Two years in planning, the 48,000-square-foot center includes a community center with rentable spaces and room for community and senior activities, as well as a library with rooms for children and young adults.
Within the community center portion of the facility, individual rooms were named after local leaders and residents.
"Each interior room will carry the name of someone who has helped build the community we know today; names that deserve to be honored and remembered," Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler said during a presentation at the event.
The namesake rooms are:
- Sen. Tommy Williams Boardroom
- Judge Edie Connelly Conference Room
- Julie Ambler Meeting Room
- Cathy Brady Ballroom
- Bruce Cunningham Room
- Dr. Edmund Robb III Meeting Room
- Jim & Nelda Blair Classroom
The big picture
Honorees and their families toured the facility along with local officials at the Aug. 20 event. Wheeler and Kevin Brady, who represented Texas' 8th Congressional District from 1997 until 2023, presented remarks at the event.
"This will be a gathering place for our community, for our businesses, for our visitors coming in, and it sets such a wonderful tone," Kevin Brady said. "This is where our volunteers, our civic clubs, out charitable organizations, all of our groups will meet and plan and prepare and fundraise."
Jim Carman, president of the Howard Hughes Houston Region, also offered remarks on the collaboration, which recently saw the opening of a new, redeveloped retail space.
"This needs to be a great location for the community, both the library and community center, as well as the retail adjacent for many, many years to come," Carman said.
Quotes of note
Honorees and officials spoke with Community Impact about the opening of the library and community center.
"I'm a big fan of libraries," Julie Ambler, head of school at The Woodlands Christian Academy, said. "Growing up, my mother took us to the library twice a week. ... So having a beautiful library, I think will just inspire people to take their children to the library and get them to read."
"I think [the new center] will help [Grogan's Mill] grow," Judge Edie Connelly said. "I think people will have a reason to come into Grogan's Mill, and it's a beautiful facility, so we can be very proud of it."
"This is an incredible honor for me, for the family, but especially for the community," Kevin Brady said. "... A dynamic community deserves a dynamic community center where all our volunteers can gather, and the library is really built for the future. I was a library kid; you can change lives. I encourage families [and] parents to visit this facility, it's really remarkable."
"It's honestly such an honor," Cathy Brady said. "Being a part of this community for so long has been—it's a part of me, and it's just wonderful."
