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Pardon Our Mess. . . We're Improving
 Within the next several weeks the City of Houston will begin the construction of major improvements to Bellaire Boulevard that will extend westward from Mary Bates to the Beltway. This $25 million dollar project will be funded by monies received from the Sharpstown Tax Increment Re-investment Zone (Sharpstown TIRZ). The Sharpstown TIRZ has spent the last several years funding and preparing engineering designs for the project. Bids from private contractors have been received for the project and a winning contractor has been chosen. The Public Works Department of the City of Houston will manage the construction of the project. The Sharpstown TIRZ will continue to monitor the construction in cooperation with the Greater Sharpstown Management District.
The project includes installation of new underground utilities suitable to serve the growing commercial and residential density along the boulevard. An additional west-bound traffic lane, constructed within the boundaries of the current rights-of-way will be added to accommodate the area's increased traffic. Surface improvements will include reconfigured esplanades, increased floral planting areas and trees and specially designed street lights. Major intersections will be beautified with new traffic signal towers and cross-arms, beautified cross-walk areas and other unique design elements included to create a signature boulevard for this portion of District J. The project is currently estimated to require up to two years for construction.
Your District J Office will be hosting public information meetings for this project along with the City of Houston, the Sharpstown TIRZ, the Greater Sharpstown Management District and District F.
The first public meeting, focusing on the residential community will take place on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, at the Sharpstown Community Center located at 6600 Harbor Town. The second meeting, co-hosted by District F, will occur on Thursday, July 12, 2012, at the Chinese Community Center located at 9800 Town Park. This meeting will focus on the business community. Both meetings are scheduled for 6:30 to 8:00pm.
Throughout the construction period your District Journal will monitor and report on the progress of the construction. I sincerely hope that you will be able to join us for one of these two public information meetings.
In closing, allow me to wish each of you a Happy Father's Day, a joyous Juneteenth (19th) Texas Emancipation Day celebration, and a successful Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival.
- Mike Laster, Council Member - District J
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Evaluate Your Home's Risk for Storm Damage
 On Wednesday, June 6, the City of Houston and Rice University launched a new Storm Risk Calculator that allows Houston area residents to learn about the risks their neighborhood and homes could face in a storm or hurricane.
The City of Houston Storm Risk Calculator also includes a brief questionnaire that will help with future website use and design.
To explore the website or learn more about your home's storm risks, please visit risk.rtsnets.com.
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211 Texas - Transportation Assistance for Hurricane Evacuation
 If you are a senior or have a disability and need to make arrangements to evacuate in the event of a hurricane, tropical storm, or other severe weather event, we urge you to register with 211 Texas Help Line for the Transportation Assistance Registry.
Dial 2-1-1, select a language and then press Option 4. By signing up for this registry, you are helping your local emergency responders and officials plan for disasters. Your information will be used to help them know the type of services that might be needed during a disaster. Each community uses the information on this registry in different ways. Having your information in the registry does not guarantee that you will receive a specific service during an emergency. You must develop and maintain your own family disaster plan.
For more information on 211 Texas and its services, please visit their website.
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New Home of the Dinosaurs
 Tyrannosauruses, Megalodons, and Triceratops! Oh my! The Houston Museum of Natural Science's new Hall of Paleontology is now open and ready for you to join them for a "prehistoric safari."
Explore over 60 new mounts posed in exciting "action shots" in an interactive hall the length of a football field. See prehistoric scenes of predators and prey struggling for life, chasing, catching, and sometimes escaping. Some exhibits have never been seen before. Others feature touchable specimens, including real, fossilized dinosaur skin, that allow you to pet a dinosaur.
For more information on the new hall, tickets, and hours of operation, please visit the HMNS Website.
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Free Visual Fire Alarms for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
 The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and the Houston Fire Department (HFD) and their partners* are offering free visual fire alarms for the deaf and hard of hearing.
To qualify, you must - live in the City of Houston or Greater Houston Metropolitan Area
- Have a low or fixed income
- have substantial hearing loss which requires the use of a visual fire alarm
For more information, please contact Kaitlyn Tracy at 281-936-0770 or kaitlyn.tracy@houstontx.gov. *Free visual fire alarms were made possible through: the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) |
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Metro's New Greenlink - It's Easy Being Green
 Metro has a new way to get around downtown that's easy on the environment and easy on your fare card. The new Greenlink makes a circuit around downtown, stopping at popular locations including the George R Brown Convention Center, City Hall, the Tellepsen Family YMCA and Metro Transit Center, the Houston Pavilions, the Toyota Center, and many more!
The Greenlink fleet runs on Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG), making them a cleaner transportation alternative.
With more than 50 percent of downtown workers
without their personal cars during the day, Greenlink is
a handy connector to restaurants, shopping, entertainment and METRORail and bus service. Best of all, it's completely free to ride thanks to a partnership with the Downtown District, BG Group and Houston First, formerly known as the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information on routes and schedules, visit the Metro website at ridemetro.org. |
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Looking for Legal Help?
 The South Texas College of Law and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) will be conducting intake and screening for new cases at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on 1475 W Gray on the third Thursday of each month from 1-3pm. The next clinic will be June 21.
Practice Areas:
- Family Law
- Probate
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship
- Community Education
For more information, please call 713-652-0009 or visit www.stcl.edu/clinics. |
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Juneteenth - Texas' Emancipation Day
June 19, 2012, celebrates the 117th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas. Also known as "Juneteenth", Texas' celebration of emancipation is one of the United States' oldest celebrations of its kind, becoming an official state holiday in 1890.
On
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Ashton Villa, Galveston
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June 18, 1865, Union General Gordan Granger and 2,000 Federal troops entered Galveston, taking possession of the state. The next day, on June 19, he read "General Order Number 3" from the balcony of Ashton Villa declaring the enforcement of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Some early celebrations of Juneteenth included efforts to teach African Americans about their voting rights.
Many communities commemorated the event with the purchase of land specifically for parks to celebrate Juneteenth. Houston's Emancipation Park is one of these locations. In 1872, the Colored People's Festival and Emancipation Park Association, created by Antioch Baptist and Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church members, pooled $800 to put down on ten acres of open land that would eventually become Emancipation Park.
This year's celebrations include a concert at the Miller Outdoor Theater featuring Houston Jazz legend Joe Samples.
Sources:
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Upcoming Events
 Please refer to the Community Events Calendar on our website for time, location and other event details.
June 15
- Free Trial Bollywood Classes
- Live Performance of Pinocchio
- Texas Black Expo (through June 17)
June 16
June 17
June 18
- Brays Bayou Association Meeting
- GSMD Board of Directors Meeting
June 19 - Juneteenth, Texas Emancipation Day
- Sharpstown Rotary Club
June 20 - HPD Midwest Division PIP Meeting
- First Day of Summer
June 21- South Texas College of Law / MOPD Legal Clinic
June 25 - IMD Long Range Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
June 26 - Alief Super Neighborhood Council
- The Resilient Soul: An Insight into the Refugee Experience
- Sharpstown Rotary Club
June 28- Sharpstown Civic Association Meeting
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