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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarchCloty successful in securing f. (1]`, The Texas Transportation Commission has approved West U's funding request for $862,000 to improve University and Edloe Streets in the City's Town Center area. "This is terrific news for West U," said Mayor Linda Lewis. "These funds will create a pedestrian friendly area mak- ing it safer for our children and helping to improve the look of our public areas." Lewis also noted that this is the first time in West U history that the City has received such funds. "We are just very fortunate to have this program come along at this time while we are in the middle of infrastruc- ture improvements in our downtown area," she said. According to city manager Sherman Yehl, funds will be used to improve the walkability of the area, provide sitting and gathering places, install pedestrian level street lighting, and link Town Cen- ter to other parts of the city. State Rep. Kyle Janek, who lobbied with city officials for funding, was also pleased with the announcement. "I have been impressed with West U's pro-active approach in seeking these funds to improve pedestrian and child safety. With West U Elementary School and the active youth sports program, I believe these improvements are critical in developing and maintaining a pedes- trian friendly area in this highly traf- ficked location," Janek said. Funding was approved by the Com- mission under the Statewide Transpor- tation Enhancement Program through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century. The City will be required to match 20% of the state funding for the project. Counting on you Community leaders use the census for everything from planning schools and building roads to providing recreational opportunities and managing health care services. But the mandate for conduct- ing a census every 10 years comes from the U.S. Constitution. The importance of the census as an instrument of de- mocracy has not diminished since 1790 -when the first census was taken. The need for a census arose soon af- ter the 13 colonies broke their ties with Great Britain. The Revoluntionary War was expensive and the census provided a way to allocate the debt among the states. The founding fathers also wanted to establish a truly representa- tive government and linking state popu- lation totals to the number of members in the House of Representatives would serve this purpose. By counting people for both taxes and representation, the founding fathers be- lieved the census would be both accu- rate and fair. While the states might be inclined to inflate the numbers to increase their representation in Congress, using the numbers for taxation would discour- age any attempt to fudge the numbers. Although the census' role in tax collec- tion ended in 1913 when the 161 Amend- ment authorized the direct taxation of individuals, its role in maintaining repre- sentative government is as strong today as ever. Some people consider participating in the census as important as voting. But, (Counting on you - continued on p. 7) ® Board Committee Flews 6 ® Calendar of events 3 ® City Life 3 ® Employee Spotlight 4 ® Inside Council Chambers 2 ® Ordinance Spotlight 4 ® Police Blotter 5 ® Senior Calendar 7 Volume 27, No. 3 March 2000 Inside Council Chambers Page 2 By: Mayor Linda Lewis Volunteers are at the heart of this com- munity, and for as many years as I can remember, that has been the case. Pres- ently, more than 150 folks give their free time to creative thinking, objective lis- tening, and recommending solutions to problems that are both real and antici- pated. Three groups that have been in- credibly busy in recent months are the Traffic Task Force, the Zoning & Plan- ning Commission, and the steering com- mittee for Home Place Celebration. The Traffic Task Force has tackled some of West U's difficult traffic issues. After weeks of meetings and hours of fact finding investigations, the group has recommended to council changes that will impact how we drive in our commu- nity. Experimental procedures will be implemented on Belmont at Cason and around Judson Park. Citizen input will determine whether or not these trial so- lutions become permanent and how ap- propriate they would be for other areas in the city. A more permanent resolu- tion, textured parking lanes, which visu- ally narrow the street thus resulting in slower speeds, will be installed on the 3700 block of Sunset. We know that everyone will not be supportive of these changes, but if we are to do something about a traffic problem that most people agree exists, we must start somewhere. The Zoning & Planning Commission has completed two major tasks in a rela- tively short period of time. Responding to a council request that they involve themselves with planning, the group has prepared a Comprehensive Plan that broadly outlines a direction this and suc- ceeding councils should consider during the next 10 years. The ZPC has also studied the perimeter of West U and rec- ommended changes that will impact how future development occurs. Both the Plan and peripheral changes will be dis- cussed during public hearings at council sessions in March. The steering committee for Home Place Celebration is comprised of more than 20 West U and Southside resi- dents who have been meeting for sev- eral months to plan a multitude of events scheduled for April. In addition, they have successfully raised funds that will not only cover the cost of the activities, but will have an overage that will assist in the purchase of new playground equip- ment at West University Elementary. This celebration shows the power of a community whose residents care about each other. I hope all of you will partici- pate in some facet of the event. No, West U would not be the same place without the people who give so much-for each of you I am truly grate- ful. Incidentally, anyone interested in becoming involved with volunteer oppor- tunities, please contact City Secretary Kaylynn Holloway, 713.662.5813. I l'f C ~ lliC 6 earic City Council - Zoning and Planning Commission Municipal Building Council Chambers 3800 University Boulevard i! Monday, March 1311 r 7:30 PM West U Comprehensive Plan Monday, arch 71h I` 7:30 PM Eripheral Development ; u by Council Meinber Burt Ballanfant As a councilman, who was elected as a reaction to previous initiatives, I was often asked if I was opposed to planning or had anything that I was committed to do. My answer was that I favored fo- cused planning that was directed at our infrastructure project. Much of our traf- fic situation and any effort to improve the function and aesthetics of the city could and should be addressed during the largest infrastructure project the city will undertake. A second commitment was that the cost should be examined to en- sure that the city could meet its commit- ment. After our acceleration of the in- frastructure project we have achieved approximately $2 million in savings. We have also determined, that with Metro contributions and interest earned, the project is on target financially at this time. Moreover, we have now been awarded a substantial grant from the State of Texas, which will further ease our financial requirements while giving us greater flexibility to make improve- ments desired by the community. The most exciting part of the planning process is that in utilizing an enormous amount of citizen input through the Traf- fic Task Force and other citizen forums, several issues have been addressed and priorities have been established that can Documents available on our website at WWW be incorporated into the infrastructure project. This will involve some change in how the city and its streets look. It is impos- sible to incorporate every viewpoint into the final solution, but I hope that our citi- zens will participate in the discourse and that our collective wisdom will lead to better decisions that serve most people's interests. I The City of West University Place, Texas Mayor Linda Lewis (713.662.5801) City Council Members Burt Ballanfant (713.662.5847), John Bertini (713.662.5808), John K. Grubb (713.6625848), Bill May (713.662.5889) City Currents welcomes your contributions. Forward material to City Currents, 3800 University Boulevard, West University Place, TX 77005, by the 10th of the month preceding publication. General Information: 713.668.4441® City Manager Sherman Ychl: 713.662.5810; e-mail: syehl@ci.west-university-place.tx.us Visit us on the World Wide Web at <www.ci.west-university- lace.tx.us> it 1 Page 3 . ` Home !ac Celebration The cities of West U and Southside Place are planning a month long series of events beginning next month, called the Home Place Celebration. The Celebration's goal is to strengthen the community by providing activities that encourage neighbors to meet and interact. To kick off the event, an outdoor concert, featuring music by the Committee and the Brian Black Band, is planned for April 111. Concert tickets are $5.00 each; family packs of 5 tickets are $20.00. Children under 5 are free. Tickets are currently on sale at West U Elementary and West U and Southside Place City Halls. See the Calendar of Events, included in this issue, for a complete listing of Home Place Events. For additional information, please contact the West U Parks and Recreation Department at 713.662.5892. ring read a Children ages 5 -10 will en- joy a fun-filled week of arts and crafts, games, outdoor ac- tivities, and swimming. Children need to bring a sack lunch each day. We'll pro- vide the snacks. Children must know how to swim. Please register at the Commu- nity Building, 6104 Auden or call 713.662.5892 for more information. Dates: March 13 -17 Fees: $75/$85NR Time: 8:30 AM -1:30 PM Camp Coordinator: Lachele Stoeck Location: Scout House, 6108 Edloe (Tuesday 3/14 at Colonial Park) ThAnnual Biathlon Series All races will take place at Colonial Park, 4130 Byron, at 8:00 AM. The se- ries consists of a 350 yd. swim in a cov- ered, heated pool and 5K run. All ages and abilities are encouraged to give it a try! Entry forms are available at Colo- nial Park, the Community Building, and Bikesport. For more information, please contact Dave Pippin at 713.668.7642. Series: Entry fees: Race 1 March 41 Individual $12.00 Race2 April 81 Relay Team $18.00 Race 3 May 201h Second Saturday once Enjoy an evening of bluegrass/coun- try music, with one of the most popular and requested bands in Texas, Arkan- sas, and Louisiana. Hickory Hill is known for the warm personality and stage presence of its members as well as their vocal and instrumental talents. An evening with Hickory Hill is an evening of musical variety-from coun- try to bluegrass and traditional to con- temporary sprinkled with an abundance of homespun humor. The concert will be held at the West U Community Center, 6104 Auden, on March 11th at 7:30 PM. Tickets will be on sale at the door-adults $8; Seniors (65) $4; children under 12 free with adults. Homemade refreshments avail- able for purchase. For more information, please call 281.347.3235 or 281.495.2923. Here's the itch! r West U Little League begins its 51St season with the annual Opening Day Ceremonies and Carnival beginning at 2:30 PM on Saturday, April 1, 2000 at Paul Wallin Field. Presentation ceremo- nies will be followed by the Carnival at 3:30 PM. Tickets are $6.00 each. Tents will be provided in the event of rain. All proceeds benefit West U Little League. The League provides the op- portunity to play Little League ball to over 900 children annually from the ar- eas of West U, Southampton, Southgage and Southside Place. Sunday, April 2 is Team Picture Day at Paul Wallin Field. For more information regarding Open- ing Day Ceremonies/Carnival contact Michelle Pinkerton at 713.663.7070 or Kathy Arcidiacono at 713.661.8683; Picture Day, Laurie Sellers at 713.661.0549 or Kristin Gauntt at 713.668.1200; and Publicity, Susan Coupe at 713.660.6698 or Dee Sellers at 713.666.8900. I r Lovers spring Thank you, Park Lovers! Funds raised by the annual Park Lovers Ball continue to enable West U to acquire, develop, and renovate park sites in our city. The Ball is the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund, Inc.'s largest fundraising event. How- ever, there are many other ways for West U citizens to contribute-establish memorials and bequests, help obtain grants, purchase Park Pavers, use your Randalls Card and the Friends number 4576, or check off for a parks donation on your water bill. The Friends, a volunteer group, is a pri- vate, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation fdiatorie llg 6pizaking... During their first meeting on January 2, 1925, the West U City Commission- ers discussed the need for law enforce- ment in the community. In late March of that year, by Ordinance No. 2, they created the office of Town Marshall. The town's small size and semi-rural setting made the Town Marshall's job pretty routine during the first years. One of Murray's first actions was to ask the Commission to draft a dog ordinance, "as there was very urgent need of such." When the first City Hall was built in 1928, the police department occupied a 12' x 12' room. In 1930, the first police car was purchased. By 1940 the police department had increased from two to four full-time police officers. When the current City Hall was built in 1954, the Police Department was given three rooms for their headquar- ters. By the early 1980's the depart- ment had grown to approximately 25 of- ficers and staff. Two lots adjacent to (Historically Speaking - continued on p. 7) forward t support West U chartered to raise funds to improve West U parks. It is composed of citi- zens who are appointed by City Coun- cil in three-year renewable terms. The Friends work closely with the West U Parks Board and are supported by an Advisory Committee of residents. Since its inception through 2000, the Friends have raised over one million dollars. This includes a $100,000 gift from Michael Huffington to name Huffington Park in honor of J.M. Huffington. Other con- tributions include a $47,000 bequest; a $10,000 memorial to establish "Phyllis' Corner"; Wortham Foundation grants of (Park Lovers - continued on p. 7) This Month's Employee in the Spot- light is Horace Lassien. Horace joined the West U team in October of 1999 as a maintenance/field services worker in the public works department. Prior to joining the West U ranks, Horace worked as a shift worker and program technician for New Direction, a drug rehabilitation center for ex-of- fenders. Before moving to Houston from Orange, Texas in August of 1994, Horace worked for the City of Orange in the Water and Sewer Department as a utility service worker/bill collector. Horace identifies three goals he con- siders important in his position as a West U employee: respect your co-workers and yourself, encourage those who need it, and provide residents with the best service possible at all times. Working to pursue these goals has led to his re- cent nomination as Employee of the Month for the month of January by his fellow employees. Horace is a native Texan born in Or- ange. He and his wife Carolyn have three sons, a granddaughter and grand- son. They are active members of the Greater Pure Light Baptist Church where they work in the Youth Drug Program. "Horace is an asset to our division. Since he started in October of 1999, he has proven himself to be an excellent employee," says Patrick Walters, Utili- ties Superintendent. 4 Congratulations Horace, on being chosen Employee of the Month for January. Page 4 Ordinance spotlight... [00 Rules for Rover _ ll You may have read this once before, but with ` the onset of spring, we've decided to print this again. Before you take Rover for that long-awaited run through the City, please keep in mind the following rules: ® Small children are unaware of how to approach a dog, and this could lead to a bite. With this in mind, City ordinance requires that dogs be on a leash at all times and under the control of a person capable of holding the dog even if the animal gets excited. Dogs are not allowed in city parks. ® Dogs can run at large off the leash only in a secure enclosure. This keeps your pet safe, prevents your dog from running into the street, and protects your pet from children and other passersby. ® It is the responsibility of the owner or the dog-walker to pick up and dispose of all droppings. ® It is unlawful to possess any dog which, by loud or unusual barking or howl- ing, either disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood, or would disturb a person of ordinary sensitivity residing adjacent to the place where the barking or howling occurs. All cats and dogs must be registered. The City offers two ways to register your pet. You can have your pet microchipped with a personal, one-of-a-kind identification number, which is injected under the pet's skin. The microchip re- mains safely in place for the life of your pet. We also offer a regular tag that fits on your pet's collar. The tag provides a lifetime registration as well. If it is lost or stolen, it cannot be replaced. A new registration must be completed. ® With this technology came change. When the PETrac registration went into effect in 1997, all registrations prior to June, 1997 expired. ® If you have a question about your pet's registration, contact our Animal Con- trol Officer at 713.662.5853. WATER WORKS Water Conservation begins at home Water conservation is very important to all of us. Saving water for future citizens, controlling water bills, and maintaining rates at a low level are some of the reasons why you should conserve water. We can reach these goals by practicing water conservation. Here are some water conservation methods we can apply to our daily lives. ® Turn water off while brushing teeth or shaving. Run water only when needed. ® Keep a container of water in the refrigerator for drinking. ® When washing your car use a nozzle with a spring-loaded valve or turn water off when not in use. ® Only run dishwashers with full loads. Scrape and rinse food particles from dishes after use to reduce extra washing that may be required to remove hardened food. ® Only run the clothes washer with full loads or use load settings for small loads. ® Use soaker hoses buried under mulch to water garden areas. ® Set sprinkler timers to allow for the equivalent of 1/a inch of rain twice a week. Do this by setting a pie pan in the sprinkler zone and measuring the amount of time to accumulate 1/4 inch in the pie pan. ® Don't allow automatic sprinklers to run when it's raining. Turn the sprinkler controls off and then turn them back on after three days of no rain. ® If possible, avoid using sprinklers on windy days. The wind will blow the water away from the lawn and increase water evaporation. Other activities can aid our water conservation goals-installing water conserv- ing fixtures and appliances and prompt detection and repair of leaks. We intend to (Water Works - continued on p. 7) 'Wlh i ter January, 2000 ~L LL~L - Cr° inal N% chief U P C11 6300 Belmont - January 2. Driver's side vehicle window was shattered. 2700 Nottingham - January 2. Rear vehicle window was shattered. 2800 Rice - January 2. Driver's side rear vehicle window was shattered. 6700 Belmont - January 2. Driver's side vehicle window was shattered. 2900 Bissonnet - January 3. Pry marks were located on the top center of garage door. Access was not gained. 6700 Brompton - January 18. Mirror was broken off vehicle parked on street. 3600 Rice - January 29. A beer bottle was thrown through the window of a vehicle parked on the street, shattering the windshield. Burglary of Motor Vehicle 5300 Kirby - January 2. Vehicle, parked in a business parking lot, was bro- ken into. Suspect taken into custody at the scene. Another suspect was later arrested. 2800 Sunset - January 8. Several items were removed from an unlocked vehicle and left at the scene. 3500 Bellaire - January 7. Property was stolen from unlocked vehicle. 3700 Robinhood - January 8. Sev- eral items, left unsecured and visible, were stolen from an unlocked garage. Suspect was seen leaving the scene. 2600 Carolina Way - January 12. Left rear vehicle window was shattered and a CD player removed. 2600 Centenary - January 20. Sev- eral items were stolen from two un- locked vehicles parked in a driveway. 2700 Pittsburg - January 21. Credit cards and other items were stolen from an unlocked vehicle in unlocked garage. 2700 Pittsburg - January 21. Sev- eral items and a cell phone were stolen Did you e.. In the fourth quarter of 1999, there were 48 burglaries of motor vehicles in West U. Of those burglaries, 7% were committed by simply opening unlocked car doorsl from an unsecured vehicle. The re- mote control locking device may have malfunctioned. 4200 Albans - January 24. Laptop computer stolen from locked vehicle. 3800 Marlowe - January 24. Brief- case was stolen from locked vehicle. 4200 Dartmouth - January 24. A purse was stolen from locked vehicle. 5800 Auden - January 26. Radio's detachable face was stolen from unse- cured vehicle. Fraud/Forgery 2700 Tangley - January 5. Suspect used resident's personal debit card information to sub- scribe to bank's website. 4100 Southwestern - January 23. Resident's stolen credit cards were used to make unauthorized purchases. Burglary of a Building 3800 Browning - January 3. Bike was stolen from an open garage. 2900 Albans - January 5. Several items were stolen from an unlocked vehicle and garage. 5300 Kirby - January 7. Several items were stolen from a business af- ter suspects cut a hole in the roof. 6300 Brompton - January 14. Bike stolen from garage. 2700 Pittsburg - January 21. Work tools were stolen from a garage. 3700 Georgetown - January 31. Pry marks were located on the center panel of a garage. Entry was not gained. Burglary of a Habitation 4100 Coleridge - January 9. An at- tempt was made to gain entry into a residence. Entry was not gained. Theft 3700 University - January 19. Un- secured bike was stolen from bike rack. 2700 Pittsburg - January 21. Bike was stolen from unlocked garage. 5400 Kirby - Janaury 22. Patio fur- niture was stolen from a business. Page 5 by Folic-- ChZef K"v #v Begley Spring is just around the corner. As the weather warms, people tend to spend more time outside. Kids enjoy the out- doors and enjoy playing in the parks scattered throughout West U. Many of our parks have lighting and are enjoyed well into the evening. I would like to remind everyone that the speed limits on streets immediately adjacent to West U parks is 20 miles per hour. Speed limits throughout the City are already relatively low, but it is essential that drivers remain aware of the parks and anticipate pedestrians in that area. Our children are our most precious resource. They frequently go to the parks to play. Safety rules are not their main concern. Therefore, they may make mistakes. As adults, it is our responsibility to ensure that these mis- takes do not lead to tragedy. Failure to slow around parks will only save a driver a few seconds, but could cost a child his/her life. It isn't worth it! Another issue related to the outdoors is that of dogs on a leash. We all love our dogs-they're part of the family. As the weather warms, more and more of us take our dogs with us while walking, jogging or biking. City Ordinances re- quire that dogs must be on a leash when not confined in an enclosure. That in- cludes dogs that are in their owner's yard but not inside a fence. The family of a dog found in violation of this ordi- nance is subject to a citation with a sig- nificant fine. Dog owners must also clean up after their dogs. Everyone wants to enjoy their front yards and the parks without having to worry about a dog having fouled the grass. It is not only the law, but simple neighborliness to pick up after our dogs. Thank you and be safe! Chief Xevin Begley Motor Vehicle Theft 3600 Sunset - January 20. A van loaded with lawn equipment was stolen. The vehicle was later recovered without the lawn equipment. 2700 Pemberton - January 27. A vehicle was stolen from a driveway. Page 6 Let's light ur, ` , L' by Mary Grace Greenwood, Neighborhood Safety Board member V There is no question that a well lit house is less attractive to burglars and vandals. A street that does not have the extra illumination of porch lights is pretty spooky. Although the prison yard effect is not necessary, you should turn on whatever lights you have and leave them on all night. Prowlers often stay up past your bedtime. Even a 60-watt porch light bulb will act as a deterrent. If you can't remember to turn your lights on and off every day, consider install- ing photoelectric devices, timers, or motion detectors that turn the lights on auto- matically. Installation can be as simple as screwing an adapter into an existing light socket. Costs vary depending on the device. A simple adapter may cost less than $10, while a more elaborate system will run into the $100s. To determine if you need additional lighting to illuminate potential hiding places or walkways, turn on your outdoor lights and walk around your house. Landscape lights and tree lights are attractive and provide additional safety. Before installing new lighting, make sure you are not lighting up your neighbors' bedrooms at night. City ordinance prohibits high output lighting devices from directly illuminating any part of another building site. A Light is presumed to be directly illuminating if it casts light which casts a distinct shadow upon the site or building or the bulb or light source is visible from the site or building. Let's make our neighborhoods safer-turn on the lights! Keep up the good work'. Courtesy of the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board - - Did you realize that West U is recycling 25% of its solid waste? r For every three truckloads of garbage that go to the landfill, one truckload is recycled. One goal of the Recycling Committee is to make it easier to reuse and recycle. We are also working to meet some aggressive goals for waste reduction set by the State. Recycling makes good cents. In 1999 the recycling center on Dincans, RecycleExpress, and the Wednesday curbside program generated over $33,000 in revenue for the City and allowed us to avoid $55,000 in tipping fees, which are charged for each truck entering the landfill. The first truck on Wednesdays picks up "commingled" material-plastics 1 and 2 only), bi-metal cans, aluminum cans, and clear and colored bottles. The second truck picks up paper and card- board. Since paper and cardboard make up about 60% of the materials that are recycled each year, it is especially important to avoid disposing of them with regu- lar garbage. Take advantage of these opportunities to recycle! How dark is the night? With the onset of warmer weather, more and more residents are hitting the pavement in their run- ning and walking shoes, especially in the late afternoons and evenings. West U, with the help of HL&P/Reliant illuminates the streets for nighttime use. Every month, the West U Police Depart- ment, conducts a city wide check for street light outages. The list is than for- warded to HL&P for repairs or replace- ment of the burnt out lights. If you notice a broken or burnt out light, please call the Police Department at 713.662.5850. Remember to note the location and the pole number for easy identification. The night shift will con- firm the outage before notifying HL&P. I may not be your duty Some West U residents have received summonses to serve as jurors in the Houston Municipal Court. Under state law, a resident of one city is ineligible to serve on a jury in another city's munici- pal court. The Presiding Judge of the Houston Municipal Court advises that anyone receiving such an erroneous sum- mons mail it back after writing on it an explanation-"I am not a resident of the City of Houston; I five in the City of West University Place." Mail it to: Presiding Judge Houston Municipal Courts 1400 Lubbock Houston, Texas 77002 Houston court personnel are working on a solution to the cause of the prob- lem-incorrect geo-coding, or poor sort- ing of addresses along city limit lines. ~Council Approves Temporary Traffic Calming Measures The Traffic Task Force recently gained approval from Council to implement temporary traffic calming measures for the south- east quadrant of West U. A traffic study was conducted and a proposal created in response to resident complaints of in- creased traffic going to and from the recently developed commercial property south of Holcombe. Traffic calming measures will be tested at the intersections of Belmont at Cason, Brompton at Holcombe and Wakeforest at Arbuckle. The measures incorporate islands in the intersection or in the middle of the street to physically slow traffic and to call attention to the residential nature of the street. The City Engineer is researching tech- niques to create temporary versions of these traffic calming measures, pre- dicted for installation in the spring. The devices will be in place for 90 days, dur- ing which time the TTF will conduct fol- low-up data collection and resident sur- veys. If the traffic calming measures produce positive measurable results and are generally accepted by residents, the proposals will be sent back to Council with a cost estimate for the permanent installation recommendation. If you would like a free tree from the Test U Tree Trust, please call 713.662.5893. Leave your name & address and we will send you an application. Otherwise, feel free to stop in and pick up an application r' City Hall, 3800 Universityy or Public 'forks, 3826 Amherst. Nurryl We need to plant as soon as Possiblel - March 2,Thursday Enjoy a trip to the Messina Hof Winery in Bryan for a tour, tasting, and lunch. Take a look at the winery's romantic Bed and Breakfast, the Villa. The trip also includes a pottery demonstration and antique and gift shopping in the Old Bryan Marketplace. 8:15 AM - 5:30 PM. Price to be announced. ® arch 7, Tuesday Join us for a trip to the Houston Em- broidery Guild's exhibit at the Houston Baptist University. 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM. - March 13, Monday ilf-10 1 -11 Enjoy a behind-the- scenes guided tour of the Alley Theater. 10:15 AM - 12:30 PM. (Counting on you - continued from p.1) unlike voting, the census touches every- one living in the U.S.-regardless of age or citizenship status. As one of the foun- dations of our democratic process, the census provides every person in the U.S. with an equal voice in Congress. (Park Lovers - continued from p.3) $150,000; and over $750,000 from the Park Lovers Ball. About $25,000 has also been netted from park paver sales. Prior to the Friends, and according to Mark Spradling, who was Chair of the long-range planning committee in 1988, "No real fundraising was in effect. All costs of the parks were paid from funds allocated within the City's budget. People did not have a way to donate to the parks with a tax deduction." The Friends of West University Place Parks Fund, Inc. was incorporated and offi- cially recognized by the City in May of 1988. "The citizens and businesses of West U deserve huge accolades for coming together and creating wonder- ful green spaces in place of the tired playgrounds of the past," said Linda Gray, Friends Board Chair. For more information, contact Friends Board members or the City of West U. - March 17, Friday The Artist Spotlight at the Glassell highlights artists in the Core Pro- gram. Students from around the world will tell us about their artwork. 9:30 AM - NOON. March 22, Wednesday Don't miss this morning's mati- nee at the Alley Theater. Noel Coward's play, Hay Fever, is one of the most well know comedies and is directed by Stephen Rayne. 8:45 AM - NOON. Cost varies on group size. Payment must be made by March 1. - March 31, Friday Tour the Audrey Jones Beck build- ing of the Fine Arts Museum. After a lecture, enjoy docent-led tours. 9:30 AM -NOON. Free. It's Confidantial The Census Bureau is strongly committed to confidentiality. By law, the Census Bureau is prohibited from sharing information on individu- als with any person or organization, including the IRS, the FBI and the IBS. All Census Bu- reau emplopes must take an oath not to divulge respondent s data. Violation of the oath can re- sult in a $5000 fine and up to five nears in fail. (Historically Speaking - continued from p.3) City Hall were purchased, and a sepa- rate Police Department building erected in 1985. The WUPD has come a long way since 1925. Currently, there are 28 po- lice department employees. Seven more employees will be added to the depart- ment in the near future. For a copy of the West U Historical Society's Book, Stepping Back in Time, which chronicles the history of West U, call June Begeman at 713.666.5721. I ant ne numbers! For questions about infrastructure 1 mprove- Monts and management issues, please contact Public Works Director, Ed Manville at 713.662.5840. For general in- formation call 713.662.5839. - April 5, Wednesday Page 7 Enjoy a trip to Carolyn Thompson's Antique Center of Texas. Jay Amann will meet us at her booth for information and ap- praisals. Lunch is available at the mall. 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. April 10, Monday Join us for our annual trip to the monastery of Bishop Timofi and learn to create Ukrainian-style decorated eggs. We hope to meet his mother and enjoy lunch on their premises. 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM. 662.5895 for more make reservations to =events. (Water Works - continued front p. 4) offer water conservation audits and leak detection audits for residential custom- ers in May of 2000. Watch future edi- tions of Currents for more details. For more information on water conser- vation, contact the West U Water Utili- ties at 713.662.5839 or by email to pwaltersC ci west-university- place.tx.us. If you need assistance af- ter hours, please contact the Police De- partment dispatcher at 713.662.5850. WATER WORDS articles and water conservation tips are available on the City's web site at www.ci.west-univer- sity-place.tx.us. The winners are... i, Winners of St. Mark's Episco- pal School's National Geographic Bee are: 1 S' place, Matthew Hudson; 2nd Ford Masera; and 3r', Alex El-Naggar. The National Geography Bee is a na- tionwide contest for students grades 4 through 8 sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Area winners will take a geography test designed by the National Geographic Society. Students with the top 100 scores will progress to the state championship competition in Fort Worth. 0 City of West University Place 3800 University Boulevard Nest University Place, Texas 77005 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 6270 Houston, TX N I- ai't _Y °e 'I u n::Iay P7onday Tuesday Wedrjsday Thursday Friday Saturday The Building and Newcomer's Club Newcomer's Clubi. Standards Commis- Coffee, 10:30AM Coffee, 8:30AM - sion @ 6:00 PM in the NOON Community 10:00AM, Edloel' , City Hall Conference Center. Street Deli. Room. 1 2 3 4'I eig or oo Safety Traffic as Force Friends of West U -Park Senior Services Boar Board @ 7:45 PM in f 6:30PM Public Work h @ 6:30 PM City Hal nference Room C Meeting @ 2:30 PM. er- he City Hall Con room Lunc o Zoning and Planning j nce Room. Parks Board @ 7:30 Commission @ 6:45 PM PM Council Chambers City Hall Conference 6 7 8 Room 9 V - - c"! Special Session @ Recycling and Solid Zoning Board of Ad- SAINT 6:30 PM City Hall Con- ference Room Waste Reduction Board @6:30 PM in justment @ 7:30 PM in the City Hall Confer- gI~~ I„l - P~`I Council Meeting the Public Works Lunch Room ence Room. DAY 7:30 PM City Hal . f 1 Council Chamber 1 5 6 7 ? lEl,' 13 k 1 19 2 24 25 pecia ession 6:30 PM City Hall Conference Room Council Meeting @ 7:30 PM City Hall 26 Council Chambers 2 28 2 30 1 1 Neighborhood Safety Traffic Task Force @ Friends of WestU -ParkThe Building and Newcomer's Club Board @ 7:45 PM i 6:30PM Public Works @ 6:30 PM City Hall Standards Commis-Coffee, 10:30AM - the City Hall Confer Lunchroom Conference Room sion @ 6:00 PM in the NOON, Community ence Room. Parks Board 7:3 City Hall Conference Center. PM Council Chambers Room. 2 31 4 5 6. - 7