Turn Left at the Light...  

Not long after I purchased my home in Sharpstown in 1997, I began attending Sharpstown Civic Association meetings. I not only had the pleasure of meeting my neighbors, but also became familiar with many of the local concerns and issues facing the community. I soon learned that one of the neighborhood's longest running complaints involved the City's removal of the left turn lanes and lights at the intersection of Gessner and Beechnut. The lanes were removed in 1982. After having operated at that intersection for a number of years, the removal of the lanes surprised the driving public and created a noticeable burden to the community. For years after, there have been traffic accidents at that location as drivers chose convenience over safety and continued to make left turns at the intersection despite the presence of signs prohibiting such turns.

To make a long story short, the community has been asking for the return of the left turn lanes for years. The good news is those left turn lanes are coming back!

I was pleased to announce at last Wednesday's District J 2013 CIP meeting that the City has agreed to "re-install" left turn lanes at the intersection of Gessner and Beechnut. The Public Works Department is currently engineering design plans to install two left turn lanes. The lanes will allow drivers to turn left from Gessner onto Beechnut. Additionally, the rough patches and grade separations located in the center of the intersection will be smoothed and repaired. Current plans envision the return of the lanes sometime in calendar year 2013.

I hope you will join me in thanking Mayor Parker and the Public Works Department for this good news. It has been a pleasure working with them to help this goal come to pass over the past year.

Lastly, I would like to thank all those residents of Sharpstown and District J who have worked so tirelessly to keep this issue on the front burner all these years. Sometimes the race is not won by the fastest runner, but rather by those who just keep on running.

Free Health Fair at the Chinese Community Center - March 8 

Congressman Al Green is promoting community health in conjunction with Community Health Choice, Central Care Community Health Center and the Chinese Community Center by hosting a free health fair this Saturday, March 9, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.   

• Assistance with Medicaid and CHIP
• Health screening
• Blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol check
• WIC information
• Senior Services available
• And more information on community services

For questions and inquiries, please call 713-383-9234 or 281-438-3141.

Time to Spring Forward - March 10   

The District J office would like to remind you that Daylight Saving Times begins this Sunday, March 10, at 2:00 am.   

Set your clocks FORWARD 1 hour from 2:00 to 3:00 am.    

We hope you're able to make up the lost sleep and enjoy the extra sunshine.   

It's Tour de Houston time! - March 17 

Tune up your bikes because the Tour de Houston is right around the corner. Mayor Annise Parker and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis will ride along with participants in the 2013 Tour de Houston Presented by Apache Corporation. Cyclists will line up at Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby, Houston 77002, on Sunday, March 17, 2013. The bike ride benefits the city's reforestation efforts, which are managed by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD).  

With three distance options, the Tour de Houston presented by Apache Corporation is the perfect outdoor event for all cyclist levels, from the leisure rider to cycling competitors, and it is a recommended BP MS150 training ride. The distance options include a 70-mile route starting at 7:30 a.m., a 45-mile route at 8 a.m. and a 20-mile route at 8:30 a.m.

Click here for more details on the bike ride, including registration and packet pick-up locations. 

Need child care during Spring Break?  Neighborhood Centers has the solution 

Neighborhood Centers, Inc., is hosting Spring Break Camp at multiple locations for ages 5-13 years of age from March 11 through 15 from 7am to 6pm.  Children will get to enjoy fun field trips, arts & crafts, social development and team building activities and a nutritious breakfast and afternoon snack.  The daily rate is $20 per child or $75 for the whole week per child.   

For more information or to register, please call the following Neighborhood Centers:

• Baker-Ripley (Southwest) 713-273-3701
• Cleveland-Ripley (Pasadena) 713-944-9186
• Harbach-Ripley (Southeast) 713-640-7100
• La Porte (Bay Area) 281-471-1824
• Ripley House (East End) 713-315-6400 

District J Spotlight:  St. Agnes Volunteers to help children with Autism  

The Applied Behavior Analysis Skills Intervention Program (ABA-SkIP) of the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County (MHMRA) is a program where Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) work with young children who fall within the autism spectrum. BCBAs work with kids to decrease behavioral problems, improve communication, language and daily living skills. The children learn by using colorful pictures and symbols that are made by BCBAs from magazine cutouts and computer images. These items wear down due to daily use.  Therefore precious teaching time is instead used to create more of them.

Amanda Sitomer, ABA-SkIP's Program Manager and lead Behavior Analyst and alumnae of St. Agnes, asked the Alumnae community if they could help the program as part of their Service Day.  The community responded right away and went all out to help! The great army of volunteers made plenty of materials that will last for a while.

Nadia Buckner, one of the children of ABA-SkIP, also came out with her mother on Alumnae Service Day. They wanted to personally thank the St. Agnes volunteers for the work they were doing for the program. What no one expected, though, was that Nadia and her mom were going to go home with more than a happy "you're welcome!"

MHMRA of Harris County is a public agency that provides community-based mental health and intellectual/developmental disability (IDD) services to Harris County residents. More than 1,900 staff members deliver personalized care through 40+ programs and services to unserved and underserved populations with a range of mental disorders. The largest mental health and IDD authority in Texas, MHMRA of Harris County is a catalyst for positive change on a local, state and national level in mental health and IDD services and supports. To learn more, please visit  www.mhmraharris.org.