On Jan. 8, Raymond Flannelly was officially elected as president of the Montgomery County Fire Chiefs Association. A 45-year veteran of the force, Flannelly has served the county as fire chief of Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 9 for the last 16 years. 

How did you first get involved with firefighting?
My family. I had two uncles who were both on the job up on the East Coast, and I was pretty much raised around the fire service. My father worked for Texaco and we bounced around a little bit, and that's how we ended up here in the Houston area.

What are your responsibilities as president of the Fire Chiefs Association?
Really, it's just to keep each fire department, there's 12 fire departments in Montgomery County, ... keep them informed of what we're doing, any future growth, training options, anything that better prepares us to assist the citizens that reside in Montgomery County or traveling through Montgomery County.

First America Homes is now offering new housing in the Cielo community in Conroe, according to an April 2 news release.

The project: As previously reported by Community Impact, Cielo is a 256-acre master-planned community developed by The Signorelli Co.

Quote of note: “Our expansion into Cielo represents an exciting opportunity to serve even more families in one of the fastest-growing areas in Texas,” said John Winniford, president of First America Homes.

More details: First America Homes will be offering six different floor plans for the Cielo community, including The Linden, which offers four bedrooms and three baths at 2,125 square feet, and The Birch, which will contain three bedrooms and two and a half baths at 2,026 square feet, according to the news release. Prices will start from the $240,000s.

Conroe ISD’s Bartlett Elementary School is the neighborhood’s on-site school, according to the news release.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court voted April 9 to leave the county’s 40-foot minimum suburban lot width in place after hearing pushback from builders, real estate agents and residents during a public hearing on proposed development regulation changes. 

The court removed the proposed 50-foot minimum lot width requirement and approved the rest of the update, which county engineering staff had described as a set of clerical corrections and clarifications.

What happened? County documents show staff had proposed changing the minimum average lot width for suburban lots from 40 feet to 50 feet in the county development regulations. Other proposed changes included updates to traffic study requirements, as-built drawing language and clerical changes like the acknowledgment pages and the Commissioners Court signature block.

Speakers who addressed the court largely argued the 50-foot change would raise housing costs and further squeeze first-time buyers already facing higher taxes, utility costs and insurance expenses. 

The American Heart Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to heart and brain health, in March announced two leadership appointments for the Greater Houston and Gulf Coast markets.

Key players: Kellie Armstrong was named senior executive director for the Greater Houston market, and Lisa Fenley was appointed executive director for the Gulf Coast, according to a news release.

More details: With more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Fenley will oversee initiatives to expand heart health education, CPR awareness, women’s health programming and community partnerships focused on improving cardiovascular outcomes, according to the release.

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority announced April 8 that the home of the Houston Rockets will receive $180 million in upgrades through fall 2027.

Mapping it out: During a presentation to the HCHSA board of directors, Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets, announced significant interior and exterior changes coming to the Toyota Center, which opened in 2003.

“When you look at what has happened in those 23 years, and you think about what will happen in the next 23 years, we’re really excited about it,” Sheirr said.

Those upgrades include:

• 3,100 square feet extended main entrance with a glass facade
• New atrium upon entering the main entrance, with space for gathering
• Members lounge over the new entrance
• Expanded team store with an additional set of doors
• Standing room and general admission space for events
• Heightened suites that will raise ceilings about 18 inches for more space