As work continues on a new Montrose library underway at the Montrose Collective, members of the Montrose Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone signaled willingness at an Aug. 19 to fund improvements at the existing Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library.
TIRZ officials approved a budget and Capital Improvement Plan at an Aug. 19 meeting that includes funding for library renovations. However, city of Houston and TIRZ officials both emphasized the dollar amounts are meant to serve as a placeholder until a final cost share agreement is drafted and executed.
The latest
By a vote of 5-1, Montrose TIRZ board members approved the TIRZ's 2024-25 budget and 2024-28 Capital Improvements Plan at the Aug. 19 meeting. TIRZ's normally adopt CIPs and budgets before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, but the Montrose TIRZ got a two-month extension from the city of Houston because of the timing of new board members taking over July 2.
After a TIRZ board approves a budget in Houston, it then goes to Houston City Council for approval.
Projects in the Montrose TRIZ CIP largely focus on mobility and street safety, but it also envisions spending $11.5 million on the renovation of the Freed-Montrose library. The plan envisions the TIRZ spending $1 million on the renovations in the 2024-25 fiscal year—which started July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025—and just under $2.63 million in each of the four years after that.
Sanjay Bapat, a partner with the law firm Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLC, which provides legal advice to the TIRZ board, said the funds going toward the library in the CIP are not set in stone, and no actual money was allocated with the CIP's approval Aug. 19.
"It doesn't obligate the authority to spend any money on this," he said at the Aug. 19 meeting. "If we do spend money on a study related to the library, or architectural plans, or whatever it may be, it will come back to this board for approval with more details."
The context
The Freed-Montrose library was briefly closed in March for reasons officials said at the time were related to safety at the facility, including a faulty elevator that left the building out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. HPL officials also pointed to the upcoming opening of the new Montrose Collective library location, which was expected to replace the Freed-Montrose library at the time.
Shortly after the closure, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced he was replacing HPL's executive director Rhea Brown Lawson with Cynthia Wilson, who would serve in the position on an interim basis. Whitmire then asked HPL officials to come up with a plan to reopen the Freed-Montrose library safely, and it eventually reopened April. 15.
Mary Benton, chief of communications and senior advisor to Whitmire, said the decision to close the Freed-Montrose library was made without Whitmire's knowledge and without warning to residents.
"The original Montrose library is important to the community as voiced by citizens when it closed earlier this year due to the elevator falling out of service," Benton said in an email. "We believe it is a location that can continue to serve children and adults in a historical location."
Meanwhile, the new Montrose Collective library is still on track to open, Benton said.
What they're saying
TIRZ officials said they were instructed by the city in May to include the Freed-Montrose library as a line item in the CIP, a request reiterated as recently as July, but have not been given additional details on what the funding would actually cover.
The $11.5 million is the expected renovation cost of the library, but that cost could potentially be split with the HPL or another TIRZ, officials said. The library is located within the boundaries of the Midtown TIRZ.
"The Montrose library line item is one thing that we do need to continue to work with the [Whitmire] administration on to understand that a little better," TIRZ chair Matthew Brollier said at the meeting.
The city's General Services Department provided three scenarios for upgrading the Freed-Montrose library, Benton said, including making minor cosmetic improvements for $5.1 million and a complete renovation with a new children's area for $14.5 million.
The CIP allocations are meant to serve as a placeholder until a final cost share agreement is executed, said Benton, who added that Midtown TIRZ officials have expressed a willingness to present a proposal to the board.
The lone dissenting vote on the CIP came from board member Jeffrey Watters, who made an amendment to remove the Freed-Montrose line item from the CIP at the Aug. 19 meeting.
"We don't have any background on it," Watters said at the meeting. "All these other project we have funding sources, we have an idea of what it's going to be. We had one request back in May, and nothing further on this. I can't support a budget that includes this."
Several public speakers at the Aug. 19 meeting also spoke out against including the library in the CIP.
"You are now on record for putting money into a library that is not in the district. You are on record for having an additional library because there is going to be a new library in Montrose, and the city doesn't have the money to staff the libraries we have now. That's a real concern," speaker Jack Valinski said.
Also of note
Whitmire announced the appointment of a new HPL executive director Aug. 28 following approval from Houston City Council.
Sandy Gaw—a former Houston ISD educator who was named principal of the year during the 2014-15 school year, when she served as principal of DeChaumes Elementary School—will oversee all operations of city libraries in her new role. She most recently served as an executive director with HISD, a role she started in July 2023.
Her focuses will include enhancing community engagement, expanding bilingual and multicultural programs, and meeting diverse needs of communities served by HPL, according to an Aug. 28 news release from the city.
"I am honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of our city's libraries," Gaw said in a statement. "I look forward to working closely with Mayor Whitmire and our community to foster a love for learning and ensure our libraries remain vibrant centers of knowledge and culture."
