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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 50 • No. 38 • $1.00 Visit www.FortBendStar.com
TCEQ 'vacates' concrete-crushing plant permit; fight may not be over By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Residents of the Arcola/Rosharon area in Fort Bend County are celebrating the recent decision of the state’s environmental regulatory agency to “vacate” the most recent permit application by a Houston company to build and operate a concretecrushing facility - but the two-year-long battle to stop the facility may not be over. On August 25, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a letter announcing that its executive director had “vacated”, or denied, the most application of Julepit, Inc. to build and operate the facility on an undeveloped property in Rosharon in an unincorporated part of the county. The area abuts the city of Arcola and the Sienna
development in Missouri City. If constructed, according to the company, the plant would crush up to 200 tons of concrete per hour for up to 2,640 hours per year. According to the company, spay bars would be used to wet down the concrete to keep dust from being emitted and that a tree line around the property would remain in place so that the facility’s operations could not be seen from outside. But nearby residents, along with county officials, in two contentious public meetings (the most recent in July) and in official comments to the TCEQ, argued the plant would emit harmful amounts of so-called particulate matter into the area, which
Residents chant “Don’t mess with Fort Bend” at a press conference last week after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality “vacated” a permit application for a proposed concrete-crushing facility in Rosharon. Photo by Ken Fountain
SEE JULEPIT PAGE 2
PAYING RESPECT County honors first responders and military in 9/11 'Heroes of Honor Observance'
By Juhi Varma CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Fort Bend County Veterans Service Office held a “Heroes of Honor Observance” last Thursday to honor first responders and military personnel, while remembering the 2,977 lives lost in New York on September 11, 2001, including 343 firefighters and 60 police officers. The ceremony took place in the ceremonial courtroom of the Fort Bend County Historic Courthouse in Richmond and drew approximately 100 attendees. “Until that day, of course after Pearl Harbor, we all thought terrorism and those challenges were overseas,” said Judge KP George. “This isn’t just a ceremony — it’s a promise never to forget.” The event brought together community members, including many law enforcement and emergency personnel. Chief Justin Jurek, Fort Bend County fire marshal, served as the guest speaker, offering personal ref lections on service and sacrifice. “As fire marshal, I have the privilege of working alongside some of the bravest individuals I know,” Jurek said. “Every day our firefighters, EMTs, police officers and other first responders wear their uniforms, not for recognition or praise, but because they are called to serve. To all the first responders here today, thank you for your service, dedication and heart. Your daily acts of courage remind us that even in the darkest moments, light can shine through.” This year marks the 24th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, a tragedy that shook America and changed
Veterans Roger Pilson, left, Blas Ramirez and Joe Haws, from the American Legion Post 942 in Sugar Land, perform the ceremonial flag folding during the 9/11 remembrance event. Photo by Juhi Varma
the course of the new millennium. Nearly everyone recalls where they were that day. “I was on duty at the Sheriff ’s Office,” said Deputy Benjamin Freeze. “At that point, I’d been with the Sheriff ’s Office for about a year. Didn’t believe it at first.” “When 9/11 happened, I was headed to a town called Lake Jackson to take my son to a doc-
tor’s appointment,” said Lt. Terri Salvo. “I heard it on the radio, can’t remember what station, and I was like, ‘Is this real?’ So, I pulled over on side the road and started making phone calls. And they said, ‘Yes it’s real’.” Retired Marine Vladimir Illich Hidrovo Alban shared memories of 9/11 from his time stationed in Hawaii.
“I was in my home in Kāneʻohe and I got a phone call at 4 a.m.; my brother called me asked if I’d heard the news,” said Alvan. “We had a cousin who worked at one of the towers and they were trying frantically to contact him. But my cousin was ok, he was still on the train. Then my unit got activated to secure the Honolulu airport. Then after 72 hours the National
Guard took over and I went back to my base.” Alvan was born in Ecuador. He retired from the military in 2013 and chose to make Richmond his home. At the time of the attacks, Chief Jurek was balancing college at Wharton County Junior College
SEE 9/11 PAGE 2
Lamar CISD's Nivens named Superintendent of the Year Community Reports Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens was named 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) on Friday, Sept. 12, during txEDCON, the annual event hosted by TASB and the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). The award, which spotlights outstanding education leaders from across Texas, is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year. “It’s a joy and an honor to represent Lamar CISD as Superintendent of Schools,” Nivens said, “and I’m incredibly grateful and humbled to be named a Texas Superintendent of the Year and join the other distinguished recipients of this award over the past four decades.”
Lamar CISD is currently the fastestgrowing district of its size in Texas and has been designated a hypergrowth district due to the large number of housing starts and new families moving to the area. This school year, the district is projected to serve more than 49,000 students at 57 campuses, with enrollment forecasted to grow to nearly 70,000 within a decade. In naming Dr. Nivens among this year’s state finalists, the TASB committee cited his extensive experience as an educator, along with his efforts to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with Lamar CISD’s hypergrowth in recent years, and his student-centered approach to leadership. “The challenges facing our school districts right now are real,” Nivens said. “Whether
a district is large or small, growing fast or working hard to sustain enrollment, the landscape of public education is changing. I have tremendous respect for the work done by all my fellow superintendents across the state, and I’m thankful for the work TASA and TASB do in supporting district leaders and our elected trustees so we can give our best to the work.” Earlier in the summer, the Region 4 Education Ser vice Center recog nized Nivens as the 2025 Region 4 Superintendent of the Year in a surprise announcement during Lamar CISD’s June School Board Meeting. The initial Superintendent of the
SEE SUPERINTENDENT PAGE 3
Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens was named 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) on Sept. 12. Courtesy Lamar CISD