CITY& COUNTY
News from League City & Harris County
QUOTEOFNOTE “I THINK FOR THE CITIZENS OF LEAGUE CITY, IT’S NOT A BENEFIT FOR THEM.” LARRY MILLICAN, LEAGUE CITY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, ON THE CITY ACQUIRING LOBIT PARK FROM GALVESTON COUNTY NUMBER TOKNOW revitalize Main Street in League City between Hwy. 3 and Iowa Avenue. $6.25M MEETING HIGHLIGHTS LEAGUE CITY On Jan. 11, League City City Council unanimously voted to nix the $1.5 million project to extend Walker Street from the city’s $75 million mobility bond program, which was approved by voters in 2019. The proposed project included constructing a two-lane extension of Walker and adding sidewalks between Texas Avenue east to FM 270 to ease congestion on FM 518. Dozens of League City residents voiced their opposition to the project, citing neighborhood noise levels, increased trac and the safety of existing homes as reasons to not extend the street. HARRIS COUNTY In a split vote, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a $1.3 billion budget for the next seven months as well as a preliminary $2.15 billion budget for the following 12 months at the Feb. 8 meeting. About 64% of each budget is dedicated to justice and safety eorts. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said these investments will provide 400 vehicles for sheris and constables, salary increases and overtime pay for the district attorney’s oce, constable pay increases, additional detention ocers at the jail and more. This new budget builds on League City City Council will meet at 6 p.m. March 8 and 22 at League City Council Chambers, 200 W. Walker St., League City. Meetings are streamed at www.facebook.com/ leaguecitytexas. Harris County Commissioners Court will meet at 10 a.m. March 8 and 22 at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. Meetings are streamed MEETINGSWE COVER commissioners’ ongoing eorts to reduce crime and support law enforcement agencies, Hidalgo said at a Feb. 7 press conference. is the estimated cost to
League City pauses revitalizationproject
PAUSED PROJECT The plan to revitalize Main Street between Hwy. 3 and Iowa Avenue has been postponed.
MICHIGAN AVE.
BY KELLY SCHAFLER
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LEAGUE CITY The city will pause portions of its down- town revitalization program and instead focus on attracting commercial businesses and possibly selling a city property. Two of the three components of the plan have been com- pleted as the city reconstructed Park Avenue and upgraded League Park. At a Jan. 11 City Council workshop meeting, council directed city sta to postpone the last component, which focuses on revitalizing Main Street between Hwy. 3 and Iowa Avenue. The project would install brick-paved pedestrian cross- ings; improve the streetscape with widened sidewalks, additional trees and enhanced lighting; and relocate overhead power lines underground between Hwy. 3 and Michigan Avenue. Relocating the Main Street power lines was estimated to cost almost $1.9 million. In total, basic improvements on Main Street would cost
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SOURCE: CITY OF LEAGUE CITYCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
$6.25 million, said Angie Steelman, budget and project management director. However, at the Jan. 11 meeting several council members said the city should rst focus on other aspects of revital- ization, including attracting more commercial businesses to Main Street and selling underutilized properties the city owns before focusing on Main Street improvements. Mayor Pro TemNick Long said he would like to see the city’s “blue building” at 144 Park Ave. be redeveloped before the city invests in relocating power lines.
League City forms reviewcommittee to oversee upkeep of Big LeagueDreams
BIG LEAGUE DREAMS PKWY.
BY KELLY SCHAFLER
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disrepair in the future. Big League Dreams closed in January 2021 after the previous operator, Big League Dreams, failed to maintain the prop- erty, Long said. “We need to make sure that we cannot allow one of the most expen- sive public facilities that doesn’t really t our core mission to not really be monitored closely,” he said. Located at Calder Road and Big League Dreams Parkway, Big League Dreams allowed residents and visitors
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LEAGUE CITY A new committee aims to help League City maintain Big League Dreams, the city-owned sports facility that closed a year ago. League City City Council approved the creation of the Big League Dreams Review Committee at the Jan. 25 council meeting. Mayor Pro TemNick Long said the committee was proposed to act as the “eyes and ears” of the council and ensure the facility does not fall into
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JAKE MAGEECOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
to play baseball in stadiums mimicking professional elds. Big League Dreams will still be the operator of the park, but the company is now under the ownership of TC Sports Group. Under the new operator, the park has undergone roughly $2 million in upgrades, and the company is preparing to reopen the facility early this year.
League City to own Lobit Park
acquisition is in line with the city’s master parks plan, which seeks to add more city-owned parkland to League City. However, Council Member Larry Millican voted against the agreement. It will cost League City more than it is worth to get the park improvements the city and residents want, he said. “I think [for] the citizens of League City, it’s not a benet for them,” he said. Mayor Pro TemNick Long said the cost to get Lobit Park renovated will be one-eighth of the cost of Bay Colony Park, a new park that will add baseball elds to the city’s west side. Lobit Park includes baseball, soccer and other sports elds the city needs, Long said. “I think the park will be a great addition,” he said. City Council approved the item 6-2 with Millican and Mayor Pat Hallisey opposed.
BY JAKE MAGEE
LEAGUE CITY Under an interlocal agreement League City City Council approved Feb. 8, League City will soon own Lobit Park. Until now, Lobit Park—which is 27.5 acres near the southwest quadrant of the intersection of FM 646 and
Dickinson Avenue— had been owned by Galveston County. director of commu- nications and media relations, said the
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Sarah Greer Osborne,
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at www.harriscountytx.gov/ government/court-agenda/ court-videos.
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