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BAY AREA EDITION
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8 MARCH 25 APRIL 21, 2022
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INSIDE
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IMPACTS
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TxDOT plans to widen FM646 in League City
HELENHALL LIBRARYREBOUNDS FROMCOVID 19, LOOKS TOFUTURE
Exterior - 1986
Exterior - 2019
TRANSPORTATION
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News fromthe 2022 primary elections
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PHOTOS COURTESY HELEN HALL LIBRARY
CAMP GUIDE 2022 ELECTION RESULTS
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Foster childrenwithout placement rise across Harris, Galveston counties
A GROWING PROBLEM The number of children without placement in the Texas foster care system, or CWOP, has risen since 2020. The average number of days spent in CWOP rose from 2 days in February 2020 to 18.2 days in August 2021.
BY CHANDLER FRANCE, WESLEY GARDNER & JAKE MAGEE
The number of children without placement in the Texas foster care system has skyrocketed over the last two years, increasing by more than 1,100% since October 2019, according to data provided by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. According to DFPS o cials, individuals in the state’s foster care system receive a “childwithout placement” designation, or CWOP, when the state cannot nd a suitable and safe placement for that child, requiring the DFPS to provide temporary emergency care until a placement can be secured. Over the last two years, the state has increasingly relied on unli- censed placements—often motels or o ce buildings—overseen by caseworkers. In October 2019, 32 children were in such place- ments statewide, according to DFPS data. By August 2021, the CONTINUED ON 20
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SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
THIS ISSUE
ABOUT US
Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched the rst edition of Community Impact Newspaper in 2005 with three full-time employees covering Round Rock and P ugerville, Texas. We have expanded our operations to include hundreds of employees, our own printing operation and over 30 hyperlocal editions across three states. Our circulation is over 2 million residential mailboxes, and it grows each month with new residents and developments.
HIGHLIGHTS FROMTHISMONTH
FROMPAPAR: It’s hard to believe that in two short months the kids will be out of school for summer, but this is the time of year to start planning both your summer vacations and camps for the kids. Our annual Camp Guide (see Page 14) has local options to help both entertain and enrich learning for your children. Papar Faircloth, GENERALMANAGER
Community Impact Newspaper teams include general managers, editors, reporters, graphic designers, sales account executives and sales support, all immersed and invested in the communities they serve. Our mission is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our core values are Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity.
FROM JAKE: I’m back! From mid-November to early February I was on leave to enjoy time with my new baby, but I’m happy to get back to reporting about the things you need to know. See you around the Bay Area! Jake Magee, EDITOR
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
IMPACTS
Businesses that have recently opened or are coming soon, relocating or expanding
NOWOPEN 1 Anytime Fitness opened its League City location Feb. 24 after months of delays. The new gym is located at 1062 FM 646, Ste. C, League City, and o ers 24-hour health and tness services. It also o ers tness consultations, team workouts and one-on-one training to help patrons achieve tness goals. The franchise has locations across the United States with multiple in Texas. 409-795-1347. www.anytime tness.com 2 Miss A opened a location at Baybrook Mall, 500 Baybrook Mall Drive, Friend- swood, in February. Miss A sells feminine products, including makeup, spa, eyelash, skin care and household products. A phone number was not available as of press time. www.shopmissa.com 3 After over a year of being closed, Big League Dreams reopened March 5 with a three-day tournament for 60 baseball teams from Texas, Arizona, California, Maine and other states. The facility at 1150 Big League Dreams Parkway, League City, includes youth and adult baseball elds modeled after professional stadiums. League City City Council in January voted to end the city’s contract with Big League Dreams, closing the facility, because it had fallen into disrepair. A new owner, TC Sports Group, has since taken over and invested $2 million to x and upgrade the elds. 281-316-3400. http://leaguecity.bigleaguedreams.com 146 MAP NOT TO SCALE 000 PGBT TOLL SRT TOLL DNT TOLL 000 TOLL 000A TOLL MOPAC 000 N N 000 0000 P GALVESTON BAY 96
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ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER
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COURTESY CITY OF LEAGUE CITY
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COMING SOON 4 Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop will open in early 2022 at The Lawn at Baybrook Mall, 700 Baybrook Mall Drive, Ste. D103, Friendswood. The business sells pies in a variety of avors, including Southern custard, chocolate cream, key lime, peanut butter cream and chewy chocolate chip. The pie shop has loca- tions across Texas and other states. www.buttermilkskypie.com 5 TIRR Memorial Hermann Outpatient Rehabilitation - Southeast on March 10 celebrated its groundbreaking ceremony. The new, state-of-the-art facility will be the seventh outpatient rehabilitation site by the time construction is complete at the end of 2022 at 300 Rogers Court, Webster. The institute will provide rehabilitation services to adults and children with neuro- logical, oncological and medically complex
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
COMPILED BY JAKE MAGEE & SIERRA ROZEN
according to the mall’s website. A timeline for the opening has not been revealed. The restaurant, which has locations in Tomball, Magnolia and the Woodlands Mall, serves tacos, tortas and burgers along with sea- food, soups and desserts. www.bigotesstreettacos.com 11 Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will open in Webster sometime in the next year. The restaurant will be located in front of the Academy Sports + Outdoors store at 21351 Gulf Freeway. The sports restaurant franchise serves soups, salads, seafood, steak, sandwiches, po’boys, wraps, tacos and burgers. www.walk-ons.com 12 JMK5 Holdings , a real estate devel- oper prominent in Galveston County and beyond, is in the process of creating an of- ce building at 600 Gemini St., Houston. A completion date has not been determined. The 365,000-square-foot facility will be broken up into four pods of 90,000 square feet each. Spaces from 3,000 square feet and up will be available to own or lease, and each of the four pods will have its own separate lobby for business owners and guests. www.jmk5holdings.com SCHOOL NOTES After nearly ve years since the $487 million 2017 bond was passed, Clear Creek ISD will celebrate the recent completions of some of these projects. The district will hold multiple ribbon-cutting ceremonies in March and April to commemorate the nished construction. The projects being rec- ognized include renovations to Walter Hall Elementary School, the rebuild of Clear View High School, the renovations to Ed White Elementary School and the renovations to C. D. Landolt Elementary School. The ceremonies are by invitation only but will be livestreamed to the public on the district’s website and the district’s Facebook. The ribbon-cuttings will take place March 30 at 10 a.m. for Ed White Elementary School and April 1 at 9 a.m. for C.D. Landolt Elementary School. Past ribbon cuttings includ- ed Walter Hall Elementary School on March 11 and Clear View High School on March 24, which was set to take place after press time. These bond projects have been in the works since they were passed in 2017 and also include
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Lagoonfest Texas takes place at Lago Mar in Texas City.
COURTESY LAGOON DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
renovations and rebuilds to various other elementary, intermediate and high schools. A full list of the bond projects can be found on CCISD’s website. 281-284-0000. www.ccisd.net CLOSINGS 13 The Clear Lake Scout Shop at 1300A Bay Area Blvd., Ste. 129, Lagoonfest, now in its third season, is a beach experience at the Lago Mar master-planned community, 3240 Lago Mar Blvd., Texas City. The 2,033-acre community surrounds a 12-acre crystal- clear lagoon—the largest in Texas—that emulates a natural beach. representative and help with the daily operation of Lagoonfest Texas, which kicked o March 11 with a spring break celebration. ARM will help develop the owners’ vision for the project along with programming, themes and overall messaging, the release said. ARM and its team of industry experts have experience in waterpark and hotel project development and management. “Our goal is to provide a unique luxury beach life experience with great customer service delivering smiles to the thousands of families that will visit our new and improving attraction,” said Uri Man, Lagoon Development Company’s FEATURED IMPACT IN THE NEWS The Lagoon Development Company has selected American Resort Management to manage Lagoonfest Texas 2022, according to a press release. ARM will act as the owner’s CEO. “For this reason, we sought out best-in-class talent to manage the facility.”
“We are excited to support the operation of this beautiful crystal clear lagoon. This is truly one of Texas’ most unique destinations,” American Resort Management CEO Richard Coleman said. “This will be a destination that is sure to provide outstanding and unforgettable guest experiences for years to come.” The lagoon is the centerpiece of a future 100-acre entertainment district. Future plans for the community include a beach club, hotels, retail shops, restaurants and new entertainment venues, according to the release. The partnership will bring availability for group visits, birthday parties, summer passes and other experiences at Lago Mar, winner of Master-Planned Community of the Year in 2021 in the Greater Houston Builders Association’s Houston’s Best PRISM Awards, according to the release. www.lagoonhouston.com
Fat Shack
COURTESY SPACE COAST TEXAS
diagnoses. www.memorialhermann.org/ services/specialties/tirr
6 Fat Shack , a restaurant that has been featured on TV’s “Shark Tank,” will open in Webster sometime in the next year. It will be located at 1020 NASA Parkway, inside the Webster Point Shopping Center. The chain specializes in late-night bites, in- cluding burgers, wings, fried Oreos, Philly cheesesteaks, milkshakes and more. www.fatshack.com 7 BoomerJack’s Grill will open in its rst location outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Webster in the coming months. It will be located at I-45 and Magnolia Ave- nue, right in front of the Cinemark movie theater. The restaurant serves chicken wings, soups, salads, wraps, quesadillas, atbreads, sandwiches, burgers and des- serts. www.boomerjacks.com 8 AMOCO Federal Credit Union in the coming months will open at 1150 Clear Lake City Blvd., Ste. 102, Houston. A timeline for the opening has not been announced. The credit union has several locations across the Bay Area, including Clear Lake, Nassau Bay, Friendswood and Galveston. 800-231-6053. www.amocofcu.org 9 Bath and Body Works will open in a new location in Webster in April. It will be located next to Sun and Ski Sports at 1355 Bay Area Blvd., Webster. The national chain sells products, such as hand sanitizer, hand soap, candles, hand and body lotion, wall plug-ins and decor to hold such products. www.bathandbodyworks.com 10 Bigotes Street Tacos is expect- ed to open soon at the Baybrook Mall, 500 Baybrook Mall Drive, Friendswood,
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Houston, closed March 5. Certain Boy Scouts of America members tried to stop the closure by starting a petition on www.change.org. Local Boy Scouts Member Frank Razem said the closure was part of a national decision to save money. The store sold uniforms, camp- ing supplies, books and other items for the Boy Scouts. www.facebook.com/ clearlakescoutshop
Because wrapping your kids in bubble wrap isn’t
League City 2560 E League City Pkwy, Ste. B League City, TX 77573
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES TxDOT plans towiden FM646 in League City
COMPILED BY JAKE MAGEE
UPCOMING PROJECTS
The Texas Department of Trans- portation is considering the next step in a multiphase plan spanning years to widen FM 646. In 2005-06, TxDOT held public meetings to discuss a plan to widen FM 646 from I-45 to Bayshore Boulevard. Part of that project is already done. “The portion between I-45 and Edmund Way—approximately 1.3 miles—has since been constructed,” TxDOT representative Joshua Geyer said during a public virtual meeting in February. TxDOT is considering doing the same thing from Edmund Way to FM 3436. Under the plan, FM 646 would become a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction divided by a 16-foot-wide raised median. This would align with the existing four lanes of FM 646 from I-45 to Edmund Way, Geyer said. Additionally, TxDOT is proposing to create an overpass for tra c at the railroad that intersects with FM 646 just east of Hwy. 3. Tra c must stop to allow trains to pass, but the overpass would allow both trains and tra c to travel without stopping, he said. The proposed overpass would displace nine buildings: one sin- gle-family home, seven commercial facilities and one place of worship. TxDOT would work with the owners of displaced properties, Geyer said. Geyer said widening the road will ease tra c congestion. “The improvements are needed because current and projected growth in the area has caused tra c
As part of the widening project, Texas Department of Transportation proposes elevating FM 646 where it intersects a railroad just east of Hwy. 3. PROPOSED ROAD DESIGN
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Calder Road widening Calder Road will be widened by 8 feet on the east side from FM 517 to 300 feet north of FM 517 to provide two southbound lanes approaching the FM 517 intersection. Timeline: spring 2022-TBD Cost: $288,000 Funding source: League City
Proposed stormwater retention pond
Frontage road
Frontage road
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
PROJECT LIMITS
demand to increase, and therefore congestion has increased along the corridor,” he said. Additionally, the widening would make the road safer. From 2015 to 2021, there were several crashes along FM 646 between Edmund Way and FM 3436, and a few of them were fatal, Geyer said. “One of the goals of the project is to reduce crashes along the corri- dor,” Geyer said during the meeting. “Crash rates within the project limits are signi cantly higher than the statewide average, and ve fatalities have occurred during the six-year study time frame.” The project would total $56 million from state and federal funds. About $34 million would be for the seg- ment from Edmund Way to FM 1266, and another $22 million would be for the segment from FM 1266 to FM 3436, Geyer said. If approved, construction would
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ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MARCH 7. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT BAYNEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. About 1,800 feet of Turner Street from Hobbs to Butler roads and about 4,300 feet of Butler from Turner to about 400 feet south of Sedona Drive will be reconstructed with concrete curbs and gutters. Timeline: fall 2022-TBD Cost: $7.31 million Funding source: League City Turner Street and Butler Road Phase 2 reconstruction
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Over 20 years of Dedication. Integrity. Passion. Service. Consistency. Whether you are buying or selling, we look forward to assisting you with every step of the process. begin in late 2022 and take 1 1/2 to two years for the rst segment and another 1 1/2 to two years for the second, Geyer said. According to the TxDOT website, next steps are to nalize environ- mental studies for the project, receive approval for additional envi- ronmental studies, and nalize the design of right of way acquisition.
Kimberly Harding, Broker/Owner 281-554-7653 Kimberly@KimberlyHarding.com
2490 Calder Dr, League City, TX 77573 | www.TheKimberlyHardingGroup.com
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
ELECTIONRESULTS
News from the 2022 primary elections
ELECTION RUNDOWN U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 14 DEMOCRAT
Primary elections result inwinners Primary elections occurred March 1. Some races had clear winners, but others will move to runo elections. Democrat incumbent Adrian Council member, won 52.7% of the votes for Galveston County treasurer against incumbent Kevin C. Walsh, who garnered 26.1%, and Janet Ho man, who won 21.2%. Democratic incumbent Lina BY JAKE MAGEE
There were several races across the Bay Area on March 1.
Headed to runo R
Won
Incumbent
SOURCES: HARRIS COUNTY, GALVESTON COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
GALVESTON COUNTY COMMISSION ER, PRECINCT 4 REPUBLICAN
67.6% Ken Clark
49.8% Eugene Howard
Garcia won his race for Harris County Precinct 2 commissioner with 75.6% votes. Challengers George Risner and Gary Harrison won 13.5% and 10.9% of the votes, respectively. Jack Morman received the most votes in the Republican Precinct 2 commissioner primary with 40.5% of votes cast. He will face Jerry Mouton, who won 22.4% of votes cast, in a runo election May 24. Other can- didates John Manlove, Richard Vega and Daniel N. Jason won 17.1%, 14.7% and 5.3% of the votes, respectively. Garcia was elected in 2018, beating Morman in the general election. Republican incumbent Ken Clark beat out challenger Matt Robinson for Galveston County Precinct 4 commis- sioner. Clark won 67.6% of the total, and Robinson garnered 32.4%. Hank Dugie, a League City City
Hidalgo won her primary race for Harris County judge against ve challengers, gathering 70.3% of the votes. She will face either Alexandra del Moral Mealer or Vidal Martinez, who will go to a runo after winning 29.5% and 25.9% of votes, respec- tively, in the Republican primary. For U.S. House District 14, Repub- lican incumbent Randy Weber won 89.3% of the votes. Weber will face Mikal Williams, who narrowly won the Democrat primary with 50.2% of the votes against challenger Eugene Howard. For state Senate District 11, Repub- lican Mayes Middleton won 62.8% of the votes against Bob Mitchell, Robin Armstrong and Bianca Gracia, who won 15.4%, 14.4% and 7.4% of the votes, respectively.
32.4% Matt Robinson
50.2% Mikal Williams
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 14 REPUBLICAN
HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, PRECINCT 2 DEMOCRAT
X7.9% Keith Casey
13.5% George Risner
2.8% Ruben Landon Dante
10.9% Gary Harrison
89.3% Randy Weber
75.6% Adrian Garcia
TEXAS SENATE, DISTRICT 11 REPUBLICAN
HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, PRECINCT 2 REPUBLICAN
14.4% Robin Armstrong
40.5% Jack Morman 14.7% Richard Vega 5.3% Daniel N. Jason 22.4% Jerry Mouton 17.1% John Manlove
R
7.4% Bianca Gracia
62.8% Mayes Middleton
15.4% Bob Mitchell
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
EDUCATIONBRIEFS
News from Clear Creek ISD & Texas
HIGHLIGHTS
District surpasses state, region for 2021 STAAR CLEAR CREEK ISD For the 2020-21 school year, Clear Creek ISD students scored higher percentages across the board against the state and the rest of their region for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. BY SIERRA ROZEN SURPASSING THE STANDARD
Clear Creek ISD board of trustees will meet at 6 p.m. March 28 for a regular meeting and 4:30 p.m. April 11 for a workshop at the Education Support Center, 2425 E. Main St., League City. Watch online at www.ccisd.net/boardmeeting. MEETINGSWE COVER districts are facing related to teacher vacancies, develop recommendations for regulatory or other policy changes for TEA and provide feedback on TEA initiatives designed to help impact vacancies. TEXAS The Texas Education Agency on March 10 announced the creation of a teacher vacancy task force that will bring together superintendents, teachers, human resource officers and other stakeholders from districts across the state. School districts have struggled to fill vacancies and retain teachers, and a study conducted by the Charles Butt Foundation found that 68% of teachers surveyed considered leaving the profession in 2021 compared to 58% in 2020. Some primary goals of the task force will be to understand the challenges
Clear Creek ISD students scored higher percentages across the board against the state and the rest of their region for the The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test. Percent of students who passed the STAAR test in 2021
The data was presented at the Feb. 28 CCISD board of trustees meeting. Since the 2020 STAAR test was can- celed due to COVID-19, the data is only reported for the 2019 and 2021 administered tests. STAAR performances are broken up into three different performance rates: Approaches Grade Level or above, Meets Grade Level or above and Masters Grade Level. For CCISD, 78% of students across all grade levels and subjects were given the rating of Approaches Grade Level or above. Of the 78%, 53% received the rating of Meets Grade Level or above, and 26% of the students in the original 78% received the rating of Masters Grade Level. “You’ll see in the data compared to the state and region, and you’ll see again that we are above the state and the region in those,” said Sheridan Henley, executive director of assessment and evaluation for CCISD. Comparatively, 67% of students statewide received the rating of Approaches Grade Level or above, while the rest of the region that CCISD is a part of had 68% of students meet that rating. This trend of performing above the state and region continued for the ratings of Meets Grade Level or above
CCISD
Region 4
State
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
78%
68%67%
53%
43%
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20% 18%
Approaches
Meets
Masters
SOURCES: CLEAR CREEK ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
CITY& COUNTY
News from League City & Seabrook
QUOTEOFNOTE “AS YOU CAN SEE, THE NEXT FEW YEARS IN SEABROOK ARE GOING TOBE PRETTY EXCITING.” THOM KOLUPSKI, SEABROOK MAYOR, ON THE NUMBER TOKNOW recently built or are in progress. 696 new Seabrook residences have either been CITY HIGHLIGHTS LEAGUE CITY The city in February unveiled Phase 1 of the parks and recreation department’s plan to name and provide signs to the city’s hike-and-bike trails with two dozen signs located at trails at and around Lynn Gripon Park at Countryside and Rustic Oaks Park. The signs include wayfinding and mileage details along with information on birdwatching and park amenities. Phases 2 and 3 will be designed this year and installed by early 2023 and include trails renamed after coastal creatures and Texas plants and wildflowers. MANY DEVELOPMENTS OCCURRING IN THE CITY League City City Council will meet at 6 p.m. April 12 at League City Council Chambers, 200 W. Walker St., League City. Meetings are streamed at www.facebook.com/ leaguecitytexas. MEETINGSWE COVER Sarah Greer Osborne, director of communications and media relations for League City, said renaming city trails makes them catchier while also promoting what makes League City special, such as its birding community.
League City to allowalcohol consumption at parks
ALCOHOL ORDINANCE The new alcohol ordinance would not apply to these parks.
BY JAKE MAGEE
LEAGUE CITY Pending a second reading, residents will soon be able to consume alcohol at most city parks. League City City Council Member Hank Dugie brought before the council the suggestion to change the city’s ordi- nances to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol in all city parks. Today, such activity is allowed only during events that receive a city permit. Fundamentally, citizens should not have to ask their government for permission to drink a beer or wine at a park, Dugie said, adding that Galveston County parks do not have such restrictions. Council Member Larry Millican, who was against the ordinance change, said alcohol consumption is already allowed at parks so long as a permit is granted. He expressed the concern that with the proposed ordinance, alcohol consumption would be allowed at all parks, even ones built specifically for youth activities. Dugie pointed out the proposed ordinance would not allow alcohol consumption at organized youth events.
DICKINSON AVE.
270
96
WALKER ST.
CHESTER L. DAVIS SPORTSPLEX
HOMETOWN HEROES PARK
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ELVA LOBIT PARK
45
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Council Member Nick Long agreed there are concerns. He amended a motion to approve the ordinance to not allow residents to bring their own alcohol to Hometown Heroes Park, Lobit Park and the Chester L. Davis Sportsplex, which are three parks primarily for children. The motion passed 6-2 with Mayor Pat Hallisey and Millican against.
Seabrook looks to future in State of the City
HWY. 146WIDENING This is a five-year road project.
BY JAKE MAGEE
Hwy. 146 widening begins with a June 2024 expected completion date.
Manager Gayle Cook said. Additionally, Seabrook is working to create Seabrook Town Center just north of Repsdorph Road on the west side of Hwy. 146. The development includes 315 apartment units adja- cent to retail shops and commercial buildings that will be built around a central plaza. Finally, officials are working on a hotel planned unit development in the city. It will include a boutique hotel, an extended-stay hotel, 20,000 square feet of new waterfront restaurants and 12,000 square feet of event venue space. Compass by Margaritaville will be part of the development, Kolupski said.
FEB. 2019
SEABROOK City officials celebrated accomplishments from 2021 while looking at the years ahead during Seabrook’s first in-person State of the City address March 3. The widening and expansion of Hwy. 146 through Seabrook and Kemah broke ground in 2019 and is still on track to wrap up by spring 2024, Mayor ThomKolupski said. The widening project displaced dozens of businesses along Hwy. 146, but now 26 acres of property adjacent to the highway are available for development. Several businesses, such as Popeyes andWhataburger, are interested in opening in Seabrook, City
Contractor says project will finish in May 2023, a year early. Work slows, and estimated completion date moves back to October 2023. Seabrook officials say the completion date is spring 2024.
JAN. 2021
SEPT. 2021
MARCH 2022
SOURCES: CITY OF SEABROOK, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Free public education WITH a private school feel
13
BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
C A M P G U I D E GUIDE
A noncomprehensive list of camps in the area
Parents looking for camps for their children have a number of options to choose from in the Bay Area. This list is not comprehensive.
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A+ Academics ART Arts DAY Day NIGHT Overnight SP Sports
CLEAR LAKE 1 Bay Area Youth Singers will be having a weeklong music camp for the 17th year. Camps will be led by professional music teachers. Ages: grades 1 8 Dates: July 11 15 Cost: $170-$365 ART DAY Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 18220 Upper Bay Drive, Nassau Bay 832 425 2329 www.bayareayouthsingers.org 2 Bushi Ban summer camps will include eld trips and four martial arts classes each week. Ages: 5 and up Dates: May 31 Aug. 17 Cost: $209-$229 DAY SP Bushi Ban, 2465 Bay Area Blvd., Houston 281 218 8989 www.bushiban.com 3 Camp Clear Lake allows campers to spend their days swimming, playing, making arts and crafts, participating in sports, watching movies and playing games. Ages: 6 11 Dates: June 6 July 1, July 11 29 Cost: $160-$190 DAY SP Clear Lake City Rec Center, 16511 Dianna Lane, Houston 281 488 0360 www.clcca.org 4 Explorer Camps at Space Center Houston o er children ways to learn about space. Children will study how to build rocks, design space habitats and program robots. Ages: 4 11 Dates: May 31 Aug. 12 Cost: $239.95-$350 A+ DAY Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Parkway, Houston 281 283 4755 www.spacecenter.org 5 Hawk STEAM Academy summer camps are returning, hosted by the University of Houston-Clear Lake. They will o er two sep- arate camps: Software Engineering and Data Science and Intro to VR Programming. Ages: grades 6 8 Dates: June 7 11, July 19 23 Cost: $300 A+ University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston
6 Space Center U at Space Center Houston o ers multiple STEM-based camps for two age groups. Campers will receive hands-on experience while hearing from guest speakers and astronauts . Ages: 11 18 Dates: June 6 Aug. 12 Cost: price depends on size of group A+ DAY Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Parkway, Houston 281 283 4755 www.spacecenter.org/camps 7 St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School Camps campers will have multiple options to choose from, including engineer- ing, archery, coding, etiquette and music camps. There are half- and full-day options available. Ages: 4 12 Dates: TBA Cost: TBA DAY SP St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, 18300 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay 281 333 1340 www.stesnb.org/explore-our-school/ summer-camp 8 University of Houston-Clear Lake will host Kids U, which are several camps on di er- ent subjects for di erent ages. Campers can learn everything from character development to STEAM skills to creative writing. Ages: pre-K-grade 8 Dates: June 6 July 28 Cost: $159 A+ University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston 281 283 3529 www.uhcl.edu GALVESTON 9 Pyramid Kids Camps at Moody Gardens allow campers to learn about ani- mals and ecosystems, conduct experiments, make art and play games inspired by nature. Ages: K-grade 7 Dates: June 6 Aug. 12 Cost: $275-$300 ART A+ DAY Moody Gardens, 1 Hope Blvd., Galveston 409 683 4325 www.moodygardens.com 10 Sea Camp campers will have the oppor- tunity to explore all things ocean related with one camp taking place in Costa Rica. Other camps include marine biology, coastal ecology, shing camp, wildlife photography and ocean career awareness.
Bushi Ban
Sea Camp
COURTESY BUSHI BAN
COURTESY SEA CAMP
Ages: 10 18 Dates: June 5 Aug. 6 Cost: $1,015-$2,900 A+ NIGHT Texas A&M University Galveston Campus, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston 409 740 4525 www.tamug.edu/seacamp 11 Sea Campus Kids is a summer camp that focuses on marine biology. Based on the week chosen, campers will learn about Gal- veston Bay’s sh habitat, inspect reefs, study veterinary medicine, and learn about sharks and stingrays. Ages: 4 11 Dates: June 9 Aug. 10 Cost: $120-$200 A+ Texas A&M University Galveston Campus, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston 409 740 4525 www.tamug.edu/seacamp LEAGUE CITY 12 Art, Movement & Life Skills Academy campers will make art such as mosaics, nature art and photography while working with drawing, painting and creative writing. The camp includes yoga for kids, out- door games, and critical skills for life through games and drama. Ages: 7 17 Dates: various days in June and July Cost: $120-$175 ART DAY Art, Movement & Life Skills Academy, 1701 S. Hwy. 3, League City 832 849 8934 www.amlsacademy.com/courses-registration 13 Bay Area Arts Conservatory campers will have the opportunity to par- ticipate in di erent musical summer camps, including “101 Dalmatians,” “Cinderella” and
Bay Area Arts Conservatory, 400 Hobbs Road, Ste. 202, League City 281 938 1444 www.baactx.com 14 Bushi Ban summer camps will include eld trips and four martial arts classes each week. Ages: 5 and up Dates: May 31 Aug. 17 Cost: $169 ART DAY SP 103 Davis Road, Ste. V, League City 832 632 1342 www.bushiban.com 15 Camp by the Creek is a summer camp hosted by League City with di erent programs, including arts and crafts, games, eld trips and outdoor activities. Ages: 6 12 Dates: May 31 Aug. 12 Cost: $198.75-$397.50 DAY Hometown Heroes Park, 1001 E. League City Parkway, League City 281 554 1180 www.leaguecity.com/parks 16 Code Ninjas o ers a variety of camps that allow kids to learn how to code at a young age. Some of the camps include how to become a YouTuber; coding cartoons; and learning about video games, such as “Mine- craft” and “Roblox.” Ages: 5 14 Dates: May 29 Aug. 18 Cost: $250-$450 A+ DAY Code Ninjas, 3725 E. League City Parkway, Ste. 140, League City 281 339 7482 www.codeninjas.com/tx-league-city/camps 17 Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy will bring back Camp Boomerang, a summer camp that has di erent weekly themes. Some of the themes include Ultimate Games, Decade Dash, Wild Outback and
“Frozen Jr.” Ages: 6 18 Dates: June 6 19, June 27 July 17, July 18 Aug. 7 Cost: $465-$699 ART DAY
Mighty Origins. Ages: K-grade 5 Dates: TBA Cost: $130-$200
281 283 3529 www.uhcl.edu
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
2022
COMPILED BY JAKE MAGEE & SIERRA ROZEN
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Art, Movement & Life Skills Academy
Bay Area Arts Conservatory
Camp by the Creek
Sport Divers
COURTESY ART, MOVEMENT & LIFE SKILLS ACADEMY
COURTESY BAY AREA ARTS CONSERVATORY
COURTESY CITY OF LEAGUE CITY
COURTESY SPORT DIVERS
Dates: May 30 July 29 Cost: $400-$575 DAY SP Bailey Oaks Farms, 7220 CR 128, Alvin 281 756 7254 www.baileyoaksfarms.com 19 Game On is a weeklong evening camp that will have Bible stories, singing and other activities for kids. Ages: grades 1 5
Dates: June 20 24 Cost: free DAY ART Gateway Community Church, 760 Clear Lake City Blvd., Webster 281 286 1515 www.g8waycom.org/skc22 20 Sport Divers o ers weekly summer camps each year. Scuba diving skills are practiced both in a pool and in open water.
Once campers complete the course, they will receive their open-water diver certi cation. Ages: 10 17 Dates: TBA Cost: $600 DAY SP Sport Divers, 20814 Gulf Freeway, Ste. 60, Webster 281 338 1611 https://sportdivers.com
A+ DAY 1092 W. League City Parkway, League City 281 338 1177 www.kidsrkids.com/programs/summer-camp OTHER 18 Bailey Oaks Farms campers will learn how to ride, groom, tack and care for their animals and will participate in a variety of horse-related activities. Ages: 6 12
512-232-5000 EdServices@austin.utexas.edu
SUMMER CAMP AT THE Y
MAKE YOUR MARK
Offering day camps around the Houston area for kids and teens and overnight adventures at YMCA Camp Cullen.
REGISTER TODAY!
E nroll anytime in UT's online high school courses to catch up or get ahead. Full-time d iploma p rogram and single courses including Advanced Placement TM subjects available.
DAY CAMP
OVERNIGHT CAMP
TEEN CAMP
For more informatio n visit highschool.utexas.edu
YMCA Mission: To put Judeo-Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Everyone is welcome.
15
BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
Voted Best Master-Planned Community!
We’ve just been awarded the Master-Planned Community of the Year in Houston's Best PRISM Awards hosted by the Greater Houston Builders Association. Beautiful homes, community lakes, outstanding amenities – including our 12-acre crystal clear lagoon – all lead to an award-winning lifestyle.
New Homes High $200s-$500s
A Land Tejas Community
LagoMar in TexasCity.com
*The Lago Mar Crystal Lagoon operating schedule, promotional giveaway, pricing and availability is subject to change without notice. Please visit Lago Mar Information Center for full details. 02/22
16
COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
BUSINESS FEATURE
BY SIERRA ROZEN
The optometrist o ce o ers eye exams and ttings for both glasses and contacts.
BUSINESS FEATURE
Falcon Pass Vision Center opened in the Clear Lake area in 2007.
Dr. Russell Malik (left) and Dr. Lisa Maxwell (right) met at the University of Houston.
PHOTOS BY SIERRA ROZEN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Falcon Pass Vision Center Optometrists set sights on local eye health in Clear Lake A community-centered optometrist is unusually hard to nd these days, come see us, and it was a little far to go over to the Hobby Airport area,” Maxwell said. “We were hav- ing to kind of serve the community BY SIERRA ROZEN
The vision center reopened in May 2020 after closing due to the pandemic.
up May 5, 2020, so they could continue to serve the community that was depending on them. On an average day the couple sees about 18 to 20 patients with problems ranging from medical emergencies to getting tted for contacts or glasses. They also provide pre- and post-operation services to patients receiving LASIK surgery. “We’ve just tried to make every- body as happy and comfortable as possible,” Maxwell said. Overall, the biggest thing Malik and Maxwell could stress is the importance of taking care of one’s eye health, and they iterated the need for regular eye exams. “Just because you can see doesn’t mean you don’t have things like glaucoma,” Malik said. “Contact lenses are not just a toy. Some people really abuse them. So it’s a health issue. [What’s import- ant] to me is just keeping those eyes healthy.”
Falcon Pass Vision Center 2409 Falcon Pass Drive, Ste. 180, Houston 281-461-3937 www.falconpassvision.com Hours: Mon.-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun. COMMONTREATABLE EYE ISSUES • Nearsightedness: Objects that are far away are blurry. • Farsightedness: Objects that are close up are blurry. • Astigmatism: One eye is curved di erently than the other. • Presbyopia: Eyes lose the ability to focus on nearby objects.
according to Dr. Lisa Maxwell, which is what led to her and her husband, Dr. Russell Malik, opening Falcon Pass Vision Center in 2007. The couple initially met in optometry school at the University of Houston. Maxwell has been practicing since 1989, and Malik has been practicing since 1991. Malik originally opened a practice near the Hobby Airport in 1992, while Maxwell worked with another partner around Scarsdale. Eventually, they realized their local clientele base was having di culty with driving all the way out to Hobby Airport, which was the catalyst for opening the one in the Clear Lake area. “We started noticing that after being in the community for a long time that people were wanting to
in our house in some ways.” Once the business opened in 2007, Maxwell was the main owner until Malik o cially joined the practice in 2019 after closing the one near the airport. The rst focus of the new business was providing sports glasses for children after they saw a lack of them at other optometrists. The community they practice in has a large sports presence; Maxwell said “everyone is very sports minded.” “I just kept having people asking for sports glasses for their children, and it just kind of oored me that nobody really had a focus on kids and recreational sports glasses,” she said. Despite the pandemic putting a small hurdle in their operations, the couple o cially opened back
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BAY AREA EDITION • MARCH 2022
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