On Saturday, July 4 staff from Council Member Martin's office participated in the annual Kingwood July 4th Parade where Council Member Stephen Costello (At-Large 1) and Council Member Michael Kubosh (At-Large 3) were present as well as Houston Mayor Annise Parker.  The parade, which began at Creekwood Middle School and ended at Kingwood High School, featured floats from various community groups from the Lake Houston area, and thousands of patriotic Houstonians were in attendance.

Council Member Martin thanks the Kingwood Civic Club for its effort in organizing the successful annual event.

Council Member Martin and staff joined Brad Baggett and Jim Savage of the Northeast Christian Academy (NCA) on Monday, July 13 for a tour of the school's new Upper Campus located at 3939 Glade Valley Drive near Kingwood Park High School. The new campus, which is scheduled to open on August 19, will house approximately 60-70 7th-12th grade students in its first year.

Council Member Martin thanks Mr. Baggett and Mr. Savage for the tour of NCA's new campus and facilities. For more information on Northeast Christian Academy, please visit www.nca-kingwood.org.

At its regularly-scheduled session on Wednesday, July 22 Houston City Council renewed the contract between the City of Houston and Severn Trent Environmental Services, Inc. for Operation and Maintenance Services for the Greater Northeast Houston Service Area (GNEHSA) Water and Wastewater Utilities and Facilities. The GNHESA encompasses Kingwood, Forest Cove, Harris County MUD No. 48, Harris County MUD No. 58, Lake Houston, Belleau Wood, District 73 and District 82, Plantation Hills, Eisenhower Park, the Water Well site at Cedar Bayou and Harris County MUD 450.

The new contract with Severn Trent, which provides a maximum amount of $30,329,077, will enable the city to continue to ensure that GNEHSA facilities and utilities are operated and maintained within the optimum efficiencies as required to protect the public's health and the city's assets. Under the agreement, Severn Trent will continue to manage water and wastewater within the service area seven days per week, 24 hours per day over the next three years, with two subsequent one-year options to extend the contract to a total of five years.

At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22 the 2015 Lake Houston 10K 5K will take place at Kings Harbour in Kingwood. The event, organized by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Memorial Hermann Northeast and the Texas Emergency Center, will feature a 10K and 5K race followed by an award ceremony at which prizes will be awarded to the top overall male and female contestants in each race.

During the event, the northbound lanes of West Lake Houston Parkway from Kings Parkway to Kings Crossing will be closed from around 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and the southbound lanes will be reduced to two.  Police officers will be stationed at all intersections to help with traffic flow.  

For additional information or to register for the 2015 Lake Houston 10K 5K, please click here.

At 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22 Council Member Martin will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the $13.5 million South Shaver Street reconstruction project which was initiated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in the summer of 2013. The event will take place at Iglesia Cristo de Poder, located at 5300 South Shaver Street, and representatives from the City of Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department (PWE) as well as TxDOT have been invited to give remarks. The District E office will provide additional information closer to the scheduled date, and Council Member Martin invites all interested residents to attend.

Construction on the South Shaver Street reconstruction project, which is providing much-needed improvements to the condition of the street, is currently scheduled to be substantially complete by early August.

On Tuesday, July 14 Council Member Martin spoke to members of the Arlington Heights Civic Club at their regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. In his remarks, Council Member Martin provided residents with an update on the Arlington Heights Drainage Project scheduled for construction in Fiscal Years 2017-2019, which will improve drainage infrastructure in the neighborhood and also bring aged sidewalks up to current City of Houston standards. Council Member Martin also gave an overview of the recently-passed Fiscal Year 2016 Budget and Fiscal Year 2016-2020 Capital Improvement Plan before taking questions from those in attendance. Harris County Precinct 8 Constable Phil Sandlin also spoke at the meeting to inform Arlington Heights residents on a number of topics related to public safety and crime awareness.

Council Member Martin thanks Arlington Heights Civic Club President Steve Canniff for the opportunity to speak to the residents he proudly represents in the Arlington Heights community.

In Fiscal Year 2015, Council Member Martin also allocated council service budget funds to other fire stations across the district to fund the purchase of two new booster trucks, the installation of new bulletin boards, the construction of new watch offices, the conversion of appliances to natural gas and the purchase of new supply hoses.

Council Member Martin thanks the crew at Station 53 for visiting with him and is proud to be able to help support the brave fire fighters who protect the residents of District E.

Since its establishment in 2012, the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce's Education Outreach Committee has organized volunteer efforts to support underprivileged students in the community so that all have the opportunity to pursue a quality education. One such effort is an annual initiative donating polo shirts to elementary students in the Pasadena Independent School District (PISD) who lack the means to acquire clothing for school uniforms. To support this year's donation, staff from Council Member Martin's office joined members of the Education Outreach Committee and other community volunteers on Friday, July 17 to fold and prepare the shirts to be delivered to PISD schools including Genoa Elementary in District E. Thanks to the efforts of the chamber and participating businesses such as the Texas Bay Area Credit Union, 1,500 shirts will be delivered this year.

During the week of July 20, the City of Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department (PWE) completed a localized concrete panel replacement project on Allen-Genoa Road to alleviate hazardous conditions on the thoroughfare's outside southbound lane.

As a result of constituent input and feedback, Council Member Martin's office has identified Allen-Genoa Road as one of the major thoroughfares within District E in most need of repairs. To address its condition, a comprehensive assessment of the road was completed by the city in the spring of 2015, and the Public Works and Engineering Department is currently completing further analysis for a comprehensive panel replacement project. The District E office will continue to keep the public informed on the status of future repairs to Allen-Genoa Road. 

The 2015 Lunar Rendezvous Festival, "Golden Jubilee" took place throughout the month of July and featured a number of family-friendly charitable events which concluded with the Coronation Ball on Saturday, July 25. Council Member Martin congratulates all involved with the festival this year and over its successful 50-year history. More information on the Lunar Rendezvous Festival can be found online here.

On Wednesday, July 15 Council Member Martin attended an update on the 84th State Legislative Session hosted by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership's (BAHEP) Political Protocol Committee. At the event, a panel comprised of eight state legislators representing Houston's Bay Area provided an overview of key legislation passed during the 84th session and answered questions on topics of importance to the region. On the panel for the event were State Senators Larry Taylor (District 11) and Sylvia Garcia (District 6) as well as State Representatives Wayne Smith (District 128), Greg Bonnen, M.D. (District 24), Ed Thompson (District 29), Wayne Faircloth (District 23), Dennis Paul (District 129) and Gilbert Peña (District 144). Education, transportation, tax reform, border security and coastal storm surge protection were among the policy areas discussed.

For a number of reports on bills filed and/or passed during this year's 84th session of the Texas Legislature, please visit

www.capitol.state.tx.us/Reports/General.aspx.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) closed the El Dorado Boulevard overpass at I-45/Gulf Freeway for reconstruction on Friday, July 10. The overpass will remain closed until late November 2015.

The existing overpass will be demolished and a new at-grade intersection will be constructed.  Once complete, the I-45/Gulf Freeway mainlanes will go over the El Dorado Boulevard intersection replacing the current overpass structure.  This new configuration will improve mobility and enhance safety for the traveling public.

During the reconstruction, motorists traveling east on El Dorado to I-45 will be detoured onto the southbound frontage road to Nasa Road One and u-turn and enter I-45 northbound mainlanes and exit and turn right  to access El Dorado.

Vehicles traveling west on El Dorado to I-45 will turn right on the I-45 northbound frontage road and u-turn at Dixie Farm/FM 1959 to access I-45 southbound and exit and turn right on El Dorado.

The El Dorado overpass reconstruction is part of the $93 million construction project on I-45 from FM 2351 to Medical Center Boulevard. The project will also widen the existing six mainlanes to ten and replace the Bay Area Boulevard overpass.  The entire project is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2017.

For more information on scheduled lane closures in TxDOT's Houston District, contact the TxDOT Public Information Office at (713) 802-5076 or follow the office on Twitter @TxDOTHoustonPIO.    

On Thursday, July 23 the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a contract with Spawglass Civil Construction, Inc. for the construction of the El Dorado Park & Ride project, which will join the existing Bay Area Park & Pool and Fuqua Park & Ride to accommodate demand for METRO commuter bus service along the Gulf Freeway Corridor to downtown Houston.

On Tuesday, July 14 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended a planning meeting for the 9/11 Heroes Run 2015, which will be held at Ellington Airport on Saturday, September 12 at 7:30 a.m. The District E team encourages all residents to participate in this special annual event, which is held across the country to honor the sacrifices made by the veteran, first responder, civilian and military heroes of September 11th, 2001 and the wars that have since followed.

To register for Houston's 9/11 Heroes Run 2015, please click here. Proceeds from this year's event will go to three local first responder charities which support the brave men and women who serve and protect all Houstonians.

At the planning meeting, the event's organizers also shared an inspiring new PSA released by the Travis Manion Foundation.

Founded in honor of 1st Lt. Travis Manion, who gave his life while serving in Iraq in 2009, the Travis Manion Foundation supports American veterans and the families of the fallen in addition to organizing a number of charitable initiatives including the 9/11 Heroes Run.  For more information on the foundation, residents can visit www.travismanion.org.

The organizers of Houston's 9/11 Heroes Run 2015 are also looking for volunteers to assist prior to and during the event. If you or someone you know may be interested in contributing time to help this year's run succeed, please contact Officer Kelly Huff at kmbenjamin@gmail.com or the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.

On Tuesday, July 7 Council Member Martin joined representatives from the Harris County - Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA) as well as other area elected officials and business leaders to welcome a delegation of staff members from the College Football Playoff, which is considering Houston as a host for playoff games in the coming years.

As a former HCHSA board member and a current ex-officio board member for the Houston First Corporation, Council Member Martin is actively engaged in efforts to promote the City of Houston as an event and tourism destination. If the College Football Playoff chooses Houston as a host city, it will join a list of upcoming sporting events in the city which include the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and Super Bowl LI in 2017.

Reminder: the Solid Waste Management Department's (SWMD) monthly electronic recycling events in Kingwood and Clear Lake have been put on hold as the City of Houston negotiates the contractual structure of its electronic recycling program. SWMD placed a sign at the Kingwood electronic recycling drop-off site to notify the public of this service change, and a similar sign will be placed at the Clear Lake electronic recycling drop-off site the first week of August.

The District E office will keep residents updated on the contract reevaluation process and will inform the public when electronic recycling service is expected to be restored. In the meantime, a variety of alternative methods exist for the recycling of electronic goods. Best Buy accepts many types of electronics, including TVs, at no cost and offers pickup programs for items too large to easily transport. More information on Best Buy's electronic recycling services can be found here. 

Goodwill Houston additionally accepts scrap electronic equipment including TVs, computers, DVRs, etc. in any condition. Information on Goodwill Houston's electronic recycling program can be found on its FAQ webpage here. 

Residents can also click here to find information on other ways to recycle various types of electronic goods in Texas.

The Houston Fire Department (HFD) and The Care Van Program have teamed up once again to provide free childhood immunizations in time for school. The "Immunization Extravaganza" will offer free vaccinations for uninsured or medicaid children 4 through 18 years of age in preparation for the upcoming school year that starts August 24, 2015. 

The 2015 "Immunization Extravaganza" will take place on Thursday, August 20, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at HFD's Val Jahnke Training Facility located at 8030 Braniff Street, Houston, Texas 77061.

Please note that no children with insurance, including CHIP insurance, will be serviced. Parents or guardians must accompany their children and provide current immunization records. Children receiving their vaccinations will receive a free ice cream treat while supplies last.

For more information on HFD's "Immunization Extravaganza" please visit www.houstontx.gov/fire/2015freeimmunizations.pdf. For information in Spanish, click here. 

For questions,  please contact Paul Box with the Houston Fire Department at (832) 394-6636 or via e-mail at paul.box@houstontx.gov.

Last month, the City of Houston's non-emergency help and information service, 311, announced that it will be utilizing the website Nextdoor to share information on service outages, safety and public events.

Please note that this initiative will not infringe on the privacy of Nextdoor users: Houston 311 staff will NOT be able to see any of the content on neighborhood sites except for the direct replies to their posts.

Nextdoor is not the appropriate way to request non-emergency services, emergency services or police services, nor to report criminal or suspicious activity, file a report, etc. If you require emergency services, or wish to report suspicious activity, please call 911. For non-emergency services and information, please contact 311 at (713) 837-0311, via the City of Houston's 311 mobile application or online here.

The City of Houston's Planning and Development Department has released proposed changes to Chapter 33 of the city's Code of Ordinances, the Historic Preservation Ordinance, for public comment. The changes, which were crafted during months of public meetings held by the Historic Preservation Ordinance Review Committee, reflect Houston Mayor Annise Parker's charge to correct and clarify targeted items and create greater consistency for applicants and for the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC).

The proposed changes will provide applicants with additional options for streamlined approval, provide HAHC with improved guidance on which to base its decisions and create a more efficient and user-friendly process. The proposed changes and the information related to this process can be found online here.

A public hearing on these changes was held on Wednesday, July 22 after the conclusion of the HAHC's regularly scheduled meeting. Comments from the public may also be submitted by calling (832) 393-6556, via email to historic.ordinance@houstontx.gov or by mail to HPD Review, Planning and Development Department, P.O. Box 1562, Houston, Texas 77251-1562.

HAHC will review all comments and consider final action at its August 27, 2015 meeting. The commission's recommendation will then be forwarded to the mayor and City Council for consideration.

CenterPoint Energy, which maintains street lights throughout the greater Houston region, has various online tools which residents can utilize to report street light outages. To report an outage, residents can click here and fill out the form at the bottom of the page. Please note that when reporting street light outages, residents must have the pole numbers for the non-functioning lights (a pole number should be visibly printed on the side of each street light pole). Contact information for the individual reporting the outage is also required, and CenterPoint requests an email address be provided to enable follow-up regarding the status of a repair.

Residents can also report street light outages using CenterPoint's map reporting tool here, or over the phone at (713) 207-2222 or (800) 332-7143. CenterPoint additionally maintains an outage tracking map, which residents can view by clicking here.

As announced by Houston Mayor Annise Parker last year, CenterPoint energy is additionally replacing all 165,000 street lights in the City of Houston with more efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights over the next several years. Once completed, the switch is expected to save the city $28 million in electricity costs over 10 years. Please be advised that these new LED street lights will emit bluish light rather than the yellowish light emitted from the sodium, mercury vapor and metal-halide lights being replaced.

The deadline for the submission of applications for the 31st Annual Mayor's Proud Partner awards has been extended. Groups that have worked to support the city through volunteer beautification, neighborhood cleanups or conservation activities may now submit an application online here through Monday, August 10 at 5:00 p.m. 

Eligible entries include any program, project or individual effort, big or small, carried out and substantially completed during the last year to create a cleaner more beautiful environment. Examples include beautification and landscaping installations, neighborhood cleanups, environmental education programs, volunteer park improvements, murals (graffiti abatement), waste minimization efforts, litter prevention programs and similar service projects.

Sponsoring groups may include businesses, nonprofit and civic organizations, garden clubs, youth groups (including classroom projects), universities, government agencies, religious institutions, medical institutions and individuals.

For more information, please contact Keep Houston Beautiful at 

ebarlow@houstonbeautiful.org.

To learn more about the City of Houston's sustainability efforts, residents can visit www.greenhoustontx.gov, www.codegreenhouston.org and

www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste.