Seabrook makes improvements
This summer Seabrook Public Works is making waterline improvements at Todville and Meyer and Red Bluff and Old Highway 146.
The Todville and Meyer project will replace a section of a steel 12-inch waterline that has been repaired multiple times due to leaks. The second improvement will upsize an existing 2-inch waterline area servicing the area at Red Bluff and Old Highway 146 to an 8-inch waterline with the addition of fire hydrants. The larger line will increase water flow and improve water distribution service to our residents.
Construction is expected to be complete by September. Motorists can expect temporary lane closures in the area as needed.
Pearland trustee killed in wreck
Long-time Pearland ISD Trustee Virgil Gant was tragically killed in a truck accident near Ozona, Texas, Sunday, June 26. He was 68.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our fellow trustee,” Board President Rebecca Decker said. “He was a dear friend, mentor and a devoted champion for Pearland ISD. Our prayers are with the Gant family.”
Pearland ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kelly said, “Virgil Gant was both my boss and my good friend. More importantly, he was the friend of every student in this school district, always generous of his time and his resources. He did so much good — and with so little fanfare — that most people were not even aware of his many, many contributions to charities and good causes. His death is an enormous loss for our community.”
Gant served on the Pearland ISD Board of Trustees for a total of 16 years — from 1997-2006 and from 2009 to the present. He served in many leadership roles, including board president and most recently as a member of the Long-Range Planning Steering Committee. In 2014, he received the Master Trustee designation from Texas Association of School Boards.
Martin receives Lone Star Award
Houston Public Media News 88.7 reporter and Clear Lake resident Florian Martin won third place at the 2016 Lone Star Awards banquet in the Radio Politics/Government category for his work covering the Houston mayoral race.
The Lone Star Awards are given each year in recognition of outstanding achievements in journalism and mass communication in the state of Texas. Houston Public Media won a total of 14 awards this year.
Students win scholarships
Flint Hills Resources has helped several Houston-area high school students advance their education this year by awarding them an Outstanding Student Scholarship. A total of $12,000 in scholarships was awarded at the end of the school year.
Among this year’s scholarship recipients were four Bay Area students:
Allison Jackson – Deer Park High School
Ilikki Teaff-Machek – Deer Park High School
Kenny Rodriguez – Pasadena High School
Israel Perez, Jr. – Pasadena High School
Rodney Ellis wins Democratic race
State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has won the Democratic nomination for a vacant seat on the Harris County commissioner’s court, putting the 26-year Texas Senate veteran on a path to leave the Legislature by next year.
Ellis garnered support from a majority of precinct chairs at a Saturday meeting of the Harris County Democratic Party, according to Ellis spokesman, Dave Edmonson. He will run unopposed in the November general election for the seat left open when longtime Commissioner El Franco Lee died.
Ellis now must withdraw from the November ballot in Senate District 13, which covers a swath of southwest Houston. Borris Miles defeated Senfronia Thompson in a race to fill Ellis’ seat in the Senate and will run unopposed in November.
Ellis had been vying to permanently replace fellow Democrat Lee, who died in January but remained on the March 1 primary ballot. Gene Locke, a former Houston city attorney, was tapped to finish Lee’s term, which expires at the end of this year.
Dr. Rodney Allbright takes post at COM
The College of the Mainland board of trustees has unanimously named Dr. A. Rodney Allbright interim president of College of the Mainland. Allbright, of Alvin, worked for Alvin Community College for 45 years, and for 38 served as president.
“He’s an exceptional individual, and we’re honored and appreciative to have him come work with us,” said Wayne Miles, chairman of the College of the Mainland board.
Dr. Allbright, who will fill the post formerly held by President Beth Lewis, plans to focus on planning for the upcoming school year. “The first goal is creating a proposed budget for 2016-2017,” he said.
