The City of Tomball is considering a request by Klein Independent School District to extend utilities to a 157-acre site just outside the city limits where three new schools are scheduled to be constructed.

During a recent meeting with city staff and council, representatives from Klein ISD asked that the city enter into an agreement to provide water, sewer and garbage collection services to the district’s proposed elementary, intermediate and high schools to be located on a tract of land at the corner of FM 2920 and Hufsmith-Kohrville. The tract lies within the City of Tomball’s extra-territorial district (ETJ).

According to Ed Shackelford of Jones-Carter, the consulting firm representing Klein ISD at the meeting, construction is expected to begin in April on the district’s newest elementary school, scheduled to open in August 2011.

An intermediate school is planned for a 2016 opening and Klein ISD’s sixth high school for a 2019 opening.

With construction set to being on the school district’s elementary school in about a month, Shackelford asked that the city “expedite” their decision on the district’s request.

However, members of the Tomball city council and its staff were not ready to act so quickly.

Interim City Manager Christal Kliewer called Klein ISD’s request “not a reasonable timeframe,” but added the city would work with the district on the proposal.

While the council took no official action on the discussion, they did direct city staff to begin a cost analysis of Klein ISD’s proposal. City Engineer Mark McClure explained that such a study could best be performed by a consulting firm and council agreed, adding that the cost of such a study should be paid for by Klein ISD.

“I don’t think we should pay anything to help KISD, nor should they benefit us either,” councilman Warren Driver said. “Their taxpayers want their money to benefit them, our taxpayers want their money to benefit us.”

Shackelford’s presentation to the council included an estimate of the water and natural gas usage by each school. Under the plan, the elementary school would utilize approximately 15,000 gallons of water and sewer utilities per day, the intermediate school 35,000 gallons per day and the high school 60,000 gallons per day.

McClure said that such proposed usage would push the city’s current water treatment plant from about 56 percent to 63 to 65 percent capacity.

“Then you’re getting close to a 75 percent cap, which means we have to start design for the expansion of that treatment facility,” he said.

City staff explained that new water treatment facilities and a water well would either need to be built or expanded in order to account for the utilities usage by the new schools, as well as for any potential commercial or residential development that may occur in the area.

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