News from Upper Kirby District

Upper Kirby District Street Talk

In This Issue:

Upper Kirby Construction Update

Galleria Area Flood Control Project to Begin in August

Upper Kirby Restaurants Strong in Houston Entree Awards

Houston Green Office Challenge

Security Patrol Services

Community Resources

Precinct 1 Constable Security Patrol

YMCA Community Programming

City Council District C

Contact Upper Kirby

Summer on Kirby Drive

Graffiti Problem?
Click here to contact us about graffiti abatement services.

Public Right of Way Maintenance Concerns? Click here to let us know

Upper Kirby District

August in the Upper Kirby District

Upper Kirby Construction
Kirby Drive in Pushing Forward

Upper Kirby roadway reconstruction continues this month on Kirby Drive between US 59 and Richmond and on Buffalo Speedway between US 59 and Bissonnet. August is shaping up to be an extremely busy month with the majority of the focus being on Kirby Drive.

Kirby Drive Construction progressed by leaps and bounds in the month of July and will continue to do so in August.

Repaving of the west side of Kirby Drive is now complete including curb and gutter work and most of the sidewalk. Traffic is now running two lanes in either direction along the outsides of the roadway and construction activity has shifted to the center of the street.

While the shift will make driveway and side-street access on the west side of Kirby much easier for southbound motorists, it will also present some inconveniences in the form of unavailable left turn movements for both north and southbound motorists as the center of the roadway is repaved.

Northbound motorists have already witnessed the first of these impacts as they have not been able to turn left onto Richmond from Kirby. This restriction has been imposed to allow the contractor space to repave the northbound left turn bay so that it could reopen while work continues on the rest of the center section. It is anticipated that this left turn movement will be restored early next week.

Also early next week, however, the contractor will begin repaving the center section of Kirby at Norfolk. While this section is under construction, left turn movements onto Norfolk for both north and southbound motorists will be unavailable. Left turn capability here should be restored in about 4-5 days.

Storm drainage work on Norfolk east of Kirby has been ongoing limiting throughput to one-way traffic heading east. This work is quickly nearing completion and it is anticipated that two way access will be restored next week.

This new storm line continues north on Revere to Richmond where it turns west along the south side of Richmond and crosses Richmond to the north side of the street between Park and Revere. Revere will be repaved following the completion of Norfolk at which point Revere access will be limited to one-way movements heading south from Richmond to Norfolk.

The portion of this new line on Richmond has been under construction for the past few weeks. While there is evident disruption of the pavement itself, traffic movements have remained unchanged during the day as crews have been working nights to lessen the impact on Richmond Traffic. Richmond lateral work is expected to be complete by August 21.

Kirby paving activity under US 59 on the southbound lanes is now complete save for the u-turn lane. Northbound lanes under the freeway are expected to be removed and replaced beginning the weekend of the 19th. Due to the traffic volumes at this interchange, work will occur over the weekends as was done for the southbound lanes. The first weekend of work will restrict northbound traffic to one lane passing under the freeway. The weekend of the 26th, work will continue on this section and will necessitate a full closure of northbound throughput. Northbound motorists that weekend will be detoured east along the feeder to Greenbriar of Shepherd where they can u-turn and come back to continue northbound on Kirby.

Look for weekly construction updates to advise of any changes in the projected schedule.

Buffalo Speedway Construction can be compared Kirby Drive construction in the scope of improvements and the phasing of implementation. Buffalo Speedway is, however, one step behind in the process.

Crews completed primary underground duct bank construction at the end of April as per the original schedule, however, were put on hold for several weeks while waiting on necessary CenterPoint gas relocations and overhead terminal pole installations and are currently a month behind schedule.

Over the past several months, utility companies have been working to transfer services to the newly constructed underground ducts and are nearing completion. It appears as though roadway crews will return to work on Buffalo Speedway at the end of August.

Look for weekly updates as this project progresses.

For more information on Upper Kirby construction projects and for issues and concerns as construction progresses, contact Travis Younkin at 713-524-8000 or email travis@upperkirby.org.

Harris County Flood Control District Project to Improve Drainage Ditch Inside West Loop 610
Project Includes the Reconstruction of Westheimer and San Felipe Bridges

On Aug. 15, the Harris County Flood Control District will begin a $13.2 million capital improvement project that will rebuild and enclose a poorly-functioning drainage ditch and greatly improve the flow of stormwater in the Galleria area.

The project spans from San Felipe Street to Richmond Avenue on the drainage ditch, which runs adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks just inside West Loop 610. The drainage ditch is formally identified by the Flood Control District as W129-00-00.

The project will include the demolition and replacement of 50-year-old bridges that cross the drainage ditch at Westheimer Road and at San Felipe. It is not yet known when work on the Westheimer and San Felipe bridges will begin; however, the Flood Control District will announce the construction schedule when it becomes available.

The bridge replacement projects will require traffic flow on the Westheimer bridge to be limited to one lane in each direction for up to a month, and all lanes on the San Felipe bridge to be closed for up to two weeks. The bridges will not be replaced at the same time. The Flood Control District will establish detour routes that will aid in the flow of traffic during the bridge projects. The City of Houston is contributing funds to the bridge projects.

Construction on the drainage ditch itself will begin on Aug. 15. The Flood Control District will rebuild and enclose the
drainage ditch in dual 12-foot by 10-foot reinforced concrete boxes. The Flood Control District is committed to communicating information about the project to affected individuals and organizations so that citizens can make

informed decisions to minimize inconvenience during construction.

In anticipation of the bridge closures, Flood Control District officials are meeting with local homeowners and civic

associations, churches, schools, businesses, and transportation and emergency services providers to provide information about traffic detour plans and to answer questions. The District also will distribute traffic detour information to the media (Internet, print, radio and television) on an on-going basis.

For more information on the W129-00-00 project and the opportunity to sign up to receive regular email updates,

please visit the W129-00-00 project webpage at

www.hcfcd.org/W129 , or call the Project Hotline, which is monitored daily, at 713-684-4040.

And the Winners Are...

Houston Entrée', a dining club for foodies, has just announced the 2011 Houston Entrée's Finalists & Winners. There were 41 categories and 200 participants for thousands of voters to choose from. Amongst the finalists and winners, the Upper Kirby District is home to 22 finalists and 9 winners. For a complete listing of finalists and winners go to www.houstonentreeawards.com.

Winners

Best Farmer's Market Winner: Urban Harvest Market

Best Italian (Casual) Winner: Carrabba's

Best Hamburgers (No Frills) Winner: Becks Prime

Best Pizza (Traditional) Winner: Star Pizza

Best Pizza (Nontraditional) Winner: Pink's Pizza

Best BBQ Winner: Goode Co. Barbecue

Best Seafood (Casual) Winner: Goode Co. Seafood

Best SLGT Winner: Haven

Best Sushi Winner: Kata Robata

Finalists

Best Chinese Finalist: Café Chino

Best Crawfish Finalist: Papadeaux

Best Dessert Finalist: Amy's Ice Cream

Best Farmers' Market Finalist: Urban Harvest Market

Best Italian (Casual) Finalists: Carrabba's, Giacomo's Cibo e Vino

Best Breakfast Finalist: 59 Diner

Best Plate Lunches Finalist: Cleburne Cafeteria

Best Latin Finalist: Amazon Grill

Best Hamburgers (No Frills) Finalist: Becks Prime

Best Mexican Finalist: Chuy's

Best Newcomer Finalists: Ava Kitchen & Wine Bar, Pondicheri Cafe

Best Pizza (Traditional) Finalist: Star Pizza

Best Pizza (Nontraditional) Finalist: Pink's Pizza

Best BBQ Finalist: Goode Co Barbecue

Best Seafood (Casual) Finalists: Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Goode Co. Seafood, Pesce

Best SLGT (Support Local Grow Together) Finalist: Haven

Best Steakhouse Finalist: Flemings Steakhouse

Best Sushi Finalists: Blue Fish House, Kata Robata, Sushi King

Upper Kirby District congratulates each and every one of these wonderful restaurant destinations and is proud to have such award winning establishments in our community for everyone to savor and enjoy.

Contact information for all of the above finalists and winners can be found here.

Green Office Education

For Property Managers AND TENANTS!

You don't want to miss this!

Green Office Challenge Education

Focus Series Installment #5

We are halfway through the Green Office Challenge year and Greenway Plaza, Upper Kirby and Uptown Houston is gearing up for the fifth Houston Green Office Challenge training workshop. The next topic beginning soon is titled 'Sustainable Transportation' being presented by METRO and NRG.

In this meeting, you will learn about policies and options that will make employee commutes to work easier.

The date and location of this meeting will be announced in September's e-news.

Upper Kirby Management District Pledges to Enhance Quality of Life - The Upper Kirby Management District joined other area management districts in July at a Houston-Galveston Area Council "My Solution Is..." Pledge Campaign Press Conference. The event challenged Houston area management districts to partner and commit to a campaign raising awareness among district employees on issues such as regional transportation, mobility and air quality.

Upper Kirby pledged to do our part by encouraging employers to promote commute alternatives such as vanpooling, carpooling, teleworking, walking, biking or riding transit options to their respective employees.

Information about these alternatives for the Upper Kirby District area will be discussed at the upcoming Houston Green Office Challenge Installment Meeting #5.

For more information, call Linda Gilliam at 713-524-8000 or email linda@upperkirby.org .

New to the Upper Kirby Area?
Did you Know Security Patrol Services are Available?

In 1989, the businesses and residents of the Upper Kirby District were concerned about the increased criminal activity in the area. As a result, a supplemental security patrol was formed to serve Upper Kirby area businesses and participating residents.

Since August 1991, Upper Kirby District businesses and residential neighborhoods have been patrolled by employees of Harris County Precinct One Constable's Patrol Division under the supervision of Constable Jack Abercia. The patrol is coordinated with Precinct One by Upper Kirby Management District.

The businesses and residents who help to underwrite the patrol have access by telephone to Precinct One's central dispatch. They are reporting suspicious persons and incidents to the deputies and as a result, potential criminal incidents are being thwarted. As more residents participate in the patrol, the downward trend in crime in our neighborhood will continue.

The following services are provided by the Precinct One program:

24 hour central dispatch.

Uniformed, armed deputies who are certified police officers, licensed by the state to enforce the laws of Texas.

Distinctly marked, emergency law enforcement vehicles.

Central dispatch telephone number provided upon receipt of registration.

Generally close to a five minute response time.

Residential vacation watches.

Business special watches.

Response to burglar alarm when notified by alarm company.

Traffic control - as certified police officers, the deputies can respond to and issue citations to reckless, speeding or thoughtless drivers.

Residential security checks: - A time can be scheduled for a deputy constable to visit your residence to discuss how you can better prevent criminal activity on your premises.

If you are interested in signing up for Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Patrol services, residential contracts and additional information can be downloaded here, or, please call 713-524-8000.

If you have a new business, development or community event that you would like included in the monthly Upper Kirby news, please contact us at 713.524.8000 or submit to streettalk@upperkirby.org

Requests will be posted subject to space availability and appropriateness of content.

Upper Kirby is a constantly evolving urban area marked by an outstanding location, great shopping, unique residential neighborhoods, smart development and a small town feel. It is an area of successful businesses, involved communities and a synergy between the public and private sectors. It is the heartbeat of Houston and everywhere you want to be.