Brunswick Meadows Blog

Message from Carrie about this Weekend Event

2011-05-17T17:43:00.002-05:00

Hello to All,
This is a reminder that we will be having our community annual event this weekend on May 21st from 2-6pm at the playground located at the corner of Sandstone Bend and Brunswick Meadows. We are asking for your participation this year.

We are currently in desperate need of volunteers. We will have a mandatory meeting for volunteers/vendors on Thursday, May 19 at 5:45 in the park next to the Lennar Model Home on Chelseahurst. Also please pass the word to all neighbors and friends. If you have a tent or generator please email me because we are need of these items also.

Thanks,
Carrie
cv_williams78@aol.com

Meeting Thursday 5/12 for Volunteers

2011-05-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

This message is from Carrie, HOA Board Member:

This year the HOA will be hosting the Brunswick Meadows Community Event on May 21 at the large community park up near Scott street. We are in desperate need of volunteers and will be holding a brief volunteer meeting on this Thursday at the small park next door to the model home on Chelseahurst. If you are interested please stop by. We will begin at 6 p.m. and will have a sign-up sheet. Also if you are a vendor and would like to sell something this year at the event please do stop by the park so we can sign-up. Pass the word on to all neighbors and friends and I can't wait to see you there :-)

Recent HOA Meeting & Postcard from AMI

2011-04-06T21:09:00.005-05:00

Reminders were sent out via postcard to all Brunswick Meadows residents to help keep our community beautiful:

Basketball goals are not allowed (I didn't know this - I thought it was just in the streets.)
Trash containers must be kept from public view (except on trash days)
Garden hoses must be on garden caddies or placed out of view
Overnight street parking is prohibited. Cars left parked overnight in the street will be ticketed and towed.
Fertilize your lawn to minimize weed growth during the spring germination period.

There were about 30 people that attended the meeting at the Methodist Church. Everyone there got to take home a bag of free fertilizer and had a nice instructional lecture on how to deal with brown spots, ants, and other lawn care matters. There was also plenty of fresh fruit served.

Dr. Root addressed concerns with the Water District and handed out her business card with the URL of the blog that she maintains to keep an open line of communication with all WCID#89 district residents. Visit it here.

Brunswick Meadows Community Day 5/21/11 2-6pm

2011-03-31T21:44:00.003-05:00

The HOA, along with Mr. Johnson and AK Babers, are seeking volunteers for our community day. If you are interested in volunteering please send your contact info via email to (cv_williams@hotmail.com) Please see below what we need volunteers for. We also need a DJ please let me know if you know of one ASAP! Please also share with all neighbors to mark their calendars. We need this event to be huge and fun!!! The more the merrier!!!

Serving of the food (will be catered this year)
Face Painting
Signing Neighbors In
Carnival Ride Area
Ice Cream Station
Board Games/Activities
MC (Annoucing Giveways/DJing)

More to come.
Thanks,
Carrie (HOA Board Member)

Town Hall Meeting March 24, 2011 at 6:30 PM

2011-03-15T21:24:00.003-05:00

A Town Hall meeting-Landscaping Seminar is being hosted by the Brunswick Meadows HOA. It will be held from 6:30-8PM at Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, 2504 Almeda Genoa Rd. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about how to care for our lawns. Here's the agenda for this meeting:

Sign in/Registration
Call to order and Introductions
Community Association Update
Announcements
Landscape Seminar
Deed Restrictions Update
General Discussion
Adjournment

There will be a free gift to the first 25 homeowners at the meeting.

OK, now that I've copied the post card that David King of AMI mailed out, have you noticed the new signs with our neighborhood name/deed restrictions/and no soliciting? And what about those new dog pooper bags & baskets? Did everyone see the new green trash can at the playground on Sandstone Bend? I like these improvements!

Brunswick Meadow's 1st Annual People's Market/Neighbor Party

2010-11-12T22:53:00.000-06:00

Rain or shine - the 1st Annual People's Market/Neighbor Party is ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tell or bring a neighbor to the playground off of Brunswick Meadows Drive and Sandstone Bend from 2pm - 6pm.
Come and play!
Eat some food!
And meet your neighbors!

Brunswick Meadows Town Hall Meeting

2010-10-17T19:01:00.002-05:00

You probably received something in the mail from David King of AMI, the management company for Brunswick Meadows, with an agenda for a Town Hall Meeting. Just in case you didn't, here's the details:

DATE: Monday, November 1, 2010
TIME: 6:30 to 8:00PM
PLACE: Jones Memorial United Methodist Church - 2504 Almeda Genoa Rd.

Announcements, Award Presentation, Landscaping Report, and Deed Restriction Update are the topics to be covered, followed by a general discussion. Come hear what the HOA has to say and have your voice heard as well.

Neighborhood Watch Training

2010-10-13T22:20:00.004-05:00

We are asking for your participation in Neighborhood Watch Training, to get the details and dates Contact CG Johnson 281 932 1233 for Brunswick Meadows

Contact Mike Smith 832-754-3953 for Brunswick Lakes

CRIME INFORMATION ALERT Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at approximately 8:15 am surveillance photographs of two suspects burglarizing a home in the Brunswick Lakes sub-division were posted to the Brunswick Meadows 77047 yahoo group.

Details:

Harris County Constable's Deputies were dispatched to a burglary call within 14100 block of Bishop Bend Lane. Upon arrival, Deputies observed that the front door of the residence had been kicked open and later determined that several electronic devices and computer equipment had been stolen.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Harris County Constable's Department at 713-643-6602 or Harris County Sheriff's Office Burglary and Theft Division Unit at 713-967-5770, or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Who To Call For Emergency Law Enforcement

2010-10-10T09:09:00.001-05:00

May Walker , Harris County Constable Pct. 7, now has the security contract with WCID89. Her office is located at 5290 Griggs Road Houston TX 77021 and her phone number is 713-634-6118.
If you have need of law enforcement, please call this number 713-643-6602 rather than 9-1-1. You'll get faster service.

AK Babers Presents The Brunswick Meadows' 1st Annual People's Market

2010-10-10T09:05:00.001-05:00

So that our community may maintain personal safety, quality of life, and enhance the health and welfare of our children and families, WCID89 Director AK Babers and friends will be hosting, 'The Brunswick Meadows' 1st Annual People's Market'.

The inaugural Peoples’ Market, will be held at The Brunswick Meadows Playground on Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 2:00 pm – 6 pm. Our community has been around for over five years now and in that time we have accomplished several significant achievements.You may be aware of our campaign to help make the community a safer place from crimes and home burglaries. We have worked together to get our security contract changed from the Harris County Sheriff District 3 to Harris County Constables Precinct 7. We have also persuaded a change in our Home Owners Association management company to better serve our community. We should be very proud of our achievements and the hard work of a lot of people connected through their neighbors. We would like to take time to bring our community closer together and to celebrate our efforts. We would also like to use this event to welcome Harris County Constable May Walker to our neighborhood.

In the upcoming weeks, you will be receiving updates and flyers concerning the People's Market. AK would like to take this time to ask if there is any one in the community with special talents, who would like to perform during this event. Or anyone owning a small business who would like to set up a booth to promote or sell during this event. If so, please contact AK Babers @ akbabers2008@yahoo.com.

Tax Hike - Have Your Voice Heard!

2010-10-10T09:02:00.003-05:00

Please refer to the posting on the WCID89 blog maintained by Dr. Root for more information about the recent decision to raise the tax rate. The public hearing for the 2010 tax rate will be held at the beginning of the next District meeting at 11:30AM on Tuesday, October 19, 2010. The new meeting place is the Frost Bank Bldg. located at 6750 West Loop South, Suite 250, Bellaire, TX. Free parking is available.

AMI & HOA Enforcing the Deed Restrictions

2010-09-25T08:14:00.002-05:00

Perhaps you received a post card from AMI in the mail like I did. Just in case you tossed it, thinking it was junk mail, let me reproduce it here for you.

AMI and your Homeowners Association would like to maintain the aesthetics of your community but can only do so with your help. Below are some friendly tips and reminders on how to help keep your community beautiful.

Basketball goals are not allowed.
Trash containers must be kept from public view (except on trash days)
Please remember that garden hoses should be on garden caddies and/or placed out of view.
For the safety of our residents and your visitors, overnight street parking is prohibited. In order to alleviate cluttered streets, your Association is currently in the process of contacting the local municipality to ticket and tow these individuals who violate this parking restriction. (My comment on this one: we are not within any local municipality so I presume that they are contacting the Sheriff to ticket and tow. Considering the Sheriff's response times to our emergency calls, I would think that the HOA might have difficulty getting this enforced!)
Now is the time to fertilize both your front and rear lawns. Fertilizer can be purchased at any feed, hardware, or lawn store and is vital in minimizing weed growth during the spring germination period.

No street parking is allowed over night. Please try your best to use your driveway, your neighbor will appreciate it. (My comment again: Seems that they really want the cars off the streets. It is a definite safety hazard. Pets or children can dart out into the street and a driver would not be able to see them as quickly due to the parked cars. And, if a fire truck tried to get to a burning house it would have to plow it's way through these parked cars.)

Please keep in mind that during the winter season management will be reviewing the above mentioned items each visit and reminding owners of their maintenance responsibilities -- for the benefit of all.

Sincerely,
Dave King
Community Manager

AMI Resource Center New Phone Number

2010-09-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

713-932-1122 or 800-932-9449

Recap of HOA Annual Meeting on 5/18/2010

2010-05-18T21:16:00.003-05:00

Compared to previous HOA meetings, I thought this one was much more civilized. Only near the end did things start to fall apart. Here's the highlights:

Javier of Friendswood Development announced that Keith Schoonover would be taking over as President of the HOA and go-to-guy for all Developer related issues. He will be assisted by Shamar O'Bryant and Nat Heston.

One week ago our old management company, ACMI, was fired. A new contract has been given to AMI to take over management and will officially be in effect on June 1st. Dave King of AMI will be the manager for Brunswick Meadows. AMI services over 260 neighborhoods and has been in business for 30 years. Let's face it...they couldn't possibly be worse than ACMI :--) and hopefully will live up to all they promised tonight. AMI office is located at 12230 Shadowcreek Parkway, behind the Sherwin Williams. Twin Villas residents should start sending their monthly dues to AMI starting in 30 days.

You can send your problems to Dave via e-mail at dking@amitx.com and he will respond within 24 hours. AMI also has a Resource Center that handles 14,000-15,000 calls per month and 80% of those calls were addressed within 2 minutes. Call 713-332-4675 to reach the Resource Center - but you'll have to wait until the middle of June for it to be up and running. For immediate needs, e-mail Dave. Dave says he has already been cruising the neighborhood and sees many violations of the deed restrictions. He wants a few weeks to read over all the rules and will be visiting violators 3 days a week. He also said a monthly newsletter will be created with assistance of a committee of residents and a website will be provided with all the bells and whistles. Until we see evidence of that, I will continue to post on this blog and the yahoo group will continue.

The sidewalk to nowhere along Sandstone Bend was adorned with bushes along the fences of each side of the street. 'Nowhere' is actually the last part of the development that will be starting in December. This sidewalk was part of the master plan. No other sidewalks - the ones we've been wanting along Brunswick Meadows and the detention ponds - were ever planned. Javier said that it was possible to build the sidewalks - there is no problem with the right of way - but there was no budget available to build them.

Streets needing completion to outlet on Furman is a responsibility of the Developer, but no timeframe was mentioned as to when they would be done. Once the roads are built, they are turned over to Harris County for maintenance. So if there are problems with the roads in the future, you should address Commissioner Pct. 1 El Franco Lee. Someone mentioned the need for speed bumps and asked who had jurisdiction over that. It was unclear who was responsible for them. Supposedly it is Harris County, but El Franco Lee said that it was not within their power. The city of Houston does build speed bumps, but as you know, we are not within the city of Houston limits so that leaves us back in the 'black hole' of no one taking responsibility.

For the continuing debate on bus stops, it is necessary that you take it up with the appropriate school administration. Some have had more success than others in addressing this issue.

There was a new twist on the 'water vs no water' in the detention ponds debate. Seems that while the water was sitting in the ponds, unscrupulous sales reps for the home builders attached a premium to lots that abutted the 'lakefront' property. The developer said that it was never the intention to have water in those detention ponds. They are to remain dry in order to deal with flooding when it rains. The reason the water was in the ponds for so long was because the developer felt that WCID89 should be responsible for paying for the pump after it was installed. But WCID89 refused to do so. The developer paid and the ponds were drained and will remain in their dry state forever.

Those are the main points. Please feel free to comment on others that I may have missed.

Tuesday May 18th Annual HOA Meeting

2010-05-17T08:50:00.002-05:00

7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Jones Memorial Methodist Church which is at 2504 Almeda Genoa Road (very near 288) and here's a few of the concerns that residents intend to address at this meeting:
Sidewalks along Brunswick Meadows Dr (Public Safety Issue)
Retention Ponds (Water or Not?)
Security Contract Issues
Water Quality
Improvement to Furman Rd
Completion of the thoroughfare near Sutton Glen Lane and Furman (relieve some of the through traffic in other sections)
Recycling options
Level of occupancy for the community
Trucks parking overnight
Constant advertisement left on doors - might be a way for thieves to see if anyone is at home
Community amenities (playgrounds, picnic area, etc.)
Street signs (children at play, no outlet, etc) throughout the entire neighborhood
More street lights
Scott Street landscaping & signage (should be more attractive & inviting)

Come and join the discussion on these and other matters affecting our neighborhood!

Come to Golden Corral on 3/23 at 6PM

2010-03-19T08:41:00.002-05:00

I'm hoping you will be able to join AK Babers and me at the Golden Corral on 518 (9115 Broadway St, Pearland, TX 77584 if you want to mapquest it, or you cancall them at 281-412-4546) at 6PM Tuesday, March 23, 2010 for a little strategy session on how we can get us elected to the Water District Board. I've reserved the meeting room for us so we can have a quiet place to talk and eat. The buffet is $9.99 and you can just ask where the meeting room is and they'll point it out to you.

So far, here's what we know. The election will be held on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 7AM-7PM at the home of Cynthia Woolridge, who lives in Morningside - the neighborhood adjacent to Tom Bass Park off Cullen - at 14719 Teck Ct. Early voting is from 9AM-5PM April 26-30 and May 3-4 and election day is Saturday, May 8 from 7AM-7PM.

We will be using voting machines rented from the County. You have to be registered with the address in the neighborhood showing on your registration card. In other words, you can't just be registered to vote in Harris County and still qualify to vote in this particular election. If you need to get registered with your Brunswick address, please let me know. I have the registration form.

The best news? I, Jeraine Root, will appear first on the ballot and AK Babers will be 2nd. We drew for places on the ballot at the lawyer's office where the MUD meetings are held. And everyone will be allowed to vote for two candidates, so we won't run the risk of splitting the vote. So come help us strategize and win some Brunswick representation on the Board!!!

History of WCID#89

2010-03-07T15:50:00.009-06:00

This is the first in a series of postings that I will devote to understanding more about our MUD or Water District and some of the complaints that the "Wick" neighborhoods have expressed regarding their services to our communities. The Wick are the relatively new developments built on the north side of Beltway 8 between Furman St and Cullen Blvd. Brunwick Lakes, Brunswick Meadows, and Brunswick Place make up the Wick. The other two major neighborhoods served by WCID #89 are Morningside Place I and Morningside Place II which are on the south side of Beltway 8, bounded by Cullen Blvd and Fellows Road which runs along Tom Bass Park.

Harris County Water Control & Improvement District #89 (WCID #89) was created March 6, 1964 and was converted to a municipal utility district (MUD) on April 11, 1984 and according to chapters 49 and 54 of the Texas Water Code, WCID #89, is empowered to purchase, operate & maintain all facilities necessary to provide water, sanitary sewer service, storm sewer drainage, irrigation, solid waste collection & disposal, including recycling, parks and recreational facilities for the residents of the District. In addition, WCID#89 can contract for or employ its own peace officers with power to make arrests and to establish, operate and maintain a fire department to perform all fire-fighting activities within the District. On April 4, 2000 WCID #89 entered into a water supply agreement with the City of Houston, which has supplemented the District's water supply from wells.

WCID #89 is governed by 5 Board members who serve 4 year terms of office. Until April 2009 these positions were held by Sharyn Smalls (President) Arthur G. Washington (VP) Victoria Lastee (Secretary) Danny Perkins (Director) and Claudell Bradby (Director). It was discovered that Claudell Bradby was not qualified to sit on the Board because she had not maintained a residence within the District since 2007. She was replaced by Byron Keith Watson, Sr. - appointed to office by the Board.

Interesting isn't it that there was no attempt by the current Board to include a representative from the Wick when given the opportunity to appoint a new Board member? Especially since many Wick residents had attended meetings and voiced their concerns with various issues related to the District. AK Babers, who resides in Brunswick Meadows, had a personal meeting with Sharyn Smalls back in 2008. During that meeting, he expressed an interest in serving on the Board. He was told at that time by President Smalls that there was no need for him to serve because she was content with the current makeup of the Board, including the unqualified Director presumably.

Elections are held whenever an incumbent has a challenger petition to be on the ballot. No elections have been held for any Board position since the Wick neighborhoods came into existence; therefore, all Board members are from Morningside. That has now changed. There will be an election held (exact date, time, and place to be determined and will be announced on this blog) for 2 of the 5 positions because AK Babers and I (Dr. Jeraine Root) have requested to be on the ballot. We will be vying for the 2 positions currently held by Victoria Lastee and Danny Perkins. The candidates who receive the most votes will win the positions - there is no runoff.

Next posting will be about finances of the District.

Exciting Meeting Hosted by State Rep. Allen

2010-01-28T21:10:00.005-06:00

Just got home from the community meeting spearheaded by our neighbors, Brunswick Lakes, with the assistance of our State Representative, Dr. Alma Allen. The meeting was held at New Beginning Church, 4251 Schumier Road (the pastor extended an invitation for everyone to come back and worship on Sunday) and at least 100 people were in attendance. Before I get into a review of the meeting, let me announce that AK Babers has set up a Facebook group for all the Brunswick communities represented at the meeting tonight called The Wick. Click here to become a fan. Now we have 3 methods of communication on the 'Net. This blog, Facebook's The Wick, and the yahoo group. Join all 3 and keep fully informed! Anyone out there know how to Twitter? If so, let me know and I'll include info on it here on the blog as well.

Now, a synopsis of the meeting. And please, if you were at the meeting, feel free to supplement my review with your own comments. First, I was impressed with the number of public officials present and it's the first time I've been to any meeting where all the people we've been told to contact were in the same place at the same time. That in itself was very empowering.

Sheriff Adrian Garcia
Captain Kevin Radabaugh (District 3 Captain, Sheriff)
Captain Mike Talton (Communications Captain and former District 3 Captain, Sheriff)
Sgt. Byrd (Communications, Sheriff)
Lt. F. Bradley and Sgt. C. Adolph (District 3 Deputies, Sheriff)
Rhonda Sauter and the 3 Deputies assigned to our contract with WCID#89 (Sheriff)
Constable Mae Walker
Chief Goree Anderson (Constable Walker)
Bessie Swindle (Congressman Al Green)
Paul Reyes, Vickie Ward & 2 others (Principal Management Group of Houston)
City Council Member Jolanda Jones
City Council Member Wanda Adams
Shavanda Johnson (Council Member Adams)
Angela Solis (Mayor Annise Parker)
John Beadioun (Commissioner El Franco Lee)
WCID #89 Vice President Arthur Washington
WCID #89 Secretary Victoria Lastee
Christopher Richardson (General Counsel for WCID #89)
Jim Ainsworth (Engineer for WCID #89)
Equator Turner (Inner City Emergency Response Team)
David Randolph (Planning Engineer - Harris County Flood Control District
John Jones (Houston Police Department)

There were also the leaders of the Brunswick Lakes subdivision Ms. Johanna Williams (I'm very sorry, but I didn't catch the names of the others) who presented their concerns, along with a projected slide show that provided evidence of the problems. In a nutshell, Brunswick Lakes residents pay $480/year in HOA dues but have no control over or representation on the HOA Board. Indeed, no one from the property management group seemed to even know who the HOA Board members were. Finally, when pressed, Paul Reyes admitted that it was just the developers Joe Foggarty and John Speer, both of whom refused to attend the meeting.

Promises were made for a pool, sidewalks, jogging trails, etc. that have not been kept to Brunswick Lakes homeowners. And there was a lack of financial accountability, especially regarding the landscaping fees (sound familiar Brunswick Meadows?) There are significant safety issues regarding the lack of any type of barrier or adequate lighting around the big pond at the front of their subdivision, along with some giant hole that appeared and has yet to be explained or filled in. The streets flood after it rains and don't drain properly. Finally, they are frustrated with the lack of water quality provided by WCID #89 and so-called security provided by the contract with the Sheriff when it takes nearly an hour for a response to a 911 call. Several people raised their hands in the audience when asked if they had personally been victims of home burglaries.

Once the problems were presented, each person in the bullet list above were given an opportunity to give a response. Constable Mae Walker spoke first, saying that her office had competed for the security contract that was awarded to Sheriff Garcia by WCID #89 and because she had lost out calls for law enforcement would be directed to the Sheriff rather than her officers. Sheriff Garcia did acknowledge that there were problems with response times to calls and had Sgt. Byrd explain how 911 relied on cell phone towers to pinpoint which law enforcement official to send out on an emergency call. It seems that our cell phones bounce off a tower near Reed Road, which is in the city of Houston's jurisdiction, but land line calls show us to be outside the city limits. Some cell phones bounce off a tower near 288 and Beltway 8 and get re-routed to Pearland police and/or Brazoria County. He suggested that rather than have the 911 operator try to figure out who to send, state clearly that you need to be routed to 'Harris County Neutral' and that should cut down on the confusion.

This problem with jurisdictional responsibilities was a common refrain and reminded me of the media report last year that we were in "The Black Hole" when it comes to government services. One of the most animated conversations arose after Arthur Washington suggested that the security contract with the Sheriff was intended to secure ONLY the water district's infrastructure, not the homeowners from criminals. He was challenged by that statement and both Constable Mae and Sheriff Garcia seemed unaware that their contracts with neighborhoods were designed to protect water tanks and sewer lines. Christopher Richardson backed up Arthur Washington's statement about the security contract and suggested that it wasn't the place of the water district to tell any law enforcement official how to carry out their duties under the contract. Sheriff Garcia said that he was willing to amend the contract if it did, in fact, only protect the district's facilities.

Although we do live outside the city limits, Angela Solis, Councilmembers Jones and Adams all offered their assistance in getting the problems resolved. Councilmember Jones gave her phone number 832-393-3006 for us to call and Councilmember Adams got on her phone to ask who would respond if a 911 call was made for a house on fire. Good to know that while the Houston Police Department would not respond to us in an emergency, the Houston Fire Department will!
Another group that was willing to meet our needs in an emergency was the Inner City Emergency Response Team. They handed out cards on training they offer on how to extinguish small fires; provide basic medical aid and treatment for shock; search for and rescue victims safely; effectively assist your family & community; and, prepare for natural or man-made disasters. For more info, visit their website at www.in-cert.com or call Officer Shandenia Gay at 713-294-7331 or the Dispatch Line at 832-352-6192.

Bessie Swindle gave the most honest and helpful response in my humble opinion. She said that if Brunswick Lakes really wanted to get their problems resolved, their best bet was to hire a lawyer and sue the developer. It might take several years, but the courts would be fair.

John Beaudoin said that it is not within the power of Commissioner Lee to enforce deed restrictions or punish developers for failing to follow proper procedures getting permits for County maintenance of the ditches and retention ponds. David Randolph of Flood Control said that a plan for dealing with stormwater is offered by the developer and an inspector from Flood Control approves it. Then after a period of one year, the County will take over maintenance of the plan, but in this case, the developer had problems with the plan and the inspector pointed these out. Nothing was ever done by the developer to follow up.

Paul Reyes said he was looking forward to meeting with the leaders of the Brunswick Lakes community to try and resolve the problems. There has NEVER been a meeting for the homeowners and Councilmember Adams expressed her outrage at the property management team for not treating Brunswick Lakes the same as it did other neighborhoods it managed - she knows because they manage her neighborhood.

Final 30 minutes of the meeting was for Q&A. One had to do with who was responsible for writing the deed restrictions and covenants for Brunswick Meadows (Answer: the developer) and several others had to do with WCID 89:

Had a backup system been put in place so that water service would not be lost in case of a natural disaster like happened during Hurricane Ike? Yes, a natural gas operated generator was installed so water service would not be interrupted.
What was the current development of Plant 2 and the wastewater plant? Plant 2 construction plan is under review with the City of Houston and should take another year to complete. Wastewater plant will take longer - perhaps 18 months or more, and construction should begin at the end of 2010.
What has been done to address the ongoing problem of substandard water quality? Testing shows the water is fine. (Much disagreement and evidence offered to the contrary by the crowd that they experience smelly brown water)
Where and when will the election for WCID 89 Board members take place this year? May 8th and the place to cast the ballot will be provided in your water bill.

I invite others to comment on what I missed in this review of the meeting. I also am hopeful that we can come together and affect positive change for all our "Wick" neighborhoods. I will be posting updates on those efforts here because knowledge is power. I will also be posting a series on WCID 89 from documents I have received over the past year through the Freedom of Information Act. Should be interesting...

AK Babers and Jeraine Root Throw Hats in the Ring

2010-01-28T16:30:00.002-06:00

AK Babers and Jeraine Root have taken the first step toward empowering the Brunswick neighborhoods by filing to be put on the ballot for the 2 positions on the WCID #89 Board that expire this year. This blog will be running a series of posts about our Water District, gleaned from over 400 pages of documents that were received from several open records requests made by yours truly, soon-to-be candidate Dr. Root.

Keep coming back to the blog for information about the election which should be held sometime in May this year.

Old News - But Good News

2009-11-29T19:23:00.002-06:00

Sorry I have been so derelict in keeping the blog current. Gina was in the hospital in October and I've been playing catch up ever since!

Ok, here's the first bit of news. The HOA has completed the website - click here to see it.

There have also been some very interesting discussions lately about loose dogs in the neighborhood, crime, the HOA bill, and the so-called 'security' contract that WCID#89 (our water district) has with the County Sheriff on the Yahoo group.

Just wanted to let you know that the upcoming meeting of WCID#89 on Tuesday, 12/1/2009 at 11:30AM will be held at 602 Sawyer, Suite 205 and agenda item 12 is "Discuss review of security contract and consider approval of Law Enforcement Agreement for 2010". Those who want to show strength in numbers about switching from the Sheriff to Constable Walker should attend.

Halloween Party Tonight

2009-10-31T11:22:00.000-05:00

The Lennar / Brunswick Meadows Fall Festival is happening today from 4 pm - 7pm at the Lennar Model Home near the corner of Chelsehurst Lane and Northam Lane. If you still have candy that you would like to donate, just drop it off at the Lennar Model Home.Bring your kids to enjoy activities and candy!

Helpful Information

2009-07-23T09:41:00.005-05:00

This was posted to the Yahoo Groups website by AK. It shows the area that the Sheriff assigned to our area must cover. You might do better to call the Constable when you need immediate help. Here's the boundaries of our Pct. 7.

I would suggest that we press the HOA to enter into a contract agreement with Constable Walker to give us the kind of patrol presence we want. Click here to see the kind of services rendered. Then take a look at the statistics that they post monthly to their website about their results. I work for the County and would be happy to check into the cost. Since we have no control of our HOA at present, it might be something we have to do ourselves. I, for one, would be more than willing to pay my fair share for an ongoing police presence patroling our neighborhood. How about you?

Water District Meeting Recap

2009-07-21T22:13:00.002-05:00

AK and I went to the WCID #89 Board meeting today. I know that several people went to the one on 7/7/09 and I invite your comments to this posting. First I'll just tell you my impressions.

Seemed very matter of fact business type meeting. Didn't have access to many of the documents that the Board had and wasn't invited to join the table. In fact, was ushered to the "peanut gallery" when I arrived by the lawyer's secretary. Introduced myself once the meeting was called to order but just said I was there to observe - which was true.

The thing that got the only real questions from the Board members was whether or not the sign to be posted about the new recreation center that they are building will be in color or black & white. Seems that bonds were sold a few years back to build this center, which is going to be located near Tom Bass Park off Cullen. The sign will have an artist's rendering of what the center will look like upon completion. Cost of the sign will be approximately $1800, which I suppose is our tax dollars at work :--)

I have made several open records requests for minutes of the meetings and tests of the water quality over the past 2 years. The WCID's lawyer, Chris Richardson, has been very cooperative. I have almost completed my research and just need my niece's input before I post my findings and suggestions. My niece, I think I've mentioned before, is the EPA consultant for the entire Permian Basin, has a Master's in Chemical Engineering, and used to work for Harris County testing water quality at the Port of Houston. She's well qualified to give us expert advice!

I understand that the folks who attended the last meeting spoke about their concerns over the lack of security and the recent snake problem since the retention ponds have been drained.

Here's what AK posted to the group e-mail site about his involvement in the meeting today:
Today I attended the WCID #89 Board meeting. As the residents know that attended the last meeting, this is a dead end. And this security contract is only intended for the water and sewage infrastructure not solely for the public safety of the residents. But after talking with Commissioner El Franco Lee last Tuesday, I truly wanted some clarification of the WCID #89 and Harris County Sheriff Department contract.

After a very open discussion after the board meeting, I still left feeling unsatisfied. But I did get them to promise that the Board will send a letter to the Harris County Sheriff Department stating that the residents of the District are not satisfied with the effectiveness of the daily patrol to help deter crimes and the misdirection of emergency calls. If we feel this is not resolved, they will proceed to cancel the contract with the Harris County Sheriff Department. Which means that we will be left with an already over-stretched patrol of Sheriff Department District 3 precinct or we must petition the WCID# 89 to sign a contract with Harris County Constable May Walker Precinct 7 to patrol the our water infrastructure as well as our community and public safety, due to the large area in the Harris County Sheriff Department District 3 that has to be patrolled by the current limited resource of deputies. I have uploaded maps of the Constable Precinct 7 and Sheriff Department District 3 on the files page of this website. I have also uploaded links to both agencies. (Editorial comment: I will have links to these and the petition made available in my next post.)

I hope that you can see the need to have this contract thoroughly reviewed by all parties involved, asap. By participating and encouraging your surrounding neighbors to get involved with the petition that has been posted on this website is one way that you can help to ensure that this gets done. Another way is to pass the word about this website; it has been a very useful tool of communication.

Thanks,
AK

MUD Meeting - Come One - Come All

2009-07-01T08:25:00.001-05:00

Are you satisfied with our contract with the Harris County?? Are you sick of being afraid to what you might come home to??

Raise together and allow your voices to be heard. The monthly MUD District meeting is Tuesday, July 7^th at 11:30 am at 602 Sawyer Suite 205 Houston, Texas 77007.

Another one of our neighbors homes were broken into yesterday..and it took the Sheriff’s Dept almost 45 minutes to arrive..this is not what the Sheriff’s Office promised us at our Neighborhood Watch Meeting in April, and is unacceptable.

Anyone who is available to meet and discuss these concerns with our MUD District (who manages the contract with the Sheriff) please attend.

The more people there the more serious they will take our issues. If you are available to attend please let me know - ashley.r.white@nasa.gov.

Brunswick Meadows in the News Again

2009-06-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

Click here to see the ABC news story. And here to see the Fox news story. Please send a note of thanks to the reporters who aired our concerns.

Miya Shay of ABC news ~ channel 13 ~ miya.shay@abc.com

Damali Keith of Fox news ~ channel 26 ~ damali.keith@foxtv.com

So, what can you do to help keep us safe when the media tires of reporting on our problems?

Attend the next MUD District Meeting on Tuesday July, 7 at 11:30am to demand attention to our safety/security issues.

Click here to sign a petition, displaying our communities need for additional officers.

This message was posted on the Silver Creek Message Board on Tuesday, 6/16/2009 - sound familiar?

Our home on Misty Grove Drive was burglarized today at approx. 2 p.m. while I was at home with my two young daughters. Below is a description of what happened but I want to alert everyone to please be vigilant about locking your doors. Also, be on the lookout for a white car with two young black women. They stole our laptop and several rings.

I arrived home this afternoon and my daughters and I were in my master bedroom/bathroom for approx. 20 minutes when I noticed that my back door was slightly open. A skinny, young (teens, early 20s) black woman was walking through my back fence toward the door when she saw me at the door and asked if Kevin was here. I told her no, locked the door, and noticed a white car (sedan, red tail light across the entire back of the car with a silver emblem in the middle of it) parked in front of our house. It drove away but I had a very uneasy feeling - I looked in our extra bedrooms and closets with my pepper spray in hand.

Then the same young woman rang my doorbell - I cracked the door and she asked if Kevin might live nearby. Gave me some story about how her mom dropped her off because he was fixing her computer and she thought he lived at my house. She left, I locked the front door and walked through my dining room to my kitchen where another black woman, a little older & heavier, was crouched down. I had my pepper spray ready and sprayed her in the face as she stood up.

She ran to my front door (with me behind her spraying like crazy screaming at her to get out of my house), unlocked it and ran out. I called 911 and Brazoria County sheriffs were here within minutes. Though several units were out searching for a white car, the women have not been caught.

They believe that 1st girl rang my doorbell to distract me so her friend could try to get out of the back door (but I'd locked it so she was trapped in the house). The officers were great and I wanted to pass along a few of their comments and recommendations:

a lock for the back fence
motion lights (about $10 at Home Depot),
window locks
adjustable door bars (about $30 at Home Depot) as one officer said it's pretty easy to kick in a back door
and get a dog.

It's their opinion that the women didn't think anyone was home, and of course, I was an easy target with my back door unlocked. Please remember to be aware of your surroundings and lock your doors!!!

I was very aware and alert for awhile during those other home invasions a couple months back but then just relaxed again. I feel very fortunate that nobody was hurt and my children are safe and too young to really comprehend what happened.

If anyone has an idea about what make/model of car matches that description of the back end that I saw please pass it along. About the size of a Chevy Impala but I've looked at pics online and the back doesn't match what I saw.

Laura

Javier Makes Good on His Promise About the Ponds

2009-06-14T19:36:00.002-05:00

You undoubtedly have noticed the retention ponds are thoroughly drained. Javier promised that the pumps would be turned on in June and we all appreciate his following through. Especially now that it's hurricane season. I noted that the tall grassy areas have also been mowed. Thank you!

I also wanted to let you know that I have made an open records request to our water board and received a year's worth of documents showing the monthly test results. I am going to send them to my niece, who is the EPA specialist for the entire Permian Basin, and get her interpretation of how safe our water is to drink.

I know that many of you have taken the water board and the water provider company's word for it to be safe to drink the tap water without boiling it. I am far more suspect of the quality and continue to drink only bottled water. But if my niece says it is now safe I will let you know. I will let you know whatever analysis she has given me.

I plan to visit the lawyer's office where the board meets next week and review all the minutes of monthly meetings from the past year to see what exact action has been taken on those months when our water was deemed "out of spec" (meaning that there were quality issues) and I will report that to you as well.

In 2010 there will be 2 positions on the water board up for re-election. I intend to run and hope that you will all vote for me. I also am interested in finding someone else in our neighborhood willing to run for the other position. All 5 positions are now held by people from the original Morningside neighborhood. That means the smallest neighborhood served by the water board is getting all the representation. We have 4 times as many houses as they do, and we should have a voice on the board. That's only fair....don't you think?

Dr. Root

Something for Neighborhood Watch to Watch

2009-06-07T22:48:00.007-05:00

On 03/10/09 at the mail center on Brunswick Meadows between Sandstone Bend and Scott as early as 5:45a.m. at a very busy bus stop with no child and no other apparent business there, this man was observed by several parents who had taken their children to await the bus.

He was there for over an hour. Authorities were alerted. The next day, he moved to a different corner: Sandstone Bend, seemingly awaiting children to come to the playground area. Please be careful and keep a keen eye on the children. Yours and those of your neighbors.

Photo taken by a concerned parent here in Brunswick Meadows.

LATANYA JONES wants us to Recycle

2009-06-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hello Neighbors,

I was very confused about why such a nice new community like ours, does not have a recycling program. Well after making a few calls I found out that we have to vote on it, then take it to our HOA and they have to set up a contract with our water district. There will be a slight increase in the waste (or sewer) portion of our water bill but the benefits far outweigh the cost. So I am asking all who are willing to push for recycling in our cummunity.

Here are just a few reminders about why recycling is so important:It reduces the need for raw materials(cutting down trees for paper) which saves energy, reduces pollution and saves our natural resources. It takes less energy to process recycled materials versus raw materials.

Recycling reduces trash in landfills. This allow us to reduce the number of landfills needed, thus saving money as well as habitats for wildlife.Cutting down on trash also reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases that fill the landfills and pollutes our planet.

I really could go on and on about the importance of recycling but I am going to stop here and hope these reasons are enough to convince everyone to start a recycling program. If not, please do it for the future... our children. They deserve a chance to live in a healthy clean earth as our ancestors once did. REDUCE REUSE AND RECYCLE!!!

Neighborhood Watch Meeting June 11th at 7PM

2009-06-01T22:18:00.002-05:00

Announcement from Ashley White...

Since our Neighborhood Watch meeting at the church, on April 8th, there have been NO reported crimes….It’s my belief that this is the result of a community fed up, and willing to work together…I say..Let’s take it to another LEVEL!!!

Our next meeting is June 11th at 7pm, at 14430 Brunswick Place Dr.

LET’S MAKE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM THE BEST!!!!

Sign up for the yahoo group to get a copy of the roles and responsibilities of a Neighborhood Watch, the Chairperson, the Block Captains, and the Watchers.

VOLUNTEER!!!! VOLUNTEER!!! VOLUNTEER!!!!

Do you part to make sure that our Community isn’t forgotten by the Harris County Sheriff Dept, Commissioner Office, or MUD District 89..…..LET’S STAND TOGETHER AND MAKE OUR COMMUNITY THE BEST IN HARRIS COUNTY!!!!

Flood Insurance Information

2009-06-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

Harris County Flood Control says "If you live in Harris County, anywhere in Harris County, you live in a flood plain." Some of our neighbors had no idea that flood insurance wasn't included in their homeowner insurance policy. Since it is the official beginning of Hurricane Season - here's what you need to know.

The NFIP, a federal program, offers flood insurance, which can be purchased through property and casualty insurance agents. Rates are set and do not differ from company to company or agent to agent. These rates depend on many factors, which include the date and type of construction of your home, along with your building’s level of risk.
Here's a link to where you can buy flood insurance in Texas. http://www.fema.gov/nfipInsurance/search_results.jsp

Hope this helps!
Dr. Root

Neighborhood Watch Meeting on 5/17/09 at 4PM

2009-05-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Hi Neighbors-

Wondering what a Neighborhood Watch is???

Get the answer this Sunday at 4pm..

Hope to see you at the playground between the Lennar and Trophy model homes..14034 Chelseahurst Lane

Lets kick off the Summer Safely!!

Recap of the HOA Meeting

2009-05-12T21:06:00.004-05:00

Frustration. That was the primary sentiment I was feeling while attending the annual Brunswick Meadows Homeowners Association meeting last night. I think others were feeling it, too. Well, that and anger.

I urge everyone to read the comments on the posting below this one that announced the HOA annual meeting and please add your comments to this posting. I agree with Jerome that WE must take control of our community since clearly the men from ACMI (the management company that was hired by the developer) and Friendswood Development Company (the current company developing Brunswick Meadows) don't seem to be interested in solutions to our community's problems.

Ashley White has attached the handouts from the meeting (agenda, financial overview, and budget) in a .pdf file to the Yahoo Group members via e-mail. Please consider joining this group by clicking here.

Javier Martinez, of Friendswood Development Company, introduced the HOA Board members Carrie Williams and Felicia Love (homeowners in Brunswick Meadows who were appointed to the HOA Board) and an aide to County Commissioner Pct. 1, Mr. Beaudion (spelling on that is approximate) who was a guest at the meeting. The aide provided his phone number 713-741-1096 but suggested that homeowners pick up a copy of the "Know Your County" booklet and try to resolve problems with the appropriate County Agency first. If after making the appropriate contacts any concerns were not adequately addressed, then he suggested calling him to follow up directly with those public servants who had been contacted.

There were over 100 people in attendance, but most did not stay the entire 2 hours. By the end of the meeting, fewer than 20 remained and most were having private conversations rather than any formal communication from the podium. When it seemed that those running the meeting were less interested in proposing solutions than assigning/deflecting blame, many chose to leave.

Javier and Bert Williams of ACMI seemed to want to keep the focus of the meeting on financial issues and the problems for the HOA caused by homeowners not paying their annual assessments and the special assessment resulting from the damage caused by Hurricane Ike.
So why is there such concern regarding the financial situation? Currently there are approximately 700 homeowners in Brunswick Meadows (of those, between 260-270 are in the duplexes called Twin Villas) and not all of them have paid their assessments. The original developer of the neighborhood platted the property for 1367 lots at completion and only about 850 lots have been developed for sale. What all this means is that our community is only about 50% complete, and while the majority of the homeowners are paying their fair share, the lack of future growth, coupled with the hurricane damage and the delinquent homeowners, has left a financial burden on the developer. Clearly, as a business, their concern is to recoup their loss and make a profit; however, that is seemingly not the crucial concern of the homeowners of Brunswick Meadows.

Some homeowners said that their calls were being ignored by ACMI and there was miscommunication or no communication regarding such things as fence repair following Ike. Communication - or rather the lack thereof - was a recurrent theme. When anyone tried to bring up issues like security, recent flooding, maintenance of the detention ponds, etc., Bert insisted on "getting through the numbers" before discussing these other concerns. This added to the frustration levels in the room and more people leaving the building.

Here's the "good news" that was brought out at the meeting:

Property liens have been attached to those homeowners' lots who have delinquent accounts. Hopefully it will encourage them to pay their assessments so that other pressing issues can be addressed.
The flooding that occurred last month was due to the pumps in the detention pond failing to be activated. Javier of Friendswood Development Company said that it was the responsibility of the Water District #89 to pay for the pumps and their maintenance, but WDIC#89 thought it should be that of the developer or perhaps Harris County Flood Control District. In any case, it was said that the pumps would be activated by June.
Javier said that he was mistaken when he had told us at the last HOA meeting that it was against county rules to build a sidewalk along the detention ponds so that the children would have a safe way to get to their bus stops in the morning. He said that once the delinquent homeowners pay their assessments, a sidewalk on each side of Brunswick Meadows connecting the neighborhood on both sides of the detention ponds would be built.
Hmmm...well, I can't find anything else in my notes that would be considered good news. If anyone else remembers anything positive from the meeting, please put it in a comment.

There was quite a bit of talk about deed restrictions at the meeting and what they mean. I will post on that tomorrow...

HOA Annual Meeting

2009-05-03T00:26:00.000-05:00



Date:		Monday May 11, 2009
Time:		6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location:		Jones Memorial Methodist Church
Street:		2504 Almeda Genoa Rd
City State Zip:		Houston, TX. 77047
		It only happens ONCE a year! All owners are encouraged to participate! Agenda topics include: - Security in our community - Financial status of our HOA - Community Development plans - Other business as raised at the meeting

Water Contamination - BOIL YOUR WATER!!!

2009-04-29T19:58:00.002-05:00

Did you notice the flyer that was attached to your front door? I hope you didn't just toss it out thinking it was yet another offer to mow your yard. No, this was an official NOTICE from our Water District #89 announcing that all water service would be temporarily shut off on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 from 9AM to 6PM.

Ok, big deal you might be thinking. I'm at work during those hours anyway. But hold on there! Read the rest of the notice. Due to conditions which have occurred recently in the water system, the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the system to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and for making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to consumption. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling you may purchase bottled water. When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the water system officials will notify you. If you have questions, please call 713-405-1750 or 877-405-1750.

I will call them tomorrow and see what the official word is and post it, but I called my niece who is a Chemical Engineer and used to work for Harris County as a wet lab Chemist (that's the folks who test the water for compliance with EPA regulations) and she said that if the TCEQ was requiring this kind of notice then the water was not safe at all. I asked her if the carbon-activated filters we had installed on our kitchen faucet and showerheads would be enough to protect us and she replied, "No. Definitely not. You all need to hound your water district officials to get the water cleaned up over there. Don't bathe - and if you shower, be careful about getting water in your mouth. Take a hot shower and make it quick. Boil all water for all uses - even for the dogs & cats."

I don't know about the rest of you, neighbors, but I've HAD IT with the WCID#89's incompetence and apparent indifference to the quality of our water!!!!!!!

Street Lights on Furman

2009-04-20T21:53:00.003-05:00

The street lights on Furman are actually being charged to the City of Houston (COH) not CenterPoint. In CenterPoint's database, the first block of Furman between Almeda-Genoa and Fuqua (where the new gas station will be) is within the COH city limits; however, Harris County said that the northside of Furman @ Almeda-Genoa (the KB Homes side) belongs to the COH, and the southside of it is Harris County.

But... Harris County does not put up, nor pay for, street lights. They only do so within Parks (like Tom Bass Park, for example). Now, CenterPoint can erect the lights, but the problem is who will pay?

We can call the COH and ask them to put lights on THE REST of Furman Rd. Or, since we're paying (dearly) for Harris County WCID#89, we should have our water district pay for them. Please contact the Board of WCID#89 (click here for contact information) and request the lights be paid for...assuming that they haven't spent ALL the money on the new administration building!

We are in WCID#89

2009-04-20T21:49:00.003-05:00

Brunswick Meadows' Municipal District is WCID #89. Here is the website for future reference http://wcid89.org/
I noted that they have started the construction on the new administration building. A pity the Board finds that more important than cleaning our water supply. I plan to run for one of the Board positions in 2010 (the next opportunity) and hope another activist here in Brunswick Meadows, who cares more for the community than the current Board does, will join me.
Dr. Root

Recap of Neighborhood Watch Meeting

2009-04-14T00:45:00.002-05:00

Captain M. Talton, Harris County Sheriff, Precinct III presented the following statistics:
· The largest three areas of Precinct III are Channelview, Baytown, and South Houston ( 288/Beltway) .
· During 2008, Precinct III received 133,156 Priority Calls for service.
· Arrests: 1,027 Felony Related, 2,168 Misdemeanor Related, 15,027 Traffic Related, and issued 210,000 traffic citations.
· Brunswick Meadows resides in MUD Distrust 89.

There are 3-contract deputies patrolling on three different shifts. Deputy Barriere (Day), Deputy Lozano (Afternoon), and Deputy Crosby (Night). There are also two other deputies in the area. In addition, Deputy Billingsly represents the Burglary Apprehension Response Squad, known as the BARS unit.

Brunswick Meadows Statistics:

Average response time in our area is 12 minutes
Between October 2008 and March 2009, there have been 21 arrests, and 162 reports.
Residential Burglaries
September 2007
12
October 2007
8
November-December 2007
0
January 2008
3
February 2008
3
March 2008
3
April 2008
1
May 2008
1
June 2008
1
July 2008 –October 2008
0
November 2008
10
December 2008
14
January 2009
3
February 2009
1
March 2009
1

If you see an unrecognizable vehicle, call 713-221-6000 and report it.
Tell the dispatch any description that you have of the vehicle (color, make, model, license plate number)
Tell the dispatch the description of any the occupants of the vehicle.

If you arrive home and find your home burglarized:

GET OUT, and call the Sheriff’s Office
Don’t touch anything, until the Deputy’s have been able to obtain possible fingerprints.
If you find something after the Sheriffs have taken the report, please call back, and let them know what you have found.

Homes that have been burglarized:
o Peak times: 7am – 12 noon
o Some residents were home at the time.
o Some residents had alarms.
· Call 713-625-9911 to check on who responds to our 911 calls.

Safeguarding your home includes the following precautions:

Install 2 ½ - 3 inch long screws that secure the strike plate to the wall framing, not just to the doorframe jamb
Double key dead bolt lock on all entry doors.
Install secondary locks on all windows.
Install Automatic Garage Door device, or place a lock on garage.
Don’t open the door to strangers.
To obtain a 5-10% off discount on your Homeowners Insurance call 713-759-9454.
Look at your home like a robber:
o Is your homes address visible day and night?
o Is your landscape and shrubbery trimmed to prevent a possible hiding spot?
o Is there adequate lighting at all points of entry?
o Are your motion lights installed at a good height, and covered?

Brunswick Meadows on TV!

2009-04-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

KPRC 2 news reporter Daniella Guzman attended the Crime Watch meeting and interviewed several residents. Please check out both the story and video at http://www.click2houston.com/news/19135766/detail.html#story. Special Thanks to Carrie Williams for contacting the media, and to Bridget Nickerson for sharing her story.

Crime Prevention Deputy Brown, was so shocked at our tremendous turnout that he didn't have enough packets to pass out. As soon as we get more packets, we will scan and send out. Deputy Brown also provided a lot of safety tips of how to protect our homes. You can find some of those tips here: http://www.harriscountycitizencorps.com/newsletters/Feb2009Newsletter.pdf, as well as in the meeting notices.

We need everyone to volunteer to be Block Captains, and Watchers, to make our Neighborhood safer, and strong..We can only do this by "Transforming a Community, Block by Block."

Also if you see any suspicious activity please contact 713-221-6000.

Thank you so much again.....and hope to see each of you at our next meeting…

Official Neighborhood Watch Meeting Invitation

2009-04-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

You are cordially invited to

The Official Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Wednesday, April 8th

6 – 8 pm

Jones Memorial Church
2504 Almeda Genoa Road

Crime Watch Meeting Wed. April 8 from 6-8PM

2009-03-31T12:41:00.001-05:00

****IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The Crime Watch is currently scheduled for Wed. April 8 from 6-8p.m.*****

Please call the Sheriff's Office at 713-455-8050, and thank Sergeant Gill for his presence at our meeting..We must be willing to call when they are doing a great job, and when they are not..

When calling 911 from a cell phone - tell them you need the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

To report a suspicious vehicle or activity please call 713-221-6000

For any questions, or complaints please call 713-455-8050

If your home has been burglarized, and no fingerprints were taken please call Sergeant Gill at 713-455-8050.

There are four teams that need volunteers to address our immediate concerns: Safety, HOA, Elected Officials, Communication..

All four of these teams are extremely important to improving our neighborhood. If you did not have the chance to sign up, please contact Ashley White at ashley.r.white@nasa.gov

Interactive Home Security Game

2009-03-29T21:27:00.002-05:00

Click here to check your knowledge of home security. This and other helpful tips were published in the first issue of the Brunswick Meadows Safety and Security Newsletter.

Vehicle Thieves Caught in the Act!

2009-03-27T12:52:00.002-05:00

On March 27, 2009 about 3:00AM, 2 guys were breaking into vehicles of homes that back onto Furman street in Brunswick Meadows. BK, a Brunswick Meadows homeowner, was one of the guys whose vehicle was broken into, and when he came out and caught the guy in the act he started firing numerous shots at the burglar who ran away. These were bold thieves because they parked their car in front of BK's house.

After looking into their car, BK found another gentleman hiding on the floor of the car. To make a long story short - the cops were called and dogs were used to capture one of the guys, but the other one got away. The cops impounded the thieves' vehicle.

Neighbors, PLEASE BE SAFE and watch your surroundings.

Recap of Neighborhood Watch Meeting

2009-03-24T21:42:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Neighbors-

Issues discussed at yesterday's meeting:

Please contact Lieutenant Warren at 713-455-8050 regarding Sergeant Gills non-appearance at our meeting.

Regarding Burglaries: 5 suspects have been caught and charged. Three of the suspects live in the area.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: ANYONE interested in volunteering to increase the safety in our neighborhood, please let me know. We need anyone who is willing to HELP make Brunswick a better neighborhood….Please contact Ashley White if you want to volunteer at ashley.r.white@nasa.gov

Security Tips from AK:

1. Dead bolt all locks ( key in-key out)

2. Lock Back gate

3. Purchase a device from Target called a kick stand...prevents people from being able to kick the door open.

4. Remember to ALWAYS SET ALARM

5. Switch up routine, i.e. leave earlier/later

Who to call: If you see something odd or any vehicles that you notice circling the neighborhood. Please call Harris County dispatch to report it. EMERGENCY DISPATCHER NUMBER: 713-221-6000

Possible Car Decals for all residents.

Other contact information:

Stay informed and let your voice be heard by joining the neighborhood Yahoo group:
Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrunswickMeadows77047
Group email address: BrunswickMeadows77047@yahoogroups.com

Neighborhood Watch Meeting with Sheriff

2009-03-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Sheriff's Dept has agreed to meet with us this Sunday, March 22nd at 4pm.....

The meeting will be held at the playground in between the Lennar and Trophy model homes..14034 Chelseahurst Lane

Please encourage all neighbors to attend, and let your voice be heard!

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Scheduled

2009-03-11T22:13:00.005-05:00

Ms. Williams, who put out the flyers in regards to the burglaries that have taken place in our subdivision, has arranged a neighborhood watch meeting on Sunday (3/15) at 4PM at the corner of Concorde Meadows and Bronwynn.

The County Sheriff will come out to speak to us about safety precautions we can take on Sunday 3/22 at 4PM. Place for that meeting will be announced after the preliminary meet & greet this Sunday (3/15)

Come one, come all so we can have a safer neighborhood!!!

Someone Is Quite Unhappy

2009-02-28T23:43:00.004-06:00

A NOTE FROM DR. ROOT, CREATOR OF THIS BLOG: I will post your messages to the blog so that you can read comments in response if you will send them to me at layneroot@aol.com and note that you wish them published to the blog. I ask only that you identify yourself in the request to post the message. If the author of this e-mail would like to add his/her name, please feel free to do so in the comments section. Now, on with the message....

I want someone to tell me exactly what the HOA is doing. I am not satisfied with anything that has transpired. Feels like I'm getting robbed. I was not satisfied with the explanation given to me or my neighbors about what they were going to take care of after the storm. I was told one thing about the fences then another and then another and so on. The only thing I see them doing is raising my fees and hitting my neighbors and me with notices that we have to cut our grass. I don't need a HOA for that.

I am aware that I signed up for this when I bought the place. I am also aware of their expenses and what they have to do. BUT I can not help but feel that they are not doing their job and I am just sending them my hard earned money for naught.

And who are these people that are our reps? My neighbors and I have no idea who they are and what they represent. I went to one shady meeting that was scheduled at 4pm when no one is off work and I was told that was done purposely so many of the people who live in our subdivision could not attend and air out their grievances. I'm not one for rumors or conjecture but it seems feasible to me. I've been hearing these concerns for months now and I'm expressing them for my neighborsand myself if nobody else will.

Vandals in the Neighborhood

2009-02-28T23:40:00.002-06:00

Hello all, I'm writing this post because I wanted people to be alert and aware of their surroundings. I accidently left my door to my vehicle unlocked and someone went through my car and trashed it. Whoever it was, smoked and left ashes all over the place, but stole nothing. After this happened, my husband and I became more aware and alert about the happenings around our house.

The next day, I assume the same people tried to break in again but the doors were locked. They got the driver's side door in an open but locked position. There are scratches near the opening of the door on my car and my husband's car. These people are very bold so
PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!
Sincerely, Mrs. Alanna B.

News from Felicia

2009-02-21T21:31:00.002-06:00

If you see stop signs or street signs that have been knocked down, please contact our Harris County Commissioner, El Franco Lee. Here is the link to El Franco Lee's Office to report such signs http://www.hcp1.org/R&B.htm

Pumps in the retention pond are in the final stages of being activated.

Sheriff Department will be invited to our Annual Meeting, which will be scheduled soon to discuss the Neighborhood Watch Program.

Follow Up on Fence Repair & Retention Ponds?

2008-12-21T22:49:00.002-06:00

At the meeting we attended on 12/3/2008, Billy Paige indicated that the fence repair would include Scott Street, Sandstone Bend, and Brunswick Meadow Drive. So, why wasn't Scott Street mentioned in the letter I received about the fence repair?

I suppose everyone had noticed that the pumps still aren't working in the retention ponds. Anyone know when they plan to turn those things on?

Petition Against HOA - Have You Signed This?

2008-12-21T22:40:00.002-06:00

Today someone dropped by my house and asked Gina to sign this petition. Here's what it said:

"Petition Against Brunswick Meadows HOA Board of Directors

Re: $60,000 Community Fencing Repair

We, the homeowners in the Brunswick Meadows Subdivision, oppose and request substantiation of the $60,000 repair estimate referenced in your November 15, 2008 letter to each of us, and enjoin you from continuing forward with said repairs, for the following reasons:

We had no notice of any repair estimate by any certified and/or bonded fencing company.
Several inquiries made by various homeowners to ACMI employees have resulted in inconsistent responses as to which fences are included in this $60,000 repair estimate.
There was no notice to the homeowners of any special meeting of the Board of Directors to discuss the topic of fencing repair; thereby not allowing any homeowners the ability to sit in on said meeting and be involved in any discussion of same.
Proper documentation has not been proffered to the homeowners; i.e., repair estimates with specific supply/labor amounts broken out.
There is no evidence that the Board of Directors followed proper procedure in obtaining three bids from certified/bonded/qualified bidders to do the fence repair supposedly totaling $60,000.

If the proper procedures are not followed in procuring a contractor to provide fencing repair, we the homeowners, will be forced to hire an attorney to represent us in this matter against the Board of Directors, jointly and severally."

Anyone know who started this petition?

Answers from the HOA President

2008-12-13T23:47:00.002-06:00

Felicia has taken our concerns to the HOA president regarding the fences and the need for a sidewalk along the retention ponds. Here's what she reports:

The question was raised about the fences along Furman Street. It was noticed after the meeting the fences along this street are capped fences. Will these fences be included as well? Below is the response from our HOA President.

“MAYBE IN THE FUTURE THEY CAN BE ADDED BUT RIGHT NOW IT IS TAKING EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO GET THE MAIN ROAD REPAIRED. THE ADDED COST PRECLUDES US FROM CONSIDERING ADDING IT AT THIS TIME.”

We were informed in the meeting that very little can be done with building a sidewalk along the retention ponds because of the Harris County Flood Control District. Julie suggested instead of a concrete sidewalk we could install a crushed granite or caliche trail similar to the one that the construction company is using. Below is the response from our HOA President:

“WE WILL LOOK INTO THIS.”

I know these are not satisfying answer but I will stay on top of it. As your representative, I will continue to stress the importance of residents. Thank you for your support.

Crime in the 'Hood

2008-12-11T23:03:00.002-06:00

There have been reports of burglaries here in Brunswick Meadows. As most of you know, we are living outside Houston city limits so HPD does not service our neighborhood. Because we are in an unincorporated part of Harris County, we rely on the Sheriff's Office for dealing with crime. The MUD that provides us water also has a contract with the Sheriff to patrol and you've probably seen the deputies' cars on the streets.

I recall some effort about a year ago to form a Neighborhood Watch program, but don't know if it ever got off the ground. There was a "Take Back the Night" gathering at the playground last month that sparked much of the organization amongst us homeowners (thanks Felicia!) and I remember some folks sharing their concerns about break-ins and what was being done to prevent such crimes. I know that many of us have security alarm systems (based on all the ADT & Brinks signs in our yards) so that clearly is not a sufficient answer to the problem.

So, let's discuss. Anyone know if the Neighborhood Watch program is going on? If so, please comment on how to get involved with it. Any other ideas for dealing with this problem?

The Need for Carbon Activated Filters

2008-12-06T08:18:00.008-06:00

My niece, who is a chemical engineer, attended the information meeting with me that was held by the MUD back in the Spring. She told me that the MUD could buy some scrubbers that would solve the problem and even gave me information on a vendor, which I passed on to the MUD Board. She also told me that the water company spokesman (the white guy with the big belly - in case any of you went to that meeting) was full of bull when he said that the water wasn't dangerous unless you were drinking gallons each day for many years.

Indeed, she said that taking hot showers in water with the volatile organic compound (VOC) problem was 100 times worse than ingesting the water directly from the tap! I immediately bought filters for my showerheads (got them on eBay for about $60 each) and got the kitchen sink a Pur 3-stage filter at Home Depot for about $35. I've been able to get replacement filters for it on eBay for less than $10 per filter. The showers will need new filters every 6 months if you take showers daily - once a year if you use it only 3-4 times a week. I wouldn't suggest taking baths very often, unless you bought a filter system that works for the entire house by hooking to the main water lines. Those were way out of my price range (cheapest was $800).

I also made an open records request for all the minutes of the MUD meetings from 2005 to the present, which has yet to be filled. I complained to the Attorney General's compliance unit and the MUD Board Chair told me that I would need to request it directly from the attorney. I wanted to see if anything had been done to correct the problems with the water quality. No scrubbers were purchased. I did note that someone has filed a lawsuit against the MUD but don't know the outcome.

Unfortunately the next election for a seat on the MUD Board isn't until 2010. I was considering running then, but I wanted my neighbors to know about the need for the water filters right away. I have told everyone that lives on my block. Please tell your neighbors as well.

VOC contamination can cause cancer and many other problems. Click here to see a fact sheet with links to studies you might find of interest.

Clarification on the HOA Invoice

2008-12-04T09:59:00.002-06:00

Good to see that the blog is being read - thanks for the comments on the first posting. I wanted to answer Chanti's question about the HOA dues.

There was a $50 increase in HOA dues over the amount required last year. In other words, it went up from $240 to $290. That was to cover the increased costs of the landscaping, since nearly everyone raised their prices due to the gas hikes up to $4/gallon earlier this year.

There is also a separate $50 special assessment fee which is to repay the loan that Javier took out to pay ACE Fencing for the "common fences" repair. Thus, your invoice this year is for the increased dues of $290 plus the $50 special assessment fee = $340 due by January 1, 2009.

I noticed on the way to work this morning, driving down Furman, that nearly all the fences back there have the cap that seemed to be the distinguishing characteristic Billy said for those fences that would/would not be repaired. Someone did ask about the fences facing Furman Street, and Billy said that they were excluded because the builders had installed those fences. But I agree with the questioner's comments at the meeting that Furman is going to become a major thoroughfare into the neighborhood - especially after the shopping strip is completed at the corner of Almeda-Genoa. Perhaps we should revisit this issue with Billy and get those fences repaired as well?

Welcome to the Brunswick Meadows Blog

2008-12-03T20:48:00.002-06:00

A meeting was held today at the Lennar Model Home to discuss the special assessment and rise in HOA dues for homeowners in Brunswick Meadows. There were about a dozen homeowners in attendance, along with Billy Paige from the management company ACMI and Javier Martinez HOA president, who also works for Friendswood Development. Felicia Love was requested to serve as community liasion until the HOA is turned over from the developers of Brunswick Meadows to its homeowners. According to our covenant documents, that will be possible when 75% of the neighborhood is occupied. Javier projected that to be in the year 2011 at the earliest since the recession has slowed the development of the last portion of our neighborhood - currently the development is considered 55%-60% owner occupied.

My personal opinion is that the meeting was productive. Billy seemed a bit defensive at times, but then we all sounded a bit upset at times :-) Javier seemed to want our input and agreed to disseminate information via the internet instead of just in the annual newsletter. I approached Felicia following the meeting and agreed to create a blog for us to have an easy way to disseminate information and freely comment to one another in cyberspace since it seems the website is less than helpful. I hope you will all find this a helpful tool in that regard.

Here are the highlights from the meeting (this is just from my notes - others are welcome to supplement by posting comments)

The Fence Project

This is the stated basis for the special assessment of $50 which has been added to our HOA dues and will be used to repay a two-year loan that Javier made on the credit line of the builders. Unfortunately, the fences are not covered by insurance - only the playground areas are insured. There was a topographical map displayed so that Billy could show exactly which fences were to be a part of the "patch and repair" project. Essentially, any fence that has the "cap" (the extra wood running along the top of the fence) will be a part of the project. This includes all fencing facing Scott Street, Brunswick Meadows Blvd. and Sandstone Bend. The fences that face the retention pond are not included. Neither are the fences that face Furman St. at the back of the development. Fences that are between homes, delineating property lines between neighbors, are the homeowners' individual responsibility.

Any homeowner whose fence would be considered a part of the Fence Project that had already effected repairs would not be compensated nor reimbursed. Nor would they be excluded from the special assessment.

There was a competitive bidding process and bids ranged from approximately $66,000 to $200,000 - Ace Fencing was chosen as the vendor, although their original bid was $85,000 it was later reduced to $50,000.

Issues were raised about the previous fences not having enough concrete in the posts. Billy said that Ace had agreed to go an extra 6" beyond the required 18" per post.

New HOA Dues

The increase in dues (beyond the $50 special assessment) was primarily because of higher costs of landscaping, at least in part because of higher gas prices over most of the past year. Current dues are spent primarily in the areas of landscaping and collections (fees paid ACMI for that service and attempting to enforce deed restrictions) and a line-item budget was promised to be posted to an internet site sometime in the future.

Other topics covered in this meeting included the need for sidewalks along the water retention ponds, the amount of water currently in the ponds, and security issues given the rash of burglaries recently reported. Sidewalks along the pond are restricted by the Harris County Flood Control District which maintains that they would interfere with the efficiency of the ponds. The reason our retention ponds are so full is that we are the repository for water run-off from Almeda-Genoa to the Beltway and the pumps that were installed are scheduled to start working sometime this month. Security needs should be addressed to the Constable or Sheriff's office since we are not in the Houston city limits. The Houston Police Department does not serve unincorporated areas of the county. Our local MUD (municipal utility district) does have a contract with local law enforcement to patrol our neighborhood.

OK, that's what I have in my notes. Thanks!
Dr. Root