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Maintaining adequate staffing levels is tough for any public entity, but it has been extremely hard on the Tomball Fire Department (TFD). With a booming population comes increased traffic, more accidents and more calls for service.

“It’s a balancing act,” Tomball Fire Chief Randy Parr said.

That’s why when word came of a federal grant program that would enable the department to hire more firefighters, Parr jumped at the chance to apply. The Tomball City Council gave Parr permission to apply for the grant and he recently heard from FEMA that their grant proposal was accepted.

A grant for a little more than $1.2 million spread out over two years, will enable Parr to hire nine fulltime firefighters.

“This is truly a game changer for the Tomball Fire Department,” he said. “It will provide continuity in our operations and groups of firefighters will be able to work together continuously.”

The department has always been able to maintain a high rating, even in the face of staffing shortages, Parr said, but the constant struggle to move parts and people around hasn’t been easy.

“The issue has been to have enough consistent staffing to keep two fire stations open for 24 hours,” he said. “In order to do that, we have to have two apparatuses staffed with a minimum of three people.”

Parr said that two out of every three days, station two on Holderreith Road is closed at night, due to understaffing.

“In order to mitigate that we have to have four full-time firefighters,” he said. “This will improve the safety of the community and the safety of our firefighters.”

The grant will be all of the salary and benefits for the nine firefighters, which Parr said will consist of three officers, three driver/operators and three firefighters. A cutback of part-time firefighter hours and continued growth of city and emergency service district revenue streams, will go towards ensuring the department will be able to keep the new firefighters after the two-year grant period. Parr said that he, Tomball City Manager George Shackelford and the Tomball City Council will work together over the next year to come up with a plan.

“We still continue to anticipate growth in revenues,” Parr said.

Parr said that once news arrived that TFD was being awarded the grant, he knew the community had won.

“We will now be able to provide our good, consistent service for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Magnolia began as a tiny sawmill town in the 1800’s, and its population had barely reached 25 by the time 1900 rolled around. A new railroad soon brought a steady stream of new residents and businesses into the town.

Today Magnolia is a progressive community that offers families small-town ambiance, peacefulness and friendliness. But, once again, improved transportation is expected to bring in more people and some residents are asking themselves, "How much longer will we be able to enjoy our quiet town?"

TxDOT is finalizing plans to complete several new roads around the Magnolia area that will move more vehicles easier and faster than ever before. Over the next three years, road improvements are expected to enhance traffic flow in and around the town.  FM 1774 will be widened from The Lakes of Magnolia to 10th Street. This project has already started. As part of the widening of FM 1488 to the Waller County Line, two fly-overs at Spur 149 near Magnolia High School and over 1774 at 10th Street will ease congestion at already busy intersections.

In addition, the construction of the Grand Parkway south of Magnolia will offer an easy pathway from Katy to east of The Woodlands, which will bring visitors into the area. The planned SH 249 toll expressway will improve traffic flow not just between Tomball and Magnolia, but all the way up to Bryan/College Station. 

Facing an easier commute, more families are sure to move into the area. With an increased population, Magnolia is expected to become a business and shopping destination.
Magnolia is less than 35 miles from the burgeoning metropolis of Houston, and the area's current population of 138,000 (as of 2011) seems small compared to a growth movement that has already started to engulf the entire northwest Houston area. But the Magnolia city government and chamber of commerce are working hard "to help this growth work for us rather than against us," as Economic Development Coordinator Deborah Rose Miller put it.

City leaders say they are planning ahead to ensure that the charm of Magnolia remains, even after the new roads are built and the people keep coming.

Paul Mendes, city administrator, says he has tried to make sure the infrastructure keeps up with the expected population growth.

"The developers already have purchased large tracts of land," said Mendes. "We are preparing now for the water and sewage capacity we will need. We hope to have zoning laws in place to protect Magnolia residents and to manage the growth."

Mendes helped Miller create a comprehensive plan to help Magnolia grow as effectively and painlessly as possible.

"The plan, to be completed in March, will be a starting point that will be continually modified as we go along. We believe improving the roads will improve our city's lifestyle in the end," he said.

Updates, such as "Magnolia on the Move," are being provided to the city council each month.

"The city of Magnolia is being proactive, and we've already started our planning and zoning commission," said Miller. "The comprehensive plan we have developed is pivotal to our city's future."

Barry Tate, Chairman of the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce, feels the anticipated population growth will help businesses that are already here to expand, and will bring new ones to the area.

"Business is good for the town," Tate said. "We will have a larger tax base, so that will enable us to provide more and better services. Any road improvements will ultimately make it easier to live out here. People will want to put their businesses in our community because their customers can get to them easily."

Tate feels the growth of the western side of Montgomery County will be compared to the growth of the eastern side of the county in a few years. He believes current businesses will welcome the road improvements, although there will likely be challenges during the construction phase. He hopes planning ahead can help businesses overcome difficulties during that time.

"The Chamber wants to keep our members as informed as possible. Our goal is to maintain Magnolia's small-town feel and still allow for growth," he said.

The new roads are coming. The growth of Magnolia, along with the growth of the entire eastern half of Montgomery County, is inevitable. But the small-town way of life may remain for future generations to enjoy, if the current city leadership has anything to do with it.

The Tomball City Council and the Tomball Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) recently began discussions on financing for a new business park in Tomball.

The park, which will be located at the corner of Hufsmith-Kohrville and Holderrieth roads, was moved into the design stage late last year.

"When I came on board the TEDC in March of 2011, we started doing analysis on the economic development side to see where we were and what we found was that costs associated with developing in many areas were challenging because of the lack of infrastructure," TEDC executive director Kelly Violette said.

Violette said that Tomball has lost a lot of potential business because of a lack of build-ready site locations.

"We are losing a lot of potential clients because we have a minimal amount of sites that are ready to develop," she said.

The TEDC recently approved $1.7 million in funding for the sites planning and design stages and recently met with council members to discuss financing options for the construction of the park. Violette said that they estimate the total cost for the site to be around $14 million, including the money already spent for design.

"We have had a number of discussions to talk about what is available as far as financing goes," she said. "We want to make sure that the amount we borrow and the cost to borrow are affordable."

Violette said that preliminary discussions are leaning toward the city issuing bonds, that TEDC will be responsible for paying back. The bonds will be of the type that will not require property taxes to go up.

"The next step is that the city's financial advisor and bond counsel will come and give council and TEDC a checklist of what's needed to make sure the responsibility of paying is on the TEDC," she said, adding that the process will take about four months.

The planned 102-acre park has already received interest from numerous companies, according to Violette. Current designs outline potential lots and Violette said that companies can purchase any size lot they desire, as long as it is a minimum of 5,000 square feet.

Current interest in the park has come mainly from oil and gas companies.

"The indications are that it will sell out quickly," she said. "What is exicitng is that we can be somewhat selective and find companies that fit with Tomball. We are looking for companies with good track records."

Tomball ISD recently put together a steering committee last October to look at ways the growing district could prepare for current and future needs. That committee presented its findings to the public during a recent public forum.

"The growth we are experiencing now requires us to look towards future needs, as well as maintaining what assets we have now," said steering committee chair Rick Pritchett.
Charged by the school board with that goal, the committee identified several areas which they studied. They included new schools, a way to take care of current facilities and capital improvements, new technologies and transportation.

When it comes to future growth, the committee will recommend four new campuses be built, at a cost of around $110 million. New schools recommended are a new elementary school and junior high in The Woodlands, as well as a new fifth and sixth grade campus and a new elementary on the districts south side.

The need for these schools is based on projections in growth through the 2018-19 school year.

"The growth we have experienced in the district has primarily been in the northeast and south side of the district," Pritchett said.

The committee also looked at ways to improve and maintain current schools, as well as improvements in technology and transportation. The improvements the committee will recommend in those areas are estimated to cost around $58 million.

"We have to provide for and take care of the assets we have, as well as provide new technology for the students and keep up with our transportation needs," Pritchett said.
Security was also a big factor for the committee. Pritchett explained that several campuses have their administrative offices located away from the front entrance, causing security concerns. The committee recommended that those campuses add a security vestibule at the front entrances.

The committee will present their findings and recommendations to the school board at a meeting Feb. 11. The board will then look at options to fund the recommendations that it approves of, which could include a future bond election.

Pritchett did say that all totals are only estimates at this point, but the district would avoid going over a tax rate of five cents per $100 valuation.

"We are fortunate here that we have a board that is not only passionate about education, but also financially savvy and skillful," he said.

The board will take some time after Monday's meeting to get community input on the proposal, before deciding on whether to hold a bond election. They will decide that during their March meeting.

Members of the Tomball ISD Board of Trustees recently agreed to call an election, in order to propose a $160 million bond issue that will provide new schools, renovations at current campuses, new technology and additional school buses.

The district recently put together a steering committee, made up of area residents and district employees, to study growth and needs within the district. Projections estimate that the district will grow by nearly 4,000 students over the next five years.

The steering committee recommended building four new schools to accommodate that growth. New elementary and intermediate schools will be built on the south side of the district, while an elementary school and a junior high are proposed for areas near The Woodlands.

The district also plans to perform several improvement and renovation projects at other schools as well. The plan calls for a new agricultural project barn directly adjacent to the current facility, as well as adding field turf and track renovations to Tomball ISD Stadium. Also, new weight rooms will be added to each junior high campus.

In addition to the extra-curricular activities improvements, the district also plans to upgrade heating, air conditioning, roof replacement, lighting, paving of parking lots and several other maintenance and facility improvements.

Renovations will include the front administration areas and cafeterias at both Lakewood and Decker Prairie, while Timber Creek and Creekside Forest will receive minor renovations to aid in the transition to the new K-5 grade configuration.

Finally the district looks to purchase additional school buses, as well as upgrading the district's technology programs and technology for instruction purposes as well. They will also provide funding for security areas near the front entrances at schools that currently do not have that.

Tomball ISD Communications Director Staci Stanfield said the school board and steering committee put in long hours to study and design the proposal.

"The steering committee and their subcommittees spent a great deal of time studying the district's needs," she said. "They did a very thorough job and were extremely committed."

Stanfield went on to say that if voters approve the bond issue, which will be held during the May 11 election, the financial impact on property owners will be minimal. The portion of Tomball ISD's tax rate that services interest and debt is currently 35 cents per $100 of valuation.

"It will go no higher than 40 cents," she said.

She added that the district will take the same steps as they did in 2007 – selling bonds in a manner that is fiscally responsible and will ensure the rate never goes higher than 40 cents.

Stanfield said the district also wants voters to have all the information they need to make an informed decision at the polls, so they will post all the information on their website, as well as answer any questions voters may have.

"It's important for us to give factual information and let the community know what our plans are," she said.

The Tomball ISD website is www.tomballisd.net. The election is set for May 11, 2013.