Government
BY ANGELA BONILLA & JESSICA SHORTEN
Montgomery County seeks $40M for mobility Jason Smith, deputy chief of sta for Mont- gomery County Judge Mark Keough’s Oce, outlined $40 million in planned projects for the county as part of congestion mitigation and air quality, or CMAQ, grants from the Federal Transit Administration. Two-minute impact Smith on June 24 presented an update on the potential for over $40 million in CMAQ grants through the Houston-Galveston Area Council to commissioners. The grants are comprised of fed- eral funds which are distributed locally by HGAC for projects to address congestion and increase overall air quality, according to HGAC ocials. One such project, Smith said, would allow the county to track road trac through implementa- tion of a system similar to Houston TranStar for Montgomery County. “We’ll be able to know trac trends on every roadway in the county,” Smith said. “The end goal on that is to be able to put up a map very, very sim- ilar to TranStar, so that everybody in Montgomery County can see real-time trac data on the streets.” Smith said the projects qualify for CMAQ grants by improving air quality through minimizing wait times at trac lights and reducing emissions. Shenandoah changes solid waste service The city of Shenandoah on June 25 approved Republic Services, a solid waste and recycling company, as provider for residents beginning Oct. 1. The gist The city will see a ve-year savings of almost $464,000 under the new plan, according to meeting materials. Republic Services was chosen as the company with the lowest monthly price, totaling $23.49 per household per month compared to the city’s current price of $25.38 . Under the new contract, recycling will be provided to all customers.
CenterPoint upgrades local delivery systems Aaron Minervine, a service area director for CenterPoint Energy, went before The Wood- lands Township board of directors on June 25 to review upgrades the company has made to area systems. Minervine said in addition to equipment upgrades and clearing vegetation, CenterPoint has decentralized power restoration e orts by creating service areas. These allow for more personalized direct communication with residents and municipalities, he said. Next steps While restoring power to infrastructure such as hospitals and re departments is still a priority, Minervine said the company is looking to prioritize residential over commer- cial properties.
Grant requests pending
Dobbin-Husmith Road reconstruction $14.25M Intelligent transportation system $11.72M Hardin Store Road reconstruction $9.5M Fiber interconnections for trac signals $5M
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
What else? Smith said Montgomery County was the only county to submit requests for the grant funds in 2025. Smith said if the grants for the trac signal projects are approved, the county would then request interlocal agreements with any cities in the county that pay for their own trac signals to get permission for installing upgrades to light poles. A call for projects by the HGAC for new trans- portation alternatives will be opening up soon, and Smith said the county will bring in local school districts for potential projects which could improve local connectivity and mobility at schools. The county is also working on updating and creating mobility studies for each county pre- cinct, which is expected to be assigned a consul- tant by the HGAC within six months. However, Smith said county ocials could continue to encourage a quicker process with the HGAC at their regular meetings. Oak Ridge North seeks sidewalk funding Oak Ridge North City Council formally submit- ted a grant request to the Texas Department of Transportation on May 28 to help fund new side- walks in the city which would connect Dolly Vogel Intermediate School with Marilyn Edgar Park. What residents need to know The city had previously asked residents for feed- back via social media May 5. The formal submis- sion was based on survey results and comments from residents over the last several years, City Administrator Heather Neeley said. According to the agenda packet, TxDOT opened applications for communities as of January to apply for funding assistance for projects through its Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program,
Local upgrades
Installing weather-resistant composite poles Clearing hazardous vegetation from power lines Moving utility lines underground where possible
SOURCE: CENTERPOINT ENERGYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
MARILYN EDGAR PARK
Dolly Vogel Intermediate School
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a program for bicyclist and pedestrian infrastruc- ture and planning. The cost to the city will be determined based on how much TxDOT awards the city through the grant process. “This is a formality. Pretty much we have to do this if we want to receive grant money,” Neeley said. “The survey, all the comments, all the signa- tures we got, and [the application] will be turned in along with this resolution, saying [council members] are actually willing to do it and support it for our application.”
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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