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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJulyCitizen Comments From the Mayor's Desk The following represent a sample of the letters that were received in Would you believe "found money?" response to an invitation to comment on our community. Let me commend to you the City's Anonymous - Great city, great people, great protection, small town atmo- acting Finance Director, Monica sphere Kohlenburg. She "found" sales tax Marty Ambrose- I believe West U residents are being ripped off by the Harris money due West U in the coffers of County Appraisal District. My appraisal value was lowered by $50,000 on the City of Houston. Good for her! protest-only because I could show a realtor's listing price. Because we have a Houston ad- Anonymous - I'm proud of West U for its efforts in recycling. However, dress, the Comptroller of Public there's one important recycling opportunity that's being wasted. Many of the Accounts in Austin improperly remit- smaller homes being torn down in West U would be highly desirable homes for ted some of our sales tax receipts to lower income families in other locations. There are organizations that will move the wrong place. Do I sound like these homes at no cost and relocate them elsewhere. Conversely, when these Marvin Zindler? homes are demolished they generate a large volume of landfill waste. Yet, West We are hot on the trail of retrieving U discourages recycling of these homes by making permit costs for house a considerable amount of money. An removal much higher than the total costs (including permit fees) for demolition. initial audit of one business account Let's turn this around and let West U help the environment while helping provide alone has turned up $58,000 due this )mes for the less fortunate. City. Not all of our sales tax dollars The scope of zoning should be controlled differently or subject to broader went astray; hence, the appearance of review. I applaud the successful work of those who make our zoning ordi- procedurally correct handling of the nances to protect the safety and value of our homes. Ordinances designed to amounts due us. We certainly salute preserve trees and green space and to prevent overcrowding benefit nearly the ingenuity of this City staff member everyone. However, I have seen a trend toward zoning designed to prevent and her enterprising energy and certain "styles" of home architecture. This type of zoning has two disadvan- curiosity. tages. First, what one group finds unpleasant or unfriendly may have the Another new program that is proving opposite effect on another group-we'll never find a majority on matters of taste. cost-effective and efficient relates to Second, West U is made up of citizens-people who make their homes in West collection of warrant fines due our U. These homes are what make West U what it is, and they can be very city. Previously, police officers personal expressions of their occupants. When a certain style of architecture working (and being paid) overtime comes under fire, you can be sure it comes as a personal blow to those who collected the fines. Now, we have already live in homes having that style! There's no need for this city to enforce engaged a collection service to handle conformity needlessly, or to make outcasts of anyone. these procedures and expect to realize Daniel Musher - Greed of developers building spec homes with no real an additional $27,000 for the City regard to quality of life in West U. Very overbuilt to maximize their profits and treasury. get out leaving mediocre suburban life for us. Neighboring cities are plagued with Cyndie Burch - Police Dept. is terrific, very good response time and aware of budgetary challenges, and we could neighborhood patterns. face a time when we must tighten our Anonymous - 1. Demolish or condemn old, rundown homes! 2. Establish belts. But not to borrow trouble, we strict cat policy-no loose stray cats! 3. No parking on street 4. No junk in front can best serve our community interest yards 5. No overgrown yards or wildflower gardens. Where's the pride in by recognizing those among us who do ese neighborhoods! 6. Demand that people take care of their yards and well and whose efforts inure to the rences. Many people have no pride in their homes! benefit of us all. We have an excel- See Comments, Page 4 lent City staff, and I extend my personal thanks. Bill Watson, Mayor Volume 22, No. 7 July 1995 Page 2 u er Line Problems The Public Works Department receives daily calls regarding standing water in street gutter lines. These areas become very unsightly when algae, mosquito larva and frogs begin to inhabit the area, not to mention the odor and health risks. What causes these problems? Old streets that have been overlaid so many times that the center line of the roadway is higher than the top of the curb. The weight of the street thenpushes the base (limestone or shell under concrete) out from under the street toward the sidewalk, causing the four foot sections of gutter line to heave and leaving depressions, humps, and low areas on the gutter line. What can the City do to correct the problem? To repair the problem correctly requires street replacement. But at $175 a linear foot, economics often take over, and a Bandaid approach is used. Patching streets with asphalt or concrete that won't adhere ,(new on old material won't stick) or even replacing just the curb and gutter are alternatives. But the under- lying the problem, the street remains. What's the answer? The City has two: Replacement program - The City has a comprehensive infrastructure plan to replace streets, sanitary sewers,water lines and storm sewers. It is a 20 year plan funded by bond proceeds, which will eventually eliminate the gutter line problems we grapple with today; Maintenance Program-The City has a street sweeper running daily. City crews periodically check inlets and drain pipes to assure they are working properly. Driveway pipes and grates are cleaned on a call-in basis. Residents can help by taking the initiative to clean the gutter line areas in front of their houses. Also, residents can adjust their sprinklers so water does not run from the yard to the gutter line. This is the maj or cause of ponding water in our gutter lines. Whereas rainwater will dissipate, daily sprinkling means daily ponding; the problem never goes away. Public Works The Solid Waste Division is selling backyard composting bins. This is an easy way for residents to have a direct impact on the spending of their tax dollars. Eliminating bags of grass and leaves curb side would save approximately $40,000 pe - year in disposal costs. We offer two styles of bin. Call Kim at 662-5839, $15 per unit --we deliver. The Street Division reminds residents that the Code of Ordinances restricts tree branches jutting out over City streets to at least 15 feet above the curb line. Trees within the street-right-of-way (between curb and sidewalk) are the responsibil- ity of City residents since the City does not own any trees except those in parks and City facilities. Please contact Nes Tesno at 662-5893 if you have any questions. Water consumption is at its highest during summer months. It is imperative that all residents use common sense in water usage since the City is now buying 80 percent of its water from the City of Houston. Over-watering of yards is the biggest drain on our water supply system. It is suggested that i/z inch, twice per week, is sufficient for most yards. Water- ing 15-20 minutes, twice per week, in early AM hours is ample. The mosquito truck is working overtime. Each street is sprayed once per week and all storm sewers once per month. Residents should check their property for areas of high weeds and grass and any standing water. Sprinkler systems should be adjusted (see above) to water grass and not street gutters as is prevalent throughout the City. Mayor Bill Watson (665-3969) Mayor Pro Tern Teresa W. Fogler (664-64,33) City Council Members Linda Lewis (662-5812), Stan McCandless (669-1830), Tom Rushing (666-3969) City Manager Michael Tanner (662-5,812) 3800 University Boulevard Houston, Texas 77005, 668-4441 I citt Cun-eats v wE UR i eE sits Place, C' e z is pnl,lisl cd by the Communications Committee I lrrn I\Lsscv, Chairman Production forthis issue provided through the efforts of SteNe Griffith and Susan Riedle. CihCun-ents ~,~elcoiiics our contributions. Forward to 3S14 Ulm ersity I'll vd_ -Iouston, Texas 7700 c/o chief (rritiith I)v the Kith of the month preceding. publication to sure consideration. It is the policy of the city 01 West Unie rsit. Place not to discriminate on the basis of rae e. creed. color, national origin, se,~, religion, asc, veterari status or disability. Crime Up Close - May Robbery 4000 Bellaire - Four young people in a stolen car approached a senior citizen coming out of Seekers and stole her purse. A witness stopped one of the suspects and held him for the police. Our officers caught two of the other suspects at the scene. The fourth suspect, a juvenile, was ar- rested by detectives. The four had committed another robbery of a senior citizen's purse in the City of Houston. Three of the four were charged with credit card abuse because they were in possession of stolen credit cards. One was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and one was charged with the robbery. - Burglary of Habitation 2907 Bissonnet - Several items were stolen from a garage. The garage door had been forced open. 6626 Community - During the day, unknown suspect(s) entered this residence by unknown means and took several items. 2603 Fenwood - During daytime hours, an unknown suspect broke out a side window, entered this residence and stole computer equipment. 2708 Centenary - A resident woke at 8:00ain on Memorial Day and heard noises in the house. Thinking it was a friend of her son, she called out to investigate. The unknown suspect locked himself in a bedroom and escaped through a back window. A VCR was stolen. Burglary of Building 4016 Bellaire - Unknown suspect(s) pried open a rear door of the Discov- ery Zone, setting off an alarm. No property was taken. Burglary of Auto Property from unlocked vehicles was taken from 4231 Amherst and Chiefs Corner This last month, when our detectives were attempting to track down a juvenile who was responsible for the "strong arm" robbery of a senior citizen, a far too common situation occurred that really reflects on the lack of family structure in some economic segments of our society. In this crime, the suspect's "friends" identified him. The detectives found the address of this 15 year old's mother. When they approached her, they found a common setting: a welfare mother with no parental control over her son. Occasionally she saw him, but apparently she made no attempt to make sure he was in school. He usually lived with friends or in vacant properties. He supported himself by robbing others. In this instance, the juvenile preyed on female senior citizens. The mother was very uncooperative with our detectives. She had no interest in revealing the associ- ates of her son, UNTIL, our detectives, sensing that her reluctance was not based on motherly compassion, told her that they felt obligated to report to the welfare agency that her son was no longer living with her. (She would lose a part of her welfare benefits.) Suddenly the light of cooperation filled her heart and true to her promise, she paged our detectives the next time she saw her son. This story respresents just one more example of why our society will continue building prison space for years to come. This month, one of our residents, a senior citizen, received a call from an individual identifying himself as an agent for an unknown charity. He told our resident that he appreciated her donation last year and asked for another dona- tion. The resident had not made a donation. Appropriately, she called the Better Business Bureau and the Police Department. Please be extremely careful when considering donations. The BBB will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have about the legitimacy of a charity. If you think something is suspicious, please call your police department. Steve Griffith, Chief of Police West lull Calendar July 4th - City Holiday No Garbage Pickup July 6th - Building and Standards Commission, Council Chamber 7:30pm July 10th - City Council Meeting/Workshop, Council Chamber cx, 6:30 & 7:30pm July 13 -Zoning and Planning Meeting, Council Chamber @ 7:30pm July 20 - Zoning Board of Adjustment, Council Chamber @ 7:30pm July 24 - City Council Meeting/Workshop, Council Chamber @ 6:30 & 7:30pm 6312 Community. Comments Continued Page 4 Carole & Edward Vesely - What attracted us to this neighborhood 8 years ago was its traditional charm and abundant' of lovely old trees. With the encroachment of rampant new development we are seeing all of that disappear. We'd like to see much tighter restrictions on new homes with regard to green space and tree removal. Don't make our beautiful town just another subdivision. Marjorie Evans - Greenspace, sheltering trees and the friendly ambience of West U are being sacrificed to brick and a greater tax base. What's left? The police force and the proximity to the Medical Center. Only for these two reasons would I ever advise anyone to move into West U. Anonymous - 1. Increasing taxes, diminishing services 2. Barking dogs. 1-2 dogs for every 50' wide lot gives West U a decidedly dog-pound aura. 3. It still has some great old trees and a somewhat small town atmosphere that's disappearing fast. It's also had some good PR. Mike & Margie Schwartz - Cut down on cut-thru traffic; slow speeds down in city. Add speed bumps, block access to West U on some busy streets, give more tickets in the residential areas. Make it safer for children to play. Lee Kleeman - 1. The overbuilding and reduction in greenspace. 2. Change building codes. 3. Property values are overpriced, and within ten years, the monsters being built will be a drag on the market: worthless! Mrs. W. Roy Letbetter - 1. It's been answered for solid waste disposal. The sticker to be put on each bag will be fair for all. 2. Less chlorine in our water-we used to have the greatest water. I don't drink it. It's been this way ever since the new water line was put in. 3. It's the greatest little suburban city anywhere, but still is close to downtown, the courthouse, the largest Medical Center in the world! The kids that have grown up in West U say it's equal to River Oaks-beautiful lawns and well-kept homes, even from way back, civic pride prevails here. When my husband died, the medics were here in less than 10 minutes-I'm proud of having lived in this little city all these years. This is what I tell everyone who asks. Parks & Recreation Dept. Family Swim Night Residents, West U. Parks & Recreation will hold Family Swim Night at Colonial Park Pool Saturday, July 22nd from 7:00-10:00pm. You may bring tubes, flippers, lounge mats, etc. This event is free, so come on over and have a splashingly fun time! If you have any questions, please contact Adrienne at 668-5800, West U. Wacky Teen Olympics! All youth grades 6-9 are cordially invited to attend the West U. Wacky Olympics, July 29th, starting at 7:OOpm at Colo- nial Park. All participants will be placed on a team to complete in various fun, "wacky" events such as: Wiffleball, Sand volleyball, water balloon toss, egg relay and much more! For more information contact David Pippin, Recreation Manager, at 668-7642. City of West University Place 3800 University Blvd. Houston, 'texas 77005 BULKRATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 600 Houston, TX