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Richmond TxDOT to begin IH69 bridge project this weekend begins planning for new City Hall Staff Reports
Staff Reports
The fast-growing city of Richmond, the seat of Fort Bend County, is in the planning stages of a future City Hall. according to a news release. The future City Hall will allow the city to reimagine workspace in order to provide enhanced services for residents. The former Richmond Bone and Joint building/ property located at 1517 Thompson Road, Richmond, TX., was recently purchased by the city. The building is 42,000 square feet, giving it potential for flexibility for future growth for up to 50 years. The potential hybrid construction of a new city hall will give residents a one-stop point to conduct business and consolidate city staff and functions from three other buildings into one. Paying water bills, applying for permits, or paying court fines will all be housed in one location. City Manager Terri Vela has been negotiating with an architectural firm to begin designs for the new City Hall. “The Mayor and Commissioners have had a clear vision, and while our city continues to grow strategically, so does the need for workspace. They see this opportunity as much needed but for the betterment of our residents, businesses, and community,” Vela said in the release. “We are excited about this new venture that will be historical for decades to come.” The present City Hall sits within one mile of the proposed new location. Currently, it is home to several department heads and support staff, while other team members are housed in a nearby annex. The new City Hall will have meeting spaces and more accommodating Commissions Court Chambers. Emergency Operations, Human Resources, Finance, Economic Development, Public Works, Planning and Permitting and most other city departments will operate from one location. The construction project is estimated to take two years to complete.
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The Texas Department of Transportation will implement a closure of US59/ IH69 northbound main lanes over the Brazos River bridge starting Friday, June 14 at 9 p.m. through Monday, June 17 at 5 a.m. as they begin construction on the IH69 bridge over the Brazos River. To protect the safety of the general public from further erosion of the Brazos River bank, TxDOT permanently closed the Brazos River Turnaround in July 2016 and will begin construction to extend the limits of the IH 69 bridge over the Brazos River. This
extension will relocate the abutment, the point where the bridge ends, away from the threat of future erosion Northbound traffic will be directed to exit the freeway at the Brazos River turnaround (exit 105) and follow the frontage road across the Brazos River to then re-enter the freeway at the following entrance ramp. The bridge construction project is expected to take approximately 38 months. The construction will require alternative lane closures of the IH 69 main lanes and frontage roads over the Brazos River. Drivers are advised to be mindful of work crews,
expect traffic delays, and when possible, avoid the area to prevent traffic con-
gestion. The City of Sugar Land will share lane closure notifications as they
are received from TxDOT. On-site digital message boards will also be used to provide updates. Visit its.sugarlandtx.gov for current traffic conditions in Sugar Land. The city is also implementing projects to restrict future erosion. Last November, the Texas General Land Office announced the approval of approximately $38 million to the City and Fort Bend County for Brazos River erosion protection at several locations within the city limits, including at the IH 69 bridge. Learn more about the project at sugarlandtx.gov/ CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1819.
FBISD board tussles with library book policy
Members of the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees discuss proposed library book policy changes at a workshop meeting last week. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Months after first broaching the topic, the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees last week delved into making changes to the district’s library book policy, with most members landing on keeping in place some version of a reconsideration committee for books that some might consider inappropriate for school-age children. The proposed policy changes come in the wake of the passage last year by the Republican-led Texas Legislature of HB900, a law aimed at ridding school librarians of books and other materials deemed “pervasively vulgar” or otherwise educationally unsuitable. Although some parts of the law are not currently being enforced because of court challenges, school districts across the state still must provide a review of all the materials in their libraries by January 2025.
In two contentious meetings before last month’s board elections, trustees and numerous members of the public debated a proposed redo the of the existing policy put forward by Position 7 trustee David Hamilton. One of the most conservative members of the board, Hamilton, who serves as the board secretary and chair of its three-person policy committee, has made removal of so-called “pornographic” library materials his signature issue, particularly on social media. On March 25, several speakers, including pastors and congregants of area churches (as well as many from outside Fort Bend County), spent nearly an hour speaking in heated terms about the contents of books on the district’s shelves. Many read sexually explicit excerpts taken from BookLooks, a Floridabased conservative website. Almost all of the books are marketed toward young
adult readers, and many of them feature minority and LGBTQ+ characters and themes. In a meeting in April, another group of speakers, including district librarians, teachers, and students, spoke against the policy changes put forward by Hamilton. One of the most contentious parts of the proposal would put discretion over whether library materials remain on shelves or be removed solely in the hands of the district superintendent. Current Superintendent Marc Smith, who came aboard in January, voiced his own reluctance to have that much authority over library books, and a board majority voted to delay reconsideration of the the policy until the summer when a special workshop meeting could be held. Since then, two new members of the board were elected: Position 6 member Kristin Tassin, a former
board member and president, and Position 2 member Adam Schoof. Tassin was unanimously elected board president by her colleagues on May 13, and Schoof was later named to the policy committee, replacing Position 5 trustee Sonya Jones. At the workshop meeting on June 5, still more speakers came to the defense of both librarians and young readers in public comments. “Some school board trustees and community members claims to support their LGTBQ neighbors, meanwhile undermining any expression of their actual acceptance or their existential legitimacy,” said Whitney Jalali, the parent of two students in the district. “Due to the nature of the content being discussed, I would almost believe that concern that explicit content was truly the issue at hand, except that a disproportionate number of the books being discussed feature LGTBQ characters. But
even more telling is that an environment has been created in which teachers and staff are afraid to express support for these uniquely vulnerable individuals,” Jalali said. “Until you initiate or encourage other avenues of expression of LTG support and representation, stop pretending that this is only about explicit content. Demonstrate with your actions that it is not bigotry,” she said. Darcy Pett, the 2023-2024 Campus Teacher of the year at Austin Parkway Elementary as well as a FBISD parent, choked up for several moments before she was able to speak. “Our educators and librarians are trustworthy experts in their fields. They are trained professionals with a deep understanding of child development and educational needs,” Pett said.
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