Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

Every member of the Tomball Police department stood waiting outside their building Feb. 27, their badges glistening in the early morning sun.

They weren't preparing to respond to an emergency, rather they had gathered in preparation for the one time a year they could all be together – the annual inspection.

Inspecting them were the departments command staff of Chief Robert Hauck, Cpt. Rick Grassi, Cpt. Anthony Solomon and Cpt. Rickey Doerre, as well as other area law enforcement officials, business owners and community leaders.

"We do this for multiple reasons," Hauck said. First is the opportunity to show off the men and women of our department, the opportunity to allow us to get together with our public safety partners and members of the community and also the feeling of pride that all of us get being together as a whole, for this one time each year."

Hauck said that while the 47 sworn officers and 13 civilian employees were all together, the city received the help of the Harris County Pct. 4 and Montgomery County Pct. 5 Constable Offices, as well as the Harris County Sheriff's Office in patrolling the city.

"We are very grateful for our partners help, it's what allows us to do this inspection each year," he said.

Meanwhile several other officials, including other law enforcement members, talked to the officers, some jokingly trying to hire them away to work for their agencies.

"We have applications with us," Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said to laughter. "Seriously though, this community is very lucky that it has such fine men and women of the Tomball Police Department and to have Chief Hauck as well."

Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Gage said he was grateful his agency has received help from the Tomball Police Department in the past.

"When you all come across that creek to help us, we are so appreciative," he said.

Montgomery County Pct. 5 Chief Deputy David Wood agreed.

"I also live in Tomball, so I have a good view to see what a good job you all do," he said.

Tomball Superintendent John Neubauer said the department's continued partnership with the school district has been a key for school safety.

"It has been a great partnership," he said. "The Tomball Police Department is great and I just want to thank you for all that you do."

Greater Tomball Chamber of Commerce President Bruce Hillegeist said that the key to the department's success is the character of the men and women within the organization.

"You all look handsome in those uniforms," Hillegeist said. "But under those uniforms are what's really important, you all have huge hearts and we are blessed to have you all here."

The Tomball City Council received the annual audit during its regular meeting Mar. 4 and city officials said the results show the city is in sound financial shape. Every year the city is required to have an independent audit of its finances completed by an outside agency.

"The point of an audit is to provide an opinion on the financial statements of the city," said Sara Roberts, of the CPA firm Weaver and Tidwell, who performed the audit.

City finance director Glenn Windsor told city council members that property values increased nearly 18 percent during the last fiscal year – the largest increase in the past five years. Much of the increase is due to Tomball Regional Medical Center being purchased by a private company and becoming a taxable property for the first time.

Sales tax revenues also jumped nearly 18 percent. Officials and financial experts believe the increase in sales tax revenue will continue, as the area is rapidly growing each year.

The general fund balance showed a decrease of nearly $2 million; however that was due to a transfer of more than $2 million to the capital projects fund. Not taking that transfer into account, the general fund had an increased balance of more than $200,000, Roberts said.

Capital projects during the last fiscal year included the completion of Brown-Hufsmith Road, renovations to the main fire station on Quinn Road, as well as a land purchase for the planned Tomball Business Park.

In other business the council approved to waive fees and costs associated with the Lions Club Car Show, which will be held at the Depot Plaza April 21.

Tomball Police Chief Robert Hauck then addressed council about renewing the juvenile curfew ordinance, which must be renewed every three years. The council must hold two public hearings on the issue, before voting to retain it, amend it or drop it all together.

"My recommendation is that we continue the ordinance without change," he said.

The current curfew ordinance states that minors may not be in public during the hours of 12 a.m. until 6 a.m., with some notable exceptions like work, emergencies or running errands for their family. Hauck said that while there doesn't seem to be a big curfew issue within the city, having the ordinance serves as a deterrent.

"It's a reasonably written ordinance," he said.

The council will hold a second hearing on the ordinance during its Mar. 18 meeting.

Lovers of fiddles and steel guitars will be flocking to Tomball Mar. 16, as the city will be holding its second annual Tomball Honky Tonk Music Festival that afternoon.

"It's going to be an afternoon of old style honky tonk music," said Tomball marketing director Mike Baxter. "It's reminiscent of the days of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline – when country was country."

Nearly 1,500 people showed up to the inaugural event last year and Baxter expects more this go around.

Headlining the event is Austin musician Dale Watson, who describes his two decade career as one of a maverick country traditionalist.

Performing first, around noon, will be Miss Leslie & Her Juke Jointers, a group that has appeared at several of the city's events. They will be followed by Country Jim & His Country All-Stars, which features musicians that have shared the stage with legends like Doug Supernaw and Hank Williams Jr.

"(Country Jim) has been performing for more than 40 years," Baxter said.

Rounding out the music festivities will be Amber Digby & Midnight Flyer. Digby and Watson are both new to the event this year.

The concrete patio at the Tomball Depot Plaza will be transformed into a large dance floor, built for two-stepping.

Baxter also said that local favorite's Mel's Country Café and Snookie's Fish Camp will be serving food at the event, while they have lined up nearly 20 merchandise vendors as well. There will also be beer and wine for sale at the event.

Baxter said these events are a good way for the city to show off its unique businesses and it's local flavor to visitors who come in to hear the show.

"The events help bring people to the city, who in turn visit our shops, restaurants and things downtown," he said.

The Tomball Honky Tonk Music Festival will be held Mar. 16, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Depot Plaza. For more information visit www.tomballtx.gov,
or facebook.com/TomballTexanForFun

A local Boy Scout is looking to earn the rank of Eagle Scout by helping restore some historical symbols of Tomball.

Dawson Duerer, a 13-year-old member of Boy Scout Troop 471 at St. Anne's Catholic Church, was searching for an idea to help him earn the Eagle Scout rank. He sought the assistance of Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan, who guided him to Tomball's Public Works Director David Kauffman. After speaking with public works officials, Duerer decided to come up with a plan to restore the concrete street markers found in various locations within the city.

"These are a part of history and I think they need to be preserved," Duerer said.

These markers are a unique feature to Tomball, as the boy’s father said he knew of no other city in the area with them. Many of them are located in the downtown Tomball area.

"There used to be a lot more, like around 50 of them," Duerer said. "Now there are just 14 of them."

Dawson then presented his idea to the city council last month and received high praise for the project. Several people went up to Duerer following the meeting and donated to the project.

"I appreciate you doing this," Councilman Mark Stoll said to Duerer as he donated money towards the project.

Duerer said his first step will be to hold fundraisers to raise the estimated $1,000 he will need to complete the project. Once that is finished, he said he will purchase all the tools and materials needed to strip the old paint from the markers, level the surface of the markers with new mortar and straighten the leaning markers back to a level position. The final step will be repainting the markers white and then stenciling the street name back onto the marker.

With several man hours required to complete the project, Duerer will be seeking help from his family, friends and community members, in order to complete his goal of finishing the project by August.

Once the project is completed, he will begin work on a map and history of the markers.

Duerer said that he wants to keep advancing in scouts, because it has helped to mold him into a young man that cares about his family, friends and community.

"It's helped me grow up," he said. "The things I've learned to do are great."

"It's taught me a lot of responsibility and how to help others."

Tens of thousands of people are expected to pack the streets of Tomball this weekend, for the 13th annual Tomball German Heritage Festival, March 22-24.

"I keep saying this every year, but we are expecting to get bigger and we are adding more quality events," said Grady Martin, president of the Tomball Sister City Organization.

The three day festival will consist of four stages, with more than 400 performers, including bands, musicians, singers and dancers.

"We also will have a bluegrass stage all weekend at the Depot, over by the gazebo," Martin said.

The Alex Meixner Band will be performing all three days, at the Ziegenbock stage. Meixner is a Grammy nominated accordion performer, known worldwide.

"This will be the only performance he has where the public can see him for free," said Martin.

There will also be booths filled with more than 100 vendors, peddling everything from cigars to candy and beer to homemade bratwursts.

"Of course the carnival will be there like always," Martin added.

There will also be a petting zoo, street performers, arts and crafts, a heritage center and a special church service Sunday morning at 10 a.m., near the gazebo.

Martin also said that Saturday morning, at 10:45 a.m., the head of the German Consulate in Houston, Klaus Gluecke and Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan will lead a short walking parade from City Hall to the Depot Plaza, where a ceremonial keg will be tapped in honor of German heritage.

Martin said that the event last year drew close to 40,000 visitors and he expects more this year.

"The city took pictures from Michael 1 (the police department's air unit) last year," he said. "They studied them and then used a state formula and came up with an estimate of 40,000 people last year."

"If we have good weather, then we expect an even bigger crowd this year," Martin added.

The event schedule includes Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with events all over the downtown Tomball area. Admission is free.

"Each year we keep getting bigger and I think it's all because we have shown how great of a place Tomball is to visit," Martin said.

For more information visit www.tomballgermanfest.org.

The city of Tomball is now in the process of tackling what they consider to have been a long standing nuisance within the town – out of control and unregulated signs.

The Tomball City Council passed a new sign ordinance last December that city workers can now enforce. It addresses everything from bandit signs to inflatable signs and provides, what they say, is a uniform system within the city limits.

"It's not a content driven ordinance, with the exception of obscenity," said Tomball City Planner Rebeca Guerra. "This is a sign ordinance that city council asked us to write and we want everyone to know that we are enforcing what they want."

Guerra said that city staffers are in the midst of a campaign to educate business owners about the ordinance. They won't be out handing out fines left and right and say they want to work with business owners, in order to help them get into compliance.

"We are always going to engage them first and let them know about the changes, before we attempt any other means," said Tomball Community Development Director Craig Meyers.

The staff has sent out a flyer to business owners, highlighting the major points of the new ordinance, while also holding a community meeting and enlisting the help of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce.

"The purpose of all of this is outreach," Guerra said. "We want to give them a fair opportunity to fix any inconsistencies."

The new ordinance now prohibits inflatable signs, human or living signs, freestanding temporary signs, attention-getting devices, bandit signs, portable signs and obscene signs. It also will not allow new billboards to be placed within the city limits and if a billboard suffers more than 50 percent damage, it must be removed.

City workers are now working the major corridors, removing signs in the right-of-way, as well as educating business owners that are not in compliance.

"We are not a city that likes to issue violations," Guerra added. "We are trying to talk to people."

She gave an example that there are several businesses in town that only have banner signs, which aren't allowed to be permanent. She said part of the education effort is to let those businesses know that the Tomball Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) has grants available.

"Most folks don't know it, but TEDC can do a matching grant of up to $10,000 for sign improvement," she said.

While the enforcement of the ordinance is just in its infant stages, Guerra said there have already been some successes.

"We have had a great deal of luck in removing many inflatable and human signs," she said. "If people know that we aren't out there just to fine them, they are usually pretty receptive to what we are trying to do. We are never going to take action first, without giving them a chance to correct it."

For information about the sign ordinance, call city hall at 281-351-5484, or visit www.tomballtx.gov. For details about TEDC grants visit www.tomballtxedc.org.

A New Jersey man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault, after Tomball police say he grabbed a woman from her place of work, took her back to his motel room and raped her, March 21.

Jesse Dains, 54, of Newton, N.J., was arrested at the Economy Inn & Suites, on Tomball Parkway, after the victim escaped his room and called police.

Police said that the victim worked at a local bar, where Dains was a customer. They said after the bar was empty, Dains grabbed the woman and forced her to drive him to his motel. Once in the room Dains allegedly beat and sexually assaulted the woman.

Police said that the woman was able to escape, after Daines passed out in the room. She ran to the front desk of the hotel, where the clerk then called 911.

"Upon arrival responding officers located a female victim who outwardly displayed signs of physical and emotional trauma and abuse," a Tomball Police Department press release stated.

The victim told police that Dains was still inside the room, and officers arrested him without incident. He was transported to the Tomball Police Department and questioned. He was later charged with the two felony counts.

Detectives said that Dains visits Tomball on business several times a year and that it appears he frequents that bar when in town.

Bond was set at $30,000 per charge and Dains was transferred to the Harris County Jail. He is set for arraignment in Harris County District Court 262 for April 26.

Firefighters were able to safe the outside of a home gutted by fire in Tomball last week. The home, located at the intersection of Carrell and Peach streets, was ravaged by a fire that started in the garage.

"We were able to stop it as it got into the kitchen," said Tomball Fire Marshal Doug Sanguedolce. "The living room was completely destroyed."

Fire officials said that up to four people were inside the home, as well as two dogs, but all were able to get out safely.

Sanguedolce believes that about 80 percent of the home was damaged and that many of the bedrooms received some heat and smoke damage. Firefighters from Tomball, Spring, Klein and Magnolia spent about four hours at the scene.

Sanguedolce said heavy wind gusts played havoc with firefighters, as they scrambled to put the fire out.

"The wind just blew the fire right into the living room from the garage," he said.

He said that initial investigations point to an electrical fire.

"We are probably looking at some type of electrical short at this point," he said.

Sanguedolce said that he believes at this point that the short might have been caused by the garage door opener, which he said was at least 10-15 years old.

The residents of the home had insurance and fire officials will assist them in getting help if they need it.

"We referred them to several local resources," Sanguedolce said.

A young man with connections to the area has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival in France, after making a powerful short movie about school shootings.

Chase Parker, an 18-year-old student at Sam Houston State has seen a lot of Hollywood in his young life. He was a child actor, a child of actors and the grandson of a star from Hollywood's golden era.

"Both of my parents were actors, my uncle is a writer and actor so I guess it runs in the family," he said.

His grandmother, Eleanor Parker, was an academy award nominated actress that appeared as the Baroness in The Sound of Music.

Chase himself appeared in the sitcom Sunset Beach as a child. When that show was cancelled, his parents made the decision to move to the Houston area, where his family settled in the Tomball, Magnolia and The Woodlands area.

"I think my parents made the right decision," he said. "I was able to have a regular childhood and get away from the fantasy land of Hollywood. I've learned a lot about Southern hospitality here."

He loved the area so much that he decided to attend Sam Houston State and enroll in their new film program. It was there that a professor approached Chase with the idea to make a film to submit to Cannes.

"One of my professors, Tom Garrett, said he thought I was an intelligent kid and that we had an opportunity to submit a film for this," Chase said. "I thought let's go for it."

Chase gathered a couple of writers, Alex Scott and Luke Armstrong and started a three month long process that would ultimately turn into Left Behind, a short 15 minute film that follows the thought process of a possible school shooter.

"I just sat down and thought about things that were heavy topics at the time," Chase said. "Our goal was to, not necessarily show sympathy to a school shooter, but just why someone would do it and what maybe caused them to."

They spent three months writing, holding production meetings, securing equipment, fundraising, shooting the film and editing. They submitted the film to Cannes and waited.

Then weeks later, Chase was asleep early one morning, when he was awakened by the ping of an incoming email on his phone.

"I was actually woken up by the sound of my iPhone, I checked the phone and it snapped me awake," he said. "I opened the email and immediately did a happy dance and started calling everyone involved."

Chase will travel to France next month to participate in the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner, where his film will be judged by the likes of Steven Spielberg.

"I think that is just an honor to have my film looked at by him," he said. "I'm very proud we got into the festival and the other opportunities it has provided."

Other opportunities like having his film specially premiered at the Silverado IMAX Theaters in Tomball earlier this week, or the opportunity to intern with a major film company in the near future. The premiere also featured a trailer for Chase's first full length film, which will be finished later this year.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed, like I can't believe it really happened, but I'm glad it did," he said. "Hopefully I can keep doing this for as long as I want to."

Overall fastest finisher D.J. Snyder is pictured with the Bunny Run Bunny and Tomball mascot Rusty Rails.  For the second year in a row, Snyder set an all-time fastest Bunny Run record with 16:52.7, five seconds faster than his 2012 record breaker. Tomball Marketing Director Mike Baxter said this year's event had a record number of runners, with almost 400 participants racing.