Posted on Oct 6, 2009 | Tagged in: events , education , community
On Monday, October 12th, the charitable organization Julia F. Thompson, Inc. is having its 9th Annual Pink On The Green Golf Tournament.
This fundraising event will take place at the Timber Creek Golf Course on 4554 F.M. 2351 in Friendswood, Texas. Funds will help volunteers assist elementary school children with their reading skills, and secondary students with their math and science skills.
The competition will be heated, as the putting contest sponsored by Keller Williams Realty is awarding $5,000 to its winner. The Hole-in-One prize also raises the stakes by offering a chance to win a 2009 automobile, donated by Bayway Lincoln-Mercury.
The prices are $150 per golfer, $600 for a foursome, and $10 for the putting contest. Visit golfdigestplanner.com/11301-PINKONTHEGREEN to register for this event. For more information on the Julia F. Thompson, Inc. charity group and the event, visit their website at www.jftcharities.org.
Source: CultureMob.com and jtfcharities.org
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!
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!
Posted on Aug 11, 2009 | Tagged in: travel , Friendswood ISD , community
West Ranch residents should be wary when driving through Friendswood I.S.D.'s and other schools' school zones, as a new state law will prohibit the use of wireless communication devices while operating a vehicle in a school zone. Violators must pay a fine of up to $200 per violation.
House Bill 55 is set to take effect on September 1, and is intended to promote the safety of students. While the law has not taken effect in all areas of Texas yet, it is in effect in the Friendswood area.
A few facts about the law:
- Provisions under the law will allow drivers to use cell phones in school zones with a hands-free device or when their vehicle is stopped.
- School bus drivers will be affected, too.
- The law is an amendment of the Texas Transportation Code, section 545.425.
- An additional exception is provided in emergency situations, when a driver needs to use a cell phone in a school zone to contact police, fire, or emergency medical personnel.
We beg West Ranch residents to heed this new law, as it is designed with the safety of you and your children in mind!
Posted on Jul 24, 2009 | Tagged in: community , City of Friendswood
Friendswood residents and sisters Denise Beard and Malinda Garcia are showing their love for the community in their own in-home care business, Askew Alternative Caregivers. The business, named in honor of their grandparent, strives to provide the highest quality of in-home care for Bay Area residents, especially the elderly.
What's the difference with Askew? The sisters emphasize that their service provides more than nursing can. Through building relationships with those they care for, Askew caregivers make the lives of the cared and their loved ones easier. Services include companionship, light housekeeping, help with bathing, dressing, feeding, grocery shopping, errands, and transportation.
The business' clients include not only seniors, but new moms recuperative care, and those in need of personal assistance.
West Ranch residents interested in working for a hospice/at-home care service or in need of service for themselves or a family consider might find that this quality locally-owned business could be just what they need.
Visit the Askew Alternative Caregivers
website.
Source: HCOnline.com and HomeHelpers.cc
Friendswood, Texas has once again been recognized nationally as one of America’s best places to live. The new issue of Money magazine cites America’s top 100 best small towns, which were judged by readers in terms of a solid job base, affordable housing, great schools, and area attractions.
Friendswood, home of the new master-planned West Ranch community, was ranked No. 32 on the magazine’s list of the top 100 Best Small Towns. The magazine cites, “Friendswood was founded by Quakers and remains dry, but that doesn't mean its residents don't know how to have fun. The community hosts frequent parades, summer concerts in Stevenson Park, and an opening ceremony for the baseball season. Residents can travel north to Houston, south to the Galveston beaches, or east to the Kemah boardwalk; all are less than an hour away.”
Money lists major employers in the area: Boeing, Valero, BP, NASA as well as the busy Port of Houston. The magazine also reports, “Friendswood has a strong jobs base. And the housing market here is healthier than most.”
West Ranch, the master-planned community located in the city of Friendswood, is developed by Friendswood Development Company and features beautiful new homes by Trendmaker and Village Builders. Prices range from the $270,000s to the $700,000s.
This summer, West Ranch residents are enjoying their own pool and recreation center, in addition to the numerous summer attractions and activities that are close to home.
Students in West Ranch are served by the Friendswood Independent School District and attend exemplary rated schools at all grade levels.
Posted on Jul 8, 2009 | Tagged in: community , City of Friendswood
FC Holdings, Inc., the parent company of First Community Bank, N.A., has come back to its ‘roots’ with its new headquarters facility located at 12941 Gulf Freeway, on the northeast corner of the I-45 and Beltway 8 intersection.
The new bank facility will be a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green building. "This building represents our commitment to bringing First Community Bank back to Houston and the Bay Area where we originally got our start," said Nigel Harrison, CEO of FC Holdings, Inc. "It also represents our commitment to innovative environmental design and energy efficiency as one of Houston's first gold LEED certified green buildings."
A number of green features include a landscaped roof that will generate enough oxygen for 700 people and filter 19 tons of outside matter and better insulate the building from the heat and cold. A rainwater recycling system with a capacity of 250,000 gallons will be used to water landscaping, roof vegetation and flush toilets. These green innovations are projected to help keep operating costs at 50% less that a non-green building of the same dimensions.
Design and construction of the FCB headquarters, overseen by Jacob White Development, will have the same features as the 251 Medical Center physicians complex that won the 2008 Landmark Award for the best green building, and will be able to provide 20 new full-time jobs to the Southwest Houston area. It will be one of only three gold LEED certified buildings in Texas.
The branch will have a drive-thru that will join Webster and Friendswood as the third full service FCB location opened in the Houston area this year. The facility will be expected to be complete by the spring of 2010.
Posted on Jul 2, 2009 | Tagged in: events , community , City of Friendswood
Just like the new home community of West Ranch, Friendswood resident Daniel Rockey has a way of standing out. The local high school student literally stands heads and shoulders above your average 16 year old, when walking on stilts, that is.
He’s been stilt walking for over a year and will soon be able to show off his skills in the City of Friendswood’s annual Fourth of July Parade. Dressed from head to homemade stilt in patriotic red, white and blue, be-spangled with stars and stripes, Daniel will be tromping in his Uncle Sam costume that he painstakingly made himself.
“It’s fun to see everybody’s reaction…” he said. “You’d either get the children who were totally engrossed with how someone could stand on stilts or (some who) were just terrified. Everybody reacts differently.”
You can catch this friendly lumbering giant as he makes his way down Friendswood Drive for the Grand Parade, beginning at 10 am. So come and enjoy the festivities this Independence Day!
Source: Houston Chronicle
Posted on Jun 24, 2009 | Tagged in: sports , community , City of Friendswood
The City of Friendswood has its eye on a juicy piece of land that it plans on turning into a park and ball-sports area. It’s all a go, too, but only if Alvin says so.
The land in question is 60 acres of prime undeveloped property located in Brazoria County within Alvin city limits and therefore under the city’s control. If the deal goes through, the land ownership will be transferred to Friendswood, but as of right now the city won’t know if they can purchase it until next month when a state judge issues his ruling in Austin.
Friendswood only wishes to provide a fun and close area where youth residents “can play ball in Brazoria County.” Alvin city officials think it’s a great idea, but have yet to formally meet with Friendswood council members and officially go over plans. Both cities have “expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached,” but as of yet, the plans are still in their initial development stages.
“For what they're using it for, I think it's going to be a great thing. I think it's going to be awesome,” said Alvin City Council member Charles Batty. The friendly optimism was also reciprocated by Friendswood’s Mayor David Smith: “Alvin, they've been great neighbors," he said. "We have inter-local agreements with them, we work wonderfully with them on many different things and I don't expect it to be any different with this.”
To learn more, read the full article at Houston Community Newspapers .
Posted on Jun 19, 2009 | Tagged in: community , City of Friendswood
For over 25 years, the City of Friendswood has known and celebrated one of its most precious establishments, The Cake Lady Bakery. Beginning as a small home business venture by founder and baker Rose Girouard in 1979, the bakery is now a veritable enterprise, catering to not only Friendswood, but also to Clear Lake, Galveston and throughout the greater Houston area.
Even though The Cake Lady Bakery is now in the able hands of Rose’s son, Grant, who manages and oversees every facet of the bakery, the name remains a hallmark to the community. “We’re part of the community and we have been for so long,” he said. “I can remember my mom making cakes for my friend’s graduations and now we’re doing cakes for their kids.”
