Beginning in October, meetings will occur
on the fourth Monday of each month instead of the second. The
October meeting will be on Oct 24. Time and place will remain
the same.
Law Enforcement Update:
The Community Associations Staff is gathering information from
the Sheriff and Constable’s offices regarding calls,
response times, etc, and has arranged for a law enforcement
consultant to assist in evaluating the law enforcement needs
of the community and the best and most cost-effective way to
provide them. I again re-iterate that the Community Associations
is not the primary provider of law enforcement services, but
we see the need to provide some supplement the service provided
by the County. During 2005, this amounted to about $900,000,
funding 5 Sheriff’s Deputy positions, 9 Deputy Constable
positions, including 1 Detective, and some overtime for patrols
in the parks.
I’d like to get some input from you regarding this issue.
After the July 2005 Sterling Ridge Village Association meeting
with representatives from the Sheriff’s office and the
Constable, I and several other residents noticed significantly
increased visibility by both agencies. I’d like to get
your feedback on whether that has continued, has gone back
to the way it used to be, or is somewhere in between. If possible,
I would appreciate you letting me know, by replying to this
message, if you see patrol cars frequently, occasionally, infrequently,
or not at all. Also, if you could let me know if you normally
see white patrol cars (the Sheriff’s office) or black
ones (the Constable’s), that would be great. Another
issue that has come up is the willingness of the Sheriff’s
office call takers to dispatch deputies. Please let me know
your experience in this area – are call takers willing
to dispatch a deputy to address your concern or do they attempt
to convince you that is not necessary? I appreciate your help
with this.
Future Governance Information:
The Woodlands Governance Steering Committee on a plan for a
future government structure of The Woodlands. They have set
up a website, www.thewoodlandsgovernance.org
where you can sign up for e-mail updates and follow the progress
of the committee as well as provide your input.
Below is a press release from the committee regarding workshops
to be held in the near future. If you would like to know about
the options for future governance, this would be a good place
to start.
Governance Public Workshops Rescheduled; to be Held in November
The Woodlands, Texas - The Woodlands Governance Process is
entering its next
phase as the community continues to explore future governance
alternatives.
The Governance Steering Committee (GSC), consisting of representatives
from
eleven key community stakeholders and the general public, has
been meeting
throughout the summer to set the stage for a three-tier evaluation
process
to select the preferred governance alternatives. The evaluation
process is
scheduled for completion in July 2006.
Small group discussions were recently held with randomly selected
residents
and local business people to gather input that was used to
develop the
community’s Core Governance Values. Core Governance Values
are those
characteristics of the community that the future governance
structure must
be able to successfully address. The Core Governance Values
were adopted by
the GSC and are being used to begin to evaluate the governance
alternatives.
Rescheduled from October, the next public involvement
activity is a series of Governance Workshops
to be held in four geographic areas throughout the community
on November 8th and 9th, 2005 from 7 to 9 p.m. These workshops
are an exciting opportunity for residents, landowners, and
business people in The Woodlands to learn more about the process
and the work that has been completed to date, review and provide
input on the Governance Alternatives, and review and comment
on the Core Governance Values.
Resident Survey:
Within the next few weeks, some residents may be contacted
by phone to
participate in a survey about the services provided to residents
here in The
Woodlands. This will enable the Community Associations staff
and board to
better match services to the requests of the residents.
Construction Issues:
The Woodlands Development Company is now requiring that all
construction
sites be posted with a sign indicating the acceptable work
hours and rules
that the construction personnel must follow. A contractor contact
name and
number is also included.
Sign Cleaning:
The Parks and Recreation Dept of The Community Associations
will begin next
week cleaning the neighborhood entry signs in Sterling Ridge.
Traffic Issues:
I’ve seen that construction has begun on traffic lights
at Woodlands Parkway
and Branch Crossing. I've been told by County Commissioner
Ed Chance’s
office that traffic lights are also in the works for Woodlands
Parkway at
Ashlane Way / Stoney Hurst. Studies are being done for the
best way to
handle the traffic at Woodlands Parkway at Lake Woodlands,
Flintridge /
Carlton Woods, and Forest Gate. Planning and construction take
6 - 9
months. A comprehensive study of the area around the Sterling
Ridge and
Indian Springs shopping centers is being done to determine
the best way to
control the traffic in that area and make it as safe as possible.
I’ve checked with Commissioner Chance’s office
about the intersection of
Woodlands Parkway and Player Woods. The intersection was reviewed
about a
year ago and was found to not warrant a traffic control device.
Commissioner Chance’s personnel visited the site again
several times within
the last week and found that it still does not warrant any
traffic control
other than the present stop sign on Player Woods. The recent
completion of
Player’s Bend to Terramont and Terramont to Woodlands
Parkway provides an
alternate route into the Player Woods area and seems to have
taken some of
the traffic away from Player Woods Drive.
Future Park and Ride Lot:
I have been told that the park and ride lot that is to be located
near
Ashlane Way and Woodlands Parkway will probably be under construction
beginning at the very end of the year. I know some of you are
concerned
about the traffic this might create; The Woodlands Development
Company has
commissioned a traffic study of that entire area including
the park and ride
lot, and will incorporate the findings of that study into the
design of the
roads into and out of the park and ride facility. If you would
like to
comment on the location of the lot, please contact Debra Staley
at The
Woodlands Development Company, 281-719-6100, or dstaley@thewoodlands.com.
Organization of The Woodlands:
An organization chart for The Woodlands has been developed
and added to the Sterling Ridge website at www.sterling-ridge.org/org_chart.php.
The chart is "clickable," and takes the viewer to
FAQ where additional information is given about the various
organizations that provide services to residents of The Woodlands.
New Community
Service Feature:
A very easy to use feature on the Community Associations website
provides a way to report problems or ask for assistance from
the Community Associations paid staff. Problems or questions
relating to things like park, pathway, and streetscape maintenance,
street lights, covenant administration, garbage and recycle
pickup, pools, etc, can be entered online via the “Service
Request” button on the Community
Associations website. This new feature is very easy to
use and responses are sent via e-mail notifying the resident
of the status of his or her request. There is no need to contact
me with every request. Feel free to contact me, however, if
you have any trouble getting resolution.
TWA Board Meeting:
The next TWA board meeting will be Thursday October 27 at 7:30
PM, at the Community Associations Building, 2201 Lake Woodlands
Dr.
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