ISSUE 4 · SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND This Week |
Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Monday’s City Commission agenda is long, and three items touch daily life. Commissioners are asked to adopt a new parks, trails and open-space master plan, to end the contract on the Chestnut and Teakwood street rebuild and hand the rest of the job to the next-lowest bidder, and to hear that a fire-protection agreement with Fort Bend County has been stalled at the county attorney’s office for 10 to 12 weeks, according to the fire chief’s memo. Tuesday, the Historical Commission takes up the same historic-district code changes the Commission previews Monday. Thursday, County Commissioners Court meets in Richmond.
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Liberty Watch |
Photo: Ed Uthman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Mon 10/19 City Commission 4:30 p.m. | $2.9M street job to be re-awarded | Tue 10/20 Historical Comm. 8:30 a.m. | Thu 10/22 County court 1 p.m. |
Monday, October 19 — City Commission. A workshop at 9 a.m. reviews the evening agenda; the regular meeting is at 4:30 p.m., City Hall Annex, 600 Morton St., and by Zoom. Both agendas and the full packet are posted on the city’s calendar. The evening opens with service awards, proclamations, and the announcement of the new police chief, Dixie Brzozowski, and Assistant City Manager and Chief of Public Safety Jeff Craig. Items to know:
- Street Rehabilitation, Phase 1. The 2020 Fort Bend County Mobility Bond project covers Teakwood, Chestnut, Mulberry and part of Cedar. Staff ask the Commission to end the contract with Ballew Construction, awarded April 20, and award the remaining work to Hurtado Construction for a revised $2,899,766.90. The memo says Ballew lacked the resources to finish after 100 days of a 300-day contract, leaving residents of Chestnut and Teakwood “seriously inconvenienced.”
- A policy on construction disruptions. Staff propose a project charter at the start of city projects, so the people nearby are heard before design begins.
- Fire protection agreement. The memo says the contract has sat 10 to 12 weeks at the county attorney’s office, and that the county is talking with other fire departments about the southern end of Richmond’s district, past FM 2759 and FM 762, which it expects Fairchilds and Sugar Land to take over.
- Utility Master Plan and Groundwater Reduction Plan updates. A consultant presentation; one recommendation is to acquire at least 2.4 million gallons a day of additional surface water rights in the near term.
- Zoning homework from September 21. A staff report on multifamily and nonprofit-operated uses (no code changes proposed), a review of rules for assisted living and memory care, and a request to consent to annexing about 78.55 acres into Fort Bend County MUD 116.
- Parks and trails master plan, for adoption — see Mapping, below.
Also on the agenda: a $140,000 engineering contract for two aerial sewer crossings (A&S Engineers); Ordinance 2026-16 on residence and conduct rules for specified sex offenders; a state-system agreement with the Department of Public Safety; investment policy resolutions; a replat of Kamatchi Acres; and appointments to the Building and Standards Commission. A closed session lists attorney consultation on Project CoLodge, banking, fire protection and the county animal-control agreement.
Tuesday, October 20, 8:30 a.m. — Richmond Historical Commission, City Commission Room, 600 Morton St. On the agenda: text changes to the Unified Development Code (item C2), a staff update on 405 Richmond Parkway, and landmark research on 603 Calhoun St. and 902 Richmond Parkway. Monday’s city memo explains why: staff want Certified Local Government status through the Texas Historical Commission, which says the code needs changes first. Proposed changes include a mandatory 60-day demolition delay for designated landmarks, at least 60 percent of Historical Commission members drawn from preservation-related fields (waivable if recruiting efforts are documented), and no automatic local landmark status just because a property is on a state or national list.
Thursday, October 22, 1 p.m. — Fort Bend County Commissioners Court, 1909 Courthouse, Richmond. We have not read that agenda.
What we can’t report: last week we told you about Tuesday’s Development Corporation of Richmond board meeting and its social-district pilot item. Develop Richmond lists that meeting’s agenda but no minutes yet, so we can’t say what the board decided. Next up on the city calendar after this week: Planning & Zoning on November 2.
| Your move: the street-contract and construction-notice items are the cheapest place to be heard. Public comment comes early on Monday’s agenda, three minutes per item. |
Sources: Oct 19 workshop agenda · Oct 19 regular agenda · Oct 19 agenda packet · Oct 20 Historical Commission agenda · Police leadership news · Public-safety leadership news · City meetings calendar · DCR meetings & agendas · Commissioners Court schedule
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Mapping Our Community: What a Park Plan Counts |
Source: City of Richmond Oct 19 agenda packet, parks master plan presentation
Monday the Commission is asked to adopt the Parks, Recreation, Trails & Open Space Master Plan, prepared by Burditt Consultants. The city memo says the Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved the draft. The plan’s own numbers show an odd mix: Richmond has plenty of parkland (18.9 acres per 1,000 residents, against a median of 10.2 for cities under 20,000), but only 6,395 residents, 52 percent, live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
Five priority projects would cost $37.81 million if all were built, led by George Park at $26.38 million. Another $3.6 million would pay for 5.4 miles of new shared-use paths, on top of about 39 miles of existing trail. In a survey of 394 people, 91 percent called recreation and open space important to quality of life and 76 percent put improving existing parks first. Juan Seguin Park depends on coordination with Lamar CISD and confirming the site is available.
The lens worth keeping: the plan says the costs are for scale and comparison, “not a construction schedule” and not a funding commitment. Its first two years are about shade, seating, lighting and maintenance. Adopting a plan sets the list; the budget decides the order.
| GO DEEPER The Richmond record is being built. The Council on Local Relations publishes sourced city records — see how it works at councilonlocalrelations.org. Start here — the Primers: 01 The Long Flat Line (how the family changed) · 02 The Documents We Live Under (the written rules that limit power) · 03 The Household (what a household buys, priced in years of work) · all primers → From the Council: This week: Confusion Is a Form of Abandonment (The Artisan); Fewer Things, More Times (The Strategist); The Standard Is Not Completion. The Standard Is Transfer. (The Headmaster); Count What's Actually in the Pantry (The Steward); Every Dollar Is Working For You or Against You (The Treasurer). Get them by email → |
Sources: Oct 19 agenda packet (parks plan, items A12) · Oct 19 regular agenda
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND From the Council This Week |
 | MONDAY, OCT 19 · THE BUILDER On Time. In Budget. No Bullshit. |
 | TUESDAY, OCT 20 · THE MAESTRO Culture Moves Faster Than Argument |
 | WEDNESDAY, OCT 21 · THE SENTINEL Empty Rooms Are Not Consent |
 | THURSDAY, OCT 22 · THE ADVOCATE If It's Not Written, It Doesn't Exist |
 | FRIDAY, OCT 23 · THE SHEPHERD Formation Comes Before Function |
Every piece, every figure linked to its source: councilonlocalrelations.org
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Around the Block |
Photo: Fort Bend County Libraries
| Family Story Time: Forest/Night Animals — 10:15 and 10:30 a.m., George Memorial Library. | ||
| Family-History Writing Club — 10:30–11:30 a.m., George Memorial Library, Room 2C. A casual club for turning genealogy research into stories. | ||
| Pajama Night Story Time: Forest/Night Animals — 6 and 6:15 p.m., Children’s Corner. Pajamas and blankets welcome; take-home crafts. | ||
| Shakespeare by the Book: Much Ado About Nothing — Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., the library’s Stavinoha Amphitheater, with The Live Oak Playhouse. The festival’s last weekend. | ||
| Move & Groove: Intro to Anatolian Folk Dance — 10:30 a.m., Bohachevsky Gallery. Adults; registration required. | ||
| STREAM Express: ABC CREAM — 2–3 p.m., Children’s Corner, for elementary-age kids and families. |
Run a Richmond event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: Story Time · Family-History Writing Club · Pajama Night · Shakespeare by the Book · Move & Groove · STREAM Express
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Prosperity Spotlight |
LIT bookbar
LIT bookbar began as a book club. Its site says it started as a space for moms to take a break, sip something and talk, and grew because owner Jillian Reed decided everyone deserves that kind of connection. It held its grand opening March 7, 2024, and now describes the shop at 611 Jackson St. as a “forever home.”
It sells new books and pours cocktails, and its events calendar does as much work as the shelves. This week: a Love & Lore Society meeting Tuesday, trivia Wednesday, live music Friday night, and a “Sip N Spook” afternoon Saturday hosted by Memento Mori Ink.
| LIT bookbar · 611 Jackson St., Ste B, Richmond · (281) 410-8676 Tue–Thu 10 a.m.–9 p.m. · Fri–Sat 10 a.m.–midnight · Sun noon–4 p.m. · Closed Monday · litbookbar.com Photo: LIT bookbar. |
Sources: LIT bookbar: About · LIT bookbar: Contact & hours · LIT bookbar: Events · Shelf Awareness, March 2024
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Food Scene |
 | Gino’s Italian Joint Gino’s is a family pizzeria at 304 Morton St. in Old Richmond. Sean and AnnaMaria Paty opened it with their son Gino, a culinary-school graduate it’s named for. WhatNow reported in 2024 that Sean works the front of the house while Gino and AnnaMaria run the kitchen. |
The concept began in 2021. After its first location’s lease unexpectedly ended, the family ran a food truck from August 2023, then moved into Morton Street. The menu runs from 12- and 18-inch New York-style pizzas, with a gluten-free option, to pastas, heroes, calzones and zeppoles. Its ordering page carries a Houston Chronicle “Best of the Best” 2025 finalist badge. It closes Sunday and Monday.
| Gino’s Italian Joint · 304 Morton St., Richmond · (713) 489-1854 Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–8 p.m. · Fri–Sat 11–9 · Closed Sunday and Monday · ginositalianjoint.com |
Sources: Gino’s Italian Joint · Online menu · WhatNow, May 2024
✦ Trivia Question |
In 1880 a railroad ran through the area but bypassed Richmond, and a rival town was built on the tracks three miles away. What is it called? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“Everyone can master a grief but he that has it.” — William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
✦ Secret Little Hack |
Know which City Hall before you drive. Through October, city offices are at City Hall, 402 Morton St., and commission meetings are in the City Hall Annex, 600 Morton St. The city says its new City Hall at 1517 Thompson Road is planned for November and is not open yet; it will announce the day. Questions: (281) 342-5456 (city announcement).
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Real Estate Pulse |
Source: Redfin, read Oct 18, 2026
$339,900 median sale price 3 mo. to Sep | −1.5% vs. a year ago | 65 days avg. time on market | 355 homes sold (Sep) |
Redfin’s ZIP 77469 page, read Sunday, now covers the three months ending September 2026 (last week’s figures were the window ending in August). Prices are 1.5 percent lower than a year earlier, homes take about 65 days to sell versus 62 a year ago, and 355 sold in September versus 317. The median price per square foot is $156, down 2.5 percent, and the average home sold at 97.1 percent of its list price. Your move: look up your home’s appraised value at fbcad.org.
Sources: Redfin — ZIP 77469 housing market
| Looking to buy or sell? Nina Bright, Realtor — call or text 832-689-3170. Full disclosure: Nina is David’s wife. |
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Service Opportunities |
Photo: Djmaschek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Give a book a second life. The Friends of George Memorial Library run an ongoing book sale in the library lobby and accept gently used books and audiovisual materials; the money goes to library programs. To drop off books or join, email GMLibraryfriends@gmail.com (Friends page). Or foster or adopt through the county shelter below.
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Adopt a Friend |
 | Meet Deacon About 2 years, 8 months · Male (neutered) · Black Mouth Cur mix Shelter staff call Deacon “a total gentleman on leash” who walks politely without pulling and is easy to handle. He has a mostly low energy level and an independent streak, with the occasional burst of zoomies. He has been in shelter care since September 8; call the shelter to meet him. See Deacon’s listing → |
| Fort Bend County Animal Services · 1210 Blume Road, Rosenberg · 281-342-1512 Kennels Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (Wed also 5–7 p.m.), Sat 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (closed Sunday) · adoption page |
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Growth & Learning |
Illustration
Thursday’s Family-History Writing Club at George Memorial Library is casual and non-instructional: quiet writing time, prompts if you need them, sharing if you want. Try a version at home this week. Pick one relative, write one page about a single day you remember with them — the weather, the food, what they said — and tape it inside a family photo album. More at unrivaledacademy.com. (Club details)
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Local Theory & Remnant Radio |
 | Now playing: Sovereign Ground — the latest Local Theory album (April 3, 2026 · 15 tracks). Listen · vote on the mixes. Remnant Radio streams the whole catalog 24/7 at radio.thinkandactlocally.com · Spotify. Fourteen releases. Sovereignty through sound. |
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Weather Forecast |
Sun  Sunny 74° 57° | Mon  Partly sunny 79° 59° | Tue Sunny 83° 61° | Wed Sunny 85° 59° | Thu  Sunny 85° 59° | Fri Sunny 86° 62° | Sat Sunny 86° 65° |
Sunny and mild today, near 74. Partly sunny Monday, then sunshine and a slow warm-up: 83 Tuesday, 85 Wednesday and Thursday, 86 Friday and Saturday. Lows run from 57 tonight to 65 Saturday night, and no rain is in the forecast.
Sources: National Weather Service (HGX), retrieved Oct 18, 4:54 p.m. CT (forecast issued 1:20 p.m.)
✦ CrowdHealth |
 | David and his family left traditional health insurance for CrowdHealth — a community that funds each other’s medical bills. Bills get negotiated down first; no claims department, no denial letters. See how it works. We earn a referral if you join. CrowdHealth is not insurance. David is a paying member. |
✦ Unrivaled Travels |
 | Planning a trip worth taking? Our own travel service books the expedition, cruise, or getaway you’ll remember — at no markup. info@unrivaledtravels.com · 281-241-1994 · unrivaledtravels.com One of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Candles |
 | Hand-poured jewelry candles — every one hides a piece of jewelry inside, valued from $10 to $10,000. Burn it down and find out what’s yours. Shop Unrivaled Candles. Full disclosure: one of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your Richmond neighbors can find it. Book a free 15-minute call with David: we’ll look at how your business shows up online and where customers may be slipping past. If you want us to fix it, that’s paid work, and David will go over the price on the call. Book a free 15-minute call. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
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✦ They Told Him He Was Crazy |
David sold his metals. Not trimmed — sold. He kept the receipts, every decision sourced, so you can decide for yourself: conviction, or crazy? Read the filing →
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THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Community Voices |
What should Richmond’s next park, trail or crosswalk fix come first? Tell us the spot you would start with and why. Hit reply — one or two sentences — and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Show up Monday, Oct 19, 4:30 p.m., City Hall Annex, 600 Morton St. (or by Zoom) — public comment is limited to three minutes per item.
- Catch Shakespeare Friday or Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at the George Memorial Library amphitheater — the festival’s last weekend.
- Meet Deacon at Fort Bend County Animal Services — call 281-342-1512 first.
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from Richmond: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
Rosenberg. In 1880 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway ran its tracks through the area but bypassed Richmond, and Rosenberg was built on the railway three miles from the old town (Handbook of Texas).
THE HERALD ✦ RICHMOND Keep the Herald Free |
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The Herald is published by Think and Act Locally. Its facts come from the public record kept by the Council on Local Relations, which shares a founder with Think and Act Locally. Portions drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Reply anytime: david@thinkandactlocally.com.
