It was part celebration and part goodbye at Tomball City Hall on Nov. 2.

The city commemorated departing Rep. Wesley Hunt at its council meeting Tuesday by issuing him a proclamation and granting him the key to the city, an honor that Mayor Lori Klein Quinn said had been given only four times before.

The context: Hunt is leaving congress at the end of his term. President Donald Trump has nominated him to become the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He gave up his seat when he ran and lost in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Also on the agenda:

• Tomball will host its 2027 Fourth of July celebration and street fest on Saturday, July 3 after the city council approved moving the event.

• The city council for a second time approved rezoning a home at 208 McPhail street from residential to Old Town zoning designation to allow the homeowners to open a realty office inside it. It was again approved in a split 3-2 vote on second reading.

The plan: At upcoming meetings, the Tomball ISD board will review its priorities for the 90th Texas legislative session and vote to confirm contracts for multiple construction projects using 2025 bond funds. These projects include:

• Tomball Innovation Center - building 4

• Athletic improvements at Creekside Park and Tomball Memorial High Schools

• Replacement of HVAC equipment at Tomball Elementary, Timber Creek Elementary, Creekside Forest Elementary, the maintenance shop and the carpentry shop

Additionally, the district's annual investment report will be presented, alongside the proposed 2027-2028 High School course catalog.

Looking ahead: The workshop meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. The special and regular meetings will take place on Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 310 S. Cherry St., Tomball.

The Texas A&M University Space Institute will be celebrating its grand opening in mid-November, officials said.

What you need to know: The new facility serves as a hub for collaboration among researchers, industry leaders and government agencies working to solve challenges in space exploration while developing the workforce and technologies needed for future missions, officials said.

The cost: The project cost $200 million, which was paid for through the state’s Texas Space Commission, which was passed in the 88th Texas Legislature and allotted $350 million for space programs in Texas, including $200 million for the institute, according to documents from the university.

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