Sterling Ridge Village Association
Meeting:
The next meeting of the Sterling Ridge Village Association
will be Monday, April 24, at 7:00 PM at the Sterling Ridge
YMCA. The manager of the new Super Wal Mart will be there
to introduce himself and speak to us. Also, he and Alicia
Klostermann of The Community Associations will discuss
the Grand Opening of the store on May 17, 2006, and the
associated Get Ready Woodlands event at the store. The
following is from www.thewoodlandsassociations.org/neighborhood/
With hurricane season quickly approaching, many of you
are wondering how to prepare your family and your community
for the unexpected. Neighborhood Services is pleased
to bring you a new program, Get Ready Woodlands, to help
teach you and your family about emergency preparedness.
Please join us for our Get Ready Woodlands kick-off on
Wednesday, May 17, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Grand Opening
of the Sterling Ridge Wal-Mart (located near the intersection
of Woodlands Parkway and FM 2978). Food, prizes, activities
for the kids and lots of emergency preparedness information!
I’d like to thank the Montgomery County Sheriff’s
Office for having two deputies participate in the March
Sterling Ridge Village Association meeting. They gave
us some good crime prevention tips and also explained
the amount of time law enforcement officers spend responding
to house alarms that turn out to be false alarms. This
takes them off the street and away from other duties,
so anything we can do to reduce the number of false alarms
will help make our law enforcement officers available
to handle more serious issues.
Traffic Enforcement and Safety:
One of the main concerns
I hear from residents is about traffic safety and enforcement.
I certainly agree that
additional enforcement is needed, and to that end the
Community Associations, including The Woodlands Association,
has commissioned a study to help us determine the level
of law enforcement we need and the most cost-effective
way to get that enforcement. As I drive around The Woodlands,
however, it occurs to me that a lot of the drivers who
speed, run red lights, and run stop signs are residents
of The Woodlands. I know that is not the case with all
of the residents and also I know that many of the offenders
are from outside The Woodlands, especially now that we
have access from FM 2978 and Kuykendahl. Nevertheless,
I wonder if we, the residents, might have a positive
impact on overall traffic safety if we redoubled our
efforts to obey speed limits and traffic control devices.
Just a thought.
Sterling Ridge Village Association Bluebonnet Festival:
The 2006 Bluebonnet Festival, the first event of this
type presented by the Sterling Ridge Village Association,
was a big success thanks to the work put in by Events
Chair Susan Hadix and all the people who helped out
and participated, including our local merchants.
Fourth of July Celebration:
Independence Day is just
around the corner, and if the Association will have me
do so I’ll offer to help
coordinate a Sterling Ridge entry in the parade on July
4th. While I have not seen an official designation, I
have it on good authority that the theme of this year’s
parade is “Hats Off to America!”
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. Seven
people have filed for election to these three positions.
MUD #46 serves Sterling Ridge as well as parts of Grogans
Mill and Alden Bridge. The Grogans Mill Village Association
has put information about the election and the candidates
on their website. See http://www.grogansmillvillage.com/ne_mc_election.htm for information about the election location, day and
time,
early voting, and information about the candidates.
Mobility Issues:
The following information was provided
by Indian Springs TWA representative Lloyd Matthews from
the March 21 Chamber
of Commerce Mobility Team Meeting. Please keep in mind
that there is a long lead time with all road and traffic
construction, with time needed for studies, permits,
engineering and design, contract letting, etc, all before
the actual construction even begins. Nevertheless, it
is good to know that our County Commissioners and their
staffs are working to improve the traffic flow throughout
the area.
Following is a list of Mobility project highlights provided
by Montgomery County Commissioners Ed Chance and Craig
Doyal:
* A toll interchange at I-45 & FM 242 will be added
with existing roads remaining in place. A toll road authority
will be formed in the next 2-3 months to manage toll
roads. The toll road will be a “direct connect
flyover” like at Woodlands Parkway and will provide
an option to the present surface-level interchange.
* $11 million was approved through Rep. Kevin Brady efforts
to obtain right-of-way in Montgomery County for the Grand
Parkway east of I-45.
* Plans are underway to increase the number of traffic
cameras in Montgomery County will go from 140 to 500.
* Rayford Road reconstruction similar to Sawdust Road
is underway from I-45 to Riley Fuzzel Road.
* One lane is being added to Research Forest Drive from
I-45 to the bridge west of Gosling Road.
* Robinson Road east of I-45 is being rebuilt at a cost
of $2.2 million.
* Budde/Pruitt Roads are being redone at a cost of $1.8
million to enhance Park & Ride bus traffic.
* Tamina Road will be widened to four lanes from I-45
to the railroad tracks. Project delayed due to issues.
* Fish Creek Thoroughfare clearing will start in about
12 months or as soon as the Army Corps of Engineers permit
is issued.
* Contract to expand FM 2978 to four lanes from FM 1488
to FM 2920 should be issued in a few weeks.
* Extension of Woodlands Parkway westward from intersection
at FM 2978 to FM1488 is being planned. Initial road would
be two lanes. County expects developers to donate much
of the land.
* Design is underway to enlarge the intersection at Research
Forest Drive & Kuykendahl.
* Right-of-way acquisition is continuing for FM 1488
from I-45 to FM 2978. Construction for the section between
FM 2978 & FM 242 will be done first since it is the
biggest bottleneck. Clearing should begin soon.
Additionally, on March 13, Commissioners Court approved
the County Purchasing Agent to advertise for bids for
traffic signalization at Woodlands Parkway and Lake Woodlands
Drive, at Woodlands Parkway and Flintridge/Carlton Woods,
and at Woodlands Parkway and Forestgate. Again, this
is just advertising for bids, it will be a while before
construction of these lights occurs, but we do know that
they are on the way.
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.
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 |
