Conroe - Montgomery Edition | January 2026

Government

BY NICHAELA SHAHEEN

Conroe sets aside venue land at Technology Park Conroe City Council voted Jan. 8 to support reserving about 42 acres inside the city’s Technol- ogy Park for a future public “venue” concept—an idea city sta compared to attractions such as The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and Houston’s Discovery Green. Deputy City Administrator Nancy Mikeska told council the park has “struggled all along,” citing airport-related height limits and pointing to deteriorating infrastructure, including ponds and fountains that “don’t work.” The gist The framework presented would reserve 21 acres for the concept plus roughly 20 acres for parking and future growth, with about 163 acres remaining for other development. Concept elements discussed included amphi- theaters, trails, a man-made lake, a splash pad, food truck space and a dog park. Council’s action signaled support but did not approve funding. Council approved the resolution 4-1, with Mayor Pro Tem Howard Wood voting against it; the proposal next goes to the Conroe Industrial Development Corp. Montgomery County OKs grant extension Montgomery County commissioners approved two extension requests Dec. 16 tied to disaster recovery grants used for buyout projects stemming from Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 storm. What you need to know The Harvey grant extension request runs through Feb. 28, 2027, while the 2016 storm and ood grant extension request runs through April 30, 2026, documents show. Jason Millsaps, executive director of the Montgomery County Oce of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told commissioners the extensions allow the county and partner agencies to keep working on existing grants and “buyout property.”

Montgomery talks $10M city complex Montgomery City Council got an early look Dec. 9 at a concept to convert the former Jim’s Hardware building near Liberty Street into a combined municipal complex and police department. Jon Stevens, a representative with McFate Group, told the council the current design envisions a 32,000-square-foot, two-story building with an estimated $10 million price tag, stressing the drawings remain preliminary. Stay tuned Stevens said the next step would be a proposal for full architectural and engineer- ing services to rene the design.

Council approved the resolution to reserve the land 41, with Mayor Pro Tem Howard Wood voting against it.

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Conroe OKs Westside Recreation demolition Conroe City Council voted Dec. 11 to move forward with demolishing the Westside Recreation Center, with city sta citing ongoing deterioration and the building’s location in a oodway. Deputy City Administrator Nancy Mikeska said the city completed environmental work and Federal Emergency Management Agency permit- ting, received six bids and selected the lowest. The agenda item lists the demolition cost at $88,227 with an estimated 40-day completion timeline. In a nutshell Mikeska cited issues including a re, break-ins, utilities being cut o and “severe mold” inside the building. She also emphasized the center is located in a oodway and said prior spending on the building “should not have been spent” because proper permitting and oodway requirements were not followed.

According to the agenda item, the cost of demolition is slated at $88,227 and has a completion date of 40 days.

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