Fort Bend Lifestyles and Home Magazine Dec 2009: Fort Bend County News

State Recognizes Sugar Land

for Multi-Cultural and Community Volunteer Efforts

A state-awards program showcasing government best-practices recognized Sugar Land for a city-wide multi-cultural program and volunteer efforts during Hurricane Ike.

Sugar Land received two of the five Municipal Excellence Awards announced during the Texas Municipal ’s League’s annual conference. Competing against cities with populations exceeding 25,000, Sugar Land was named the state ’s best in the categories of “Communication Programs” and “City Spirit.”

In selecting Sugar Land for the Communications award, judges credited citywide efforts resulting in a number of new initiatives intended to facilitate greater citizen involvement.

Led by a group of citizen leaders, existing multi-cultural programs were enhanced, employee training was planned and provided, new initiatives were implemented and dialogue improved with the various cultures that have contributed to Sugar Land ’s distinction as one the state’s most diverse cities.

Judges recognized efforts such as the City Manager’s Multi-Cultural Advisory Team; a 24-hour, public safety Chinese phone bank; employee cultural training; and other programs that enabled Sugar Land to accomplish the following goals: enhance the ability for the city to meet the needs of residents of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds; promote an understanding of all cultures among all residents; and build opportunities for residents of all backgrounds to share in and be a part of Sugar Land.

TML also acknowledged Sugar Land with a “City Spirit” award for efforts to mobilize volunteers during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Long before the storm devastated southeast Texas, Sugar Land envisioned an opportunity to utilize the many resources and talents in the community.

Serve Sugar Land, the city’s signature

volunteer program, was created to enable the city to further expand, enhance and enrich the services it provides to the community through volunteerism. The program served as the basis for a volunteer army that was supplemented during Hurricane Ike recovery with many more residents who answered the call for service.

Since Hurricane Ike, the Serve Sugar Land program has doubled in size to more than 800 volunteers who contributed an additional 4,200 hours of service in 2008 beyond recovery efforts associated with the storm.

50 Best Things About Sugar Land

To help celebrate Sugar Land’s 50th anniversary, citizens were asked this year to vote for the “50 Best Things” about the city and Sugar Land Town Square came in first.

Other notable items that made the “Top 50” list included the quality of the city’s police and fire departments, city parks and recreational events, abundant diversity, retail and recreational amenities, excellent schools and quality citizen communications.

“Many thanks to the hundreds of Sugar Land residents who submitted nominations for ‘The 50 Best Things about Sugar Land,’” said City Manager Allen Bogard. “Looking over the list, it is easy to see why Sugar Land is acknowledged as one of the very best places to live in America! ”

Choices for the list had no limitations, and feedback ranged from a location to relax, a favorite eatery, an outstanding retail outlet, a particular street or path to walk and everything in between. The results were recently published in the city ’s official publication, Sugar Land Today.

Missouri City’s Potholes

Will Meet Their Patch

Duramax Diesel pothole patcher, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will be rolling into Missouri City to aid city staff in maintaining and extending the life of the roadways.

City Council approved the purchase of the $181,579 machine at its Oct. 19 meeting. The new truck will be financed through street bond funds and the purchase process will take about two months. Once here, the machine will be dispatched two to three days a week to make repairs on major streets, with a priority for older neighborhoods.

The Texas Department of Transportation will continue to have responsibility for state roads in Missouri City: 90A, Texas Parkway, Murphy Road, Highway 6 and Cartwright Road between Texas Parkway and Murphy Road.

With its extending mechanical arm and spray injection technology, the trendsetter will save Missouri City time and money as it fixes pesky potholes and cracks in the road. And, it ’s a speed demon, too. Instead of taking two or three people a few hours, a single operator can repair a pothole or a crack in fewer than 30 minutes.

Mountain Bike Enthusiasts

Invited toNew Bike Trail

The city of Sugar Land invited its residents, neighbors and all mountain bike enthusiasts to the official opening of the Justin P. Brindley Trail in Sugar Land Memorial Park, located just off U.S. 59 South on University Boulevard, near the Brazos River.

This highly anticipated single track mountain bike trail is unique to the Sugar Land area. Built by Progressive Trail Design, the trail provides exciting challenges for beginner to intermediate riders, with several wooden technical trail features for the more experienced riders.

The trail honors Justin Petersen Brindley, a Sugar Land resident and outdoor enthusiast who died in a rafting accident last year. His family donated $55,000 to the city for the trail ’s construction, which is located in an area often used for outdoor recreation by their son during his youth.

“We are very grateful to the Brindley family for their thoughtfulness and generosity providing this donation at what was a profoundly difficult time for them, ” said Jim Browne, Sugar Land’s director of parks and recreation. “Through their donation and support, many people will have the chance to enjoy mountain biking and this beautiful location as they use this trail. ”

The Brindley family attended the ribbon cutting that officially opened the trail for bikers.

For more information, contact the Sugar Land Parks and Recreation Department at 281-275-2885.

shoreline at Independence Park.

“Everyone from professionals to professional dancers and high school students to children from the neighborhood in our diverse community pitched in to help in this effort to ‘go green,’” said City Urban Forester Paul Wierzbicki. “They planted the new trees and placed dozens of bags of mulch in the park. Their hard work and determination helped successfully complete the tree planting in one day. ”

Home Depot in Missouri City donated 30 trees and 30 bags of mulch valued at approximately $825 for this special event to make sure the city continues to “go green.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for tree planting and mulching opportunities should contact Wierzbicki at 281-403-8500 or visit www.missouricitytx.gov for more information.