A PUBLICATION OF

Whats Inside:Frequently Asked Questions pp. 4-5

Potential Capital Improvements pp. 6

CHAMPIONS WATER

HCFWSD #52 Newsletter August 2015, Issue 2.

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Created in 1961Champions was created in 1961, which is over 50 years ago. Who would believe we are more than a half a century old? What did our world look like in 1961? Here are some fun facts:

• New York Yankees won the world series

• Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl

• The Houston Oilers were the AFL Champions

Top Quotes:

• “Sorry, Charlie. Starkist wants tuna that tastes good, not tuna with good taste” - Starkist tuna

• “Yabba Dabba Do” - Fred Flintstone

• “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” - President John F. Kennedy

News:• Washington D.C. residents were officially allowed to vote in Presidential Elections, thanks to the

23rd amendment.

• The first Six Flags amusement park opened near Dallas Texas. Named “Six Flags Over Dallas,” it was named after the six different flags which have flown over Texas in the past few hundred years.

• Human rights organization Amnesty International was founded in London.

• Black and Decker introduced the first cordless power drill, powered by nickel-cadmium batteries.

• Pampers disposable diapers were available for the first time.

• Ibuprofen was introduced to the public, and then became available as an over-the-counter drug in 1984.

What will the next 50 years bring; what will the next 20 years bring? What do you want Champions to look like in 20 years? What do we, the Champions community, need to do today in order to prepare for 2035 and beyond? What we do now will insure a bright future for Champions tomorrow.

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Harris County Fresh Water Supply District #52 (the “District”), has been working on a vision plan for the next 20 years. Did you know District covers eleven (11) of the Champions communities? The District has the ability to complete projects outlined in the Vision Plan, and can easily plan multiple projects taking into account all eleven (11) communities. In addition, the Dis-trict can obtain the best possible financing and maintain the projects once they are completed. How-ever, the District cannot do this without your input. We want to hear your vision for Champions 2035.

Because your input is vital to us, we are planning several community townhall vision workshops. The next vision workshop will be held, on August 19, 2015 and at that meeting we will present the final vision draft plan. At this workshop we will refine and finalize the results from the Draft Vision Plan from Workshop III for presentation to the Community. Champions is your community. Please help us plan for its future.

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Journey Through the Pipes: what happens to wastewater

Have you ever asked yourself what happens after the flush. When we think of wastewater, we usually think of sewage. However, it is also comprised of any used domestic water produced from showers, disposals, washers, and sinks. Wastewater can also include any used water and water carried sol-ids from a community that flow to a treatment plant, such as storm water, surface water, and industrial water.

Fact: 99% of wastewater is just dirty water; the other 1% is solids, chemicals, nutrients, fats, and other pollutants.

Most sewer systems operate by gravi-ty flow, which pulls wastewater toward the treatment plant. It first enters the plant at the headworks and passes through preliminary treatment called screening where large objects are trapped and removed for landfill dis-posal. After screening, the wastewater enters a grit chamber to remove heavi-er solids such as rocks, sand, gravel, and other materials, which are also sent to the landfill for disposal. Follow-ing preliminary treatment, the waste-water flows to a primary sedimenta-tion basin where some of the solids are separated from the water. In this phase, the small but heavy particles (such as corn, beans, and other small particles) sink to the bottom as sludge, and lighter materials like fats and oils float to the top for skimming. Both the primary sludge and skimmed material are properly disposed.

The wastewater leaving primary treat-ment then enters the secondary treat-ment process which is a two-phase

process. In the first phase, also called aeration, the wastewater is mixed with air and cultivated microorganisms that consume suspended organic matter such as food particles, human waste, and other organic matter. In the sec-ond phase, the wastewater undergoes another sedimentation process where the microorganisms (called activated sludge) are removed from the fairly clean wastewater.

The activated sludge is either returned to the oxidation ditches to consume more organic matter or is diverted to the digestion process as waste where it is treated and dewatered to reduce pathogens and vector attraction (flies, mosquitoes, rodents). This sludge is referred to as biosolids, which may be beneficially used for land application at agricultural or reclamation sites or dis-posed at the landfill.

The fairly clean water from the second-ary treatment process is sent through a filtration system to remove any fine particles remaining, and then it is ready for disinfection. The most common form of disinfection is chlorine inside a chlorine contact chamber, but other disinfection methods also work such as ozone, ultraviolet light, and perox-ide. For disinfection, the treated water (also known as effluent) is sent through a chamber or series of basins to allow enough time for the chemical or light to kill all the bad microorganisms that were not removed. This effluent is now considered ‘reclaimed water’ and is released back into the environment for beneficial purposes. Reclaimed water does not pose any major concerns for humans or animals since reclaimed water quality standards are stringent, and the water is highly treated.

Bottled Water vs.

Tap Water!By reducing the amount of bottled water you buy, you not only benefit your pock-et book, but the environment. That bot-tle of water from the gas station begins to add up after a while. When looking where to cut back in your budget, ask yourself how much money you spend on bottled water. Many people pay up to $1.50 for a bottled water, that makes it more expensive than a gallon of gas. According to the American Water Works Association, for the same $1.50, you could fill a reusable 20-ounce bottle with tap water every day for more than 13 years! Did you know that 1.5 million barrels of oil are used each year to pro-duce plastic water bottles? Plus, billions of empty water bottles wind up in land-fills each year.

Here are the top 5 reasons why choosing tap water is better than buying bottled water:

1. Tap water is better for the environment

2. Tap water is just as safe as bottled water – probably safer. The Safe Drinking Water Act protects tap water by maintaining strict drinking water standards

3. With tap water, the source is obvious

4. Tap water is much cheaper than bottled water

5. Bottled water doesn’t always mean better taste. A reusable water bottle can be refilled as needed and provides many of the conveniences that bottled water does.

So the next time you are on your way out the door, reach for a reusable bottle of water filled from the tap and save your-self some money.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsWhy are we voting?

Successful communities invest in them-selves so that people want to live in them. That increases property values and home prices. Unsuccessful com-munities do not invest in themselves, which ultimately results in people paying less for property, values go down, and the community deteriorates.

Infrastructure is the foundation on which we build communities. Our infrastruc-ture is coming to a point where it has exceeded or will soon exceed its design life. In order to be good stewards we must invest now to protect our quality of life. We want to bring the community infrastructure, water, wastewater lines, storm sewer lines, and park facilities up to standard. This will make Champions a destination community. These steps will help maintain and grow our property values while improving lives in all Cham-pion communities.

First, A Little History.

For many years the Water Board “stuck to its knitting” and operated the water and sewer systems only. This has been a very successful approach, and we have been able to finance some signif-icant improvements with revenues only, such as a new water well, a couple of major sewer plant rehabs, major water and sewer line maintenance and repairs, and addition of generators to most fa-

cilities. But, as we get older, the system needs more work, some parts of it will need replacement, we face another ma-jor sewer plant rehab or replacement, and changing the source of our water (from well water to surface water) has changed the dynamics of the water sys-tem. The water even tastes different for some people!

It is clear that District 52 will be in ex-istence for at least another 25-30 years since the City of Houston has agree-ments with all the districts around us that it will not annex them (and us) for at least 30 years. We have to look to the long term. Over the past year the Wa-ter Board has asked what issues exist in the community, and what are other wa-ter districts in the area doing to improve their communities? After holding several Town Hall Meetings and conducting a comprehensive survey of residents, the Water Board has determined that there is significant interest in the District con-tinuing to “stick to its knitting”, and that there are a large number of residents in-terested in adding amenities to the com-munity, such as trails and parks.

So, the Water Board is asking that you vote on whether to allow District 52 to continue to operate efficiently by issu-ing bonds to “stick to our knitting” in the most cost-effective manner, and also to put your two cents in whether you want the Water Board to work with everyone in the Champions Community to add amenities to the community. As you may

know, Champions includes about elev-en (11) subdivisions, with many types of housing and a very diverse customer base. Our customers range from original Champions residents to second or third generation returnees, with most of the younger crowd bringing young families!

District 52 has started an initiative with the “Champions Community Vision — A Plan for Action — 2015 and Beyond”. The local consulting firm of SWA Group has been hired to assist District 52 and the Champions Community in drawing a Vision Plan. SWA is widely recognized for its expertise in vision planning. Over the past few months, SWA has been working directly with the Community on the planning work through a series of workshops. The first workshop was to introduce the concept of a 20 year vision and finding the needs of the community. A second workshop was held to get more input from the community, includ-ing developing a survey with issues in our community and how much interest there was for use in developing a master plan of ideas for taking next steps to improving our neighborhood. The third workshop presented the results of the survey, the review of the infrastructure current sta-tus, and future needs. The results are available on the website news in news-letter issue #1. The fourth workhop will be held at 6:00 pm, Wednesday August 19, at John Wesley Method-ist Church on Bermuda Dunes, at which the Board will present pro-jected costs and possible projects.

20 Year Vision Plan

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What are we voting for?

There are two propositions which are planned for the November ballot. See outline and projected costs on page 6.

Water, Sewer, and Drainage Projects. The first is to authorize the Water Board to issue bonds as needed over the next 20 years from time to time as needed to maintain, repair, or replace portions of our water and sewer system and possibly small drainage projects, if required. This is “sticking to our knitting”.

The water, sewer, and drainage systems were originally built about 55 years ago (we were created in 1961), so they are approaching the end of their useful life. It is possible that parts of the systems may require major repairs and possibly replacement in the not so distant future, and some repairs could be more than we could efficiently finance on a short term basis as has been done over the past decade or so, all without significant rate increases. The Water Board could issue revenue bonds without an election, however, the higher reserve requirements and slightly higher interest rates mean that the cost could be higher than traditional tax bonds, which are similar to the bonds issued by cities and schools.

Park and Trail Facilities. About a year ago the Water Board was approached by the CCIA regarding participating in improvements along the Paradise Valley ditch, from Bermuda Dunes to Strack Road. Town Hall meetings have been held to gather input on what type

of improvements would best serve the community. With an election, the Water Board has the ability to finance park facil-ities with tax or revenue bonds, however, the amount of bonds issued may not ex-ceed 1% of the total assessed value of the entire District. That limits bonds to pay for trails, parks, and beatification to roughly $3 million, which could grow as values grow in the District. Total potential projects exceed that amount, so we are asking for approval to issue more than we are currently able to issue, which gives us the ability to add to projects in the future if growth in values continues. Like the school or a city, the District is asking for the authority to issue bonds over the next 20 years or so for the types of projects which add value to our com-munity. See illustrations on pages 6 & 7.

What happened to the Drainage and Road discussion? There has been quite a bit of time spent on discussing improving the major roads, entrance en-hancements, and even the drainage in certain parts of our community. Howev-er, the Water Board has determined that more groundwork with Harris County must be done before we put this issue to a vote. In addition, it appears that the flooding issues may need to be stud-ied further. So, there will be no vote on major drainage and road maintenance issues at this time.

What are some of the possible projects?

1. Water System Rehab

2. Wastewater System Rehab

3. Wastewater Treatment Rehab on Tank #2

4. Rehab motor/pump on Water Well #3

5. Rehab motor/pump on Water Well #2

6. Sanitary Sewer Manhole Rehab

7. Replacement of WWTP & purchase capacity in the Kleinwood Treatment Plant.

8. Adding Park & recreation area to the Champions community.

Water Board is recommending the Champions Community consider the in-frastructure & park improvements which will be presented at the next Town Hall meeting on Aug 19th. Please come!

We have met with CCIA, responded to their questions, and have provided spe-cific feedback to questions posed by people. (All are on the website and they can provide additional information.) The rest is up to you and we want to know what you think. What is your vision for Champions? To help in this process we will be continuing the community work-shops. Please find the time to attend so that together, we will make Champions a stronger community.

When is the next Town Hall Workshop?

August 19th Workshop IV Final Vision Presentation 6pm - 7pm John Wesley United Methodist Church 5830 Bermuda Dunes Drive

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Possible Champions Capital Improvement Projects

Paradise Valley Dr

Paradise Valley Dr

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K134-00-00 PARK PLAN

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POOL AREA WITH GABION WALL/WATER FEATRURE

SEATING AREA

BRIDGE

TRAIL PORTAL

6’ CONCRETE MAIN TRAIL

4’ SECONDARY TRAIL

PARKLET

SHADE TREES IN-FILL ON WEST SIDE

REFORESTATIONK134-00-00 PARKLET PLAN ENLARGEMENT

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PARKLET PLAZA

BENCHES

6’ MAIN CONCRETE TRAIL

EXISTING OAK TREES

PLANTERS

HAND RAIL

LIGHTINGEXISTING BRIDGE WALL

BIKE RACK

TRASH RECEPTACLE

Paradise Valley Dr. Trail and Recreation Amenities Plan

Parklet Plan Enlargement

Possible Park & Recreation Projects

COSTSIn 2015Dollars 2017 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2033 TOTAL

1 District #52 -wide Water System Rehabilitation 70,000 LF 8,400,000$ 700,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 1,400,000 700,000 8,400,000 2 District #52 -wide Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation 2,780,000$ 695,000 695,000 695,000 695,000 2,780,000 3 WWTP Capacity Purchase 500,000$ 500,000 500,000 4 Waste Water Plant Decommissioning and Clean-Up 800,000$ 800,000 800,000 5 Misc.-Water/wastewater/drainage improvements 2,000,000$ 1,000,000 1,000,000 2,000,000

SUBTOTAL 14,480,000$

6 Paradise Valley Dr. Trail and Recreation Amenities 3,340,000$ 975,000 150,000 335,000 365,000 405,000 440,000 490,000 180,000 3,340,000 7 Champion Forest Drive Streetscape Improvements (*) 1,570,000$ 1,275,000 1,275,000 8 Dog Park (*) 1,180,000$ 0 9 Champions CG Hole #5 Perimeter Protection Fencing (*) 65,000$ 0

10 Champions Dr. Trail, and Streetscape 2,100,000$ 2,100,000 2,100,000 11 Cypress Creek Pedestrian Bridge / Cypress Greenway Link (*) 600,000$ 0

SUBTOTAL 8,855,000$

TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS 23,335,000.00$ 5,770,000 2,550,000 1,735,000 3,460,000 1,805,000 1,840,000 1,885,000 2,150,000 21,195,000

8,720,000 3,905,000 2,685,000 5,265,000 2,795,000 4,340,000 2,915,000 3,365,000 33,990,000 4,600,000 225,000 500,000 545,000 605,000 660,000 735,000 2,240,000 10,110,000 4,120,000 3,680,000 2,185,000 4,720,000 2,190,000 3,680,000 2,180,000 1,125,000 23,880,000

Annual Tax Bill per $100,000 of Tax Value--All Debt (b) $136 $195 $230 $303 $336 $391 $423 $457Annual Tax Bill per $100,000 of Tax Value--Park Portion Only $72 $75 $82 $90 $96 $105 $113 $135Annual Tax Bill per $100,000 of Tax Value--Infrastructure Portion Only $64 $120 $148 $213 $240 $286 $310 $322

(*) Park bond shortfall: Amount under funded due to 1% limitation. See (a).

PARKS & RECREATION

INFRASTRUCTURE

SCHEDULE OF IMPLEMENTATIONYEAR (Design and Construction):

CIP IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

(b) Increases result from issuing subsequent bonds.(a) Based upon the statutory limitation of 1% of total taxable value in any given year--assumes 5% annual growth for purposes of timing of park bonds.

Total Bonds Issued (Includes contingencies, engineering & issuance costs)Park Bonds Included Above (a)Net Infrastructure Bonds Issued

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Berm

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2015 - 2035

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CHAMPIONS DRIVE PLAN ENLARGEMENT

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BOLLARDS IN 2’ STRIPED ZONE

EXISTING TREES

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K134-00-00 TYPICAL SITTING AREA

Walking Bridge Section

Dog Park

Paradise Valley Dr. Trail and Recreational Amenities Plan (Typical Sitting Area)

DOG PARK PROGRAM ELEMENTS: SHADE TREES ENTRY SHADE STRUCTUREDRINKING FOUNTAINWASH STATIONWASTE BASKETS

DOUBLE GATED ENTRY:

850’

SMALL DOG PARK

LARGE DOG PARK

GATED ENTRY

PARKING (8 Spaces)

TRAIL

POTENTIAL TRAIL CONNECTION

LARGE DOG PARK ENTRY

SMALL DOG PARK ENTRY

ENTRY

DOUBLE GATED ENTRY EXAMPLE:

PARKING SPACESACCESS TO K134-00-00DOUBLE GATE AT ENTRYFIRE ACCESS

POTENTIAL WETLAND

EXISTING SIGN

STRACK RD @ K134-00-00

Champions Drive Typical Section

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Champions Drive Trail and Streetscape Plan Enlargement

Board of Directors:President Robert M. Pryor

Vice President William S. Dillon

Secretary Jeffrey C. Kanaly

Assistant Secretary Alfred B. Taylor

Treasurer/Investment Officer Thomas W. Dunn

Consultants:Attorney Andrew P. Johnson, III Johnson Petrov LLP johnsonpetrov.com 713-489-8977

Operator David Wright TNG Utility Corp. tng-utility.com 281-350-0895

Engineer Bill Rosenbaum Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam 713-266-6900

Bookkeeper Karen Hoffpauir 281-225-8922

Insurance Harry Peyton AquaSurance, L.L.C. aquasurance.us 713-243-2199

Auditor Mark Roth Roth & Eyring, PLLC 281-277-9595

Communications David Aitken IV Blue Umbrella blueumbrellaco.com 281-766-4276

For the latest news from HCFWSD #52 visit our website at www.ChampionsWater.com.

Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese translations for the election portion of this newsletter may be viewed at or requested from the office of the District’s attorney, which is also an official office of the District, located at 2929 Allen Parkway, Suite 3150, Houston, Texas 77019, Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Raveneaux Country Club

ChampionsGolf Club

Cypress Creek

John Wesley Church

Yeager Elementary

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Cutten Rd

Champions D

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Bermuda Dunes

Strack Rd

Southern Hills St

Paradise Vally Dr

K134-00-00

FM1960

1. District #52-wide Water System Rehabilitation 70,000 LF2. District #52-wide Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation3. Wastewater Plant Capacity Purchase4. Wastewater Plant Site Decommissioning/Clean-Up5. Water/ Wastewater/ Drainage Improvements

6. Paradise Valley Dr. Trail and Recreation Amenities7. Champion Forest Drive Streetscape Improvements8. Dog Park 9. Champions Golf Course Hole #5 Perimeter Protection Fencing10. Champions Dr. Trail and Streetscape

11. Cypress Creek Pedestrian Bridge/ Cypress Greenway Link

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CHAMPIONS VISION PLAN

District wide; not speci�c locations in District.

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