Category: Uncategorized

Barbara Marland has lived in the Ridgecrest area for over forty years and was an early supporter of the Ridgecrest Civic Club serving at one time as secretary of the organization. During her involvement with the Ridgecest Civic Club she was instrumental in helping to develop the Deed Restrictions for the area. Her work with the Stewart Title Company gave her access to important information that was needed in the development of the area’s Deed Restrictions.

Barbara has led an interesting life and has many delightful stories to tell. She was born in Phenix City, Alabama and graduated from Columbia High School in 1955. After graduation she joined the Air Force and was stationed in San Antonio.

Music has always been an important part of her life. When still a child she took piano lessons and then played alto sax in the High School Band and when she joined the Air Force she also played alto sax with the Air Force Band. Barbara met her husband, Charles Marland, in the Air Force and they purchased a home in San Antonio. After she left the service she went to work for Stewart Title Company in their real estate office. She continued to work for them until she retired at the age of sixty-five.

Stewart Title transferred her to their Houston office in 1972 and she purchased the home on Cedel Drive where she currently lives. She has two children, Charles and Carol who grew up in the Spring Branch area. Charles lives now in Brenham and has three children and nine grand children. Barbara’s daughter Carol lives in the Briar Forest area of Houston so Barbara is fortunate to have family close.

Barbara stays active with her Church and her music. She served as pianist for the Church for many years. She is currently singing with the Bayou City Singers who perform at several local Assisted Living Centers for the enjoyment of the residents.

She has many memories of the Ridgecrest Civic Club and it’s projects and activities. She remembers when the RCC sponsored street parades and she remembers the great Christmas parties where she would lead the singing. The RCC is fortunate to have had the participation of people with Barbara’s special skills.

In Ridgecrest, we have heavy trash pickup once a month. It switches from month to month between Tree Waste and Junk Waste. Tree Waste is stuff like tree limbs, branches, and stumps. Junk Waste are bigger items, like broken furniture, construction debris and other things, IN ADDITION TO Tree Waste. Note, though that a homeowner can have things like sheetrock etc. in the Junk Waste pile but a home remodeler cannot leave it at the home he is remodeling for the city to carry off.

Junk waste can contain tree waste, but Tree Waste cannot contain Junk Waste.

You can get more information from Houston Solid Waste’s Trash Facts website

Patricia Thomas, Principal

The next meeting of the Ridgecrest Civic Club will be held on Monday, May 21. We are honored to have Mrs. Patricia Thomas as our speaker for this meeting.

Mrs. Thomas is the Principal at Ridgecrest Elementary School. She has been in that position for seven years and has overseen the school’s move into its beautiful new building. A native Houstonian, Mrs. Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M and completed her Principal’s Certification at the University of Houston.

Ridgecrest Elementary School

As Principal she oversees a staff of 43 classroom teachers, 10 teacher assistants, four office staff, four custodians, eight cafeteria workers, several teacher specialist and two crossing guards. Ridgecrest Civic Club is honored that she is willing to take the time to speak to our group.

After an official governing board vote on April 11 by KIPP Houston leaders, all three parties involved in creating charter campus programs at two Spring Branch ISD middle schools have now given formal approvals to an innovative pair of start-up programs. The partnership between SBISD, KIPP and YES Prep is being called the SKY Partnership for general reference purposes.

In March, the SBISD Board of Trustees approved the granting of campus program charters at Landrum Middle School for KIPP and at Northbrook Middle School for YES Prep. Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., was authorized to negotiate and execute final versions of charter program contracts. YES Prep’s board also approved the program in March.

The SKY Partnership brings new educational choices to families in high-needs areas in SBISD. The partnership is the result of shared dreams, strategic visions and comprehensive planning to give new options to students, provide more charter school options for families who are now on district lottery waiting lists, and better utilize building resources in the district.

For SBISD, a new five year plan known as The Spring Branch Plan, 2012-2017, was a driving force in the partnership and campus program charters.

Said Superintendent Klussmann, “Spring Branch has a very aggressive goal for the future to double the number of students over the next five years who complete some form of higher education – a technical certificate, or two-year associate’s degree, or four-year bachelor’s degree. We need to do everything that we can to develop strong partnerships and provide educational options that allow that to happen.”
“We believe in this partnership and its ability to benefit all our students. We’re able to offer these great experiences to our students by bringing in two proven public charter systems like KIPP and YES Prep, and by combining all three high-performing systems – Spring Branch, KIPP and YES Prep schools. I’m very excited about this new partnership and this innovative approach to providing new alternatives to students within their own home campus,” the Superintendent also said.

Visit the SBISD SKY Partnership Website for more information.

Likely to be sent April 16-25, Voter Registrar Sumners says

HOUSTON – (April 3, 2012) — After months of delay caused by the dispute over redistricting, Harris County voters will be getting their voter registration certificates pretty soon, Don Sumners, the county’s voter registrar said.

“The federal court action appears to be over for now and the party primaries are scheduled for May 29. The court’s deadline for mailing the certificates is April 25. We expect to beat that by several days, perhaps mailing them as early as April 16,” he said.

Normally, in mid January of every even-numbered year, persons registered to vote in Harris County get their new voter certificate in the mail. When the certificates were delayed by the dispute, incorrect rumors began circulating on the Internet.

At that time, Sumners said, “The delay in mailing the registration certificates will not interfere with anyone’s right to vote. I and my Voter Registration Department will support and protect the rights of every qualified voter. We will prepare and mail every certificate as soon as we can after the federal courts decide this case,” Sumners said.

The certificates – yellow and white – will get a workout in May. In addition to the May 29 primaries, there is a Limited Uniform Election on May 12, with early voting beginning April 30. The last day to register in time to vote in that election is April 12.

Many jurisdictions have elections scheduled that day, including the cities of Deer Park, Galena Park, Katy and Tomball, school districts such as Clear Creek and Spring Branch, and a host of emergency service and municipal utility districts.

The last day to register in time to vote in the Democratic or Republican primary is April 30. Early voting starts May 14. Each party will be choosing candidates for a range of offices, from constable to president of the United States.

For more information, see http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/2012dates.shtml

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Joe Abbate was 96 years old. He passed away April 3, 2012, and is survived by his wife Rosemary Abbate. Joe was a long time resident of Ridgecrest and was very active in the civic club.

Visitation will be Thursday, April 5,2012, at Woodlawn Funeral Home from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM with a Rosary at 6:30 PM. Funeral service will be 10:00 AM Friday, April 6,2012 at Woodlawn Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Garden of Memories.

Obituary was in the morning paper, Thursday April 5, 2012.

Note: was told by the funeral director the family is planning on a luncheon after the funeral at Terrace Methodist Church. Ridgecrest has contacted the family to help with the food.

Our prayers go out to this family in their time of need.

Woodlawn Funeral Home
1101 Antoine 713-682-3663
www.woodlawnfh.com

Three Minutes with the Mayor in Spring Branch

Mayor Annise Parker understands that many Houstonians are unable to bring their questions and concerns to her personally, so she is coming to you. After her first successful stop in February 2012, the Mayor is taking her quarterly Three Minutes with the Mayor neighborhood office hours on the road again to Spring Branch Saturday, April 14, 2012, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Hillendahl Neighborhood Library, 2436 Gessner Road, Houston 77080.

Three Minutes with the Mayor offers the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the mayor on a first-come first-served basis. It is recommended that attendees prepare ahead as each conversation will be limited to no more than three minutes.

For more information, call or email the Mayor’s Citizens’ Assistance office at 713.803.1062 or ruben.vela@houstontx.gov.

Al Wortham passed away on March 21, 2012, and we just found out about it today in the newspaper.  Al is the one that started our esplanades for us.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at Memorial Church of Christ, 900 Echo Lane, Houston, Texas 77024. Interment will follow at 11:45 at Woodlawn Garden of Memories.

In lieu of flowers it is requested donations be sent to World Bible School at http://www.worldbibleschool.net/give-to-wbs

PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA

Hosted By:
COUNCIL MEMBER HELENA BROWN
DISTRICT A

Spring Woods High School
2045 Gessner Drive
Houston, TX 77080

Date: Tuesday-February 28, 2012
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Council Member Helena Brown/Mayor Annise D. Parker
Council Member Brown will arrive early to visit with constituents
Please come prepaired to submit CIP ideas

REBUILD HOUSTON UPDATE
Department of Public Works Representative

OVERVIEW OF C.I.P. PROCESS & CIP PROJECTS STATUS
Finance Department Representative (Process)
Public Works Department Representative (Status)
General Services Department Representative (Status)

CONSTITUENT SUGGESTIONS AND QUESTIONS
Department Representative respond

This series of public input meetings has been corrdinated by the Citizens’ Assistance Office Department of Neighborhoods

An important date is coming up. On March 19, the Civic Club will be honored by the appearance of Mr. Luis Pratts, Principal of Landrum Middle School. Mr. Pratts has graciously accepted the request that he speak to the group on that date.
Mr. Luis Pratts Mr. Pratts has been principal at Landrum for five years and he has many interesting stories to tell about the school. The school has the technology that allows the students to visit with students from other states and other countries and he can explain some of the projects they have done in Social Studies with that capability.

Another interesting development that we will all want to hear more about is that Landrum will contain a KIPP school within the school next year. Funding for this exciting program is provided by Bill Gates and it is a real coupe for this area to get this program.

Mark this date on your calendar now for this must-attend meeting. If you have questions for Mr. Pratts, he will be able to address them after his presentation. See you there.