County rolls ahead on road projects

By John Lowman
The Facts

Published March 26, 2009
ANGLETON — They’re not the kinds of changes people usually notice when driving by, but they’re designed to eventually make the trip to work or school easier.

Brazoria County Commissioners this week approved continued funding for a dozen road projects, mostly for drainage, right of way purchases and engineering to improve transportation in the northern part of the county. The majority of work is part of the ongoing $50 million mobility bond package passed by voters in 2004, County Engineer Gerald Roberts said.

“A lot of it is drainage, and we can’t get the designs finished until we get the right of way, and get drainage plans done,” he said.

Roberts said $95,000 in drainage changes along CR 48 and CR 58 are required. CR 58 is south of Pearland, near the Rodeo Palms subdivision and stretches west from Highway 288 to CR 48, or the old Airline Highway in Manvel. The CR 48 project goes from Highway 6 north to Mustang Bayou.

About 10 acres is needed along the roadways for detention ponds and ditches. Engineers had an overall drainage plan but needed more information to finalize that plan and move ahead with widening of the two roads, he said.

“To advance this project, we needed drainage outfalls,” Roberts said.

The court also approved $95,000 for engineering, traffic signals and continued work along CR 48 from Highway 6 to CR 894 at Mustang Bayou in Precinct 4, and another $37,800 on CR 48 and CR 58 for drainage and right of way.

The majority of that money is drainage-related, but some will be used for traffic signals and signs, Roberts said.

“We originally didn’t plan to have a traffic signal at County Roads 48 and 58, but further study warranted it,” he said. “We’ll build it and Pearland will maintain it.”

Commissioners agreed to spend $38,900 on mapping and engineering along the east-west CR 101 in Precinct 2, just north of CR 58 at Mustang Bayou near Sedona Lakes. They also agreed to $36,000 for bridge construction on CR 63 at North Hayes Creek in Precinct 2, east of Highway 288 near Iowa Colony City Hall.

Also this week, commissioners OK’d $35,000 for engineering and design services for a bridge on CR 723 in Quintana, in Precinct 1; $24,500 for work along CR 101 in Precinct 2; and $2,600 for right of way along CR 74, or Apollo Road, in Precinct 4 behind Cold River Ranch subdivision.

Pearland residents who live off McHard Road asked Brazoria County commissioners to look into repairs and traffic changes on that thoroughfare as the county covered a dozen road-related issues Tuesday.

Read the full story HERE.

Alvin residents killed in accident

Two Alvin residents died late Saturday night in a one-car accident in Friendswood.

The driver of a 2002 Dodge Intrepid lost control of his vehicle in the 2400 block of West Parkwood Avenue about 11:45 p.m. The car veered right and slammed head-on into a utility pole.

Driver Matthew Urdiales and front-seat passenger Chelsie Agharaad, both 21, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Read the full story at the CHRON.

May 9 Election Candidates File

Area cities and school districts will be holding elections May 9. Potential candidates had until Monday at 5 p.m. to file the proper paperwork to get themselves on the ballot.
Following is a list of who filed by the deadline. Incumbents are listed with an (i).


Alvin
District B
• Eileen Cross, 54, co-coordinator, office and disability services
• Charles Buckelew, 65, retired
• Gene Lyng, 81, retired
District C
• Jim Landriault, 47, sales manager (i)
At-large Position 1
• Charles Batty III, 30, funeral director (i)
• Ramiro Mondragon, 45, electrician
• Armando Cespedes III, 35, Realtor
Charter changes
• Permit city to establish economic development programs including grants and loans that are not inconsistent with authority granted to the city by state law.
• Require petitions for recall of an elected official to state a reason for the recall and to require the presenter of the petition to sign at the bottom of each page.
• Allow city council to re-appropriate budgeted revenues and expenses during emergencies resulting from natural or manmade disasters.
• Require an independent board of ethics and compliance and an ethics ordinance that is not required to duplicate and restate state law.


Alvin ISD
Position 1
• Pete Vincent, 70, retired from NASA (i)
Position 2
• Earl Humbird, 49, chemical plant operator (i)
Position 3
• Mark Patterson, 51, banking investor
• Tiffany Wennerstrom, 39, retired teacher


Brookside Village
Three at-large seats
• Don Jordan, 53, safety professional (i)
• Joe Milstead, 70, retired (i)
• Craig Bailey, 40, police officer (i)


Friendswood
Mayor
• David J. H. Smith, 48, real estate broker (i)
Position 1
• Michael E. Barker, 57, self-employed/sales (i)
Position 3
• Jim Hill, 66, self-employed (i)
Charter changes
• A measure to no longer require the city manager to reside within the city limits of Friendswood.
Bond election
• First proposition is for $3.1 million and would pay for improvements to city parks.
• Second proposition is for $6.5 million, of which $6 million would be spent for a new library at a yet-to-be-determined location. The remaining $500,000 would be used for turning the city’s existing library at 416 S. Friendswood Drive into a community center.


Hillcrest Village
Three at-large seats
• James Nash, 42, trade development (i)
• Adam Flores 38, accountant (i)
• Terrell Franzen, 68, retired


Manvel
Mayor
• Delores Martin, 74, (i)
Position 3
• Gary Garnett, 62, self employed (i)
Position 5
• Buddy Williams, 75, retired (i)


Pearland
Position 2
• Scott Sherman, 33, attorney
• Ben Carranza, 36, regulatory manager
• Tammy Dexter, 38, substitute teacher
• Manuel Gonzales, 36, attorney
Position 4
• Felicia Kyle, 39, attorney (i)
• Richard Oliver, 56, disabled
• Terence C. Norman, 43, attorney


Pearland ISD
Position 3
• Virgil Gant, 61, financial adviser
Position 4
• Ethan Crowell, 31, teacher
• Andrew Solomon, 43, law professor

Manvel City Council Agrees To Buy Land For City Hall

Manvel City Council has agreed to buy 6.64 acres to be used for the site of a new building to house City Hall and a county library branch.

The land is north of the existing single-story City Hall at 6615 Masters Road and adjoins it, Mayor Delores Martin said. The tract is owned by Siro Scopel, the son of long-time Manvel resident James Scopel, who is affectionately known locally as “Grandpa Scopel.”

On Monday, City Council approved purchasing the property for less than $200,000 using money out of the city’s fund balance, Martin said. She declined to provide the exact purchase price, but said the transaction should be completed in the next two weeks.

City Council decided to purchase the land after discovering that the 2-acre site of the existing 1,600-square foot City Hall couldn’t fully accommodate an expansion of the building to two stories and 10,600 square feet. It has room for the expansion of the building, but wouldn’t have the space needed for detention and its aerobic septic system, Martin said.
Once that was discovered last month, she said, she contacted Scopel about purchasing his 6.64 acres, which includes 344 feet of frontage along FM 1128.

“City Council is very excited,” Martin said. “Rather than to look to relocate, this could be our permanent home in Old Town Manvel.”

With the new property, the city has abandoned plans to expand its existing City Hall for now, Martin said.
City Council has already approved pursuing a $2 million loan to construct the new building, which would raise the city’s property tax rate of 58.7863 cents per $100 valuation by no more than 1.5 cents, Martin said.

Read the full story at the CHRON.