Comal ISD says it will continue to fight San Antonio-based Howard Energy Partners’ (HEP) bid to run a pipeline underneath an easement at Davenport High School (DHS) even though a special commissioner greenlit the project at a hearing in Comal County Court at Law 3 Monday.
HEP’s Outer Loop Utility Project can now take possession of the easement through eminent domain proceedings once it makes a court-determined appraisal compensation. The easement extends 980 feet across DHS property.
“Comal County ISD remains committed to opposing this action through all available legal avenues to protect the DHS campus and the students and the staff who rely on it every day,” Communications Specialist Salwa Lanford said in a statement Tuesday.
The district declined to comment about future legal strategy.
The 60-mile natural gas pipeline is designed to connect local gas supply to existing energy infrastructure in San Antonio and surrounding areas, according to information on HEP’s website.
Gas flowing through the pipeline will power local electricity generation for homes, schools and businesses.
Groundbreaking was scheduled for Spring 2026.
A spokesperson with a public relations firm representing HEP said the utility was unable to reach a “voluntary” agreement with Comal ISD and sought condemnation, an established legal avenue available to public utilities when negotiations are unsuccessful.
“We respect the judicial process and will continue to work with Comal ISD as the project moves forward,” Redbird Communication Group Co-Founder and Principal Meggan Morrison said in a statement Tuesday.
Lanford said HEP approached the district in late 2025.
On June 26, trustees met in executive session to discuss the pipeline project but details of that meeting were not publicly available.
“The district’s priority throughout the process remains the safety of students and staff and the integrity of the DHS campus,” she said.