The city of Roman Forest held a March 16 ribbon-cutting event to celebrate several new pieces of playground equipment at Roman Forest City Park.

The details: City Administrator Scott Castleberry said the city expanded its current playground with the addition of:

• Six slides
• A fireman pole
• A climbing area
• Overhead bars
• A cozy pod spinner
• Two whirl-and-twirls

• Opened March 16
• 2430 Roman Forest Blvd., Roman Forest

Construction on a $23.75 million upgrade for Porter High School program facilities is one step closer to beginning after New Caney ISD’s board of trustees selected the builder for the project on March 16.

The big picture: During the NCISD board of trustees’ regular March 16 meeting, trustees chose Gamma Construction to complete Phase 3 of work at Porter High School.

The project will include adding and remodeling features for the high school’s fine arts, athletics, and career and technical education programs. The updates will include:

• Building a new covered multipurpose practice area
• Revamping the baseball, softball and football/soccer fields
• Adding new band and dance spaces
• Upgrades to fine arts and CTE spaces

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials have announced a new dress code for entry, beginning March 17.

Sorting out details: The Rodeo has provided an update on its code of conduct for guests, according to its website.

The following is prohibited:

• Clothing with "objectionable" material, such as obscene language or graphics
• Excessively torn clothing or visible undergarments exposing excessive portions of the skin
• Clothing or other attire of affiliation with a criminal street gang
• Clothing or apparel that intentionally obscures the face, unless worn for cultural or religious reasons or a medical condition

From water parks built for thrill-seekers to tranquil lagoons perfect for relaxing, there are several ways for Houston-area residents to cool off this summer.

Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures: Located in New Caney, this water park also features amusement park rides, an inflatable course, zip lines, ax-throwing, a maze, a gator exhibit and a petting zoo.

• Open for Spring Adventure days in March; all water attractions open select days April 3-Sept. 30
• $19.99 (single-use day ticket March 7-29), $44.99 (single-use day ticket April 3-Sept. 30), $99.99 (season pass), free (age 2 and under)

• Open year-round
• $34-$55 (half-day pass), $49-$79 (full-day pass), $65-$269 (season pass)

• Open select days May 2-Sept. 7
• $42-$90 (daily admission), $89-$150 (season pass)