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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovemberVE(ST UNNED-61TY PLACE r 40 r(7 Volume 23, No. 11 Family swim a hit in surveys Almost 90 percent of those have so much use it makes it difficult to responding to the recent Co schedule convenient activity times for lonial Park pool survey use everyone:' the pool for open and farnily During the summer, the pool opens at swim activities. 5:30 AM for lap swimming. From 7:00 "Clearly family swim is very popular Alva to 9:00 AM, swim team practices are with our customers," said Mark Mailes, held and from 9:15 AM to 11:45 AM the parks and recreation director. "This ac- pool is used for swim lessons and exer- tivity is not only the number one activ- cise`classes. The pool then opens at ity, but the number one priority of resi- 12:00 NOON for family swimming. dents as well." According to Mailes, the City has con- The non-scientific survey generated sidered opening the pool earlier for fain- 164 responses and provided a general ily 'swim, but the facilities and staffing overview of how the pool is being used. make it difficult. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents "What we try to do is provide a bat- said they use the pool for open and fam- ance of activities that makes the best use ily swim. Lap swim was second with of our single pool," Mailes said. -7 percent. Almost two thirds of the re- `Other results of the pool survey show .,pondents used the pool; more than 20 that respondents rate the pool staff 4.04 times during the summer. on a scale from one to five. Pool clean- While a majority of the respondents liness and the concession stand were (55 percent to 45 percent) would use the also rated high, scoring averages of 3.8 pool during morning hours in the sum- and 3.87, respectively. Locker rooms re- mer if it were open at 10:00 AM `instead ceived the lowest rating, 3.27. of the current 12:00 NOON, 81 percent In addition to family and lap would not support opening the pool ear- swimming,respondents use the pool for lier if it meant curtailing swim lessons, swim lessons (37%); exercise classes exercise classes, or swim team hour. (12%); swim team (16%); birthday par- "This creates a real problem for us," ties (40%); family swim night (44%); said Mailes. "We would like to provide teen swim night (11%); and July 4th ac- earl ier family hours for the pool, but we tivities (46%). Solid waste plan to get'another look The City's Recycling Committee and duce disposal costs to the City," Yehl City Council have requested additional said. information on the changes to the City's According toYehl, the agreement does solid waste plan proposed last month by require the use of bio-degradable paper City Manager Sherman Yehl. or plastic bags, however the proposed "The proposal generated a lot of re- charge of $3 per bag will be reduced or sponse," said Yehl. "Although many eliminated. were supportive of the concept, `there Changes will not take effect until the were a lot of questions raised about new recycling center is open, sometime aplementation and cost." in Spring, 1997. In addition, Living Earth Technology, The City Council has called for atown Inc. has now submitted a proposal to re meeting on any changes. The town ceive grass clippings and yard debris at meeting will be scheduled for early no cost. 1997 after staff and the Recycling Com- "This proposal will substantially re mittee refine the proposal. November 1996 Caught -vl 0 Lr~ • Wier Park Tennis Courts will be closed for about two months beginning November 1. While these courts are re- constructed you can still play tennis at Colonial or Judson Parks. • The City Council will hold the for- mal public hearing on proposed changes to the zoning ordinance on November 11 beginning at 7:30 rM in the Council Chambers. • The Finance Department has sent out the 1996 property tax bills. City prop- erty taxes are due February 1, 1997. • The West U Senior Services is look- ing for some volunteers. Office help is needed to help answer the phones, take transportation requests and make reser- vations for activities. Back-up-help in providing rides for medical appoint- ments is also needed. To volunteer call Sharon Reusser at 662.5895. • Bill and Bonnie Hearne, whose mu- sic combines the best elements of South- ern and Southwestern' roots, are featured at the November 9 Second Saturday Concert at the WestU Community Cen- ter. Call 347.3235 or 495.2923 for in- formation on the concert. • City Hall will be closed on Novem- ber 27 &28 for Thanksgiving holidays. • Join Santa on Monday, December 2 at 7:00 PM for the annual West U Iight- ing ceremony at City Hall. a • Community Bulletin Board.. 4 • Employee Spotlight 2 • Inside Council Chambers..... 2 • Police Blotter 3 • Senior Programs 3 Inside Council Chambers At least two citizens have expressed a willingness to be part of a group study- ing this problem and the uses that could be made with the current West U library. One citizen suggested it be part of the Internet to provide on-line services to West U residents. There undoubtedly are other services it could house, but we need some of you to give it serious study. Let Sherman Yehl or me know if you are interested in serving on a library study committee. 5;~ #e %4ym'a Daak.. . I have received a number of letters in response to my article and other articles in last month's City Currents. As ex- pected, the library and proposed solid waste management plan elicited great interest. The continuation of some sort of li- brary in West University is of great im- portance to many of our citizens and to the City Council. Harris County spends $200,000 to $300,000 per year for staff and maintenance, while we own the building and provide utilities. The City of Houston is requesting that we make a substantial contribution to the Stella Link Library for which it will Emmoyi This month's employee in the spotlight is Mosquito Control Officer and Fire Captain Steve Salyer. Steve is a 20-year veteran of the Fire Department and has served as captain since 1989. As a captain, Steve is a shift supervi- sor responsible for both fire and emer- gency medical services. Steve holds cer- tification in firefighting, paramedics, and fire instruction. He also holds a bachelors degree in anthropology and a masters degree in public health. Steve was involved in writing the first medical treatment protocols for the West U Fire Department and works closely with the City's medical director in set- ting department standards. For the past two years he has taken on additional responsibilities in administer- ing health regulations for the City. As the health inspector, Steve conducts res- taurant inspections, directs rodent and mosquito control and investigates envi- allow citizens of West U use of the li- brary without paying the $40.00 annual card fee for nonresidents. A prelimi- nary survey indicates that several thou- sand library cards have been issued in the 77005 zip code area. Many of these persons must be residents of West U. So, not only are we faced with staff- ing and maintaining the West U branch library, but also with making an annual contribution to the Stella Link library if we want our citizens to have access to it without a card fee. The expenditures on one hand have to be balanced against the savings on Houston Library cards on the other hand. EE SPOTLIGHT ronmental complaints. Steve lives in West U with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time Steve and his family enjoy traveling. Steve recently returned from a visit to the Land Down Under to do some snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef. Reading and gardening are also high on his list of things to do. Steve tries to avoid being typecast as a typical firefighter. "I enjoy being a generalist. Serving as the City's health inspector has really broadened my scope," said Salyer. "I frequently wear two very different hats for the City." When Steve joined the Fire Depart- ment at age 25 his goal was to stay on a few years. Now 20 years later, he's fi- nally decided that this is a worthwhile career. "I've always enjoyed working in West U. People have always made us feel needed in the community," he contin- ued. Q Election Day V November 5 *0"C Cjf* Polls open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM • Precinct 15-St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 5308 Buffalo Speedway. • Precinct 87-Scout House, 6108 Edle • Precinct 133-Colonial Park, 41. Byron, • Precinct 183-West U Community Building, 6104 Auden. Page 2 77 Twenty years later Steve Salyer's still a firefighter at heart. City Currents is published monthly by the City of West University Place, Texas Mayor Bill Watson (665.3969) Mayor Pro Tem Tom Rushing (666.0434) City Council Members Teresa W. Fogler (664.6433), Linda Lewis (662.5812), Stan McCandless (669.1830) City Currents welcomes your contributions. Forward material to 3814 University Boulevard, Houston, TX 77005, c/o Chief Griffith by the 10th of the month preceding publication, General Information: 668.4441 • City Manager Sherman Yehi: 662.5810-, e-mail 72162.2412@compuserve.com Police Blotter Page3 September, 1996 Crime close Criminal Mischief 6000 Annapolis-A resident was awak- ened in the early morning hours by his auto alarm and went to investigate it. A broken rear vent window was discov- ered, but no entry was made into the ve- hicle. A car was heard leaving the area, but the resident was not able to describe it. 4000 Amherst-A resident discovered a side rear door window broken on his vehicle, with the vehicle still locked. No property was taken. 3700 Robinhood- A resident reported a broken window on a 1994 Surburban. No items were taken. Burglary of Motor Vehicle 4000 Judson-A resident reported that an in-dash AM/FM CD player and other numerous items were taken from a Ford pickup. Entry was made by breaking a zssenger side vent window. .00 Sunset-A driver side vent win- dow was broken on an Isuzu pickup in an attempt to remove the in-dash radio. The burglar(s) were unable to remove the radio. No items were taken. 3700 Tangley-An unsecured vehicle was burglarized and a computer, com- puter printer, and a 9mm handgun were taken. Aggravated Robbery 3900 Bellaire-In the late evening hours, a dark colored Mustang drove thru the Jack-in-the-Box window and held the clerk at gunpoint, obtaining an unknown amount of cash. The suspects are two Hispanic males, one with shoul- der length hair and a dark mustache. No description of the other suspect was given. Indecent Exposure 4100 Judson-In the early morning hours, a jogger reported a Hispanic male riding his bicycle exposing himself to women in the area. There were other residents at a nearby park who also wit- --sled the incident. The witnesses .ed that the male was seen in the area on other occasions, following joggers and women on his bicycle. A suspect was arrested. Chiefs Corner An observant neighbor in the 3900 block of Swarthmore saw two suspi- cious black males walk to the rear of the house next door. She notified the police. They had taken two bicycles and a leaf blower out of the garage when our officers arrived. To escape, they used an aluminum ladder to scale a 10' fence in the back yard. Our officers caught one of the duo walking down a neigh- boring street. He was positively identi- fied. The other suspect got away. George Dawkins, 42 years old, was charged with burglary. He had just been released on parole two weeks earlier. He complained to officers that this was the second time he had been caught in the neighborhood. Think he'll learn? Burglary of _7m e Habitation 6100 Fordham- After returning from a business trip, a resident discov- ered several kitchen items missing. There was no sign of forced entry. 6600 Vanderbilt--A set of golf clubs were taken from an unsecured, open ga- rage. .Stagy O 6W01;Vdd2W_ her jewelry box and the resident also dis- covered that a diamond in one of her rings had been replaced with a fake stone. The fake stone had fallen out of the setting and a jeweler told the owner that the stone was glued in and the origi- nal stone had been pried out because the prongs were bent. Theft 6300 Belmont-In the early morning hours, police were called to a construc- tion site in reference to a possible theft. A van was discovered at the site, with approximately 10 pieces of lumber loaded in the back. A Hispanic male was seen leaving the construction site on foot. The police heard a second sus- pect, but could not see him. The lum- ber was returned and the van was towed. 3500 Sunset-A resident reported that an iron bench was taken from their front yard. 3700 Plumb-A large amount of elec- tronic items were taken from a new con- struction site. 6600 Vanderbilt-A resident discovered a pair of diamond earrings missing from For seniors... NO III t; r ramming set taken. Maybe travel is in your future. 10:30-NOON. Donations taken. •November 15, Friday An enduring legacy, Masterpieces from the J.D. Rockefeller III Collection of Asian Art is the MFA's Senior Pro- gram for this month. There are more than 70 objects in the collection of paint- ings, sculptures and ceramics from eleven different Asian nations. As usual, the guided tour will follow a program in the auditorium. 9:30 AM-12:30 PM. $1.00/$2.00. Here are the West U Senior Services highlights for the month of November 1996. Please call 662.5895 to make res- ervations for all the following activities. *November 6, Wednesday A representative from Humana Health Care Plans will speak about their prod- uct and give you information about Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in general. There is, of course, no obligation to buy. 2:00-3:30pM. Free. -November 28, Thursday Enjoy the 12th annual Thanksgiving Luncheon with the Bellaire High School honor students. Good food and great entertainment. Noon - 1:30 PM. Free. -November 8, Friday Jim and Pat McKinley have slides and a great presentation on Elderhostels. They will explain the concept of the very educational and highly enjoyable travel program. In addition, they will show slides of some of the trips they have The Last Page Page 4 West University Community Bulletin Board - November 1996 Sunda Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Friends of ' Building and Second Saturday West u parks @ 6:15 Standards Commis- Concert presents the ELECTION DAY PM, Conference Room sion @ 6:30 PM, music of Bill and Polls open 7:00 AM Council Chamber Bonnie Hearne @ 0 7:00 PM Parks Board @ 7:30 7:30 PM at the West U PM, Conference Room Community Center, 3 4 5 6 7 8 6104 Auden 9 Council Workshop Recycling Commit- Zoning and Planning @ 6:30 PM, tee @ 6:30 PM, @ 7:30 PM, Council Conference Room Public Works Lunch Chamber Room Council Meeting @ 7:30 PM, Council 10 Chamber 11 12 13 14 15 16 Zoning Board of Adjustment @ 7:30 PM, Council Chamber 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Council Workshop H P Y City Holiday Cardboard @ 6:30 PM, ~~G Recycling Drop-off, Conference Room x 8:00 AM to NOON, behind Police Council Meeting @ No Garbage No Garbage Station 7:30 PM, Council h Pickup Pickup 24 C amber 25 26 2 28 29 30 City of West University Place 3800 University Boulevard Houston, Texas 77005 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 600 Houston, TX