Sugar Land officials are moving forward with the preservation of the Imperial Sugar Char House as staff continues to look at private partners to develop the building.

In a nutshell: At an Oct. 20 meeting, Sugar Land City Council unanimously approved a $15.88 million contract with Bellows Construction to preserve the Imperial Sugar Char House. 

The contract comes after the building has faced deterioration following the Imperial Sugar Factory location closure in 2003, said Emily Pollard, communications manager in the Department of Redevelopment. 

What you need to know: The renovations will make the building sturdy enough to last at least 20 years with regular maintenance, Assistant City Engineer Robert Wilson said.

Renovations include:

• Replacing the roof

• Replacing windows

• Resecuring the liquor gallery

• Relocating signage

• Repairing steel and brick

• Electrical and ventilation repairs

Looking ahead: The Char House preservation project groundbreaking is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Roll Me Up Ice Cream & Desserts opened its second Houston location in Sugar Land, staff confirmed.

On the menu: The shop sells rolled ice cream, bubble waffles, cheesecake, matcha and savory Loaded Pockets, according to its website. The creamery specializes in South Asian flavors such as Khoya Mawa, Gulab Jamun and Chikoo Sapodilla.

Other ice cream flavors include:

• Biscoff 

• Ferrero Rocher

• Chocolate Fudge Brownie

• Love You Espresso 

• S’mores Campfire Memories

• Mint Chocolate Chip

• Oreo Secret

About the business: Roll Me Up is a Canadian-owned franchise with two shops in the U.S., both of which are in Houston, per its location listing. The other Houston location is in Richmond.

• 11920 Hwy. 6, Ste. 1600, Sugar Land

Fort Bend County Libraries officials are seeking public input on how to move forward.

In a nutshell: Fort Bend County residents are asked to complete the “Your Vision, Your Voice, Your Library” survey which includes 16 questions to help identify growth opportunities for the 12-location library system, officials announced in an Oct. 8 news release.

The survey comes as a library planning committee is working to develop a strategic plan to shape the organization's direction over the next three to five years.

What they're saying: “Our hope for this community survey is that we get as many responses as possible from people representing a wide variety of locations, backgrounds and perspectives,” library planning committee officials said. “This survey is crucial to crafting a strategic plan that genuinely reflects the diversity of our community."

Texas environmental regulators have continued processing certain data center permits in the month since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a permitting pause, according to a new report from FracTracker, an oil and gas watchdog group.

The details: Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last month to "halt all permits sought by data centers" while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas audits proposed projects.

Yet as of Oct. 16, the TCEQ had moved at least 35 data center-related applications forward, per an analysis of TCEQ records.

Zooming in: The agency has issued public notices for three data center projects since Abbott ordered the pause Sept. 21. It also approved stormwater coverage, certified air emissions limits or assigned engineers to other projects.

"No permits have been approved," Andrew Mahaleris, the governor's press secretary, said Oct. 20. "In line with the governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits."

"These actions do not signal an agency trying to pause," FracTracker said in the report.