woody_hawkeye

I wish we had a county wide means of controlling the tree destruction.

Do not expect this to be the only one. There are numersous rumors around that they are going to buy up everything they can get, including 2978 and Kuykendahl acreage. The development company has been out inquiring about more than the timberlands.

In The Woodlands? Can I take that with me to the governance forum? I will sure remember it.

A very small step but a step. We do not need annual events. Instead, we need ongoing programs. We do not need to save a facility but we do need to save our kids. There is great potential for the area around and including the recreation center. The planned community does not support teens. What can we do that will really make a difference?

Add more overpasses? They cost a bundle! Research Forest or maybe 242 is probably the best candidate for a second overpass.

Admittedly we have problems with teens. Do you live in the north of town? This thread is about The Woodlands and far north area. You are quite incorrect in your generalkization about all the crime being a result of our teens. Your experiences notably are with teens but they are incidents, not the experiences of a large number of people. White? Who is white? An Irish immigrant? A Hispanic? Who is black? A Hispanic American? An Afro American? Someone of French descent? You did not mention anyone red? How about someone yellow? I am sorry. You have a oolored racist attitude in your words.

People living near 2978 have options but they live in the back and the time to get there is part of their bargain. I know of no plans to build an expressway. That would ruin The Woodlands. Traffic needs to be better distributed. To do that, Research Forest or better yet, Lake Woodlands needs to be enhanced to move more traffic. 242 still can hold a lot more traffic. The Woodlands Pkwy is designed to move traffic at 45 MPH with coordinated traffic lights. Apparently Kuykendahl is not one of those coordinated signals. The time will come when Kuykendahl will need to do the same and have a coordinated system of lights. I see people speed all the time only to cause congestion at the lights, because all of them have to clear out of a stopped position to continue on their journey.

I live on a park in TW and I see police chases in the woods at times from my back window. That goes with the territory. Also we have people coming in from outside TW all the time to enjoy the park. Therefore, I often have total strangers just behind my fence. I have tightened security at the house to mitigate the apparent higher risk of crime than a normal neighborhood.

Ditto for me

Standard of living is not better according to the people I know there. To know what yoru money will buy, just look at the prices. The prices are the same as here on many things, so now look at the value of the Canadian dollar. Last I checked there was quite a difference, so the American dollar does not go nearly as far there as here. OK now, is their crime rate any better than here? I seriously doubt it. Our criminals escape to there.

Not sure Creekside is in CSD. In fact, I doubt it. Isn't it in Harris County?

Face it, we live in a new world. Even when I was young, I recognized tyhe need to speak both English and Spanish. Now that we have a huge spanish speaking population, the need has grown to huge proportions. Anyone not telling their children that they need to know that language is hurintg their children's future. I did learn it in high school and college, although not until a few years ago did I realize that education must be in real life practice, not in textbooks. We now understand more about forcing the English language on immigrants. They do need to learn English but it will be their second language forever, if they are not under about 12 years old. English as a second language means you cannot go as deep into expression as you can with your first language. Native born Americans used to think that other cultures were stupid. I hope now everyone understands this. They are not stupid and in fact, often exceptionally smart and overcome diversities that most native born Americans would not have a clue how to do. Illegal immgration is not really the issue on this particular subject. We have many legal residentws in this situation. It is so sad to go to San Antonio or other parts of Texas and run across hispanics who can not speak Spanish. It is because their parents were made ashamed of their heritage. In my mind, those people failed to successfully immigrate due to discrimination. Every literate hispanic should be proud of his heritage and ability to read and write his language. Not all are literate but these days, most are.

BIG difference between the resident initiative in Kingwood and the professional business-oriented project management in The Woodlands.

We get diversity in The Woodlands out of this. However, nature surely suffers as a result. Yes, these type of architectures are appealing to some (not me) who I am afraid will move to other areas of The Woodlands and try to change the neighborhoods. And yes, we have deed restrictions but like one of my neighbors said after I was shocked by her changes to her yard, " it was lacking a theme". So the couple replaced the vegetation with palm trees and conventional sunlit plantscape. Oh yes, there were many tree limbs and small trees that went down. I am unsure if any large ones were cut, because I believe the prior owner managed to remove them. Second and third generation house owners are a threat to the community's forest.

This is not true. A city can be composed of parts of several counties. Houston currently has the right to annex The Woodlands, but we probably will seek our own incorporation. The research and decision making continues to progress.

We are skeptical about the park. Right now, the area is a haven for deer and wildlife. I will hate to see a place made for humans at the expense of the aniimals. We seem to have to drive out wildlife in our quests for fun spots. I may be wrong and hope that I am. Today, one can see the deer grazing in the creek areas and it is very soothing to see them thrive amidst all the building activities. I just cannot see them surviving with the trails and people in their habitat.

I live in a Life Forms, but a little later... circa 1995 VINTAGE. Basically, they built the houses out of cedar, using board dimensions that are difficult to find. Maybe someone else knows of a local lumber yard which has the materials for rep[airing these homes. I found some and have been a little lucky but then again, once I could not find any boards and had to have them custom made. I like the feel of living in the woods. My living room istwo stories and I can loop at the birds and squirrels in the tree tops and lower from my sofa. IN our bedroom, I can watch the squirrels play in the tree limbs in my backyard in the morning from my bed. The woodpeckers often will wake me in the morning. There are two varieties which routinely visit the backyard. The canopy shades my home and cuts the cost of electricity in the summer. The downside is the coldnes of the high ceilings for a couple of months in the winter. We normally do not spend much time in the living rom in the winter as a result, but the rewst of the house is cozy in the winter. I supose I am saying that we have a summer home and a winter home all in one.

On the most part, the teens at Market Street are there because their friends are there. Apparently, various posters here have different personal experiences in their own lives, regardless of generation. All teens easily get bored. I would rather my children be at market street than in someone's home whom I do not know. What pot smoking occurs is relatively sparse judging from my own visits to the complex. I have talked to store owners and no one wants to exclude the kids. Then too, no one wants the kids to get into things they should not. I see some posters believe it is the reponsibility of the parents to hold the kids hands. I am sorry, but a 15-16 year old is learning independence and experimenting with their social skills. They need to be among peers and not be supervised too close. Control drives them underground. Market street seems to have reached a point in their policing and policies where the extreme misbehavior can be managed and the normal teen can co-exist with adults. After all, that is what we all seek, is it not? Teens must be included, not excluded by adults. Every person whether a teen or an adult is different and relevant to o ur society. Most of them wo I know are excellent people, seeking their place in this world. We have failed to provide them a venue for this, so they have found their own. Thank goodness Market Street is trying to work all this out. Adults who try to exclude the kids from their presence are likely to exclude other groups as well due to a discriminating frame of mind.

I have to admit, most of the comments I see here reveal a lack of knowledge of The Woodlands. Let's take a look at it. The Woodlands is a master planned community of many varied incomes. (98% or more have comparable incomes as many parts of middle class Houston (lower to middle middle class). The teens here are very normal. I would classify many of them as better behaved and better dressed than most places. However the teens are sensitive to fashion. Adults who criticize them and call them names are simply a reflection of themselves in the past. There has never been a generation that I know of where the teens did not dress differently then the parents. Talk to one of these children and one will fnot find a prostitute in the clothing that stereotypes them in the mind of the adult. In fact, the adult as seen through the childs eyes, when criticizing their dress, might surprise many. Generally the children will congregate to talk to friends they see. This is a normal social behavior, one that I had, my children had, my parents had and generations afterwards and in between. What brings these kids to Market Street? One or two commentators in this thread has a pretty good handle on it. They need independence and social contact with their friends. If you go join a conversation in one of those groups "loitering" around the place, one finds conversations on who is doing what ... gossip and even deep thinking about current day topics. Now the pot .... yes there is some among the teens here. No different than anywhere else. Not to be condoned, but certainly nothing to differentiate the children here from anywhere else in America. This master planned community which is touted as one of the best in America, lacks teenager facilities and activities. What is so wrong with the teens hanging out in a "publc" place. Some say Market Square is not public because it is a private business place. But I beg to differ with that definition. A public place is where one is allowed to go for whatever reason. If it is for business, it is a public place, unless there are restrictions for heath or legal reasons. There is nothing wrong with closing the place after hours to all people. But the rules should apply universally, not to a certain age group nor to a certain race. Our maturing children here deserve to be treated as humans with the same dignity as adults. They are growing to adulthood and need to learn to be part of the community, not be rejected by the community in which they live. They must have places that do not cost much. For heavens sake, to break that bordom, many of them like to party at homes. There they will drink and do things that we do not wish for them to do. In these public places, on the most part, they are not hurting anyone or business. If enough of them are there, there will be a statisical issue because of mental issues with some, as in in any population. There will be occassional fights or other incidents. This is teenagehood, the same as I lived through and you at the local drve-in root beer stand, or the local coffee shop or the local arcades. They are at the mall and in the parking lots throughout the community, creating their own gathering places. It is much better to have supervised gathering places. I have been at Market Street many times with my own children and observed many children, some of whom I know and many others I do not know. They are our future and they will make up the backbone of America when many of us are gone. I feel ashamed of adults when they take a stand against our children, as if to say, "I am better than they", when in reality, when looking in the closets of the adults, there will often be hideous acts covered up as adults and as children. Those who throw the stones are often the ones who deserve the stones thrown at. Come see these "rich" juvenile delinquents in person. I bet you meet some really nice kids. You might meet one or two also who own their own cars and work to keep them up. Of course, these are older than 17. Under 17 kids will soon be restricted from the Market Street complex after 7PM. The ingredients are there for a disaster. Hopefully the store owner association there will discover the error of their decisions, to restrict access, but for me, this policy tells me that the management there have a problem of some sort which needs to be resolved. If they directed their energy to the pronblems instead of the age group, they might have more success. They could have a bigger problem if the children perceive the adults as stupid, which doesn't take much. They really do not want to give the children reason to retaliate. If they have reason, there is always one or two in a large crowd who will take some action on their behalf (brothers, sisters, even parents). Of all os this, it is hoped that new facilities will come along where teens can go and socialize without being criticized and without being threatened. They are children, not criminals.

Mi Lunas at Kuykendahl and Woodlands Pkw. Primarily Latino but frequented by everyone.

In looking through some Chronicle archives, it appeared to me that the 20 year plan by Harris County includes the Montgomery portion and the Harris county portion of the creek all the way to Lake Houston. Now I have kayaked the creek, and it is normally not navigable. Will they dredge it? I doubt it. Then only the lower portions would be for kayaks and canoes I would guess.

Last time I checked, "family" meant together with your mother, father, siblings, etc. Not creating a Manson "family" mentality where it's "COOL" to smoke a "joint" out in public and dress like 2Pac, while having your group of "thugs" give a "beatdown" because some kid who is not as "cool" as them, may have looked at them wrong. Upbringing of children begins at home, children under the age of 18 have no business being out after midnight, they can do nothing but "get bored" and get into trouble. I bet if all these minors were hanging out in YOUR frontlawn and beatings and drug consuming were going on, you would feel differently. Wow! Such assumptions and stereotypes and cultural narrow vision. Where did you get that definition of family? Check Webster. That would be a good place to learn what family means. It is a relationship, not a rope. Family life is how a family choses to define it. Maybe this is what you were alluding to. Yes, family begins, evolves and is based at home with parents, siblings and other relatives, but it certainly does not end there, nor is it confined to there. You have not lived with teenagers after midnight, I can telll. I might agree if you were to say that a teenager should not be in an unsupervised home late at night. The other statements are purely judgemental with your own assumptions applied. In regard to drugs, there was no pot in the several times I have been at Market Street. . Geez ... go there and experience the place and the people. I was with the kids thispast Friday night at Market Street. What pot? Market Street is just like the mall. I would not be surprised if I searched around, maybe I would find some kid there smoking. It is very common everywhere. I have run acrros kids smoking in parking lots., on the trails and in their homes. You might find a 35 year old smoking if you smell it also. So far, I have not seen a 60 year old smoking pot, but I bet there are some. PLease get off the kids cases and assuming there are a bunch of unconcerned parents allowing their children to go wild. This is not the case that I have seen and I experience the place regularly.

Certainly interesting discussion. Teens are not any different than adults. The first person that tries to make me leave because I am an adult will not like my response, nor any required subsequent responses. I have been with my children as they mingled with the "loitering" crowds, where they sipped a cup of coffee and talked to friends and then maybe went to say hi to someone they know and then maybe to the ice cream place. So what is this hullaboo all about anyway? Yes, a crowd it is on weekends, and as with crowds, there may be some things happen that we do not want to happen. I have heard of people afraid of teen crowds and aggravation by some of their energy and other issues. Geez .... The Woodlands is a family place. Take it up with the developer and the community. If people do not like family life, then maybe this is not the place for them. I noted some folks noting a need for public places for teens. That is exactly what my teens tell me. "Where else will we go?" Want us to be jailed in homes? If you have a teen, you know you do not want them in another home, where there are likely issues with supervision. I was a teenager once, as I well know all of you were also. I am on my 5th and 6th teenagers and have had excellent success, but the home was not ever the issue. It was always the outside and lack of interest and bad influences in the neighborhood. What goes on behind closed doors .. ugh! As a parent I much rather them be socializing outdoors or in a place where there are sure to be responsible adults. These are really nice kids. And sterotyping them by dress codes? Shameful! Styles continously change. Get over it and get aboard. Let's not make the same mistakes parents did in the 70's. How terrible long hair was and those beatniks and drug pushers who did not wear belts! Had to punish them severely and boot them out if they did not follow the parents dress codes. I could write all day on this subject, but it already is boring. Sorry. Teens need socializing. Some are nerds and can live without people. My adult children managed to get through it all as outstanding citizens. I would like something better for my current ones, but adults never change. TW is the worst of any community I have ever lived for providing them a safe haven to live. It certainly has not lived up to its advertised "family community".