Brookshire residents oppose Thirteenth Street name change, press council to fix road instead

During a town-hall meeting convened inside the April 17 City of Brookshire council meeting, residents of Thirteenth Street urged the council to prioritize road and drainage repairs over a proposed street-name change.

Ruby Thomas, who identified herself as a long-time resident on Thirteenth Street, said she opposed changing the street name because “Thirteenth Street been Thirteenth Street ever since I've been on Thirteenth Street” and because a name change would force residents to update utilities and other records. She told the council the road’s primary problem is its condition and drainage rather than its name.

Dolores Thomas also described recurring drainage problems and said she has personally dug ditches to move water off her property. Another resident said the change would create an inconvenience and asked whether there were alternative ways to honor the family requesting the name change.

Mayor Pro Tem opened the town hall portion and invited residents to comment; the council closed the town hall after a few speakers and returned to the regular agenda. Council staff said direction had previously been given for research on the proposed name change and that the town hall was intended to gather residents’ views.

Ending: The town-hall portion closed without a final decision on the proposed name change; residents asked that the council address road and drainage repairs on Thirteenth Street before pursuing renaming steps.