The Woodlands Township discusses law enforcement agreements, addresses parks assessment and drought management

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Township Board of Directors met Wednesday, August 24, 2022, and discussed law enforcement agreements, parks and recreation needs and drought response.

Regarding law enforcement for the portion of The Woodlands that exists in Harris County, the Board approved an Interlocal Agreement for Law Enforcement Services with Harris County for services provided by the Harris County Constable, Precinct 4.

Township Chief Operating Officer Dr. Chris Nunes presented the final report on the 2022 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment. Over the course of the past four months, consultant Asakura Robinson has met with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, held public meetings with the eight Village Associations and tabulated input from 2,000+ surveys. Additionally, the firm visited and inspected several neighborhood, area, village and town-wide parks, along with extensive research into the community demographics and psychographics. The Board accepted the study.

Key findings of the study include the following:

• Overall, 66% of respondents indicated that at least 50% of their needs were being met across the system. The national benchmark for excellence of condition is 29%.

• Respondents that identified as residents of The Woodlands Township typically visited the community parks over ten times per month.

• The majority of respondents stated the park system contributed to 11% to 20% of their home value or monthly rent. Compared to the other villages, respondents from Creekside had the highest share of total responses stating the park system contributed to 31% or more of their home value.

• Throughout the engagement period, residents conveyed the parks and recreation system is among the largest contributors to the overall quality of life in The Woodlands. Approximately 98% of respondents consider the park system 'very important' to 'extremely important'.

• Within the parks and pathways system, the lowest level of satisfaction was recreation centers, with 10% of respondents indicating a level of satisfaction lower than 25%.

Dr. Nunes also presented a review of the Drought Management Plan. Burditt LandPlace, the firm that drafted both the Integrated Forest Management Plan and the Lake and Pond Management Plan, has reviewed the current situation and advised that, “It is our recommendation that the Woodlands Township should continue to monitor the pond conditions with regard to fish and wildlife die-offs and vegetation growth and maintain the current draw-down policy. Although some ponds are as much as 1-2 feet below normal pool level, there is no significant impact to pond health at this time. If drought conditions continue through September-October, selected ponds may require some supplemental water.” The Board accepted the report.

Also on the regular agenda, the Board received the Financial Report, awarded a contract for Falconwing Park pickleball courts, awarded a contract for park and facilities landscape maintenance and renewed the sign cleaning and pressure washing contract.

Following the regular agenda, the Board recessed to executive session. Upon reconvening, the Board deferred the First Amendment to Interlocal Cooperation Agreement by and between Montgomery County, Texas and The Woodlands Township for Supplemental Law Enforcement Services.

Earlier in the meeting, on the consent agenda, the Board awarded a contract for civil engineering and/or landscape architecture services, awarded a contract for video production services, and approved server software upgrades.

Members of the public were able to address the Board at the beginning of the meeting, and the Board also heard reports from Village Association representatives.

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