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Home My WebLink AboutAprila 0v " mr1w V Volume 24, No. 4 U - just a good place to live As the results of the recent survey in- dicate, a lot of you like living in West U. Almost 98 percent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with the state- ment in the survey "Overall, the City is a good place to live." This level of satisfaction was spread among all age groups, income levels and length of residency. According to Mayor Bill Watson, the survey was designed to assess the level of satisfaction with a wide variety of services provided by the City as well as assist the City in future planning. "It's important for both the Council and staff to know how we are all doing. This survey was a way to gauge public opinion and see what we're doing right and what needs improvement," said Watson. The survey, conducted by mail in January, was sent to 708 randomly se- lected households from the City's util- ity billing records. About 60 percent (420 households) completed and re- turned questionnaires. The survey contained 103 questions di- vided into seven different areas - ser- vices, garbage & recycling, library, zon- ing, quality of information & services, and demographic information. "One of the reasons people believe West U is a good place to live is the strength of the services we provide," said city manager Sherman Yehl. Yehl notes that when residents re- sponded to questions on City services, 11 out of 20 service areas had satisfac- tion levels in excess of 75 percent and three (trash collection, water & sewer services and utility billing) were in ex- cess of 90 percent. For a complete summary of the sur- vey results, please see the special insert inside this edition of City Currents. This will have quite an impact Construction in Priority Area 413/5A got underway March 1. This phase of the project, funded with bonds approved by voters in 1995 as part of the City's $63 million infrastructure improvement program, is scheduled to take 18 months to complete. According to Public Works Director, Edward Menville, the contractor has started storm and sanitary sewer work on University, Amherst, Milton and Auden Streets ex- tending for several blocks from the Municipal Building. This work is ex- pected to be completed by mid-May. The contractor will then begin street restoration work late this year. "Residents and the public will be in- convenienced by the work," said Menville. "Especially when we get into street construction. Traffic will have to be detoured and residents will have only limited access to their property. We regret the inconvenience, but there is no other way to do this type of project." Because this work is considered high impact construction, all of the water, sewer and street work will be done in tandem. This is different from some of the previous projects which focused on only one aspect of the infra- structure, e.g., water or sewer line re- placement. The high impact construc- tion means that crews will be in the area once, complete all of the work, and then move on to another area. A preliminary construciton schedule has been sent to residents in the priority area. The schedule and a map of the priority area is also available on the City's web site at <www.ci.west-univer- sity-place. tx. us>. April 1997 CANDIDATES -1- OFFICES ELECTION ® ® ® ® ® ® 0 ® ® O ® ® • The General Election scheduled for May 3, 1997, to elect a Mayor and four Council Members for West University Place, has been canceled. A recently passed State law allows cities the opportunity to cancel an elec- tion and declare the candidates elected if unopposed. The newly elected officials are Teresa Fogler, Mayor, and Council Members Tony Davis, Cindy 'eal, Cindy Sparkman, and Patrick Stanch. At the meeting of May 12th, the new Mayor and Council will take office and a two-year term. Colonial Park to get makeover Colonial Park Pool & Recreation Center will close for the annual bubble removal and spring maintenance from April 14 - 27th. During this time preriod, the City will be renovating the raquetball courts, painting the weightroom area, reseal- ing the lobby and bathroom floors and, performing general swimming pool maintenance. The pool will reopen on April 28th at 5:30 AM. Insl*de Council Chambers age I So - ®r _ c-9 r Uttle I received only one call in response to my column in the March City Cur- rents. It was an anonymous message left on my answering machine. The caller characterized my column as less than intelligent and was more than moderately critical about my concern with the issue of garbage when I should have been discussing curbs, gutters and streets. She also expressed resentment that I was using her time to deal with this subject. I do have caller I.I., but did not use it; such a person, entirely lacking in basic civility and courtesy, should remain unknown. The surprising thing is that anyone could be living in our City and not have heard that we are pursuing a continu- ous replacement and repair of the very things she mentioned. A trip through the southwest part of town will reveal an area transformed by our infrastruc- ture replacement. The process is on- going and commencement of the next section is imminent. As most of you know, we have di- vided the City into sections or zones and are methodically proceeding from those-with the worst water and sewer lines to those which can wait a while. Underground lines are the deciding factor, not streets, curbs and gutters, for obvious reasons. By sectionizing the City, we do not suffer wholesale disruption of traffic movement. In addition, City personnel could not ad- equately supervise contract work all over town. Once a line gets covered up, it is hard to inspect; and to hold up construction while inspectors are busy elsewhere, is not good business. So, maybe we are moving more slowly than some would like, but our City engineers and consulting engi- neers advise us that we are proceeding by Council ':.'ember Stan McCandless in a good and workman-like manner. From an engineer, that is high praise and, I hope, good enough for you to be satisfied with our performance. By the way, this column is written on my time, at my office, and because I enjoy the opportunity to communicate matters of common concern to my friends and neighbors who are also residents of our City. 4u kmt]~~ continued on page 3- Give your lawn a treat Do a good thing for your lawn, for the city and for yourself! Install a mulch- ing mower blade on your mower (or buy a mulching mower) and bring your re- ceipt to City Hall. You will receive a credit in the amount of one month's solid waste disposal on your next water bill. Your lawn will look healthier than ever. And the cost of disposing of those bags of grass clippings is gone! City Currents is published monthly by the City of West University Place, 'T'exas Mayor Bill Watson (665.3969) Mayor Pro Tern Tom Rushing (666.0434) City Council Members Teresa W. 1, ogler (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 Yehl: 662.5810; e-mail: syehl@earthlink.net Visit us on the World Wide Web at <www.ci.west-universityP e.tx.us> ,tt 1 Page 3 Hom-lon"s our gain Though Ben Hooper's West End Re- alty Company had filed a plat for the West University Place First Addition in 1917, all civilian construction was halted by World War I, and so it was 1919 before the sale of lots began. Hooper hired Anson D. Foreman, a lo- cal realtor, as exclusive agent for the realty company. Hooper's original vi- sion for this area was to sell parcels of land for the building of country homes. Then in 1920, a study by the City of Houston put a crimp in the plans of theWestEnd Realty Company The study determined that West U Place's projected growth over the next decade could not justify taking utilities to this vacant prairie so far from town. Anson Foreman took on the responsi- bility of spending $100,000 to bring electric, water and telephone service to the subdivision. Lots then began selling briskly, and between 1919 and 1925, the resident population grew to over 200. In 1923, the realty company filed a plat for the WUP Second Addition, which was to the west and north of the First Addition, and began advertising lots for sale in this new section. For more information on West Uni- versity Place Historical Society, call June Begeman at 666.5721. Sunday, April 20,1997 1:00-5:00 P.M. 2815 Una ersity - 3025 University Tickets will be available, starting March 20, at the West University Elementary School office, Changing Look, at the corner of University and Edloe, and Expressions in Highland Village. Tickets are $15 for all 6 houses or $3 per house. They can also be purchased the day of the event at the individual homes. 6351 Vanderbilt For more information, call Stefanie Pollard at 8%9777. 6316 Semanee 7-7 x--~~- McCandless - cote inued from page 2- have an election, as permitted under the new state election code. We will have _ a new mayor, well qualified to lead the city with four years of city council ex- perience. The proposed new city coun- cil people are well versed in our cul- ture as committee chairs and commit- tee members. The city is in good hands. It will be very important for new neighbors to step forward to create a large pool of talent to repopulate our committees. It is also very comforting to have some of the old-timers do it again, one more time. What are some issues? Finances are always at the top of the list. We must pay for our infrastructure renewal, up- grade our City Hall and go forward with the creation of the Recycling Center. An integrated management system might be important to consider at this time. We need to continuously upgrade our city services and keep a special place for our seniors. Our protective alarm system available to all our resi- dents is the type of innovative thinking that our professional staff must continue to do. We must protect and expand our green spaces and make sure our drink- ing water is the best in the Southwest. We should be much more actively in- volved in local external governmental affairs. We are a well-tested govern- mental model, an exportable commod- ity and should be replicated. These are some of the things I remember and think are important. Compost in Subsidy Continues Now is the time to start that mulch pile in the backyard! Grass, weeds, clippings, leaves, banana peels, L apple cores, all turn quickly into reusable nutrients for your gardens. How to start? Pick up a com- post bin at the Public Works Building, 3826 Amherst. A bin only costs $15.00. Ask about a compost how-to book while you're there, too. Then call Patsy Gra- ham to sign up for the first composting workshop of the season (660.97 10, leave a message). EMIPLOYEE f7 Johnny Enriquea, a plant operator in the treatment plant, is this month's em- ployee in the spotlight. Johnny has been with the City since October of 1987. He started his em- ployment in the Water Plant and trans- ferred to the Treatment Plant three years ago. Before coming to the City, he worked many years in the construction field, and decided it was time to start doing something different. When asked what he likes most about the City, Johnny replied, "It's a great place to work with good benefits." He also said he likes rotating around in the field. "You don't get bored with your work," he said. Johnny was nominated for the spot- light by his supervisor, Patrick Walters. "Johnny is very knowledgeable in his job and performs his work very well. In the ten months I've been his supervi- sor, he has demonstrated a work atti- tude of dedication and concern in pro- viding high quality utility service to the citizens we serve. He is a very benefi- cial asset to the City," said Walters. Johnny was born in Bay City, Texas and moved to Houston in 1972. When he is not on the job, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Lupe, his daughters, Gloria and Lorraine, and his grandsons, Gabino, Seth and Arron. He enjoys tak- ing his grandsons to baseball games, which is by far his most favorite thing to do. He also enjoys football - but baseball is at the top of the list. Working since the age of nine, Johnny is especially looking forward to the day he retires, so that he can spend more time with his family and even more time watching baseball! Summer i Colonial Learn to swim Monday-Thursday at Colonial Park! Join one of the follow- ing classes this summer: Fees are $50/ $55NR. Session I: June 2 -12 Session 11: June 16 - 26 Session III: June 30 - July 10 Session IV: July 14 -24 Session V: July 28 - August 7 Session I & II: 9:15 - 9:55 AM Beginner 3 &4 Beginner 5 & up Advanced Beginner (2 classes) Intermediate Tot I and Tot II 10:00 - 10:40 AM Beginner 3 & 4 (2 classes) Beginner 5 & up Advanced Swimmer Tot I and Tot 11 10:45 - 11:25 AM Beginner 3 & 4 (2 classes) Beginner 5 & up (2 classes) Advanced Beginner Tot li Session III, IV & V: 9:15 - 9:55 AM Beginner 3 & 4 Beginner 5 & up Advanced Beginner Intermediate Advanced Swimmer 10:00 - 10:40 AM Beginner 3 & 4 Beginner 5 & up Advanced Beginner Tot I and Tot II 10:45 - 11:25 AM Beginner 3 & 4 (2 classes) Beginner 5 & up Advanced Beginner (2 classes) Class descriptions are as follows: 'l'ot Swim I: A parent/child class de- signed to let young children, 6 months to 3 years, acquire aquatic skills needed for survival. Class will consist of float- ing techniques, breathing control, arm movements, kicking & underwater ex- ploration. 'l'ot Swim II: A spin-off of the par- ent/child class, children 2-3 years will acquire skills needed for survival with- out the assistance of mommy or daddy. Class will consist of floating techniques, breathing control, arm movements, kicking and underwater exploration. Prerequisite: Swim I. 3 & 4 and 5 & Up Beginners: Chil- dren will acquire floating techniques, breathing control with face and head under the water. Knee and standing dives will also be introduced. Advanced Beginners: Students must show floating skills and no fear of the water. The elementary backstroke and standing dives will be introduced. Pre- requisite: Beginner class. Intermediate: Students must be able to swim 25 yards of freestyle, breath- ing to the side and swim 25 yards of backstroke before being admitted to this class. Students will develop endurance and confidence in the freestyle, back- stroke and elementary backstroke. Breaststroke and racing dives will be introduced. Prerequisite: Advanced Be- ginner class. Advanced Swimmer: Students must be able to swim two lengths of freestyle, backstroke, elementary backstroke, and one length of breastroke. Above listed skills must be shown on first day of class or student will be released. Butterfly, sidestroke, and treading water will be introduced. Prerequisite: Intermediate class. Evening Lessons: Session L• June 30 - July 10 Session II: July 14 - July 24 Session III: July 28 - August 7 5:30 - 6:10 PM Beginners of all ages - Tot 1 6:15 - 6:55 PM Advanced Beginners - Tot II A skills test for Intermediate and Ad- vanced swim classes will held on Sat- urday, May 3rd and 17th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON at Colonial Park. All stu- dents enrolled in either class must at- tend and demonstrate the necessary swim skills listed above. Registration, for swimming lessons only, begins on April 28th for residents and April 30th for non-residents at Colonial Park. - Umorarv a Ng -J--h dq ts Should a new library be built in the Stella Link Redevelopment Area that would provide free access to West U residents? While residents, by a better than two to one margin, wouldn't mind contributing to the operating ex- penses of such a library in exchange for free use of the city of Houston system, 85% of the residents believe it is important for a library to remain in West U. The current Harris County branch library located at 6108 Auden is used by almost two-thirds of the residents, and 96% are satisfied or very satisfied with the current library location. Overall, the library gets very high marks from residents. Over 75% are satisfied or very satisfied with the availability of books and materials; 70% satisfied or very satisfied with the hours of operation; and 84%are satisfied or very satisfied with the assistance provided by the library staff. By about. a two to one margin (62.5% to 29.3%) residents support the construction of a new library. However, if that would mean that hours or services would be reduced at the current library, residents are more evenly divided-45.1 % would support or strongly support a reduc- tion while 42.1% are opposed. Residents also have some opin- ions about the services a library must provide. When asked how important it was to provide selected services, residents responded this way: National magazines 82.1% Daily newspapers 76.4% Research & reference materials 89.7% Children's programs 84.7% Internet access 72.5% Evening hours 89.0% Weekend Hours 91.2% Videos 57.0% Photocopy machine 84.3% Since the survey was fielded, the building of a new library is even fur- ther from reality. Recently Harris County Com- missioners declined to provide fund- ing for the library. Without financ- ing for construction, the libary re- mains a dream. In the meantime, West U resi- dents don't have to worry about los- ing a library many value. Meeting room 57.4% After-school programs 75.1% 100.0% 90.0% I i o No Opinion - - - ®Support 80.0% - -'®S/Support 70.0% - 60 0% - - . 50 0% . - 40 0% . 30 0% - - _ _ _ . - - / 20 0% ° . 10.0% ~ j I f i f Q-1 Q-2 Q-3 Q-1 - How strongly would you support or oppose the City of West U working with the City of Houston to operate a new library in the Stella Link Redevelopment Area? Q-2 - Would you support or oppose constructing a new library if you knew the current Harris County Library located in West U would have to be closet/ or have services and hours reduced? Q-3 - If a new librarh is built, how strongly would you support or oppose the City of West U contributing to the operating expense in exchange for free use of the city of Houston library system? How the su was conducted During the month of January, 1997, 708 randomly selected households of the City were asked to complete a mail survey to gauge citizen attitudes regarding a variety of issues. The households were selected from the City's utility billing records and 420 households responded to the survey, providing a participation rate of just under 60 percent. A survey with this sample size is accurate to within five percent at a 95 percent confidence level. This means there is one chance in 20 that these results would vary by as much as plus or minus five percent from the results which would be obtained by polling the entire resident population of West U. The surveys were coded and entered using SPSS database software. Editing, coding, data entry and analysis was completed by the City Manager's Office. The survey instrument was prepared by City Manager Sherman Yehl with the assis- tance of Ray Turco, President of Raymond Turco and Associates, Arlington, Texas. The survey contained 103 questions divided into seven different areas- Ser- vices, garbage & recycling, library, traffic, zoning, quality of information & ser- vices and demographic information. City really does recycle 70.00% 60.00% City too lenient in enforcing "good neighbor" laws ® Making sure that dogs are kept on a leash (47.6%) ® Not allowing garbage to be put out too early (56.8%) v Making sure that vacant lots are maintained (63.2%) ® Removing junk/abandoned cars (69.9%) ® Prohibiting signs on public property (67.4%) ® Controlling yard sales (69.2%) ® Speed on residential streets (50.8%) Two areas above did have lenient ratings in excess of 30%. Residents say that the City is lenient or too le- nient in Not allowing garbage to be place out too early and Making sure that dogs are kept on a leash, 32.4% and 31.0%, respectively. The City Council recently changed the law regarding garbage placement that will make enforce- ment of the restrictions easier. More radar would reduce traffic problems have increased in West U over the past three years. Among a variety of interventions, residents prefer addressing traffic problems with radar (50.9%) or in- stalling STOP signs (41.6%). Install- ing street humps, lowering the speed limit to 25 miles per hour, and alter- nating one-way streets have less sup- port 35.9%, 35.8% and 23.3%, respectively. Where do you get your information Residents rely on a variety of sources for information about City services and programs. Residents were asked to select all that apply from a list of eight meth- ods available to them. Our own City Currents topped the list with a selection rate of 71.2%. This was followed by the Village News at 63.1% and notices in the monthly utility billings statements at 56.9%. Less than 10% rely on informa- tion from public meetings (no sur- prise to those that attend Council meetings). Here is the complete breakdown by source: Public meetings 7.9% Village News 63.1% Houston Chronicle 27.9% City Currents 71.2% West U .lournal 50.0% West U Magazine 40.7% Utility statements 56.9% Other 3.8% B Doing a good job Both the City Council and staff received good marks in their inter- actions with citizens. By an overwhelming margin (75.1%), residents agree or strongly agree with the statement thatThe City Council has the interest of the com- munity in mind when making deci- sions. Over 56% of the respondents agree or strongly agree that the City Council considers citizens' opinions before making decisions. By almost a three-to-one margin (58% to 20.4%), residents also be- lieve that the Council does a good job at keeping taxes low. Residents say they have easy ac- cess to city staff (86.6%) and that their concerns are taken into consid- eration when dealing with staff (76.6%). Residents also believe that staff does a good job of enforcing or- dinances (75.7%). Ninety percent of those surveyed believe that the staff does a good job of providing ser- vices. Overall, residents say that the City is a good place to live (97.8%). For each service below tell us i you are very satisfied, satisfied or have no opinion about the service... Utility/Acc Services Water/Sewer Service Building Inspections Street Construction Street Repair Street Cleaning Tree Preservation Municipal Court EMS Fire Services Animal Control Crime Prevention Traffic Enforcement Recycling Services Trash Collection Senior Services Golf Course Rec Center Programs Pool r - 7777 Parks f _ - - - - _ t o No Opinion Satisfied III Very Satisfied j 0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% 100.00 City facilities have mixed use by residents The pool at Colonial Park and City recreation programs may be underutilized. When asked a series of questions regarding how often residents have used various facilities or programs, more than half said they had never used the pool (52.2%) or participated in a City recreation program (67.1%). There is a high percentage using the library 67.2% said they have used it at least once and 76.3% have visited a City park in the last year. Zoning change wins arproval Recently the City Council ap- proved a change in the zoning law which limits the size of single-fam- ily homes on residential lots. This law limits the total square footage of a home to 80% of the square footage of the lot. For ex- ample, a house built on a 50'x 150' lot could not exceed 4,000 square feet. Almost three-quarters of resi- dents (71.9%) have heard about the change and 71.4% of those agree or strongly agree with the change. By about a two-to-one margin (43.8% to 22.8%), residents believe that the law should have been more restrictive, i.e., limiting the total square footage of construction to 60 or 70 percent of the square footage of the lot. In the past 12 months, about how many times have you... Used library Visited park Rec programs Pool The big secret Pssst...wanna play some golf on a West U municipal course? One of the City's best kept se- crets is the Houston Hills Golf Course. Houston Hills, located at 9720 Ruffino Road (near the Southwest Freeway and Beltway 8) is open seven days a week. Partially on West U and city of Bellaire property, the 18-hole course is laid atop former city landfills. Survey results show that 94.1% of the respondents had no opinion about Houston Hills. While it may not be an award winning course, it has readily avail- able tee times, low green fees and a small clubhouse for relaxing after a few holes. Before this place gets too popu- lar call to reserve a tee time. You can reach Houston Hills at 933.2300. Tell them the city of West U sent you! How strongly do you agree or disagree with the recent zoning change? No opinion Strongly Disagree 10% 7% TM _ Strongly agree Disagree _ 43% Agree 29% Those that responded Four hundred and twenty resi- dents responded to the survey. Here are the demographics - (sender Male 42.1% Female 57.9% Age Under 25 .5% 26-40 years 26.8% 41-55 years 49.6% Over 55 23.1% Home ownership Own 94.9% Rent 5.1% Children at home Yes 45.6% No 54.4% Household income Less than $25,000 4.6% $25,001-$75,000 22.7% $75,0014150,000 30.1% Over $150,000 42.6% Education 0-11 years .8% High school 5.0% 1-3 years college 9.3% 4 years college 27.8% More than 4 years _57.1% Residency Less than 1 year 6.1% 1-5 years 24.5% 5-10 years 20.4% Over 1.0 years 49.0% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% c,Ze Blotter Page 5 February, 1997 CWs- Corner Criminal Mischief - way. There was no broken glass where 6100 Wakeforest-In the late evening hours of February 21 st, resident heard loud noise outside by driveway, and found car rear passenger window broken out. Resident also discov- cred 3-5 broken eggs near the car and some by the front door of F , house. Nothing was discovered t" missing from the vehicle. Case still pending. Burglary of a Motor Vehicle- 6600 Fairhaven-On the morning of February 9th, a resident discovered a rear side window broken out of his car. The resident discovered the detachable face of his stereo missing, including 9 compact discs, 2 speakers and 1 ampli- fier. No witnesses or suspects. 4200 Amherst-In the morning hours of February IOth resident found his ve- hicle unlocked and and compact disc missing. Other valuable items were left inside. No witnesses or suspects. In the morning hours, in the same block, another resident reported two mobile phones missing, one from each of the two vehicles owned by the reportee. No signs of forced entry into either of the vehicles. No suspects. 3900 Coleridge-In the morning hours of February 23rd, a patrol officer discovered a broken window on a ve- hicle parked in the street. The owner was notified and it was discovered a purse was taken from the vehicle. The purse was later found in the back bed of a pick-up truck in the 3800 block of Tennyson. The purse, with checkbook inside, was returned to the owner. 4100 University-In the early morn- ing hours of February 25th, a resident reported Jeep's soft-top cut and stereo equipment removed from the vehicle. No suspects or witnesses. Auto Theft- 3100 Sunset-On the evening of Feb- ruary 12th resident discovered his 1985 Chevrolet pick-up missing from drive- the truck was parked and the resident was not sure if the vehicle was locked. No suspects or witnesses in this case. 5900 Annapolis-In the early morn- ing hours of February 9th, resi- dent reported that his 1987 Chevrolet pick-up truck was 21 ~I missing from driveway. There was no broken glass in the _ driveway. Case still pending. Theft- 5900 Annapolis-In the morning hours of February 2nd, resident wit- nessed a black male wearing a multi- colored purple "sweat suit" take a bi- cycle parked on the sidewalk in front of a house. Another witness advised see- ing the same black male shoving the bi- cycle into the rear of a tan and blue Ford Bronco. The suspect was last seen go- ing east toward Kirby off of Tangley. 6000 Charlotte-In the afternoon hours of February 6th, resident reported a missing miter box and saw. The tools were left on the front porch unsecured. No suspects or witnesses in this case. 3900 Bellaire-In the early afternoon hours of February 27th, a local merchant. noticed a black male coming out from a back office in the store. The merchant went back to the office and found her wallet missing. She then confronted the male and asked him for the wallet back. The male returned the wallet and left. He was last seen going west on Bellaire. Credit card abuse/fogery 3500 Tangley-In the afternoon hours of February 10th, resident re- ported receiving a bill on a credit card not activated. The issuing credit card company reported that a new card was sent to the resident, but the card was never received by the resident. There were numerous charges made through- out Houston. No suspects. 6700 Stella Link-A teller at a drive- thru window of a local bank became sus- picious when a suspect driving a red Mercedes Benz tried to cash a check for I have to admit that I have been per- plexed by the increase in the number of bank robberies that the Houston area has seen in the last couple of years. From my perspective, bank robbery carries an immense amount of risk, with not a great amount of return for the risk. Fur- thermore, bank robbers receive atten- tion from almost every law enforcement agency around, from the FBI to local municipalities. And the statistics bear out the result of all that attention: most bank robbers are caught. I have always thought that if one was predisposed to steal, the easiest way to do so was with a pen. Either through the forgery of checks or the use of credit card information, a criminal can gain a surprising amount of wealth with a rela- tively low amount of risk. So, not sur- prisingly, we are seeing an increase in the amount of paper and credit card theft. Currently, our detectives are working several cases where materials (checks or credit cards) were stolen out of the mail. The Police Department would like to caution our residents to pay close attention to credit card bills and bank statements. If a problem is caught early, our opportunity to make an arrest increases. If you suspect that you have been the victim of a theft, please call your police department. We will be happy to investigate. Stephen M. Griffith Chief of Police $1,600. After calling the number on the check, it was confirmed that the check was forged. When the teller looked up the suspect was leaving, but she was able to get the license plate number. The checkowner said that she had noticed the new box opened and several checks missing. Case pending. Burglary of Habitation - 3500 Nottingham-In the daytime hours of February 4th, resident came home to find house burglarized. Sus- pects entered through kitchen window. Many electronic items, jewelry, and other miscellaneous items were taken. The electricity was turned off from the breaker box outside. No suspects or witnesses. Page 6 Second Saturday Concert Aileen & Elkin Thomas are the fea- tured performers this month. Their mu- sic reflects a lifestyle of downhome, backporch, easy country living and is enjoyed by folk, gospel, bluegrass, and country audiences of all ages. The con- cert will be held at the West U Com- munity Center, 6104 Auden on April 12 at 7:30PM. Adults $6; Senior Citi- zens $3; Children under 12 free with adults. For more information, call 347.3235 or 495.2923. Guess who's planning a dinner? The West University Newcomer's Club is planning its Spring Progressive Dinner for April 12, which is open to all members by calling Sarah Moore at 810.2869 by April 6. If you would like to join the West U Newcomer's Club, call Roheela Malik at 667-0609 or attend the monthly cof- fee on Friday, April 4, at the West U United Methodist Church Parlor, 3611 University Blvd. Come anytime be- tween 10:30 AM and 12:00 NOON. It's Tee Time in West U! The City's Parks and Recreation De- partment will be sponsoring a four person scramble golf tournmament on Monday, May 12, 1997. Join us at Willowisp Country Club to determine the best (and worst) golf- ers in West U. The cost is $50 per person and includes green fees, cart, range balls, lunch, and drinks. Lunch starts at 12:00 NOON and the tourna- ment begins at 1:00 PM. Prizes for 1st place ($100 per man gift certificate), 2nd place ($50 per man gift certifi- cate), 3rd place ($25 per man gift cer- tificate), last place (golf lessons), closet to the pin, and fewest team putts. Sign up as a team or individually at the Parks and Recreation office, 6104 Auden or call 662.5892. Hats off to West U Parks Supporters Congratulations to the individuals and businesses which supported the 1997 West U Park Lover's Ball. The $117,000 net profit (which includes a $30,000 pledge from Steve Raddack, Harris County Commissioner), is enough to com- plete the redevelopment this year of both Whitt Johnson and Judson Parks, ac- cording to Ross Frazer, board chairman of the Friends of West U Place Parks Fund, Inc. Since 1990, the neighborhood soiree has raised an approximate total of $467,000 for park improvements. Here's how you can help Make regular donations to the Parks Fund Support and attend the Park Lover's Ball Establish Memorials and Bequests Help obtain grants Buy Park Pavers Improvements to ate Weir Park Redvelopment completed, 1995 $170,000 Colonial Park Some upgrading 25,000 Judson Park Redevelopment in 1997-1998 220,000 Whitt Johnson Park Some upgrading 10,000 Milton Street Park Completed, 1996 425,000 Rice Pocket Park Land purchased 150,000 Whitt Johnson Park Will be completed, 1998 250,000 Future Development Projects (Funds Needed) Colonial Park Puchase and develop two lots $500,000 Rice Pocket Park Total development 200,000 YMCA Property Potential Purchase Uknown Note: AH figures approximate Colonial In short, Park offers something old and something new Mini sessions will be offered at Co- lonial Park for several classes during late April and May, before all summer classes begin. Here is a list of mini ses- sion classes: Water Excercise Water Running Tri-Swim Program Basic Water Aerobics Deep water exercise Tennis Lessons All classes will be four week sessions. Call 662.5892 for dates, fees, times and other information. The Streamline Stretch Fitness Class is also being introduced this Spring. This one hour class is the ideal three- way body workout. It works all major muscle groups using Asana (Yoga) stretching, conditioning floorwork ex- ercises, and an abdonminal workout. Contains little to no impact. Classes be- gin: Session 1: March 17 - April 23, Ses- sion II: April 28 - June 4. Day/Time: Monday and Wednesday, 10:00- 11:00 AM or 7:00-8:00 Pm. Class Fees: $35/$40N Instructors: Audrey Stewart and Marlena Groomer. Page 7 -April 4, Friday nar and order a little hunch h.-I early - April 11, Friday We're throwing a SURPRISE PARTY! The surprise is, we don't have any plans yet! By the time April 11 rolls around, we'll have all the details in order and we will have a great time. You know we always do. 11:00AM - 1:00pm. Free. - April 18, Friday Anyone up to going back to the Gulf Greyhound Park? As usual, we will go early enough to attend the betting semi- Location: fore the races start. 12:00 MOON - 5:00 pm. Small price for tip sheets, etc. - April 2, Thursday We are setting aside this af- ternoon to attend the IMAX film 1:30 AM - 3:30 Pm. $3.50. - April 29, Tuesday It's the annual Health Fair. We will try to have all your favorite screenings: cholesterol, glucose, vision, hearing, po- diatry, lung capacity, skin cancer, blood pressure and blood oxygen. We are also going to have lots of informational booths on alternative housing, HMO's, investment opportunities and much, much, more. If you've been here be- fore, come again and bring a friend. No fasting necessary for the tests. 10:00 AM- 1:00 Pty. Free. Description of or or problem: Swim! Ready, Set, How long has condition existed? Who should we contact for additional information? Phone number: Best time to ca 11: Return this form to: City Manager, City of West U, 3800 University Boulevard, Houston, T 77005-2802 or leave a message on our 24-hour Citizen Line at 662.5887 The Last Page Page 8 University Community - [r 1997 . Sunday Monday Tuesday 01001001WEENE Wednesday M= MINEMOMM I tursday =00=010110 am Friday Saturday Friends of WU Parks Newcomer's Club @ 6:30 PM, Meeting @ the West Conference Room U United Methodist Church Parlor. Parks Board Meeting 10: 3 0 A M -12 : 00 @ 7:30 PM, NOON 1 Conference Room 2 3 4 5 econd Saturday Seniors Surprise oncert @ Commu- Party. ity Center. 7:30 PM Newcomer's Club Progressive Dinner 6 7 8 9 1 11 12 Council Workshop Income Tax @ 6:30 PM Deadline Seniors trip to Gulf Conference Room Greyhound Park Council Meeting 77 @ 7:30 PM 13 Council Chamber 14 1 16 17 1 19 Seniors go to West U Home Tour IMAX 1:00PM - 5:00pM Film: "Alaska" 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Council Workshop @ 6:30 PM, Seni ors Health Fair Conference Room 10:OOAM - 1:00 PM Council Meeting -4 @ 7:30 PM A44 27 Council Chamber 2 29 301 City of West University Place 1 3800 University Boulevard ' Houston, Texas 77005 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 600 Houston, TX