Revamped header
January/ February 2013
District K Contact Information

 

 

900 Bagby, First Floor

Houston, TX 77002

 

 

Satellite office:

Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center

3810 W. Fuqua

Houston, TX 77045

 

 

Phone:

832-393-3016 office

832-393-4203 Satellite office

 

 

Fax:

832-395-9410

 

 

Email:

[email protected]

 

 

Website:

Click here

 

 

311 Link:

Click here

 

 

Archived Newsletters:

Click here

 

 

Facebook:

Click here 

Hiram Clarke Celebrated 2 Single-Family Demolitions

Council Member Green with Community Leaders

 

Council Member Green participated in two (2) demolition events during the months of January and February. The identified locations both occurred in the Hiram Clarke community -- 14234 Bligh (Meredith Manor subdivision) and 4906 Markwood Lane (Briarwick subdivision). Over the years, these sites have detrimentally plagued both neighborhoods. Through this sponsored initiative of the Department of Neighborhoods, neighborhood residents have been heard. We had a great showing of Meredith Manor residents as well as other Hiram Clarke community leaders from adjoining neighborhoods to lend their support.

Council Member Green on a backhoe

 

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The Families of South Braeswood 
  families of southbraeswood  

 

The District K portion of the Braeswood SN has a hidden secret for reaching out among the communities south of Brays Bayou -- the Families of South Braeswood blog. According to their webpage, the purpose of the blog is to bring together families living in the neighborhoods south of Braeswood Blvd. (Braes Manor, Braes Terrace, Linkwood, Knollwood Village, Westridge, Woodshire, and Woodside) to address the community's common interests and concerns and work toward making positive changes in the neighborhood.

 

The Families of South Braeswood blog impacts their community in three areas:

  • Social Events-Forming connections between families through a variety of social events
  • Park/Roads-Improve our local park and roads through fundraising and community involvement
  • Longfellow Elementary-Support our local elementary school and spread the word about all Longfellow has to offer

 

Because the South Braeswood community consists of different civic associations and other civic organizations, this area had limited opportunities to connect and share information with each other. Other than the Braeswood SN Council, the blog also helps solve the central issues of the greater South Braeswood neighborhood - sharing similar interests toward making positive changes.

 

Click link to explore the Families of South Braeswood blog: Click here

 

  
Save The Date- District K 2013 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Meeting 

  houstonseal

Council Member Green is scheduled to host the annual District K Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) on Thursday,March 21, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, 3810 West Fuqua, 77045. 

  

Capital Improvement Plan meetings are held annually to inform citizens of upcoming projects scheduled in their respective communities.  The meetings afford citizens an opportunity to learn, voice their concerns and address their respective City Council Members and City of Houston officials regarding project planning & delivery.  An update on the city's implementation of ReBuild Houston will be provided again this year as well. 

  

For additional information and specific details about CIP projects in your area and to see a draft of the Rebuild Houston ten-year plan click here .
Levitt Pavilion Coming to the Willow Waterhole

The Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation and the Levitt Pavilions announced a commitment to develop a Levitt Pavilion within the Willow Waterhole Detention Basins.

  willow waterhole

The Levitt Program brings communities together through the experience of music. The pavilion is an catalyst for professional concerts, which are free to the public, to revitalize underused parks and public spaces and providing a place for neighborhoods to connect. Thus, the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation and the Levitt Pavilions believe that the Willow Waterhole is an ideal site for a Levitt Pavilion where families, neighbors, and all age groups and background will gather to enjoy "music under the stars."

 

To know more about the Levitt Pavilion and the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy, please visit their website at click here .

Fiesta Mart Celebrates Black History Month Celebration in Brays Oaks  

 BOMD logoThe Fiesta Mart, located at 11240 Fondren Rd. (@ West Bellfort Ave.) will celebrate Black History on February 24, 2013 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

This will be a family-friendly event with moonwalk, rides, face painting, live music and lots more! For more information, please contact George Nwanguma at 713-272-2700.

 

For more information or updates on upcoming event visit click here .

Council Member Green  Hosted FM 2234 Reconstruction Informational Meeting

 Council Member Green, along the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), facilitated an informational meeting to address the upcoming FM 2234 reconstruction project. The community meeting was held on January 29th at the Quail Run CIA Community Center.

 

The TxDOT is scheduled to reconstruct FM 2234 (Cartwright Rd. to Fort Bend Tollway) into a 4-lane highway (including curb and gutter section with a raised median).  According to TxDOT, the estimated construction start date is June 2013.

 

Most of the attendees consist of residents from the Quail Run and Quail Glen subdivisions. Since the reconstruction project extends into the municipality of Missouri City, Council Member Green thanked the council members of Missouri City for attended. Other attendees included Commissioner Grady Prestage, Constable Ruben Davis, and a staffer from State Representative Ron Reynolds.

 

Frequently asked questions and a schematics of the TxDOT project will be posted on the District K webpage: click here
Council Member Green Hosted Publication Workshop 

 

 

 Council Member Green, in conjunction with the Office of Business Opportunity Department, held a Publications - Doing Business with the City of Houston workshop on January 30th. The workshop provided an opportunity for local community newspapers to network and connect with City of Houston departmental representatives to address the City's advertising purchasing processes. The attendance of community publications throughout the Houston area was outstanding.

 

For more information about the City's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Program, please contact Roger Harris with the Office of Business Opportunity Department at 832-393-0623 or [email protected].

 

 Billy Reagan K-8 Official Dedication

The doors of the Billy Reagan K-8 Educational Center opened for students in August, but on January 16th, the community got a chance to celebrate the new school with its official dedication.

 

More than 200 people, including neighbors, parents, faculty, and HISD officials, attended the ceremony at the campus off Anderson Road to recognize the new campus and honor the school's namesake, former HISD superintendent Billy Reagan. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier was on-hand during the dedication ceremony.

 

In addition to state-of-the-art security, the Reagan K-8 campus includes 21st century learning technologies with classroom smart boards, modern computer labs, and interactive science labs for students. The school was built from funding of HISD's 2007 bond program. The school has more than 900 students, including 600 elementary school students. The campus was also designed to relieve overcrowding in the district's southwest schools, particularly Dowling Middle School.

 

Other dedication attendees included former HISD superintendent and former United States Secretary of Education Rod Paige; State Rep. Alma A. Allen, Chief School Officer Sidney (Chip) Zullinger, and Vivian Harris representing the District K council office.

HPD Recognizes Brays Oaks Park Apartments for Blue Star Certification

 The Brays Oaks Park Apartments was recognized and commended by the Houston Police Dept. for earning a Blue Star Certification. Getting a Blue Star means a safer living environment for residents of the Brays Oaks Park Apts., located at 6400 West Bellfort Ave. at Sandpiper Dr. The apartment complex has attained this certification by the Police Dept.'s Apartment Enforcement Unit. The Blue Star is a partnership between law enforcement, apartment owners/managers, and residents to reduce crime and improve quality of life in multi-family communities.

 

This recognition marked the 3rd apartment complex within the Brays Oaks Management District to receive this momentous certification.

 

Update on Chapter 42 and Chapter 26  

PDlogoOn January 30th, the Housing, Sustainable Growth, and Development Council Committee convened to address the proposed amendments to Chapter 42 (development regulations) and Chapter 26 (off-street parking regulations) of the City's code of ordinances. The proposed ordinance amendments, frequently asked questions and PowerPoint presentation can be found on the Planning and Development Department's website, click here.

 

As this process evolves, our council office will continue to keep District K constituents abreast of the end-result.

District K Neighborhood 101 Symposium Planned for March 2nd
Council Member Green is facilitating a series of Neighborhood 101 symposiums to better connect District K community leaders to resources about ensuring the viability of their respective neighborhood.

 

The first of the Neighborhood 101 symposium series is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, 3810 West Fuqua St., 77045. This symposium will address deed restriction enforcement; whereas representatives from the City of Houston Legal Department and the Harris County Attorney's Office will explain their authority with deed restriction enforcement. Also, the Dept. of Neighborhoods will introduce their Pro-Bono Deed Restrictions Program.

 

Other topics of interest for future symposiums will address neighborhood protection violations, HPD's Differential Response Team (DRT) enforcement, Solid Waste Department heavy trash enforcement, Ch. 42 amendments overview, etc. The District K council office will e-blast notification of the following symposiums.

Houston Police Department Positive Interactive Program  (PIP) meetings  
 

District K has three (3) active PIP meetings administered by the Houston Police Department. All PIP meetings are open to the public; regardless of where you live.

 

Westbury PIP Meeting (every 4th Tuesday of the month)

Tuesday, February 26, 7:00 p.m.
Aramco Building
9009 West Loop South Freeway
Houston, TX 77096

 

For more information, please contact the HPD Westbury Storefront at 713-726-7126. The Westbury HPD Storefront hours are 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

 

Hiram Clarke PIP Meeting (every 2nd Monday of the month)

Monday, March 11, 7:00 p.m.
Hiram Clarke HPD Storefront
4363 West Fuqua St.
Houston, TX 77053

 

For more information, please contact the HPD Hiram Clarke Storefront at 713-433-2720. The Hiram Clarke HPD Storefront hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

 

Braeburn PIP Meeting (every 3rd Tuesday of the month)

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 7:00 p.m.
Braeburn HPD Storefront
7576 West Bellfort Ave. 
Houston, TX 77071

 

For more information, please contact the HPD Braeburn Storefront at 713-773-7550. The Braeburn HPD Storefront hours are 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

 
City's Pro-Bono Deed Restriction Program

The Department of Neighborhoods will assist civic associations or civic clubs in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods with creating new, or modifying existing, deed restrictions via a resurrected Deed Restrictions Pro Bono Program. The Department of Neighborhoods will work with City Council offices in identifying civic associations that may be qualified to participate in the Program.

 

Eligible organizations will be referred to pro bono legal counsel via the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP). The Department of Neighborhoods will not directly assist with the drafting or modification of deed restrictions but rather act as a facilitator for pairing civic associations or civic clubs with attorneys for those purposes. The Department of Neighborhoods will also provide limited assistance to associations/clubs as they work to notify neighbors of proposed deed restrictions and undertake the required steps for enactment.

 

For more info about the program, please contact Todd Curry at 832-394-0670 or email at [email protected].
 

 City of Houston Launches 311 Smartphone Application

 

311 Help & Info to launch new functions such as the all-new 311 Smartphone app which allows Houstonians to submit requests for service directly from their Smartphone. Additionally, 311 will discuss recent improvements such as the new website focused on ease of use and convenience including an interactive map tool that allows customers to view the progress of local requests for service, the redesigned customer call center, and more. The event will include a Smartphone app and website interactive map tool demonstration.

 

The City of Houston launched the 311 service in August 2001 as a non-emergency telephone hotline. Today, 311 Help & Info users are able to submit requests for service by calling 311's hotline 24 hours per day, submitting a request via the 311 website or the Smartphone app, and by email. The launch of the 311 Smartphone app and the addit ion of an interactive map on 311's redesigned website are the latest additions to the department's effort to continuously build communication channels to best meet Houston's needs. Houston's 311 Help & Info is meant not only to be an easily accessible resource for all citizens, but by allowing Houstonians to conveniently submit requests through a variety of channels, it also empowers them join the effort to improve the community.

Houston Public Library to Restore Library Hours Beginning in April 2013

 

In addition, hours are being restored to the Central Library, returning it to a seven day a week schedule sometime in the spring or summer. The restored service hours are made possible by $3.1 million added to the City of Houston HPL budget. A portion of the additional funding is expected in the current budget year from a General Appropriation request in April 2013, and full funding will be included in the HPL FY14 budget, beginning in July 2013.

 

District K neighborhood libraries that will have phased in restored Saturday hours are:

To learn more about the Houston Public Library,click here . 

 

The Houston Public Library announced that it will extend its service hours by restoring Saturday service to 14 neighborhood libraries throughout the city beginning in April 2013. The restoration of service hours will take place in phases, beginning April 1, 2013, with restored schedules offered as new staff is hired and trained.  More information will be forthcoming in the spring.
Route of Tour de Houston will Roll through District K  

  The annual Tour de Houston, presented by the Apache Corporation, will take place Sunday, March 17, 2013. The annual fundraising bike ride will consist of a 20, 45, and 70 mile route. A portion of the route will roll through District K. The South Campus Sport Association (Stella Link @ West Bellfort Ave.) will be the turnaround stop for the 20-mile bikers and first of three rest stops for the 45 and 70-mile bikers as they head eastward along West Bellfort Ave.

 

Funds raised from this year's ride will benefit Houston's reforestation efforts through our non-profit partner, Houston Parks Board, dedicated to creating, improving and protecting parkland in the greater Houston region.

 

While Tour de Houston Presented by Apache Corporation is a fundraising ride, it also serves as a recommended ride for the BP MS 150. We encourage BP MS 150 participants to participate in the many recommended rides offered throughout the Houston area.

 

New District... New Council Member... New Beginnings!