City Seal
From the Office of Council Member Mike Laster 
The Distric
t Journal
Official Newsletter of Houston City Council District J
 
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Mike Laster - Flipped
832.393.3015
[email protected]


City Hall Annex
900 Bagby
Houston, TX 77002

PO Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251-1562
  
Chief of Staff

Jonny Flores
Deputy Chief of Staff/Agenda & Policy Director

Sharon Shanahan
Administrative Services Director

Eric Widaski
Constituent & Community Affairs Director

District J Parks 
City Contacts

HPD
(non-emergency)
713.884.3131

Anti-Gang Office
832.393.0931

Mayor's Citizens' Assistance
832.393.0955

Department of Neighborhoods
832.393.1038

Health & Human Services
832.393.5169

Parks Department
832.395.7000

Public Works & Engineering
832.395.2511

Solid Waste Management
713.956.6589

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The Big Idea Challenge Comes to District J
 
Last week, the national non-profit organization Next City hosted its 2016 Vanguard Conference in Houston. This highly recognized conference gathered 40 urban planners, lawyers, architects, elected, governmental and non-profit officials and visionaries to learn about the unique challenges facing Houston's neighborhoods. Those individuals were teamed together to brainstorm new and creative uses for a selection of underutilized or vacant lots. The community which is home to the winning project would be provided $10,000 in award monies from Houston's Kinder Institute to undertake implementation of that team's proposed project.



District J was invited to participate in the competition by providing ideas for unused public spaces in our neck of the woods. I urged the conference to consider city owned property located next to the campus of Southwest Middle and High School located at the intersection of 6400 Westpark and Hillcroft. 

This charter school has a thriving population of students but does not enjoy outdoor recreational space sufficient to meet its needs. Hoping to nurture their already award-winning soccer team, as well as provide needed gathering space, the school had inquired as to using a city owned water well directly adjacent to their property. 


I had the pleasure to meet the visioning team and representatives of Southwest Schools to discuss needs and options for this site. The team assigned to District J presented its proposal to a packed house at Discovery Green this past Friday evening. Though their proposal was not chosen as the final winner - they nailed the competition as far as I am concerned. Their design for the property - if completed - would provide 17x more outdoor space to the school than is currently available. Both I and school officials were highly impressed by the teams' creative vision for the lot and for additional green-space opportunities in the area. Their plan will not only give us a guide to follow but clearly provides us an inspirational goal to attain.


I appreciate Next City, the Vanguard Challenge and the Kinder Institute in choosing to highlight a project in District J. Most importantly, I am grateful for the visionary plan our Southwest School project team delivered to us. My thanks to each of them. It is always a joy to work with individuals and communities united to make our home better for all of us.
 
Be Well,
Mike Laster - signature
-Council Member Mike Laster, District J

Help Out Bayland Park Little League! 

Earlier this month, the Bayland Little League had their John Deere mower stolen. They are a self-supporting league that relies on volunteers and donations. Help promote a positive and safe environment for our local youth, and consider donating to their GoFundMe campaign today to help raise money for a new mower!
Human Trafficking Plan

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the release of the first phase of the City's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan. Partners such as Fiesta and Yellow Cab will be sending out e-mails/texts in English and Spanish to educate their drivers about the problem of Human Trafficking to prepare for the upcoming Super Bowl and beyond.

There are five components to Houston's plan:
  1. Change public perception
  2. Enhance links to social and legal services for victims
  3. Implement joint initiatives developed by the Mayor's anti-trafficking task force
  4. Adopt new ordinances and departmental policies, where necessary
  5. Serve as a national model for municipalities around the US and the world
Regretably, 717 of the 2035 confirmed cases of human trafficking in the state of Texas from 2007 to 2015, originated in Houston. Because this is a crime that often goes unreported, the actual rate of human trafficking may be higher.

For a free educational toolkit and to learn more about Human Trafficking please visit here.
Community Events Calendar
Upcoming Events

Please refer to the Community Events Calendar on our website for the time, and other event details. New events are added every week. Be sure to check it often!

Monday, May 16
 -Gulfton Super Neighborhood #27 Meeting
 -Sharpstown Civic Assc. Board Meeting
 -Brays Bayou Association Meeting

Tuesday, May 17
 -Sharpstown Rotary Club
 -Council Break Week - No City Council
 -Braeburn PIP Meeting

Wednesday, May 18
 -Council Break Week - No City Council
 -Midwest PIP Meeting

Thursday, May 19
 -Westside Division PIP
 
Saturday, May 21
 -Gulfton Festival 2016

Monday, May 23
 -Southwest Management District Board Meeting

Tuesday, May 24
 -Sharpstown Rotary Club
 -City Council - Public Session
 -Alief Super Neighborhood Council Meeting

Wednesday, May 25
 -City Council

Thursday, May 26
 -International District Board of Directors Meeting
 -Sharpstown Civic Association Meeting

Tuesday, May 31
 -Sharpstown Rotary Club
 -City Council - Public Session