Council Member Martin welcomes District E's new South Sector Manager, Jordan McGinty. Jordan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2016 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and a certificate in Media, Culture and Identities through the Bridging Disciplines Program. While at UT, Jordan served as the Recruitment Director and Member Development Committee Chair for her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. In her free time, Jordan loves being outside, whether  it is exercising or hanging out with her friends. 

Though a recent graduate, Jordan is excited to bring a fresh new perspective to the District E team. Welcome, Jordan!

Council Member Dave Martin and the Department of Public Works & Engineering (PWE) invite you to an open house and presentation on the scheduled reconstruction of streets in this area. The project includes new pavement, reconstruction of sidewalks and driveways, new street lights, storm drainage improvements, and necessary underground water and wastewater improvements. The Freeway Manor North and South Projects are bordered by Globe Street on the north, Avenell Road on the east, Gilpin Street to the south, and Theta Street to the west.  The Gulfway Terrace Phase 1 Project is bordered by Bessemer Street to the north, Tarbell St. to the east, Hartsook St. to the south, and Vennard Road to the west as well as Frey Road extending to Almeda Genoa Rd.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Presentation at 6:15 p.m.)

Freeway Manor Baptist Church

2300 Rodney St.

Houston, TX 77034

 

Community input helps Public Works to better meet area needs. Join Council Member Martin and PWE at the community meeting or send your questions or comments via email to pweplanning@houstontx.gov, or visit www.RebuildHouston.org. 

On Friday, June 10, staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs Committee meeting. Each month, the committee brings together a collection of elected officials and staff to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects, constituent concerns and legislative agenda items affecting the South Belt-Ellington area.

 

In addition to the normally scheduled agenda, chamber members were introduced this month to District E's new South Sector Manager, Jordan McGinty, who joined the office last month.  

Last month, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) began planting nearly 300 15-gallon trees along the esplanade on Space Center Boulevard. As a result of constituent feedback during this last fiscal year, Council Member Martin requested that HPARD identify areas on Space Center Boulevard as well as on Edgebrook Boulevard that were in need of beautification and used his Council District Service Fund to purchase these beautiful trees.

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, questions or concerns, please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or at districte@houstontx.gov. 

Due to the overwhelming concern from residents regarding panhandling and the homeless population in Clear Lake, Captain Jerome Stevens of Houston Police Department has created a Panhandling Initiative. Through this program, police officers will aggressively deal with the issue by issuing citations and working to remove panhandlers from roadways at the most impacted intersections. This program started in mid-June and will continue through July. If you notice panhandlers in the area, please report them to the Clear Lake Substation by calling 281-218-3800. 

On June 8 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the grand re-opening of the Lehr Library at the San Jacinto College North Campus. This impressive 42,000 square feet facility, which replaces the original Lehr Library, includes a law library and media department along with a traditional library. It also includes an outdoor  learning area with two tiers of seating where classes or special events can be held. The library, named after the first president of the San Jacinto College North Campus, Dr. Edwin Lehr, was built using funding from a 2008 general obligation bond.

Council Member Martin appreciates San Jacinto College's continued dedication to providing the best learning experience possible for their students. 

The Clear Creek Education Foundation announced their inaugural CCISD Alumni TopGolf Tournament will be held on August 8 at TopGolf Webster. This event will provide an opportunity for CCISD Alumni, community members, and local businesses to partner with the Clear Creek Education Foundation to raise proceeds that will go to their Give-A-Grant Program and directly back to CCISD students and teachers through Teacher Innovative Grants, Student-Teacher Innovative Grants, Mini-Grants and Special Innovative Grants.

Council Member Martin will be a "celebrity" player at the event, and is looking forward to participating. 

To register click here .  

On June 17 staff from Council Member Martin's office had the privilege of attending the U.S. Coast Guard Change of Command Ceremony at Bayport Cruise Terminal. Captain Brian Penoyer, who has been in command of the Sector Houston-Galveston since 2013, officially transferred command to Captain Peter Martin. Captain Martin joins the crew of Sector Houston-Galveston from the Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue in Washington D.C.

Council Member Martin thanks Captain Penoyer for his service here in Houston and wishes him nothing but the best as he makes his transition to his next assignment in Honolulu, Hawaii. Council Member Martin also welcomes Captain Martin and looks forward to working with him in the community. 

On Monday, June 20 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended  a speaking event at Johnson Space Center Mission Control  featuring legendary NASA flight control director Gene Kranz. Kranz, who is famously known for his "failure is not an option" mindset, was essential in bringing the astronauts home safely during the Apollo 13 mission and spoke to High School Aerospace Scholars students about the importance of working together and how great ideas stem from great teamwork.   

On June 3 Council Member Martin had the opportunity to participate in the KHOU Pack Your Bag Challenge filming presented by Visit Houston. The challenge took place at Space Center Houston, located in District E, and was aired live during a segment on Great Day Houston. The contest featured two people competing for a grand prize Houston staycation featuring an overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency Houston as well as tickets to some of Houston's most exciting attractions through CityPass.

To watch the segment, please click here. 

Council Member Martin attended the June 21 ribbon cutting for Boeing's new Space Training, Analysis, and Review (STAR) Facility which includes renovated office space, meeting areas, and the upgraded Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner simulator all located in Clear Lake. The new simulator will train astronauts to use the new vehicle that will launch them into space to dock at the International Space Station.  

During the reception, Congressman Brian Babin, Texas State Representative Dennis Paul, Boeing Space Exploration Vice President & General Manager John Elbon, Director of Johnson Space Center Dr. Ellen Ochoa and Chris Ferguson, former astronaut and Boeing Deputy Program Manager for the Starliner program all spoke at the event.

On Wednesday, June 22 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership's (BayTran) monthly luncheon held to bring together public officials, community leaders and transportation experts to discuss issues of importance and upcoming mobility projects affecting Houston's Bay Area. Gary Trietsch, Executive Director of the Harris County Toll Road Authority, was the keynote speaker and gave an overview of the Authority that processes nearly $2 million per day. Prior to becoming Executive Director of HCTRA, Mr. Trietsch worked in the private sector as well as at the Texas Department of Transportation for 40 years. 

On June 28 staff from Council Member Martin's office had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes look of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake. The tour started at Rocket Park, which houses the monumental Saturn V Rocket. This impressive 36 story tall rocket is one of only three left in existence. The tour then moved to the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, which holds a replica of the International Space Station (ISS). Staff was able to climb through different hubs of the ISS model, giving an inside look at the day-to-day lives of the astronauts from around the world who live in space. This structure is a true testament to the constructive interaction necessary between nations for modern space programs to find success. The final stop on the tour was the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, which houses a 40 foot deep pool that allows the astronauts to train in an environment that simulates the microgravity experienced in space.

 

Throughout the tour, every member of the NASA team stressed the importance of STEM programs in the curriculum of our schools. These programs open many new opportunities to our children in an increasingly technological world, and allow both the individuals and community to flourish. Although NASA's launch program is not currently in operation, the tour proved that NASA continues to be a successful organization working tirelessly to advance the world through flight.

 

Council Member Martin and his staff extend their deepest thanks to Kathryn McLaurin and Kevin Templin at NASA for taking time from their busy schedules to lead this tour. Council Member Martin encourages all District E residents to visit NASA and explore all that it has to offer. 

On June 29 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the general membership luncheon held monthly by the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to bring community leaders, elected officials and representatives from Clear Lake area businesses together. This month's luncheon presented an education panel featuring Dr. Greg Smith, Superintendent of Clear Creek Independent School District, Dr. William Staples, President of University of Houston Clear Lake and Teri Crawford, Vice Chancellor of Marketing, PR and Government Affairs at San Jacinto College. Each speaker of the panel educated the members on the past year's successes, the importance of working together as partners in the community and future growth opportunities each are looking forward to as population and demand for education increases.

On June 29 Houston City Council voted on and unanimously approved an ordinance appropriating $868,743.00 for a construction contract with Gadberry Construction Company to construct a new pavilion at Meadowcreek Village Park in District E. Since the closure of the previous pavilion from structural damages, Council Member Martin has worked closely with the city and Meadowcreek Village residents to develop a durable and cost-efficient solution which reflects the community's needs. 

 

Council Member Martin will continue to keep residents informed as the construction proceeds. For questions or concerns, please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.

On Thursday, June 30 staff from Council Member Martin's office presented a certificate of special recognition at a ribbon cutting event honoring the new recreation center at the Reserve at Clear Lake City. This new development features not only beautiful homes, but a multitude of amenities for the whole family such as a swimming pool, parks, tennis courts, and their new recreation center. Since being sworn in, Council Member Martin has worked closely with the developer of the Reserve at Clear Lake City and congratulates them on their newest addition to the community.

For more information about this great new addition to District E, go to www.reserveclearlake.com. 

The 9/11 Heroes Run 2016 will be held on Saturday, September 10 at Ellington Airport. Council Member Martin 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.

Founded in honor of 1st Lt. Travis Manion, who gave his life while serving in Iraq in 2009, the Travis Manion Foundation assists 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 click here. To register for Houston's 9/11 Heroes Run 2016 visit here. 

On June 23 Council Member Martin and the Department of Public Works & Engineering (PWE) held an open house and presentation about the upcoming reconstruction of streets in the Arlington Heights area. This upcoming project includes new pavement, reconstruction of sidewalks and driveways, new street lights, storm drainage improvements, and necessary underground water and wastewater improvements. The project area is bordered by E. Edgebrook Drive on the north, S. Shaver Street on the east, Parliament Drive on the south, and Galveston Road on the West. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018.

Public Works is requesting any constituent input regarding this project be sent to them at pweplanning@houstontx.gov by July 25. For more information visit www.rebuildhouston.org.  

Council Member Martin congratulates his dear friend, Dr. Sconzo, on a long and successful career, and thanks him for his dedication to the education and success of the students in the Humble Independent School District.

After the most recent May flooding that impacted resident's homes and properties, the American Red Cross set up a temporary distribution center at Foster Elementary School in Kingwood to help relief efforts for residents affected in the Kingwood and Huffman areas. The Red Cross distributed clean-up kits, food and water.

Council Member Martin extends his gratitude to Humble ISD police and Tay Omana, Sam Glick, Shannon Durham, Frank Hall, and Birgil Chavez with ARC for responding to Kingwood and Lake Houston area needs following the devastating flooding waters that impacted so many. Additionally, the Houston Police Department (both Kingwood Substation officers and Lake Patrol) did a fantastic job monitoring the area, barricading streets, and communicating with the District E office on a regular basis during it all.  

On June 14 Council Member Martin had the opportunity to speak to the Exxon Retirement Club in Kingwood. Council Member Martin was able to provide the group with updates regarding Kingwood mobility and upcoming developments such as Main Street Kingwood, Generation Park and Royal Brook. The council member also spoke about recovery efforts from the recent flooding events and the mobile permitting center that was activated at Foster Elementary School to help provide information to residents about flood related repair permits.

Exxon has played a great role in building Kingwood into the community that it is today, and Council Member Martin appreciated the opportunity to speak to this great group of men and women. 

On Wednesday, June 29 staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the State Luncheon. The yearly event, held to offer residents an opportunity to engage with their state elected officials and learn about the future of Texas, featured Speaker of the Texas House, Representative Joe Straus. Representative Straus delivered a speech about how the House has found success under his leadership. He believes the success has been a result of sound fiscally conservative principles as well as a belief in doing what is right for the state of Texas.

For more information about the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.lakehouston.org.  

Last month, the Panama Canal's $5 billion expansion was completed after nearly 9 years of construction. The completion was celebrated and proves to be good news for the Port of Houston.  Since receiving news about the expansion, the Houston Port Authority has invested  millions of dollars upgrading its infrastructure to prepare for the influx of larger ships arriving at the port. The Port has deepened the Houston Ship Channel to 45 feet operating depth, has installed bigger cranes, and has reinforced docks all with the expectation to accommodate more ships.

The expansion has also resulted in a significant amount of new construction jobs to the region in addition to transportation, logistical, warehouse and supply jobs in the Houston area. The economic impact of this expansion goes beyond Houston, generating over $600 billion in overall economic impact to the United States.

On Wednesday, June 8 Council Member Martin presented a proclamation to a group of about 20 University of Texas students from Texas 4000, an organization which coordinates an annual 4,000-mile bike ride from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Council Member Martin has supported the organization and its mission since his son David participated in 2013.

 

Every year, Texas 4000 competitively selects University of Texas students for an 18-month program designed to cultivate the next generation to lead the fight against cancer. Texas 4000 empowers each student to raise $4,500, ride 1,500 training miles with his/her team, volunteer more than 50 hours in the community and play an active role in planning every aspect of the 70-day ride to Alaska, which is the longest charitable bike ride in the world.

 

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Acting Police Chief Martha I. Montalvo joined area agencies recently to announce the kickoff of a severe weather and emergency preparedness campaign aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities in future severe weather events.

The educational campaign, dubbed "Turn Around Don't Drown," focuses on flood safety with information from the Houston Police Department, the Houston Fire Department, the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management and the Harris County Flood Control District.  The campaign will include a series of informational workshops, presentations, brochures and promotional safety giveaways. 

HPD has purchased 2,000 "car escape tools" to be distributed to citizens at the presentations, while the supplies last.  The Houston Police Federal Credit Union and Yellow Cab Greater Houston Transportation Company will also purchase steel-tipped car escape tools to be distributed with other giveaways at the workshops.  Ready Houston has also provided promotional giveaways for the event.

 

Scheduled workshops presented by campaign partners will take place: 

*  Magnolia Multi-Service Center - Wednesday, July 20, 10 a.m. to Noon.

 

The first workshop took place on June 23 and was live-streamed on the HPD YouTube channel and placed on the HPD website to be viewed by the public and those unable to attend other presentations. To view the June 23 workshop click here. 

 

The City of Houston's official 4th of July celebration, Freedom Over Texas, will take place at Eleanor Tinsley and Sam Houston Parks from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Independence Day. The annual celebration, presented this year by US Family Health Plan, will feature live music by Darius Rucker, the Eli Young Band and other musical acts. The event will also feature the Bud Light Bayou Beer Garden for the adults and the Walmart All-American Kids Zone for the kiddos. The evening will finish with a spectacular display of fireworks. Tickets can be purchased online at www.freedomovertexas.org  and will cost $8 per person from June 1 - July 3 and $10 per person at the door. Children age five and under can enter free.

Please note, all City of Houston offices will be closed on the 4th in celebration of the national holiday. 

On June 16 Council Member Martin joined BP for the release of their 2016 Statistical Review of World Energy hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. Spencer Dale, BP's Group Chief Economist delivered the review, which provided objective and globally-consistent data on world energy markets. This report, which is now in its 65th year, is the longest-running compilation of global energy data and one of the most widely respected publications of its kind.

Council Member Martin thanks Michael Moore of BP for the invitation to this informative event. 

Houston LISC and the Houston Texans have partnered together for the 2016 NFL Foundation Grassroots Program. This program works to provide non-profit, neighborhood organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local football fields, and provides grants of up to $250,000 for capital improvement projects.

For more information and to review the Request for Proposals (RFP) click here. All proposals must be mailed and received by August 15, 2016. 

On June 2 Council Member Martin attended a meeting with representatives of CenterPoint Energy to learn more about their emergency planning efforts for serious weather events, the upcoming Super Bowl, and their new Power Alert Service.

CenterPoint's Power Alert Service provides power-off/power-restored notifications, pre-storm alerts through mass messaging as well as notifications for individual outages. To inquire about registering for Power Alert Service notifications send an email to PowerAlertService@CenterpointEnergy.com.

In the event of any severe weather emergencies such as hurricanes, CenterPoint Energy will communicate through their Twitter and Facebook accounts and encourages their customers to "like" and "follow" their accounts. 

The Houston Police Department and the City of Houston is providing the public an opportunity to view and comment on its application to the U.S. Department of Justice for a grant through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) program.  HPD and the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) are submitting jointly for grant funding of $2,389,764, which will be split equally between the two departments. 

 

HPD will use its portion of the grant funding for civilian support personnel  - six positions in the Technology Services group and one in the Office of Budget and Finance. The Technology Services employees provide critical support in implementing and supporting computer systems across the Houston Police Department.  Due to the high level of security and maintenance for law enforcement systems, technology specialists are needed to monitor and maintain servers, desktops, and LAN based applications.  The Office of Budget and Finance employee provides financial services and professional oversight of various grants administered by the Houston Police Department.  Additionally, the grant will also provide funding for targeted law enforcement overtime for patrol in high crime areas where police presence and visibility make a difference on criminal activity. 

 

The Harris County Sheriff's Office will utilize its funding for equipment, training, travel, overtime and consultant contracts.

 

The application can be viewed here.  Comments may be forwarded to Clifton Journet via email at clifton.journet@houstonpolice.org. The deadline is July 12, 2016.

On June 2 Council Member Martin attended a reception honoring the Houston METRO Board and newly appointed Chairwoman, Carrin Patman. Carrin, a partner at Bracewell Law Firm, was appointed by Mayor Turner earlier this year to serve on the METRO Board, and is the first female to serve as the chair of the board.

Council Member Martin looks forward to working with Carrin during his tenure on City Council. 

On June 16 Council Member Martin attended the Houston Parks Board Reception for the new CEO, Beth White. White, who currently serves as director of the Chicago region for the Trust for Public Land, replaces interim executive director Mike Nichols, who served in the role since Roksan Okan-Vick resigned last year. In her new role, White is tasked with overseeing the development and expansion of Houston's green spaces and will direct a staff of real estate, park planning and nonprofit administration employees. Council Member Martin welcomes Beth White and looks forward to working with her on parks related initiatives in the council district.  

On June 23 Council Member Martin had the opportunity to attend the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston Monthly Membership Luncheon. The luncheon featured Mayor Sylvester Turner as the keynote speaker who gave a State of the City address regarding tourism as it impacts the Houston area. He also provided his thoughts and ideas on assisting the hotel industry. As an ex oficio board member of Houston First, Council Member Martin appreciated the invitation to the luncheon and looks forward to continuing to work together.