Blog entries - January 2010

Friendswood Mustang Pride

Greg Rivera — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:44:42 +0100

Something that starts small can often grow big, and that’s the case with ‘The Mustang Spirit Store’ – an online store offering “unique spirit apparel” to the Friendswood community, letting each person show their own Mustang Pride.

Jennifer Burris and Delia Dao, two “Friendswood soccer moms,” were talking during a game one day and had the thought of opening a store for the Friendswood community that would sell items residents could wear displaying their school spirit and show their team pride. What started with a “crazy thought” grew into an online store which launched in April 2009. Inventory is now overflowing their one room space. As Burris put it, “It’s fallen into place. It’s exciting and kind of scary at the same time.”

West Ranch residents may have seen some of the unique items being sported around town, all little ways to show a lot of spirit, from onesies and sweatshirts to koozies and duffel bags, the store offers more than 45 products to choose from. Their catchy and fun webpage, www.mymustangpride.com, allows visitors to pick “Mustang Girls” with apparel for infants through adult, “Mustang Boys” with apparel for men and boys, and “accessories” ranging from duffel bags, to makeup bags and water bottle covers.

Dao said she and Burris design 65-70% of the products, with many ideas coming from Mustang Fans like the “Peace, Love and ‘Stangs” shirt which is very popular. Another popular item the duo designed was the “My Mustang Is:“ shirt which can be personalized to include a player’s name. The two moms make it a priority to stay in touch with the community to get an idea of what residents are looking for in style.

This business, starting by moms in the Friendswood community and for the Friendswood community, is hoping to grow to continue offering great quality products to more and more fans. They have already added items for Bay Area Christian School fans, and hope to add items with designs for Westwood and Cline Elementary in Friendswood as well.

As this Friendswood business continues to grow they hope to continue offering the best quality and styles to customers, with free shipping to all Friendswood customers. “We talked to teenagers, teachers, friends. We asked a lot of people what they were looking for or if they had an item we liked where they got it,” Dao shared. And they continue to look for community input. If you have ideas or a style you’d like to see they ask that you let them know so they can try to provide that style for you. As Burris and Dao hope “The goal is to be the Friendswood spirit store 365 days a year.”

Source: www.hcnonline.com/friendswood_journal

Double Your Return with Village Builders

Cheryl Perry — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Village Builders will double your 2009 tax refund, up to $20,000. The builder will match your tax refund up to $20,000, which can be used towards the price of a new Village Builders home.

This special offer is good on homes sold between January 25 and January 31, 2010. Home must close by February 28, 2010.

Village Builders offer new homes in West Ranch, Fairfield, Graystone Hills, Oakhurst at Kingwood, Lakes of Savannah and Lakemont.

For more information, visit Lennar.com.

Offer good up to $20,000 on homes sold 1/25/10 - 1/31/10 that close by 2/28/10. Tax Return should be presented on first visit to the Welcome Home Center. See a Lennar or Village Builders New Home Consultant for further information. Offers, incentives and seller contributions are subject to certain terms, conditions and restrictions, which may include use of designated lenders and closing agents. Offer good for a limited time only. Lennar and Village Builders reserve the right to change or withdraw any offer at any time. Copyright © 2010 Lennar Corporation. Lennar, the Lennar logo, Village Builders, and the Village Builders logo, Everything You Want., Everything You Need., That's the Logic of Lennar logo, Universal American Mortgage Comany and UAMC logos are registered service marks or service marks of Lennar Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. 1/10

Friendswood Native in Summit on the Summit Challenge

Greg Rivera — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:06:06 +0100

Even after spending years serving in Bolivia through the United States Peace Corp and being named one of the top 100 Extraordinary Women, Elizabeth Gore of Friendswood, Texas still values her hometown.

“In Friendswood, I have the best friends in the world still, even though I’ve been running around the globe with the U.N.,” Gore said. “The best place in the world is to go home to Friendswood to see all my best friends. What a special place to be from. So, I’m very proud to have grown up in such a great community.”

Representing Friendswood, Gore started her “Summit on the Summit” challenge on January 7 to raise money for the global clean water crisis. She will climb 19,340 feet to the top of Mount Kilimnjaro, with each square foot available to be sponsored through www.summitonthesummit.com.

“Our goal is raise funds,” Gore said. “Even the smallest contribution will provide families with clean water. I am asking Friendswood residents to log on to our website and make a donation. Even $5 or $10 makes a huge difference.”

Young local, Blake Sartain, demonstrated this by donating his allowance to the cause, sponsoring a foot for the climb.

After training for almost a year, Gore is enthusiastic about the climb but also nervous.

“I think the thing I’m most nervous about, being from the hottest flattest part of the country, Texas, is that we’re going up above 19,000 feet and it’s going to be below zero. So, it’s going to be very cold and very high. I’m nervous; but also honored to be able to do this.”

In addition to raising funds, Gore said she hopes to raise consciousness about the issue and promote water conservation.

Proceeds from the Summit on the Summit climb are donated to three clean water organizations:

Children’s Safe Drinking Water (www.csdw.org), UNHCR (www.unhcr.org), and Playpumps International (www.playpumps.org).

"This is the Most Beautiful Building in Friendswood"

Greg Rivera — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:15:11 +0100

That is a big statement for a building, but that is exactly how The Friendswood Park Plaza office building at 907 S. Friendswood Drive is being described. Right across the street from City Hall this building is now a staple location in Friendswood offering office space in 100% of its 20,400 sq ft of space.

Offering 100% of floor space to offices would not have been possible with the original zoning of the building as Neighborhood Financial which limited office space to 60% of gross floor space. In order to make this change happen Crystal Creek Developers requested a zoning re-classification for which the Friendswood City Council was pleased to accept. “They didn’t have to do that,” shared Jim Barr, Friendswood City Council member, “They’re doing this at their own expense to make it more attractive for the people of Friendswood. I think it’s impressive what they’ve done.”

Crystal Creek Developers LLC built the Friendswood Park Plaza according to the design and plans created by P.E. Square Engineering and Everest Design Group LLC (all housed in the new building). Requesting a re-zoning as Downtown District was not the only optional step that Crystal Creek took to make the building more attractive for the City of Friendswood, they also spent an extra $80,000 to put in 48-inch storm pipes beneath the parking lot instead of building a detention pond which can be an eyesore. “It’s got everything you could possibly want,” said Sally Harris Branson of Raymond James Financial who recently moved into the new building.

The building is nestled closer to the street than most office buildings, with a second floor balcony that looks directly onto Friendswood Drive and City Hall. The design included a wide paved walkway and landscaping surrounding the earth tones on the outside of the building. There is a common conference room on the second floor with high ceilings, offering the newest electronics and technology. To top it off the Executive suites on the second floor offer internet, digital phones, cable television and utilities along with a receptionist service, common kitchen area, exercise room with a shower, and janitorial services.

In mid-December, after only being open for one month, the building was already 80% leased. Among the many businesses making full use of the offered space are American Home Design, Edwina Alexis Interiors, Insight Interests LLC, John E. Smith & Associates, Kelm Engineering, Macek Power, Prince Properties, Revive Skin Body & Wellness LLC, Turner Meditation and many more along with a French style deli set to open on the first floor.

There has been a market and demand for prime office space and now there is a prime place to obtain it – Friendswood Park Plaza – a great building to start a great New Year.

Important Notice: Freeze Precautions

Greg Rivera — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:55:32 +0100

The Houston Weather Bureau is predicting freezing conditions from Thursday night through to Saturday morning (January 7-9, 2010).

These sustained freezing conditions could result in pipes bursting, causing severe damage. Please take the following precautions to minimize damage to your property and protect your plant and pets.

Wrap an exterior exposed pluming pipes.
Disconnect water hoses.
Keep your pets inside.
Cover your plants.
Do not leave faucets dripping
Listen to your radio and T.V. for weather updates.
If you are going out of town, leave the heat on in your unit and open the under counter cabinet doors. As an additional precaution, turn off the main water valve and drain the faucets. If you turn the water off and you have electric water heater, be sure to turn the breaker off.