On Monday, June 1 Council Member Martin joined residents at Meadowcreek Village Park to commemorate the demolition of the Meadowcreek Village basketball pavilion, which has been closed for several months due to structural safety concerns. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) is currently in the process of designing a new pavilion for the community utilizing feedback gathered at a public meeting earlier this year and forwarded throughout the design process by the District E office.

Council Member Martin thanks the Parks and Recreation Department for demolishing the old pavilion in a timely manner to ensure the safety of park patrons and for working with the community on the design of its replacement. The District E office will keep the public informed as construction nears completion.

On Thursday, June 4 the TPC Group held its annual luncheon honoring the recipients of the company's Mark of Excellence Scholarship program, which provides support for a number of college-bound students from the greater Houston area. Staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the luncheon and presented a certificate of special recognition to a District E student from Cesar E. Chavez High School who is one of this year's scholarship recipients. 

Council Member Martin thanks the TPC Group for supporting education throughout the City of Houston and for its other charitable initiatives within District E.

Changes affecting vehicular traffic have recently been made to the intersection of Clear Lake City Boulevard and El Dorado Boulevard. As part of the infrastructure improvements associated with the new residential and commercial developments coming in north of the intersection, the northbound section of El Dorado Boulevard has been widened from one to three lanes as northbound traffic approaches Clear Lake City Boulevard. This new configuration includes an exclusive left-turn lane, a through lane and a through/right-turn lane for vehicles traveling north on El Dorado Boulevard. A single southbound lane remains on El Dorado Boulevard, which is now separated from the northbound lanes by a median which extends until the street transitions back into a two-lane road south of the intersection.

Please be advised that those turning left from the westbound approach on Clear Lake City Boulevard to travel south on El Dorado Boulevard must now keep right until turning onto the single southbound lane beyond the median separation. Those turning right from the eastbound approach on Clear Lake City Boulevard to travel south on El Dorado must turn into the single southbound lane before the median separation.

Two "Road Closed" barricades have been placed in the northbound lanes of El Dorado Boulevard. "Do Not Enter" signs have also been positioned at the site, as well as a "Keep Right" sign by the median. These measures are meant to prevent drivers turning onto El Dorado Boulevard from Clear Lake City Boulevard from turning into the newly-configured northbound lanes. As a result of the barricades, all traffic traveling northbound on El Dorado has been temporarily limited to the farthest east lane.

Please note that the "Road Closed" barricades are meant to serve as a temporary guideline; in the coming months, the barricades will be removed and northbound motorists will be permitted to use the new northbound through and turn lanes on El Dorado Boulevard. 

The District E office will continue to work with the Houston Police Department, the Public Works Department and the contractors in charge of the intersection project to monitor this location and ensure that clear and sufficient signage is present at the newly-configured intersection of Clear Lake City Boulevard and El Dorado.

For further information, please contact Council Member Martin's office at (832) 393-3008.

In response to a request made to Council Member Martin's office, the City of Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department began improvements during the week of June 22 to the intersection of El Dorado Boulevard at Eastcape Drive in Clear Lake. As part of the project and to accommodate large traffic volumes, city contractors are currently constructing an exclusive left-hand turn lane on the eastbound side of El Dorado Boulevard leading up to the intersection. As a result, the existing left lane will be closed while construction is in progress Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Standard traffic control measures including orange construction barrels will be in place while work is in progress and will be removed during peak travel hours.

Construction on the left-hand turn lane is currently expected to be complete by Friday, July 3. Please note that all project timelines are subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

The El Dorado Boulevard and Eastcape Drive intersection improvement project also includes traffic signal reconstruction work, which will bring the traffic signal up to current City of Houston standards. This work will commence later this summer after the delivery of necessary construction materials. Please note that orange construction barrels will remain in the new left-hand turn lane on El Dorado until the entire project is completed.

Council Member Martin's office will continue to keep members of the public notified as more details become available on subsequent stages of this project. For further information, please contact Council Member Martin's office at (832) 393-3008.

In mid-June, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) completed the planting of a number of 15-gallon trees along the median on Clear Lake City Boulevard from Interstate 45 to State Highway 3. Council Member Martin allocated funds from his 2015 council district service budget to make the tree-planting possible, which beautified the corridor for the many residents and visitors who use it to enter the Clear Lake area. 

Community beautification efforts such as the Clear Lake City Boulevard tree-planting were a priority in Council Member Martin's 2015 council district service budget. He also utilized the budget to increase the frequency of mowing in public places across District E and undertake various improvements at district parks, fire stations, etc. 

Houston City Council recently re-approved the council district service budget program during the Fiscal Year 2016 budget process. While the appropriation of council district service funds requires approval from the mayor, Council Member Martin encourages resident input in the process. To provide feedback, or for any questions or concerns, please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or at districte@houstontx.gov.

In February of this year, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) Aerospace Marketing Manager and former Nassau Bay Mayor Pro Tem, David Braun, passed away after a courageous three-year battle with cancer. To honor his memory and invaluable contributions to Houston's Bay Area, BAHEP held a ceremony on Tuesday, June 9 where President Bob Mitchell and the BAHEP staff officially dedicated their principal meeting space as the, "David Braun Conference Room." At the dedication ceremony, a number of local elected officials offered remarks in memory of David's character, leadership and accomplishments and presented his family members with official resolutions honoring David. Council Member Martin spoke about his enjoyment working with David on BAHEP's annual Citizens for Space Exploration trip to D.C. and presented David's family with a proclamation from Mayor Annise Parker proclaiming June 9 David Braun Day in Memoriam in the City of Houston.

Council Member Martin and the District E team will not soon forget David's meaningful contributions to Houston's Bay Area and his dedicated leadership in championing space exploration and the aerospace industry in Houston. 

On Friday, June 19 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended a change of command ceremony held at the United States Coast Guard's Air Station Houston at Ellington Airport. During the ceremony, former Air Station Houston Commander Scott E. Langum was relieved in the post by Commander Craig J. Massello. In addition to remarks from Commander Langum and Commander Massello, the ceremony featured a presentation of colors by the Air Station Houston Color Guard and remarks from Rear Admiral David R. Callahan, the Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District headquartered in New Orleans. Officers and enlisted personnel from Air Station Houston were present at the event, as were community leaders from the area and the friends and family of the two commanders.

Commander Langum, who assumed command of Air Station Houston in 2013, is departing to attend Senior Service School at the Army War College in Pennsylvania. Commander Massello comes to Air Station Houston with 20 years of Coast Guard experience and has received numerous personal awards and commendations throughout his career.

Since its commissioning in 1963, Air Station Houston has prosecuted thousands of Search and Rescue (SAR) cases, hurricane rescues, astronaut training hoists, environmental responses, flood relief operations and law enforcement and homeland security missions. Today, Air Station Houston includes seventeen officers, sixty enlisted personnel and three civilians who support the operation of three 65D Dolphin helicopters out of Ellington Air Force Base. 

Council Member Martin congratulates Commander Massello on the new post and welcomes him to the City of Houston. He also thanks Commander Langum for his leadership at Air Station Houston, and commends all of the brave men and women in the unit for their dedicated service to the greater Houston region.

Each month, the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce holds its general membership luncheon which brings together business leaders, elected officials and community leaders from Houston's Bay Area to build relationships and learn about topics of importance to the area. Staff from Council Member Martin's office attended last month's luncheon held on Wednesday, June 24 and received an update on the state of education in the Clear Lake area from Dr. Steven Ebell, Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD); Dr. Brenda Hellyer, Chancellor of San Jacinto College; and Dr. William Staples, President of the University of Houston - Clear Lake. 

Each year, following the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Golf Classic, the chamber hosts its "Party on the Green" to promote economic development in the region and raise money for charitable causes. After being rescheduled due to weather, Party on the Green 2015 was held on Thursday, June 4. Council Member Martin's North Sector Manager Jessica Beemer ran the silent auction during the event, which she also assisted the chamber in planning throughout the year. Over 400 guests attended Party on the Green 2015, including a number of elected officials and business leaders from the Lake Houston area. 

For more information and pictures on this year's Party on the Green event, please visit the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page here. 

On Tuesday, June 16 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the State Luncheon held to offer residents an opportunity to engage with their state elected officials and learn about the future of Texas. At this year's event, Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton (Texas Senate District 4) and State Representative Dan Huberty (Texas House District 127) provided an overview of the 84th Legislative Session and discussed the impact of legislation passed on local businesses and the Lake Houston Area community. Interested residents can view a full video of the discussion by clicking here. 

On Thursday, June 11 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended a ribbon cutting event held by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce and presented a certificate of special recognition to KB Home Rivergrove, a homebuilder developing a new single-family community in the Lake Houston area. Those in attendance at the event toured three innovative model homes and welcomed KB Home Rivergrove as a new chamber member.

For more information on the new KB Home Rivergrove community, please click here. 

On Thursday, June 4 Council Member Martin participated in a hardhat tour of the construction underway in Houston's convention district near the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB). The Houston First Corporation, of which Council Member Martin is an ex-officio board member, is leading the district's renovation, which is scheduled for completion before Houston hosts the Super Bowl in 2017.

Included in the project is the construction of the new Marriot Marquis Houston hotel, opening in September 2016, which will feature 1,000 guest rooms and connect directly to the GRB via skybridge. A new 10-story office building is also being erected by Minute Maid Park which will house the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), Houston First and the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GHCVB). In addition, a section of Avenida de las Americas, which runs parallel to the George R. Brown Convention Center, is being transformed into a walkable pedestrian plaza which will allow convention center patrons to enjoy new retail amenities and restaurants being developed in a new central concourse in the GRB.

More information on the exciting renovations currently underway in Houston's convention district can be found online at www.houstonconventiondistrict.com.

Council Member Martin is pleased to inform residents about the first annual SpaceCom Houston event coming to the George R. Brown Convention Center on November 17 - 19, 2015. SpaceCom, the Space Commerce Conference and Exposition, is a new three-day event engineered to fuel economic growth and innovation by encouraging the application of space technologies to five target industries: medicine, energy, transportation, communications and advanced manufacturing. To do so, SpaceCom will seek to unite public and private stakeholders involved in domestic and international space commerce with a new group of global business executives looking for a competitive advantage by utilizing space technology.

The three-day event will feature a number of keynote speakers from the industry and public sector, panel and roundtable discussions with space experts and related professionals, general educational sessions on a variety of relevant topics and networking receptions, among other activities. The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) is leading the development of SpaceCom alongside an Advisory Board made up of industry, academic and government leaders and chaired by NASA Johnson Space Center Director, Dr. Ellen Ochoa.

For an at-a-glance agenda and a host of other information on the first annual SpaceCom conference, including how to register, please visit www.spacecomexpo.com/Content/Welcome.

"What makes Houston a great place to live?" "How can we ensure Houston's future as a vibrant and growing city?" To answer these questions, the City of Houston embarked on a process to create a general plan known as Plan Houston. It will serve to manage Houston's growth and development, enhance neighborhoods and better coordinate efforts to make positive changes throughout the city.

Plan Houston will be a high-level coordination and decision-making tool and builds on existing plans, studies, policies, practices and regulations that make Houston a prosperous, healthy and sustainable city. After receiving considerable input, the city has drafted 12 policy directives to help it achieve the community's vision and goals. To view these directives and to provide feedback on the process so far, please visit http://planhouston.org.

In addition, on June 29 the Planning Commission held its first of four meetings to present the draft policy directives and to hear from residents and business owners. Three meetings remain, all of which will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the below dates and locations:

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Sunnyside Multi-Service Center

4605 Wilmington  Street

Houston, Texas 77051

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Tracy Gee Community Center

Houston, Texas 77042

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Trini Mendenhall Community Center

1414 Wirt Road

Houston, Texas 77055

For questions or comments, please email PlanHouston@houstontx.gov. 

• Northwest Mobility Study 
• Heights-Northside Mobility Study 
• Inner West Loop Mobility Study
• Texas Medical Center Mobility Study

The City of Houston Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. in the City Hall Annex Building, Council Chambers, Public Level, 900 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas, 77002. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to allow interested citizens to be heard concerning proposed changes to the 2014 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP). The MTFP identifies right-of-way needs and proposes roadway alignments within the city limits of Houston and its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). The MTFP does not initiate the timing of right-of-way acquisition or construction activities related to the roadways.

In addition to comments made at the Public Hearing, comments submitted by July 3, 2015, using the online comment form available here, will be taken into account by the Planning Commission before making a decision on amendment requests.  Additionally, the Commission will weigh information provided by P&D and other government transportation agencies in the Houston region. Four weeks after the public hearing, on August 13, 2015, staff will present recommendations to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will vote on each amendment and forward its recommendations to City Council by September 1, 2015. Once an ordinance for the amendments has been adopted by City Council, a new MTFP will be published by the City.

More information about the MTFP and proposed amendments are available on the Major Thoroughfare and Freeway webpage at www.houstonplanning.com.  The information can be found by selecting "2015 MTFP Amendment Requests" link under "Announcements" at the bottom of the page. Residents may also contact the City of Houston's Planning & Development Department at 832-393-6600.

Houston's official July 4th celebration is back with Southwest Airlines 2015 Freedom Over Texas, being held from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 at the newly-renovated Eleanor Tinsley Park on Buffalou Bayou. Singer-songwriter and native Houstonian Clint Black and double-platinum-selling singer-songwriter Josh Turner will headline the 29-year-old annual event this year.

This year's festivities also include the Walmart All-American Kids Zone, a children's entertainment area with a stage featuring entertainment for young and old, alike; the Bud Light Lime-A-Rita Beach Bash, featuring the All American Beer Garden; the Dr. Pepper One of a Kind Zone, featuring Houston professional sport team set-ups, music, food, and a salute to all five branches of the military; and an exciting fireworks finale sponsored by CITGO. New this year is the U.S. Family Health Plan Backstage Pass; see what takes place behind-the-scenes via live streaming on abc13.com.

More information on 2015 Freedom Over Texas, including ticket sales, can be found online here. Online admission will be $8 through midnight on July 3; admission in-person and online on July 4 will be $10, with children under 5 admitted free.

Please additionally note that Houston Parks & Recreation Department regulations prohibit dogs, amphibians, reptiles and snakes that are considered dangerous.  Therefore, the city requires the ban of all such animals.  This does not include Seeing Eye dogs or other dogs that provide assistance to physically challenged individuals. No smoking is allowed in any City of Houston park interior or exterior spaces/facilities.

The City of Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department (PWE) is now offering electronic plan review services. Customers can create and manage accounts, submit permit applications, upload plans, pay fees, and track updates - all from the comfort of their home or place of business. More convenient self-service options will be added in the near future as PWE continues working to improve residents' customer experience.

Two online systems are used to complete specific functions in the plan review process. Separate logins are required for each system; however, the same email address and password may be used to set up each system account.  There are two types of user accounts available: Licensed and Non-licensed. Texas state licensed engineers and engineering firms must create a licensed account. In addition, individuals and organizations with an advanced pay account (APA) must create a licensed account type. All other users will create a Non-licensed account. Please note that the account type will not affect users' access to EPR-related forms and functions.  

To explore the City of Houston's new electronic plan review services, please visit http://hpceservices.org.

On Friday, June 5 the City of Houston's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new state-of-the-art animal shelter, adoption center and spay/neuter facility located at 3300 Carr Street, Houston, Texas 77026. Mayor Annise Parker made remarks at the event, and all proceeds went to BARC's low-cost spay/neuter initiative, "Fixin' Houston."

The June 5 event marked the completion of Phase I of the build out of BARC's new adoption center. The new facility adheres to American Kennel Club (AKC) standards pertaining to natural light, indoor and outdoor runs for dogs and AKC-certified kennel sizes. Completed during the first phase of construction were administrative offices in the center's storefront, a courtyard, two dog adoption kennels, three outdoor dog runs and the parking lot. The kennels will hold 20 adult dogs and between 50 and 60 puppies. Future phases will provide space for about 130 additional adult dogs, a cat adoption facility, a meeting and education building and a spay/neuter clinic. 

For more information on BARC's new adoption center, please visit http://barchoustonblog.com.