Leadership Montgomery County – County Infrastructure

Last Thursday I attended our first LMC class for the year. It was great seeing the group again. We all met a month ago for our retreat.

The day began at the San Jacinto River Authority office. We heard speakers from Entergy, TexDot, and the River Authority. We were given a tour of the dam and saw first hand some of the damage to the dam from IKE. Thank goodness not as much damage was sustained as we did from Rita. They believe that the damage was less severe even though the sustained winds with IKE were greater because of the repairs being so new from Rita.

We were updated on the ground water conservation efforts being implemented in our county. This is an area that is of great concern for everyone and a topic that the public needs to be educated on. Montgomery County has been working on a plan and the implementation of this plan is already underway. Each and every one of us needs to understand the water situation and help make plans for the future that are smart and prudent.

The Entergy information was very informative. They explained in detail the events that occurred after IKE and how they had to get all of the crews here, house and feed them and then create a system to get all of the thousands of repairs done. It was amazing how in reality, Entergy was able to get us up and going in a relatively timely fashion when you look at the logistics of all of this.

TexDot gave us a detailed report of all of the roads and highways that are under construction. Our county has experienced such tremendous growth that of course this is a major topic for all of us. The good news is, the road projects are progressing. The bad news is that the state is not funding any new roads right now. However, the county and the toll authority are moving ahead with projects to keep us moving.

After a great lunch, we headed out to Consolidated Communications office in Conroe. We were updated on how the communications industry is ever-changing and what the plans are for future disasters such as IKE. What is so amazing is how this industry literally changes from day to day. Can any of us even imagine how businesses were run 20 years ago without our cell phones and PDA's?

We ended the day at the Waste Water Treatment facility in Conroe. Boy was this interesting to say the least. Stinky too! None the less, what would we do without this? Being a Biology major, I found all of the processes very interesting and amazing. I did learn that the "dirt" or solid waste that is left over is the best fertilizer around but because it is from humans, it is just put into the dumps. Can't we figure out a way to use this material and keep it out of the dumps?

A lot of information was packed into this day but what a great education. I think it is vital to the citizens of a county to know and understand these systems and be educated on the concerns and struggles that the county faces. I am looking forward to our day next month where we will meet with all levels of our county government!

Montgomery County Real Estate