Posted on Jan 13, 2010 | Tagged in: City of Friendswood , builders
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.”
Posted on Dec 23, 2009 | Tagged in: honors , City of Friendswood
The City of Friendswood is proud of its community, a group of people who learn together and work together, full of patriotism and a strong civic identity, supported by wonderful volunteers and a thriving community spirit. While the city has had a wonderful time up till now as one of the Best Places to Live, they are preparing for the future by taking steps like redeveloping downtown, and equipping the city with resources for the future. The Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) recently announced that a grant of $2.3 million has been awarded to the city to purchase back-up generators across the city to prepare for the future and well being of the city’s residents.
The $2.3 million Community Development Block Grant has been awarded to the City of Friendswood to purchase back-up generators at key water and sewer locations across town. Natural gas generators will be purchased for Surface Water Station #1, Water Wells #2 and #33, and for Friendswood Fire Stations 1,2, and 3. The grant was awarded in response to a proposal by the City of Friendswood which stated that back-up power was a primary concern for the health and welfare of area residents.
Posted on Dec 15, 2009 | Tagged in: community , City of Friendswood
Marianne Duncanson of Friendswood is a proud member of her community and looks for ways to serve her city. Recently she was recognized for her commitment and contribution to the work that she loves as The College of the Mainland honored her with the 2009 Donor of the Year Award.
By day she is a senior lubrication engineer for Exxon Mobil where she has worked for over 30 years. While she enjoys her day job, her real passion comes when she is able to provide for her community by offering Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to those in need. She joined the Friendswood Volunteer EMS Department in 2005 and because of her dedication to serve she went to school to become a paramedic, graduating from the College of the Mainland in 2006, equipped and ready to start giving back.
While she has been honoring those in need with her exceptional care and heartfelt service, she was recently honored by the College of the Mainland Foundation as the 2009 Donor of the Year for her support of the EMS program and the College of the Mainland. “Her donations have helped the EMS program purchase much needed airway training manikins, instructional software, and other instructional resources,” said Cissy Matthews, dean of public service and health occupations.
Friendswood Independent School District has raised the bar in financial accountability - they have received a rating of "Superior Achievement" from the Texas School's FIRST Rating System. This is the Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas (FIRST), which is in its seventh year of awarding ratings. "It shows that our district is making the most of our taxpayers' dollars. This shows that FISD's schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently," said George Rogers, FISD's Assistant Superintendent of Business.
The FIRST rating was developed by the Texas Education Agency as a standard accountability system for Texas school districts to ensure they achieve the highest quality in managing their financial resources. The rating system designates a rating based on data quality, with the highest rating being "Superior Achievement," followed by "Above Standard," "Standard Achievement," and "Substandard Achievement." If a school district has serious data quality problems they may receive an additional rating of "Suspended - Data Quality."
"We are very pleased with FISD's School FIRST rating," Rogers shared. It is an achievement that Friendswood families and taxpayers can also be proud to share in as they move forward in the coming academic and fiscal year. They have set a standard that will hopefully spur on other school districts and continue to raise the bar for Texas school’s financial responsibilities.
Posted on Sep 30, 2009 | Tagged in: utilities , City of Friendswood
West Ranch residents concerned about water and sewage prices going up can take some comfort in knowing that water prices are expected to go down by 20% in the coming fiscal year.
Friendswood residents recently voiced their concerns regarding growing water bills at the Friendswood City Council Meeting. The growing rates aren't as simple as demand being up in a drought year. The total water consumption in Friendswood is down, showing families are working to conserve water. In June 2009 an average of 4.95 million gallons per day was used compared to 6.2 million for the previous June, and the average for July dropped from 7.2 million in 2008 to 4.65 million in 2009. "More people are conserving water... There have been a lot of water leaks this year due to drought" said Public Works Director Kaz Hamidian.
The city is taking steps to ensure that prices will be cut and that water will continue flowing to all families as communities continue to grow. This is not an easy task as the total of Friendswood and Pearland communities is expected to reach a quarter of a million people by 2020.
With the Water and Sewer Bond Issue passed in 2006 and with last year's budget process, rates were adjusted and raised to provide for future debt service and to minimize additional debt requirements. The rates were increased to be able to fund several water and sewage projects in Friendswood including rehabilitating two of the water wells, purchasing necessary surface water from the City of Houston, constructing a one million gallon concrete storage tank, and extending water and sewer lines along FM 2351 to Beamer Road.
The idea was that an increased expense for Friendswood residents in the short term would pay off in the long run as the city is able to meet demands of growth with less reliance on purchasing more expensive water in spot markets. Thankfully upgrades are in sight with a projected ability to provide 11.8 million gallons per day to residents by 2012. This also means that West Ranch community members can look forward to that long term decrease in their bill and still enjoy fresh water daily.
Posted on Sep 18, 2009 | Tagged in: events , City of Friendswood
The City of Friendswood Community Services Department is hosting
the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick Competition in Centennial Park on
Thursday September 24, 2009 from 5-8 p.m. (2200 S. Friendswood Dr.,
Friendswood, TX).
The competition gives Friendswood and West Ranch community boys
and girls, between the ages of 8 and 15, the opportunity to compete
for distance and accuracy in punting, passing and kicking a
football. Winners from this event will advance to the Gulf Coast
Sectional Competition being held in October. Ribbons will be
awarded to the top three finalists in each age group according to
sex, and certificates will be given to every participant.
This is a free event open to the public and will have good
music, Gatorade and fun for all ages. T-shirts will be given to the
first 20 participants, and registration will take place in
Centennial Park on the day of the event. In order to register
participants will need to have a copy of their birth certificate or
religious document (e.g. baptismal record) for proof of age and
eligibility. Participants must wear tennis shoes and are encouraged
to come early to practice.
For more information please call the City of Friendswood
Community Services Department at 281-996-3220.
Posted on Sep 12, 2009 | Tagged in: utilities , news , City of Friendswood
During the City's annual budget review of Friendswood's city water and sewer rates for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year, Friendswood created some great news. The City of Friendswood has a new plan to reduce sewer and water rates by 20 percent on the average water and sewer bill for the upcoming fiscal year.
Last year's water and sewer budget process saw a number of significant improvements. Such improvements range from the purchasing of surface water from the City of Houston, to rehabilitating two of Friendswood's water wells, to creating a one million gallon storage tank. The City also extended the water and sewer lines along FM 2351 to Beamer Road.
During the 2009 budget year Friendswood secured $2 million in grant funding for water/sewage improvements. Standard & Poor's gave Friendswood a significant boost by changing its rating of the city from A to AA-. The rating comes from the high quality management of water and sewer utility and means the City will be able to issue debt at a much lower interest rate. Since the bond was delayed, Friendswood was able to sell it in a much more favorable market environment. All this gives more of a reason for Friendswood to be able to decrease rates.
The new rate reduction is currently planned for adoption in the 2010 City budget by the Friendswood City Council later this month. West Ranch residents should enjoy a much lighter water and sewage bill, and heavier wallets!
Source: The Journal of Friendswood
Posted on Sep 2, 2009 | Tagged in: events , community , City of Friendswood
Looking for a fun event this Halloween?
Join the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce and Amoco Federal Credit Union for a fun pre-halloween event.
Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 6-8:00 p.m. Friendswood residents will join together in Stevenson Park for an evening of ghost, goblins and fun!
Posted on Aug 28, 2009 | Tagged in: City of Friendswood
Last Monday Friendswood City Hall staff member Roger Roecker was sworn in as the City of Friendswood's new City Manager. Larry Taylor, State Representative performed the honors for Roecker, 56. For 20 years Roecker was on the City Hall staff, 3 of those years during this run as interim city manager. While he loves the low profile work he has done, he feels it is time to step up and embrace a new challenge.
During an interview at City Hall Roecker stated, "God really puts you where He wants you to be," and adding "Sometimes you agree with where He puts you and you like being there. Other times, you don't. My belief is you're better off going willingly. This is not a commentary on the city manager's job. It never was on my list, quite frankly, but it's what I feel God wants."
He was sworn in with open arms as a unanimous decision was made by City Council to officially make Roger Roecker its new Friendswood City Manager. All this after his 17 month interim capacity served prior to this. Council members praise him, and even gave him a standing ovation as he was sworn in last monday.
"I've known Roger Roecker for probably 25-plus years," State Representative Taylor said. "Leadership? He's great. His professionalism is of the highest quality. He's also a great man of character, very serious-minded about his work (and he's) hard working. The one thing Roger Roecker is not, is an actor, so I'm glad he's losing that ‘acting’ city manager title because he's the real deal."
"I've known Roger for quite a while and we know what we're getting with Roger,” Councilman Jim Hill added. “This is not an unknown quantity. I don't think at this time we could find a better person to be city manager of Friendswood."
West Ranch residents visiting and attending Friendswood High School this Fall semester should be aware of potential traffic congestion in the area. Friendswood I.S.D and the City of Friendswood have issued the following warnings as a convenience to the community:
Traffic around FHS at the start and end of the school day will be congested. Parent drop-off is the same as last year and will be done on the right side of the building (senior parking lot). Students will enter the school through the first set of double doors. Parents will not be allowed to drop-off at any time in the bus drop-off and new teacher lot (left side of building). Seniors who will park in the front senior lot will still need to enter off Greenbriar Avenue. We are encouraging our juniors and seniors who will park in the football stadium lot to enter and exit on the new drive off Falling Leaf, next to the Natatorium construction.
We will still have overflow parking for juniors on Mustang Road and for seniors in the field next to the new teacher lot.
Please allow extra time in the mornings to get to school. Please be patient with our traffic challenges as we kick-off another great year at FHS!
City Construction Alert: As of Wednesday, August 19, 2009, Falling Leaf is closed between Sunset Drive and Greenbriar Avenue. Please contact the city for a re-open date and please plan accordingly.
West Ranch also wishes FHS students and teachers and excellent school year; have a great one and stay safe on those roads!
