Welcome to Baytown!

This is what many believe to be a typical Baytownian.

“A horrible black hole of a town. it sucks you in and it is almost impossible to break it's hold on you. It is full of worthless men and stupid women. The few good people are always trying to get out. AKA Dirty Bay   God I can't wait to get out of Baytown.”

On more than one occasion, it’s been pointed out to me that I obsess over city parks, hiking and biking trails, and over-concentrating on making Baytown friendlier to joggers and people who enjoy riding a bicycle on our road’s shoulders.  One current councilman told me one time that’s all I need to worry about and he would worry about everything else.  He scored zero points with me for that self-righteous smug and flippant remark.

Although I admit he was partially true and I say partially because frankly, there’s hardly a shoulder on any of our side roads.  Riding a bicycle around Baytown is akin to playing in the street – not a smart thing to do at all.  Forget that on any given weekend around the state, thousands of educated and hard-working Texans are competing in foot and bike races, or training for the MS-150, so when I read Chris Presley and Scott Sheley’s stance on the “most viable source of future revenue for the city” in the Baytown Sun, Tuesday, I took a keen interest.

And a little alarm sounded.

Presley went first with this: “We need to stop declining property values. Property values do not appreciate in Baytown like in most other communities. In fact, values have been trending downward in District 2 in recent years. If we can find ways to better stabilize our older neighborhoods and better stabilize those property values, in tandem with being more fiscally responsible with taxpayer’s dollars, we could eventually roll back the tax rate.”

“These people are known to be generally hard-working, if somewhat unsophisticated. Many of these people could be called hillbillies or swampers. Trailer trash is commonly seen in and around the Baytown area. Sometimes these people are referred to as "refinery trash."

Sometimes these people are referred to as "refinery trash."

Mr. Presley is in line with what I believe.  Not only do we need to stop the downward slide, we need to encourage high end house-building by hook or crook.  It’s been a pet peeve of mine for some time that many who speak about supporting this town, live in Sommerwood, Atascocita, or Jersey Village – anywhere but the Dirty Bay – a term I resent by the way. 

Sheley’s reply sounded okay, but did not make provision for expanding amenities, namely fixing up “what we already got.”  Now I like Scott.  I think he’s a great guy and to my knowledge, I haven’t met Chris and what I am saying is simple.  If we want Baytown to grow, we have to bring it all up at the same time and not just push business expansion.

Sure, Pirate’s Bay is a money maker.  I’ve never been there, but folks seem to like it and I have no problem supporting Mr. Sheley on his idea to promote it.  I like the idea of the Industrial complex kicking in their share also, but if either of these fellows were in my district and they said we’re going to three-lane the heavily traveled McKinney Road and add sidewalks or connect all of our parks with a hike bike trail (or die trying to get funding), I would poke a hole in their ballot in a heartbeat.

“A crappy city East of Houston that has absolutely nothing to do or see except for a mediocre mall in which half of the stores are either closed or run by ######”.

I’ve got my feelers out and have been communicating with Dustin Schubert and John Dupois about the future of Jenkins Park and the Blue Heron Parkway and as soon as something concrete – no pun intended, becomes available, they are going to help me bring it to this column.

Baytown is in serious need of a certified 3.1 mile (5K) loop so runners can train for races.  A 6.2 mile (10K) trail  would be better.  Recently, my bride and I have been over off Beltway 8 and highway 90 to the Gene Green Beltway 8 Park, which is a well kept secret.  It’s basically two detainment ponds separated by a forest.  The forest is a giant dog park with a hiking trail snaking through it and around the 250 acres is a wide cement sidewalk measuring 2 miles per circuit.

A small part of the Gene Green Beltway 8 Park

Inside, the environmentally-friendly park’s most popular features are a zip-line, an extensive exercise area, a kiddie spray park, tennis and basketball courts, a BMX freestyle course, dog runs, paved trails, an amphitheater and well-equipped skate park.  It also has a first class restroom, something we can’t have at Walter Jenkins park due to recurring vandalism.  We have a portacan.

“Baytown, the ultimate low of existence.”

Am I saying that Channelview Texas has a better park than the entire city of Baytown?  Yes, I am and it saddens me.  No, it embarrasses me.  We have been in this heavily used park a number of times and always there are men, women, and children of all ethnicities exercising in a safe environment.

Again, I am not knocking our Park’s super – I think he does a great job.  I can’t go into one of our parks without seeing maintenance crews doing the place right.  What puzzles me is how can these other areas I visit have what we have and seemingly so much more?  I’ve been to some retention/detention ponds that have fountains, bridges, benches and all kinds of other amenities and I want it for Baytown.

Pond B of the Baker Road Extension - Future Retention pond.

Our Park engineer Dustin Schubert replied to my questions about expansion in an email, knowing full well I will quote him verbatim.  “On the Jenkins park connector it is high on our list to make that connection, however funds are not available in the near future.  On the retention basin we have not put a plan together as to what amenities it will have.”

City Council.  Find the funding.  Make Baytown a place where proud Baytownians who have 6 figure incomes want to raise their families, spend their money, and jog, ride their bikes, and support this town.

Quotes, compliments of Urbandictionary.com

Dylan Ratigan's Epic Rant on the International Banking Cartel

Corporal punishment consent form in schools

Paddling children by school officials -are you for it or against it? In other words, should school teachers be allowed to paddle your child when they act up and would you sign a form?    I asked this question to friends, school teachers, police officers, city employees, and family. Currently GCCISD does not paddle children for any reason.

The officially statement from GCCISD is as follows: “Statement from Dr. Cavazos: At the July 22 regular meeting of the Goose Creek CISD Board of Trustees, Board members approved the Parent/Student Handbook containing the Student Code of Conduct for the 2013-2014 school year to reflect revisions, including the elimination of the utilization of corporal punishment in Goose Creek CISD. Susan Passmore  Goose Creek CISD Publications Coordinator 281.420.4863”

Bert Marshall: I am pro-corporal punishment and believe the elimination of it from our schools will fuel unruly behavior amongst some of our students.

J. Dykehouse: Heck yes, and then I would get that hiney when they got home!!!!

R. Cabaniss: Nope I don't want them paddling my child.

C. Lopez: Yes, I would allow this.

D. Elliott: Yes.

V. Marcott: I did sign the forms, never had a problem , but I'm old school. I thought they abolished that in the school the last couple of years, I may be wrong.

D. Johanningsmeier: Yes, it worked before everyone became so sensitive, and look what its brought us in our current crop of adults. Mom to son: Tommy if you don't behave I'll not stop at McDonald's. Back in my prehistoric times, being grounded meant no outdoor play time, no TV (we only had one), and no fun activities. Then there was my dad to deal with.  You just learned quickly to stay out of trouble.

T. Wheeler: No! Schools don't use the best judgment when they discipline!

S. Geocacher:  Nope. I wouldn't sign one. There is no accurate way to meter the amount of force used from teacher to teacher. I will not allow a government employee to hit my kid. No sir.  There were no consent forms when I was a kid and I was unjustly paddled many times by a several sadistic teachers who took any opportunity to give a paddling no matter how small the infraction. My kid isn't going to have that experience. Discipline starts at home.

B. R. Pugh: Yes

P. R. Jett:  No. I reserve that punishment for us. I don't trust a stranger to beat my children. That has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not WE spank them. I'm not into absolving myself of parental duties by shifting that responsibility to a school administrator or teacher. Especially not when you hear so many stories of teachers having inappropriate relationships with students. Obviously not all of them have the best judgment or self control. I'm far more in favor of making parents responsible for their children. Make the parents financially responsible for their minor children and you see a lot less parenting failures.

Bruno  Marshall: I DID sign a form

K. Wade: I sign it every year and they still don't use it.

S. Liles: Yes. Schools are just asking consent to continue your responsibility that starts at home. You understand home fails all the time. The best children are the trouble magnets of all time. In the 60's it was normal for three swats with a paddle with holes in it.

A. Gaitorbate: I got paddled a lot. By the time I got into Jr. High it was my choice of punishment. It was my way of showing them they couldn't hurt me no matter how hard they hit me.

A. Barbee: I begged the principal of my daughter's elementary school, Alamo, to spank her as needed. I told them word-for-word "Spank her as hard as you can. I don't care as long as you don't draw blood. Bruises and red marks are okay." They acted as if I had shot their dog or something. I told them "If you don't spank her, she won't mind for you. And since I won't be there to make her behave for you, you gotta make her behave for you."

R. Fitts:  Yes; my Dad said if you get in trouble in school you will also be in trouble at home...worse paddling I got was in Alabama from elementary old woman principal, she bruised the heck of me and my parents went to school about that... so some in school system may not be the ones to issue the paddling... In other schools the coach handled the paddling .. and yes I got it at home... but most of the time I was a good student

S. Garcia:  Yes.  I've signed the form every single year for it.
Teacher's aren't allowed to hit the kids. They have to go to the office where the assistant principal or an administrator would be the one to do it. Well that's how it has been since my son has been in school (he is 15 now) society is too sensitive. And it's why we are were we are. It's a shame.

E. Caldwell: I paddled my kids when needed and it didn’t take to many swats to make the point with them....both my kids are a credit to me....I have always said "what you do is a direct reflection on me"...."I know that I have raised you right and you are going to show the world that i have"! I never signed yes on the paper from school....they are MY kids.

T. Cormier: School principals should. I also believe that parent should have to come get their children if they do not want them paddled. I also want a camera in my classroom so that when momma and daddy say," My baby said you are the problem. They said they didn't do anything. You are picking on my baby." I can then push rewind and say," Let's see your little angel in action as he completely disrupts my classroom and impedes the learning of others. Which, by the way, I can be held accountable for on the STAAR." Cameras protect the teacher and the student.  I've been hit, kicked, and spit on. There is no accountability for the students these days. My husband is urging me to switch careers.

J. and D. Hewett-Staner: I don't think it is wrong but just not for us.

D. Smith: Nothing like numb butt cheeks to sit on the rest of the day....and look, I turned out ok. Seriously, ALL of my swats I got because of the 'code of silence'...if nobody told on the guy who really DID it, EVERYBODY got one.

A. Tallant: BBISD offers it and I haves signed off for them to be popped but I have to be called first before it happens! Colton has received 2 pops over his 6 yrs at BBHSD !
I have to be notified beforehand. Thank God I haven't had that problem yet.

B. Prewitt: Worked for me, why not. As a child there is a thin line between fear and respect.

K. Winkelmann: I'm for it! There would be a stipulation though that I be called, this way they get it twice! I only got pops twice in school and got them twice at home once the call was made! But since this has been taken out of school there has been nothing but problems!

W. Hickman: Absolutely.

N. Rice:  No.

J. Gipson:  Pro paddling. It worked on me

P.Gramling: It worked when I was in school, so why not now. I am totally for it as long as they don't abuse it...pun intended. What they should be concentrating on are the bullying...cyber and physical.  What they should be concentrating on are the bullying...cyber and physical.

M. Abernathy-Fowler: I think the old fashion paddling idea of a ruler across the palm in front of students should be allowed. I received that from Coach Richardon in the 12th grade! I almost made it through without a record! LOL Of course sadly the generations in schools today come from broken homes, neglect or abuse. A teacher facing an older student and be so close would need to be on guard for instilled anger to lash back at them. I resigned the education field in 1996 and could see what was beginning to transpire before I ended that career.

T. Harvey-Jones: Would sign and have signed.

J. Connaly Jr: All for it, with rules of course. Bert, I was never a "teacher". I've had classrooms full of students though. After my 1st day of teaching, my thoughts were that if I ever see a former teacher I'd apologize profusely. I was fortunate enough to apologize to my high school AG teacher and my junior high art teacher. The school districts need to grow some and enforce the rules they already have. Teachers being assaulted by little kids is easily fixed. Sorry, your kid can't come to our schools. The police in the schools should be for security, not as enforcers. The administrators use them as muscle. Can we be anymore ridiculous?

L. Wong: My mother used chopsticks and my dad used his belt. I was a model student so never got into much trouble. I would think that paddling is reactive rather than being proactive with trying to motive kids in school. Maybe we need volunteer mentors.

M. Marshall:  Yes, it worked fine when I was a kid. That is when I wasn't being det.

C. Corbello: I used to say NO, till I had a problem child that would go to school giving the teachers' hell saying YOU CAN'T TOUCH ME,, lol,, so I told them to whoop his A** if he misbehaves,,, he minded after that,, haha

S. Melton: I was paddled often in elementary school (I know, shocker!) usually for very minor infractions but I don't really remember getting in trouble at home so I guess the school paddlings were enough for me. I find that now, the kids who really NEED the pops have the parents who won't allow the schools to give them and the parents who allow the school to give pops are already doing a good job of taking care of business at home before it comes to school punishment.

D. Thornton: I worked off and on adolescent psyche units and most of the brats we got were undisciplined little monsters with "ADD" or "oppositional disorders" ie; we don't discipline of pay any attention to them at home. You have limited success with these kids because they know that they can whine to their parents and things will be the same when they get home. Most of the so called parents are in total denial or are too afraid that they won't be their kids' "friend" anymore.  Oh, and the parents would actually have to give up time on their favorite hobbies, clubs and activities to actually spend time with their kids and parent. God forbid!   Our superintendent kept a paddle hanging in plain sight in his office. Was enough to keep us all in line.
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Geocaching, critters, and me

For those who know me, it is no secret I often engage in a rapidly evolving hi-tech game called geocaching.  For those who don’t know, or are unfamiliar with the game, geocaching translates as the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden container with a logbook by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website.

In other words, a geocacher hides a container somewhere and submits the coordinates to geocaching.com and if it satisfies all the requirements, the geocache, or simply put, the cache publishes and to those of us who are premium members, sends out an email or text to let us know a new geocache is available.  This often sets off a competition to be the first to find (FTF) and sign the logbook inside the cache, thus proving the hunter actually was there.

 The game is addicting in the extreme.

As of today, I am ranked 45^th in the southeast Texas (SETX) region, which encompasses a number of million people, with 3782 geocaches found and logged.  In addition, I have hidden and maintain 219 geocaches for other geocache hunters to find.  This second number boosts me very high nationally, as most seasoned geocachers do no hide or maintain nearly this many.

To put this game in perspective, there are currently 2,232,627 active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers worldwide.  You may have a geocache hidden within a block or two of where you live.

The game is played with an App on a Smartphone, especially by “newbies”, but most serious “cachers” use a dedicated Global Positioning Satellite receiver, or GPSr to find and hide their caches.  Non-players are affectionately known as “muggles”, a term borrowed from the Harry Potter series.  Although not nerd and geek inclusive, the game tends to attract people involved in academics, technical crafts, and computer vocations.  It is family safe and many seniors engage in finding geocaches for their hobby of choice and to get exercise.

Many geocache containers are hidden in city parks, along bike trails, inside cemeteries, and other urban settings – but many are hidden in the woods and places no sane person would venture and thus the title of today’s column.

Most of us perpetually have thorn and briar scratches on our arms and legs.  Texas, particularly our part of Texas has a wide variety of plants that grab and puncture every part of your body.  If you haven’t experienced this painful incident, imagine wading through six feet of rose bushes for fifty yards.

Along the way, you may, or may not encounter one or more venomous snakes, banana spiders crawling across your arm and back, clouds of hungry salt grass mosquitoes (mossies), chiggers, and the dreaded Lonestar tick.  I’ve had six ticks on me this year alone and after a single outing north of Beaumont; I had over 50 chiggers on my ankles.  One chigger or redbug bite equates to 7 to 14 days of intense itching.

Now all of these potential scary critters are not what I fear and I will walk through the snakiest looking terrain we have and often do, while wearing shorts.  What I fear is what geocachers encounter in urban settings – the black widow spider.  I’ve came across seven this year alone and on two occasions the spider was sitting on top of the geocache container in a parking lot location.  I do not suffer them to live, unlike the venomous snakes I encounter - I simply walk away from them.

Have you ever heard a banana spider bark?  I didn’t know it was possible until about two months ago and when I breeched the subject to the Baytown Nature Center’s naturalist Crissy Butcher and biologist Sarah Graham, both were skeptical and declared they would have to hear it to believe it.

This particular incident occurred a bit south of Baytown in an abandoned “garage” in some very over-grown woods.  I walked up on a huge Golden silk orb-weaver spider in a web about 5 feet off the ground, but was so caught up in looking for the geocache that I didn’t see it until I all but bumped it with my elbow.  It “barked” at me and shook its web.  I stepped back not believing my ears, so I moved my naked elbow closer to it and once again, it made the noise and shook the web.  For the third time, I moved my elbow in close and yes, once more it jerked and emitted what I can only describe as a tiny barking noise.

Most of us never encounter the variety of critters I mention in this column, even though they exist all around us, but if you become a geocacher, you can pretty much expect to see them often.  On November 2^nd, I will be hosting a free geocaching 101 event booth and workshop at the Baytown Nature Center’s Nurture Nature Festival.  I’ll be at the raised pavilion in back and the class starts at 0800 sharp.

The looming Baytown metropolis

Get ready for Baytown to surge to 200,000 people over the next five years folks. What started out as a laid-back Tri-city community of Pelly, Baytown and Goose Creek is rapidly becoming a bustling metropolis, and oil fracking is to blame, if blame is levied. I see what is happening as a positive. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are on our streets at all hours of the day and night, and based on what one of our police lieutenants told me recently, we are not ready for the expansion. How could we be?

With the Exxon and Chevron Phillips expansions in progress, they will draw tens of thousands of workers to our city, and due to the length of the work commitment, most will bring their families. We have three new elementary schools popping up (expect new school zones of SH-146 out Pinehurst way and another on North Main street, which will impede traffic flow), and there is a new steel mill coming to the Beach City area, most likely at the U.S. Steel location. Kiwi Golf is opening a production facility here. There is the Buc-ee’s and the new super Wal-mart at Highway 146 and Interstate 10 to bring jobs and more people and cars/trucks to our streets. I predict the traffic jam will be so bad here that the state will build an overpass over I-10 that will run for a number of miles dumping traffic out past Maranatha Temple.

 The good side is we have jobs, lots of jobs, and I welcome this with a big toothy grin – well with what teeth I still have anyway. After 36 years in the petrochemical field, I never thought I would see such a boom in this arena. I suspected it, however, and a couple years ago foretold the need for skilled workers when Goose Creek Memorial was being built. I wrote here in The Baytown Sun in my old column – yes, I am back – that we should seriously consider converting Robert E. Lee High School into a top notch vo-tech school to prepare our graduates to enter the work force and unfortunately, this is the bad side of the expansion. We don’t have the local manpower to staff these great jobs. We are at a minimum two years behind, and many of these great jobs won’t go to our young graduates but to people flocking here from the Virgin Islands, Detroit or Timbuktu, and they will most likely not leave.

When I pushed for a vo-tech (instead of 3 high schools teaching the same thing) , all everyone wanted to talk about was the school colors and the football team. So, we continued to pump out graduates, or not – with cookie-cutter diplomas which basically prepared them to think alike and exit high school with the skills to get a job working the counter at a fast food restaurant, or a few went off to college and became what their parents dreamed of, right? For most, the answer was no. They languished and years later are still without money-making skills. Well, now we need those high school grads with those hands-on skills and they are nowhere to be found because we didn’t properly prepare them for the real working world. Sure, Lee College and San Jac offer a two-year program to qualify people to become process technicians, I understand that. But what about electricians, pipe-fitters, welders, insulators, rod-busters, riggers, plumbers, instrument technicians, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, etc, who could have graduated from one of our high schools with the needed skills? It’s not too late to amp up our vo-tech high school programs, folks. It just takes forward paradigm-breaking thinking. It will take people on our school board to break free of the current malaise and get a curriculum that will teach our young generation to work …

Oops, isn’t work a four-letter word these days? It appears to be to many of us gray heads who began working at 13 and 14 years of age and never looked to anyone for assistance. Oh my, this is so controversial, I almost can’t write it without feeling there will be a terrible backlash. But it’s true just the same, and I will bring it out in the open. After all, I bought my first car at the ripe age of 15 after working for two years. I also bought my first radio, and stereo and television … We have a terrific future here in Baytown, both in our city’s development and the sustainable job market. We, as Baytonians, need to take advantage of it and prepare our kids to get a piece of the pie. I am close to retirement and I have no plans to move away, but I do care that our city “moves forward” with the surging expansion. On another note, I am very excited about our city park expansions and have asked the mayor and city manager to plant as many trees and native shrubs as possible to off-set the wholesale defoliation of our city caused by the expansion.

The Baker Road extension alone destroyed many acres of wildlife habitat, and my councilman, Bob Hoskins, has promised a new greenbelt, with him personally planting the first tree. I am very excited about this and the great job Scott Johnson is doing with our parks department. Baytown is indeed on the move, but it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure our city moves in the right direction. I want to do my part, how about you?

Baytown Nurture Nature Festival Nov 2nd!

I would like to invite you and your organization to join us as an exhibitor on Saturday, November 2^nd, for the 4^th Annual Nurture Nature Festival at the Baytown Nature Center.  Last year’s festival was a big success, with over 1,100 visitors who enjoyed the day.  The free, family event will once again be held on San Jacinto Point at the Nature Center, which is a beautiful peninsula of land surrounded by Crystal and Burnet Bays.  The point is home to fishing piers, picnic pavilions, walking trails, a stage and a unique Children’s Nature Discovery Area.  We are also celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Nature Center, and have a special community activity planned to celebrate that milestone.

Texas Snakes and More, The Big Buzz Theory, and Crocodile Encounter will again be giving educational presentations on Texas wildlife throughout the festival.  The center’s partner facility, the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Education Center, will also be on hand with some of their live animal and education exhibits.

If you are not familiar with the Baytown Nature Center, its history is a success story in “reusing” at its finest…  it is the former site of the Brownwood Subdivision that was destroyed by Hurricane Alicia in 1983, and subsequently restored to a nature center by removing all houses and infrastructure.  The center has been the site of numerous mitigation projects, and boasts over 100 acres of high quality restored salt marsh.

Contact us for an Exhibitor Application form for the event.  If you would like to join us for the festival, please complete the application and return it back to me (either by email or fax).  I am excited about the opportunity to host such a wide variety of nature and ecology themed organizations for a day of fun and education for the whole family.

Please feel free to contact me with questions…  I look forward to working with you!!

http://www.baytown.org/content/baytown-nature-center

  

Tracey Prothro

Superintendent of Natural Resource Programs

City of Baytown

Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Education & Recreation Center

Baytown Nature Center

(281) 420-7101  Office

(281) 420-7142  Fax

(713) 459-2438  Cell

Spc. Keith E. Grace Jr. Baytown Son KIA

Spc. Keith E. Grace Jr., U. S. Army, 26, of Baytown was born February 18, 1987 in Houston. He was a 2006 Graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and enlisted in the U. S. Army on January 18, 2012. He was Combat Lifesaver Certified and had completed the Dari Language Class. He was killed in action Sunday, August 11, 2013 in Paktia Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY. He was awarded the Army Service and Global War On Terrorism Service Ribbons and National Defense Service, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star Medals.

Ken the Dauber Pridgeon has already painted his portrait.

He is survived by his parents, Mike and Mary Lou Davis of Beach City, Cheryl Barnes of Houston, and Keith Erin Grace, Sr. of Gainesville, FL; brothers, Garland Davis, Allen Vasquez, Spc. Jeff Lee, U. S. Army, James Leslie Hardy, Jr., and Cody Ray Barnes; sisters, Tara Krystal Grace, Stormy Cheyenne Barnes, and Ashley Nichole Hardy; nephews, Dawson, Chris, and Landon Brady; and numerous other brothers, sisters, and friends.

Joyce Moody and Baytown Bert

Paul & Rebecca Vickers and Baytown Bert

Ren Fitts brings up the rear defense.

His family will receive friends at Navarre Funeral Home Thursday from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be Friday, August 23, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 505 Rollingbrook, Baytown, TX 77521. Burial with full military honors will follow at Houston National Cemetery.

February 18, 1987 - August 11, 2013     Resided in Baytown, TX

Baker Road Extension - Now Blue Heron Parkway!

I rode my bicycle down the new road today from Barkuloo Park to Sjolander Road and then back to North Main.  It appears they are going to route Crockett Elementary traffic east on the new road and make them enter in the back forty of the school property, but this is unconfirmed.  Crockett Park big-wig David Lee is petitioning the city to make this happen.

"Mr. Leiper, I am wanting to start a conversation with the City of Baytown and Harris County about improvements to Barkuloo Road. There are three major subdivisions that are in the proximity of Crockett Elementary School. They are Crockett Park, Bay Brook Place, and Chaparral Village. With all of the recent growth in this area, Barkuloo Road has become more and more congested and is in need of improvement.

The road itself is in need of repair due to the increase in traffic. The need for sidewalks on both sides of the street are also necessary to facilitate the amount of foot and bicycle traffic as well. The extension off of Baker Road to Sjolander Road (the Blue Heron Parkway) is also going to increase traffic in this area. 

Crockett Elementary School traffic already causes a substantial back-up on Barkuloo Road both morning and evening during the week. With the addition of the Blue Heron Parkway, this is only going to get worse. We are asking the city and the county to assist us in getting this area of concern studied and a plan put into place for improvements to said area. Thank you for your time in this matter.  Sincerely,  David C Lee   Crockett Park HOA President"

Pouring cement on the north side

Looking west, toward Barkuloo Road.

Another empty cement truck.  One of many.

Angel Brothers foreman oversees the road construction.

The turn-off behind Crockett Elementary

The area behind Crockett Elementary being cleared.

The beginning of the Blue Heron Parkway at North Main in Baytown.

Sculpted pond behind Chaparral Village 9-24-13

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The funeral of Spc. Keith E. Grace, Jr

Many of you have asked about honoring Spc. Keith E. Grace, Jr., plans are coming together throughout the community and I wanted to share those with you. We just received notice from Gov. Perry's office confirming a request to officially request that all state and national flags in the City of Baytown be lowered to half-staff on Friday, Aug. 23 in honor of the life and military service of Spc. Grace. We encourage all residents and businesses who fly flags to join us in honoring Spc. Grace. I will also post information on a community send off that will occur after his funeral.

For those who would like to honor local son and hero, Army Specialist Keith E. Grace, Jr., here are the events at which the public is encouraged to attend. Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church (505 Rollingbrook) on Friday (Aug 23) at 10 am. A community send off will follow the funeral. Those participating in the send-off are encouraged to be in place by 10:30 - on Rollingbrook from First Baptist east to N. Main. Flags will be distributed on-site and residents are encouraged to bring their own as well.

Friendswood Texas Detention Pond

This was a project to transform a utilitarian detention basin into a regional park and protected wildlife area.

This basin was originally designed to keep homes from flooding. The goal was to provide many amenities and increase the detention capability. The existing detention ponds were deepened on a gradual slope as part of the project. Wetlands plantings will be added to both ponds and will serve as a natural filtering system as the water flows from north to south.

Particular attention has been paid to assure that all the plantings and grasses will be beneficial to the environment. The ponds will be equipped with a state of the art aeration system that will improve the storm water quality that is discharged into Clear Creek and maintain a beautiful clear lake affect in the ponds. Next year the ponds will be open for catch and release fishing.

 

Gorilla Disc Golf Tourney coming to Baytown 8-24!

I was walking my doggies at Walter Jenkins Park this afternoon, marveling over the explosion of activity by disc golfers.  I could see at least five groups and all of them were carrying or wheeling the trademark bags of discs and equipment.  I even got to see a disc fly off course and disappear under the rushing water of Cary Bayou (Yes, not all of them float).  The sudden rain storms have the bayou moving pretty good and just a couple of days ago, it was dry.

These folks came from out of town to prepare for the upcoming tourney August 24th.

I talked to a number of the players who hailed from Kingwood and asked them how our course compared to the more than 50 courses in the Houston area, and as one they remarked it was a premier course.  They were very excited about the upcoming tournament August 24th and said the park would be loaded with golfers from all over the state.

From what I could see there were seniors, early teens, male, females and even a couple walking their dog while they played.  It looks like a lot of fun and a great amount of exercise, as they not only walk as much as 18 "holes", but the incredible amount of body English they employ has got to have an effect on the old body.

Baytown Parks under Superintendant Scott Johnson, has done a good thing and kudos all the way around to Parks planner Dustin Schubert and the other folks involved in making this course a reality.  For more information on disc golf, contact the Houston Flying Disc Society.

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Fishing Workshop at the Baytown Nature Center July 27th!

Do you love fishing? If you’d like to share that love and volunteer with Texas Parks and Wildlife, consider becoming a certified Angler Education Instructor. No experience is necessary; the free workshops are ideal for the novice or experienced angler.

The next Angler Education Instructor Workshop in the Baytown area is at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Education and Recreation Center, 1724 Market Street. An Aquatic and Angler Education Certification Course taught by Tracey Prothro, and Chuck Ganze is offered on July 27, 2013 from 9:00 to 12:00 noon. The course covers the TPWD–AED Curriculum that is TEKS-certified through the State Board. There will be several instructors with well-rounded experience in Gulf and inland fishing present.

Candidates interested in the course as future instructors should contact Ganze @713-899-5498 or Prothro @281-420-7101 as soon as possible. The free workshop is open to anyone 18 or older interested in teaching fishing skills in their community. For more information about the workshop, see the TPWD calendar at http://www.tpwd.state/

 

tx.us/calendar/fishing-angler-education-instructor-training