The court reconvened after an executive session to unanimously approve a resolution for the purchase of 131 S. Trade Center Parkway, Conroe, for an amount not to exceed $1.5 million, according to discussion at the meeting. The location is just north of Hwy. 242 and east of I-45.
“This will be used for the new home of the Montgomery County Traffic Operations Department,” Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said. “They are housed in Precinct 3; this will give us the ability to use that for some other road and bridge functions."
The resolution will move the process forward, but there will be a 30-day feasibility study, County Attorney B.D. Griffin said at the meeting.
Noack said at the meeting the potential new facility will allow the department, which is funded through precincts 2 and 3, to better manage roadways.
"[Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie] Riley and I have been funding this department since the beginning of this budget year, and going forward we’re going to look at some of the IT department housed in there ... and at some point in time when the funding is available, Northstar will be moving there," he said, referring to the county's traffic management system.
Noack said traffic operations functions are particularly important during storms.
"That [Northstar] facility is the up and coming TranStar facility for Montgomery County during significant storm events," he said, referring to the Houston and Harris County transportation partnership that works with entities such as the Texas Department of Transportation.
