Proposed Woodlands Parkway Extension

Plans are in the works for the primary east-west corridor in The Woodlands to be extended into Tomball. Montgomery County is purchasing land tracts west of FM 2978 in order to extend Woodlands Parkway to Hwy. 249.

According to Patty McDaniel of the Montgomery County Attorney’s Office, the county needs only to purchase two more parcels of the approximately 40 tracts between FM 2978 and Dobbin-Hufsmith Road to complete all land acquisitions for its part of the project.

Precinct 2 County Commissioner Craig Doyal said the extension of Woodlands Parkway has been on the county’s major thoroughfare plan since 1985.

“I just felt like the right-of-way that was in place would never be less expensive and never more available than right now,” Doyal said.

There is no time frame on construction of the extension, he said, but the goal rather was to purchase the land ahead of any future developments.

“We’re not pressed for time, there’s no urgency,” Doyal said.

Both he and the county took a similar approach to the extension of the Fish Creek Thoroughfare, which connected FM 1488 to FM 2854.

“Fish Creek was much more easily done because of the right-of-way that was in place as opposed to having to acquire land like [FM] 1488 [expansion],” he said.

McDaniel said the county has been purchasing tracts of land west of FM 2978 for about the past three years in anticipation of the extension. But should the Woodlands Parkway extension ever come to fruition, the county won’t be able to complete the project alone, Doyal said.

A large portion of land west of Dobbin-Hufsmith is slated for a housing development, Doyal said, and he is hoping whoever develops the project can also include a portion of the Woodlands Parkway extension.

“What happened on Fish Creek Thoroughfare was that, as Sendera Ranch was developed, the developers donated the right-of-way and built portions of the right-of-way as part of their plan and donated the balance [to the county],” Doyal said. “Then we went in and filled in gaps, built the bridge and we had a major thoroughfare.”

According to data compiled by the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner’s Office, an average of more than 67,000 vehicle trips per day were counted in 2011 along Woodlands Parkway.

Here are a few steps to finding the right professional painter for you:

1. Collect Recommendations and Referrals. The first place to start is word of mouth recommendations from friends, neighbors or contractors. If you’re new to the area, consider a service like Angie’s List.

2. Gather Bids. It’s important to find the best professional for the job. One who gives you the right price for the work completed, and one with whom you have a good rapport. Have the professional come to your home to bid on the job and ask a lot of questions. Who will do the work—the company owner or his associates? How many people will be on site during the project? Should they be injured, are the employees who will be on the job covered by worker’s compensation? Who is responsible for picking up the paint? Gather at least three bids so you have a basis of comparison before hiring your professional.

3. Put it in Writing. Once you’ve decided whom you want to hire, it’s time to discuss the contract between you and the professional painter or painting company. Consider a contract that clearly spells out the terms of the job, including how long the job will take, how many hours the painter(s) will be on the premises each day, and the expected time of completion. The professional painter should give you a bid for labor separate from the cost of the paint.

4. Talk to your painter about not only the color, but also exactly what brand and quality of paint you wish to use, or the painter will choose it for you.

If you decide halfway through the job that you want to change the color, that’s called a change order. All change orders are negotiated separately from the contract, but be sure you and your painter have discussed this possibility beforehand.

5. Communicate. Once you’ve settled the details and the project begins, keep an open line of communication with your painter. Check on the job throughout the day to make sure it’s being done to your satisfaction. Feel free to ask your professional about the details or process and how it’s going at any time. Remain flexible since there can be unexpected reasons for delay. Give your painter the professional courtesy he or she deserves, but stay firm with your requirements for a job well done. After all, it’s your home and your hard earned money, you are the boss!

If you would like recommendations on great painters in our area, give us a call today! 281-863-9134

Rendering of the new Anadarko Tower

Anadarko, owner of the tallest building between Houston and Dallas, is starting preliminary surveying and work for its next office tower near the current tower off Lake Robbins, acccording to a company spokesperson.

John Christiansen, an Anadarko spokesman, stated “We looked at our expectations for growth and decided we’re going to need more space for the influx of employees we’ll have in the next few years.”

The company isn’t saying how tall the building is, but reports have sttated it could be one floor taller than the current tower.

The new building is scheduled to “not have as much floor space,” though, Christiansen stated.

The first tower is 30 floors and stands an estimated 439 feet tall.

The building is anticipating to be finished and ready for a move-in sometime early in 2014, he added, and is scheduled to be located off Woodloch Forest Drive and Lake Robbins Drive, west of the first tower.

While plans haven’t been finalized, the building is set to only house Anadarko employees and not have office space leased to other businesses, Christiansen stated.

Source: woodlandsonline.com

Beware of these tax errors

Interesting Tax Fact: In 1940, instructions for FORM 1040 were two pages long. Currently the instructions for Form 104EZ are nearly 40 pages long…how EZ can it be?

Is this you at tax time?

Individual taxpayers spend 3.5 billion hours each year doing their taxes and 60% of Amercians have a preparer deal with their taxes. Either way, be prepared and you will avoid confusion and save on man hours!

If you or someone you know is considering buying a home and would like more information on neighborhoods or specific properties, give The Chappell Team a call today! 281-863-9134