by Nicole Bradford
Pearland ISD, on Oct. 8, agreed to sell an approximately 5,500 square foot strip of land at its Jamison Middle School campus needed to expand FM 518.
“It’s not the whole area; it’s a small sliver as they expand that road in the future,” Superintendent Larry Berger said regarding the sale of the land. “It is not forcing us to move a building or taking a building. What it is taking down is a chain link fence and a backstop.”
The Texas Department of Transportation agreed to pay the district just under $118,000 for the site’s property, fencing, and backstop, which is needed to accommodate road widening and infrastructure improvements.
“We have looked at (comparable pricing). We’ve also priced the fencing replacement,” Berger said. “The TxDOT offer matches what we found.”
Jamison uses the land outdoors, located at Broadway and Woody Road.
“It does move the fence and backstop, so it’s an impact — we’re talking about a 10-foot push-in from the road into the recess area or green space,” Berger said.
TxDOT plans to widen FM 518 from four to six lanes in phases. Plans include a median and curb-and-gutter drainage. Construction is not expected to begin until 2027.
