HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember~M~
WEST UN
0
Volume 26, No. 9 SeL temper 1999
City i Nicaraguan relief kZ~-L",,`ort
Edloe), Colonial Park, the Community
Center and the Fire Department.
You can help by donating
® Toys for all ages (no battery-oper-
ated toys please);
® Tropical weight clothing for children
and adults;
® Sporting equipment, especially base-
ball bats, balls, gloves, soccer
balls, shin guards, etc.;
® Shoes for kids and adults; and
® Baseball caps, gimme caps, and
hats.
Barrels will be placed on September 2
and removed on September 30th. The
Rotary Club will monitor donations and
empty barrels as they are filled.
So, dig into closets and donate what-
ever you can.... these people really need
a helping hand to restart their lives.
Geneng FLL
jent
11% 6%
23%
113010
19% - 23%
tus Finance lice El Fire F3 Public Works El P&R
The $1.55 provides services from the City's six operating departments: Administra-
tion, Finance, Police Fire, Public Works, and Parks & Recreation.
77 7
r',
®$1.5E
3 The City is beginning
? its annual budget pro-
cess. We hope to see
=t you at one of the up-
coming budget work-
shops or public hearings (see website
for details), but to pique your interest a
bit, here's an overview.
Like most local governments, the City
uses funds to account for its financial
activities.
The primary fund is the General Fund,
made up of general property, sales, and
franchise taxes, as well as fees for li-
censes and permits, fines and court
costs, recreation fees, and investment
earnings, provides funding for your day-
to-day City services.
The City has nine other funds: Some
of these, like the Water Utility Fund and
the Solid Waste Fund are directly sup-
ported by fees and are generally self-
supporting. The Debt Service Fund is
used to pay off our long term debt in-
curred for the infrastructure improve-
ments and has a dedicated tax rate.
Other funds use special revenue to fund
projects or programs.
The General Fund, however, is the
primary source for most day-to-day City
services, and comes to less than $1.55
per person a day. This buys quite alot:
® Police, fire, and emergency medi-
cal services, all day, every day.
(--Feat can you buy - continued on p. 6)
® t: f. rod; O c 74 AIi
® City Lip
_
Employ Spotlight
® Inside Council Chambers
m Ordinance Spotlight
3
Police Blotter
5
Senior Calender
7
Cc-
T-11 Chambers
1-
Page 2
i'
B
.
y: Mayor Linda Lewis
As news of Houston's crime in-
glaries of a motor vehicle, reported ac-
she was right - it did seem that most
creases reached us last month, it made
cidents and auto theft have actually de-
of the burglaries and thefts occurred as
me ponder personal safety in our neigh-
creased from this same time last year.
a result of our own inattention to pro-
borhood. Certainly, if the recent West
However, the same is not true for bur-
tecting our belongings. I realized that I
University Place Community Survey
glary and theft, where dramatic in-
am guilty of the same thing. As a result,
is accurate, it is on your minds too. Over
creases have been noted. What, I
I have had two bicycles and a wallet
a third of you who responded said that
asked, is the difference? As explained
stolen from an unlocked storage area and
you felt crime is moderate to very high,
by Chief Brye, theft is property taken
car.
and 443% of you said you felt crime was
when it is left unprotected, i.e., a baby
What am I getting at? Just like other
increasing. These concerns were
stroller left in the front yard. Burglary
of our problems, crime prevention is also
enough to make me visit with Police
is property taken from enclosed pre-
part of our individual responsibility.
Chief Clary Brye to find out what is go-
mises or a vehicle. In the latter case,
Maybe we can reduce the crime in West
ing on in West U.
he pointed out that these crimes most
U by remembering to lock our posses-
Chief Brye assured me that crime in
often occur on properties where a door
sions in a protected place and to take
our community is relatively low, which
or window is left open or unlocked.
our personal computers and cell phones
is good news. Compared to other ar-
This information reminded me of a
inside rather than leave them in the car.
eas, we have very little violent crime,
comment someone recently made to me
Nothing would please me more than to
but that doesn't mean it cannot happen
at JMH. She had just read the police
have the police reports show decreas-
here. And, as we have learned, when
report in City Currents and said that it
ing crime in every category and know
such a violent crime occurs, it causes
seemed like we just weren't being very
that it is, in part, due to our individual
more than a little ripple on our usually
careful with our belongings, what, with
efforts. Won't you join me in being more
placid waters.
all the bicycles stolen from unlocked ga-
careful? I'll let you know in future
In the first quarter of this year, bur-
rages. I reviewed recent Currents, and
months if it makes a difference.
o
by Council Member John K. Grubb
® Theft 77
® Burglary 44
® Assault 28
m Robbery 6
® Total: 276 (per year)
These are per year statistics. Most
of do not move to West U intending to
remain for only one year. Instead, we
reside in West U for ten or more years.
When taking the 276 major crimes per
year and looking at what happens over
a ten year period, you discover that a
total of 2,760 major crimes are likely to
occur. Considering that there are slightly
more than 5,000 houses in West U, this
means that over a ten year period, one
out of every two households is likely to
be the victim of a major crime.
Over the next several months, we will
be voting on the 2000 budget and estab-
lishing our needs and priorities. One of
the proposals under consideration is the
addition of more volice officers. The re-
of West University Place, Tex
If you smoke,
a doorknob is
a very simple
way to keep
your kids healthier.
Go out for your kids.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Consumer Federation of America Foundation
American Medical Association
Mayor Linda Lewis (713. 2.5 1)
City Council Members Burt allanfant (713.662.5847), John ertini (713. 2.5808),
John K. Grubb (713.662.5848), ill a (713.662.5889)
C' Currents welcomes your contributions. Forward material to City Currents, 3800 University Boulevard,
West University Place, 77005, by the 10th of the month preceding publication.
General Information: 713.668.4441 - City Manager Sherman Yehl: 713.662.5810; e-mail: syet l@ci. est-university-pla .tx.
Visit _ ums a orld Wide Web at <w w ct.west-u hers' -ala _
C"lity Ua:_
u~ofr
col it%7~,, e7 and a1 I~~r..=
Concert in the Park
Enjoy a cool night with hot z
jazz on Saturday, October J k
2nd at Colonial Park from
7:00 -10:00 Pm. Bring blankets and lawn
chairs to relax on the deck or cool off
with a swim, while listening to sizzling
jazz by evolution. Colonial Park is lo-
cated at 4130 Byron. Concert admis-
sion is free, but donations will be ac-
cepted for the Friends of West U Parks.
For more information call 713.662.5892.
Fall Fun Run ~Cz Join us at Colonial
3. Parr for the 2"1 annual
Yahoo West U Furs
Run on Saturday, Oc-
tober 23`d at 8:00 AM. The run will be
held in conjunction with the West U El-
mentary School Carnival. All proceeds
from the run will go to the West U El-
ementary School P T.A.
Sign up for one of two races - the I
mile run/walk or the 5b run. Entry forms
will be available after September 111
For more information, call David Pippin
at 713.668.7642.
Page 3
This month's ordinance spotlight is...
L1LM are! Low clearance ahead.
Trees provide a natural accent to West U streets and in some
places form an attractive canopy of leaves and limbs. Never-
theless, these same trees are potentially dangerous to larger ve-
hicles, especially to West U fire and garbage trucks. Keeping trees trimmed is,
for many, a dreadful chore. But, low limbs are a potential threat to public safety,
certain vehicles and to the trees themselves.
Basically, these larger vehicles need 15' of clearance from the street to the
lowest branch. Low hanging limbs can not only do extensive damage to ve-
hicles, but could fall later to injure pedestrians or bicyclists who just happen to
be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Residents are also obligated to keep the visibility triangle clear. This is the
area that begins at the intersection points of the curbs of each of two streets
forming a corner and extending 20' along each curb away from the intersection
point (the third side is determined by using a straight line connecting the ends of
the 20' extensions). The triangle includes both public and private property.
The City has the authority to enter a visibility triangle and remove trees or
plants that obstruct the view.
New Classes at Colonial Park
H2® Aerobic Jamz
Burn fat while puniping up the
jamz! H?O Aerobic Jamz is a 45
minute high-intensity water aero-
bics class designed to burn calo-
ries.
Day & Time: M[W 9:00 - 9:45Am
Fees: $55/$65 - six weeks
Instructor: Caroline Parker
Body Sculpting
Use your body's own resistance to
G ' sculpt abs, obliques, inner and outer
lI thighs, hamstrings, calves and buns
while improving upper body strength
- and overall flexibility.
Day & Time: MfW 10:00 -11:00 ARC
Fees: $55/$65
Instructor: Marlena Groomer
Call Colonial Park for more information, 713 668.7643
one of only three recy-
cling programs in
Texas.
A loyal corp of about
twenty volunteers ran the program and
staffed the center for the first year. The
group cleaned oil drums for recyclables,
purchased dollies and distributed program
flyers. The program was a "hands-on"
project for the volunteers, who crushed
glass, sorted paper, stomped aluminum
cans, peeled labels off containers, and
delivered the sorted materials to buyers.
ffiWor%cally (poak%ng..
In 1972, recycling was not a house-
hold word. Warner and Sharron Strang,
new residents to West U, wanted to
change this. Having participated in a
recycling program in California, the
Strangs believed West U residents
would respond enthusiastically to a well-
run recycling program and voiced their
opinion at a town meeting. A group of
fellow believers brought the idea be-
fore City Council. The council approved
the concept, and provided start-up funds
of $500, plus the use of a city-owned
hnildinu WP.ct IPq nPw nrnarnm wnc
ts,wcvrwuuy opt,"rcrrrg - Lontgnucu urctr. vJ
4
"bin" or not t "bin" I Recycling
that i t question! On Recycling Wednesdays,
West U's new service provider,
BFI, makes two separate
Chief Gary Brye dons the Kirwood DerbyAward
received for outstandiT£' citizen service.
Randall's or Kroger for recycling.
Police Blotter
Page 5
July, 1999
Auto Theft Criminal Mischief
4200 Tennyson - July 5. Resident
6100 For-dham -July 2. Resident dis-
reported his vehicle missing from his
covered the window of her vehicle
driveway. The 1983 navy-blue Jeep 07
smashed and an empty beer bottle lying
was recovered in Houston the follow-
in the front seat. Nothing was missing.
ing day. The battery and doors were
No suspects or additional witnesses;
missing. No suspects or witnesses; case
case pending further information.
pending further information.
4200 Lehigh - July 2. Resident re-
ported that as a black Toyota 4-Runner
Burglary o a Building
_ e without headlights drove past
her home, a package of ba-
6000 Fordham - July 12.
gels was thrown on her front
A contractor reported that
yard. The driver was a fe-
someone had entered a house
male wearing a scarf and the
under construction without per-
j passenger was a young male.
mission. 1 ie found the kitchen
The resident then received a
windows open and back doors e
phone call from a female who
ajar. Numerous light fixtures
identified herself as "Rena".
and ceiling fans were stolen. No sus-
The caller stated that "the package of
cts or additional witnesses; case pend-
bagels had been delivered". The num-
ing further information.
ber on the caller I.D. was checked, but
Burglary of a Motor Vehicle
by ~oI1CP.CTte~Fry~' 8ry~i
Gary o Br ye
Forgery/Credit Car Abuse
Cri_ ° 1 Trespass
6600 vrom ton - July 20. An of-
ficer responded to a home alarm call
and found the resident of the home on
her second floor balcony saying there
(Blotter - continued on gage 6)
Page
(dotter - continued from p. 5) 1 (What can you buy - continued from p. 1) f
eral of the missing checks had been
cashed. Turned over to the detectives
for further investigation.
3700 Wroxton - July 25. Resident
advised that one of four boxes of checks
ordered was never delivered to his
home. After advising the bank, the ac-
count was closed, but not before 25
checks were presented for payment.
Turned over to the detectives for fur-
ther investigation.
3000 Lafayette - July 31. Resident's
car was serviced in the 6800 block of
Kirby. She forgot to pick up her credit
card when she left. Returning a short
time later, she discovered the card miss-
ing. The cashier, who had been work-
ing earlier, had gone home. The em-
ployers had no way of contacting the
employee. The resident called the credit
card company to report the loss. Some-
one had already used the card several
times. Turned over to the detectives for
further investigation.
Other
2700 Robinhood - July 27. Resident
reported that while jogging, she noticed
a man watching her. The man was
standing behind his open car door. As
she jogged closer, she realized he was
totally nude. He exposed himself to her.
He then got in his car a drove away.
She ran home and called the police. The
resident believes she may have seen this
same man in his red car a few weeks
earlier. He watched her as she gardened
in her front yard. When asked why he
was there, he stated that he was just
admiring her body. The white male with
dark hair, possibly in his late 20's to early
30's was about 5'11 185 lbs and mus-
cular.
Theft
tractor reported a theft in progress at a
construction site. A young Hispanic
male was caught loading tools into the
back of his red Dodge pick-up truck.
After being told to put the tools back on
the site, the young man returned the
items and left the scene. The witness
was able to get a license plate number.
Turned over to the detectives for fur-
ther investigation.
3800 Tangley - July 24. A builder
advised that someone had removed 64
sheets of 1-1/8" plywood from the con-
struction site overnight. No suspects or
additional witnesses; case pending fur-
ther information.
3100 Cason - July 27. A visitor stay-
ing with family discovered his airline tick-
ets to Australia missing from a counter.
A number of workers were doing con-
struction in the house. The tickets were
cancelled. No suspects or witnesses;
case pending further information.
Safety rulesi.1-
The West U Police De-
partment wants you to think
safety and they are going to .
tell you about it.
Officers will be reminding walkers and
joggers to be careful out there with spe-
cial cards that they will be distributing
to those out on the streets.
While we all know walking or jogging
is great exercise and a good way to stay
healthy, residents need to be careful
when using City streets because the
roadway is shared with cars, trucks, bi-
cycles and buses.
Some drives think walkers and joggers
are a nuisance. Residents can be pro-
tected by following a few simple rules:
• Use sidewalks when at all possible.
• Always face traffic when walking or jogging
in the streets.
• Cross streets only at intersections or marked
crosswalks.
• Wear bright colors or reflective clothing when
out at night.
• When walking with pets, make sure your dog
is on a leash.
• Keep the volume down on those personal
stereo systems.
• Use the buddy system (don't walk alone),
but don't all walk side-by-side, either.
• Carry a cell phone, personal alarm or whistle.
• Watch your kids - children should not cross
-x streets by themselves or be allowed to play
or walk near traffic.
® Street maintenance and cleaning,
® Street and traffic signs,
® Animal control,
• Subsidy for solid waste collection,
® Park and recreation programs and
facilities (including Colonial Park, the
Community Center Building, Scout
Douse, and a subsidy to the opera-
tions of the recreation fields at West
U Elementary School),
® Building and construction inspection
services,
® Mosquito control,
® Health and restaurant inspections,
® Right-of-way maintenance,
® Senior programs and services,
Planning & development,
® City Currents and the website,
® Recruitment and testing,
® Municipal court, and
® All municipal, legislative, administra-
tive and support services.
If you're interested in how the City
spends its revenues, please join the
Council for one of the budget workshops,
to be scheduled in September. A public;
hearing on the budget will be held in
October. Details will be posted on our
website later this month at www.ci.wesi-
tiniversify-place..tx. its. You may also
contact us using older technology at
713.662.5812.
.'age 7
® Se[ - Jr __`eJnesday
® September 10, Friy*
Y2K and you. -
Our financial advi-
sor will comment
on food, shelter,
power, banks,
bills, checking ac-
counts, ATS and more. Open to
all ages. 10:00 - 11:00 AM. Free.
® r-pte r 16, Thursday*
Knitting it Lola.
Lola beoins another
Location:
Description of work or proble :
® Sep_ember 22, Wei nesday*
Repeat program. If
you were unable to
attend the seminar held on the
evening on September 22nd, we
hope you will join us today. Our ob-
jective is to encourage residents to
watch for and help their neighbors.
Training seminars will be scheduled
in the future. 2:00 - 3:00 Pm. Free.
® September 7, Monday*
* September 9, Thu ay*
D Learn about Victorian
Jewelry. The first
nart of the to-nart
ow long has condition existed?
Who should we contact for additional information?
one n ter: Best time to call:
City of West University lace
000 University Boulevard
West University Place, Tex 77005
sumay
iV.C,__.-:.,y
®v ay
lil _...V
y
J
Friends of West U -
Newcomer's Clu
Parks @ 6:30 Pat
Coffee, 10:30AM
Council Chambers
NOON, Communit
Parks Board @ 7:30
Center.
Council Chambers
1
2
3
'
Ci ffiCS
Recycling and Soli
Senior Services Board
r
osed
Waste Reductio
Meeting @ 2:30 Pry.
in l'ai'c iti
Board @6:30 PM i
I
~f Lebw Day
the Public Work
Lunch Room.
No Solid Taste
Pick-up today6
7
9
Council Workshop
Zoning and Planning
@ 6:30 Pal
Commission 06:45 P
Council Chambers
City hall Conference
Council Meeting
a
°
E
Room
I'
@ 7:30 Pat Council
12
Chambers
15
16
17
19 20
ounelt worKsnol
@ 6:30 Pat City Count
it Chambers
Council Meeting
@ 7:30 Pat City Count
it Chambers
27
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