By Terry Carter
Several years ago, Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert strolled through a five-acre, wooded area the city had recently purchased. And he began to create a vision that is now designated as The 3B Learning Center.
On Monday, Hebert updated Katy City Council members on the plans for an interactive learning center focused on birds, bees and butterflies. The logo and design will be ideal for school field trips and children/students, families and more. With the Nov. 30 purchase of the Fussell House for $350,000 from Jeffrey Graves, which connects the five-acre lot to Franz Road, the anticipated, educational site moves closer to a spring unveiling, Hebert said.
“When the house came up (for sale), I really appreciate the council moving on this at lightning speed to get this property. My whole team just jumped in, and now we can go. We have an icon in the house that can tell its own story,” Hebert said Monday night after the Katy City Council meeting. “To come out here on the 13th with council and have everything moving is awesome. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
On the first part of the journey, the City of Katy purchased five acres behind the Fussell House at 5402 Franz Road, near the library. It is a forested area behind the Fussell House. During his update to council members, the city administrator outlined several likely steps to prepare the house as an educational site for Katy’s community and birdwatchers:
- A room dedicated to the history, story of the Fussell House itself, which goes back to at least 1903
- Renovations other sections of the home for office use by the Katy Parks and Recreation Department
- Developing the education opportunities at the 3B Learning Center with entities including Katy ISD and Harris County
“It’s been on my mind for a long time, and it’s been in the making for a while. My wife talked to me about a butterfly area, and this area is big enough to do birds, bees and butterflies,” Hebert, who also celebrated his birthday on Monday, explained. “We’ve got some things to do this winter prepping the property. Depending on weather, we could probably unveil the property maybe in March. That will be an initial launch with more to come.”
During its Monday meeting — the final city council meeting scheduled for 2021 — council members also approved the following major items for the City of Katy:
- Authorizing Mayor Bill Hastings to sign proposals with Costello Engineering and Surveying for work on three projects: a regional detention pond expansion in Waller County; a 115-foot street bridge on 10th Street; and the Pitts Road stormwater pump station
- Authorization to enter a financing agreement with Government Capital Corporation for the purchase of a new Fire Truck in the amount of $723,379 to replace an 18-year-old unit. The new fire truck will take approximately 12-18 months to be available for delivery
- Authorization to sign two service agreements with Motorola Solutions for on-site service, support, software updates on the Fire Station Alerting System
- Authorization to approve a proposal with American Fire Protection Group, Inc. for the Harris County Library at 5414 Franz Road
- Authorization to approve change order No. 2 with PRV Services for $7,634.60 for Igloo Road emergencyrepair project
The logo for the 3B Learning Center was shared with Katy City Council on Monday night. Terry Carter udphotos.com
Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert, celebrated his birthday on Monday by watching his educational project move closer to reality. Terry Carter udphotos.com
