Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has submitted funding requests for important community projects in TX-07 to the House Appropriations Committee.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2024—although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.
In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Congresswoman Fletcher has certified that she, her spouse, and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects she has requested.
Congresswoman Fletcher and her staff worked with member of the community to ensure the projects below qualified for submission. She will continue to work with the community to advocate for federal support for community-supported projects.
Project Name: West Alabama Street Multimodal Reconstruction Project
Amount Requested: $10,000,000
Amount Received: $0
Recipient:Upper Kirby Management District, 3120 Southwest Fwy, Suite 102, Houston, TX 77098
Description: This project will reconstruct West Alabama Street from Buffalo Speedway to Spur 257, to improve pavement conditions, improve drainage, provide safe and accessible pedestrian facilities, and build a dedicated on-street bikeway. Currently, the corridor has damaged and missing sidewalks, a lack of bike lanes, and failing pavement. The project will improve the design and overall function of the roadway to safely accommodate auto, bicycle, and pedestrian users. The project is expected to result in a significant safety improvement resulting in a 45% reduction in certain types of vehicle crashes, 65% reduction in pedestrian crashes, and 38% reduction in bicycle related crashes.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Mission Bend Elementary School Rebuild
Amount Requested: $9,980,000
Amount Received: $500,000
Recipient: Fort Bend Independent School District, 16200 Beechnut Street, Houston, Texas 77083
Description: This project will help with the reconstruction of an elementary school building that is more than 40 years old. This would update the building to 21st century education specifications for current and future students, more than 85 percent of whom have a low socioeconomic status and 34 percent are emergent bilingual. The new school will be built with the capacity to serve more than 700 students. This significant investment in education within the community will incentivize neighborhood revitalization.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Keegans Bayou Drainage Improvements near Old Richmond Road
Amount Requested: $8,000,000
Amount Received: $959,752
Recipient: Harris County Flood Control District, 9900 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77092
Description: The project will construct a dry bottom detention basin design that will be enhanced with green stormwater infrastructure features, including native tree and grass plantings designed to promote infiltration of stormwater and filtration of pollutants entering the basin. This project will provide immediate benefits to an area that has experienced structural flooding from the Memorial Day Flood, the Tax Day Flood, and Hurricane Harvey. The construction of stormwater detention basins will reduce the flooding inundation area and water surface elevations during high intensity rain events and set the foundation for a system of improvements to provide capacity for a 100-year rainfall event.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Meadowglen West Complete Streets Project
Amount Requested: $8,000,000
Amount Received: $850,000
Recipient: Westchase District, 10370 Richmond Avenue, Suite 1350, Houston, Texas 77042
Description: This project will repurpose Meadowglen Lane from Woodland Park Drive to Rogerdale Road as a complete street. Currently, this corridor has inconsistent and missing sidewalks, sidewalks of insufficient width, and lack of bike facilities. The project includes roadway safety conditions, pedestrian accommodations, connectivity to bicycle facilities, and upgraded sewer and stormwater systems. This will improve overall safety and function of the roadway, enhance access to public transit, and improve local and subregional resiliency through stormwater management improvements to the Westchase District.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Southwest Civic Core Campus – Phase 1
Amount Requested: $8,000,000
Amount Received: $5,782,558
Recipient: Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority, 10103 Fondren Road, #300, Houston, Texas 77096
Description: This project will redevelop an existing underutilized public property in a way which will address a multitude of community needs related to quality of life, economic vitality, and community development in Southwest Houston. The redevelopment plan will provide additional space for a community senior center and for the expansion of community services provided by the Houston Public Library, Houston Health Department, and the Houston Parks Department; provide a space for use by local community development corporations and nonprofits to engage in workforce development and job training activities; create a space for a community ”lily pad” to provide a hardened facility which can be used as shelter and a water/food/care distribution location; convert an existing surface parking lot into a green space in an area classified as a park desert and that is approximately 17-degrees hotter than the rest of Houston due to a lack of tree cover and green space; provide additional parking, via a structured parking facility, for adjacent community facilities like Legacy Community Health, BakerRipley, and potentially in support of Houston METRO’s planned Gulfton Bus Rapid Transit extension; provide a centralized community space in one of the densest communities and Houston and to support several schools in the area.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Gessner BOOST Bus Stop Improvements
Amount Requested: $5,000,000
Amount Received: $850,000
Recipient: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), 1900 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Description: The 46 Gessner route is one of METRO’s most highly utilized bus routes. The Gessner BOOST project is designed to holistically improve the transit experience for METRO riders, delivering benefits to tens of thousands of existing riders and positioning the corridor to attract new ridership in the years to come. The project will modernize the transit experience and bring much needed technological and infrastructure improvements to one of the busiest transit corridors in the METRO system. Improvements will consist of bus stop enhancements, new bus shelters, improved passenger information, easier boarding platforms, and safe all-door access.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Renovation Plan for the City of Houston Metropolitan Multiservice Center for People with Disabilities
Amount Requested: $4,000,000
Amount Received: $1,000,000
Recipient: City of Houston, 611 Walker Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Description: This project will facilitate the renovation of the City of Houston Metropolitan Multiservice Center for People with Disabilities, which will remodulate and/or maintain facility amenities, such as restrooms, waiting areas, welcome desks, fitness and exercise rooms, equipment, and existing gymnasium, locker rooms, restrooms, and both interior and exterior adjustments. The renovation will increase access to the amenities and further support the continuation and accessibility efforts of organized and accessible sports, recreation activities, and wellness opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. The project will improve the lives of people with disabilities by increasing safe use of the facility and therefore healthy access to programs and services. It will also build positive perceptions of facility programs and services and increase awareness of the facility by and for people with disabilities and/or non-profit organizations.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Artificial Intelligence & Manufacturing Technology Center
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Amount Received: $500,000
Recipient: University of Houston at Sugar Land, 14000 University Blvd, Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Description: This project would develop an Artificial Intelligence and Manufacturing Technology Center to enhance University of Houston (UH) Sugar Land’s leadership position in innovation and applied skills in manufacturing technology, blending advances in compressing the digital divide to solve problems, improve lives, and enhance economic progress. Furthermore, the Tech Center will create a space that will allow students and professionals to gather, collaborate, learn, and develop advanced technology and innovation skills that will increase velocity to create, communicate, and commercialize solutions. Finally, the project will highlight Sugar Land community leadership as trailblazers in economic innovation and advanced applied technology.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Forensic Evidence Data System Improvement
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Amount Received: $963,000
Recipient: Houston Forensic Science Center, 500 Jefferson Street, Suite 1300, Houston, Texas 77002
Description: The project will facilitate the design and development of Houston Forensic Science Center’s (HFSC) information systems to improve the collection, tracking, management, and movement of forensic evidence through the criminal justice system of Houston. Currently, the Houston Police Department (HPD) manages forensic evidence and property, which includes approximately 1.5 million items of evidence in inventory and more than 250,000 items in transition each year. HFSC is the recipient of at least half of these items as forensic evidence. Since HPD cases make up more than an estimated 75% of criminal cases flowing through Harris County courts, tens of thousands of cases are backlogged due to inefficiencies in evidence handling. The requested funds will be used to improve the handling and quality of forensic evidence, which will in turn improve the efficacy of the criminal justice system for millions of citizens in Harris County. Additionally, efforts to develop these tools in Harris County will have far-reaching applicability for jurisdictions nationwide that face similar challenges of improving forensic evidence quality and handling.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Rice University - Houston ISD Planetary and Space Exploration Education Project
Amount Requested: $2,197,044
Amount Received: $963,000
Recipient: William Marsh Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
Description: This project is a space and planetary science engagement-focused pilot that would leverage Rice University's STEM education relationship with Houston ISD (HISD) and local partners to strengthen the community's pipeline of students exploring planetary sciences and related careers by engaging them in exciting, interwoven programming using a scaffolded approach at elementary through high school levels. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained on effective communication strategies and teaching pedagogies to prepare them to bring current research and hands-on activities into HISD classrooms. With this foundational knowledge in science communication, teaching assistants at Rice will discuss their research and career opportunities with K-12 teachers and students through programs and presentations during both the school year and the summer.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Memorial Heights Safe Sidewalk and Path Connections
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Amount Received: $850,000
Recipient: Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority, 1980 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 1380 Houston, Texas 77056
Description: This project will add and improve sidewalks and shared use paths for increased multimodal connectivity and access to transit stops, schools, and major activity centers in the rapidly growing and densifying Heights neighborhood of Houston. Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority conducted a sidewalk evaluation and found that almost 25% of sidewalks in and adjacent to the district boundaries were in poor or non-existent condition, and over 40% of sidewalks were less than 5 feet in width. The project will help improve sections that are missing, in poor condition, or are undersized, providing safer paths and encouraging multimodal activity.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Sugar Land Regional Public Safety Center
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Amount Received: $1,000,000
Recipient: City of Sugar Land, 2700 Town Center Blvd. North, Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Description: The project will be used for facility and infrastructure improvements to the City of Sugar Land's Regional Public Safety Training Center by adding storage, office space, electricity, lighting, and concrete pads to support fire department training. Other improvements include adding classroom space, drivers training, and specialized training in a controlled environment for first responders.
Certification Letter
Project Name: International District Beechnut and Cook Intersection Safety Program
Amount Requested: $833,470
Amount Received: $833,470
Recipient: Harris County Precinct 4, 1001 Preston Street, #950, Houston, Texas 77002
Description: This project in the International District will reduce crashes, especially ones involving vulnerable users such as bicyclists and pedestrians, by improving signalization at intersections, multimodal crossing measures, signage, lighting, and pavement markings. The project will also improve accessibility while connecting discontinuous neighborhoods and routes to important activity and service centers such as grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and green spaces in the International District.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Rasmus Park Heritage House
Amount Requested: $573,300
Amount Received: $573,300
Recipient: City of Houston, 611 Walker Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Description: This project will facilitate the preservation of the historic Rasmus Park Heritage House, which will be open to the public and available on a reservation basis for neighborhood functions. The building will include a large open seating area for gatherings, a server for the re-warming and serving of food, two restrooms, and a storage area.
Certification Letter
Project Name: Fort Bend County Transit Scheduling and Dispatch System Replacement
Amount Requested: $360,000
Amount Received: $360,000
Recipient: Fort Bend County, 301 Jackson Street, Richmond, Texas 77469
Description: Fort Bend County Public Transportation provides over 400,000 trips annually to visitors and residents in the Fort Bend County service area. This project will fund a new scheduling and dispatching system, which was last updated in 2005. This includes an Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) vehicle tracking system, Federal Transit Administration required Automatic Vehicle Annunciator (AVA) system, Automatic Passenger Counters (APC), Wi-Fi, and related services including information technology support and training. The new technology will include features to better optimize scheduling and enable the agency to connect more effectively with passengers through automated confirmation, reminder, and arrival notifications. In addition, this all-in-one software will enhance the passenger experience through real-time vehicle location, annunciation systems for the elderly and disabled population, and access to an online trip-planning portal.
Certification Letter
View previously requested Community Funded Projects:
