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Public comments at Katy council meeting: scouts propose Ten Commandments monument; residents raise animal‑cruelty, warming center and preservation concerns
Summary
Residents and community groups addressed the council Jan. 26 on a range of topics: Troop 320 proposed donating a granite monument with the Ten Commandments; speakers raised animal‑cruelty incidents at Mary Jo Peckham Park, warming‑center needs after the freeze, and preservation challenges for the historic rice dryer.
At the Jan. 26 Katy City Council meeting several residents and community representatives used the public-comment period to raise local issues ranging from a scout monument proposal to animal-welfare and preservation concerns.
Andre Barber, scoutmaster of Troop 320, told the council his troop wants to donate a granite monument engraved with the Ten Commandments as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. Barber said the monument would cost between $8,000 and $12,000, that the troop has raised more than $7,000 and that they have conducted a site-feasibility study for locations in Old Town Katy. He asked the city to accept the gift and noted he is joined in the effort by Clark Whitley of the First Liberty Institute (materials left with the city secretary).
Angela Shaver described repeated incidents at Mary Jo Peckham Park in which children damaged duck nests and harmed waterfowl; she said one juvenile facing pending Harris County animal‑cruelty charges is 11 years old and urged the city to take steps to protect park animals. Harris County representative Angela King told the meeting that safety work at Mary Jo Peckham Park — including a stop sign, crosswalk and sidewalks — is expected to start soon (weather permitting).
Developer and owner Andrew Nechaya appealed to council to help preserve the city’s historic rice dryer, saying the International Building Code has been applied in ways that do not fit the structure and that the project has faced delays, extra costs and a citation that have hindered adaptive reuse plans. Adrienne Devitz of the Katy Heritage Society thanked Keep Katy Beautiful and the city for accepting a donated 'All Aboard Katy' train and emphasized the role of public art and partnerships.
Michael Payne asked why the city has no warming center during the recent cold snap and suggested using the Civic Center with a generator to support residents during future storms.
What the speakers asked for: acceptance and placement of a monument (Troop 320), stronger protections/enforcement for park animals, assistance with building-code or code‑revision pathways for adaptive reuse of historic structures, and consideration of warming‑center capacity for extreme weather.
Next steps: Council did not take immediate action on the monument or the adaptive‑reuse requests; staff updates and potential follow-ups were mentioned but no formal council direction was recorded in the meeting minutes.
