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8 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Northwest Houston Edition eNViroNMeNt Neighbors oppose proposed landfill By Marie Leonard Amid the farmland and advertisements for locally grown produce near the intersection of Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 290 in Hempstead, multiple signs from the Stop Hwy. 6 Landfill Coalition have sprouted up in recent months. Georgia-based Green Group Holdings has plans to build a landfill at the site, which would hold between 35 and 38 million cubic yards of trash that would come from a 45-mile radius, which includes Cy-Fair. “There is a need in the Houston metro area for landfills, especially on the western side of the city,” said Ernest Kaufmann, president of Green Group Holdings. Members of the Stop Hwy. 6 Landfill Coalition, which formed a year ago, have concerns about several aspects of the proposed project. “We believe there are a number of issues that would affect our community that are serious and long-term such as traffic and public safety, our source of ground and surface water that we believe could become contaminated, odor, noise and the environment,” said Bill Huntsinger, one of the coalition members. Pintail Landfill will consist of 790 acres—250 of which will hold the waste. The remaining acreage along Hwy. 6 will be developed into an industrial park for manufacturing facilities. “The rest will be set aside by buffers for community recreational activities or other things the county might have in mind,” Kaufmann said. “Eventually we plan to have recycling and other things that will complement the facility.” The issue of depreciating property value is also a concern, since the area on which the landfill will be built is considered one of the premiere intersections in the county, Huntsinger said. “It has great commercial and residential property potential,” he said.” As per the host agreement, Green Group Holdings will offer a property value protection program that covers any homeowners within a mile of the site with 30 acres or less. “If [homeowners] try to sell their property within 10 years after the landfill opens and they can’t get their appraised value, we will make up the difference,” Kaufmann said. Pintail Landfill will accept household and business waste, but no hazardous materials or sewer sludge, Kaufmann said. Regardless, the coalition is still concerned. “Landfills become bigger and taller, and what you see today on the application is not what you should expect to see at the end of its life,” Huntsinger said. The Houston-Galveston Area Council and the state must approve the project before a permit can be issued. The facility is expected to open by 2014. 6 hempstead 290 1488 290 Proposed Pintail Landfill There are several landfills in Harris County that accept residential waste, but they are located on the northeastern side, miles from Cy-Fair. The proposed Pintail Landfill in Hempstead will accept residential waste from a 45-mile radius, which includes areas in northwest Harris County such as Cy-Fair, Spring and Magnolia. 249 SAM HOUSTON About 108 trucks, or one truck every eight minutes, are expected to arrive daily to the proposed Pintail Landfill via Hwy. 6, according to a traffic study completed by Lee Engineering. Before a landfill can be built, a traffic study is required to be completed by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. According to the study, about 23,000 vehicles traveled Hwy. 6 north of Hwy. 290 daily in 2011. source: Green Group holdings, LLC Kids will be Kids. Trust Your Neighborhood NO WAIT When an emergency interrupts your summer plans, trust your local North Cypress Emergency Room. We offer state-of-the-art emergency medical services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week now at three locations. We also provide a full range of outpatient lab and radiology services – close to home. No one cares for you like we do, so why go anywhere else? Main Campus Hwy 290 at Huffmeister 832.912.3500 Emergency Rooms Willowbrook Hwy 249 at Spring Cypress 281.320.8500 Fry Road Hwy 290 at Fry Road 281.949.5100 www.NCMC-Hospital.com | www.NorthCypressER.com North Cypress Medical Center Is A Doctor Owned, Patient Centered Healthcare Institution.
trANsPortAtioN By Marie Leonard The Texas Transportation Commission approved June 28 a $1.9 billion allocation in transportation money, which will help several projects move forward in Northwest Houston. More than $360 million of the allocation will go toward several segments of Hwy. 290 improvements, ranging from reconstruction of the Hwy. 290 and Loop 610 interchange to widened lanes along the corridor. These new funds will accelerate the construction start times to earlier than originally planned, said Karen Othon, Hwy. 290 public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation. All of impactnews.com • July 2012 | NEWS | 9 New state funding to hasten work on Hwy. 290 improvement projects CHANGES COMING TO HWY. 290 Additional money from the Texas Transportation Commission will help jumpstart construction projects on Hwy. 290 by 2014. 1 Widen from 6 Main Lanes to 10 2 Widen from 6 Main Lanes to 12 3 Auxillary Lanes 4 Grade Separation 5 Two 2-lane Frontage Roads 6 Bridge 7 Detention Pond source: txdot Summer Travel Plans Major Purchases Home Improvement 2 Hwy. 290 between Loop 610 and the Grand Parkway is slated to be under construction by 2014, and it is estimated the project will be complete by late 2016. The additional funds will make it possible to widen Hwy. 290 to 12 main lanes from west of Pinemont Drive to west of W. 34th Street. The highway will be widened to 10 main lanes with auxiliary lanes from east of W. Little York Road to west of Fairbanks N. Houston Road, widened to 12 main lanes west of N. Eldridge Parkway to west of FM 529, and widened to 10 main lanes with auxiliary lanes east of Telge Road to west of N. Eldridge Parkway. “I am excited to see some movement happening [with] the Hwy. 290 projects,” 3 4 OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! GOT BIG PLANS THIS SUMMER? We Can Help You With A SUMMER CA$H Loan! We have a loan to t your needs: 281.890.7676 www.cyfairfcu.org 5 1 6 Rates as low as 5.75 APR* Family Trip Bill Consolidation Home Appliances With Up To $25,000 & 60 Months Financing Available, The Summer Is Yours To Enjoy! Plus, Enter To Win A Disney Vacation!** APPLY TODAY! *APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Summer Cash loans are based upon credit approval. Current Cy-Fair FCU Signature Loans are not eligible for Summer Cash loan rates. Other restrictions may apply. Rates are good June 1st – August 31st, 2012. Credit union membership is required before utilizing any product and/or service by establishing a savings account with $10.00. **No purchase necessary. Visit www.cyfairfcu.org for ocial rules and eligibility requirements. % 7 said Leslie Martone, Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce president. “I know it will be a long road ahead of us, but I truly believe the residents of Cy-Fair will be traveling a lot easier in and out of Houston within the next five years.” In May, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a memorandum of understanding with TxDOT to install managed lanes on Hwy. 290 from Loop 610 to the Grand Parkway. The proposed $1.3 billion project calls for building a two or three-lane reversible managed lane for high occupancy vehicles and toll traffic, and includes the addition of a general lane in both directions. “In partnership with Harris County telge rd. SEGMENT 1 1 3 4 5 6 huffsmith rd. N. eldridgr Pkwy. 1960 west rd. 529 Jones rd. SEGMENT 2 2 4 5 Toll Road Authority, TxDOT will be able to move forward with needed improvements to the [Hwy.] 290 corridor from Loop 610 to the [Grand Parkway], which includes the proposed managed lane concept,” Othon said. In addition, several areas around the Hwy. 290 corridor will benefit from the newly allocated money. The FM 1960 and Hwy. 290 intersection will be reconstructed west of N. Eldridge Parkway, along with the Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 290 interchange on the opposite side of the roadway. The additional money was allocated from Texas Mobility Fund bond proceeds, anticipated federal funding and savings on construction projects already underway. 290 SAM HOUSTON SEGMENT 3 1 3 4 5 6 7 w. Little York rd. hempstead rd. Fairbanks N. houston rd. SEGMENT 4 1 3 4 5 Pinemont dr.
Page 1 and 2: Sean Hammerle, Jack Cagle | 12 Coun
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Page 5 and 6: art supplies, home decor, and featu
Page 7: CALeNdAr July 17-Aug. 16 “Postcar
Page 11 and 12: How can we help your business grow?
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