Parks.

The next day the family received a call from Eric, the man who came to their aid. He told them that he wanted to check on the family, saying he now knew why he had left late for church and that his congregation had prayed for all the accident victims.

Sarah remembered nothing of the accident until waking in the helicopter. She will need plastic surgery, and the family is taking it one day at a time.

“We’re really, really fortunate,” said Parks. “It’s amazing. She is destined for great things.”

The Magnolia Rotary Club awarded three Magnolia ISD students the 2006 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA). The club sponsored the students to attend RYLA camp Jan. 4-6 at Pineywoods Baptist Encampment, located on US Hwy 287 in Woodlake. Pictured are the RYLA students at the Encampment. The three MISD students sponsored by the Rotary Club are (bottom row, from right), Melanie Guerra (ALPHA Academy), and Laura Chaviz and Zak Carroll (MHS).
Submitted Photo

Magnolia boys, girls face tough road to postseason

By Brian Walzel
Editor

The Magnolia High School boys and girls basketball teams have both dug themselves into a hole which they may not be able to climb out of if they have any aspirations of making the postseason.

The boys’ squad went into the weekend of Jan. 25 with a 1-3 record in 15-5A play, in fifth place out of six teams. Only The Woodlands at 0-4 has a worse district record.

The Bulldogs didn’t help their cause with a 72-47 blowout loss to Lufkin Jan. 22.

After a promising first quarter in which the Bulldogs and Panthers played to a 15-15 tie, Lufkin pulled ahead by just three by halftime, leading 32-29.

But the wheels fell of in the second half for Magnolia. The Bulldogs came out ice cold in the third quarter, managing only three points while the Panthers rang up 12, pulling ahead by a dozen points going into the fourth quarter.

With the game nearly out of reach for Magnolia, the Panthers blew the game wide open, scoring 28 points to the Bulldogs’ 15 in the final frame.

The win moved the Panthers near the top in the district with a 3-1 record.

For the Bulldogs, William McDade led the team in scoring with 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Lady Bulldogs are in much more dire straits. With an 0-6 district record and sitting in last place as of press time last week, they would need an impressive run in the second half of the district season to be a playoff threat.

Their latest defeat came Jan. 22 in a 30-27 heartbreaking loss to Lufkin.

The Lady Bulldogs held a five-point lead, 20-15, going into the fourth quarter. But the Lady Panthers used a 15-7 fourth quarter rally to edge the Lady Bulldogs.

Kellie Loukanis lead Magnolia with 10 points.

The girls next play Jan. 29 when they host Conroe at 7 p.m. The boys will travel to take on the Tigers at 7 p.m. at Conroe High School.

Decker Prairie Elementary second grade student Conner Scott (right) received an award from Assistant Principal Harmony Kartchner Jan. 24 for achieving “All-Star grades” during the nine-week reporting period. Scott was among a number of students who were recognized for their academic accomplishments and conduct. Submitted Photo

Comprehensive plan for Waller in the works

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

“On your mark, get set, plan!”

That was the rallying cry of many who attended the City of Waller’s comprehensive plan workshop Jan. 17 in the Waller High school cafeteria.

From left to right, Judith Kulhanek, Carl Kulhanek, Maurice Hart, Waller Mayor Dwayne Hajek and Denise Hajek brainstorm ideas.
Photo by Cari Herr

They call themselves stakeholders and ask the question, “Are you one?” as an open-ended invitation that could lead to potential growth.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting things happening, we’ve got a bright future ahead of us and a lot of work to do,” said Mayor Dwayne Hajek. “This is your town and we need to build it the way you want it.”

Armed with maps provided by the city’s consulting team, GrantWorks, Inc., residents were asked to note their favorite places, historical sites, existing greenbelts and potential parks.

GrantWorks’ Team Leader Marilyn Shashua, along with staffers, Kari Banta and Chad Coburn, encouraged stakeholders in the city’s future to use clear vision in an effort to identify the positives and the negatives of Waller life.

With easels in place and marker boards ready, residents worked to name the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that Waller faces in its future.

Once discussion began and results were tallied, focus points became evident. Each group leader noted similar aspects of Waller life.

Some positives identified were good vocational programs at the high school, access to airports, good restaurants, high rural viability and improved future mobility in proposed roads, such as the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC/I-69).

One of the negatives identified was also the TTC/I-69, as well as no entertainment venues, lack of tourist draws, not a commercial center, and lack of housing.

Not surprisingly, the TTC/I-69, a superhighway currently in environmental study for a 5,000-acre tract of the county’s agricultural property, is welcome by some as needed mobility access and feared by others for its immensity.

Shashua asked what made the corridor such a threat to the city’s opportunity for growth.

“It’s the not knowing,” said Barry Doerist. “It stifles people’s decision making ability without knowing it. If we knew what was going to happen, we’d be able to make decisions.”

Despite the unknown, Waller has taken the first of many steps toward a comprehensive plan for growth.

A formal plan requires that cities undertake a process to examine all aspects of physical development within a city, according to President John Isom of the Waller EDC.

It includes a master drainage study, a transportation and mobility study, a study of parks and open space needs, analysis of current housing stock and future housing needs, as well as economic development for maintaining the vitality of a city.

The city council approved EDC sales tax dollars for use in the development of a formal plan.

Over the next six months, GrantWorks will assimilate the results of this and several other workshops. The formal plan is scheduled for completion in June when it will be submitted to the city council for review and approval.

TFD CERT Class
The Tomball Fire Department will be hosting its next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training beginning on March 4 at 6 p.m. The program will involve eight consecutive Tuesday evenings and will culminate in an exercise to test the knowledge and skills learned during the class. Subjects such as incident management, search and rescue, basic medical skills, use of a fire extinguisher, terrorism and critical incident stress management are addressed during the course. After completion of the course, trained CERT members are invited to attend monthly skills refresher trainings at the department and will be qualified for performing tasks to assist in the response of recovery to disasters in the region. For more information or to sign up for the class, contact Lisa Griffin at 281-351-7101 or e-mail LGriffin@ci.tomball.tx.us.

Waller ISD bond update
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a decision on Jan. 23 in the Jackson versus Waller Independent School District bond election case stating that he would not release $49.3 million in bonds for funding of district construction pending an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. A date for this hearing has not yet been scheduled. “Abbott’s decision is only a bump in the road for Waller ISD,” the district stated in a press release. “We will do what is necessary to provide quality facilities for all students in Waller ISD as approved by voters.” Allocation of the bond was the result of committee studies in 2006 comprised of citizen volunteers to assess the needs of the district and present recommendations to the school board in 2007. The district has won seven separate proceedings pertaining to the bond election. Three district judges, two in Harris County and one in Waller County, and three appellate court justices have ruled in favor of Waller ISD. For more information on the May 2007 bond election, call 936-931-3685 or visit www.wallerisd.net/bond/election.htm.

TISD Gold Keys
Tomball ISD recently announced that three students received Gold or Silver Key awards through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, which is sponsored by the Harris County Department of Education. Tomball High School’s Jessie Hutt, senior, received a Gold Key for her poetry collection. Sophomore Katie Pogue was also honored with a Gold Key award for her poetry collection. Earning a Gold Key means the recipient’s work received the highest honor at the regional level. The writings will go on to the national competition in New York for further judging. Sophomore Madalyn McDaniel’s poetry collection was honored with a Silver Key. Silver Keys are presented to students who have won a writing award at the regional level. The Scholastic Art and Writing program, established in 1923, is the longest running, largest, and most prestigious competition of its kind in the nation. This year, more than 800 pre-juried writing entries were sent to the regional competition. Of those submitted, 100 received Gold Keys and 96 received Silver Keys.

From the Book of Clifford

By Clifford Parker
Contributing Writer

I know I have been telling stories for the last few months about my mental recollection of Main Street in Tomball, but I have grown a bit weary of the process, so I’ll get back to my walk down Main later.

Many years ago I had a conversation with my friend, Delbert Springer, that went something like this:

“Yep, it’s got grit in it, all right.”

“It does?”

“Yep, it sure does. I can feel it gritting in my teeth. Did it fall on clean concrete or dirty concrete?”

“Well, its not like we washed the concrete down or anything, but there wasn’t any cow manure around, that’s for sure!”

“Well, you must not have washed it off too good then.”

“Well what do you expect with only one eye? I can only see half of what I’m doin!”

“Well, Delbert, then if you can see only half of what your doin’, and I can only hear half of what I’m hearin’, then I guess we might make one whole person if we work together!”

I had not seen my cows in several weeks, so I made arrangements to spend a couple of nights at the ranch. I knew the cows had a little grass to sustain them and I had been asking Stan to go check on them every so often and put out a bale of hay.

But this particular weekend I wanted to do some work around the property, so I made arrangements to head up there myself. I took a Friday off from work, a pleasure I haven’t had in a long time.

I made arrangements for a group of people to go up with me. I was going to hire a good sized crew and try to knock out several maintenance jobs over a three-day period. I had even planned on missing church and now I feel guilty, because none of the crew I hired showed up. I had also asked Delbert to go with me.

A lot of times I want to go alone, but this weekend I decided I wanted some company. The bad thing about going to the ranch by myself is that if I ever get seriously hurt I may have trouble getting out by myself from the bottom.

Anybody who has ever been around a farm or a ranch knows an injury could result in a split second. A slip of a blade, a kick back on a saw, a crazy cow, a broken barbed wire, a swarm of bumble bees or yellow jackets, snakes, spiders and hundreds of other things could go wrong.

Sometimes a guy gets a feeling he needs somebody around. I kind of felt this way that weekend. That’s why I asked Delbert to go along.

By this time in my life I had already lost hearing in one of my ears. I woke up on a Friday morning stone deaf in one ear. My equilibrium had been a bit off. I went for testing and, fortunately, my blood work and my MRI showed no signs of abnormalities. During this time I was still feeling a bit uneasy, so Delbert went with me.

That particular Friday and Saturday were both hot days, but Saturday afternoon at about four o’clock I heard the faint, familiar sound of a flock of geese headed south. I knew a chill was on the way. By 6 p.m. more and more of them were headed south ahead of the supposedly cool front predicted for our area.

I like the fall and winter. I don’t like the hot summertime. Fall seasons seem to bring a schedule back into our lives. School has started, the holidays are about to begin, and even though the holidays get hectic, we still have a pre-set schedule in our lives. We are forced inside our homes earlier each evening and it just seems to bring a time of togetherness in most families.

By Sunday afternoon around two o’clock, the cool front had already hit Independence, Texas, and all the animals and me were feeling our oats. The cows got happy, the deer started moving, the geese were still flying and I was able to do manual labor and not break a sweat.

The first night we arrived I had put some link sausage on the pit for us to have for supper. I told Delbert to watch them while I went inside to shower. When he took them off the pit they broke apart and fell to the concrete porch.

Naturally, as most men would do, he simply picked them up and washed them off and we had a fairly good meal.

Now before any of you start fussing about the notion we would wash off a sausage and then eat it, let me point out a few facts. A sausage is wrapped in the casing, which is merely a gut. People eat apples with the skins after they have been washed. I wonder how much dirt and dust have accumulated on those? But you still wash them off and eat them. Or how about tomatoes? Do you eat the skins? What about potato skins? These are all foods that are washed before eaten and may very well have been dropped, pooped on by flies or rolled across the ground before you ate them.

We simply wash our food and eat it. And if you’re still grossed out and swear you never eat the skins because they may have had a little dirt on them, then, pray tell, how can you eat eggs? What part of the body does an egg come from?

Delbert passed away many years ago, but I still laugh out loud occasionally as I think about Delbert and his way of life. Delbert and my dad were good friends as kids and that’s how Delbert became known to me. My dad passed away first and then Delbert followed a few years later, but their memories will be forever.

-- Clifford

Texas Crossword

Crossword puzzles are in Adobe PDF format. Click on the links to open them in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or right-click and choose "Save File As...":

- This week's crossword

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Officers suspended for ‘overzealous’ action amid investigation scrutiny

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

While Magnolia police officers Dorothy Evans and Greg Valdez were on suspension last week after a collision occurred between them Jan. 11, at least one city councilman and one trustee of the Magnolia Independent School District are not satisfied.

“The officers were overzealous in their job,” said Magnolia Police Chief Ron Cunningham. “There was a lack of communication between the two.”

Cunningham said the two officers were suspended without pay for two days and ordered to complete a defensive driving class at their own expense.

However, Councilmember Dave Sutherland said there were a lot of unanswered questions.

“I’m not comfortable with the results of the investigation and have requested more information,” he said.

At the same time, Trustee Charlie Riley for the Magnolia Independent School District scrutinized the lack of communication with the district by the police department of reported racing on school property.

“I don’t believe there is any racing in that school parking lot or on Nichols Sawmill Road,” Riley said. “There is more to this than has been made to appear. The district should have been notified of the racing complaint, as well as the collision on school property and not been made to find out about it in the paper.”

The rear-end collision between Evans and Valdez caused more than $10,000 in damage to two patrol cars and left the department short handed.

The investigation report was released one week later on Jan. 18 and puts the time of collision at 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 11. Initial reports had placed the time at 3 a.m. the next morning. The officers reported to Cunningham that several complaints had prompted them to set up surveillance on the school’s property.

It is the department’s policy not to release any information until an investigation is complete and the facts have been assimilated, Cunningham said.

“Accidents between law enforcement agents happen all the time,” he said.

The two officers reported that they received complaints between 5 and 7 p.m. that day from residents on Brady St., Michel St. and Nichols Sawmill Road of high-speed trucks with loud exhaust and squealing tires.

As a result, they stationed themselves southbound along the fence at Magnolia Junior High School to await a potential violator.

When a suspect was identified, both officers attempted pursuit, said Cunningham. While Valdez took the lead and attempted to circle right, Evans came from behind Valdez to pass and collided with the front right of Valdez’s vehicle.

Of the department’s seven marked cars, two are currently being repaired, and one is retired with more than 160,000 miles on it and is being harvested for police equipment as needed, leaving four marked and three unmarked units in service.

Decker Prairie Elementary student Kevin Hicks took part in the fourth grade spelling bee Jan. 23. About 50 third and fourth grade students advanced to the campus bee. Those winners will participate in the Tomball ISD district spelling bee.
Submitted Photo

TTC/I-69 town hall opens conversation with TxDOT

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Despite a plethora of complaints punctuated by some foot stomping and hand clapping, the first conversation between Waller County residents and TxDOT may have produced some results at the Jan. 22 town hall meeting held in Hempstead on the Trans Texas Corridor/I-69 (TTC/I-69).

Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton (standing, front) volunteered to take the heat from Waller County residents as they rallied in opposition to the I-69 corridor at a Jan. 22 town hall meeting in Hempstead.
Photo by Cari Herr

Houston District Engineer Gary Trietsch moderated the meeting for a panel of four representatives, including Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton, TxDOT Executive Director Amendeo Saenz, Director of the Texas Turnpike Division of TxDOT Phil Russell, and Dep. Houston District Engineer Delvin Dennis.

Houghton volunteered to take the brunt of the heat, for which many residents commended him, saying Gov. Rick Perry should be hearing their complaints.

More than 60 people turned in requests to speak, representing an estimated 800 in attendance, to which Trietsch offered a word of caution at the outset.

“This conversation is not part of an official transcript for voicing concerns,” he said, adding that public comments, due by March 19, become a part of the official transcript at the public hearings to be held in February.

“Not everyone tonight is going to be converted,” Houghton said, “but I hope we can agree to disagree.”

Progress made
The panel hearkened their ears when Camp Allen was mentioned, as well as the Katy-Prairie Conservancy. They paid special attention to petroleum engineer Mark Holmes, who described the proposed band around Houston as a “death trap” for potential evacuees.

Residents pounded on the panel regarding landlocked properties, impact on small business development, property values, farmland, access for school district and emergency services, and watersheds and resources.

Questions included a definition of the 1991 quick-take action that allows the state to purchase right-of-way property options at the close of Tier I, which Russell maintained was a “misnomer” that the state had never used.

Jack Heiss, project manager for the TTC/I-69, explained it this way at a Waller County Toll Road Authority (WCTRA) meeting held the next morning.

“The state has the authority to purchase options, but it’s a useless authority if you don’t know where it (the corridor) is going to be,” he said.

No action, no option
More than one Waller County resident, and even a few from Austin, Grimes and Washington counties, plainly said, “we don’t want it,” and many voiced concerns that their cries had fallen on deaf ears.

“The ‘No Action Alternative’ is not an option for Texans,” Houghton said. “In my opinion.”

A more logical approach to the corridor, he said, would be to use existing roadways as a TTC/I-69 alternative. Bryan-College Station has approached TxDOT with the idea of using SH 6 and the WCTRA is currently considering funding options for the proposed Prairie Parkway, planned for Freeport to US 290, which is currently in feasibility study by H-GAC.

While he maintained that other alternatives were possible, Houghton repeatedly referred to Waller County as “the highest and driest piece of ground,” which most residents said made no sense to them.

As Sandy Warren pointed out, “Waller County is rice growing area for a reason. It’s wet.”

Answers to questions regarding corridor access for the community were deferred back to the newly established Segment Committees for solutions.

Saenz confirmed that committee members would not be required to sign non-disclosure agreements and that the process through Tier II to dirt turning would be three to five years in the making, if it came through Waller County at all.

TxDOT’s funding answer
One of the biggest complaints heard was why the road is needed as a local transportation solution and, if so, why private investors are being used as developers instead of TxDOT funding the project itself.

TxDOT projects a population increase of four million, as a result of the impending redistricting of nine congressional seats in 2010, according to Houghton. In addition, he said the I-69 corridor would be tied to Corpus Christi ports.

But when pressed by WCTRA Director Trey Duhon to agree that the TTC/I-69 is about cargo and containers and not a population explosion, Houghton adamantly disagreed.

However, Heiss did agree that the corridor was not a local traffic solution, but more about relieving congestion caused by commerce on the interstates.

Heiss explained that foreign investors are being used, not because they are construction companies, but because they are banks that lead the marketplace in transportation funding, a concept he says Wall Street investors are catching up to.

Saenz confirmed that at least two private investors were preparing bids for a March 5 deadline, but residents repeatedly demanded a funding alternative.

Houghton said the 2009 Legislative session could provide direction for funding alternatives of which a gas tax increase may be one.

“Pay it at the pump, up to $1.20 more than now,” he said, “or pay tolls.”

West Harris County 4-H Veterinary Science Project members recently organized a donation drive to benefit the horses currently in the care of the Houston S.P.C.A. The members collected tack, feed and horse care products from area businesses and fellow 4-H club members. They delivered the much-needed supplies to the S.P.C.A. earlier this month. Pictured (from left to right), Ellie Girdwood, Jennifer Lyons, Megan Lyons, Sarah Sumbera, Sarah Beth Halbert and Paige Williamson of the Houston S.P.C.A. Submitted Photo

Early voting registration deadline nears

By Brian Walzel
Editor

As the political season heats up, registration deadlines to vote in this year’s primary elections are nearing.

The last day to register to vote in the March 4 primary is Feb. 4.

For those living in Montgomery County, voter registration applications may be mailed to: Elections Administrator, Carol Gaultney, P.O. Box 2646, Conroe, TX, 77305-2646.

For Harris County voters, registration applications may be mailed to: Tax Assessor Collector, Paul Bettencourt, P.O. Box 3527, Houston, TX, 77253-3527.

Early voting for the March primaries begins Feb. 19 and will run through Feb. 29.

Early voting polls will be open Feb. 19-22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feb. 23 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Feb. 24 from 12 to 5 p.m., and Feb. 25-29 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voting in Magnolia will take place at the Malcolm Purvis Library, located at 510 Melton Street. Other locations include the Montgomery County Administration Building Annex, located at 207 W. Phillips in Conroe; the South County Community Building, located at 2235 Lake Robbins Dr., in The Woodlands; the East County Courthouse Annex, located at 21130 US 59 South in New Caney; the Pct. 1 Constable/JP Building, located at 300 S. Danville in Willis; and the West County Courthouse Annex, located at 19380 Hwy. 105 W. in Montgomery.

For more information about voting in Montgomery County, call 936-539-7843.

In Tomball, early voting will be held at the City of Tomball Public Works building, located at 501 James Street in Tomball. Other area locations include the Barbara Bush Library, located at 6817 Cypresswood in Spring; and Cypress Top Park, located at 26026 Hempstead Highway.

Willow Creek Elementary Assistant Principal Mary Ann Marshall congratulates spelling bee runner-up Kamalbir Singh (left), third grade, and the spelling bee winner Gurneet Kaur (right), fourth grade. Kamalbir and Gurneet are not only schoolmates, but they are also siblings. Gurneet won the school bee after eight spelling rounds. The winning word was “barrage.”
Submitted Photo

Magnolia ISD launches i-SAFE program to promote Internet safety

Children are exposed to the Internet at an early age and grow up using the technology, but they often don't understand the risks.

Magnolia Independent School District (MISD) has adopted the i-SAFE.org training for students, parents, and community members to help understand the necessity of being safe and thinking critically while online.

MISD supports awareness for parents in knowing both the good and bad that Internet use has to offer children.

Information sessions introducing the i-SAFE program will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

Jan. 29 - Bear Branch Elementary Cafeteria Feb. 28 - Williams Elementary Cafeteria

Lisa Cunningham, Professional Development Manager for i-SAFE Inc., will be the guest speaker. Information regarding training opportunities and the district's plans for implementation of the i-SAFE program will be presented during these sessions.

Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting the online experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates dynamic community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the Internet a safer place through the i-Learn online training system.

i-SAFE has created lessons that map out strategies by which parents can stay one step ahead. These training areas include: Online Dangers, Cyber Security, Curriculum & Outreach, The Digital Divide, and Taking Action.

For more information, contact cturek@magnoliaisd.org, or call 281-252-1005 ext.1506.

Tomball resident featured in calendar

Tomball resident Mandy Adamo recently posed for Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s 2008 Commit for Life calendar. The Tomball resident won’t soon forget the violent crime that left her in need of blood donations in October 2001, but she can smile because of the people who helped keep her alive.

Tomball’s Mandy Adamo is featured on Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s 2008 Commit for Life calendar.

Because of blood donors, Adamo was able to replace many units of blood that she had lost. “I never really understood the importance of giving blood until my role in the process changed, when I became a recipient,” Adamo said.

Adamo appears in the 2008 calendar to spread the word that an individual can make a life-saving difference for people like her by becoming a regular blood donor.

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is seeking individuals to share their stories in the 2009 campaign, which will include educational materials like the Commit for Life calendar. Visit www.giveblood.org and follow the links to “Continue Your Commitment” to tell The Blood Center how Commit for Life has changed your life. Every blood donor who participates will receive 100 points for the Commit for Life store.

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center has 14 local Neighborhood Donor Centers and holds daily mobile blood drives at businesses and places of worship throughout the year. Individuals who wish to donate blood may visit The Blood Center’s Web site at www.giveblood.org or call 1-888-482-5663 to schedule their donation or search for convenient blood donation sites in their area.

WISD honors 10 midyear graduates at meeting

Governor Rick Perry proclaimed January School Board Recognition Month and Waller Independent School District is joining other districts across the state to acknowledge local trustees’ commitment to the communities and schools. Waller ISD’s Board of Trustees was honored during its regular meeting Jan. 14. Each member received a gift bag presented by WISD campus principals. Art work and posters, prepared by students district-wide to thank the Board for their work, were also hung on the walls of the board room.

To kickoff the meeting, a midyear graduation ceremony was held for 10 Waller High School (WHS) students. The graduates received their diplomas from WHS Principal Kelly Baehren and WHS Assistant Principal for Instruction Kenneth Epting and were certified as graduates by the board.

During a Jan. 14 meeting of the Waller ISD Board of Trustees, a graduation ceremony for 10 midyear graduates was held. Pictured (back row, left to right) WHS Assistant Principal for Instruction Kenneth Epting, William Ratliff, Abigail Ferguson, Ashleigh Horn, Arturo Perez, WHS Principal Kelly Baehren; (front row, left to right) Epiphany Lopez, Merissa Hunnicutt, Edgar Morales, and Pedro Chacon.

Tomball Junior High School Principal Linda Harry (right) presented eighth grader Hunter Rhone (left) with a medal and a certificate Jan. 23 for winning a campus National Geographic Bee. Rhone now has the opportunity to compete for a $25,000 college scholarship, which is sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
Submitted Photo

Report shows TISD outperforming state, region on TAKS tests

By Brian Walzel
Editor

The Tomball Independent School District released its annual Academic Excellence Indicator System report, which reveals how well the district and its respective campuses performed on standardized tests in 2007, at a Jan. 14 meeting.

The data shows that the district outperformed both the state and region and made increases in overall test scores in the vast majority of subgroups.

The percentage of all TISD students who met the standard on the ’07 TAKS test increased 3 percent over 2006 from 77 to 80 percent. That number eclipsed both the state and regional average by 10 percent.

The district as a whole saw increases for all students tested in all categories. In reading/language arts, the percentage of students meeting the TAKS standard increased from 91 percent in ’06 to 94 percent in ’07. The same goes for mathematics (83 percent in ’06 to 86 percent in ’07), writing (from 93 percent to 94 percent), science (from 81 percent to 84 percent), and Social Studies (from 93 percent to 95 percent).

Only four subpopulations in TISD saw decreases from their ’06 scores. African American students saw their respective scores drop from 90 percent meeting the TAKS standard in ’06 to 84 percent in ’07. Asian/Pacific Islanders’ writing scores dropped from more than 99 percent in ’06 to 95 percent in ’07.

Native American students, the smallest subpopulation in the district, saw scores drop in both mathematics (from 90 percent to 86 percent) and in every test overall (from 86 percent to 82 percent).

Two of the largest gains came in the special education and in the limited English proficient (LEP) subpopulations.

The number of special ed students meeting science standards in ’07 increased 21 percent from 41 to 62. Meanwhile, LEP students saw their number of students meeting writing standards increase from 70 percent in ’06 to 86 percent in ’07, a 16 percent jump.

The district’s coordinator of testing, Mary Ann Sweet, also gave an overview of the district’s student population.

According to Sweet, the district’s Hispanic population saw the largest increase. For the 2006-07 school year, Hispanics made up 19.1 percent of the population, compared to 18.3 percent in 2005-06.

The percentage of white students decreased last year, from 71.5 percent in 2005-06 to 6,370 in 2006-07, which makes up 70.2 percent of the population.

Sweet also reported that 20 percent of the district’s population is made up of economically disadvantaged students.

Waller town center developer looking for future growth of city

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The City of Waller may be the proposed site for a town center style shopping district, but developer David Klein of Klein Equities cautions against expecting to see bulldozers and dirt moving anytime soon.

Klein said that full development of what he called his last major project could be as many as 20 to 30 years out and would be a “long, slow, patient process.”

“The growth in sales for retail is dependent upon residential growth,” he said. “It is my last major project and I want it to grow with the city.”

Answering three important questions for potential residents could expedite the development, according to Klein. Those questions include:

Where will my family live? Where will my kids go to school? Where will my family shop?

“We must plan for the answers to those questions,” Klein told those in attendance at the Waller Economic Development meeting Jan. 17.

According to Klein, the Waller Independent School District and its movement toward future district growth is the answer to the first question.

A new 825-acre single-family master planned community named Stone Bridge, recently sold to Trademark Property Co. by McAllister Co. and funded through institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals, answers the second question, he said.

Klein believes undertaking the massive 450-acre shopping district comprised of a lifestyle center with pedestrian access flanked by large box stores answers the third question.

The real benefit to the City of Waller is the potential sales tax that could be generated by the planned shopping district.

The sales tax revenues have been secured by the city with recommendation by Houston’s Planning Commission, though Houston’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) extends to Kickapoo, claiming 90 percent of the site.

The potential sales tax boon came after nine months of negotiations through the efforts of Waller EDC President John Isom and other members of the EDC Board of Directors.

“Their planning commission was very agreeable to this,” said Isom. “It was placed on Houston’s city agenda and their council rubber stamped it.”

The result is a win-win, according to EDC Secretary Joyce Tucker.

“It makes outlying municipalities viable, which enhances Houston,” she said.

Waller currently lays claim to an estimated $1 million in sales tax and $400,000 in property tax.

A close analysis indicates that while Waller residents spend $190 million in retail dollars annually, $124 million of that is lost through what Isom termed as retail leakage to other shopping districts not in Waller’s ETJ.

Multiply $124 million by 2 percent and the total loss in sales tax revenues summits $2.5 million, said Isom. With a town center style shopping district, Waller could potentially capture that revenue for itself.

“That’s a blue-chip opportunity for Waller,” he said.