Blog entries - November 2009

Holiday Joy Lighting Up Conroe

Greg Rivera — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:04:46 +0100

Graystone Hills residents can ring in the Holiday season with a celebration of lights and a time of honor this week at the Montgomery County War Memorial Park in downtown Conroe. The Montgomery County Beautification Association, which is dedicated to making Montgomery County a more beautiful place to live and work, will be hosting its 10th Annual Miracle of Lights Memory Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 20th at 6:30pm.

Area residents are invited to join in the celebration, where they can warm up with a cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy some cookies and fellowship with other area residents. The 13-foot Leyland Cypress tree from Spring Creek Growers is already up and ready to be dressed with holiday cheer. Throughout the week of November 16-20 volunteers will be working to decorate the tree with lights and decorations made by area school children.

The ceremony will also be honoring area veterans. “It’s a service project honoring the active members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and organizations that support military veterans,” said Sylvia Wiggins, spokeswoman for the MCBA. You can dedicate and honor an individual by purchasing a Miracle of Lights postcard, available for a $5 donation. The postcard can be mailed to the individual and they will be honored with recognition in advertising for the event, as well as having a light on the tree dedicated to them. T

“It’s been a popular project since it was started in 2000,” Wiggins said. “It’s a special memento for the person being honored and helps beautify our county for the holiday.”

For more information contact Sylvia Wiggins at 936-441-0999 or visit the MCBA online at www.mcbatx.org

Source: www.hcnonline.com/conroe_courier

Conroe Independent School District is Expanding

Greg Rivera — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:58:42 +0100

Conroe Independent School District board members recently approved the purchase of 32 acres of land near Texas 242 and Needham road, to move forward in building a new junior high school in the Oak Ridge High School feeder zone. If all goes as planned the new 185,000 square foot Junior High will open it’s doors in August of 2012 and will hold up to 1,200 students.

In order to provide the best possible facilities and resources to students, the CISD continually seeks to make improvements and push forward into the future. With this outlook for growth and renewal in mind a bond totalling $527 million was provided in 2008 which would go to fund two new junior high schools, one new intermediate school, four new elementary schools, the conversion of Peet Junior High School into a ninth grade campus, as well as major additions to Travis intermediate, The Woodlands College Park High School and San Jacinto Elementary school. The bond would also provide for classroom additions to Deretchin Elementary and Tough Elementary, as well as other campus improvements such as safety and security enhancements, across the district schools.

The 2008 CISD bond referendum provided $48.22 million for the land and construction for the new Junior high school project. The total land price totalled $1.52 million, and will be developed by Woodmere Development Company. While there has been some concern about the possibility of subsidence in the new building, others have a positive outlook. “No portion where we would be building would even be close to that 100-year floodplain,” said Dan Cox, CISD Chief Financial Officer. But just to make sure the contract which the board approved is subject to the completion of due diligence lasting 75 days. “During that period, if we choose to not purchase, we can simply walk away. In our due diligence, we will be doing soil testing to ensure the land is suitable for building upon.” Cox reassured. If the district does not walk away then it will close on the property in 90 days.

For more information visit the CISD website at www.conroeisd.net

Source: www.hcnonline.com/conroe_courier

Lennar's Year-End-Savings (YES) Promotion

Cheryl Boe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

A TAX CREDIT FOR EVERYONE!

Up to $8,000 for first-time buyers† Extended until April 2010! Plus, up to $6,500 for current homeowners‡ Lennar says Y.E.S to: THE BEST DEALS OF THE YEAR 3.99% (4.46% APR) FIXED THROUGH UAMC* UP TO $40,000 OFF SELECT HOMES** HOMES AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE MOVE-IN For more information, call 888-671-8175

*Offer available on select homes as determined by Lennar, for purchase agreements written 11/2/09 -11/20/09 and closing must occur no later than 11/30/2009. Limited funds are available; this offer may change upon exhaustion of funds. Rates may change or not be available at the time of loan commitment, lock-in or closing if funds are exhausted. Not an offer to enter into an interest rate or discount point agreement and any such agreement may only be made in writing signed by both the borrower and the lender. Specific terms apply and buyer is subject to qualification that includes, but not limited to, a minimum of 10% down, a minimum credit score of 700, owner occupancy requirements and/or any changes in investor guidelines or programs. Maximum loan amount cannot exceed $417,000. Offers available only to qualified buyers financing through Universal American Mortgage Company and closing at designated closing agent.

**Select homes as determined by Lennar sold 11/2/09 - 11/30/09 and closing by 11/30/09 will offer savings of up to $40,000 off the home price. Incentives will vary per community and per home. Any costs associated with offers will be taken from total discretion. †First-time homebuyer is any individual (excluding a non-resident alien) who has not owned a principal residence during the past three years and is purchasing the new home as their primary residence. Credit is subject to 3-year ownership requirement. ‡To be eligible to claim the $6,500 credit, buyers who have owned and resided in a home for any 5-consecutive year period during the last 8 years, must close after the date of enactment (11/6/09), and prior to 7/1/10. Tax Credit is subject to eligibility requirements. Lennar cannot provide guarantees of actual savings and does not guarantee the homebuyers’ qualification for the federal tax credit. Not tax advice; homebuyers should consult with their tax advisor. Tax laws are subject to change. Copyright © 2009 Lennar Corporation. Lennar, the Lennar logo, Universal American Mortgage Company and the UAMC logo are registered service marks or service marks of Lennar Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. 11/09

Conroe Residents and Students Take Special Note of Veterans

Greg Rivera — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Wednesday November 11, 2009 marks this year’s Veteran’s Day, a day to honor those living and passed that have so valiantly served our country. Across the nation American’s will gather together and celebrate the service of our soldiers and Conroe residents are not the least among these.

The Conroe Independent School District Junior Reserve Office Training Corps will be hosting their annual military parade and ceremony on Veteran’s day starting at 9:30am with a reception and social, followed by the ceremony at 10:20am. This will take place at Moorhead Stadium behind Conroe High school. Nearly 500 students will march in uniform in the parade which will include Air Force from Oak Ridge and The Woodlands high schools, Navy from Caney Creek and Aldine high schools and Army from CHS.

Debbie Pennington, CISD JROTC program coordinator shared, “It’s just an extra way to thank the veterans for all they do for us. On behalf of the ROTC in CISD, we do want to encourage the veterans to come out so we can thank them for the service they have done and respect them for all they do.” She said that between 75 and 100 veterans attend each year.

A younger generation showed their appreciation for the Veterans on Monday November 9th. Preschoolers ages 2-4, kindergartners, and elementary aged students through sixth grade are held a special service for their veterans and grandparents at St. James Episcopal Church and School in Conroe. Their tribute was a musical ensemble including a flag-waving presentation to “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Yankee Doodle” by the preschoolers, and a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” by the older students.

“This is a wonderful event,” says U.S. Army Major Ed Naughton of the 158th Aviation Regiment based in Conroe. “It’s great to see children learning about patriotism and their country. The cycles and flags we carry attract the attention and interest of the kids. It gives us an opportunity to establish a dialogue with them about patriotism and why we do what we do.” Following the program, Naughton, soldier volunteers and Patriot Guard representatives spent time meeting with and answering students questions helping them to get a better understanding and showing their mutual appreciation for each other.

Other Veteran honoring events happening November 11 in the area:

8:30am Veteran’s Breakfast and Student led program at Montgomery Junior High, 19000 Stewart Creek Road, Montgomery, TX

10am Program at VFW Post 4709, 1308 W. Semands Ave., Conroe, TX

11am Program at the American Legion Post #618, 13054 FM 1097, Willis, TX

7pm Nondenominational service at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3901 S. Panther Creek Drive, The Woodlands

Source: www.hcnonline.com/conroe_courier

Dentistry from the Heart

Greg Rivera — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Dr. Tim Gardner is a local Conroe dentist, but on Saturday October 24th he branched out from his office to help the community by providing more than 120 patients free dental care. This extremely successful event was to help the underprivileged of Montgomery County and provided over $35,000 worth of dental work. While they did not perform any major work, they were able to tackle their goal of treating infection and helping patients get relief from pain. They achieved this by seeing patients on a first-come, first-served basis and limiting their work to cleanings, fillings and extractions.

This was Dr. Gardner’s first year participating in a Dentistry from the Heart event, an opportunity for dentists to help their community and earn positive recognition for the beneficial work they are doing in their society. Dentistry from the Heart is a non-profit organization committed to providing free dental care to those in need. Every year individual dentists across the nation donate their time and resources to host their own DFTH events, as Dr. Gardner did this October for the Conroe Community.

Special thanks goes out to Dr. Gardner and his tremendous team of colleagues and assistants: Dr. Jaime Ramirez, Dr. Robert Truly, Dr. Ron William, Dr. Scott Anderson, Dr. Kip Saunders, Mandy Hutchins, RDH, Leigh Ann Paul, RDH, Christa Schafer, RDH, Karen Saul, RDH and all of Dr. Gardner’s staff.

For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Gardner please email drtimgardner@consolidated.net or call 936-539-3636

For more information on Dentistry from the Heart (DFTH) please visit www.dentistryfromtheheart.org

Source: www.hcnonline.com/conroe_courier