HHS Students/Month

from 59.37 Howe Enterprise January 24, 2022

by The Howe Enterprise

Parenting, Texas History

Inside the charming Alders at Rockwall.

Howe Band Director receives UIL Sponsor Excellence Award

(Continued from page 1)

Drug Store and Interurban ticket station in the 1920s and 30s. It was Williford Drug in the 1940s with Dr. Shelley holding a practice in the back of the building. In the 1950s, the building housed Ray’s Café before becoming the home of Hap’s Café in the 1960s. Bob Estep purchased the building in the 1970s for his home furnishing store and M.E. Curtis purchased it in the 1990s for M&M’s Hardware. Most recently, the building was owned by Monte Walker and was home to the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development. In November, the historic building took on a new owner and occupant when Tim O’Hanlon and his business partner Bart Tinsley, owners of Alder Development Group, made the purchase. Alder Development Group constructs and manages upscale age-restricted rental properties for they term “Active Adult Living” where their properties lease to individuals aged 55 and over. “This is relatively new and is growing quite a bit,” said Tim O’Hanlon. “The people that are coming and renting with us are the ones that are active, healthy, and just want to downsize out of a house. They don’t need medical assistance and they like to cook for themselves so it’s truly an active adult space.” Alder Development Group has locations in Allen (243 units), Rockwall (144 unites), The Woodlands (188 units), and broke ground on a new complex in Katy (172 units) which should be ready before the end of the year. They are also in planning stages for a complex in Prosper. O’Hanlon says their properties have a feelgood component to them. With most of their residences being surviving spouses, they create communities through design which will typically see a very large clubhouse, activity coordinator, and many amenities.

“We kind of joke about it being a cruise ship on land without the buffet than nobody likes anyway,” said O’Hanlon. “So we kind of have your cruise director that guides you to activities. We have arts and crafts centers, a pub, a hair salon. It just feels great when you walk in there because it feels like you’re giving back and helping. I’m just kind of drawn to it.” A typical one bedroom apartment might cost the resident $1,200 per month whereas a 2-bedroom could be in the $2,500 range. O’Hanlon who currently lives in Van Alstyne grew up a “Navy brat’ as he states. That took his childhood up and down the east coast but he calls the north Atlanta area home due to spending his teenage and high school years there. He graduated from Georgia Tech University before entering the Navy where he flew military planes for 12 years. After his military career, he earned his Masters Degree and moved to Dallas where he did consulting work before beginning a career with Centex Homes. He started his own home building company in the downturn of 2009 where they rebuilt homes damaged by hurricanes. He met his business partner Tinsley and acquired Cambridge Homes where Tinsley was the lead construction manger. O’Hanlon said Tinsley being a former Marine helped them hit it off with a great relationship. O’Hanlon says the timing was perfect to acquire the downtown Howe property. “I love Howe and love this little downtown area. You can walk across the street and get some great food,” said O’Hanlon. “It’s just got that great small town feel we love. It just feels like home.” O’Hanlon has made the property in Howe a family atmosphere with his daughter Hailey working with him on a daily basis. Alder Development Group fell in love with the historical aspect of 101 E. Haning Street and plan on keeping the look of the outside wall and inside exposed brick. They even negotiated the wall-hangings showing the inside of the building from its earlier era as Ray’s Café from 1955 and a remake of that photo from 2015. O’Hanlon says they are great conversational pieces with clients that visit the office.

For more information about Alder Development Group, visit alderdevelopment.com.

Howe ISD Band Director Angie Liss presented the UIL Sponsor Excellence Award from Howe ISD Superintendent Kevin Wilson. Staff photo.

Howe ISD Superintendent announced at Monday’s board meeting that Band Director Angie Liss was the recipient of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Sponsor Excellence Award.

The purpose of the award: The UIL seeks to highlight the contributions of sponsors of UIL scholastic competition. This award is created to identify and recognize outstanding sponsors who assist students in developing and refining their extracurricular talents to the highest degree possible within the educational system while helping them to keep their personal worth separate from their success or failure in competition.

Liss will receive a $1,000 cash award and an appropriate symbolic memento from the UIL also.

“I can tell you that Howe ISD is extremely proud that Mrs. Liss was named for this honor,” said Wilson who then thanked her for her service to the students and congratulated her. “They don’t hand those out to very many people. That is quite an honor.”