February 17 Open Meeting

Not many of us knew we were paying taxes on the water we use to the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District until we got letters from our water companies saying they would begin recouping the taxes from us in the near future. (It's my understanding the water companies have been paying the tax to the District on our behalf for the past 3 years with out passing the charges on.)

Thursday, Feb. 17, Kathy Jones, General Manager of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, will give a presentation and answer questions about the Groundwater Conservation District and how our tax money is being used. Assistant County Engineer Mike Beitler will also be on hand to answer questions about the widening of FM 1488 and why it hasn't started yet.

Bring your friends and neighbors, come hear these informative presentations, ask questions and get involved in all the happenings along FM 1488.

                                                April 15Golf Tournament

Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce has chosen the E 1488 CA as one of the beneficiaries from their first Annual "I Survived Tax Day" Golf Tournament set for April 15 at Lake Windcrest Golf Course.  Prize money totals $900 (not to mention the goodie bags, raffles, etc.) and entry fee is only $400 for a team of 4 (with a discount of $100 if you register before March 1) or $100 (discounted to $90. before March 1) for a single player (you'll be teamed up).

E1488CA Directors and members will be helping with the tournament and are encouraging the formation of teams to represent the various subdivisions. A registration form is attached and more info is available on our web site (www.e1488ca.org )

Please plan to take Friday, April 15 off, enjoy B-B-Q cooked by Commissioner Craig Doyal and meet and greet friends and business associates.... and help E1488CA and Keep Montgomery County Beautiful while you're having fun.  Sign up before March 1 for the biggest savings.           

                                                            Security

Representatives of member subdivisions have been meeting for months, trying to find a way to increase security in the FM1488 area. Constable Tim Holified and Sheriff Tommy Gage have attended some of the meetings, offering helpful suggestions.

Unfortunately, it all boils down to money, a commodity that's never plentiful enough. An agreement that will help the smaller subdivisions to get improved security if they're willing to work together seems to be in the offing. Contacts between subdivisions have been made and strengthened, fulfilling one of the main goals of the E 1488 CA (facilitating communications.)

With the recent attempted robbery by knife point of a 67 year old woman at McDonald's, the need for increased vigilance grows.

                                                           Drainage

Members continue to meet to discuss drainage situations/problems under the direction of Chairman of Richard Swingle. The latest issue to catch the committee's attention is the lack of up-to-date FEMA flood plain maps.  Montgomery County's floodplain maps are very old and out dated. The committee is looking into ways to help the County move forward and obtain better maps. This issue is made all the more important as more trees are cut, removing their "sponge" effect, and flooding becomes more and more of an issue in the area.

            (For your information, the following is an excerpt from the E 1488 Community Association Partnership Pledge (which we hope to get out the public soon) that is designed to raise awareness of the importance of trees and landscaping. It will be coming soon to our website and then to our neighborhoods and area businesses:

Preserving trees and natural landscaping makes good sense for all. Developers and builders can realize an increase of 15-25% in house or lot values by the preservation of appropriate trees & shrubs (Council of Tree & Landscape Appraisers). For businesses and homeowners, the shade provided by mature trees can reduce air conditioning costs by as much as10-15 percent (USDA Forest Service) and overall energy consumption by as much as 30 percent (www.treefolk.org).

Trees with only a modest (35%) canopy can reduce runoff by 12-13% and help minimize local flooding and erosion (www.forester.net). Depending on species, this can result in reduced costs in storm drains and retention ponds if combined with restrictions guaranteeing the long-term preservation of the trees.

(Researched by Glenn Buckley.)

                                                           Signs

            Chuck Meyer, husband of E 1488 CA Sign Committee Chairman Cheryl Meyer, was injured last weekend while removing an illegal sign from a telephone pole.  He had to have 10 stitches but is recovering well. We send our best wishes for speedy healing and thank both Chuck and Cheryl for their continuing great service to the area.  Bandit and other illegal signage have been much reduced along FM 1488 (from FM 2978 to the east) since the Meyers have been on duty!

            To help matters further, Representative Rob Eissler has introduced several bills into the legislature concerning bandit and illegal signage. (HB 599.600, 601)  These bills would put the blame where it belongs, on the people who advertise on the illegal signs and the people who allow their property to be used for the placement of illegal signs. (The present law calls for persons placing the signs to be prosecuted.  They're often minimum wage workers, not the true culprits.)  These bills will also make illegal signs a civil affair that can be handled in local courts. These civil offenses will carry a fine of not less the $500 or more than $1000 daily.

Please contact Rep. Eissler with your letters of support. (Get info where to write/call/e-mail from http://www.house.state.tx.us/bills/welcome.php       

Keep Montgomery County Beautiful

Keep Montgomery County Beautiful will be hosting both the Great American Clean-Up (March 1^st – May 31^st) and the Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off (April 2^nd).  Their goal is to recruit 1,200 volunteers throughout the County to participate in one or more clean-up projects.  A project could be as simple as washing a storefront window, mowing an overgrown vacant lot or picking up trash (including bandit signs) along a roadway.

Groups that want to participate (subdivision POAs or the E 1488 Community Association, for instance,) should choose a project and notify KMCB of their project as soon as possible. Applications to participate in Great American Clean-Up or the Don't Mess With Texas Trash-Off will then be sent to the groups who will need to keep a list of participants, dates when project was completed, what was done, etc. Projects need to be completed between March 1 and May 31. Meanwhile, groups may want to consider adopting a highway, another great idea. Check out our website to find an application. 

                                                     Home Depot Opening

Word has it that Home Depot will be opening March 3.  It's pleasing to see a few trees going back in and grass being planted to help with erosion.

                                      FM 1488 Soon to Be Magnolia Parkway (again)?

Back in December I receive word from Dwight W. Arnold that he was attempting to have FM 1488 renamed as "Magnolia Parkway" and that Representative Rob Eissler had introduced a bill to that effect. HB250 designates FM1488 from the City of Hempstead to I-45 as the "Magnolia Parkway" and directs that signs so designating the roadway be designed and erected. As there used to be signs at I-45 and near Magnolia designating FM1488 as Magnolia Parkway, it's nice to think this bill may make the name legal.

Dwight says the busiest FM Road in the State of Texas is FM 1093, now better known as Westheimer, so such things can happen. 

Thanks for brightening my day, Dwight!

See you all Thursday, Feb. 17th at Bear Branch Junior High. I'll bring back an update on the bandit and illegal signage bills from Austin.

 Regards,

Ann K Anderson, President