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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctoberWEST UN Volume 23, No. 10 October 1996 1 Garbage rates could be cut 20% in '97 With the construction of the recy- cling center and changes in the City's solid waste management plan, most resi- dential garbage bills could be reduced 20%, according to a proposal from City Manager Sherman Yehl. Yehl has proposed changes to gar- bage and compost collection that would institute a pay-as-you-throw program. Monthly rates for solid waste collection would be reduced from $13.75 to $11.00. "The goal of the program is to re- duce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill," Yehl said. "To do this, we must encourage recycling and composting." Although garbage would still be collected twice per week, under the pro- posal each resident would be limited to two 33-gallon bags of garbage per col- lection. Additional bags would be col- lected only with an affixed sticker pur- chased from the City. In addition, com- post would only be collected in special bags, also purchased from the City. Stickers are proposed to cost $1.00 each with the compost bags proposed to cost $3.00 each. The money raised through the sale of stickers and compost bags, and the savings realized as a result in lower land- Stop, drop and roll! by Steve Salyer Fire Prevention Week is October 7- 11. For those of you with kids in school, that means refrains of Stop! Drop! And Roll! And Call 9-1-1. This year we hope your children ask you some pointed questions about family safety in the event of fire. the house? What can you expect, and what have you done to protect and pre- pare your family? We will ask your children these questions at school, and will urge them to ask you. We will talk ' DON'T • PLAY WITH While few of us will experience a fire in our homes, those who have can tell you that it is frightening. It is one of those things that serves to remind us of how much we care about our family's safety, and especially that of our chil- dren. The fires that are the most danger- ous are the ones that occur at night while we are asleep. They tend to be larger, since they have more time to grow un- detected. How would you handle an emergency like this, when your children are separate from you in another part of about smoke alarms, and having two exits out of every room. We'll teach them to crawl low under smoke, and advise them to follow an escape plan agreed upon by all fam- ily members. We know what works to prevent fire deaths, and we want you to know, too. We are available to help you plan for the worst in case of a fire, and can advise you on the best way to prevent a fire in your house. Call us for a safety inspection or some quick advice at 662.5835. Or invite us to lead a more thorough discussion of home fire safety for your family or with a neighborhood group. We'd like to help make your house as safe as possible. fill costs would permit the City to re- duce the monthly rate to $11.00. The proposal will now be reviewed by the Recycling Committee. Any change to rates would take effect with the opening of the Recycling Center in early 1997. For more information, see plan sum- mary on page 4. Z & P Commission proposes changes to zoning ordinance Changes to the City's zoning ordi- nance relating to porches, structures and townhouse districts have been proposed by the Zoning & Planning Commission. The changes include increasing the column width in front yard porches to allow greater architectural diversity, ap- plying a 90 percent rule to determine the maximum framed area for a building site, removing the V,_ story limitation on third floors to allow the construction of full floors for townhomes, allowing con- struction of fences or walls within five feet of front property lines and allow- ing the canterlevering of second and third floors to extend to the front prop- erty line. A public hearing on the changes will be held by the City Council on October 14 at 7:30 PM. For more information, call Dennis Holm at 662.5830. • City Life 3 • Colonial Park Programs 6 • Community Bulletin Board.. 7 • Employee Spotlight..... . 4 • Inside Council Chambers 2 • Police Blotter 5 • Senior Activities 3 Inside Council Chambers Page 2 7WW do !d ndi Over the past several months there have been discussions regarding a new City of Houston library in the Stella Link Redevelopment Area. While this library would be wel- come, as a community we must arrive at some consensus about our Harris County Branch Library located at 6108 Auden. This library has been part of our City for many years and, while it has never had the capacity to hold a large number of volumes, it can secure almost any book on request. It has great acces- sibility. It does not make a lot of sense for us to try to finance a fully functioning library just a few blocks from a state- of-the-art City of Houston Library. Of course, the same argument could be used to dismantle our police, fire and solid waste departments and we cer- tainly will be doing no such thing. But if Harris County withdraws its financial support, the cost of maintaining the li- brary will involve new expenditures, just as we are preparing to pay for improve- ment bonds. Frankly, at this time I am not sure what is best. If the new library is built, at some future date we may need to slowly phase out some of our branch library services. Maybe the Library can become part of the Parks and Recreation Department, already located next door in the Com- munity Center Building, staffed partially with volunteers. Perhaps it should be a reading room with periodicals, children's literature and newspapers. If a group of citizens were to take it as a project, as the Park Board has taken the City Parks, that might be a solution. Obviously we need your input. One or more town meetings will be held when we get a more accurate idea of the time and money involved. In the mean- time, please be thinking about the li- brary; talk about it with your friends; and let us know if you have some ideas to share with us. Nothing is going to happen in the near future, so we have plenty of time. 4~k A~~ Over seven years, the impossible becomes possible by Council Member Stan McCandless What do Jim Ainsworth, Bob Barnes, David Marks, Russ Schulze and Peter Taaffe all have in common? Prob- ably a lot more than even they realize. But one thing is certain-they have met for breakfast almost every Friday, rain or shine, for the last seven years. It was after the demise of the Aeros Soccer Club. Our search for playing fields brought lights and sprinkler sys- tems to the Pershing campus with com- munity donations through Tri-Sports. It was an indication of things to come. But new playing fields and all that goes with them had a downside. Evening prac- tices for the older girls were not as se- cure and as safe as the coaches or par- ents wanted them to be. "Wouldn't it be great if we could do something about those apartments," parents wondered. About 350 breakfasts later, The Stella Link Campus Park is becoming a reality. Six million dollars has been committed to the project of creating a contiguous green space from Bellefontane and Pershing Middle School on the North to Aberdeen and Mark Twain Elementary School on the. South. The area is bounded by Braes and Stella Link Boulevards. Some 22 separate properties have been purchased in an area of drug dealing and actual gun firing. Financial assistance was pro- vided to low income families to be re- located to safer areas while keeping their children enrolled at Pershing or Mark Twain. The project has evolved into a park with fields for softball, soccer and Little League. A footprint has been provided for the southwest YMCA. Sheltering Arms will have a new building. Helen's Park will be a contemplative walk un- der shade trees and around connected ponds. A community center will be built for the local residents. A site has been given to the City of Houston for a new library that will anchor the southwest corner of the campus. On September 5, Project Clean Slate was celebrated at the site. It was the final push to level the remaining structures. Representatives from the contributing foundations, individual donors, demolition companies, officials from the cities, HISD, the YMCA, other involved institutions and neighbors all participated in the ceremony. None of this could have happened without the foresight, determination and constancy of these five individuals. They brought their vocational expertise to a project in which the only compen- sation to them has been a certain amount of low level recognition. Finally, I hope they have the satis- faction in the realization that the impos- sible task is well on its way. This is a model for all of us. For more information and to pro- vide help for the next phase please call Ms. Harriet Latimer at 526.5397. Mayor Bill Watson (665.3969) Mayor Pro Tern Tom Rushing (666.0434) City Council Members Teresa W. Fogler (664.6433), Linda Lewis (662.5812), Stan McCandless (669.1830) City Manager Sherman Yehl (662.5810; e-mail 72162.2412@compuserve.com) General Information: 668.4441 •24-hour Citizen Line: 662.5887 City Life Time to get rid of it Seniors- Just some things to do Wednesday, October 2- Continuing the Texas Nature series, Steve Howard of the Houston Zoo will make a presentation on small mammals and will bring some live guests with him. 2:00 -3:30 PM. Donations will be accepted for the zoo. Thursday, October 3- A trip to see the IMAX film, Special Effects, which provides a behind-the- scenes look at movie making, will be provided. Independence Day and the Star Wars trilogy are just two of the movies highlighted. 1:30-3:30 PM. $3.50 Wednesday, October 30- Dr. Lisa Santos will make a presenta- tion on plastic surgery. She'll tell us about different surgeries and their pro- cedures, how to pick a good surgeon, and if and when insurance and/or Medi- care pays. 10:30 AM- NOON. Donations taken for the speaker. Thursday, October 31- A representative from the Attorney General's office will speak to us on Consumer Fraud and Consumer Protec- tion. Learn how to be watchful for schemes and scams. 2:00-3:30 PM. Free. Friday, October 4- Mike Anders presents part II of Car Maintenance. He will again show you how to understand your car a little bet- ter. 10:00-11:30 AM. Free. Wednesday, October 9- Seashells is our third topic in our Texas Nature series. The president of the Con- chology Society of Houston will make the presentation. 2:00-3:00 PM. Dona- tions accepted. Friday, October 11- Columbus Day Celebtration! New and different entertainment will be provided and of course, lunch will be served. 11:00 AM-1: PM. $4.00 Friday, October 18- The Museum of Fine Arts begins its Senior Adult Program with highlights of the exhibition Masterpieces from the Pierpoint Collection. Following the pro- gram in Brown Auditorium, we will take a docent-led tour of the manuscripts, books, music, and drawings in the ex- hibit. $1.00.$2.00. 9:30 AM -12:30 PM. Wednesday/Thursday, October 23/ 24- Continuing our Texas Nature series a speaker from the Houston branch of the Audubon Society will discuss birds, The lecture will include slides, video tapes, and pictures to teach us about our native feathered friends. 2:00-3:00 PM. Donations accepted for the society. With the possibility of changes in our garbage pickup and billing systems, you simply must take advantage of the October 26th opportunity to empty your attic and garage. To avoid paying more for curbside disposal of all those things you don't know what to do with, get rid of them for free with West U's semi-annual Dump Day. Seize the opportunity! What: Empty your attic and garage When: Saturday, October 26th 8:00 AM -4:00 PM Where: College and Milton Why: Free disposal of heavy items, large items, water-based paint, so that they can be reused or re- cycled. Questions: Call Jerry Burns 662.5839 Page 3 Newcomer's Club Just a reminder, monthly coffees are held on the first Friday of every month at the West University United Method- ist Church Parlor from 10:30AM - NOON. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. If you are interested in the Newcomer's Club, please call Roeela Malile at 667.0609. Anew Beginner's Bridge group will be starting soon. Come meet your neighbors, play bridge and have some fun. Duplicate Bridge will be starting mid-October. If you are interested call Mary Armemades at 668-9830 or Su- san Rosenblum at 669-8115. Music featured at Second Saturday Singers and songwriters Bill Ward and Bow Brannon are the featured per- formers for the Second Saturday Con- cert Series on October 12. Bill Ward has penned more than 300 compositions ranging from folk to jazz, country to classical, and rock to reggae. A one-man orchestra, Ward plays more than 20 instruments. His powerful tenor voice has been described as cross be- tween Neil Diamond and Robin Batteau. Austin's Bow Brannon describes his music as fill contact folk music. The concert will be held at the West U Community Center, 6104 Auden. The concert begins at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $6/adults; $3/seniors; and children un- der 12 free with adults. Call 347.3235 or 495.2923 for more information on the concert. Second Saturday Concerts are pre- sented by the Houston Folklore Society. ~ a Seniors... Reduce your garbage bill now! A reminder for all residents over 65 years of age. You are eligible for ■ reduced solid waste fees of only $6.00 per month (plus tax). Provide proof of age by sending a copy of your drivers license to: ■ ■ Customer Service ■ City of West U ■ 3800 University Boulevard ■ ■ Houston, TX 77005-2802 ■ or call a Customer Service Representative at 662.5824 Page 4 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Henry Lynn Jackson-known throughout West U as Mr. Henry, was born in Anacin, Texas on August 31, 1929. In 1955, his brother-in-law in- vited him to apply for a position with the City of West U. He was hired by Whitt Johnson, former manager and Mayor. He started as a laborer in the street division earning $1.07 per hour. Later, he moved to the position of driver and equipment operator. Mr. Henry now holds the position of Crew Chief in the Public Works Department Solid Waste Division. Today Mr. Henry does many differ- ent jobs. A notable duty is to assist those residents of West University Place who are too aged or frail to throw their own trash out. He routinely helps these resi- dents by emptying their household trash and even puts a liner back in the trash can. Many times he will deliver their groceries to their home because they are unable to do it themselves. When not working at City Hall, Mr. Henry cuts grass for several West U resi- dents. Asked if he had any hobbies he said, "Only one-work." Without a doubt, Mr. Henry is one of the most liked and respected employ- ees in the City. He is always on time, never gets sick and will do any job asked of him. Mr. Henry is a real asset to the City, and he can take pride in a career that has spanned 41 years of service. Proposed Solid Waste Management Plan Current With Recycling Center Solid Waste Collection • Twice per week collection schedule • Twice per week collection schedule • No limit on amount of waste • Limit of two 33-gallon bags per • $13.75/month (elderly $6.50/month) collection; additional solid waste collected through a sticker system • $11.00/ month (elderly $6.50/month) Curbside Recycling • Once per week collection Once per week collection or resident can dispose of at recycling center Compost • Twice per week collection Once per week pick-up only in special bags to be purchased from City; or resident can dispose of at recycling center at no cost Limb Collection • Once per week and on demand pick- • On demand pick-up up West University Elementary presents \STA ITALIA 96 Carnival, October 19 - Auction, October 25 Our own Mr. Henry. Join the fun of the Carnival on the West U Elementary school grounds beginning at 10:00 AM. There will be games, prizes, confetti eggs, home-baked goodies, and the ever-popular Teacher's Dunking Booth. Start your Christmas shopping early at the Holiday Happenings Booth and the Bazaar where you'll find a great assortment of hand-crafted items and gifts. For more information call Cindy Lumpkin at 663.6921. The Auction concludes the week of festivities at the Westin Oaks/Galleria Hotel, starting at 6:30 PM with the Silent Auction followed by the Live Auction at 9:00 PM. The auctions will feature vacation homes, sports events, hotel stays, and many other great donations. Guests will enjoy a festive Italian dinner and dancing. Reserved tickets are $25/person. Sherry Gift, 61.9184 and Judy Cohen, 665.1865 are co-chairs. Police Blotter Page 5 August, 1996 Crime up close Burglary of Habitation 6027 Lake-A resident came home to find a window pane broken on a back door. Several electronic items, jewelry, and middle east rugs were stolen from this residence. Detectives have since closed this case as unfounded. 3300 Georgetown-An indash radio was taken out of an open Jeep. 3000 Cason-A bicycle was taken from an unsecured garage. No suspects were seen in this case. Burglary of Building 3800 Bellaire-Unknown suspect(s) entered through an unlocked door and gained access to the locked offices by prying open the metal grating vent on the doors. File cabinets were also forced opened. No property was taken. 6218 Auden-A white juvenile was observed with a jug standing in front of a coin operated Coke machine. A few minutes later the sound of falling coins was heard coming from the direction of the Coke machine. Upon investigation, no pry marks were seen. No damage could be located on the machine, but a large amount of salt water was splattered on the front of the machine. It could be seen that salt water had been poured into the coin slot of the Coke machine. The salt water, apparently causes a reaction within the machine mechanism. The suspect fled on foot. Criminal Mischief 3900 Southwestern-A resident dis- covered in the early morning hours that two tires were cut on the sidewall. There were no witnesses, or suspects in this case. 6000 Fordham-Resident returning from a trip out of town discovered a window pane broken. No entry was gained and nothing was taken out of the residence. Auto Theft 3400 Nottingham-1990 Chevrolet pickup truck was stolen along with many personal items inside the vehicle. 6400 Westchester-A 1992 White Chevrolet pickup truck was reported stolen. The reporter said that the truck was locked and equipped with an "anti-theft .,ill switch" that was activated. There were no signs of broken glass in the area where the truck was parked. In the bed of the truck was tool box con- taining miscellaneous electronic tools. Theft 6600 Belmont-A resident reported that a box of personal checks was taken from her mailbox, and approximately $10,000.00 worth of forged checks had been passed. 4100 Ruskin-A bicycle was stolen from the front yard. The suspect was seen walking up to the bicycle and riding off. 3700 Plumb-A bicycle was stolen from a driveway in front of an unat- tached garage. The bike had a white plastic babyseat with blue padding at- tached to it. No suspect(s) were seen. 4000 Marquette-A resident ob- served on an in-house monitor several juveniles tampering with vehicles. The juveniles did not realize they were be- ing video taped. Upon inspection of the vehicles, the resident discovered a CB antenna missing from one. Police were called and a description of the suspect vehicle was given. One of the police officers remembered the vehicle earlier while he was on regular patrol. After viewing the video tape from the resident, the police officers were able to locate the suspect vehicle, and made contact with the parents of the juveniles in- volved. The juvenile admitted to the theft and the property was returned. 3700 University-An unsecured bi- cycle was stolen from the bike rack at the West University Little League fields. No suspects or witnesses to this theft. 6100 Community-A bicycle was taken from behind an unsecured gate in the rear of a residence. No suspect, or witnesses to this theft. Aggravated Robbery 4000 Ruskin-A resident returning home in the early evening hours was entering her front door when a black male tried to force his way inside and demanded the resident give him her jew- elry. The resident resisted, trying to push the front door closed and started to scream. The suspect reached over, grabbed the rings on her finger and de- manded them. The suspect was able to get the rings off her fingers and fled. Early voting conducted around West U. Out of town on election day, November 5? Unable to get to the polls? You can vote early from October 16 through November 1 at: -Harris County Early Voting Main Office, 1319 Texas Avenue •Bayland Park Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet •Christia V. Adair Community Bldg., 15147 Cullen Boulevard -Harris Co. Courthouse Annex #14,5737 Cullen Boulevard -Harris Co. Courthouse Annex #31, 7300 N. Shepherd Drive -K-Mart Store No. 3647, 8230 Kirby Drive -Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, 1475 West Gray Times for Early Voting: Mon.-Fri., Oct. 16-25- 8:00 AM - 4:30 Pm; Sat., Oct. 26-7:00 AM-- 7:00 eM; Sun., Oct. 27-1:00 mi - 6:00 Pb1; Mon. -Fri., Oct. 28-Nov.1- 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM. If you need additional locations or have questions please call Kay Holloway at 662.5813 or Har- ris County at 755.6965. Parks & Recreation Page 6 Fall activities set for Colonial Park Bubble Inflation Hours for Colonial Park Pool bubble inflation is set to begin on Monday, October 21 st. The pool will reopen by November 4th. During these two weeks, the weiahtroom and racquet- ball courts will be available Mon - Thurs/ 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM, Friday / NOON - 8:00 PM and Saturday & Sunday/ 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. If all goes well we could reopen sooner. Thank you for your co- operation during this time of year. Fall Pre-Bubble Inflation Biathlon Come join us for this annual event to be held on Saturday, October 19th at 8:00 AM at Colonial Park. The Adult di- vision will consist of a 350 yd. swim and a 5K run. Entry fee is $10 per indi- vidual and $15 per team. Late registra- tion will be held race day. For additional information call Dave Pippin 668-7642. Youth Activities- Winter Swim Team West U will be offering a United States Swimming Program to begin in early November. This program will be open to anyone between 6 - 18 years of age. Alex Hutchinson will be the coach and team coordinator. Registration will begin Saturday, October 5th at 10:00AM at Colonial Park for residents. Non-resi- dents will be able to register beginning October 12th at 10:00 AM. Space is lim- ited so come register early. For addi- tional information contact Alex Hutchison at 661-9235. Youth Biathlon Come join us on Saturday, October 19th at 8:00am at Colonial Park. This fall we are adding a Youth Division consisting of a 350 yd. Swim and a I mile run. Entry fee is $10 per individual and $15 per team. Late registration will be held race day. Open to all youths 6 - 16 years of age. For more information call Dave Pippin 668-7642. New class for holiday songs Fill your holi- day season with songs & dances! Bring the holidays back to the heart and spirit, and away from the shopping malls! Share the beautiful music that gives holidays their special meaning, espe- cially for children. This class will help children understand each others' back- grounds and cultures and as always, get them singin' and swingin' ! There will be two classes-One for 18mos. - 3yrs. on Tuesdays from 9:15 - 10:00 AM and one for 3 - 5 year olds on Wednesdays from 1:00 - 1:50 PM The classes are for seven weeks and begin October 8th & 9th and run through November 19th & 20th. West U artists needed Come see the talent your West U neighbors 4 have to offer. The Park & Recre- ation Department thanks the residents who have shared their talents and helped brighten the walls at the Community Center. The Center has received several wonderful pieces of art done by resi- dents of West U so stop by and take a look. The Community Building still welcomes more art work and we'll dis- play all that the walls can hold! For more information please contact Cathleen King at 662.5892. It's volleyball time A fall co-ed Spike Vol- leyball League is being formed with league play to start in early October. Games will be played on Monday nights from 6:00 - 10:00 PM at the West University Meth- odist Church. Registration fees are $30 for indi- viduals or $185 per team. The league will play for eight weeks. For more information or to register call Dave Pippin 668-7642. This will be spooktacular Grab your broom and join us on Wednes- day, October 30th & Thursday, October 31 st from 6:30 - 9:30 PM each night for a Spooktacular time!! This year's haunted house is guaranteed to send chills up your spine! Join us at the Scout House - 6108 Edloe. The admission fee is only $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children. West University Community Bulletin Board Page 7 October 1996 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Recycling Commit- Friends of Building and tee @ 6:30 PM, West U Parks @ 6:15 Standards Commis- Public Works Lunch PM, Conference Room sion @ 6:30 PM, Room Council Chamber Parks Board @ 7:30 PM, Conference Room Park Lovers Ball Centerpiece Pre-sale Party, 6343 Rutgers @ 7:00 PM 1 2 3 4 5 Zoning and Planning @ 7:30 PM, Council Chamber 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Council Workshop Zoning Board of West U Elementary @ 6:30 PM, Adjustment @ 7:30 School Carnival @ Conference Room PM, Council 10:00 AM Chamber Council Meeting @ 7:30 PM, Council Chamber - Z & P Public Hearing 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 West U Elementary Cardboard School Auction @ Recycling Drop-off, 6:30 PM, Westin 8:00 AM to NOON, Oaks Galleria behind Police Station Dump Day 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, College & Milton 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Council Workshop Halloween Spookta lar, 6:30 - 9:30 PM @ 6:30 PM, Scout House 6108 Edloe Conference Room Council Meeting @ 7:30 PM, Council Chamber 27 28 29 30 31 The Last Page Page 8 U No matter how hard we try to keep track of all the things we are responsible for doing, occasionally there is work that drops through the cracks. We need to know about it. Tell us if there is work that needs to be done on your street, in your neighborhood, or any- where around West U. Tell us about the problem and where it is. Help us do a better job and we'll all try to make West U a better community! Location: Description of work or problem: How long has condition existed? Whom should we contact for additional information? Phone number: Best time to call: Complete and return to: Sherman Yehl, City Manager City of West University Place 3800 University Boulevard Houston, TX 77005-2802 or leave a message with our 24-hour Citizen Line at 662.5887 City of West University Place ( tm) 3800 University Boulevard Houston, Texas 77005 p - City Currents of West University Place, Texas Production for this issue provided through the efforts of Steve Griffith, Thelma Lenz and Sherman Yehl. City Currents welcomes your contributions. Forward to 3814 University Blvd., Houston, Texas 77005 c/o Chief Griffith by the I Oth of the month preceding publication to assure consideration. It is the policy of the City of West University Place not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, veteran status or disability. Light Up Your Life! Purchase beautiful iron candelabra at the Park Lovers Ball Centerpiece Pre-sale Party, Thursday, October 3, from 7-9 PM at 6343 Rutgers. The artist, Kathy Boswell, will be present. The custom-designed pieces, sold at special wholesale prices, can be taken home after the Park Lovers Ball which is February 8, 1997. For information, call 661-3824. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 600 Houston, TX