< Previous10 | The Daily News | Progress | 2024 Thank you for suppo serve you, your famil 1 st 1 st Largest Bank in Galveston County 1 Millions of dollars given to hundreds of community Chartered Bank of the West (Now TFB Galveston - Stewart Road) Chartered Bank of Santa Fe (Now TFB Santa Fe) American Independent Bancshares, Inc. (AIB), was Chartered Texas Independent Bancshares, Inc. (TIB), was Chartered Chartered Gulf Shores Bank (Now TFB Crystal Beach) Opened TFB Galveston - Broadway Opened TFB La Marque - FM 1764 Opened TFB Kemah & Galveston - Pirates Beach Opened TFB Dickinson Opened TFB League City Opened TFB Friendswood & La Marque - Oak Street Texas First Bank & Rust-Ewing 3 AIB merged into TIB First State Bank of Hitchcock was purchased by a group of investors organized by Charles T. Doyle Chartered Gulf National Bank (Now TFB Texas City) 197319822002 Established SBA Lending Department 19751977197919851991199319951996199819992000 3 Insurance products are not a deposit, not FDIC insured, not insured by any Federal Government Agency, not guaranteed by the bank and may go down in value. HELPING Banking Centers with ATMs Banking Centers Stand Alone ATMs TEXAS FIRST BANK’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE BEAUMONT HOUSTON GALVESTON2024 | Progress | The Daily News | 11 pporting us the last 50 years. We can't wait to amily, and your business for years to come. 2 nd 2 nd Largest Community Bank in the Houston area 1 18 th 18 th Largest Bank (overall) in the Houston area 1 18 th 18 th Largest SBA Lender in the Houston area 2 volunteering in our local communities. Leadership that leads by example. Mary Ellen and Chuck Doyle present students in Galveston County with annual scholarship checks through the LEADS program. ADVISORY DIRECTORS: Dennis Bettison, ; Michael G. Burkhart; David Daspit; Ryan Doyle; Don Najvar; Timothy R. O’Brien Matthew T. DoyleCharles T. Doyle Lee ArdellChristopher C. Doyle David R. DoyleJoseph Chuoke Carlos GarzaPatrick F. Doyle Stephen D. HolmesTravis Hardwick Carlos PeñaHerbert L. Williams Gaddis P. WittjenJames D. “Beau” Yarbrough, Jr. TEXAS FIRST BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS Y E A RS 1 9 7 3 - 2 0 2 3 2002 Opened TFB Conroe, Houston - Katy Freeway, Houston - Beechnut, Spring & The Woodlands Opened TFB Baytown, Fannett & Winnie Opened TFB Pearland Opened TFB Mid County Opened TFB Pasadena Opened TFB Hull & Liberty Purchased Assurance One Insurance3 in Houston Rust-Ewing Insurance became Texas First Insurance 3 Purchased Sullivan Insurance Agency 2 Chartered Houston Business Bank (Now TFB Houston - Beechnut) 20232024 INSURANCE 200620072008200920102020 Opened Texas First Conroe 2012 2019 20182014 Opened TFB Beaumont 2022 WWW.TEXASF IRST.BANK G TEXANS BUILD TEXAS®12 | The Daily News | Progress | 2024 Texas City nears completion of $32M school By B. SCOTT McLENDON The Daily News T exas City school district is set to open a $32 million early childhood education center next school year after con- struction began in February, officials said. Calvin Vincent Ear- ly Childhood Center, a 63,000-square-foot facili- ty on the corner of state Highway 3 and Emmett F. Lowry Expressway, is set to open in the fall of next year in Texas City, school district spokeswoman Melissa Tor- torici said. The district broke ground Feb. 6 on the center, which will house 3- and 4-year-old students and is paid for by the district’s $158.6 million 2022 bond package. “They’ve got a lot going on,” Tortorici said. “If you’ve driven by Highway 3 and Emmett F. Lowry, you’ve seen the green walls,” Tor- torici said. “We’re rocking and rolling on that and our target for completion and to have kids in there is next school year.” The district budgeted about $32 million for the facility’s construction, according to Huckabee Architects. The new center will be specifically designed for toddlers and is expected to accommodate 400 students. There will be 16 different classrooms, each designed to immerse the children in the topic they’ll learn as they rotate from room to room throughout the school year, according to the school district. Classroom themes will include ocean, zoo, wetlands and petrochemical, accord- ing to the school district. The center is expected to be completed by August 2025, officials said. It will be an instructional space for our students to play, discover, create and embark on a journey full of knowledge and entertain- ment through different inter- active experiences, accord- ing to the school district. B. Scott McLendon: 409-683-5241; scott.mclendon@galvnews.com ABOVE: Prekindergarten student Despie Romero gathers her belongings at the end of the school day on Dec. 4 at of Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Center in Texas City. STUART VILLANUEVA/ The Daily News LEFT: An architect’s rendering of the new Calvin Vincent Early Childhood Center, which is slated to open in August 2025. TEXAS CITY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT/Courtesy2024 | Progress | The Daily News | 13 Bond-funded projects mean big changes for Galveston ISD By MONIQUE BATSON The Daily News F ueled by money from a historic $315 mil- lion bond package, 2024 was a year of major change for Galveston ISD and officials were looking to 2025 with one word in mind — new. Through the five-propo- sition bond package vot- ers approved in 2022, the district consolidated Rosen- berg and Morgan elemen- tary schools at the Austin Middle School campus on Ursuline Street, made Austin an elementary school, and sent fifth- and sixth-graders to Weis Middle School at the beginning of the school year. Construction also is un- derway on a new Ball High School, aquatics center and new Kermit Courville Stadium. “Progress on construc- tion at Ball High has been extensive,” Superintendent Matthew Neighbors said. “The new tennis courts are now open for play, and the press box at Courville is rising above the existing stadium. “The district also launched its latest strategic plan based on input from over 100 em- ployees. The new mission, to ‘Raise the Grade’ references Galveston’s historic accom- plishment of raising the ground behind the seawall, lifting the community.” This district has expand- ed its ability to serve pre-K students, and has continued to see strong enrollment in early grades, district spokes- man Mike Dudas said. Enrollment numbers have declined almost each year since the 1990s, with 9,751 students in 1991 down to 6,447 in 2024, according to the district. But officials are building the new high school with room for growth. Enrollment during the 2024-25 academic years was 2,050 students and the new campus will have a capacity to accommodate 350 more, officials said. Ball High School North — with a library, classrooms, engineering labs, health sci- ences centers and more — will open in January 2026, Dudas said. Weis Middle School also has updated classrooms, new science and art labs, and new locker rooms, he said. Galveston ISD also is growing educator involve- ment by allowing every teacher in the district the opportunity to qualify for the Teacher Incentive Al- lotment. Through the Texas Education Agency pro- gram, districts can reward teachers based on student growth. This year, 100-plus educators will have earned incentives between $6,000 and $28,000 through the program. “Going forward, student voice and leadership will be amplified and classroom in- struction prioritized through a focus on six classroom es- sentials, core values for every classroom,” Neighbors said. Monique Batson: 409-683-5247: monique.batson@galvnews.com STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Construction continues on the new Ball High School in Galveston on Dec. 3. The school district hopes to open the first section of the new school in fall 2025 and the second a year later. “Progress on construction at Ball High has been extensive.” Galveston ISD Superintendent Matthew Neighbors14 | The Daily News | Progress | 2024 Library works to remain central in population growth By LAUREN FRICK The Daily News W hen Helen Hall Library was last expanded in the late 1980s to accommodate growth, League City’s pop- ulation was nearly 30,000 people, according to the Texas Almanac. With no physical expan- sion on the horizon and the city’s population now eclips- ing 118,000, library staff members must get creative to ensure services reach all residents, librarian Meredith Layton said. “Having that one kind of central library, we’re anchored in a municipal complex, so we’re with- in walking distance of a neighborhood, and we’re right next to city hall, and so that’s kind of a small-town feel,” Layton said. “I think there are some growing pains. As the west side is continuing to de- velop, they may not feel as much a part of what’s happening in this little municipal complex, so we really have to think of some creative ways to make sure that they’re feeling involved in our community.” As the city’s population has grown over the years, so has the library’s services. Helen Hall Library opened in 1972 in a 7,000-square-foot, single-story building hous- ing a collection of less than 3,000 books. Today, the library circulates more than 400,000 items a year, offers more than 530 programs to patrons of all ages and maintains a resource data- base that served more than 500,000 people in 2021, according to the city. While the library’s services have expanded, the physical space has not. The library last expanded in August 1985, when voters approved a $2.5 million bond issue that included a second-sto- ry addition to the existing library and renovations of the original building. Confined by city hall, West Walker Street and state Highway 3, there is no way to expand the physical space of the library, but that won’t stop the rising demand, Lay- ton said. “People love the library,” she said. “They just want more of it. They want more space, more collections, more programs, more of everything. “As we get more people, that’s just going to accel- erate, so it’s really about positioning ourselves for that future and trying to figure out how we, without a larger facility necessarily, figure out creative ways that we can extend our footprint, maybe beyond the walls.” Because the addition of satellite branches is too expensive for the library to take on at the moment, staff members have discussed alternative ways of deliver- ing services to the growing population, Layton said. “Some of the things that we’ve been looking and thinking about as a library team are hold pickup lock- ers, almost like an Amazon locker system, library vend- ing machines and bookmo- bile services to try to get us out into the community on the far east and far west sides to try to bring the library to people, if we can’t have a permanent location in those areas,” Layton said. No matter the means, Lay- ton knows how important it is to stay connected to the community. Assistant City Librarian Darla Rance started the library’s English as a second language programming. “The program started fairly small and it’s grown,” Rance said. “Right now it hasn’t overgrown, but there’s some time when the whole table is filled with chairs, so I would have to possibly break it up to another day of the week. Right now, I do it on Mon- day nights and Wednesday mornings, and Wednesdays are the big full times.” As the city’s population has grown and become more diverse, the classes have received more inter- est, Rance said, noting that non-English speakers’ first stop is typically the library. “We’re growing with people from different coun- tries, which is exciting,” she said. “People always think I’m doing it for a lot of people who are Span- ish speakers, but we had a mother-in-law and a son-in- law come from Palestine. I have all different kinds of countries in there.” Layton knows League City isn’t the only once-small- town experiencing growing pains and hopes Helen Hall will continue to adapt and remain the anchor of the community, she said. “I think there are a lot of cities in Texas that are kind of dealing with the same sort of thing,” Layton said. “Trying to foster growth and development in the commu- nity and make sure that it’s vibrant, but also trying to retain that feeling of com- munity.” Lauren Frick: 409-683-5230; lauren. frick@galvnews.com 2024 | Progress | The Daily News | 15 ABOVE: Cody Kiser, assistant children’s librarian at Helen Hall Library in League City, hangs Christmas decorations along the back wall of the library Dec. 3. Library services are expanding to meet the growing community’s needs. LEFT: kits for crafting and other hobbies are available to check out at the library. OPPOSITE: Maximus Villarreal, 5, keeps track of his scavenger hunt list in the children’s section the library. Children could search for holiday-themed imag- es placed throughout the department for a chance at prizes. Photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS/ The Daily News “I think there are a lot of cities in Texas that are kind of dealing with the same sort of thing. Trying to foster growth and development in the community and make sure that it’s vibrant, but also trying to retain that feeling of community.” LIBRARIAN MEREDITH LAYTON16 | The Daily News | Progress | 2024 Officials want business growth to match population growth By LAUREN FRICK The Daily News T omorrow Orsak, a League City-based Allstate Insurance agent, is one of the business owners who has benefited from the city’s continued population growth. For Orsak, it’s a simple equation. “More people moving here means more need for insur- ance — more homeowner’s insurance; more flood insur- ance; and more windstorm insurance,” Orsak said. “We’ve definitely grown. In 2020 and 2021, we were in the top 3 percent in the country and then in 2022 we were in the top 10 percent in the country for growth.” The city historically has been known as a bedroom community, meaning a large number of people residing in the city don’t work there, instead commuting to a nearby city. About 80 percent of League City residents com- mute outside the city for work, City Manager John Baumgartner said. With 40 percent — nearly 4,000 acres — of the city’s west side yet to be devel- oped, residential develop- ment will continue to grow throughout the city. How much of the west side is residential development will, in part, be up to the city. The zoning district for all undeveloped land on the west side is residential single family. This means only the development of single family lots within a minimum square footage of 7,000 as well as parks and recreation facilities, public facilities and religious facili- ties is allowed. While 4,000 more acres of residential development would translate to business opportunities for Orsak, it would create problems for residents and their tax rate, Councilman Justin Hicks said. Hicks wants residential development to continue, but his first priority as the city finishes out its devel- opment is bringing in more businesses, he said. “We can still maintain a safe and low-tax town, but we have to replace where the revenue comes from with something,” Hicks said. “That’s where commercial development comes in.” Bringing more commercial development to the city may be easier said than done, Hicks said. “We need to clean up our reputation with the commer- cial development communi- ty,” Hicks said. “We have the worst reputation, at least in the county, for being one of the hardest cities to build in.” With League City posi- tioned in a prime location and offering a great quality of life, all the city is missing are effective financial incen- tives to drive in businesses, League City Regional Cham- ber of Commerce President Bryan Bolton said. “Being open for business is the first phase, but court- ing businesses, influenc- ing businesses and being competitive with other local cities is the second,” Bolton said. “Saying, ‘Hey, come here because we know you’re looking at Webster, you’re looking at Galveston, but we want to give you a reason to choose League City, and we’re going to give these financial or tax incen- tives to make it beneficial for you to choose us.’ We have an opportunity to do that.” As the city finishes devel- opment over the next few decades, Bolton hopes more medium- to larger-sized businesses, such as restau- rants, entertainment venues and fitness facilities, come to the city, offering opportuni- ties for multiple job open- ings, he said. Not addressing the city’s potential barriers for com- mercial developers will reap negative consequences, Hicks said, hoping to lead the city down a new path in his next term. “League city should not be passed up for quality development because our reputation is very poor,” he said. “That’s going to bite us in the butt. We can make a culture that’s more business friendly. That’s what we’ve been lacking and that’s what I’m trying to fix over my next four years.” Lauren Frick: 409-683-5230; lauren. frick@galvnews.com STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Allstate Insurance agent Tomorrow Orsak has seen business grow as League City’s population has increased. “We need to clean up our reputation with the commercial development community. We have the worst reputation, at least in the county, for being one of the hardest cities to build in.” League City Councilman Justin Hicks “Being open for business is the first phase, but courting businesses, influencing businesses and being competitive with other local cities is the second.” League City Regional Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Bolton2024 | Progress | The Daily News | 17 3891 E. League City Parkway (Texas City) Call for a FREE consultation and get a good nights sleep at the lease! Brent E Patterson, DDS has achieved Diplomate status by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, completed the Dental Sleep Medicine mini-residency at Tufts University, is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and has been practicing dentistry in Galveston County for over 25 years. * Must have a diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and a prescription. Coverage varies by carrier. Applies to permanent oral device only. 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The historic surgery was used in lung resection on a cancer patient, and uses a single, small incision instead of multiple cuts. “The success using this intricate surgical technique highlights our commitment to advancing patient care through a cutting-edge approach,” Petrov said in a written statement. Scientists from the medical branch in July announced the development of a nasal spray designed to treat Alz- heimer’s and other forms of dementia. Officials called the spray a significant advancement against the neurodegen- erative diseases. It was a “great example of where we are hoping to bring together neu- roscience, clinical neurology, men- tal health research, aging and new technologies,” President Dr. Jochen Reiser said. Doing so will happen at the Moody Brain Health Institute at the Universi- ty of Texas Medical Branch, created in October largely through a $25 million donation from the Moody Foundation. Dr. Giulio Taglialatela, who special- izes in the study of Alzheimer’s, was named director of the new institute. And Dr. Michael Silva in September performed the region’s first percu- taneous transmural arterial bypass using an alternative to bypass surgery approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023. The minimally invasive procedure significantly reduces risks to the patient by eliminating the eight-hour traditional inpatient bypass and re- placing it with a two-hour outpatient procedure. But those at the Galveston center aren’t the only ones who have made significant strides this year. Dr. M. Dean Sabayon in February performed a new heart ablation pro- cedure, making the medical branch’s Clear Lake hospital one of 10 loca- tions in the country to do so. The pulse field ablation surgery takes less time than existing procedures and doesn’t cause damage to surrounding cells, officials said. Monique Batson: 409-683-5247: monique.batson@ galvnews.com Dr. Michael Silva, a vascular surgeon at the University of Texas Medical Branch, has been practicing for four decades. In September, he performed the region’s first percutaneous transmural arterial bypass using an alternative to bypass surgery approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH/ COURTESY News on the go. Download the app today. 2024 | Progress | The Daily News | 19 STAY HERE. START HERE. Coastal Health & Wellness provides coastalhw.org 409.938.2234 Primary care including well-child visits, women’s health, family planning, annual physicals, chronic disease management and more. MEDICAL CARE Same-day appointments available with clinics in Texas City and Galveston. We accept Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, and self-pay. high-quality, affordable primary care to everyone. DENTAL CARE Complete preventive and restorative dental care for all ages. 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