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SLPD Receives STEP Grant
The Texas Department of Transportation has awarded the Sugar Land Police
Department a $110,000 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant to address
speed limit compliance at selected locations in Sugar Land; and compliance with
intersection control devices at major intersections throughout the city,
including red lights, stop signs, failure to yield right-of-way and turn-lane
violations.
The grant period is from Oct. 1, 2008-Sept. 30, 2009. Speeding continues to be
the number-one factor contributing to accidents within Sugar
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Land. The police department uses crash data, speed surveys and information
supplied by residents to identify those areas where additional enforcement is
needed.
SLPD’s latest speed surveys indicate only 19 percent of drivers are obeying posted
speed limits at some of the STEP grant
’s targeted intersections, and compliance is below 50 percent at every targeted
intersection.
In addition to enforcement, SLPD will utilize funds to conduct numerous public
education events throughout the year and distribute informational material to
the public.
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Sugar Land Speakers Bureau
Created for Nov. 4 Election
A newly created speakers’ bureau is available to provide informational presentations about measures on
the Nov. 4 ballot. Voters will be able to decide the future development of a
possible Cultural/Entertainment District near the University of Houston System
at Sugar Land.
The speakers’ bureau is comprised of elected leaders and senior city officials. They were
available during September and October to speak to any community group or
organization that wanted to learn more about the election and the possibility
of a minor league baseball stadium and indoor concert venue in Sugar Land.
The Cultural/Entertainment District is a project that combines more than a
decade of citizen surveys, parks master plans, city comprehensive plans and
economic development plans
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with the efforts of a citizen task force. This combined input identifies five
specific venues to be developed by or on behalf of the city.
City council has committed that property taxes will not be used in the
development of the Cultural/Entertainment District. In addition, the
propositions will not increase the sales tax rate.
Capacity currently exists in the sales tax rate for these projects, and the
following venue-specific taxes are being proposed for the Cultural/Entertainmen
District:
•A ticket tax of up to 10 percent would be added to the face value of the tickets
sold in the Cultural/Entertainment District.
•A parking tax of up to $3 per car would apply only to parking in the
Cultural/Entertainment District.
•A 2 percent increase in the hotel occupancy tax rate from the current 7 percent
to a proposed 9 percent would apply to all hotel rooms rented in Sugar Land.
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Fort Bend County Libraries Adds New Search Tool
Fort Bend County Libraries launched a new search tool, Cross Search, that makes
searching for information even easier. Patrons may now search approximately 50
of the libraries
’ digital resources including the catalog and selected databases, at one time
with one search.
Previously, a library patron would search the online card catalog for books on a
subject, and/or search the library
’s databases for journal articles on a subject. Now, they may search the catalog
and multiple databases with one search.
Known as a “federated search engine,” Cross Search is an
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e-resource management tool developed by WebFeat that is now being used by more
than 16,500 libraries and information centers, including public, academic,
government and Global 1000 libraries and centers.
This new feature can be found on the homepage of the library’s Web site, www.fortbend.lib.tx.us, by clicking on the Cross Search icon, on the Catalog page by clicking on the
Cross Search tab, or on the Web site
’s Database page by clicking on the Cross Search link. A library card with a
barcode number and PIN is needed to access the service from home.
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Texana Center Receives $1.5 Million Grant
The Texana Center received a $1.5 million challenge grant from The George
Foundation. The funds will be used to expand the Rosenberg campus to benefit
residents with developmental disabilities and to provide greater access to
services in west Fort Bend County.
Texana Center provides behavioral health care and developmental disabilities
services across six counties and services to over 4,000 individuals per month.
The proposed West Campus project will encompass a learning center to provide
training in life and job skills
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and a service center that will accommodate staff and deliver services to those
with developmental disabilities. The total cost of the proposed West Campus
development is approximately $8.7 million.
George Patterson, CEO, said “We are very excited that The George Foundation has seen fit to partner with
Texana by awarding this significant grant. I am confident that we will be able
to leverage this award to find matching community funds.
We are grateful that The George Foundation believes in our mission and has
demonstrated their support in the work we do at Texana Center, in this very
generous way.
”
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