Top 4 items from the Feb. 22 Woodlands Township board meeting

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The Woodlands Township Board met Thursday Feb. 22. Here are the top things you need to know:

Waterway Cruiser Boats

The Waterway Cruisers have been off duty since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August of last year. They received too much damage and are no longer usable.

Due to the severe damage of the boats such us broken windows and air conditioning, the agreement between the Brazos Transit District, who donated the boats, is in the process of being terminated.

The cruisers were put on notice of default in late January and the BTD will be taking back their boats along with their titles. They might leave only one on request of the board to be repaired cosmetically and set on display as a memory of The Woodlands history.

An upgrade to these 15-year-old cruisers is said to be a good thing since they run off of electric motors that are not manufactured anymore and are much more difficult to maintain. The board is also looking for new waterway entertainment should new boats not be an idea for the future.

Glade Arts Foundation

The Glade Arts Museum first received funding from the Township a year and a half ago and will have its grand opening on April 20. This museum features David Adicks’ work who was the sculptor of the Sam Houston statue.

As well as having exhibitions, the museum will begin art classes April 10 as well as offering scholarships for visual art for students who want to pursue a life of art.

International Soccer Tournament

For the third year in a row, Premier Soccer Services and The Woodlands Township have had an agreement to host an International Soccer Tournament here in the woodlands with athletic field rental and permit fees waived.

This tournament has taken place during Thanksgiving week for the past two years with about 180 teams competing, half of which are traveling teams. A few of these teams also came from out of the country.

At the meeting, Premier Soccer Services requested a modification to the current three year contract. They wished to cut the amount of teams down, only allowing 80 teams to play this year in order to make the tournament more elite and easier to manage.

With less teams, less fields would be used during the tournament, allowing The Woodlands community to take advantage of them during the Thanksgiving break.

The board denied the request but said they would think on the benefits of it next year when the contract between the two was over and they could rebuild another.

Operation Military Embrace

Operation Military Embrace, a charity that helps wounded and ill veterans along with their families, gave The Woodlands Township a certificate for contributing $7,000 to their cause and sending care packages to troops that are deployed around the world.

They also gave the Township an American flag that was flown over Afghanistan in 2017 for the great success of the National Night Out campaign, which won a national award.