Newland Completes University Boulevard
Extension From U.S. 59 to Highway 6

Newland Communities completed a $25 million project to extend University Boulevard from U.S. Highway 59 to State Highway 6 through Telfair.

Design and construction of the roadway, which includes bridges, utilities and landscaping, was funded completely by the developer. The north-south corridor includes four lanes, with space to add two additional lanes in the future at city expense.

A city project is under way to extend University Boulevard from Highway 6 to U.S. Highway 90A; construction of this segment could begin as early as next year.

The completion of University Boulevard through the Telfair development is an important part of a series of projects to create a regional corridor through Sugar Land and Fort Bend County. Once all sections are completed, University Boulevard will be a regionally significant roadway, extending from U.S. 90A north of Walmart to Highway 6 at Murphy Road in Missouri City.

    SLPD Targets Highway

Safety During Spring Break

The Sugar Land Police
Department’s spring break highway safety initiative from March 6-22 resulted in 134 arrests, including 16 for drunk driving. The special DWI enforcement during the spring break holiday was funded with an $11,905 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to address DWI enforcement.

“Driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs is not worth the risk,” said Sgt. Wayne Coleman, of SLPD’s traffic division. “You are putting your life and the lives of others on the line.”

The STEP grant provides overtime to staff increased traffic enforcement in targeted areas during holiday periods, an extra resource that does not affect SLPD ’s normal operations.

The STEP grant combined with other grant funds ensures continued enforcement of intersections and speeding throughout the city.

Sugar Land Joins Chinese

American Professionals
for Diversity Summit

The city of Sugar Land has renewed a partnership with the Association of Chinese American Professionals for a Diversity Summit at Town Square on May 1.  

The city’s sponsorship of the event builds on a commitment to diversity and cultural awareness that includes a continued focus on the city manager ’s Multi Cultural Advisory Team. The group has been responsible for a number of cultural initiatives and recognitions, including Sugar Land ’s selection for the second straight year as an Anti Defamation League Community of Respect.

Sugar Land Mayor James Thompson will deliver welcoming remarks at the 9th Annual Diversity Summit. The Summit will focus on “attraction and retention of a diverse workforce” and will bring together business, government, academic and community leaders to discuss how diversity plays an ever-increasing role in global businesses and why inclusiveness is key to staff attraction and retention.

Donna Cole of Cole Chemical and David Medina, Rice University, are the co-chairs of this year ’s summit. Keynote speakers will include Susan Hodge, vice president of finance, Shell Oil Company; Dr. Mary Spangler, chancellor of Houston Community College; and Dr. David Pate, chief executive officer of St. Luke ’s Episcopal Hospital.

The daylong conference will also offer workshops on such topics as corporate diversity, maximizing personal potential and global business opportunities. Target audiences include managers and staff, diversity practitioners, small business owners, students and educators, as well as nonprofit and public sector employees.

Conference registration is $75 per person with a discounted price for students and area chamber members. For questions, contact Cecil Fong at cecil.fong@shell.com. For general information and registration, visit www.DiversitySummit.org.  

Fort Bend County Announces

New Freedom Public Transportation Program

Fort Bend implemented the New Freedom Grant Program, which will provide transportation services for Americans with disabilities seeking integration into the work force and full participation in society.

The New Freedom Public Transit helps individuals with disabilities by providing new public transportation services and

The rider fare is $1 per one-way trip. A service companion is allowed to travel with the rider at no charge. Subsequent phases will include rider attendants and van stop monitors to assist the riders who cannot travel independently. Interested Fort Bend County residents are encouraged to register for this program by contacting Fort Bend County Public Transportation at 1-866-751-TRIP.

Environmental Commitment Lands

State Award

Keep Texas Beautiful named Sugar Land a first-place winner of the 2009 Government Project Award for efforts to protect the environment.

Sugar Land was credited for an ongoing partnership with Keep Sugar Land Beautiful and its inaugural 2008 Environmental Week, a campaign that focused on litter prevention and cleanup, education and publicity of environmental issues and community beautification.

Sugar Land and KSLB hosted the second annual Environmental Week from April 13-19 with activities including: An Earth Day recycling event; recycling challenge that encouraged residents to recycle curbside on their designated recycling day; Recycled Plastic Art Challenge; Environmental Movie Under the Moon in Town Square; and an Eco-Car Show.

Commuter Bus Service to

Texas Medical Center to Stop

At the request of the Texas Medical Center, Fort Bend County ceased its commuter bus service route traveling to the Texas Medical Center campus effective March 6.

County Judge Bob Hebert stated, “We knew going in that this was a test-bed project for the Texas Medical Center and I'm sorry the numbers didn't work as well as they had hoped. We ’ll keep working with them to find a formula that can provide a positive cost-benefit for them so hopefully we can reinitiate this valuable service in the near future. ”

Fort Bend County is continuing the operation of the TREK Express service from Sugar Land to Greenway Plaza. Interested riders can transfer to Houston Metro's West Bellfort Park and Ride located at 11415 Roark Road, at West Bellfort, with a final destination of the Texas Medical Center. The TREK Express Greenway route serves both the University of Houston Sugar Land and First Colony AMC Theatre parking lots.

Cost for the TREK service from Sugar Land to the West Bellfort lot is $1 per person each way.   Passengers with Fort Bend Express tickets can seek a refund for unused tickets from the Texas Medical Center through May 8. After May 8, no tickets will be refunded. To request a refund, contact the Customer Relations Department with The Texas Medical Center at 713-791-6161.

Ashford Lakes Forms
Neighborhood Watch

Residents of Ashford Lakes subdivision worked with Sugar Land police to create a Neighborhood Watch Program, the first in many years formed north of U.S. Highway 90A.

Neighborhood Watch is a community policing partnership program that depends on citizen involvement to prevent and discourage crime and reduce fear by taking certain home, property and personal self-protection precautions.

Residents who are interested in starting new programs should enlist the support of half the neighbors on their block. A crime prevention officer will then meet with neighbors to discuss details of the program. To learn more, contact the Sugar Land Police Department ’s Crime Prevention Division at 281-275-2500.

Stormwater Tips To Keep Waterways Clean

The city of Missouri City wants residents to be aware of what’s washing down their storm drains, and eventually into their drinking water.  

The city, in partnership with 15 Municipal Utility Districts, facilitates a Stormwater Management Program to minimize the pollution that enters the city ’s water system through storm drains.

For details on the Stormwater Management Program or to report dumping into storm drains, contact Jing Chen at 281-403-8500. To volunteer with the program, contact Claudia Notestine at 281-403-8500. For more information,go to www.missouricitytx.gov, and click on the “Stormwater Management” link under “For Your Information.”

El Dorado Renovation

As construction begins on the Quail Valley golf property with the renovation of the El Dorado course, the city of Missouri City is working to ensure the impact to the environment is minimized while the course is being renovated to the safest standards.

About 100 to 150 of approximately 4,000 trees on the overall project will be removed to make the golf course greens safer for play. The city will be replanting new trees on the El Dorado course by late 2009, after construction is complete.

“Other trees must be cleared away because as they have matured, their shade has impeded the growth of the bermuda grass along the course, ” said golf course architect Jeffrey Blume. “Some trees will be removed because they are adjacent to the golf cart path, which must be demolished and replaced to facilitate safe and efficient drainage on the property. ”

“Any time we have a major construction project, there are some initial disruptions, but every effort is made to follow up with a beautification solution to enhance the final appearance of the property, ” said Scott Elmer, the city’s director of public works. “As we work swiftly these next six months, it will become clear that the renovated El Dorado is a world-class golf property  every resident can be proud of.”