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Fort Bend Transit expands demand service to Needville Staff Reports Fort Bend Transit will expand its demand response service to the Needville area beginning September 1. This new service will provide residents with convenient and affordable transportation options, enhancing their connectivity to the Richmond and Rosenberg areas, which offer a variety of shopping, medical facilities, and restaurants.
Made possible through a rural assistance grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, the new Needville expansion service is available for $1 each way per trip and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. This initiative underscores FBT’s commitment to enhancing mobility and supporting the diverse needs of Fort Bend County’s communities. “Fort Bend Transit is truly grateful to TxDOT for this new grant funding which will allow us to offer additional rural service to residents in the Needville area,” said Perri D’Armond, director of Fort Bend Transit. “We are very excited to collaborate with the City of Needville to better support its citizens in need by providing greater access into Richmond and Rosenberg areas.” “Expanding our Demand Response service to include Needville is a significant step forward in enhancing the mobility of our residents,” said Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage. “This initiative not only provides a vital connection to essential services and amenities but also strengthens the overall community by ensuring that everyone has access to affordable and reliable transportation. We are committed to improving the quality of life for all our residents, and this new service is a testament to that commitment.” For more information about the new expansion service, scheduling, or any other inquiries, please contact Fort Bend Transit at 281-633-RIDE (7433) or visit our website at FBCTransit.org.
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Temporarily closed FEMA disaster relief centers to reopen Aug. 20 Staff Reports Two Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery centers that were temporarily closed on Saturday will reopen on Tuesday, May 20. The temporarily closed locations are the Mutang Community Center, 4521 FM 321, Fresno, and Katy Mills Mall, 5000 Katy Mills Circle
(in the parking lot near the intersection with Star Lane). The centers located in the William B. Travis Building, 301 Jackson St., Richmond, and the Public Transportation Facility, 3737 Bamore Rd., Rosenberg, remain open. Centers operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Any center can help survivors with questions about both Hurricane Beryl and the April 26-June
5 storms and flooding. For other Disaster Recovery Center locations, go online to fema.gov/drc. All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology. Texans can shorten wait times at the centers if they apply to FEMA online, by phone or using the FEMA
App before visiting a center. For more information about Texas disaster recovery, visit: fema.gov/disaster/4798. Fol-
low FEMA Region 6 on social media at x.com/FEMARegion6 and on Facebook at facebook.com/femaregion6/.
Fort Bend County Pride See page 3 - for more photos from the event
Indian fusion dancers perform at the outside state of the first Fort Bend County Pride event at the county fairgrounds on Sunday. Photo by Ken Fountan
School safety to be topic of chamber event on Aug. 21 Community Reports With students back in schools across Fort Bend County, school safety remains of paramount concern to educators and parents. On Wednesday August 21, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., three Fort Bend school superintendents will discuss school safety at an event presented by the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Marc Smith of Fort Bend Independent School District, Dr. Roosevelt Nivens of Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, and Dr. Robert Bostic of Stafford Municipal School District will be the featured speakers at the event, which will be held at the chamber’s headquarters at 445 Com-
merce Green Blvd., Sugar Land. In a discussion moderated by Education Division CoChairs, Jennifer Henrikson of Stantec and Jim Rice of Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc., the superintendents will describe the multifaceted approach they are taking to keep students, faculty, and safe staff. They will share their insights on planning and facility design, state security and police departments, and community efforts. Smith became superintendent of Fort Bend ISD, the 6th largest district in Texas, in January. Previously, he had served as superintendent of Duncanville ISD in the Dallas area, and also served in administrative
Three Fort Bend area school superintendents will discuss school safety at an Aug. 21 event presented by the Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce. File photo by Ken Fountain
roles in Fort Bend ISD. Nivens became superintendent of Lamar CISD in 2021. Previously, he served as superintendent Community ISD, a district encompassing
four communities located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Bostic has led Stafford MSD for 10 years. Previously, he served as assistant super-
intendent at Denton ISD. SMSD in the only municipal school district in Texas. For more information and to register for the event, visit fortbendchamber.com.