The Woodlands Township Board meets, discusses TISD project concerns in Creekside Park

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Township Board of Directors held a regular meeting on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The Board discussed the ongoing power outages in Creekside Park, Tomball Independent School District’s (TISD) plans for an intermediate school at the Tomball Innovation Center, recent performances at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and more.

At the start of the meeting, Board Secretary Linda Nelson read a proclamation in recognition of Veteran’s Day on November 11, 2023. Chairman Dr. Ann K. Snyder also invited those veterans in attendance to stand and be recognized for their service.

“We are so honored to have our veterans with us this evening,” said Chairman Snyder. “We thank you for your service to our great country.”

The Woodlands Township will host a Veterans Day Tribute on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at Northshore Park and the public is invited to attend. Read the proclamation.

On the Regular Agenda, the Board received a report from law enforcement regarding public safety in The Woodlands. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Captain Tim Holifield noted that burglaries of motor vehicles are down, despite a spike in the month of October. He requested that the public avoid putting stickers on their vehicles indicating that they possess a firearm and to always ensure that personal firearms are properly secured to avoid negative outcomes. View the report.

Sergeant Terrell provided an update regarding the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)/Safe Harbor division which has seen an uptick in both cases and arrests in the past quarter. With increased resources and support from the Board, the division has hired additional officers, aiding in the number of arrests made. View the report.

Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Sergeant Cearley provided an update regarding improved management of traffic in Creekside Park, traffic stops and safety in school zones. He reminded residents to be mindful of fraud attempts as those crimes are on the rise.

The Board also discussed the ongoing power outages in Creekside Park. CenterPoint Director of Electric Operations Colby Gravatt provided an update regarding the outages and noted that the company is committed to providing improved service to the community. He reported that in 2024, two additional adjacent circuits will be added to relieve some of the burden on the one sub-station, some overhead lines will be converted to underground to minimize exposure, some wire will be rehabbed from small wire into larger wire, intelligent grid devices will be added to help distribute the load at peak usage times, and CenterPoint will be inspecting other potential points of failure in the grid branching off from the main feeder lines.

Township Director of Intergovernmental Relations Todd Stephens updated the Board regarding TISD plans for an elementary school at the Tomball Innovation Center to instead be a new intermediate school. The TISD Board previously commissioned a feasibility study for siting an intermediate school on the existing Creekside Park Junior High School (CPJHS) campus. The report indicated a new school at the CPJHS campus was not feasible, and the administration recommended moving forward with the new proposed intermediate school at the Tomball Innovation Center. Parent concerns have arisen regarding the length of time that children would be expected to spend on school buses to attend that campus as well as health and safety concerns.

“I really believe in partnerships; we do it all the time here in The Woodlands,” said Director Brad Bailey. “We work in tandem with other agencies. There must be a solution to this. I would like to see a joint Board workshop with the Superintendent and administration of TISD to discuss ideas and find a solution.”

Lee McLeod, president of TISD School Board, thanked the Board and parents present for their feedback and agreed to return to the TISD Board with a request or a response to the request for a joint meeting. View the report.

After recessing to a public hearing, the Board approved amendments to Township Order 019-09 which establishes rules and regulations governing the use of the park, recreation, and open space areas of the Township. View the amendments.

Director of Finance Kellan Shaw provided the September Financial Report which included positive favorable variances of $10.4 million in revenue, $1.2 million in expenditures, $538,890 in hotel occupancy tax and $61.2 million in sales tax collection. View the report.

Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Ruthanne Haut updated the Board regarding rider feedback and requests relating to The Woodlands Express service to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Board approved the request to add Rodeo Thursday service at an estimated net cost of $8,322, and Spring Break 2024 service at an estimated net cost of $11,596, for a total estimated net cost of $19,918. View the proposal.

Stephens updated the Board regarding the work of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Pavilion presents between 50 and 65 events annually between March and December including cultural arts programming and educational activities for schools in the community. The Pavilion's national commercial attractions are produced and promoted by Live Nation. Residents have expressed concerns about a recent performance by black metal band Ghost at the Pavilion.

The Board approved a budget amendment of $680,000 using the 2023 Undesignated Fund Balance for tree removal due to drought conditions and approved tree removal contracts with Monster Tree Service, Cypresswood Tree Service and Best Choice Tree Service.

Board Treasurer Richard Franks provided an update regarding the recent meeting of the Village Presidents Council. The meeting featured Jim Carman, president, Houston Region for Howard Hughes. Carman detailed the upcoming project to build the new community center at Grogan’s Mill and the revitalization of the Grogan’s Mill Shopping Center. Director Franks also reported that the village presidents did not indicate an interest in taking over the responsibility for garage sales in the community.

On the Consent Agenda, which consists of routine housekeeping items that do not require Board discussion, the Board approved the 2024 Township Pay Plans, adopted revised Election Procedures for The Woodlands Village Residential Design Review Committees and awarded the bid for 2023 – 2026 transportation facilities janitorial services to GSI America, Inc.

Members of the public were able to address the Board at the beginning of the meeting. Representatives from The Woodlands Village Associations also provided updates regarding their programs and activities following public comment.

The Woodlands Township Board Meetings may be attended in person, watched live online, or viewed later at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/meetingvideos. The agenda and attachments may be viewed at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/991/Agendas-Minutes-and-More.