I have great news to share! City Council approved $3 million to demolish abandoned and dangerous buildings across the city including 15 in District I. 7 of the dilapidated buildings are located in Clinton Park, 4 in Magnolia Park / Manchester and 4 in the Golfcrest / Park Place area.

Demolishing these dangerous structures is a great victory for our community. They have been an eyesore for a long time and, in some cases, enabled criminal activity in our neighborhoods. A couple of the structures were identified from ride-alongs I helped lead with concerned residents and representatives with the Department of Neighborhoods. I greatly appreciate their work and support.

All of the structures have been determined to be dangerous by an inspection official, structural engineer and a hearing officer. Each demolition costs between $8,000 and $10,000. That covers demolition, asbestos abatement (if necessary) and debris disposal. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure we secure even more dollars to tear down dangerous buildings and improve our community.

Respectfully,

Robert Gallegos

Houston Council Member

District I

FREE Halloween-themed Movie Night - Oct. 30th

Join Council Member Robert Gallegos for a Halloween-themed evening and FREE movie night on Friday, October 30!

What: Movie Night featuring Hocus Pocus

When: Friday, October 30, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Austin HS (football field), 1700 Dumble St., 77023

RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!

There will be entertainment for the whole family, including a kids Halloween costume contest with prizes, face painting, a moon walk, static displays from the Houston Police and Fire Department, free snacks, and food and refreshments for sale.

The event time is 6 to 9 p.m. and the movie starts at 7:15 p.m. Bring the family and enjoy a night outdoors! Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs or picnic blankets, and wear your spookiest costume!

East End Street Fest - Oct. 17th

Houston's East End is a vibrant international business district rich in diversity and bursting with residential and commercial development. To celebrate the changes the East End is kicking off the third annual East End Street Fest on Saturday, October 17, 2015.

This family event promises to be a blend of music, art and family entertainment. Last year the festival welcomed over 6,000 attendees. This year, festival organizers expect 10,000. The event will take place on Navigation Esplanade (2600 Navigation Blvd.), between S. Jensen Dr. and Delano St. Two music stages will feature top local artists, food choices for every taste, art and plenty of fun activities for the family.

A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the East End Eagles - Youth Football Teams. For more information, visit www.EastEndStreetFest.com.

Houston Mural Festival #HUEFest - Oct. 17-24th

Houston First presents the city's first annual Houston Urban Experience (HUE) Mural Festival, celebrating Houston's diverse arts community. The festival, which will take place October 17- 24, 2015, will feature 90 artists from our area and around the world, including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Spain, transforming Houston's cityscape from concrete to color.

Artists will have approximately 170 hours to create their designs using various forms of tools, techniques and styles of mural art including graffiti, muralism, paint brush work, airbrush, roller brush, wheat paste and stencil. Once complete, the murals will cover 25 walls throughout downtown, including EADO, East End and Washington Avenue Arts Districts, totaling approximately 20,000 square feet of wall space within a 17-mile round-trip around the city.

The festival is free and open to the public. Self-guided tours and paid Street Art Tours are available for the week-long event. For more information, visit www.huemuralfestival.com.

Houston's Bike Share Program is Growing

The Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council approved almost $3.5 million of Transportation Improvement Program dollars to expand bike sharing in Houston. The funding will enable the bike share program to increase three fold over the next 18 to 24 months, expanding from 29 stations to 100 stations and nearly 800 bikes when the phases are completed.

The program will stretch from south of the Texas Medical Center to the north up into the Heights and from the west to Memorial Park to the Greater East End. The expansion will be divided into three phases, with community input. The first phase will populate the Texas Medical Center, Rice University and Rice Village. Phase II will focus on creating greater station density; primarily in the Museum District, Midtown, Montrose and Downtown. Phase III will broaden the footprint into the East Side, SE around Texas Southern University and University of Houston Main campus, up into the Heights and west of Downtown. Council Member Robert Gallegos will be meeting with city and B-Cycle representatives in the coming weeks to help identify possible sites for bike stations in District I.

Houston B-Cycle is a bike share program that provides a quick transportation alternative for getting around the city. To date, Houston's bike share program has logged 205,000 checkouts, seen over 1 million miles ridden and created almost 1 million pounds of carbon offset.

Community Meeting on Open Carry Law - Nov. 4th

With the new Texas Open Carry law going into effect on January 1, 2016, the Houston Police Department is hosting an informational meeting to answer questions on what to do if they see individuals displaying weapons in public places. The Open Carry law will allow a license holder to "open carry" a holstered handgun.

The meeting will be held Wednesday, November 4, 2015, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the E.B. Cape Center, 4501 Leeland, 77023.

HPD Chief Charles A. McClelland, Jr. will be joined by City Attorney Donna Edmundson and Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson in a panel discussion about the new law and the challenges police officers will have in responding to citizen calls involving an individual publicly displaying a weapon.

Solid Waste Department Launches Rollout! App

The Rollout! app offers all kinds of useful information and reminders about the various City Solid Waste schedules for trash, junk waste tree waste collection, and recycling. It will even send you push notifications to remind you to roll your bin to the curb for collection.

The Rollout! App is available for download in the iTunes and Android app stores.

Download Rollout! today and never miss trash day again. Be sure and tell your neighbors, too.

Affordable Healthy Pet Options for Pet Owners

Help us reduce and prevent animal overpopulation in our community by spaying or neutering your pet. Pet owners now have many affordable pet healthcare and veterinary service options. Check out the many low-cost services Emancipet Houston and BARC's Fixin' Clinic provide by clicking the following images: