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4343 yearsyears ofof coveringcovering SouthSouth BeltBelt Voice of Community-Minded People since 1976 Thursday, July 18, 2019 Email: [email protected] www.southbeltleader.com Vol. 44, No. 25 Leader seeks vacation pics The Leader is seeking readers’ 2019 vaca- tion photos. First-, second- and third-place priz- County adopts new flood regulations es of Schlitterbahn tickets will be awarded for the best submissions July and August. Submis- New regulations passed by Harris County Decades of development fueled the Houston Multiple “500-year” fl oods over the past few lies and could not be delayed. sions should include where and when the pho- Commissioners Court on Tuesday will add an ad- area’s rapid growth but also exacerbated fl ooding years and more recent storms have made it clear “While I understand the concerns from some in to was taken, details about the trip and first and ditional layer of protection for families and com- as concrete increasingly replaced prairies and for- that Harris County’s current fl oodplain maps are the development community that these necessary last names of each person in the photo. All pho- munities at risk of severe fl ooding. ests. By requiring new developments to increase insuffi cient or inaccurate, especially given the updates may increase their costs, my priority is en- tos must be high resolution. Email photos to my Commissioners Court adopted new regulations detention for holding back storm water and antic- growing threat of climate change to the region. suring that we as a county government do every- [email protected]. See this week’s va- for the Harris County Engineer’s offi ce that will ipating new fl oodplain maps, these new items ad- The new guidelines adopted by the Harris Coun- thing we can to protect our constituents – wheth- cation photos on Page 6A. require new developments to provide increased opted on Tuesday are a step toward keeping res- ty Flood Control District ensure that Harris Coun- er rich or poor, homeowner or renter, upstream or water detention and other standards for upstream idents out of harm’s way. “This is about building ty’s development and mitigation standards are downstream – from fl ooding,” Ellis said. Gulf Freeway closures set development that will help protect downstream a resilient future for Harris County,” said Precinct based on the best engineering and scientifi c data At least one lane on the northbound frontage communities. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. “The era of un- available until Harris County completes its own up- road of the Gulf Freeway from FM 517 to FM Commissioners Court also approved new checked development belongs in the past. These dated fl oodplain mapping project in 2021. State recognizes 518 in League City will be closed daily from 9 guidelines for the Harris County Flood Control new standards will allow us to confront the chal- Additionally, the new standards require devel- a.m. to 3 p.m. through Wednesday, July 31. District to utilize updated fl oodplain maps based lenges of fl ooding, climate change and growth opers to set aside more space for fl ood water de- current PISD board At least one northbound and one southbound on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- head on and work toward solutions that keep our tention. While developers have raised concerns, main lane and frontage road lane on the Gulf istration’s Atlas 14. neighborhoods safe.” these new rules are a critical tool to protect fami- The Pasadena Independent School District Freeway from NASA Bypass/NASA Road 1 to was one of 13 Texas school district boards of SH 96/League City Parkway will be closed daily trustees to be selected as regional nominees for from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and nightly from 9 p.m. to the 2019 Texas Association of School Adminis- 5 a.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 31. Alternate en- PISD Board of Trustees nominated for state honor trators (TASA) School Board Awards. trance and exit ramps will be closed. Texas school superintendents who are TASA The northbound exit ramp on the Gulf Free- members and meet other criteria may nominate way between SH 96/League City Parkway and their boards of trustees for the TASA School FM 518 will be closed continuously through 9 Board Awards. Committees of TASA members p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31. Drivers traveling north organized by Texas’ regional education service on the main lanes will continue to NASA Road centers review the nominations and select up 1, exit, then U-turn and come back to FM 518. to two school boards for consideration for the The closures are associated with ongoing con- state-level awards: one with fewer than 1,000 struction to widen the freeway from three to fi ve students and one with 1,000 or more students. lanes in each direction and the frontage roads Nominated by Superintendent Dr. DeeAnn from two to three lanes in each direction. Powell, Pasadena ISD will represent Region 4. This marks the fi fth time in 41 years that the KWS to meet July 18 Continued on Page 2A The Kirkwood South Committee will hold its 2019 annual meeting Thursday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Freeway Baptist Church, located Council approves at 8702 Kingspoint. All homeowners are en- couraged to attend. sewer agreement Beltway closures planned Houston City Council on Wednesday, July 17, The eastbound and westbound U-turn lanes approved Mayor Sylvester Turner’s previously at Beltway 8 and Beamer will be closed con- announced plan to enter into a consent decree tinuously through 9 a.m. Saturday, July 20. agreement with state and federal regulators to Both northbound and southbound U-turn make $2 billion in sewer system improvements lanes at Beltway 8 and Crenshaw will be of Texas. Trustees shown above are, left to right, Kenny Fernandez, over the next 15 years. The 2018-2019 Pasadena Independent School District Board of The costly agreement was reached to avoid closed daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Fri- Trustees was recently named the Region 4 nominee for Texas’ Out- Jack Bailey, Pasadena ISD Superintendent Dr. DeeAnn Powell, Fred day, Aug. 16. Roberts, Nelda Sullivan, Marshall Kendrick, Vickie Morgan and potential litigation from the Environmental Pro- standing School Board of the Year. The Pasadena ISD board will now tection Agency, which has threatened legal ac- Both northbound and southbound U-turn compete against 12 other regional nominees from across the state Mariselle Quijano. lanes at Beltway 8 and Preston will be closed tion for more than a decade over the city’s out- daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, dated infrastructure that has caused sewage to es- Aug. 2. cape into area homes and waterways, violating Both northbound and southbound U-turn City of Houston activates Heat Emergency Plan the Clean Water Act. lanes at Beltway 8 and Vista will be closed “It is my administration’s intent to fully re- daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday, The Houston Department of Health and Hu- The City of Houston has activated its Heat ple with chronic illness are urged to stay inside solve this matter so another mayor and city coun- Aug. 5. man Services (HDHHS) urges everyone to Emergency Plan. Houston activates the plan air-conditioned buildings between 1 p.m. and cil will not have to address it, just as we did with At least one alternate lane on the north- take precautions to protect themselves from when the heat index, a computation of air tem- 5 p.m., the hottest part of the day. massive pension reform and are doing to address bound Beltway 8 frontage road from Vista to SH heat-related illness and death. perature and humidity, reaches 108 on two Anyone without access to air-conditioning fl ooding and drainage issues,” Turner said in a 225 will be closed daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 The National Weather Service has issued consecutive days. can seek shelter during business hours at city statement late last year, as negotiations were un- p.m. and nightly from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through an excessive heat advisory for the Houston re- High-risk groups such as adults age 55 and multi-service centers, libraries or recreation derway. Tuesday, July 30. gion. older, children under the age of fi ve and peo- centers. With more than 6,000 miles of sewer mains, The closures are associated with the project Houstonians may call 311 and ask for the nearly 400 lift stations and 39 wastewater treat- to widen Beltway 8 from two to four lanes in nearest open city facility. ment plants, Houston’s sewer system is one of each direction. Planned ICE raids met with rebuke Metro can provide transportation to the the largest and most comprehensive in the na- Central Library, 500 McKinney. Arrangements tion. Knights hold blood drive While the mass U.S. Immigration and Cus- cooks,” Acevedo told Lemon. for transportation to the library can be made “The City of Houston has devoted more than toms Enforcement deportation raids promised Acevedo was joined by his law enforcement by calling 311. $3 billion dollars in the last 30 years to upgrade The Knights of Columbus Council 9201 by President Donald Trump failed to materialize counterpart Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, will host a blood drive at St. Luke the Evan- HDHHS recommends people take precau- and improve its massive wastewater and sewer this past week, the planned roundups were met who also feels that resources should be focused tions against high heat and humidity to pre- system infrastructure and remains committed to gelist Social Hall, 11011 Hall Road, Sunday, with sharp criticism from local leaders.