June 19, 2009

Brunswick Meadows in the News Again

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?

  1. Attend the next MUD District Meeting on Tuesday July, 7 at 11:30am to demand attention to our safety/security issues.
  2. 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

  • June 14, 2009

    Javier Makes Good on His Promise About the Ponds

    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

    June 7, 2009

    Something for Neighborhood Watch to Watch

    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.

    June 1, 2009

    LATANYA JONES wants us to Recycle

    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

    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

    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