District attorney names leadership team: Page 2
Elkins remained undefeated in District 20 action as they beat second-place Travis 73-63 . See the story on page 5.
WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 30, 2019
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 24
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Memorial Hermann adding 30 more beds Jack’s From staff reports
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FBISD holding special election to fill George's empty seat By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend Independent School District Board of Trustees has called a special election to fill the Position 5 seat on the board vacated by KP George when he was elected county judge. The trustees called for the special election during a meeting Tuesday morning. The election will be held in conjunction with the regular May 4 election. Candidates wishing to run to fill the remainder of George’s term in Position 5 can file from Jan. 29 through March 4 at the Fort Bend ISD offices at 16431 Lexington Blvd., Room 103, Sugar Land. George was elected to the seat in 2014 and the term expires in 2020. George was elected Fort Bend County Judge last November and took office Jan. 1. Also on the ballot for the May 4 trustee election are positions 3 and 7. Position 3 is held by Jim Rice, who has filed for re-election. Position 7 is held by Dave Rosenthal. Currently, Christine (Tina) Michie of Missouri City and Rudy Sutherland Jr. of Missouri City have filed for the seat. Applications for positions 3 and 7 are due by Feb. 15 at the school district offices. Early voting will be held April 22-30 at various locations as listed on the district website, https://www.fortbendisd.com/ Page/224. Applications to vote by mail should be sent to Fort Bend County Elections Administrator John Oldham, 301 Jackson St., Richmond, TX 77469 by April 23.
FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital will add 30 licensed patient beds and an observation unit to its campus by early 2020 as part of its continued commitment to enhance services and meet the growing healthcare needs of Fort Bend County. “Sugar Land is one of the fastest growing communities in the country and we’re making sure our campus grows in kind to continue providing Fort Bend County exceptional health care,” said Malisha Patel, Senior Vice President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. When the $15 million expansion is complete, the
hospital’s capacity will increase to 179 licensed beds, more than double the size from when it first opened in 2006. Since then, the campus has also grown its services in emergency medicine, neonatology, sports medicine, imaging and pediatric services. Memorial Hermann has expanded access to care in the area as well with Memorial Hermann Convenient Care Center at Sienna Plantation and Memorial Hermann Urgent Care Telfair. “As stewards of highquality, safe, convenient care for this area, it’s our responsibility to adapt our scope of services and size when needed,” Patel said. “Following this most recent expansion, we will have increased inpatient capacity and will be able to more efficiently meet the specific needs of patients, furthering our mission
Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital is expanding by adding 30 licensed patient beds. (Submitted photo)
to advance the health of all those whom we serve.” The anticipated growth of Fort Bend County and the surrounding region was factored into a $93 million hospital campus expansion completed in the summer of 2016. Shelled space in that expansion project’s centerpiece – a 155,000-square-foot patient tower – will be built
out to accommodate the 30 additional licensed beds. Existing space near the hospital’s Emergency Center will be converted into the 12-bed observation unit. An observation unit is a designated care area for patients where conditions are evaluated and key decisions on the continuum of care are made, including diagnosis,
treatment and whether to discharge or admit. “The organization’s foresight in the campus expansion two years ago has really given us the flexibility and capability to address a new service need when we identify one,” said Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Vice President of Operations Jason Glover. “We still have shelled space to grow our surgical services and our newest patient tower was constructed in a way that would allow us to add up to four more floors. We’re here now for the people we serve and we’re prepared for the future.” Memorial Hermann Sugar Land is located at 17500 West Grand Parkway South, Sugar Land. To learn more about the hospital’s services, call 713-222-CARE (2273).
Honoring the Father of Texas Education Members of the Texas Army color guard fire a salute to Mirabeau Lamar Friday morning at his gravesite in the Morton Cemetery in Richmond. Friday was Lamar Day in honor of the second president of the Republic of Texas and the man regarded as the Father of Texas Education. During his administration the state set aside 13,000 acres in each county for the creation of public schools as well as land for the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. (Photo by Joe Southern)
Alien invasion at chamber chairman's gala
The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce held its annual Chairman’s Gala Friday night at Safari Texas Ranch with an intergalactic theme. Guests were invited to wear their best science fiction costumes. Left photo: Dressed as Star Trek aliens are Trent and Hande Wayne. Right photo: Pictured from the left are Camryn Kazmierski, Morghan Powell, and Haley Peck. (Photos by Joe Southern)
Those were the days
The future of Fort Bend history: Fort Bend History Association plans museum expansion By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend History Association got its start 52 years ago as an auxiliary branch of the Fort Bend County Historical Commission. Today the nonprofit organization tasked with preserving Fort Bend County’s history is preparing for its future. On Thursday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. the Fort Bend History Association will hold its annual meeting at the Fort Bend Museum, 500 Houston St., Richmond, where it will formally announce a $2 million fundraising campaign to remodel and Claire Rogers, left, and Tim Kaminski discuss plans by the expand the museum. Fort Bend History association to expand the Fort Bend Mu“It’s literally the biggest undertaking of the organization since its inception,” seum. (Photo by Joe Southern)
said board President Tim Kaminski. “It’s exciting and challenging all at the same time. The first 50 years was setting the foundation and the next 50 years is about presentation of the history that we have and making sure that everybody is represented.” Recently, Kaminski and Executive Director Claire Rogers spoke about the museum and the organization, their history and their future. The association got its start in 1967 as the Fort Bend County Museum Association. “The association was started as an offshoot of the Fort Bend Historical Commission as a way to be able to take in collections from the county; be able to raise money to start something like the museum. That was back in 1967,” Kaminski said. “It pretty much operat-
ed in that vein as the Fort Bend County Museum Association up until two years ago. “Right before the 50th anniversary we went through a whole rebranding process. Part of that was to make it more distinct in that all though there’s all these different museums that have come up in the county, we weren’t an association of museums. Everybody operates individually. We changed the name to the Fort Bend History Association to be more inclusive of what we do across the county – from operating the county museum to operating Decker Park in Richmond, to operating all the educational programming that happens
SEE MUSEUM, PAGE 3