Tomball is getting another statue at its Downtown Depot Plaza, one of a living citizen and longtime city stalwart.

Less than two weeks after the City of Tomball unveiled a second statue at the Tomball Depot Plaza, the city council approved plans for Oklahoma sculptor Sandra Van Zandt to create a statue of Elmer L. Beckendorf to be unveiled late next year.

The idea behind the Beckendorf statue, according to Mayor Gretchen Fagan, is both to honor a man who’s been crucial to the city’s development, as well as recognize the impact agriculture has had on Tomball’s growth.

While the Tomball Economic Development Corporation funded the first statue at the Depot, that of Thomas Ball, four Tomball organizations are coming forward to pay for the Beckendorf statue.

Tomball Regional Hospital, the Lone Star College System, the Tomball Rotary Club and Tomball ISD each are donating $10,000 toward the $40,000 cost. Rosehill United Methodist Church will pay for a plaque to be placed at the sculpture.

Tomball Rotary President Dennis Snodgrass, Tomball Regional Hospital CEO Lynn LeBeouf, Rosalie Dillon of Rosehill United Methodist Church and Lone Star College System Vice Chancellor for External Communication Ray Laughter were all on hand at a recent Tomball City Council meeting to announce their contributions to the project.

Laughter said Beckendorf “couldn’t be more deserving.”

“I know he’s being honored for his work in agriculture, but you could pick a bunch of different fields,” Laughter said. “In our case it’s education. Mr. Beckendorf has made an incredible difference at the community school level. Whatever you want to recognize him for, education or agriculture, this man deserves every bit of it.”

LeBeouf credited Beckendorf for being instrumental in helping to bring a college and medical center to Tomball.

“I can’t think of anyone who’s more deserving, when you think of the economic impact that a man has made over a lifetime,” he said.

“He’s done more for the City of Tomball than probably anybody I know and he’s also done so much for the Tomball Rotary Club,” Snodgrass added.

The project needed approval by the city council in order to enter into a contract with Van Zandt. The motion passed 3-1, with the only opposition coming from Mark Stoll.

Stoll questioned why the City of Tomball was expected to enter into the contract when it had no financial obligation to the project.

“If there’s anything that goes wrong, the city is going to be on the hook for that,” Stoll said. “I would like to see one of the other organizations who is contributing actually enter into the contract and later possibly donate that sculpture to the city to be put at the Depot.”

Interim City Manager Christal Kliewer explained that the city has had an ongoing relationship with Van Zandt and the project would be on city land.

The project, Kliewer said, is being paid for by the city, but the funds donated by the five organizations so that no money is spent by the city.

“I think all you’d have to do is hand the checks back to them tonight,” Stoll said.

Despite Stoll’s objections, the project was approved.

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