This weekend, a milestone event will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center and Fairgrounds: the 40th annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival.

The Strawberry Festival will run Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19. On Friday, the Festival will open from 3 p.m. to midnight. On Saturday, it will be open from 10 a.m. until midnight, and on Sunday, it will open at 10 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. During those hours, the more than 55,000 guests who typically attend the festivities can be assured that they will find entertainment and activities galore.

The Pasadena Strawberry Festival offers fun and entertainment for the whole family, including a children’s area full of bounce houses, a teen area with nightly video gaming contests, a mud volleyball tournament, a BBQ cook-off, Mutton Bustin’, wine and beer tastings. There are also plenty of shows, ranging from puppet shows for the kids to magic shows, Wild West shows and a motorcycle stunt show. More than 300 arts & crafts and food vendors will line the Convention Center and midway, and slices of the World’s Largest Strawberry Shortcake will be sold.

The cake is one of the Festival’s tastiest traditions. Produced by HEB Foods, the shortcake will measure approximately 1300 square feet, which is close to the same size of the average American home!

There will also be a full schedule of musical performances throughout the weekend. On Friday, there will be concerts by Brian Evans, Jason Cassidy and Casey Donahew. Saturday’s entertainment line-up will feature Keith McCoy, Cody Johnson and the Pat Green Band. On Sunday, performers include Grupo Delito, Lillian Ham, Massori and the Johnny Canalas Show.

Tickets are available online at www.strawberryfest.org or they can be purchased at the door. The cost of admission is $12 for adults, $5 for children between the ages of 6-11, $5 for senior citizens (55 and older) and free for children under the age of five. There are additional costs for helicopter rides, concessions, slices of shortcake and carnival rides.

All of the proceeds go to scholarships, as well as to help support local Texas history projects and programs at the Pasadena Public Library.

The Pasadena Convention Center is located at 7902 Fairmont Parkway, near the intersection of Fairmont Parkway and Red Bluff Road. For more information about the Strawberry Festival, or to purchase tickets, visit www.strawberryfest.org.

Pasadena has been named one of the Top 10 “Cities of the Future” by fDi Magazine from the Financial Times. This year, Pasadena again earned recognition in the Infrastructure category but, for the first time, also placed fourth in the overall Small City category.

“We are honored to have Pasadena recognized as one of the leading cities of the future,” Mayor Johnny Isbell said. “Our city is committed to embracing business development and improving the quality of life for our residents.”

Pasadena was judged against 422 cities across North and South America from data collected by fDi Magazine. The city was in the Small Cities category, which includes cities with a population base between 100,000 - 350,000. Pasadena was the only Texas city to place in the top ten in any category and, in the overall category for Small Cities, was one of only five cities honored in the United States.

The city’s recent economic boom was one of the factors that helped earn the award. Some of the biggest companies in the world now have facilities in Pasadena, and many of the chain restaurants that have opened in the area perform at the top of their chains, often achieving top producer within weeks of opening. Medical practices and specialties have also been flocking to Pasadena, and the Bayport Cruise Terminal recently announced commitments from Princess Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, which is expected to bring in more than $100 million annually.

“This ranking from fDi reinforces that our economic development strategy is proving to be successful and effective, both in retaining the businesses that are already located here and also in promoting innovative ideas for new development,” Isbell said. “With our city’s rich history, incredible natural resources, terrific location and a business and citizen community committed to making the city even better, Pasadena is a great place not only to live, but also to do business.”

Harris County Pct. 2 Commissioner Jack Morman and Pasadena’s Mayor Johnny Isbell have partnered up for a major park project at the site of the former Brandywood Apartment Complex. Not only will the project reverse the trend of flooding in the area, it will also create a 28-acre green space and park facility for the entire community to enjoy.

Between 1979 and 2010, the Brandywood Apartment Complex flooded 17 times, leading to more than 850 insurance claims being filed, totaling nearly $25 million…which is nearly twice the current value of the entire complex. The complex was one of the most flood-prone properties, not just in Pasadena but in the United States.

The apartment complex was eventually demolished and now, through a partnership between the City of Pasadena and Harris County Pct. 2, new development is underway to create a combined park, walking trail system and storm water detention facility.

To celebrate this transformation, Commissioner Jack Morman and Mayor Johnny Isbell will host a groundbreaking event, and everyone in the community is invited. It will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 11 a.m. at the former Brandywood site (6411 Spencer Hwy). There will be special presentations about the history of the site, as well as discussion of plans for the future. A complimentary lunch will also be served.

In a related story above, FEMA has announced its National Flood Insurance Program will take immediate steps to end insurance on repetitive flood claim properties like Brandywood as well as allowing the full risk of insurance costs on properties in flood-prone areas to rise over the next four years.

Residents who have been following news about the National Flood Insurance Program already know that rate changes and higher costs have been anticipated for almost a year. Now, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has released a four-page document about what it could mean to you…and your wallet.

The genesis for the changes comes from heightened efforts on the part of the federal government to rein in spending that contributes to US budget deficits. Part of that effort has focused on eliminating subsidies for buildings that incur large, repetitive damage claims due to flooding or are located in flood-prone areas. By scaling back the subsidies, FEMA hopes to encourage effective flood remediation practices for existing buildings while discouraging new development in areas likely to see flood damage in the future.

What that means for those in special flood zones affected by the new criteria is a larger insurance bill starting this year, increasing until most subsidies have been eliminated. Discounts, lowered rates and grandfathered properties will all be affected; the changes include just about every property that has exposure to heightened flood risk. In our part of the Gulf Coast, that includes a lot of properties.

The full document is available here, but a just a quick survey of the high points will provide a clearer example of how wide-ranging these changes are.

From the FEMA document:

• After a change of ownership; 
• After there is a lapse in insurance coverage; 
• When a new or revised flood insurance rate map is issued; or 
• If there is substantial damage or improvement to a building.” 

While currently subsidized properties that are non-primary residences will have the higher premiums phased in over four years, properties that are newly purchased will see the full risk rates applied immediately beginning later this year. Joining that group will be subsidized business properties, severe repetitive loss properties and properties with claim payments exceeding fair market value of the property.

Beginning in 2014, non-subsidized properties will see premiums increase. Even if your property is not subject to high-risk status today, any future flood zone remapping that includes it in such a zone will roll you into a higher premium classification. In cases where your property is in close proximity to a high-risk flood zone, FEMA suggests you consider enhancing your flood protection since you could be subject to the more stringent conditions if a remapping moves you into such an area.

There are a number of details and conditions that go into a determination of what you might face as a property owner when grappling with these new regulations, but the guidance provided by FEMA will provide a useful beginning.

Our Public Works Department, though its Environmental Services group, has accelerated their efforts to reach the public on the topic of flood insurance and repetitive flood loss issues for the past several years. Daya Dayananda, Pasadena’s Assistant Public Works Director, said encouraging residents and businesses to secure adequate flood insurance ahead of a predicted active hurricane season is their highest priority. “Despite these changes in flood insurance premiums, the protection it provides is crucial to avoiding catastrophic losses due to flooding.”

Another strategy that may help to soften future increases is that of accumulating a higher point total in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), an integrated method of measuring each community’s efforts in adequately addressing flooding issues. Lower CRS scores translate into lower flood insurance premiums for residents. The City’s Floodplain Management Plan, as part of our CRS, was adopted by City Council resolution in November of 2010, an outgrowth of Pasadena’s resolve to minimize the cost and impact of flooding in our community.

With the new FEMA insurance guidance in place, the Environmental Group now looks to reach out to those involved in real estate as brokers, lenders or insurance agents to partner in client education and broader insurance coverage across our community.

“Once a hurricane enters the Gulf a lot of insurance options are off the table", Dayananda says. “Hurricane season is a lot less stressful when you have that policy in your pocket.”

The final phases of the $12 million improvement project to Pasadena’s busiest thoroughfare are well underway and are projected to be finished ahead of their original August completion date. This section of the project encompasses the section of Fairmont Parkway that runs from Space Center Blvd. to Red Bluff Road and will include the bridge at Armand Bayou.

When complete, the project will have added an additional lane of traffic in each direction, a u-turn eastbound at Manordale, signal modifications and a u-turn for eastbound and westbound traffic at Space Center Blvd.

The expansion of Fairmont Parkway is a joint venture between Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman and Mayor Johnny Isbell with the City of Pasadena. The first phase of the project was completed in November of last year and added similar improvements, including an additional lane of traffic along Fairmont from the Beltway to Space Center Blvd.

Together, these improvements help to take the pressure off of intersection traffic, by allowing drivers to change their direction of travel without going through a traffic signal to do so. They also help improve traffic flow and drainage in the area.

To minimize the impact on commuters, crews are working diligently and efficiently, closing only one lane in each direction at a time and doing a portion of the work during nighttime hours.