Perry Homes Pulls Excavation Equipment From Woodridge Village Before Finishing Detention Ponds

Instead of accelerating completion of detention ponds on Woodridge Village as Perry Homes promised, the company appears to have pulled all excavation equipment from the site. Contractors who were supposed to have been working on detention pond N-1 have gone…BEFORE they finished S2 and BEFORE they finished a berm sealing off the southern portion of the site at Fair Grove Drive.

S2 Pond Still Not Complete; Does Not Meet Regs

On October 17th, a lawyer for Perry Homes’ subsidiaries sent a letter to the City of Houston Attorney promising that the company would “accelerate” completion of detention ponds. Even though Perry Homes had already substantially completed Detention Pond S2, it took Perry 63 days to restore it to its pre-Imelda condition. Worse, contractors left before the pond met the regulations in Montgomery County’s Drainage Criteria Manual. It still doesn’t have fencing, service roads around its entire perimeter, or grass on its banks. Finally, it holds water when regulations call for a dry bottom.

Equipment Left Site Instead of Beginning On Next Pond

Perry Homes had promised in its letter to accelerate construction, but this will slow it down – if they ever return. The only work being done Friday? Removal of some dead tree piles on the northern portion of the site.

Jeff Miller took all the pictures and videos below on Friday and Saturday. He also monitored work on the site and provided this scouting report.

*Looking south toward Taylor Gully and the Harris County Line along the eastern embankment of the S2 detention pond.*

The channel along the eastern portion of Taylor Gully is now lined with concrete. The spillway into the S2 detention pond has been widened and smoothed. The S2 detention pond is behind the camera position. Looking East.

*Looking west across S2 detention pond. The dirt that eroded into the pond has been scooped back up onto the banks and compacted.* *Still no grass on the banks, however, so it could all wash back in with the next big rain.*

Looking north. The grassy area in the background was supposed to have contained the N3 detention pond. However, contractors have simply excavated a channel from the northern section directly into Taylor Gully so now runoff can accumulate even more quickly.

Contractors widened and concreted the Taylor Gully channel along the eastern side of Woodridge Village. But they left the most vulnerable part of the channel without concrete. At the end corner by the telephone poles, water comes from the left. But no concrete protects the area where the water makes a sharp 120 degree turn. Expect water to erode behind the concrete and peel it away in the next big rain.

Woodridge Village Section One Now a Virtual “Ghost Town”

This weekend, Woodridge Village Section One looked like a ghost town, not a bustling construction site with people working against a deadline.

*Heavy construction equipment used to be parked by dumpster in the background. Now it’s nowhere on the property.*

*Looking south*. *Another view of the same area that held construction equipment. It’s all gone and the berm sealing the site off from Fair Grove Drive is missing.*

Still Removing Dead Trees/Mulch on Northern Section

*On Friday, only smaller equipment turning tree piles into mulch remain*ed.

Perry Homes Intentions Now a Mystery

As of Sunday morning 12/22/2019, no equipment actually working on construction could be seen on the site. The excavators and dump trucks parked at Fair Grove for months have been removed.

Perry Homes is NOT accelerating completion of detention ponds as it promised the City of Houston.

Instead, Perry Homes has thrown a curtain of silence around this job. It’s hard to know what their intentions are. At this point, Perry Homes’ lawyer J. Carey Gray has as much mud on his face as Elm Grove residents had in their homes.

The only thing we can say with certainty: Lowering flood risk for the people of Elm Grove does not seem high on Perry Homes’ priority list.

For Sale And For Lease Signs Serve as Christmas Yard Decorations

Meanwhile, a drive down Shady Maple or Village Springs, the two streets that border Taylor Gully, revealed residents’ attempts to salvage Christmas from the chaos of floodwaters. Dumpsters and debris still line the streets. Some people still live in trailers in their driveways. No apple cider around the hearth for them. They’ll be lucky to find space for a table top Christmas tree. For Sale and For Lease signs outnumber Christmas yard decorations ten to one.

*On a street called Right Way in North Kingwood Forest, I found nine For Lease signs in a row. Sad reminders of Imelda and Perry Homes.* *Only three months ago, these homes were filled with families who flooded for the second time.*

Kathy Perry Britton just added another credit to her resume, “The CEO Who Stole Christmas.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/22/2019 with reporting and images by Jeff Miller

845 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 94 since Imelda

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.