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Top Story
Q&A: HAR CEO, President René Galvan discusses the organization, Houston’s real estate market

René Galvan was appointed the new CEO and president of the Houston Association of Realtors in February, as previously reported. Galvan succeeded Bob Hale, who retired Jan. 31. In an interview with Community Impact, Galvan discussed his background, what HAR does and the real estate market in the Greater Houston area. 

More details: Some of the questions asked by Community Impact include: 

  • Broadly speaking, what does the Houston Association of Realtors do, and how do Realtors and buyers interact with HAR?
  • When it comes to the housing market in the Greater Houston area, what trends are you seeing?
  • What factors, economic or otherwise, do you see affecting the Houston housing market?
 
City Coverage
Roman Forest approves contractor for police department expansion project

Roman Forest City Council members approved a roughly $265,000 bid from construction company Satellite Shelters to complete work on the city’s police department expansion project.

The details: City Engineer Greg Phipps briefed council members on the project during the council’s May 27 meeting.

Phipps said the project will entail the construction of two modular buildings that would be built outside the existing police department totaling roughly 3,360 square feet.

Phipps noted the bid included a refurbished option totaling $264,806 and a new-build option totaling $361,535. Council members ultimately approved the refurbished option.

Some context: According to previous reporting, officials said around half of the existing police department will be converted into additional space for City Hall once the expansion is completed.

The approved bid marks the city’s second attempt to secure a contractor for the project.

 
Across The Region
A sneak peek: FIFA Fan Festival to include Houston's favorite food, artists and unique offerings

The 39-day FIFA Fan Festival in Downtown Houston is set to host its opening ceremony June 11 as soccer matches across the three host countries kick off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here is what residents can expect to see, taste and participate in at the festival.

Read all about it: Fans attending the festival, according to a May 26 news release, can expect a curated selection of nearly 20 local food options from vendors and restaurants from across the Greater Houston area, including The Waffle Bus, The Burger Joint and Kurbside Eatz.

In addition to the food offerings, the festival will feature a roster of live acts that includes well-known Houston names such as Trae Tha Truth, Mike Jones and Mateo Lopez, as well as special guest performers Baby Bash, Chris Perez and Frankie J.

One more thing: The Fan Festival is free and open to the public and offers live match broadcasts. The festival will be open June 11-July 19.

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Screen on the Green

Pride Houston Festival and Parade

June 5, 7-9 p.m.
Houston

June 6, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Houston

Learn more.

Learn more.

 

World Ocean Day

KimoKawaii Anime Convention

June 6, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Galveston

June 6-7, times vary
Conroe

Learn more.

Learn more.

 
To submit your own event, click here.

Statewide News
ERCOT forecasts record electric demand this summer amid data center boom; says grid will hold up

Texans are on track to use more electricity this summer than ever before, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced during a board meeting this week.

The details: ERCOT, which operates the power grid for the majority of Texas, is forecasting high temperatures and moderate rainfall this summer. Coupled with the proliferation of data centers and other large projects, demand on the grid could surpass 92 gigawatts, officials estimated June 2.

This would break ERCOT’s current demand record of 85.5 gigawatts, which was set during an August 2023 heat wave.

What it means: However, ERCOT officials said a grid emergency or blackout is unlikely this summer. State officials have said this is due to:

  • The addition of nearly 11 gigawatts of power capacity to the grid in the last few months
  • The agency's ability to require large facilities to reduce their energy use in tight times

Zooming in: There is a 0.09% chance of a grid emergency this June and a 0.21% chance of an emergency in July, ERCOT found in recent reports.

 

Your local team

Hannah Brol
Senior Editor

Kim Sommers
General Manager

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.

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