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2013/06/17 Th i s W e e k i n H u n t s v i l l e City news, features and updates Photo of the Week: Sam Houston Statue Facebook contest submission Visit the “Sam Houston Statue” Facebook page for more infor- mation on an ongoing photo contest - winners will be selected from three categories! Also, check out pages 2- 3, featuring extensive information on the Millionth Person campaign, the photo contest and more! Municipal Settings Designation Creative solution clears land for potential development During its regular meeting on June 4, the City Council voted to create a Municipal Setting Designation for property near the intersection of Avenue I and Sam Houston Avenue, a decision that will make development of the proper- ty a more financially feasible option. According to Aron Kulhavy, Director of Community and Economic Development, the MSD ordinance restricts groundwater use for a specific portion of the land on the northwest corner of the intersection, allowing for a less expensive contamination cleanup that is in line with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards. “This is the first Municipal Settings Designation the City of Huntsville has ever done, and we discovered the option through working with Modern Geosciences, an environmental consultant working with a developer interested in the property,” Kulhavy said. “In doing their due diligence on the property, the consultant firm discovered ground- water contamination above permissible levels due to prior developments on the site. “This designation is a creative solution to an environmental concern – it will allow us to restrict the use of the con- taminated groundwater under this property for potable water purposes to a depth of 400 feet. Without this desig- nation, redevelopment of the site likely would not happen.” How does it work?How does it work?How does it work?How does it work? According to TCEQ, a Municipal Setting Designation is an official designation given to property within a municipali- ty that certifies that designated groundwater at the property is not to be used as potable water due to contamina- tion in excess of applicable potable-water protective concentration levels. The 78th Texas Legislature passed a set of MSD laws in 2003, granting TCEQ authority to receive, process and certify MSD applications to prohibit human contact with contaminated soil and water in the included areas. Upon TCEQ review and certification, notices will be sent to anyone with a registered water well and water utility districts within five miles of the development, which will include both Walker County SUD and Phelps SUD. “All current property owners have acknowledged this request on the property,” Kulhavy said. “Also, as we outlined in our ordinance, this will have no effect on the City’s water supply. “There is a public drinking water source capable of supplying drinking water both to the designated property and to property within one-half mile, so residents and businesses will incur no additional cost or in- convenience.” Once TCEQ has reviewed and certified the MSD ordinance, the devel- oper of the property can move forward with the cleanup. “By using this economically feasible and more expedient option, the developer can come in, take out the contaminated soil, and make the area safe so that people can physically be on the location without any harm from direct contact,” said Carol Reed, Public Works Director. “This really provides a two-part benefit – the most contaminated soil will be taken out, allowing for development on the property, and the existing contamination will be kept from spreading further.” Future of the propertyFuture of the propertyFuture of the propertyFuture of the property At the February 21 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, a replat of the four parcels of land included in the MSD ordinance was approved, conditional upon staff completing several right-of-way dedication areas and verifications of surveying calls. During the 30 days provided to complete those tasks, Kulhavy said the environmental concerns which led to pursuit of the MSD ordi- nance emerged, adding an additional element to the process of de- veloping the property. “The developer has presented a preliminary replat to P&Z to develop the area as a CVS Pharmacy, but after getting initial approval, we discovered the environmental concerns and had to pursue a solu- tion,” he said. “With this new information, the item will go back for final approval before the plat is filed. “Construction of that type of building, from the time of permitting to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, usually takes about nine months. If everything goes through, we could potentially have a new business in that location in approximately one year.” As Brenda Bowman – the millionth person to sign the guest book at the Sam Houston Statue Visitor Center – stared up at the 67-foot tribute to Huntsville’s famous hero, she felt the admiration that so many have felt before her. “This is just awesome,” she said. “This man was just a gift to this state and to our country, and this statue is a gift that keeps on giv- ing.” Recognizing the value of the statue, which was dedicated to the City of Huntsville on October 22, 1994, the Tourism Department began a nine-month campaign in September 2012 in preparation for that very moment. “We knew that reaching one million registered visitors at the statue would be a significant milestone for Huntsville, so we started the Millionth Person campaign last September to build up momentum,” said Kimm Thomas, Director of Tourism and Cultural Services. “The campaign has been an incredible experience, and the impact has grown to a level we never imagined when we set out. “I think the best part is knowing that this campaign has allowed even more people to see how much Huntsville has to offer, and that the last 18 years of marketing the statue have led to a million visi- tors to our beautiful city.” Building to a millionBuilding to a millionBuilding to a millionBuilding to a million Thomas said the idea for a campaign built around attracting one million visitors was developed over several months and involved the influence of statewide entities and individuals. After considering several options, Thomas contracted with Aglet Media – a Dallas, Texas media firm – to create the Sam Houston Statue One Millionth Visitor Web site, microsite, an accompanying Facebook statue photo campaign and other unique avenues of advertising. “We put information on the Millionth Person campaign everywhere we could think of – from visitors’ centers around the state to news media both in Huntsville and in surrounding cities,” she said. “We publicized not only the millionth person milestone, but also incre- mental celebrations where we recognized four ‘7,000-visitor’ benchmarks as we got closer and closer to one million. “Celebrating those critical points helped us keep the momentum going and build enthusiasm toward reaching our Millionth Per- son, and each individual who helped us reach another 7,000- visitor mark received a free iPad.” The four 7,000-visitor celebrations – held between February and May – allowed waves of visitors during Spring Break and National Tourism Week to be a part of the Millionth Person campaign. “The months and weeks leading up to our Millionth Person were very exciting and very stressful,” Thomas said. “It was just excit- ing to see where the count was week after week, especially dur- ing Spring Break because we always get an abundance of visitors around that time. After that week, the momentum really started to build because we knew we were getting close, and the great thing about it was seeing a lot of local people who had never been to the statue get to be a part of those final weeks.” Minutes to a MillionMinutes to a MillionMinutes to a MillionMinutes to a Million The entire staff of the Sam Houston Statue Visitor Center knew that the work week beginning May 20 would be a significant one, as they slowly neared their final goal. “On May 22, the day before we reached our goal, we had a group of 80 people come in and ended up closing with 999,989 signa- tures in the book,” she said. “We were 11 away, but all we could do was close and wait for the next morning.” On May 23, the Statue Visitor Center opened for business at 9 a.m., amidst announcements on KSAM, Facebook and Houston television stations including KBTX that the Millionth Person cam- paign was about to reach its peak. “When we opened, we got our normal flow of people, and we had a few special gifts planned for the last few visitors to arrive be- fore our one million mark, including gifts from Starbucks, Three Spoons and the Farmhouse Café,” Thomas said. “When visitor number 999,999 had signed the book, my staff – as well as sev- eral local media representatives – was ready to catch the mil- lionth person as he or she entered the Visitor center.” At 9:19 a.m., Brenda Bowman – who was traveling from her home in Buffalo, Texas to Cleveland, Texas with her husband, Clarence – walked into the Visitor center. After signing the guest book and officially bringing the visitor count to the Sam Houston Statue to 1,000,000, Bowman re- ceived a $500 check and posed for commemorative photos with Mayor Mac Woodward, Hotel Occupancy Tax Board chair and former Councilmember Dalene Zender, former Huntsville City Manager Gene Pipes, Keith Benthall, the Sam Houston Statue welder, and the staff and volunteers from the visitor center. “I heard last night on KBTX that there were only 11 people to go before the millionth visitor, and I was sure they’d already reached 1,000,000 people, but I told my husband to pull in anyway,” she said. “I just can’t believe it was me!” Bowman said she planned to use the $500 to help her husband buy new tires for a 1953 Chevrolet he restored. Sam Houston Statue reaches one millionth visitor Brenda Bowman of Cleveland, Texas stands in front of the Sam Houston Statue after becoming the millionth person to sign the facility guest book. “We dated in a car like that when we were in high school – I actually have a picture of it,” she said. “This is exactly what he needs to get new tires, and I want to spend this money on some- thing we can enjoy for a long time.” $10,000 Millionth $10,000 Millionth $10,000 Millionth $10,000 Millionth Person drawingPerson drawingPerson drawingPerson drawing The celebration did not end with Bow- man – in fact, an even bigger collec- tion of cash and prizes had yet to be claimed by the lucky person chosen at random from all the visitors who had come to the statue during the campaign. Marcia Williams, a Missouri City, Texas resident, was the lucky person whose name was drawn from a pool of thousands, and on May 30, she returned to Huntsville to collect over $10,000 in cash and prizes. “When I first got the call, I thought they wanted to talk to me about turning 65 on August 8 – I hadn’t heard the original voicemail that Kimm left me,” she said. “I had just come to Hunts- ville on a tour a couple of weeks before because everyone else was. “It’s funny, because even before I knew I’d won, I told my friends, ‘I want to come back to Huntsville,’ and now I get the chance!” Thomas said the experience of giving Williams the extensive prize package – which included $5,000 in Visa gift cards and products from all over Huntsville – was a joyous opportunity. “Being able to surprise her with that level of honor made the expe- rience so incredible, and then learning about her as a person and hearing about her history made it even better,” she said. An Ongoing CelebrationAn Ongoing CelebrationAn Ongoing CelebrationAn Ongoing Celebration The Facebook photo contest, which opened at the culmination of the campaign, is still open to any interested participants, and Thomas said she hopes to see a wide variety of submissions. “Our push right now is our Facebook photo contest, which is open until September,” she said. “We want to encourage anyone with photos that include the statue to get those submitted on the Web site, as we will have three winners in different categories – the photo with the most ‘likes,’ the oldest photo and the most creative photo. “There have been some incredible entries so far, and we’re all very excited to see what our participants can come up with.” Thomas said the Statue Visitor Center staff is also beginning the process of planning for the 20th anniversary of the statue, which is only a year and a half away. “By the time the Millionth Person campaign has come to a close, we will have reached a completely new chapter of the statue’s his- tory – the 20th anniversary of when artist David Adickes dedicated the statue to the City of Huntsville,” she said. “Our goal for that milestone is to place footprints leading out to the statue, spelling out Sam Houston’s timeline and the major events in his life.” Overall, Thomas said the best part of the Millionth Person cam- paign was the chance to show off the copious attractions the City of Huntsville has to offer. “Our city has so much more to offer than people often realize,” she said. “This series of events afforded us a chance to highlight not only the Sam Houston statue, but all of our museums, our green spaces, our parks, and everything else we have to offer both to visitors and to citizens.” For more information on the Sam Houston Statue Visitor Center & Gift Shop, visit www.huntsvilletexas.com. Marcia Williams of Missouri City, Texas was the lucky winner of over $10,000 in cash and prizes when her name was drawn in the Mil- lionth Person raffle. Thoughts from City Manager Matt Benoit Before I became the City Manager of Huntsville, I had driven by the Sam Houston statue many times, but I didn’t realize how important an attraction the statue was to the City, or how repre- sentative it is of our culture and what we have to offer as a com- munity. From our appreciation of local and Texas history, to the artistic talent we boast among our residents, to the many surprising and exciting features we have available for visitors and guests, Huntsville is just as unique and worthy of attention as a 67-foot tribute to an American hero. The accomplishment of bringing one million visitors to the Sam Houston statue just verifies what our residents already know – if you haven’t been to Huntsville, you’re missing out. The great part about promoting tourism is that it brings visitors into a city that they might know only a fraction about, giving our local business owners, restaurant operators and our natural beauty a chance to turn those guests into potential residents. I would surely miss one or dozens of individuals in an attempt to thank all those responsible for this statue’s construction and impact on our city. However, I want to make sure to acknowledge the staff and volunteers of the Sam Houston Statue Visitor Cen- ter and Gift Shop. It is due in great part to their efforts, both dur- ing the Millionth Person campaign and for almost 20 years since the statue’s dedication, that so many people from around the world have enjoyed one of Huntsville’s distinctive charms. Reaching one million visitors is, without question, something our entire community should be proud of. Nearly two dozen members of the Huntsville Police Department completed an active shooter training course in May, and three members took the training further in a special June session. According to HPD Sergeant Eric Scott, the department person- nel took part in Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) – a Texas State University - San Marcos pro- gram – in late May, taking away techniques to be applied in real time situations to save lives and neutralize threats. “The ALERRT training prepares our department to respond to any type of active shooter situation in order to stop the killing as soon as possible,” Scott said. “Whether someone shows up on campus or at Wal-Mart, our officers will now be better prepared to control the threat and bring the incident to a close.” According to the TSU Web site, ALERRT is a “dynamic two-day, 16-hour program that includes tactical team movements and building approaches, active shooter vs. barricade/hostage ne- gotiation, survival stress reaction, low-light techniques, rescue team tactics, improvised explosive device training, safety brief- ing, and force-on-force practical exercises.” On May 20-21, Senior Officer Broderick Davis, Sergeant Jose Valles, Sergeant David Collins, Sergeant Roy Moore, Corporal Cameron Mattison, Senior Officer Joe Martinez, Senior Officer/ Detective Marvin Hyvl, Senior Officer/Detective Scott Mitchell and Senior Officer/Detective David Johnson attended ALERRT training at Sam Houston State University. On May 22-23, Sergeant Slavin Richards, Corporal Tim Watson, Officer Brad Standerfer, Senior Officer Thomas Dawson, Officer Shani Milliner, Officer Kim Eikenberg, Senior Officer/Detective Lance Schulz, Corporal Scott Bennett, Senior Officer/Detective Todd Lewis, Sergeant Jeff Dugas, Sergeant Eric Scott, Officer Taylor Wil- kins and Senior Officer/SRO Zach Duer also completed the ALERRT training. On June 5-6, three members of the Huntsville Police Department took their ALERRT training a step further, learning critical ways to provide medical assis- tance to victims of live shooter events. Sgt. Collins, Det. Schulz and Officer Duer participated in Active Shooter Level II training, which – according to the TSU Web site – prepares first responders to save the lives of victims harmed during live shooter events through formal practice in casualty care techniques. “Day one consisted of ‘Self-Aid/Buddy-Aid’ techniques, and day two consisted of ‘force-on-force’ mass casualty scenarios,” said HPD Det. Schulz. “We learned quite a bit of information on how to treat gunshot wounds, establish casualty collection points, conduct triage and work with EMS and Fire personnel.” According to HPD Chief Kevin Lunsford, continued education and training are of high value to the department. “Training such as the ALERRT program is extremely important for our officers and for the community we serve,” he said. “We are always looking for ways to better prepare our officers to respond to whatever situation they may encounter.” For more information, contact Scott at (936) 291-5497 or visit www.alerrt.org. HPD participates in active shooter, victim assistance training Help citizens register to vote by becoming a Volunteer Deputy Regis- trar. Volunteer Deputy Registrars (VDR) promote voter registration most commonly at community events and within their own social net- works. They distribute voter registration applications and while the appli- cant is still present, reviews the application for completeness. They also provide a receipt to show proof of registration and deliver applications to the Voter Registrar within 5 days of completion. “Helping citizens register to vote is a rewarding activity that makes a real impact on our community,” said Walker County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar, Diana McRae. “Attendance at only one session is required for residents to become Volunteer Deputy Registrars. Each gathering in- cludes mandatory training through the Secretary of State’s office.” To volunteer, you must be 18 years old or older and must attend the re- quired training session. During training, you will review the qualifications to become a VDR, learn how to register voters correctly and be officially sworn-in. “Acceptance of the duties of a VDR places you in a position of trust and responsibility to the citizens you will register to vote,” McRae said. The Walker County Voter Registration Department is holding a total of four training classes from 2:00pm - 4:00pm at the Walker County Annex Room 101. The first class was held on June 12, and the remaining classes will be held on July 17, August 14 and September 18.July 17, August 14 and September 18.July 17, August 14 and September 18.July 17, August 14 and September 18. Space is limited. If you are interested and would like more information, please call 436-4959, come by the Annex Room 114, or visit us on the web at www.co.walker.tx.us by selecting Tax A/C, then Voter Registration Department. News from the Walker County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registration Office: Community Ties Where’s Waldo? Attention all residents! The City’s Emergency Management Coordinator, John Waldo, is pictured above at a City facility - can you guess where? The first citizen to call (936) 291-5413 and tell us where Waldo is pictured will get the chance to suggest the location of the next Where’s Waldo? photo shoot. We’ll give you a couple of hints: There will be summer classes held in the building, and Waldo’s hand is stuck in an incinerator.