If you live within the vicinity of Linkwood Park or just a strong supporter of Houston parks, the "Friends of Linkwood Park" are asking for your participation and seeking volunteers. Linkwood Park is nestled within the heart of the South Braeswood community. The Friends of Linkwood Park, formerly the Linkwood PAC, are asking for representatives from the various surrounding civic associations to be a part of their community collaborative.

The Friends of Linkwood Park have scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 p.m. at Linkwood Park Community Center. Come hear the attendees and voice your opinion as to how to make Linkwood Park a more vibrant neighborhood park for the South Braeswood community. 

On Tuesday, May 16th Council Member Green met with the residents of the Palomino Place Apartments to hear their concerns and update the residents about all the initiatives happening in District K.  Prior to the meeting, Council Member Green had the opportunity to greet the children from the neighborhood and pass out the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department's Spark Park Coloring Books to the excited young people.  

Promoting public safety and enhancing the quality of life for residents are still top priorities for Council Member Green. One way to accomplish this is by eliminating blighted, hazardous buildings within District K neighborhoods.

Council Member Green states, "I'm thrilled the City was able to move forward with demolition of this dangerous building site in the Brays Oaks neighborhood. The 8304 Northern St. site has been an eyesore for this part of the Brays Oaks neighborhood for years. The Brays Oaks community's persistence has paid off." 

Rev. Deaver resides within the Houston Fort Bend area and is the Senior Pastor at New Hope Baptist Church.  He is involved in a variety of interfaith programs in Houston and serves as the Treasurer of Fort Bend Super Neighborhood.

Council Member Green is pleased to announced that the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department has slated 35,000 additional households citywide to its single-stream automated curbside recycling program.  As part of this curbside expansion, residents within these selected neighborhoods will receive one 96-gallon green automated cart. This will be similar to the black automated garbage cart.

"Since coming into office last year, I have strongly advocated for single-stream recycling for all neighborhoods within District K. At least this is a first step toward some of the District K neighborhoods," states Council Member Green. "I will continue to advocate for expanded recycling services for all neighborhoods within District K." 

Subdivisions included in the July 2013 expansion curbside Automated Recycling Program are: 

• Almeda Plaza
• Glen Iris
• Glenshire
• Hiram Clarke (Brentwood and Pamela Heights)
• Westbury West

This will be the first of two curbside recycling expansions this calendar year.  An additional expansion to 70,000 households is planned in the Fall. "Since first implementing the initiative in 2009, residents have overwhelmingly been asking to be included in this program.  It's convenient because participants can place their unsorted recyclables, including glass, in one city-provided container with wheels that makes it easy to roll to the curb," said Harry Hayes, Solid Waste Management Department Director. 

 Recyclable items that can be placed in the containers include: newspapers, magazines, office paper, junk mail, cardboard, paperboard, paper bags, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, tin and steel cans and plastics 1 - 5 and 7. The Solid Waste Management Department provides solid waste services to the residents of Houston through the collection, disposal and recycling of discarded material in a manner that is safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective.

For more information about the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and its services, please log on to  www.houstonsolidwaste.org or follow on Facebook click here.  

Since coming into office last year, Council Member Green has made a commitment to visit every civic association within the District. The task is almost complete; however, if you are receiving this e-newsletter and Council Member Green has yet to attend your civic association meeting, please contact the District K office at 832-393-3016 or districtK@houstontx.gov to schedule an appointment.

Houston Police Department Positive Interaction Program (PIP) Meetings

Neighborhoods, USA is a national non-profit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood organizations. Created in 1975 to share information and experiences toward building stronger communities, NUSA continues to encourage networking and information sharing to facilitate the development of partnerships between neighborhood organizations, government and the private sector.

Houston's commitment to neighborhoods and the City's status as a great convention location were the primary reasons Houston was selected for this conference. "I was pleased to have contributed a support letter to help capture the 2015 NUSA to Houston," state Council Member Green. "This is an opportunity for Houston neighborhoods to tell their unique neighborhood story."

Each year the NUSA Board solicits nominations to recognize the commitment of neighborhoods and neighborhood friendly individuals or enterprises in awarding "Neighborhood of the Year" (NOTY) and "NUSA Notables" Awards. The NOTY awards have been presented since 1984 as a collective "Thank You" for the hard work of nominated neighborhoods and are the only national awards given on an ongoing basis to neighborhood organizations for their self-help initiatives.

The Planning and Development Department and the Department of Neighborhoods will coordinate with local neighborhood advocates and NUSA on the 2015 Conference. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, contact Margaret Wallace at 713-837-7701.

Keep up with development and construction projects in your neighborhood. Sign up for the City's E-Plat summary report and the E-Permit report to find out about plat and permit applications. 

The Plat Summary E-Report contains information about the plats, replats, variances, and special exceptions to plats that will be considered at the upcoming Planning Commission meeting. The report provides locational, plat, and applicant information for each application in an Excel format that can be easily scrolled through, or sorted, based on particular data, such as council district.

The Houston Planning Commission meets every other Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in City Hall Annex Chambers, 900 Bagby St. unless otherwise posted.

The Plat Summary E-Report is usually sent out approximately a week before Planning Commission meets, while the Planning Commission Agenda is posted three days in advance of Planning Commission meetings on the Planning & Development Department website ( www.houstonplanning.com ).

The Permit E-Report provides information regarding any new construction, remodeling, or change-of-use permits by zip-code in an effort to inform citizens of activity in their neighborhoods. This E-Report is e-mailed every Monday.