DATES TO REMEMBER: Second Tuesday of every month: Planning & Zoning Meetings. Meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the City Center. Any new construction requires a building permit, as well as any structural changes to existing buildings. All requests and plans for review must be submitted to the City Secretary at least five days prior to the meeting. Third Tuesday of every month: City Council Meetings. Meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the City Center. Agendas are posted on the City's website at www.stagecoachts.us and the bulletin board at the City Center before each meeting. PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS: To request a copy of the council minutes or financial reports, etc., please explain in detail the information you are requesting, send the written request to: City of Stagecoach, 16930 Boot Hill Rd., Stagecoach TX 77355. You may also call 281-259-0224, fax 281-259-4963, email office@stagecoachtx.us or stop by City Hall in person. Most of the City s Ordinances, Resolutions, Minutes and notices are online at www.stagecoachtx.us. THE STAGECOACH CIVIC CLUB is looking for new faces for 2017. If you would like to get involved, please contact James Schexneider, Caroline Osteen, or Brenda Rutt at 713-249-2203 or bfrutt@gmail.com. FOR A COPY OF THIS NEWSLETTER TO BE MAILED TO YOUR HOME REGULARLY, LET US KNOW! IF YOU WANT A COPY EMAILED TO YOU, PLEASE SEND YOUR EMAIL TO: bfrutt@gmail.com
FROM CHIEF WETHINGTON: Hello all! Hope this finds everyone well! To start with if everyone is not aware we have had a few changes here at the department. Sgt. Robert E. Lee has joined us after a two year retirement from H.P.D. and he has filled the shoes of Capt. Mike Abercia as my second full time officer. Cpl. Phillip Hughes has taken the third full time officer spot and has stepped up from his two year reserve position. They have helped me implement a few positive changes to simplify the day to day running of the department. I want to remind everyone once again of the scams going on and to protect your valuable personal information at all cost. Secure is not secure anymore. Remember folks even the Pentagon has been hacked. Need to mention once again that this is a City with the rules and regulations. Please contact our City Secretary Brenda Rutt before building or adding on to anything. Folks I do not like to be the bad guy when the ordinances are not followed. Our City administration does not like to be the bad guys either. Everyone wants our community to be a place of pride and I, representing your police department, would rather be dealing with the criminal element we are surrounded by. Speaking of the criminal element we are dealing with, if you see anything out of the ordinary, please report it to us. Stagecoach enjoys one of the lowest crime rates around and your vigilance helps. I have had multiple occasions where a tip from you has helped catch people doing all kinds of things from drug use to trying to steal a boat. Get the idea? You are the key to a successful community policing effort! Ok enough of the long-winded Chief! Take Care and Be Safe! Chief Michael C. Wethington FROM THE CITY SECRETARY: EMAILS Please make sure the City Secretary has your email address if you want to receive important notices by email. Information will also be posted on the City s website.
NEXTDOOR.COM (or download the NEXTDOOR app) NextDoor.com is a great way to stay informed about what is going on in Stagecoach and our surrounding neighborhoods. Neighbors post about what is happening in their community, items for sale, looking for recommendations, etc. ANIMAL REMINDERS: Please remember that dogs are not allowed to roam loose within the City. Dogs must be under the control of the owner, within an enclosure, or on the owner s property. Also, dogs must be registered with the City. The cost is $5.00 and you will be issued a City of Stagecoach tag. This will help to identify your pet in case your pet does get out. All dogs must be current on their rabies vaccinations. Microchips are great if your pet gets lost - especially if they are picked up as a stray. However, the easiest way to identify who an animal belongs to is to keep a collar and a name tag on them. Please help us keep to your pets safe! Also, please be advised that any building, of any size, that is used to shelter animals must be at least 50 feet from the house on any adjacent lot. No swine are allowed to be kept in the City. RECYCLING As you know, WCA provides curbside recycling. Recycled items are usually picked up after regular trash pickup on Mondays. Please contact City Secretary if you need a blue recycle bin. There are several extra bins at the City Center, please come by if you need one. The following items are accepted in our curbside recycling program: Paper, Cardboard, Aluminum Cans, Tin Cans, Steel Cans, Empty Aerosol Cans, Aluminum Foil, Plastics #1-#5 & #7 (milk, soda, water, juice, shampoo, detergent, pool supplies, pet food), Metal Pots and Pans, Copper, Scrap Metal (nails, screws, gutters), Milk and Juice Cartons, aseptic packages Commonly Mistaken Unacceptable Material: PLASTIC BAGS, STYROFOAM, GLASS, Wrapping Paper, Used Pizza Boxes, Coat Hangers, Paint and Solvent Containers, Light Bulbs, Mirrors, Windows, Dishes and Cups, Pyrex Pans, Wet or Soiled Paper, Paper Towels, Facial and Toilet Tissue, Disposable Plates and Cups.
WANTED WEBSITE GURU! We are looking for someone to help us with the Civic Club s website. We would like to have the website in a user-friendly format that is easy to update and manage and doesn t cost a lot! Let us know if you can help out or if you have any suggestions on companies to use! EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT! Of the hundreds of thousands of the Boy Scouts of America, approximately 4% of these achieve Eagle status. Stagecoach has an Eagle who has chosen to serve his community needs as part of his Eagle accomplishment. Our Eagle is Clark Abel, born and raised in Stagecoach. Clark saw the need to renovate the bathroom facilities at Lake Hardin Park and to repair and properly display the bricks in the Memory Garden. To accomplish this Clark raised $1,500 through holding car washes and soliciting donations. Nineteen scouts and adult volunteers worked a total of 264 hours to finish these two projects. The hard dollar cost of both projects was $1,469.85; the cost of labor was zero dollars. Had
these two jobs been contracted out at a minimum of $10.00 per hour, the cost would have been the $1,469.85 plus $2,640 in labor. Thank you, Clark, for all your service to Stagecoach! LAKE HARDIN PARK REMINDERS: Lake and Park use is restricted to Civic Club members in good standing with their dues, and their invited guests only. This area is owned by the Civic Club, it is not an open "common area" of the City. Swimming in Lake Hardin is allowed from the scenic "Caribbean Sunset" beach, and into the roped in area and swimming platform. All other areas are off limits. Fishing from the land at both lakes is allowed from the marked and designated areas only. FISHING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN IN THE SWIMMING AREA. Wildlife at the park (other than fish) are allowed their freedom, do not harass any animals, such as ducks and turtles. Swimming is done AT YOUR OWN RISK! There is no lifeguard on duty, and anyone under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult on any park grounds. If you are not a strong swimmer, you should not enter the lake for any reason. Alligator sightings have been reported in the past. If you see an alligator, do not try to interfere, call the Stagecoach Police Dept. Use common sense and never approach or harass an alligator. Please use the provided trash containers to dispose of your trash. If you see trash laying around, please be a good citizen and dispose of it properly. No glass containers are allowed at either of the parks or lakes. We would like to thank Hilton Wieder and Freddy Winandy. They have repaired the picnic tables at the pavilion on several occasions and helped with other projects at the parks. If you see someone destroying property at the park, please call our police and let them know. LAKE HARDIN PARK RESERVATIONS: Civic Club members may reserve Lake Hardin park on a first come, first served basis. The fee is $50 per day. The facilities include the park, restrooms, pavilion, the lake and swimming platform. For information about reservations contact Mark Paulson at 832-691-6951 or stagecoachmark@gmail.com
LEAF CUTTER ANTS Mike Jackson has been putting the trash out for pickup at the park, picking up trash and debris around the park, and generally keeping an eye on things. He has also been keeping an eye on the large leaf cutter ant colony at Lake Hardin Park. Leaf cutting ants (also known as night ants) are hard to kill because they do not eat the leaf fragments they collect they take them to their underground nests and use them to grow a fungus garden. This fungus is their only known source of food. Please contact Brenda Rutt if you believe you have leaf cutter ants on your property. The Extension Office recommends using Amdro Ant Block around the mounds to treat the colonies. Stagecoach Express Editor: Position is Open FIND US ON THE WEB: The Civic Club s new website is www.stagecoachfarms.org. Next issue deadline: 9/30/17
ADVERTISING If you are interested in advertising in this newsletter, business card ads are just $10/yr! Contact Brenda Rutt at 713-249-2203 - bfrutt@gmail.com, or Mark Paulson at 832-691-6951 -stagecoachmark@gmail.com CHIMNEY AND WILDLIFE REMOVAL SERVICES Hiram Martinez 713-855-9540