“Rotary changed my life,” Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones told members of the Rotary Club of Katy at the service club’s weekly meeting at the Club at Falcon Point, 24503 Falcon Point Drive in Katy on August 13.

Beginning with a description of the Rotary oratory competitions she entered while growing up in the Valley, Briones also spoke of the trips that she made to Argentina as a youth ambassador and later to Italy as a cultural ambassador – experiencing her first plane trips and her first trips out of the country. Briones also received a Rotary scholarship which helped her achieve her higher education goals, including graduating from Harvard before pursuing a law degree.

More than one million residents live in the greater Katy area, and the commissioner called Katy “a model for the country,” praising the area’s “thoughtful economic development” despite the challenges of rapid growth and opportunities for improvement. “This is going to be the heart of the American dream,” she said.

During her talk, Briones highlighted three infrastructure initiatives of interest to the Katy area residents:

· Drainage:

o Neighborhood drainage projects in six Katy-area subdivisions, including Sheffield, Northglen, Windsong, Silver Mill, Westfield and Westlake. The $11 million project involving culvert replacement and capacity improvement is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.

o A partnership with the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District will be expanded to include drainage improvements to be made during the widening of Pitts and Clay, and on a master drainage plan for Cane Island.

o Working with Waller County to improve the flood warning system. An additional project in partnership with Waller County will be announced soon by Waller County officials and will involve a regulatory change, Briones said.

· Widening of Porter Road between Morton Road and Clay Road, expanding from two to four lines and adding storm sewers. The project, now underway, is expected to be finished in April 2027.

· Current and future improvements to Clay Road:

o The recent installation and activation of a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Clay and Katy Hockley Road which is expected to improve traffic flow as an intermediary measure.

o Improvements to the intersection of Clay and Pitts Road, through a partnership led by Waller County, which will expand the existing intersection from two to four lanes and will add a traffic signal as well as underground storm sewers. Construction is slated to begin in early 2028.

o Clay Road widening from two to four lanes, with the addition of sidewalks and underground storm sewers. The project is now in the design phase, with the design

expected to be completed in July 2027. However, the construction costs remain unfunded at this time, Briones said and it is on the priority list among hundreds of other projects. “We are applying for grants like there is no tomorrow,” Briones said.

“We all spend too much time thinking, living, breathing and dreaming about Clay Road, and we know there is a lot of work to be done,” Briones said.

Briones then responded to questions that had been submitted in advance by Rotarians, including concerns about plans about long-term flood control efforts and maintenance of existing waterways. She said that Harris County was working closely with the Harris County Flood Control District and with Fort Bend and Waller Counties to craft regional solutions. Other questions related to answers for traffic congestion, the approval process for infrastructure improvements prior to supporting new development, and plans for improvements to public safety and disaster preparedness.

As part of disaster preparedness, Precinct 4 will be building a new Katy Service Center later this year which will be designed for 24-hour shifts. It will support high-water rescues and debris and tree removal in the aftermath of storms, in addition to performing ongoing daily work, Briones said. The center will also be equipped to treat roadways for icy conditions, with 40 vehicles prepared to handle those tasks. In addition, there will be two refrigerated trucks which can distribute ice during heat-related events. A location and other project details were not announced.