Two architectural firms, SWH and Kell Munoz, presented their company’s plans for the building of a new elementary school for the Judson School District and one walked away with the contract as a result of action at the district’s Nov. 6 meeting.
Neither company had presented its plans prior to the meeting, Judson’s sole meeting for the month as the Thanksgiving week break approaches. The board was informed that SWH had received a higher ranking by the administration, leading Johnny Harris, board assistant secretary, to request the board be made aware of how the district’s ranking procedure works with future bids.
Dr. Willis Mackey, Judson superintendent, recommended that SWH be awarded the contract for the school. Mackey said SWH only designs and builds schools, designing schools according to specs approved by the district, so as not to design a school that goes beyond its budget.
Two Judson school construction projects nearing completion, the new Converse Elementary School and D.W. Rutledge Stadium, are both millions of dollars over the projects’ allotted budgets. The school board and administration shuffled line items, cut costs and used cash balance and leftover bond funds to cover those cost overruns.
Harris asked if SHW builds “green” schools, to which the SWH representative assured the board that its buildings are “lead-free” certified.
June Adair, Judson school board president, discussed convening a town hall meeting for parents and residents of the district.
“We need to remember why we’re here,” Adair said, “it’s for the community.” Joan Ohnheiser agreed and added that the meetings needed to be transparent and the board needs to stick to specific dates. “It’s not fair if we tell the public one date, and then change it on them at the last moment,” she said.
Ed Franz Elementary also came under scrutiny as board Trustee Richard LaFoille wanted to confirm that the upgrades and improvements that are to be made to bring the building to code would not upset plans to build a much-needed wing.
Mackey assured the board that the wing would be completed per specifications. He also informed the board that all the upgrades proposed for Ed Franz were essential, reminding them that Ed Franz is an old school and requires work to keep it current.
Another issue raised was district kitchen upgrades. Mackey explained that each school needed its own kitchen, despite arguments that it would be cheaper to have one central kitchen and food transported to the schools. “I have been in the schools where the food is brought in and often there are shortages, and the food is cold. It is definitely wiser to construct kitchens in each school.”
LaFoille was concerned about staying on budget with all of these projects, especially in light of the stadium. He recommended the district hire someone qualified to be a project manager, to keep the board updated on all ongoing projects. He cited an agenda item where approval was needed for a budget increase for Candlewood Elementary’s kitchen upgrade. The board had to approve an additional $500,000 to cover the improvements.
LaFoille said he is concerned that with no true oversight it will be easy for projects to go over budget. Harris requested the item be put on next month’s agenda.
The final discussion of the evening covered the future of the transportation department. An interlocal transportation agreement gives Stephen Bigsbee power to supervise and reprimand staff in the department, but not to fire them. Mackey said he is pleased with the progress he has seen since Bigsbee’s arrival.
“He has already given me plans that, when implemented, can save that department $300,000,” Mackey said.
The contract does not yet have an expiration date, and it was suggested that May 30, 2009, be set as the date, with the option to extend the contract as needed. Harris noted that the district and the board needed to make careful choices in whom to employ for the transportation department as it has a history of repeated mistakes.
Rail relief on 3009 one step closer to reality
Thursday, 20 November 2008
By David DeKunder Staff Writer
Relief is on the way for commuters and emergency personnel who have found themselves stuck in traffic on FM 3009 near Garden Ridge, waiting for a train to clear the tracks.
The Texas Transportation Commission took one step toward alleviating the traffic nightmares experienced by commuters and emergency personnel on FM 3009 when it gave its approval Oct. 30 for a project that will widen the roadway from two to four lanes with a raised median and add two railroad overpasses. Left turn lanes will be put at intersections.
The project – which will make improvements to FM 3009, which runs through Schertz and Garden Ridge, between Interstate 35 and FM 2252 — was one of several approved for funding by the state transportation commission, which approved $1.8 billion in spending on new highway construction projects through 2011.
Texas Department of Transportation Area Engineer Greg Malatek said TxDOT will start taking bids for the project in April, with construction scheduled to start in June.
Malatek said the widening of FM 3009 and the addition of the two overpasses, which will go over two railroad crossings located on the roadway, are meant to alleviate early morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic congestion on FM 3009, which has seen the number of cars traveling it each year grow because of the commercial development on the roadway and expanding populations in Schertz and Garden Ridge.
The construction of the two railroad overpasses will allow Schertz EMS vehicles, which serve the Garden Ridge area, to be able to respond quickly in an emergency without worrying about waiting for a train, Malatek said.
“This project is a combination of safety and mobility,” Malatek said.
Area leaders hailed TxDOT’s approval of the project.
Garden Ridge Mayor Jay Feibelman said widening FM x 3009 from I-35 to FM 2252 can only make the daily commute better and less stressful for area residents.
“It is going to benefit us tremendously,” Feibelman said. “The traffic is rising on the road every day, we have 18,000 to 20,000 vehicles on the road everyday. It is getting quite congested. It is going to cut down on the congestion.”
Feibelman said the addition of the railroad overpasses could give emergency personnel a better chance of possibly saving a life.
“If there is an emergency services vehicle (waiting for a train), someone will die,” Feibelman said. “The railroad overpasses will be quite beneficial.”
Schertz Mayor Hal Baldwin said the FM 3009 project came one step closer to becoming reality when Schertz and Garden Ridge agreed to pay for right-of-way acquisition. Both cities are responsible for 10 percent of all rights-of-way acquisition costs for the project and 10 percent of all utilities relocation costs.
“The overpasses will allow traffic to flow without vehicles backing up at railroad crossings in which slow-moving trains are passing through,” he said. “This is a necessary project we’ve been waiting a long time for. It needs to be done so it can make FM 3009 a viable transportation route for our industrial park.”
In a prepared statement, Comal County Commissioner Jay Millikin said the widening of FM 3009 has been a long time coming.
“This is a stretch of road my constituents and myself have been concerned about because of emergency vehicles possibly being stopped at the railroad tracks during a critical event,” said Millikin, a former Garden Ridge mayor. “I appreciate TxDOT supporting the local community of Garden Ridge and moving this project up in the schedule. My prayers have been answered.”
Cibolo kicks it up a notch
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Cibolo city officials joined local dignitaries, including State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, Congressman Henry Cuellar and Guadalupe County Commissioner Jim Wolverton, at the Nov. 12 groundbreaking for the $1.6 million Multi-Event Facility, which will be home for two semi-pro soccer teams. Photo by David DeKunder
By David DeKunder Staff Writer
Cibolo took the first step in becoming a regional and state destination for soccer enthusiasts with the groundbreaking of its $1.6 million multi-event/soccer facility Nov. 12.
Before several dignitaries, including U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, State Rep. Edmund Kuempel and Guadalupe County Commissioner Jim Wolverton, Cibolo city officials broke ground on Phase 1 of the Cibolo Multi-Event Facility, which will be built behind Cibolo City Hall between FM 78 and Loop 539.
The facility, which is a joint project between the city and the Cibolo Economic Development Corp., will have a regulation soccer field built to pro, World Cup and NCAA standards once it is completed, which is expected to be in April 2009. The multi-event venue will have initial seating for 4,000 people, with future expansion for 10,000 seats. Other amenities for the field include a scoreboard, lights, ticket booths, concession stands and parking for approximately 1,000 spaces.
The second phase of the project will add a 6,000 to 7,500 square-foot clubhouse, pavilions, permanent restrooms and expanded parking and plazas.
“With the regional, national and even international implications of soccer events held in this facility, it will literally put Cibolo on the map as a place in soccer, economic development, tourism and culture,” said CEDC president Bill Law.
Mayor Jennifer Hartman said the multi-use venue will not only be used for soccer, but host a variety of events such as concerts, market days, x festivals, outdoor theater productions and arts and crafts fairs that will attract people from all over the region and the state.
“The multi-event facility is … the centerpiece of Cibolo,” Hartman said. “(It) will provide a unique and particularly significant centrality to the city and a dynamic that will draw people to Cibolo for commerce, tourism, special events, athletics and culture.” Local soccer coaches and officials say the multi-event facility will build on Cibolo’s success in hosting the Texas Pro Soccer Festival, held at Steele High School stadium earlier this year. The event featured games involving four pro soccer clubs, including the Houston Dynamo and attracted more than 5,000 fans.
Two semi-pro soccer clubs will call the facility its home once it is completed. The Alamo Soccer Club, based out of San Antonio, will start its first-ever season at the facility by fielding men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Lance Noble, head coach and general manager for both Alamo Soccer Club teams, said Cibolo is the right place for a regional soccer venue.
“Cibolo offers the perfect package and location,” Noble said. “We will be able to encompass a much larger fan base (from San Antonio to Austin). It will be a welcome attraction to the neighborhood. I am making a long-term commitment to play our men’s and women’s teams here.” Dr. Ed Sakiewicz, president of the San Antonio Metropolitan Youth Soccer Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes youth soccer, said the facility will help boost youth soccer in the area.
“I think what this facility does is drive economic impact by attracting major youth tournaments on a national level,” Sakiewicz said. “This is momentum forward with lots of good things to come for youth soccer and the community.”
Alice Klein, president of the Women’s Soccer Association of San Antonio, said the new soccer venue will host the association’s annual Fiesta Cup Tournament in April, which will attract hundreds of teams from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mexico.
“Everybody likes to play in a stadium like this; it is a drawing point,” Klein said. “Once people know they will be playing in a stadium like this they will be knocking at the door to play here.”
The facility will be funded through certificate of obligation bonds issued by the city and paid for through the city’s economic development sales tax.
Hundreds turn out for ground-breaking of Northeast Lakeview College
Thursday, 20 November 2008
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini addresses an overflow crowd Nov. 14 during the dedication and ground-breaking ceremony for Northeast Lakeview College, the fifth and newest campus of the Alamo Community College District. Photo by Jeff B. Flinn
By Jeff Flinn Staff Writer
Following a half-dozen dignitaries to the podium, Northeast Lakeview College student Cheryl Blauvelt summarized the words of her predecessors in a simple but fitting statement: “This is a place where our hopes for a better future and a brighter tomorrow begin.”
Such was the sentiment when hundreds turned out for the official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 14 for the Alamo Community College’s newest campus, Northeast Lakeview College. Open since August with more than 4,000 students, Northeast Lakeview straddles two cities, serves students from three counties and shines in its partnership with its surrounding communities.
Crediting the past and emx bellishing the future, NLC President Dr. Eric Reno cited the college’s mission statement in explaining the role of a community college.
“Two years ago, we developed a mission statement … and the first (few) words are the key: ‘Northeast Lakeview College partner with its communities’ … and look what we’ve done in a very short time.”
While acknowledging the flood of dignitaries listed in the program, Reno said, “The star of the show is what you see behind me,” he said, “so you can see what your tax dollars have done.”
Universal City Mayor John Williams doubles as chairman of the Northeast Partnership, a group formed several years ago by mayors concerned with legislative issues affecting the Metrocom. Williams spoke to the hard work the Partnership put in concerning the college, and the early years spent trying to lure higher education to the area.
“We brought mayors together and really pushed to get this,” Williams said. “We’ve been promoting this for so long. This truly is a community college … and we will all benefit from its presence.”
Live Oak Mayor Joe Painter also alluded to the Partnership’s desire for higher education in the area. “We wanted (a campus) somewhere out here. We didn’t care where; we just wanted it out here.”
In 2003, the ACCD purchased the land -- which rests in Universal City and Live Oak -- from the University of Texas Health Science Center, which had acquired the property from a couple that willed their estate to the UTHSC. Construction began in April 2007 after Bexar County voters approved a $450 million bond issue in November 2005.
Painter complimented the ACC board of directors “with two great decisions … you took (the Northeast Partnership) seriously, and you hired the best person you could find, from a community college standpoint, Eric Reno.”
And while the Partnership eagerly sought the facility, and led the charge in filling various advisory and oversight committees, Painter said no one has lost sight of the vision.
“The university is not about the buildings you see behind us, it’s the staff and the students who make up this wonderful facility,” he said.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini presented Reno with a flag that flew over the State Capitol April 5, 2007, the day the ACCD broke ground on the project.
“Northeast Lakeview College plays a marvelous role throughout the community, getting more people better prepared to fill the jobs of tomorrow … and (in) making sure we have more students making the transition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees, all of which has started right here,” Zaffirini said.
State Rep. Joe Farias said the creation of an ACC campus in northeast Bexar County was long in coming. He said he owed much of his success to his years spent at an ACC campus. “I am a product of the Alamo Community College District; I received my associate’s degree from St. Philip’s College, after returning from Vietnam,” he said. “That, for me, is very near and dear. I do believe we are a product of our own environment.”
ACC Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie spoke to the mission of the college. “Our charge is to produce students who are world-class individuals, to meet the needs of a global economy.”
Dr. Mark Sadler, NLC faculty senate president, took Leslie’s statement a step further.
“The job of Northeast Lakeview College will never be complete. With each semester we’ll gain a new enrollment of students” with new goals and dreams.
“We will never stop helping our students to achieve those goals and dreams,” he said.
CALENDAR: Thursday, Nov. 13
Thursday, 13 November 2008
GOVERNMENTAL MEETINGS
Today: Selma City Council, 6:30 p.m.
Monday: Marion City Council, 6 p.m.; Windcrest City Council, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Universal City and Schertz city councils, 6:30 p.m.; Converse City Council, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Marion School Board, 7 p.m.
Nov. 20: Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City School Board, 6 p.m.; Kirby City Council, 7 p.m.
MEETINGS/EVENTS
Today
The Byron Steele Theatre Department closes out “Peter Pan,” 7 p.m. today and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday. Admission is $5, $4 for children, military and seniors. Tickets go on sale at the door one hour before each show.
Friday
Windcrest Elementary School hosts its fall dance 6:30-8 p.m. in the campus cafeteria. The dance is open to all Windcrest families, and admission costs $1.
Saturday
VFW Post 8315, 1000 FM 78 in Schertz, will have its monthly breakfast from 7:30-11 a.m. Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for children 12 and under. Call: 658-6325.
Eckman’s Card, Comic and Toy Show will hold its 15-year anniversary show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Live Oak Civic Center, 8101 Pat Booker Road. More than 200 tables of dealers will be available.
New Hope United Methodist Church, 10155 Old Cimarron Trail in Converse, presents a Fall Blessings Bazaar. Silent auction and a fun talent show are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Open to the public. Call: 658-1220 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday or Thursday.
The Friendship Garden Club of Live Oak will hold its Fall Bazaar from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Youth Club House on Scout Lane, 790l Shin Oak Drive. Items for sale are crafts, plants, new and slightly used treasures.
Windcrest Animal Hospital offers low-cost vaccinations for dogs and cats at two clinics: 9-11 a.m. at H-E-B, FM 78 and Foster Road; and 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday at the Schertz H-E-B, I-35 and FM 3009.
Sunday
The Schertz Historical Preservation Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Schertz City Council Building No. 4, 1400 Schertz Parkway.
Wednesday
A military job fair will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Live Oak Civic Center. The event is open to all job seekers.
Nov. 21
Northview Subdivision Neighborhood Watch Group will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the library meeting room.
Nov. 22
Steele High School Project Graduation will hold a community craft and home-based business fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the school cafeteria. A variety of booths provide for early holiday shopping, food and drinks. Space still available (first-come, first-served) until Nov. 19. Contact:
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Proceeds from the fair benefit Project Graduation.
Nov. 23
Boy Scout Troop #51 of Schertz is hosting a CiCi’s Pizza Rebate Night at the Forum from 4-9 p.m.
ONGOING PROGRAMS
The Randolph Area Christian Assistance Program (RACAP) will continue to accept applications for the Christmas holiday assistance program through Nov. 25. Applications will be accepted from families in need of help for the holidays because of limited or no income, who are at or below the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Applicants for assistance must live in the following zip codes: 78108, 78109, 78132, 78148, 78154, 78247, 78233 Live Oak only, or 78266. Call 658-1613.
The Schertz Public Library Bookstore Christmas Sale begins Dec. 1 and runs until the library closes for Christmas season. The sale, being held at the library, 608 Schertz Parkway, features popular authors, Christmas books, Christmas craft books, children’s books, magazines, videos, DVDs, music CDs, and audio books. Most books are priced by the inch: 50¢ an inch for hardcover books and 25¢ an inch for soft-cover books. Some newer editions are priced individually. Call: 619-1700.
The Alamo Community Colleges needs host parents to share their homes with exchange students from Japan who will arrive Dec. 2 and depart Dec. 20. Single individuals as well as married couples are eligible. Hosts receive reimbursement to help defray expenses. Students are carefully screened before being admitted to the program. Contact: Mark Hagen, 485-0082 or 485-0084.
The Cibolo Police Department is taking applications for its Blue Santa Program. Applications are available at the Cibolo Police Station, 109 S. Main St. Contact: Officer Melissa Wise, 659-1999.
