Hundreds of people filled a large chapel space at the Resurrection City Life Center on Tuesday to speak out against a proposed concrete and rockcrushing facility off of FM 521 in the unincorporated community of Rosharon.
The public meeting facilitated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was requested by Texas Sen. Borris Miles, and Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds. It was the first time members of the public had the opportunity to hear directly from representatives of the company hoping to build the facility and the TCEQ since an application for an air permit was first filed in October.
Miles has stated that his Texas 13th district, based mostly in Houston with a population that is predominantly made up of minority and economically disadvantaged people, has the largest concentration of concrete batch plants in the state. Batch plants are used to make concrete that is then trucked to construction areas and have been associated with high levels of particulate matter and other emissions that have been shown to be harmful to communities.
Although the representatives of the newly formed, Houston-based Julpit Inc. and the TCEQ went to great lengths that the proposed facility would be used to crush recycled concrete, not as a batch plant, and met the minimum federal and state standards to protect human health and the environment, most attendees weren’t assuaged. Many pointed out that a similar facility is located not very far away off of FM 521 in Arcola.
Darlene Bray of the Austinbased Power Engineers, a consulting firm which helped draw up the permit application, said the facility if built would crush 200 tons of concrete per hour, up to 2,640 hours per year.
“We just crush recycled concrete. We’re not making anything,” Bray said. She added that spay bars would be used to wet down the concrete to keep dust from being emitted and that a tree line
After months of rancorous discussions, a split Fort Bend ISD board of trustees on Monday approved revisions to the district’s policy on removal of books from school libraries that put the ultimate decision-making authority in the hands of the district’s superintendent.
The arguments over the policy began near the end of the 2023-2024 school year at the instigation of Position 7 trustee and board secretary David Hamilton, who led a social media campaign over books in district libraries that he and others said were pornographic in
nature. But after a couple of contentious meetings, Hamilton’s proposal to make changes to the policy were tabled until after the end of the school year and the election of of a new board.
The biggest change to the policy from the previous one - which a previous board including Hamilton unanimously approved two years ago - is that it removes a permanent reconsideration committee made up of district staff from the process of evaluating challenges to books. In the revised policy approved Monday, the authority to make final determinations on individual books is left to Superintendent Marc Smith or a staff member
or group of staff members he designates.
The vote came after at least 16 members of the public - including Fort Bend ISD teachers and librarians, parents, and former and current students - spoke against making changes to the policy and on behalf of school librarians. No members of the public in favor of the changes.
Many of the speakers said the proposed changes were part of an ideologically and politically driven drive against books about people and ideas that the proponents of the policy proponents did not approve.
“Reading has been the pivotal thing that changed my life,” said
MAKING HISTORY
Groundbreaking held for African American Memorial
Officials turn the dirt during the formal groundbreaking of an
Under a blazing Texas sky, hundreds of people gathered at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton in southwest Fort Bend County on Sunday for the twice-delayed groundbreaking ceremony of Fort Bend County’s African American Memorial, which organizers hope will be one of the premier such locales in the nation.
Despite the oppressive heat, it was a celebratory atmosphere at the park in Kendleton, one of the first cities in the United States founded by formerly enslaved people after the end of the U.S. Civil War. Folks gathered on
Commissioners Court, acting on an initiative by Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, approved $4 million towards construction of the memorial, which when completed will be perhaps the largest such memorial in the state to celebrate the accomplishments of African-Americans, particularly in Fort Bend County and Kendleton. The expanded Bates M. Allen Park will encompass the Newman Chapel and Oak Hill cemeteries, long-important landmarks in Kendleton.
After some delay because of the long line of cars trying to find parking at the event, the ceremony officially kicked off with a stirring rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” long regarded as the Black
Anna Lykoudis-Zafiris, a Fort Bend ISD parent and member of a newly formed advocacy group called Friends of Fort Bend ISD Libraries. “Reading took us on adventures that we could never afford to have and meet people we could
African American Memorial at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton on Sunday. Photos by Ken Fountain
With protestors holding signs behind her, Erica Johnson speaks against the
area. Photo by Ken Fountain
The Fort Bend ISD board on Monday passed long-debated revisions to the district’s library book policy. File photo by Ken Fountain
how not to become that person, how to problem solve. How to empathize with others you’ve met before and never stood in their shoes.”
“It’s difficult to absorb why we’re focused on banning books when we should be focused on wanting our children wanting to read,” Lykoudis-Zafiris said.
But Hamilton and others have said the proposed revisions were designed to bring the district’s policy in alignment with HB 900, a law passed last year by the Texas Legislature aimed at ridding school librarians of books and other materials deemed “pervasively vulgar” or otherwise educationally unsuitable. Although some parts of the law are not currently being enforced because of court challenges, school districts across the state still must provide a review of all the materials in their libraries by the end of January.
Late in the meeting, the board turned to voting the library policy, which had for months been discussed and revised by members of the board’s three-person policy committee. Position 1 Trustee Angie Hanan, one of the members of the committee with Hamilton and Position 5 Trustee Sonya Jones, has said that many of the revisions were made at the last minute by the board’s attorney and the district’s attorney without discussion by the full committee.
On Monday, Hamilton offered yet another amended
version of some of the wording of the policy, again drafted by the attorneys at his request, which would require the district to remove any books or materials from libraries with any descriptions or depictions of sexual activity involving minors that would be intended for sexual arousal. He said that books that might contain such depictions could be used by the district under adult guidance with “appropriate safeguards”. Hanan, who had been the trustee most strenuous in opposing changes in the previous policy - especially the removal of a reconsideration committee - reiterated many of her previous concerns. In particular, she said the new revisions proposed by Hamilton still did not recognize the expertise of the district’s librarians and other staff members in selecting library books that are appropriate for students at all grade levels, which she said was “highly offensive.” The revisions also do not respect the rights of parents who want their children to be able to choose books themselves, Hanan said.
Most importantly, she said, the proposed revisions are unclear as to how appeals of a district decision to keep or remove books would work, which would lead to a “hot mess” for the district. Furthermore, she said, the revisions would make the superintendent vulnerable to political pressure from trustees who do not like the decisions on books made by himself or his designee.
Position 3 trustee and
vice president Rick Garcia, somewhat angrily, countered that the proposed revisions were actually more supportive of librarians and staff because they would be allowed to immediately remove objectionable books from shelves, without what he said was an onerous committee process.
Position 4 trustee Shirley Rose-Gilliam repeated Hanan’s concerns about the potential for Smith, or a future superintendent, to be pressured by trustees on the removal of certain books.
Speaking on his own behalf, Smith repeated previous comments that he had the utmost respect for the district’s librarians and other staff. Whatever policy was ultimately passed, Smith said, he would use whatever tools it provided to rely on their expertise when making decisions on books.
Board president Kristin Tassin, who is an attorney, said that school libraries are distinct from public libraries in that they primarily serve and educational mission. And as elected trustees, she said, the board had the ultimate authority and responsibility in making sure that that that mission was served and children were protected from harmful material. She said the revisions were in conformity with federal case law regarding First Amendment issues.
When the matter finally came to a vote, the proposed revisions passed 5-2, with Hanan and Rose-Gilliam voting against.
around the property would remain in place so that the facility’s operations could not be seen from outside.
Ava Enriguez, an air permit reviewer with TCEQ, said the permit application met the statewide standards for such facilities and that it was property noticed in the community in both English and Spanish newspapers. An error in the original application led to a new notice being made in March.
During an informal discussion before official comments were taken, dozens of people lined up to speak against the proposed facility. Among the concerns to representatives of both the company and TCEQ were the levels of particulate matter that might be emitted, whether the concrete could contaminate groundwater in an area where residents largely depend on it, the volume of truck traffic that the operations would involve, and noise pollution.
Timothy Varlack, a resident of Iowa Colony, posed a set of questions to the company representatives, including why the Rosharon area was selected. More pointedly, he asked if anyone from the company would want to live next door to such a facility. Bray replied that the site was selected because the company owned the land. She added that in a fast-growing
area such as Fort Bend County, there was a need for such a facility, and the Rosharon area had the “resources” that were required.
At one point during the meeting, Larry Deavers, a Missouri City-based engineer who is associated with the project, asked attendees to think about the plants “you people drive by every day,” a remark that did not sit well with an audience largely made up of minority community members.
In the period of formal comments, which went on for more than an hour, Erica Johnson spoke on behalf of many of those present asking the TCEQ officials to keep in mind that “the lives of working-class families matter. Please deny this permit and help keep our air clean and our community healthy.”
After all of the people who signed up to speak had finished, Fort Bend Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage, who had been listening
from the front row throughout the proceedings. got up to speak.
“I’m here to listen, but I’m here to act right now. It’s pretty clear that the citizens of the community do not want this facility. I intend to do anything I can to make sure that this doesn’t go through,” Prestage said.
Even though the county government has no ability to impose zoning requirements, Prestage said, he would make use of whatever legal tools were available to prevent the facility from being built. He added that he believed that the area’s governmental representatives would be united in that effort.
The TCEQ representatives said that the comments received - in person, written or online - would be evaluated by the agency and responded to in writing. A final decision on the permit application would not be made until a later, unspecified date.
Fort Bend Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage vows to oppose the building of a proposed concrete-crushing facility in the Rosharon area. Photo by Ken Fountain
McCoy, who credited his Commissioners Court predecessor Ken DeMerchant for initiating the county funding for the memorial, said that Sunday’s event was not a mere goundbreaking event.
“It’s a promise,” he said.
“It’s a promise to the souls that came before us that we will share their stories about how our people persevered through slavery, through convict labor, through lynchings, and systematic oppression, to seize freedom and build community.”
McCoy said that as a young Black man growing up in Fort Bend, he never learned the stories of many of the Black “heroes” in the county’s history, including those whose stories were seminal in the Reconstruction and Civil Rights eras.
Among them, McCoy said, were Walter Moses Burton, the first Black sheriff in both Fort Bend County and the nation, who was murdered on the steps of the county courthouse; Benjamin Franklin Williams, who served as the state’s first Black state representative and is buried at the site of the site of the park; and Arizona Fleming, a Fort Bend woman who funded a lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court of the United States, which went on to prohibit whites-only party primary elections.
Nor, McCoy said, did he learn about the history of the Jaybirds, a Fort Bend County splinter group of white supremacists which violently opposed the election of Blacks to state office during the Reconstruction era.
“Today, because we know that history, we must never forget it and today we cement it in stone,” he said.
“We’ll celebrate the freedom and their ingenuity that led to the founding of one of our nation’s first Freedmen’s towns, Kendleton, Texas where we sit today,” he said.
McCoy said that the African American Memorial would likely became one of national significance in the years to come, not just for Black Americans but for people of all backgrounds.
“We will talk about the stories of the Black experience from slavery to freedom, from sugar plantations to cotton fields to boardrooms and statehouses, from exile from leadership all to taking full ownership of leadership to Congress all the way to the White House,” he said.
“What we are doing today is restoring the call to summon in every person who hears about this memorial and who visits it the responsibility to uphold human dignity and restore human dignity to every person in our land,” he said.
Other speakers at the event included Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds; Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton; Fort Bend Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage; U.S. Rep. Al Green; and former U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who along with members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land helped begin the restoration of the nearby cemeteries, including the long-neglected gravesite of the aforementioned Benjamin Franklin Williams, the state’s first Black elected state representative.
“We are making history,” Olson repeatedly led the audience in a chant.
Attendees brave the hot sun at the event. Photos by Ken Fountain
Zarya Smith, 17, a Stephen F. Austin High School student, speaks on “Dignity” as Genesis Willis, 17, of Bush High School, and Sharon Agbebaku, 18, of Kempner High School, listen. The three are spoken word awardees from Fort Bend County’s Expose Excellence program.
Kendleton Mayor Darryl K. Humphrey, Sr. holds a microphone for Mrs. S.O. Clifton, 102, a longtime educator, who received a Fort Bend County recognition during the event.
The recently restored gravesite of Benjamin Franklin Williams, the first elected Black representative to the Texas Legislature in the 1800s.
Kirishma Evans performs a stirring solo with a gospel choir.
Attendees beat the heat under a tent during the groundbreaking event.
Saxophonist Anthony Rejiv performs a solo rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” to close out the event.
Former U.S. Rep. Pete Olson speaks during the event.
Delicia Van Zandt of Houston claps along to gospel music being performed.
Famed gospel singer Kathy Taylor of Houston performs “Let’s Go Home” during the event.
Lynn Ashby Columnist
By Lynn Ashby ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET
THE OFFICE – Back at the desk again.
It’s just work, work, work. With familiar sounds like the earsplitting roar of the leaf blower outside my window, drowning out my “Best Siberian Tuba Melodies, ” while I’m still recovering from my commute to work – longer than usual because I had to stop by the kitchen and get a second cup of coffee. Yes, like millions of other Americans, I am still working at home. But this situation is changing across the country. I’ll tell you what but just why is a little more complicated. In
any event, it probably influences you.
For years if not decades many Americans worked, on average, 40 hours a week, 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. All of that changed drastically in 2020 when COVID-19 hit rather unexpectedly. It began to take hold in the U.S. in January and soon swept the nation. By mid-April, disaster declarations were made by all states and territories as they all had increasing cases. You will recall (it wasn’t that long ago) when shops closed, masks were donned (except where prohibited by Gov. Greg Abbot) and workers stayed home. OK, what to do? We are an adaptable lot, and soon working-from-home became de rigueur as they say in Waco. We liked that form of living: no getting up early and dressing for work, no boss looking over your shoulder to make sure your computer was not showing porn and, best of all, no commuting. While millions of Americans preferred this change in their lifestyles for the better, there were severe drawbacks for many others. The momand-pop lunch counters in or near office buildings were
EDITORIAL
Home work has never been more fun Party pep
“Some may come and some may go / He will surely pass / When the one that left us here / Returns for us at last / We are but a moment’s sunlight / Fading in the grass” - The Youngbloods, “Come Together”
The only thing I ever liked about our high school pep rallies was how they got me out of class. A little bit about what my 1980s student life looked like. I went to an all-boys college
prep. I chose this miserably lonely existence because I thought all the girls at my junior high were a scholastic distraction. It wasn’t long before I started to really miss distraction.
Since my 1,200-pupil campus had no girls, our cheerleaders and pep squads seemed depressingly off kilter and, well… male. There were no pom-poms. No frilly skirts. No face painting or tiny white shoes. Our cheer masters were memorably Irish and, no offense here, on the heavy consumption side of social libations. The most prominent were the largest. Red curly haired portly fellows, who by game time had red eyes and sweaty faces. They would glare at us in the stands as their anointed masses, and they’d gurgle out the same stale shouts and slurred songs of encouragement every game. I was in the band, and felt fortunate to hide behind my drum set
empty and soon went out of business. Fewer passengers on buses and trains thus lower incomes for cities. Restaurants were empty. So were theaters. (The release of the James Bond film, “No Time To Die,” was delayed three times because of the coronavirus pandemic.) Even dry cleaners saw a huge drop in customers who didn’t need clean office outfits. We must suspect that there was a run on bathrobes. It was also a bad time for house burglars. Every house was occupied. Office buildings were bare. This last point is still with us. Across America, particularly in big cities, office vacancies are still not up to pre-COVID occupancy rates. During the first three months of 2023, office vacancy topped 20 percent for the first time in decades. In San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, vacancy rates were as high as 25 percent. The problem for landlords won’t go away. This spring there were over 98 million square feet of office space available in Manhattan. The vacancy problem has a ripple effect. If the renter can’t pay or if the offices are empty, the landlord can’t pay the bank. But
by defaulting on the loan, the situation changes. As John Maynard Keynes observed, when you owe your banker $1,000, you are at his mercy, but when you owe him $1 million, “the position is reversed.” Incidentally much talk has been about converting all these empty office buildings into apartments or condos. But experts in such matters estimate that only about 30 percent of them could be fitted for residential conversion. It’s hard to put a toilet in each office cubicle. As for workers, at first entire companies allowed their employees, particularly office workers, to do their jobs at home. Besides, the bosses didn’t want to work alongside sneezing and coughing secretaries. Then Zoom and Microsoft Teams got into the act. In 2017 there were an estimated 2 million daily users of Microsoft Teams worldwide. As of 2022, there were an estimated 270 million daily users. Grocery store checkout staffs and bank clerks cleverly put up thick plastic shields to ward off the bugs. But of course, hamburger flippers, cops and dentists had to be on the
scene. Some large companies found they needed employees back on the job. One Wall Street CEO ordered: “If you can go to a restaurant, you can go to work.” He probably sent out the order from his vacation home in Aspen. Not to get bogged down in stats, but just to show how our workforce has changed, locally workers in the Houston region like home work, but not as much as their fellow Texans. A study by a marketing services company DesignRush listed Houston as the No. 5 best city for remote working, behind Sherman-Denison at No. 4, San Antonio at No. 3, Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 2 and Austin at No. 1. Nationally, between 2017 and 2018, about 34.7 million full-time workers did their jobs from home. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, by May 2020, the number hit 48.7 million. This brings us to the next step in home work: hybrid. More and more workers are spending some days at home and some days at the office. In the first quarter of 2024, 54 percent of U.S. workers reported working in a hybrid manner. Mondays and Fridays off seem to be
the favorite, so much so that many downtown Houston lunch cafes only open Tuesdays through Thursdays. This growing hybrid situation must present a problem for companies. Even if the workers (or as some places call them “team members” or “associates,” while “wage slaves” is frowned on and so is “accomplices”) only show up occasionally they still need a desk, cubicle and computer. Faced with these situations, I don’t see how companies can shrink their spaces, but here in the Houston region, all sorts of companies are moving to smaller digs. It is clear that our work habits have changed and may never go back to the pre-COVID work week. Nearly 50 percent of people working from home during the pandemic said that, after it’s over, they would still prefer a combination of working from home and returning to the office. So our society is changing, and I think for the better. Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got to go back to work. After my next cup of coffee.
Ashby slaves at ashby2@ comcast.net
during these afternoon pep rallies.
I always loved sports, and I played baseball for the school, but pep rallies just seemed really stupid to me: an explosive expression of self-identity and declaration to a friendly audience. Sometimes, it seemed as though we weren’t cheering ourselves to victory, but praying we didn’t get slaughtered, especially when we played those guys in the South Bay. Our display of undying unification was an expression of reassurance and hope. And if any of that stimulated alumni donations? All the better.
My pep rallies were an early lesson in party politics. I just realized that. It was here that we all honed our skills on the “us versus them” game. We’re good. They’re not. We are better. They are less than. We are mighty warriors. They are mere peasants. Non-specific proclamations that when delivered with an effective array of sounds and
colors and glitter and lights and disco balls and confetti can effectively sling around pointed messaging like pancake batter at IHop on a Sunday morning. The recent major party conventions somehow made the connection to teenage pep rallies an inescapable obsession for me one night. Think about the elements. The iconography must be lively and appropriately colorful. Both pep rallies and conventions use extensive visual elements: bunting, balloons, glitter and high-energy light show breaks. Music. Nothing can get a solaced crowd livelier than a good baseline. The Republicans used Kid Rock. Democrats used Lil Jon. Pep rallies engage former heroes to engage the audience and offer hope and excitement. And let’s not forget the power of a good show. Not the kind designed just to get good ratings. But the kind assembled to stimulate a notion, and el-
evate a movement. As a retired member of the media with a 25 year career, it recently occurred to me that my job allowed me to watch several national events from my drum set. I had a view from behind a buffer and I didn’t have to get too close. I’ve had close encounters with Ross Perot, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, all products of their own pep rallies. Here are some direct quotes I took directly from recent conventions: “We must stand up, never go back. Because we are for the people!” “We are waging the same battles today that we’ve been fighting for 250 years.” “If you support this team, you will be proud you did for the rest of your life”” “We must defend our freedoms from tyranny and defend the Constitution.”
Can you tell which people said those things, and on which network? In the end, whether it be at a huge convention center or modest high
school gym, the dynamic flows through the same tubes. It goes a little something like this:
“We invite you to partake in a glorious struggle to one day convince the world how our preferential way of living and playing outscores their ideas. All we ask for is your faith and trust.”
“Those people want to bury your way of life by putting that ball in your goal. We must defend our team in the name of freedom.” “Our banner and the colors on it are the best way to win the game for everyone’s benefit.“ Both have bland homogenized blades designed to cut through deep, aggressively mounting long-held emotions about how our American landscape should be inhabited.
Gameday: A Tuesday in November.
Garay can be reached at MarkGaray426@gmail.com
JEROME LANDRY
14902 STONELICK BRIDGE LN
SUGAR LAND TX 77498
$10,000.
Defendant.
PUBLICATION SUMMONS
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, To the person named above as a defendant
You are hereby notified that the plaintiff named above has filed a lawsuit or other legal action against you. The complaint, which is attached, states the nature and basis of the legal action.
Within 40 (forty) days after August 15, 2024, you must respond with a written answer, as that term is used in Chapter 802 of the Wisconsin Statutes, to the complaint. The court may reject or disregard an answer that does not follow the requirements of the statutes. The answer must be sent or delivered to the court, whose address is 901 N 9TH STREET MILWAUKEE, WI 53233 and to Dobberstein Law Firm, LLC, the plaintiff’s attorneys, whose address is 225 S. Executive Drive, Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005. You may have an attorney help or represent you.
If you do not provide a proper answer within 40 (forty) days, the court may grant judgment against you for the award of money or other legal action requested in the complaint, and you may lose your right to object to anything that is or may be incorrect in the complaint. A judgment may be enforced as provided by law. A judgment awarding money may become a lien against any real estate you own now or in the future, and may also be enforced by garnishment or seizure of property.
Dated this 12th day of August, 2024.
MAILING ADDRESS:
225 S. Executive Dr. Brookfield, WI 53005 (262) 641-3715
DOBBERSTEIN LAW FIRM, LLC
Attorneys for the plaintiff
Electronically signed by Jillian E Caggiano
Jillian E Caggiano State Bar No. 1101032
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Notice is hereby given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of CHRISTINE FURRH DELAY, Deceased, were issued on August 20, 2024, in Docket No. 24-CPR041316, pending in the County Court of Fort Bend County, Texas, to: THOMAS DALE DELAY, Independent Executor. All persons having claims against said Estate are hereby required to present the same to said Independent Executor, within the time and in the manner prescribed by law, at the address shown below. The residence of the Independent Executor is in Harris County, Texas. The post office address is: c/o Mr. Clark T. Askins, Askins & Askins, P.C., P.O. Box 1218, La Porte, TX 77572.
LEGAL NOTICE
Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Brewer’s License by Eighty-Two Beverages LLC dba Bad Batch Brewing Company, to be located at 12626 Dairy Ashford Rd STE B, Sugar Land, Fort Bend, Texas. Officers of said corporation are Owners Joel Martin and Kendra Martin.
By Ken Fountain
A proposed power plant meant to stabilize electricity generation for the city of Sugar Land ran into some very heated opposition at a public meeting last week, even though the project is in its very early stages with little solid information about its potential impacts.
In May, the City Council as part of its consent agenda item unanimously approved an option to enter into a ground lease with Wärtsilä Development, a Finland-based company that among other things builds and operates power plants in many countries around the globe, including six currently in Texas.
The option is for an 8-acre site tract of city-owned land at the former site of the Central Prison Unit, adjacent to the Sugar Land Regional Airport. The option is subject to annual renewal based on the company’s ability to complete a Full Interconnection Study required by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. As of now, the proposed plant would be completed in late 2027 or early 2028. The proposed natural gasfired plant would meet the minimum 100 megawatt re-
quirement for the company to apply for financing from the Texas Energy Fund, a program enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2023 to “provide grants and loans to finance the construction, maintenance, modernization, and operation of electric facilities in Texas.”
The plant would also meet existing ERCOT requirements “as an ancillary plant to supply demand of electricity on the grid and mitigate real-time operational issues,” according to the item the council approved in May. Since that approval, there has been much speculation among the public, including on social media, about how the proposed plant might negatively impact nearby communities like New Territory and Telfair. But there was little hard information from the city or from Wärtsilä, the company behind it. That began to change somewhat on May 21 as residents packed a large gymnasium at The Club at New Territory to hear from Mayor Joe Zimmerman and representatives of the company, after a previously scheduled public meeting was delayed because of Hurricane Beryl in July. Even so, a great many of the attendees were unsatisfied by what they heard.
Mayor Zoe Zimmerman set the meeting in motion by describing “how we got here.”
There’s no agreement to build a power plant. There has been an application submitted to Texas Energy Fund for financing. But there is no contract commitment with the City of Sugar Land,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman cited 2022’s Winter Storm Uri, which left many residents without power for days, as well as other instances of brownout and blackouts. Zimmerman said city officials were looking for ways to make electricity more reliable for residents.
“The city of Sugar Land has never been one to stand on ceremony. If we think there’s a need, then we’ll explore op-
portunities to do that. This was an opportunity that we think has merit,” he said.
Alba Penate-Johnson, the city’s assistant director of economic development and tourism, described in more detail the evolution of the proposal.
“Over the last decade, we’ve heard a lot of concerns and complaints on power outages and fluctuations. So we went back and said, OK, what can we do about that on a local level. After some research, the Texas Energy Fund came up, and that’s where we are right now, to try to figure out if this power plant is a viable option for our city,” she said.
Penate-Johnson said that the required environmental studies and due diligence for
the project have started. Once those are completed, she said, the company and staff would bring the proposal before the city council, with the required opportunities for public comment.
Three representatives of the Wärtsilä’s Houston office - Molly Wright, Russell Weeks, and Ed Torres - spoke at length about the company’s global footprint and about the proposed Sugar Land plant, which they said would operate only part of the year and is meant to balance the electricity grid as it switches back and forth from traditional fossil fuel and renewable resources.
Sugar Land was an ideal location for the plant since it serves as a focal point of ERCOT’s “Houston hub,” Weeks said. The proposed plant would be about the height of the very gymnasium where last week’s meeting was held, he said.
Following the formal presentation by the company officials, the floor was opened to questions from members of the audience. It quickly became too cumbersome for a microphone to be brought to them, and a line quickly formed that stretched nearly the length of the gymnasium floor.
Residents brought up a host of concerns, including poten-
tial impacts on air and water quality, noise pollution, and traffic impacts. With the proposed plant relying on natural gas for fuel, several residents brought up a concern about the potential for explosions that might damage homes in nearby neighborhoods.
One man, Larry Fontenot, said that even if the plant were to operate as promised, it would likely have little effect in a situation similar to Hurricane Beryl, in which thousands of residents were left without power for days because of downed power lines and other effects. Zimmerman agreed with Fontenot on that point, but said the plant would be effective in other circumstances.
The public comment period went on for more than two hours, with few people speaking in support of the project.
The Fort Bend Historical Commission will host another public meeting on August 28 at 3 p.m. at the Landmark Community Center, 100 Louisiana St.,
Free backpacks for families in Fort Bend ISD and Lamar Consolidated ISD. Must be present and registration required. Check out our event information on Facebook and register today.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH
In conjunction with the Literacy Council of Fort Bend Bend County, GPBC will offer ESL classes on Tuesday nights from mid August 2024 through May 2025. We are located at 12000 FM 1464 Richmond across from Austin HS. Our students speak several languages and encompass many faiths, all are welcome. For more information call 281-277-2200 and ask for ESL information. You may also email ESL@grandparkway. org
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND CONCERT HONORS FALLEN HEROES
The Exchange Club of Sugar Land presents “A Night to Remember” on Sunday, May 26, at 7:05 p.m. The patriotic concert features a brass band, Grammy winning singers, ballet dancers and a 30-member chorus. The concert takes place in Sugar Land Town Square, in front of the City Hall Façade. Bring a chair and join us!
“A Night to Remember” is FREE and open to the public. Canned food donations are encouraged for East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FORT BEND
The League of Women Voters of Fort Bend, a nonpartisan organization, will provide voter registration and education events prior to the Feb. 5 deadline to be a registered voter in the March 5 Primary election. Locations, dates, and times include: (1) Wednesday, 1/24 -- Fort Bend YMCA, 4433 Cartwright Rd, Missouri City 7:30am - 12:30pm and 57pm; (2) Thursday, 1/25 -- First Colony Library 3:30 - 5:30pm; (3) Sat., 1/27 -- Cinco Ranch Library 10:30am - 1:30pm and University Branch Library 11am - 2pm; (4) Tuesday, 1/30 and Wednesday, 1/31 -- WCJC Sugar Land, Brazos Hall, 9am - 2pm; (5) Thursday, 2/1 -- ThriftWise, 501 Hwy 90E, Richmond -- 10am - 1pm. Register to vote, update your current voter registration, and get nonpartisan voting information at any of these events, or contact lwvfortbend@gmail.com.
EMMY-NOMINATED FORT BEND BOYS CHOIR HOLDING AUDITIONS
The Fort Bend Boys Choir is seeking talented young boys who like music and singing. If know of one, encourage him to audition for our award-winning and Emmy-Nominated Fort Bend Boys Choir! No experience is necessary and boys should be around eight years of age or older with an unchanged voice. Auditions are by special appointment at the First United Methodist Church Missouri City, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, TX. Visit the Fort Bend Boys Choir’s webpage at www. fbbctx.org or call (281) 240-3800 for more details about auditions. Benefits as a choir member include greater self-esteem and self-confidence, better work ethic and a sense of belonging and community. A boy’s voice has an expiration date so it is important to audition when boys’ voices are still unchanged. Auditions are free!
AMERICAN LEGION POST 942
311 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land meets the fourth Tuesday of each Month at 7:00 pm. All Veterans are welcome.
LOVING FRIENDS IS A GROUP OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS THAT MEET MONTHLY FOR LUNCH, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOCIALIZATION Lunches. are planned for the fourth Tuesday of the month at various local restaurants. Please contact Bobbie Tomlin at {281} 967-0718
For more information about us and to learn about this month’s planned lunch. We hope to meet you soon.
QUAIL VALLEY GARDEN CLUB
The Quail Valley Garden Club is very busy, not only with meetings, but with some fun “stuff” for our members and the community. Please find our fall schedule of events that the QVGC will be involved with this fall leading up to the holidays.
FBJSL IS ACCEPTING CAF GRANT APPLICATIONS
We provide grants of up to $5,000.00 to charitable causes serving Fort Bend County with requests to fund a critical need, pilot a program, or expand a significant service to the community. If your agency or organization is interested in applying for a CAF grant, please visit the Request Support page of the FBJSL website (www.fbjsl.org/request-support). All applications should be submitted via e-mail to brccom@fbjsl.com
THE SANCTUARY FOSTER CARE SERVICES
We are a child placing agency that provides wrap around care support for foster children and foster families. We provide free therapy services, 24 hr. crisis intervention, respite/alternative care services and community-based support. For more info, www.sanctuaryfostercare.org
ALIEF AARP CHAPTER 3264
Meets the first Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. at Salvation Army Church, 7920 Cook Road, Houston, TX 77072. Educational Program/ Entertainment at each meeting. Bus Trips every month. Seniors 50 and above invited. Call 281-785-7372 for more information.
SUGAR LAND ROTARY CLUB
Sugar Land Rotary Club, the nation’s oldest community service organization, wants you to be its guest at a meeting that could turn out to be the best fit for getting involved with a local, non-political, humanitarian service organization with a global presence to satisfy your passion. We’re on a quest for new members! Call or email Dean Clark, 832-9874193, dean7351@gmail.com We just started a new evening club also. Contact me for more info.
FT. BEND ACCORDION CLUB
Meets on the 4th Sunday of every month from 2:pm - 4:pm at: CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND (in the Chapel) 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479 FREE and Open to the Public! We welcome everybody! If you play accordion, beginners to professional and would like to play Call, Text or email: Vince Ramos Cell: 281-204-7716 vincer.music@gmail.com.
LITERACY COUNCIL OF FORT BEND COUNTY
We enhance lives and strengthen communities by teaching adults to read. We need your help. Literacy Council is actively recruiting Volunteer Tutors to provide instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) Levels 0-5, three hours a week. For more information, call 281-240-8181 or visit our website www.ftbendliteracy.org.
GIVE A GIFT OF HOPE
Give a Gift of Hope one-time or monthly. Your help provides access to therapies and services children with autism might otherwise go without. Please consider Hope For Three in your Estate, Planned, or Year-End Giving. Register now, or learn more about exciting events: www.hopeforthree.org/events.
DVD-BASED ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS WITH NO HOMEWORK REQUIRED
Weekly class designed to help you understand and appreciate the Bible by giving you a better sense of the land and culture from which it sprang. The class meets at 9:30 am every Sunday at First Presbyterian of Sugar Land (502 Eldridge Rd.). For more information call 281-240-3195.
EXCHANGE
EXCHANGE, America’s Service Club, always welcomes guests and is in search of new members! Various Fort Bend clubs exist and can accommodate early morning (7 a.m.), noon and evening meeting time desires. For more info, contact Mike Reichek, Regional Vice President, 281-575-1145 or mike@reichekfinancial.com We would love to have you join us and see what we are all about!
MISSOURI CITY AARP CHAPTER 3801
Meets the second Monday of every month at 11:30 a.m., at 2701 Cypress Point Dr., Missouri City Rec Center. Lunch, education, and entertainment. All seniors over 50 invited. For more information, call 713-8595920 or 281-499-3345.
Hummel homers twice as Space Cowboys blow out Albuquerque in series finale
By Amanda Perry APERRY@ASTROS.COM
In a dominating offensive performance, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys trounced the Albuquerque Isotopes 13-4 on Sunday night at Constellation Field.
The Isotopes struck first with a lead-off single and a stolen base from Greg Jones to put him in scoring position for Hunter Stovall in the first, who singled on a groundball past the diving Jesús Bastidas to bring Jones in. RHP Janson Junk recovered to get a strike-emout-throw-em-out of Elehuris Montero, with César Salazar’s throw going to second to get Stovall attempting to steal second.
It was not long before the Space Cowboys stormed back in the bottom of the first. With one out, Trey Cabbage drew a walk and stole second before coming home on a double from Pedro León to tie the game up at one. Jacob Melton singled to put runners on the corners for Cooper Hummel, who mashed a three-run home run into the bullpen in right
field to give the Space Cowboys a 4-1 lead. In the second, the Isotopes rallied back with a three-run homer for Zac Veen, his first home run in his Triple-A career, to knot the game up at four. However, in the bottom of the second, Salazar led the frame off with a solo shot over the right-field fence to break the tie. Grae Kessinger reached second on a single and a stolen base, and then León destroyed a 2-1 slider from RHP Karl Kauffman (L, 5-10) 413 feet for a two-run bomb to give the Space Cowboys a 7-4 lead after two innings. When the Isotopes loaded the bases on a single, a walk, and a fielder’s choice with one out in the fifth, Junk’s night ended and RHP Nick
Hernandez (W, 5-4) came in to right the ship for the Space Cowboys. On the eighth pitch of the at bat against Montero, Hernandez got the Isotopes third baseman to pop out in foul territory and got Hunter Goodman swinging to escape the jam. In the bottom of the fifth, Sugar Land extended their lead when Dixon Machado drew a bases-loaded walk off LHP Antoine Kelly. With the bases still juiced, Salazar grounded a ball straight to the shortstop, but a bobble from Christopher Navarro allowed everybody to safely advance one bag and score another. A wild pitch allowed Omar Narváez to race home, and León capped off the inning with an RBI single to
make it 11-4 Space Cowboys. A combination of LHP Parker Mushinski, RHP Seth Martinez, RHP Forrest Whitley and RHP Luis Contreras combined to throw four shutout frames for the Space Cowboys in relief, striking out seven total batters while surrendering just three hits. Hummel provided the final runs of the night in the eighth when he connected for his second home run of the evening, driving in Melton, who had reached catchers interference, to push the Space Cowboys to their 13-4 margin. It was the 13th multi-homer game for a Space Cowboys’ batter with Hummel joining Joey Loperfido (3), Cabbage (3), Bastidas (2), Melton (1), León (1), Quincy Hamilton (1) and
Shay Whitcomb (1) as players for Sugar Land who have recorded a multi-home run game this year. Following a 2-0 shutout against the Isotopes on Saturday, Sunday night’s win was Sugar Land’s 79th win this season, a franchise record in affiliated history. This week, the Space Cowboys begin a six-game series against the Salt Lake Bees. Sugar Land Space Cowboys games can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online at https://player.listenlive. co/47381 and seen on MiLB. TV, MLB.TV and Bally Live. Perry is a writer for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. This article is used by permission.
HAR: Hurricane Beryl disrupts housing market in July
The greater Houston real estate market was significantly impacted by Hurricane Beryl which left more than 2.2 million households without power for days. While the storm delayed some closings, increased sales activity in the high end of the market contributed to overall singlefamily home sales growth in July. According to the Houston Association of Realtors’ (HAR) July 2024 Market Update, single-family home sales across the Greater Houston area rose 1.8 percent year-over-year. The Houston Multiple Listing Service (MLS) recorded sales of 7,635 units compared to 7,501 last July. Months supply of homes expanded from 3.1 to 4.3. High-end market sales outpaced last July’s figures. The luxury segment ($1 million+), which represents 4.5 percent of all homes on
the market, experienced a 14.2 percent increase in sales. That was followed by the segment that consisted of homes priced between $500,000 and $1 million, which rose 9.1 percent yearover-year. Sales of homes priced between $250,000 and $500,000, which makes up more than half of all homes on the market, were statistically flat. All other housing segments continued to see a slowdown in sales. The average price of a single-family home climbed 4.7 percent to an all-time high of $445,440, topping the previous record in May 2024 when it was $441,641. The median price increased 2.9 percent year-over-year to $350,000. Despite the temporary setbacks caused by Hurricane Beryl, we expect to see transactions catch back up next month,” said HAR Chair Thomas Mouton with Century 21 Exclusive Properties. “Recent declines in mortgage rates have also
given consumers a bit of renewed optimism, with some previously hesitant buyers now showing increased interest in buying a home.”
July marked the third consecutive month where total property sales declined, with sales down 2.1 percent yearover-year. Total dollar volume rose 4.4 percent to $3.8 billion. Active listings, or the total number of available properties, increased with 30.5 percent more listings for sale compared to July 2023.
Despite the impacts from Hurricane Beryl, singlefamily home sales rebounded in July. Sales increased 1.8 percent year-over-year with a total of 7,635 units sold across the Greater Houston area compared to 7,501 last July. The average price rose 4.7 percent to $445,440, topping the previous record of $441,641 set in May of this year. The median price climbed 2.9 percent to $350,000.
Active listings were 34.2 percent above 2023 levels, with 29,642 single-family homes available in July. Days on Market, or the actual time it took to sell a home, was up from 42 to 44 days.
Months of inventory of single-family homes expanded from a 3.1-months supply last July to 4.3 months. Housing inventory nationally stands at a 4.1-months supply, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A 4.0- to
6.0-months supply is generally considered a “balanced market” in which neither buyer nor seller has an advantage.
Broken out by housing segment, July sales performed as follows:
• $1 - $99,999: decreased 7.3 percent
• $100,000 - $149,999: decreased 17.9 percent
• $150,000 - $249,999: decreased 3.7 percent
• $250,000 - $499,999: decreased 0.2 percent
• $500,000 - $999,999: increased 9.1 percent
• $1M and above: increased 14.2 percent
HAR also breaks out sales figures for existing single-family homes. In July, existing home sales totaled 5,610, which is down 1.6 percent compared to the same time last year. The average price rose 8.4 percent to a record high of $459,296, and the median sales price was up 5.2 percent to an all-time high of $352,625.
Houston Real Estate Highlights in July
• Single-family home sales rose 1.8 percent yearover-year;
• Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes went from 42 to 44 days;
• Total property sales were down 2.1 percent with 8,969 units sold;
• Total dollar volume increased 4.4 percent to $3.8 billion;
• The single-family median price increased 2.9 percent to $350,000;
• The single-family average price rose 4.7 percent to a record high of $445,440;
• Single-family home months of inventory registered a 4.3-months supply, up from 3.1 months last July;
• Townhome/condominium sales continued to decline, falling 19.5 percent, with the median price up 0.7 percent to $221,500 and the average price declined 0.8 percent to $261,123.
Staff Reports
The greater Houston real estate market was significantly impacted by Hurricane Beryl, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. File photo by Ken Fountain
