3/16/26 – If you’ve ever requested public records via the Texas Public Information Act, you know how difficult obtaining them can be. Your success depends, to a large degree, on how embarrassing they could potentially be to a public official.
Want to know how the School Land Board, a group within the Texas General Land Office, got involved in a deal to develop 5300+ acres on some of the most flood-prone land in Southeast Texas that was owned by Scarborough Development? Good luck with that!
How Do They Explain This One?
I initially asked the GLO’s press office about it and was told the land wasn’t in the floodplain. After I showed them flood maps, the GLO “went dark,” as they say in the media business.
Scarborough Land in center from FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer: Cross-hatched = Floodway. Aqua = 100-year floodplain, Brown = 500-year. Map dated 2014, pre-Harvey. New draft maps show even worse flooding.
This land lies at the confluence of four major waters: the San Jacinto West Fork, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and Turkey Creek.
So, it’s not surprising that new flood maps recently updated by FEMA show dramatic expansion of both the floodway and floodplains.
Montgomery County Precinct 3 took a road through the proposed development off of its 2025 Road Bond.
MoCo Engineering demanded a second way into and out of the development, which a bridge across Spring Creek would have provided. But Harris County Flood Control did NOT approve building a bridge across Spring Creek.
One of the most respected hydrologists in the region has said that if the land gets developed, “it would be like aiming a firehose at Humble and Kingwood.”
At least two state reps have tried to get to the bottom of this with little success.
Nearby neighbors who got wind of the deal and fear flooding from it have been trying since 2025 to understand why the state got involved and what the extent of the state’s involvement is?
Stop Sign at the End of the Information Superhighway
The GLO did not produce the requested records for the neighbors. Instead, GLO asked the Texas Attorney General whether it had to release the records.
This morning, the neighbors received a letter from the AG’s office to Ms. Hadassah Schloss, Director of Open Government at the GLO. The letter to Ms. Schloss by Michelle Garza, Assistant Attorney General in the Open Records Division, says GLO does NOT have to produce the requested records.
So, at this point we don’t know:
Whether the deal is on or off
How much the state invested
If the investment is wise
Whether the state can back out without incurring a penalty
What options the GLO and developer are considering
Why the state contended the land was not in a floodplain even though FEMA Maps clearly show it is
Why a state agency charged with flood mitigation is investing in a development likely to make flooding worse.
I’ve never met Ms. Schloss. I’m sure she’s a nice person. But I couldn’t help noticing the irony in her name. In German, “Schloss” means a fortified castle with high walls, often surrounded by a moat to help fend off invading forces. Schloss can also mean “a lock,” as in “locked” doors. And yet, Ms. Schloss is the Director of Open Government for the GLO. But I digress.
Basically, we have government by secrecy.
Bob Rehak
We do know, however, that two executives of Scarborough Lane Development (Ryan Burkhardt and James R. Feagin), the Dallas-based developer behind the deal, made substantial contributions to the re-election campaigns of both Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham and Governor Greg Abbott.
But hey! The secrecy police did their job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/16/26
3121 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ryko-Floodplains-Streams.jpg?fit=1100%2C723&ssl=17231100adminadmin2026-03-16 19:06:132026-03-16 19:08:44Editorial: The Secrecy Police and Flood Risk
3/15/26 – Work on the Northpark bridge that will go over the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks and Loop 494 began in earnest this week. Contractors began assembling “tubes” made out of rebar that will stretch far underground to form supports for the bridge.
Also an auger has arrived that will soon begin digging holes for the piers. A giant crane will then lift the rebar assemblies into the holes.
How Northpark Bridge Supports Will Be Built
Slurry in the holes will keep them from collapsing in on themselves. Then contractors will pump cement to the bottom of the shaft. The density of the cement will displace the slurry, pushing it up and out of the holes where it will be recaptured.
Contractors will build 43 piers with the longest stretching 85 feet from far underground to the bottom of the bridge.
All photos below were taken on Sunday morning, March 15, 2026.
Looking west. The area in the foreground will have retaining walls called abutments. They will support the embankments at the end of the bridge. Farther down toward US59, piers will support the bridge.Augur on right will begin drilling holes for the piers that support the center span of the bridge. Crane on left will place rebar tubes into the holes.Close up of the business end of the augur.Rebar tubes that will reinforce concrete pumped into the holes.This crane will place the rebar tubes in the holes for the piers.The other end of the six-lane bridge will “land” between What-a-Burger and PNC Bank west of 494 in the area where you see the dirt.Looking east from over US59. The bridge will eventually stretch from one end of the dirt area in the center to the other and create an all-weather evacuation route across Loop 494 and the UPRR tracks.Pavement on surface roads is creeping closer to the UPRR tracks. Once the two surface lanes on either side of the bridge are in place, the vertical work on the bridge can begin.
UPRR is still working on permanent crossing gates that will guard the sections of the tracks with the concrete inserts. If you look closely in the picture above, you can see a UPRR worker with an orange vest working in a controller cabinet north/left of the track insert.
Other News: Center Curbs, Entry Ponds and Enclave
In other Northpark news, contractors have completed the center curbs that will stretch down Northpark. Eventually, the area between the curbs will be filled with concrete.
Center curbs now installed. For the first time, you can see the six lanes that will stretch all the way from the east end of the bridge down past Russell Palmer Road.The new Northpark Enclave development will feature 100 homes on ten acres, but Friendswood has yet to work out Northpark access issues with the City of Houston. More excavation took place in the north pond at the US59 entry. The pond is almost ready for placement of the liner that will help retain water. The pond will serve two functions: stormwater retention and beautification.
Heavy rains last week slowed construction a bit, but you can definitely see progress.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/26
3120 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DJI_20260315100918_0581_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-03-15 13:17:342026-03-15 13:23:47Northpark Bridge Work Begins
3/14/26 – Scores of volunteers – young and old – showed up this morning in picture perfect weather for Median Madness 6. After a brief safety moment by Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger and Trees for Kingwood’s Chris Bloch, they posed for a team photo. Then, armed with shears and saws, they experienced the joy people feel from volunteering and helping others – a true helper’s high.
A Sense of Purpose and Satisfaction
They attacked a thicket of vines and protruding branches encroaching on traffic along a two block stretch of Kingwood Drive between Fosters Mill and Sand Creek.
There was a palpable air of satisfaction that comes from service to the community. You could see it in the looks of determination on their faces. You could feel it as they team-tackled gnarly growths of vines. See photos below.
Council Member Fred Flickinger (center, blue shirt) kicked off the morning with a thank you to sponsors Chick-fil-A, H-E-B, Trees for Kingwood and the Houston Parks and Recreation DepartmentChris Bloch (brown shirt) of Trees for Kingwood instructed the volunteers on their mission and safety.Houston Parks employees turned out to help volunteers. They gathered piles of brush and attacked larger limbs with chain saws.Many of the volunteers were from Kingwood High School groups such as Greenbelt Guardians and the Young Men’s Service League.The army of vine wranglers posed for a team photo before getting down to work.Then they quickly fanned out down the median...…and got straight to work, pulling vines and stacking them for disposal.Within minutes, the piles of vines started to grow...…and you could see the smiles all around.Age was no deterrent. This volunteer more than kept up with younger ones.Within the first half hour, Houston Parks employees were pushing the clippings into larger piles for disposal……and volunteers were spread out on both sides of the median for blocks.
A Heartfelt Thank You
This community spirit is a large part of what makes Kingwood Kingwood – people giving a Saturday morning to make their community a better, safer place to live. Thanks to all who gave their time and effort!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/14/26
3119 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DSC_5055.jpg?fit=1100%2C486&ssl=14861100adminadmin2026-03-14 12:30:432026-03-14 12:30:44Median Madness 6: Joie de Volunteering
Editorial: The Secrecy Police and Flood Risk
3/16/26 – If you’ve ever requested public records via the Texas Public Information Act, you know how difficult obtaining them can be. Your success depends, to a large degree, on how embarrassing they could potentially be to a public official.
Want to know how the School Land Board, a group within the Texas General Land Office, got involved in a deal to develop 5300+ acres on some of the most flood-prone land in Southeast Texas that was owned by Scarborough Development? Good luck with that!
How Do They Explain This One?
I initially asked the GLO’s press office about it and was told the land wasn’t in the floodplain. After I showed them flood maps, the GLO “went dark,” as they say in the media business.
This land lies at the confluence of four major waters: the San Jacinto West Fork, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and Turkey Creek.
So, it’s not surprising that new flood maps recently updated by FEMA show dramatic expansion of both the floodway and floodplains.
Somebody Please Send a Wake-Up Call To Austin
Harris County and the City of Houston have already unanimously passed resolutions against developing the land.
Montgomery County Precinct 3 took a road through the proposed development off of its 2025 Road Bond.
MoCo Engineering demanded a second way into and out of the development, which a bridge across Spring Creek would have provided. But Harris County Flood Control did NOT approve building a bridge across Spring Creek.
One of the most respected hydrologists in the region has said that if the land gets developed, “it would be like aiming a firehose at Humble and Kingwood.”
At least two state reps have tried to get to the bottom of this with little success.
Nearby neighbors who got wind of the deal and fear flooding from it have been trying since 2025 to understand why the state got involved and what the extent of the state’s involvement is?
Stop Sign at the End of the Information Superhighway
The GLO did not produce the requested records for the neighbors. Instead, GLO asked the Texas Attorney General whether it had to release the records.
This morning, the neighbors received a letter from the AG’s office to Ms. Hadassah Schloss, Director of Open Government at the GLO. The letter to Ms. Schloss by Michelle Garza, Assistant Attorney General in the Open Records Division, says GLO does NOT have to produce the requested records.
So, at this point we don’t know:
I’ve never met Ms. Schloss. I’m sure she’s a nice person. But I couldn’t help noticing the irony in her name. In German, “Schloss” means a fortified castle with high walls, often surrounded by a moat to help fend off invading forces. Schloss can also mean “a lock,” as in “locked” doors. And yet, Ms. Schloss is the Director of Open Government for the GLO. But I digress.
We do know, however, that two executives of Scarborough Lane Development (Ryan Burkhardt and James R. Feagin), the Dallas-based developer behind the deal, made substantial contributions to the re-election campaigns of both Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham and Governor Greg Abbott.
But hey! The secrecy police did their job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/16/26
3121 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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.
Northpark Bridge Work Begins
3/15/26 – Work on the Northpark bridge that will go over the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks and Loop 494 began in earnest this week. Contractors began assembling “tubes” made out of rebar that will stretch far underground to form supports for the bridge.
Also an auger has arrived that will soon begin digging holes for the piers. A giant crane will then lift the rebar assemblies into the holes.
How Northpark Bridge Supports Will Be Built
Slurry in the holes will keep them from collapsing in on themselves. Then contractors will pump cement to the bottom of the shaft. The density of the cement will displace the slurry, pushing it up and out of the holes where it will be recaptured.
Contractors will build 43 piers with the longest stretching 85 feet from far underground to the bottom of the bridge.
All photos below were taken on Sunday morning, March 15, 2026.
UPRR is still working on permanent crossing gates that will guard the sections of the tracks with the concrete inserts. If you look closely in the picture above, you can see a UPRR worker with an orange vest working in a controller cabinet north/left of the track insert.
Other News: Center Curbs, Entry Ponds and Enclave
In other Northpark news, contractors have completed the center curbs that will stretch down Northpark. Eventually, the area between the curbs will be filled with concrete.
Heavy rains last week slowed construction a bit, but you can definitely see progress.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/26
3120 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Median Madness 6: Joie de Volunteering
3/14/26 – Scores of volunteers – young and old – showed up this morning in picture perfect weather for Median Madness 6. After a brief safety moment by Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger and Trees for Kingwood’s Chris Bloch, they posed for a team photo. Then, armed with shears and saws, they experienced the joy people feel from volunteering and helping others – a true helper’s high.
A Sense of Purpose and Satisfaction
They attacked a thicket of vines and protruding branches encroaching on traffic along a two block stretch of Kingwood Drive between Fosters Mill and Sand Creek.
There was a palpable air of satisfaction that comes from service to the community. You could see it in the looks of determination on their faces. You could feel it as they team-tackled gnarly growths of vines. See photos below.
A Heartfelt Thank You
This community spirit is a large part of what makes Kingwood Kingwood – people giving a Saturday morning to make their community a better, safer place to live. Thanks to all who gave their time and effort!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/14/26
3119 Days since Hurricane Harvey