CITY & SCHOOLS
News from Pearland & Alvin ISD
Pearland City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. March 27 for a regular meeting at 3519 Liberty Drive, Pearland. Meetings can be streamed on the city’s official YouTube page. Alvin ISD board of trustees will meet at 7 p.m. April 11 for a regular meeting at 301 E. House St., Alvin. Regular meetings are streamed on the district’s YouTube page. MEETINGS WE COVER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS ALVIN ISD On Feb. 14, the Alvin ISD board of trustees approved a variety of different resolutions to approve staffing positions, employment of personnel, administrative appointments and an administrative position. The board approved the employment of various contract personnel at the district’s upcoming Nichols-Mock Elementary School for a total of $2.3 million. The board also approved 14 additional teaching positions at the new Iowa Colony High School for a total of about $1 million, according to the agenda item. Furthermore, the board appointed Kylie Kunefke as assistant principal of Alvin High School and Kirk Martin as assistant athletic director and head football coach of Manvel High School.
Pearland City Council calls $181 million drainage bond for upcoming May election
Pearland mayor highlights infrastructure in State of the City speech
The upcoming $181 million bond places drainage improvement projects front and center alongside three other packages. This is the first major bond program the city has called for ballots since 2019. WHAT’S ON THE BOND?
BY DANIEL WEEKS
walkability, drainage and parks, all of which will be featured as propositions in the prospective May bond. Cole said the city is moving forward with its Clear Creek Trail project, while acknowledging that walkability is not confined to trails. “Walkability could be just the
without giving exact details on its opening date. In terms of drainage, Cole said one of the primary reasons the city moved forward with a 2023 drainage bond was to replace a previous drainage fee concept that would have billed residents monthly to pay for drainage improvement
PEARLAND Mayor Kevin Cole gave a speech at a State of the City event where he focused on the latest devel- opments in the city’s infrastructure and economy. Cole discussed recent moves to upgrade the city’s water infrastruc- ture, particularly the $535 million in new construction and alterations going into effect as soon as this year. He said these improvements, which include a new water treatment plant and a major expansion of the city’s wastewater facilities, are critical for meeting the growing city’s demand for clean water. “We don’t want to be the next Jackson, Mississippi,” Cole said. “Even though our growth is slowing, we are a growing city, and ... in water and wastewater as well as some of the other capital projects, ... it’s catch-up time.” In addition to a growing demand for updated water infrastructure, Cole touted the city’s moves to improve
BY DANIEL WEEKS
to have a hard time sitting up here and voting to approve [certificates of obligation] to pay for it,” Mayor Pro Tem Tony Carbone said. Certificates of obligation are a method of borrowing money that the city can use for capital improvement projects without requiring voter approval. Voters will be able to approve or disapprove of each individual proposition. The bond election will be the first since a 2019 bond, which resulted in all five propositions passing. The council approved a design contract for the last streets project from the 2019 bond at a Feb. 20 meeting. The city’s stated objective for both the 2019 and 2023 bonds are to start or complete all approved projects within five years. Appearing on the ballot in May alongside the bond will be an election for City Council positions 3 and 7. For Position 3, incumbent Alex Kamkar faces a challenge from Jai Daggett, and Position 7 incumbent Woody Owens is stepping down, leading to a contest between Antonio Johnson and Rushi Patel. Sitting Mayor Kevin Cole is running unopposed.
PEARLAND A $181 million drainage bond was officially called for the next election in May at a Feb. 13 Pearland City Council meeting. The $181 million bond will be presented to voters May 6 with four different propositions. The primary drainage improvements proposi- tion, or Proposition A, consists of $105.5 million in 14 street and neighborhood drainage projects that were previously selected by a citizens committee. Proposition B costs $26.1 million for streets, sidewalks and bridges projects; Proposition C con- sists of two park and recreation projects for $33.7 million; and Proposition D is $15.9 million for the construction of a new fire station. The bond’s primary focus is the sweeping improvements in an effort to address longstanding drainage needs in parts of the city with aged infrastructure that have faced repetitive flooding and home losses. Should any of the propositions be rejected by voters, City Council would need to find alternative sources of funding to pay for the projects, if its members intend to pursue them. “If the voters vote down a project, I’m going
PROPOSITIONS
14 Drainage improvement projects: $105.5 million
A
sidewalk in front of your house. ... We want to fast- track expanding our sidewalk system and filling in the gaps,” Cole said. “In fact, for our people in the Lower Kirby area, we have a trail
projects. The fee concept did not garner enough support from the council since its members preferred to allow citizens to select which drainage projects they wanted to see completed rather
New bridge at Hughes Road and sidewalk improvements: $26.1 million
“EVEN THOUGH OUR GROWTH IS SLOWING, WE ARE A GROWING CITY, AND ... IN WATER AND WASTEWATER AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS, ... IT’S CATCH-UP TIME.” KEVIN COLE, PEARLAND MAYOR
B
2 Park completion projects: $33.7 million
C
8th fire station: $15.9 million
D
system that will come all the way up and down on what they call the [Texas Department of Transportation] ditch.” Cole also said the Ed Thompson Inclusive Playground project is expected to be completed soon,
RESIDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE ON EACH PROPOSITION INDIVIDUALLY ON MAY 6.
D
than the council deciding. “Be involved, get involved,” Cole said. “Be informed of the various components that make up this bond program.”
SOURCE: CITY OF PEARLAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SHADOW CREEK 11023 Shadow Creek Pkwy (281) 977-1027
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