Sterling Ridge Village Association
Meeting:
The next meeting of the Sterling Ridge Village Association
will be Monday, March 27, at 7:00 PM at the Sterling Ridge
YMCA. With the concurrence of the Village Association president,
I have invited a couple of patrol deputies from the Sheriff’s
Office to come by for a few minutes to answer questions
and discuss criminal activity. They will be there at 7:00
and will only stay for about 15 minutes. This is intended
to be a brief discussion at the beginning of the meeting.
The last time I asked law enforcement authorities to attend
one of these meetings it degraded into an all out verbal
brawl that lasted about 2 hours. I have no intention of
letting that happen again and have informed the deputies
that the SRVA president and I will shut down the discussion
and ask them to leave if things get out of hand again.
Ride-Along With Deputy Constable:
I recently had the opportunity to spend a day as an observer
riding along with one of the Deputy Constables that are
funded by the Community Associations. I found the Constable’s
personnel to be professional, courteous, and efficient,
very knowledgeable about criminal activity in the area,
and anxious to do the best job they could for the residents.
I agree with many residents that we don’t have
enough law enforcement visibility, but seeing it from
the other side I found that a deputy patrolling through
a neighborhood, park, or shopping center takes only a
few seconds, and the chances of residents seeing that
patrol are pretty small. I also found that the both the
Sheriff’s and Constable’s deputies seem to
respond to calls fairly quickly. While I still believe
we need additional visibility, my limited exposure made
me feel good about the service that we get from these
officers.
Sterling Ridge Village Association Bluebonnet Festival:
The 2006 Bluebonnet Festival is almost here! There are
a lot of fun activities planned. There will be a 5-in-1
Moonwalk, games and be on the look out for your favorite
Super Hero and Disney Princesses. Terramont Park also
features its own fun with the skateboard park, basketball
court, and playground. Our elementary kids are working
hard on the design for our VOSR
Festival T-Shirts...who will win the best design? Don't
miss out on the
fun; 10am to 2pm, Saturday, April 8th. See www.sterling-ridge.org
for additional information.
WCA Annual Meeting:
The TWA’s sister Association, The Woodlands Community
Association, which serves the villages of Grogan’s
Mill, Panther Creek, Cochran’s Crossing, and part
of Indian Springs, is holding its annual meeting on Wed
March 22, 2006 at 7:00 PM at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott.
Houston Mayor Bill White is scheduled to speak on Regional
Governance Collaboration.
MUD #46 Board Elections:
The Board of Directors of MUD #46 is composed of 5 people,
three of whom are up for re-election this May. I was
told by the current President that there are a number
of people (I think he said 7) who have already filed
for these
3 positions in this election. I am trying to obtain some
information about the candidates and will pass it along
if and when I get it. If you wish to contact the MUD,
you can do so through The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency,
2455 Lake Robbins, 281-367-1271. They are working on
a website but do not have one right now.
Town Green Park Grand Opening:
Town Green Park in Town Center near Market Street is
nearly completed. This will be a major park for all of
the residents of The Woodlands to enjoy and will include
numerous features not included in other parks. A major
event is planned for the grand opening on April 1, for
details see http://www.town-center.com/fotg/index.htm
This park is located between Market Street and The Woodlands
Waterway, and between the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
and the library. It will provide access to the Waterway
from Market Street.
Aggressive Solicitors:
There have been many reports of aggressive solicitors
in the area. The following information is from The Community
Associations of The Woodlands and is good advice:
Neighborhood Alert/Aggressive Solicitors
The Neighborhood
Services Department would like to encourage residents
not to open their doors to strangers! Solicitors
are strangers, so please use the following guidelines:
1. Keep your doors locked at all times!
2. Don’t open your doors to strangers!
3. Trust your instincts, if you feel uncomfortable, report
it immediately to
law enforcement.
4. Once you open your door, you have compromised your
safety; install a
“
peep” hole in the door or use a window to view
callers.
5. Through the door, ask the solicitor to leave your
property. If the
solicitor doesn’t leave, report the stranger at
the door at once to law enforcement as a criminal trespass.
6. Teach all other family members not to open the door
to strangers.
7. If you are approached outside, ask the solicitor to
leave and proceed to
your home or vehicle and follow the steps above.
For No Solicitor Stickers, Door Hangers, and additional
Stranger at the Door Guidelines, please contact the Neighborhood
Services Department at 281.210.3800.
• Call 9-1-1 for emergencies.
•
Call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at
281.297.6500 for non-emergencies (suspicious activity).
No organization in The Woodlands has the ability to
make and enforce ordinances, and the State and County
do not prohibit soliciting door to door. However, we
should all be careful, ask strangers to leave if you
do not want them on your property, and notify the Sheriff’s
Office if someone refuses to leave or there is suspicious
activity.
Water Wells and Plant:
The San Jacinto River Authority
is planning to construct a water plant including two
tanks and two water wells
off of Branch Crossing Drive south of the new Super Wal-Mart
and west of Branch Crossing. The Woodlands Development
Company has prepared a notice for home builders to provide
to purchasers so that they are aware of the future location
of the facility. Construction is planned to being in
mid to late 2006 and proceed for 12 to 18 months.
Future Governance Information:
The Woodlands Governance
Steering Committee is working 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.
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, March 23,
2006 at 7:30 PM, at the Community Associations Building,
2201 Lake
Woodlands Dr.
Contact Info:
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me:
Class A Elected Director from Sterling Ridge and Assistant
Treasurer The Woodlands Association |
