Late-February 2022 News
From the
Grogan's Mill Village Association
Recap of GMVA Meeting, February 21
At our February meeting Chris Nunes, the Asst. General Manager of The Woodlands Township, and Ronda Trow, Director Community and Government Affairs for the Howard Hughes Corporation made presentations.
Chris spoke about the new leadership team at the Township. Monique Sharp became the new General Manager, with Chris and Karen Dempsey being Assistant GMS. Chris is responsible for all the operations of the township except for the fire department and staff positions. He specifically focused on the parks system. The Township is seeking to upgrade the parks and wants to know from the residents what they need. You are all encouraged to make a list of what you would like, PARS Course, senior activities, pools, trails. You can submit your list to president@gmva.org or wait until the April 18 meeting when Parks and Rec will have a representative to talk about the system and gather information.
Ronda told us her background and answered some questions about the GM Center. She said the HHC did not own any property and is doing nothing now. She was given a list of questions which she said she would try and find answers for by the next meeting. A video recording of the meeting is available at https://mega.nz/file/svQigJiB#ax811CcVNM8F431QIPreJPacBMNXy_OWCT7sJwsoFLE
The Annual Meeting and the next GMVA meeting will be on March 21.
February Local Election
The results of the Village elections have been published. We have three new GMVA board members: Raquel Fatieuk, Bella Cruz, and Sommer Hausman. We welcome them to the board and look forward to working with them. Re-elected board members include: Kelly Lewis, Mitzi Fredrick, Neil Gaynor, Pat Goodpastor, and Emily Hoppel.
We thank Marie Brannen, Franklin Palmer and John Yoars for their years of service. We wish them well with their new challenges. Marie was Vice President and President for two terms; she served us well. Franklin has been our RDRC Rep and Law Enforcement lead; we will miss him. John Yoars has been our faithful MUD reporter, cleanup guy, 3R Baazaar, and other activities. He is leaving to run for the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District. We wish him well; we need him there.
There were only five candidates for our RDRC so no election was held.
Marathon Traffic Impact, March 5
The Woodlands Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K will be Saturday, March 5th. If you will be traveling in The Woodlands on that day, please see the traffic impact information for the event. You will need to plan ahead and give yourself extra time if you need to be in any of the areas where the race is being held.
Spring Creek Watershed Protection Plan
The Spring Creek Watershed Protection Plan is in draft form and undergoing a review process with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency.
For a fact sheet on the development of the plan, go to the link
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/waterquality/nps/projects/gi-587-springcreek-watershed-protection-plan.pdf
For a presentation on the watershed protection plan, go to the YouTube link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Jc92NlVus
Once approved, partnership and volunteer opportunities for implementation of the plan will be forthcoming.
The Woodlands Wastewater Project
The San Jacinto River Authority, which has provided wholesale water and sewerage services for The Woodlands since the 1970s, is conducting a feasibility study for new wastewater systems. Our oldest and largest plant, in Grogan’s Mill, has undergone multiple upgrades or repairs and continues to function better than mandatory state requirements. Nevertheless, the time has come to address expanded options for a future level of service for wastewater treatment. A feasibility study is underway to identify the best options for such future wastewater operations. One option is consolidation of two wastewater treatment plants, but the estimated project cost is anticipated to be in the range of $400-$500 million. While the SJRA is overseeing the technical assessment, they also formed a Stakeholders Committee to advise them on other aspects of project planning. A member from each MUD in the Woodlands is on the Committee. In February, the stakeholders met and decided on the quality of service levels in sixteen areas including aesthetics, performance, plant operations, and community and environmental concerns. The Stakeholders Committee selected four areas to ensure the highest possible service levels. These area are Flood Protection, Loss of Service, Power Efficiency, and Landscaping.
11th Annual Earth Day GreenUp
The 11th Annual Earth Day GreenUp will be on Saturday, March 26, 2022, 8:00 to 11:00am.
Residents are invited to join The Woodlands Township for the 11th annual Earth Day GreenUp on Saturday, March 26, 2022. This is an opportunity to team up with family and friends to target litter in parks and green spaces and help keep our community beautiful while enjoying the outdoors. Each year more than a thousand GreenUp volunteers remove over 4,500 pounds of litter - the equivalent of 76 of our curbside trash carts!
Check in between 8 and 10 a.m. at one of eight Township parks noted below. Participants will receive disposable gloves, bags, a map to a nearby cleanup location and a limited supply of trash grabbers. All are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle and work gloves.
For more details and to register go to the link
https://mailchi.mp/thewoodlandstownship-tx/cleanup-at-earth-day-greenup?e=2f8c72c4c8
Registration online, especially for groups, needs to be completed before March 18th, but walk-up registration is possible on the morning of the clean-up. The Grogan’s Mill Village check-in location is Sawmill Park (2200 Millpark Drive).
Drip Irrigation Class
Drip irrigation is not only a terrific water saver, it promotes healthier, happier plants AND saves you time, money and effort in managing your landscape. It’s easier than you may think to do it yourself. Even if you’re hiring a contractor to install your drip system, it’s still a great idea to learn the basics. That way you can make any repairs or adjustments to your system down the line.
Join us and learn the benefits of drip, the parts, planning and design concepts, and the best practices for DIY installations. You’ll see plenty of idea starters as you consider this important irrigation tool for your landscape.
This workshop will cover what you need to know to install your own drip system. Registration is required. Join us Saturday, March 5, 2022 for this free workshop held from 9 to 11 a.m. at The Woodlands Emergency Training Center.
The Woodlands Farmer's Market
The Woodlands Farmer's Market is the perfect place to pick up fresh produce, fresh foods and a unique gift for a special person in your life.
Every Saturday there are food trucks, live music and over 50 vendors to choose from. It's a perfect family outing that can include shopping, breakfast OR lunch!
Vendors are listed every Friday in the weekly TWFM newsletter so you can plan your Saturday shopping. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here.
And don't forget to bring your batteries for recycling!