TOMBALL, Texas — A group of Tomball ISD parents is questioning the process in which the district purchased land for the Tomball Innovation Center (TIC), in light of recently obtained reports that reference potential “environmental concerns” at the site.
In 2021, Tomball ISD spent nearly $40 million on 70 acres of land for the TIC. So far, the land has been used for district offices, the Tomball Star Academy and an FFA show barn. For some parents, the concern surrounding the property stems from the fact that it was purchased from BJ Services, an oil services company.
“We have questions that we believe are legitimate about whether or not the district had full or final environmental reports in hand before closing on the property,” Tomball ISD parent Kira Becker said.
In a March 1 letter to Tomball community members, a group of parents including Becker, Mark Segaloff, John Payne, Mandy Bailey and Megan Ruffin, detailed the process in which they questioned the district to understand the timeline of the TIC land purchase.
From that process, the group obtained the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment of the former BJ Services Headquarters, conducted in June 2023 by the environmental consultant group Terracon. In that assessment, Terracon identified multiple recognized environmental concerns (RECs) including drainage sites and areas formerly used for chemical storage.
Terracon ultimately recommended Tomball ISD conduct a “subsurface investigation to assess if soil and/or groundwater have been impacted by one or more of the referenced recognized environmental conditions. (RECs).”
However, in a Nov. 14 meeting with Tomball ISD officials including Superintendent Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Becker said district leaders acknowledged to the parent’s group that soil and groundwater testing had not been completed at the TIC site before it was purchased.
“They acknowledge that the testing had not been done and to their credit ordered a phase 2 soil and groundwater study in that meeting,” Becker said.
Following that meeting, the district commissioned a Limited Site Investigation which was conducted in December 2023 by Terracon. In that assessment, the consulting company details the results of soil and groundwater tests on the TIC property.
The report does mention a “radiation area” placard on the property that was not previously identified in 2021 as an environmental concern. However, it was concluded that Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) was not considered to be a condition of environmental concern to the site.
The report ultimately recommended a soil management plan (SMP) be prepared before development based on “the potential impacts associated with the historical on-site oil and gas R&D” – namely “petroleum impacted” soil.
“And that’s one of our questions, was there a soil management plan in place when they constructed the recent (FFA) show barn on the property,” Becker said. “These are the questions we want to take directly to Terracon.”
In a statement, Tomball ISD told KHOU 11 “Up to this point, only existing buildings have been renovated, there has been no development of the property affecting soil. As is standard protocol, before moving forward with any development on the property, a soil management plan will be in place.”
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority which is why we engage with professional consultants like Terracon, our Environment Expert. According to a full report from Terracon, there is no evidence of environmental concerns,” a spokesperson added.
In the agenda for a March 4 Tomball ISD workshop board meeting, it was indicated a representative with Terracon would be presenting a report. Becker told KHOU 11 that multiple parents planned to attend the meeting to voice their concerns.