Tag Archive for: Humble ISD

Humble ISD Clearing Site for New Ag Barn Far from West Fork Floodway

On November 6th, the Humble ISD (HISD) broke ground for its new 6.9-acre North Agricultural Science Center at the intersection of Ford Road and Mills Branch Road, opposite the entrance to North Kingwood Forest.

Artists Renderings of new HISD Agricultural Science Center between Porter and North Kingwood Forest. Courtesy of Humble ISD.

Replacement for Flooded Ag Barn Near Deer Ridge Park

The site lies less than a quarter mile south of the new Humble ISD north transportation center. And it’s within four miles of Kingwood and Kingwood Park High Schools.

The new ag center will replace the existing Kingwood Ag Barn located on Woodland Hills Drive at Deer Ridge Park. That facility flooded numerous times since it opened in 1995. The most extensive flooding happened during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Site of OLD ag barn location near Deer Ridge Park was in San Jacinto West Fork floodway (cross-hatched area). Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer.

The new North Agricultural Science Center should eliminate worries of West Fork flooding due to its location on higher land. However, it is still near Mills Branch Creek which flooded Mills Branch Road during Imelda. See the flood map below.

Site of NEW ag barn where Mills Branch Road turns north into Ford Road in Porter. Yellow-green line is Harris/Montgomery County Line. The nearby floodway is for Mills Branch Creek.

Humble ISD received a FEMA grant of more than $8.8 million after the Kingwood Ag Barn flooded during Harvey.

“Hurricane Harvey flooded our current ag facility up to the rafters,” Dr. Elizabeth Fagen, Humble ISD superintendent, said. “Since that time, every time we see significant rain, our students are forced to evacuate a lot of animals to a separate ag facility.”

Aerial Photos

These photos show the new site being cleared on 11/19/2020. The first looks north toward the new HISD transportation center by the cell tower. That’s Ford Steel on the left and the northeast corner of Woodridge Village beyond that.

Site of new HISD Ag Science Center where Mills Branch Road (bottom left) turns into Ford Road (upper left) at county line.
Reverse shot looking south. Mills Branch Road on right with entrance to North Kingwood Forest in upper right. The triangular area opposite the entrance to NKF is a detention pond.

Dirt from the detention pond is apparently being used to build up the site slightly to elevate it above the Mills Branch floodplain.

Details of New Ag Science Center

The center measures 29,000 square feet. It will hold:

  • 70 pigs
  • 70 goats or lambs
  • 20 poultry and rabbit pens
  • 24 cattle.

The new center will also include a practice arena, teacher offices, restrooms, a designated turnout area, comprehensive security measures, and expanded parking.

Veterinary schools often make Ag or FFA experience in high school a condition of admissions.

Larkin Le Sueur, Career and Technical Education Director for Humble ISD, said, “This new facility will offer expanded space for students to interact with their animals and also expand FFA opportunities for our district.” 

The new center will cost $4.5 million to construct. HISD chose Stantec to design the project and DT Construction to build it. It will open in the 2021 school year.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/19/2020 with input from Humble ISD, Jeff Miller and Chris Bloch

1178 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 427 since Imelda

Humble ISD North Transportation Center Taking Shape

In 2018, Humble ISD voters approved construction of a new north transportation center in Montgomery County.

Photo taken on 9/11/2020 shows transportation center in foreground and Perry Homes Woodridge Village in background on other side of Ford Road.

Saving Taxpayers $2 Million Per Year

The District claims that the new 11.7-acre center will save about $2 million in operation costs per year due to shorter routes in half of the District. Management says it should be ready for the 2021 school year and that it will improve response times.

September Aerial Photo Shows Substantial Detention Pond

Here’s what the North Transportation Center looked like on 9/11/2020 from the air. Note the detention pond on the right side of the photo. This pond was one of the first things developed during construction. It also forms a significant percentage of the overall site. Visually, it appears to be about 15-20 percent. And as you can see, it actually holds stormwater!

The pond was the first thing contractors started building on the site, as you can see in these pictures from last June.

Adjacent to Woodridge Village

The transportation facility will be directly across Ford Road from Woodridge Village which has been plagued by flooding problems. You can see Woodridge in the background of the photo above. Woodridge Village contributed to flooding Elm Grove Village twice last year in May and September.

When Humble ISD started clearing land for their North Transportation Center, worried neighbors expressed their concerns about possible flooding. But so far, no damage.

Close up shot of pond and newly poured concrete. Note depth of pond compared to homes in background and construction container in foreground.
Wider shot shows areas where contractors were getting ready to pour new concrete on 9/11/2020.

The Humble ISD has not responded to a request for their drainage analysis.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/2/2020

1130 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 378 since Imelda

Humble ISD Constructing Transportation Facility Next to Woodridge Village

In 2018, voters approved an Humble ISD school bond that included a new northern transportation center. The 11.7-acre center is currently under construction at 24755 Ford Road, directly across the street from the new construction entrance for Woodridge Village. Concerned residents wonder whether the extra acreage could make flooding worse.

Source: Montgomery County Appraisal District

Humble ISD says the target opening date for the new transportation center is 2021. Having an additional transportation center will save an estimated $2 million in operating costs, they say, due to shorter routes and improved response times.

Transportation Centers Use Lots of Concrete

This video shows what the old bus center looks like. Lots of concrete! It is a giant parking lot. But the District does have two small detention ponds for the 29-acre site (see below).

Old Humble ISD transportation center at Will Clayton and Wilson. Note detention ponds and bottom and right of photo. Source: Google Earth.

Note that the old site is in Harris County and the new one is just across the county line in Montgomery County which has more lax regulations.

Residents Question Whether Site Will Add to Flooding

There is some good news, however. According to USGS, there were no wetlands on this site. Nor does FloodFactor.com for FEMA show that the Transportation Center is any danger of flooding, unlike its neighbor, Woodridge Village, to the west.

New Transportation Center property is by red pin. Woodridge Village is to left, across Ford Road. Source: FloodFactor.com.

Some residents have questioned whether the new transportation center will add to their flood woes. That’s unclear. It depends on whether the District puts detention ponds on the site.

Construction Photos As of 6/16/2020

Recent construction photos below suggest that they will, but the District has not yet responded to a request for a drainage analysis and site plan. See the status of construction below. All photos taken on 6/16/2020.

The cleared space on the right is the northeastern section of Woodridge Village. The one in the upper left by the cell tower is the new Humble ISD transportation center. Looking southeast toward Lake Houston in background.
Tighter shot of new transportation center shows clearing is complete. Area between cell tower and top corner looks like it could become a detention pond.
Even closer shot shows them laying stormwater sewers toward back corner.
Close shot of drain pipe. From the size, it looks as though they expect a lot of runoff.
It also looks like they are pouring a concrete bed for the pipe.

New Ag Barn Just Blocks Away

The District’s new ag barn will also be in the same vicinity, about two blocks south – right where Ford Road turns into Mills Branch Road. During the last bond election, shortly after Harvey, the District decided to relocate the ag barn from Deer Ridge Park for the safety of students and animals.

The District has just started clearing land for that project.

The high rate of development in this area makes it imperative that everyone adheres to drainage best practices to prevent flooding. As more information about these and other projects becomes available, I will post it.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/2/2020

1038 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 286 since Imelda

Humble ISD School Board authorizes 2017 reappraisals for taxpayers whose property flooded

On April 10, 2018, Humble ISD adopted a resolution that supports 2017 Tax Year reappraisals for taxpayers whose homes flooded during Harvey. Any rebate coming to taxpayers will only cover from August 23, 2017, the date the Governor declared Harris County a disaster area, through December 31, 2017.

Other key points:

  • The reappraisals and potential refunds will only impact Humble ISD taxes, not Harris County, City of Houston or any other taxing jurisdiction’s taxes.
  • If Hurricane Harvey damaged your property, the Harris County Appraisal District will reappraise your property based on the physical damage your property received. You will receive a Disaster Reappraisal Notification letter in the mail from HCAD with your new market value.
  • If you have not personally contacted HCAD to provide notification your property was damaged, contact HCAD immediately at www.hcad.org or (713) 812-5800 to ensure reappraisal of your property.
  • Taxpayers will have the right to file appeals with HCAD if they disagree with the revised assessment.
  • Most other taxable improved properties within the taxing jurisdiction’s borders will receive a Secondary Reappraisal Notification letter. This letter lets the property owner know that a jurisdiction in which he/she resides has requested reappraisal and HCAD does not have information to indicate that they were physically damaged during the disaster. If Harvey damaged your property and you receive one of these letters, contact HCAD immediately at www.hcad.org or  (713) 812-5800 to ensure your property is reappraised.
  • Humble ISD will prorate your taxes based on the new value from the date of the disaster, August 23, 2017, until December 31, 2017.
  • Refund checks will come automatically; you don’t need to take any action.
  • Refunds could arrive as early as December, 2018.
  • Property owners should visit www.hcad.org or contact the Harris County Appraisal District at  (713) 812-5800 if they have questions.

To read the full text of the Humble ISD’s policy, visit its web site.

By Bill Fowler, Co-Chair of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative

Posted 4/15/18, 229 Days Since Harvey