Mayor Evalyn Moore addressed a crowd of 300 community members, business owners and Central Fort Bend Chamber members at the 2016 State of the City of Richmond Luncheon. The event was held Wednesday, June 15th at Briscoe Manor in Richmond. Mayor Moore painted a glowing picture of the city and its future despite the recent flood event.
According to Mayor Moore, “Richmond is blessed as a community because we are united as a community and we stepped up and helped fellow citizens devastated by the flood. We are very blessed by that spirit that bonds us together.” In her speech, she recognized City and County staff, Richmond citizens and local and national non-profits and churches that worked diligently to keep citizens informed and safe during the flood. Mayor Moore also thanked Congressman Pete Olson, Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, Rosenberg Mayor Cynthia McConathy and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for all offering assistance to the City.
After covering the Memorial Day flood, Mayor Moore addressed the new dream of Richmond; a journey of economic and cultural rebirth. According to the Mayor, “our forefathers saw a land of abundant opportunity, (and) we are offering the same to all who come to Richmond.” One such example of economic rebirth is the new master-planned community, Veranda, being developed on Williams Way. Veranda is a new project by Johnson Development and they are working hard to make the community a reflection of old Richmond. Mayor Moore also announced the after seven years of negotiations, Richmond will finally have a grocery store. A 100,000 square foot HEB will be going in at FM 762 and Interstate 69. Other developments the Mayor cited included the new Fire Station No.1, the 750 acre Long Acres Nature Reserve and the continued development of Historic Downtown Richmond.
Mayor Moore also took time to cover some of the achievements of the City in the last year: five straight years of sales tax revenue increase, an increase of the City’s bond ratings twice over the last two years, recognition for the City’s Trails Master Plan by the H-GAC, an award of Master Plan of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association and several awards from the Government Finance Officers Association.
She concluded by stating,” It is the united effort of our city staff, our city workers, and all our citizens who today give new opportunities to bring fresh energy, innovation and vitality to our city. We salute them all and humble tasks well done are taking us on a journey into a new age of enrichment. That old river will continue to threaten us, but we will survive and we will thrive. God bless Richmond, God bless Fort Bend County and God bless the United States of America and God speed to all those who are struggling today.”
The luncheon was presented by Gillman Companies of Fort Bend, Finnegan Auto Group, Fort Bend Kia and Legacy Ford. Underwriters for the event were Caldwell Companies, Costello, Inc., Johnson Development, Texas State Technical College and Wharton County Junior College.
The Central Fort Bend Chamber is a 105 year old non-profit membership organization dedicated to creating a strong local economy where businesses can prosper. The Central Fort Bend Chamber advocates for over 1,000 local businesses led by a volunteer board of directors who are dedicated to sustaining Fort Bend County’s quality of life, and keeping our community and economy vibrant.
For more information on the Chamber or its programs, call 281-342-5464 or visit www.CFBCA.org.