At Pearland’s Nov. 26 Talk of the Town, city officials discussed the community’s sidewalk gaps and how the city plans to address them.

The backstory: Thirty years ago, the city adopted a sidewalk policy requiring developers, not taxpayers, to build sidewalks at the time of development, Mayor Kevin Cole said at the meeting. 

What they're saying:  “So if somebody developed something on [FM] 518, a sidewalk was put in as part of that development,” Cole said.

This means that older sections of FM 518 and other arterial roads were built before the sidewalk rule existed, and undeveloped areas along the corridor still have no sidewalks, Communications Director Josh Lee said.

The details: According to Lee, the voter-approved 2023 bond includes $15 million for sidewalk gap projects, including:

• Sidewalk gap connections along major corridors
• Sidewalk reconstruction and replacement in older neighborhoods
• Mudjacking and full replacement of broken sections

Alvin College has received accreditation for two new degree programs from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, according to a Nov. 19 news release from the college.

The gist: The programs include applied science associate degrees in the following:

• Marketing, advertising and sales, which will prepare students for careers in public relations, e-commerce, digital advertising and sales
• Integrated technology, which will prepare students for careers in the information technology field with a focus on IT infrastructure, network administration, software development, data security and programming

Despite the heat and humidity in Texas, Houstonians can go ice skating in the Greater Houston area this holiday season. This is not a comprehensive list.

Ice at Discovery Green
Green Mountain Energy presents Ice at Discovery Green, where park-goers can enjoy skating in the heart of Houston. There will be multiple theme nights, such as DJ Skate Night Saturdays, Skating with Santa and Inclusive Skaters Night.

• Open through Feb. 2; operating hours vary
• $20.99; includes skates
• 1500 McKinney St., Houston

• Open through Jan. 19; operating hours vary
• $7 (age 5 and under); $15 (ages 6 and older); includes skates
• 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands