Commissioner Charlie Riley gives update on Pct. 2 projects and more

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley recently gave a presentation concerning the state of the precinct to the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, the local chapter of the international service organization. Riley talked with about 100 attendees at a luncheon featuring him as guest speaker.

Precinct 2 has an eastern border predominantly at Interstate 45, with River Plantation being the only area east of the freeway covered. It stretches west to the far side of FM 1486 – the region of Magnolia and Montgomery – and up to FM 105 to the north and roughly FM 1488 to the south. Interestingly, though Commissioner Ritch Wheeler’s Precinct 3 covers most of The Woodlands Township, Riley’s boundaries extend into the Alden Bridge village area.

“I was invited here today, which is great because I’ve wanted to speak to the fine folks here at the Rotary Club; it’s the first time I’ve been here, but I hope to come back soon,” he told Woodlands Online.

The first topic Riley covered was the importance of the road bond that recently passed and his concern that it nearly got voted down in the recent elections. “It was close. We needed it,” he said. He stressed that, in the absence of the bond which was effectively split between the four precincts for critical infrastructure upgrade and repair, his budget was too small to even fix existing potholes in the roads.

With the funds, Precinct 3 has enjoyed a bevy of road expansions and repairs, curb repairs, new paving, drainage advancements, and more.

Riley presented several videos spotlighting the burgeoning growth of the precinct in just a few short years, particularly around Magnolia High School near FMs 105 and 149, which has enjoyed significant road extensions, expansions, and improvements despite the considerable construction area.

Another point of pride with Riley was the unveiling of the new Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office annex, named after former Sheriff Tommy Gage, who attended the meeting with Riley. With this annex, the processing of suspects and criminals caught in areas to the far west of Conroe dropped from several hours down to minutes. The annex is used by multiple law enforcement agencies for maximum efficiency.

The SH 249 toll road has added to the significant development of many areas of Precinct 2 that had been wilderness until only recently. “Sixty percent of the people who use that toll road come from outside of Montgomery County,” Riley stated, citing the popularity of the recently completed route.

Though Riley warned that there was still much work to do, pointing out in particular the looming need for a new county courthouse and jail and an expansion of Kuykendahl Road near Mitchell Intermediate School that will start next year, he felt confident that his staff would be equal to the challenges. “We take particular pride that most everything we do is in-house, even creating traffic signals in our Signal Department,” he said.

To learn more about Precinct 2, visit https://commprecinct2.org/.