Blog entries - December 2009

Athletic Dreams Opens in Pearland

Greg Rivera — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:54:42 +0100

For most of his life Les Wincher has been involved in sports, from playing football at Dobie High School, to being a collegiate tight end for Texas-El Paso, and moving into the ‘pro ranks’ for the NFL in Europe and Canada, to getting his Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Now he is bringing his love and expert knowledge of sports and training to Pearland with Athletic Dreams training facility.

Wincher was inspired by Pearland’s love of sports and decided to open his new business in the thriving and growing city. The 16,000 sq ft facility at 3216 Broadway in Pearland used to be a 99 Cent Store, but what the building now houses for athletes is priceless. Athletic Dreams is a unique training facility created to help people of all ages, at all levels, and in every area of sports fitness.

Athletic Dreams will have a dietician on site, along with a nutritionist and personal trainers. “Our trainers have athletic backgrounds, a couple of our trainers played for the UCLA in volleyball, one played with Colorado in football. They have the background, they know what it takes to be the best, and that’s what I want to bring,” Wincher shared. Most employees will be subcontracted with five full time employees. These are all the tools that anybody would need to lose weight, gain muscle, to tone up, and “to be more explosive” as Wincher puts it.

The building’s interior was rebuilt by Brian Williams’ Renovative Construction Services, LLC. Where they used to sell dollar items you can now find top of the line equipment that will prepare athletes to be at the top of their game. The facility now holds netted batting cages, open space for fielding and hitting, five Iron Mike pitching machines that can hold 300 softballs or 400 baseballs, and two Beta pitching machines that can pitch up to 115mph. They also offer equipment that teaches kids how to slide, Power Bags to teach kids to bat with a strong follow through. Athletic Dreams has “all the top line equipment, everything you need to train like a pro.”

“(Playing pro football) was a great experience; I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Athletics involves discipline, and I’m big on discipline,” Wincher shared. His love of sports has brought him here and he is ready to share that discipline and his lifelong dream. “To me, playing athletics is a dream, it’s a happy dream. Athletic Dreams is a sports training facility. We train football athletes, baseball, softball, track… we do personal training for adults and youth - anybody that wants to get faster, more explosive. We help you lose weight, tone up, we do it all.”

Let your Christmas Tree Be a “Double” Blessing

Cheryl Boe — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:36:31 +0100

Again this year, Pearland area residents have an alternative option for recycling their Christmas tree.

All area residents can take “cleaned” trees to the Stella Roberts Recycling Center, 5800 Magnolia, from December 26 thru January 21, Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please do not leave any trees when the center is closed.

On Thursday, January 21, these trees will be taken to the beaches of Brazoria County for the Dunes Day Project, and used to rebuild the sand dunes and restore the beaches.

To volunteer for the Dunes Day Project, call the County Extension office at (281) 756-1564, ext. 116

Source: City of Pearland

Sign up for City of Pearland Alerts and Information

Cheryl Boe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:16:56 +0100

Lakes of Savannah residents can sign up to receive email announcements regarding City of Pearland news, road construction, job postings city council agendas and more.

While Lakes of Savannah is not located within Pearland City limits, but rather the extra-territorial jurisdictions (ETJ), city news is important and helpful to all areas surrounding the city limits.

Visitors may select their own choice of topics for alerts.

To Sign up visit www.cityofpearland.com/signup or contact the City’s public affairs dept at Dschielke@ci.pearland.tx.us

Kelsey-Seybold to Offer Specialty Care at 2nd Clinic in Pearland

Greg Rivera — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:25:45 +0100

Kelsey-Seybold Clinic plans to open a second Pearland location, doubling its clinical space and expanding its medical staff to offer more quality care with increased convenience.

According to Forbes magazine Pearland is the fastest growing community in the Houston metropolitan area and ranks 34th in the nation for population growth. With an outlook for reaching the community the clinic will expand, as Dr. Spencer Berthelsen, Chairman of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, shared “As Pearland continues to experience fast-paced growth, we are responding to the community’s health care needs by increasing the availability of both primary care doctors and specialists with the opening of a second location.”

The new location – Shadow Creek Ranch – will open in early 2010 at the Pearland Medical Plaza at Shadow Creek Parkway and Texas Highway 288. The 10,000 sq ft facility will be a multi-specialty center that will offer services such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and Internal Medicine. It will also offer routine diagnostic and ancillary services including x-ray, laboratory and ultrasound services.

The expansion will create 25 new jobs, giving Kelsey-Seybold some 60 employees in Pearland, making it one of the largest employers in the city. Six of the new positions will be for staff doctors, increasing their number of doctors to 12 in the area. But Nicholas Ro, Vice President of Strategic and Legal Affairs shared, “We continue to have plans to grow our own physician base down in Pearland, so we’re not going to stop at 12.”

With six physicians at the Silverlake location practicing family medicine and pediatrics the original Kelsey-Seybold clinic in Pearland will continue to offer primary care services for the whole family. This is part of the goal of Kelsey-Seybold - to offer convenience and complete care to area residents. “Many of our Pearland patients work downtown or in the Texas Medical Center,” Berthelsen said. “We offer convenient locations downtown and at our Main Campus near the Texas Medical Center as well as Pearland. Our patients can choose the location that’s most convenient to them, and still maintain continuous access to their personal health information through our electronic medical records system.” With two great locations to serve you and your family, you can find ‘Your Doctors for Life’ in your home city of Pearland.

For more information or to find a physician please visit: http://www.kelsey-seybold.com/

Source: www.hcnonline.com/pearland_journal

Pauluhn Electric of Pearland Has a New Parent Company – But Jobs Will be Retained

Greg Rivera — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:16:26 +0100

Pauluhn Electric of Pearland will see some changes coming soon – its parent company has just changed from Federal Signal Corporation to Cooper Crouse-Hinds. Thankfully that is all that will change and it will not affect the company’s 80 person workforce.

Pauluhn, located at 1611 North Main in Pearland, has been operating since 1924, producing marine, offshore, mining and industrial lighting solutions using the latest advancements in lighting science. “Pauluhn has a strong reputation for innovative products and excellent quality,” Kirk S. Hachigian, CEO of Cooper Industries shared. “This acquisition further extends Crouse-Hinds’ access to several key end markets, including marine, mining and offshore drilling.”

Cooper Crouse-Hinds, a subsidiary of Cooper Industries PLC, bought the company for $35 million. Federal Signal was pleased with the transaction and is hopeful for the growth opportunities it will provide. “We are pleased to have completed the sale of Pauluhn to Cooper Industries,” President and chief executive officer of Federal Signal William Osborne shared. “We intend to invest the proceeds from the sale transaction in growth opportunities faced by our public safety businesses.”

And the change should be a good fit for the employees of Pauluhn and continue to be a solid business in the Pearland community. Osborne concluded, “Pauluhn is a good fit with Cooper Industries and I am confident that Pauluhn will continue to deliver the high-quality products and service their customers have come to expect from tem. We wish them continued success.”

Pearland Shadow Creek Parkway Improvements on Their Way

Greg Rivera — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:17:02 +0100

Pearland City might see some changes making their way through town if the newly proposed expansion to Shadow Creek Parkway gets underway. The Texas Department of Transportation recently shared a proposal to area residents and local officials which detailed plans for road improvements, namely widening the road to address traffic congestion and safety.

“If approved, FM 2234 (Shadow Creek Parkway) will be expanded to four lanes from FM 521 to SH 288,” Project Manager Kyle Bertrand shared during a TxDoT presentation. The proposed changes would include three miles within the existing right of way in Brazoria and Fort Bend Counties, and the project would total $18.5 million.

“The road improvements will help reduce traffic congestion,” Bertrand shared. This will be beneficial as the road has seen 23 accidents and 3 fatalities in the last three years, which TxDoT official Karen Coopersmith commented on during the presentation, “Safety is one of the biggest problems to be addressed by the proposed improvements.”

Creating a safer and easily travelled road for Pearland is top priority, but ensuring that concerns for the public and local business owners are addressed is pertinent. As Pearland City Councilman Scott Shermann explained, “This is a highly travelled road and it is clear that the traffic volumes will be increasing in the next few years rather than decreasing. That said, in order for this to be a successful project, TxDoT needs to listen to the concerns of the business owners along 2234…and appropriately deal with the concerns. While the expansion of 2234 is a necessary and important project we cannot afford for it to occur to the detriment of the business owners who have chosen to establish their businesses on the roadway.”

The initial plans indicate that no businesses or homes would have to be relocated, and that no noise barriers would need to be constructed. Other concerns which still need to be addressed included comments on potential problems with the driveways and median cuts, as well as the possibility of installing a red light at the entrance to Nolan Ryan Junior High, and the necessity to accommodate the needs of the Second Baptist Church currently under construction.

“This is a wonderful idea,” said state representative Dr. Alma Allen. “I am in support of the road changes. This portion of my district is growing very quickly and traffic is a problem. Any road improvement in this area is something I support.” And Allen is not the only one – project officials hope to move forward with the changes to create a road and area that is welcoming and safe for current and future residents.

Source: www.hcnonline.com/pearland_journal

Outdoor Ice Skating in Pearland!

Greg Rivera — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:49:42 +0100

Lakes of Savannah residents can enjoy a taste of winter at Pearland Town Center!

5,000 square feet of frozen ice will flank Pearland Town Center’s square from December 3 through January 10, 2010. 10 miles of cooling tubes, 200 tons of refrigeration and 3 inches of ice are maintained at a chilly 22 degrees to create an outdoor ice rink.

Ice skating at Pearland Town Center is available as follows:
School days    4 pm – 10 pm
Holidays         11 am – 10 pm
Saturdays       11 am – 10 pm
Sundays          noon – 8 pm
Christmas Eve      11 am – 8 pm
Chirstmas day            4 pm – 8 pm
New Years Eve           11 am – 8 pm
New Years day           11 am – 10 pm

Visit www.PearlandIceSkating.com for more information.

Pearland Christmas festivities

The City of Pearland’s Park and Recreation Department will host a fun filled weekend December 5 – 6, 2009 at Pearland Town Center.

On Saturday, December 5 the center will feature a gift market and food vendors from 10 am – 10 pm, live music from 4-7 pm, a “movie under the stars” viewing of Polar Express at 7:30 pm and horse drawn carriage rides from 7 – 10 pm

Sunday, December 6 brings cookies and milk with Santa at 1 pm, a meet and greet with Frosty the Snowman and a gingerbread man from 2-4 pm, live music from 2-3:30 pm featuring Mary Sarah and a live concert from 4-6 pm featuring Silverlake Elementary & Kids Backporch Productions

Visitors can also register to win an 8 ft toy filled stocking!

For more information visit www.PearlandParks.com