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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecembert { .off \.JJ W SS ~ / Cleaning the air F) [J ~ E The Houston-Galveston - Area Council (HGAC) Almost 69% of West U's 11,449 vot- Charter Publications has revised the Air Qual- ers showed up at the polls on Election For 5,605 (89%) ity Reference Guide for the Houston- Day. In addition to voting for President, Against 685(11%) Galveston Area. The Guide provides in- U. S. Senate, U. S House of Represen- Charter Canvassing Election Returns formation on air pollution in the eight tatives, and other assorted state and For 6,083(94%) counties of the Houston-Galveston- county races, voters had 10 ballot propo- Against 366(6-/.) Brazoria nonattainment area. Particu- sitions to vote on as well. All of the Charter Petitions For 5 46 2(88%) lar emphasis is placed on ground-level propositions, except for the Public Safety , Against 736(12% ozone. Ozone smog is the only criteria Initiative, were approved. Charter Contracts pollutant that exceeds its national health Here is a summary of the results for For 5,533 (87%) standard in the region. As you may be the propositions from the City's four pre- Against 819(13-/.) aware, our communities have only until cincts: Charter Use of Public Property 2007 to reduce emissions from all For 5,521(86%) sources and meet the federal health Sidewalk Bonds Against 889(14%) mandate, or face possible sanctions. For 4,112(56%) Charter Conflicts of Interest The Clean Air Action Program sup- Against 3,209(44-/.) For 6,719(93%) 0 ports voluntary measures that can be Charter Term of Officer Against 444(7 taken by the general public to improve For 6,039(91%) Against 605(90/.) Public Safety Initiative For 3,280(46%) air quality. For more information on cur- Charter Expenses Against 3,774(54-/.) rent clean air issues or for a copy of the For 4,245 (66%) 2000 Guide visit the Clean Air Action Against 2,157 (340/6) (Approved - continued on p.7) web-site at www.cleanairaction.org. Additional copies are also available ® through the HGAC, 713.627.3200. ■ ■ ■ The Guide is on file in the City Manager's Office in the Municipal Build- in 3800 University Boulevard. City offices will be closed ' Monday, December 25th Tuesday, December 26t6 Y px h' t"' and on January t,t Monday h - i 7 ~'2 A x r a 1 , in t o s I he o the season rte`. There wi!l be ae solid waste pick-up ea December 2S'~aaAJanuary f'. _ i • Board & Committee News 6 • Calendar of events 8 • City Life 3 • Employee Spotlight 4 • Inside Council Chambers 2 This property located at 4127 Case is the last property to be acquired in Colonial • Ordinance Spotlight 4 Park. The property will be demolished in the next 30 days to provide more green space • Police Blotter 5 in the park. • Senior Calendar 7 Volume 27, No. 12 December 2000 Inside Council Chambers page 2 AlOn ~Plwm ffx By: Mayor Linda Lewis Narn'd, Circumstances surrounding the recent presidential election were, indeed, dra- matic. The drama eventually wore itself thin, but for me the one lingering impact is how very,,important each of our votes really is. This holds true not only at the national level but right here in West U. In fact, those votes we cast, pertaining to our own community, may be as im- portant as any we make because they have to do with the very way each one of us lives. Certainly, that was the case in the November election in which we voted on issues having to do with the city's charter, sidewalks and police/firefighter compensation. Each of these influences city policy and procedure as well as qual- ity of life for residents. All of the recommended charter amendments passed and will have no major effect on how the city operates. Rather, the changes 1) ensure that our charter complies with state law and 2) provides a mechanism for improved ef- ficiency. The sidewalk bond issue was ap- proved, and what this does is allow the city to sell bonds in the amount of $5 million which will be used to install new sidewalks and repair existing ones. With that approval, the hard part, planning and implementing the program, now begins. I recognize that for many residents this is an emotional issue, and I will do my part to involve citizens in the planning process. The idea behind sidewalks is to improve quality of life for all, not threaten anyone's sense of fairness or well being. The police/firefighter compensation initiative failed, but that is not to say we do not support our public safety employ- ees. Quite the opposite is true. Staff of both the police and fire departments are key to our sense of security, and it is the city's desire to have the best people ful- filling these key positions. To that effect, the compensation package, including benefits, reflected in the 2001 budget is competitive and will be reviewed each year to guarantee that is always the case. The initiative did its part to make city staff and council aware that police and fire protection is vitally important to the community and that providers of same should be well compensated. How- ever, its defeat left control of and re- sponsibility for policy squarely in the hands of your elected officials. In my opinion, that is where it should be, and your job as citizens is to make us con- stantly mindful of your expectations. Your votes made a difference, and for me they sent a clear message about what you value. I will do my best to lead council forward to satisfy your man- dates. r. ~y by Council Member John Bertini The Insurance Service Office (ISO) is an advisory organization that serves the property and casualty insurance in- dustry. Part of what the ISO does is to classify communities on a scoring sys- tem from 1 (the best) to 10 (the worst) on how well they score on what is known as the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. The classification has a direct influence on the rates approved by the Texas Department of Insurance on our homeowners insurance. The better (lower) the rating the lower the cost of insurance in a community. More impor- tantly, the ISO rating is a measure of standards to help a community improve the quality of fire prevention and fight- ing. The Fire Suppression Rating Sched- ule grades such features as water dis- tribution, fire department equipment, manpower and fire alarm facilities such as the dispatch office. Building code enforcement, fire prevention code en- forcement and fire investigation capa- bilities are also assessed. This Fire Sup- pression Rating Schedule translates into a public protection classification. Right now West U has an ISO grade of 5. Starting last year the city council working with the fire chief and others began upgrading the City's status so that we could pass an ISO inspection with a grade of at least 2. This could mean a reduction to our homeowners of 15% on their insurance premiums. As an ex- ample, for a home insured for $500,000 that could translate into a savings of $2,300 on annual premiums costs. More importantly, we as a community would enjoy a higher level of protection from fire danger. So far we have added an additional dis- patcher position. Now there are always two dispatchers on duty to answer fire, police, ambulance and burglar alarm calls. We have also added a Fire Mar- shal to address the need for increased enforcement, inspection and planning. A new ambulance with state of the art cardiac monitoring equipment has been purchased. The dispatch office is being remodeled to improve efficiency and bring it up to compliance. I trust our fire chief will report to coun- cil sometime next year his readiness to call the ISO inspectors. Our grade to follow! 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 (713.662.5848), Bill May (713.662.5889) Club, meeting, or activity notices should be forwarded 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 Yehl: 713.662.5810; e-mail: syehl@westu.org Visit us on the World Wide Web at <www.westu.org> Days: Monday-Friday Time: 8:30 Am-1:30 PM Fees: $80/$90NR Session: December 18-22 Location: Scout House Coordinator: Lachele Stoeck ff 1 1 Join us Monday, :h December 41b at 6:30 Page 3 r- PM for the 12, An ua t Tree Lighting Ceremony at City ball, 3800 Univer- sity. Get into the holiday spirit - build a [Jl - - - - - snowman, sing carols, or take a photo with Santa. Holiday music will be pro- vided by members of the n Vilest U Elementary Cho- rale and Violinists. For more information, call s - the Community Build- - 3 1 ing at 713.662.5 892. 6 , z = • 3ighbors Clubi r " Our name has chapsedl We are now . - " - the Newcomers Neighbors Club. The Club e is a community organization of West U and r ~ - Southside Place and is open to all residents < regardless of how long you have lived here. wine tastin la rou s Tha NU C offers g, yg p , p book club nt club i v t k fli k hi , me , s, an n es c c c -unc and lots morel Joining the ewcom- = Neighbors Club is a great way for you West U Fire Department and Sentinel Club joined West U Elementary in sponsoring the "Fire to meet and have fun with your neighbors, Prevention Poster Contest". Each winner received a $20.00 Barnes and Noble gift certificate and a making our community even more special. For I` Place Plaque. Winning posters are on display in the lobby of the West U Municipal Building, more information about N&NC and how to 3800 University Boulevard. Pictured clockwise beginning on the left are John Threet, West U Elementary Principal; Ronald Cuenod, Jr., Sentinel Club President; Madeline Pennebaker, fourth join, .-I_ ^.o visit our w-' Me grade winner; Sofia Medina, fifth grade; Andrew Walmsky, second grade; Al Collins, Fire Marshal; t: ; ;;_'sAffl,_ Todd Parker, Firefighter/Paramedic; Risa Estrada, third grade; Zaynee Malik, first grade, and Jack Rohan,Kindergarten. 4 Affffff Emr%loyee in h Spatlight Maxine Stevenson is December's Employee in the Spotlight. Maxine joined the West U team in August of 1999 as a Telecommunicator in the Police Department and has quickly become a vital part of the emergency communications staff. Dealing with the public is nothing new for Maxine. She came to the City with a background in customer relations. However, she is quick to tell you that law enforcement adds a very different dimension when it comes to the old saying, "the customer is always right." In addition to being responsible for police and fire department personnel, she looks after her husband and young son while attending Houston Baptist University as a full-time student. Lt. Schneider, who supervises the communications division, related that Maxine was quick to become a team member in the dispatch office. "As soon as she learned the organization Maxine was putting her experience to work. Several of her suggestions were recently put into place and have quickly proven valuable to our organization. Maxine is always ready with a smile and a friendly "Hello". Don't let her seemingly shy demeanor fool you, she is not afraid to take control." The Police Department is proud of Maxine and her contributions. Signs keep this in mind Chapter 393 ofthe Texas Transportation Code prohibits the placement of signs not authorized by state law on a public road right-of-way-generally the area between the roadway and the sidewalk. In an area where there are no sidewalks, the right-of-way extends (with some exceptions) ten feet past the edge of the paved roadway. This state law prohibits the placement of any real estate, garage sale, lost pet, election, or other non-official signs in the right-of-way. City Ordinance further restricts the placement of signs by stating that: L; ® Signs may not be placed so that the display area occupies the space from 2 to 4 feet above ground unless the sign is at least 5 feet from the nearest roadway, i driveway, or sidewalk. (This makes it easier for drivers to see children on the i sidewalk while backing out of driveways.) ® All garage sale signs shall be removed within 12 hours after the sale. ® No sign may be placed on any property owned or leased by the City unless specifically authorized or required by the City. ° On residential sites, signs may not have a display area greater than 4 square feet 'j per face, or 8 square feet per sign. ® No fixed (permanent, non-moveable) signs shall be placed on single-family-resi- dential sites. Illuminated signs within residential impact areas (with exception of those using_ reflected white light) may not face any single-family residential unit located within 200 feet of the sign. All parts of all signs must be stationary when in use. The City has the authority to remove signs found in violation of these rules and, may require that the owner (or person responsible for the sign) pay for its removal. Priority Area 6B is complete. General the next 30 days the contractor will begin clean-up is now in progress and other working on the 3200-3300 blocks of required repairs are underway. Amherst. Work is progressing in Priority r, In addition: Area 7A. Paving in the 3400-3600 ® All sewer work in 7A is com- blocks of Georgetown is complete plete. Restoration will continue for the next 30 ° All water line work, mains and ser- days. Paving in the 3200-3300 blocks of vice lines, in Priority Area 7A is com- Georgetown is underway and will plete with the exception of the 3200- continue for the next 30 days. Paving 3600 blocks of Rice. work should begin within the next 30 days e Storm sewer work in the 3200-3600 on the north side ofthe 3400-3600 blocks blocks of Rice is continuing. When this of Plumb. Paving is continuing in the work is complete all storm sewer work 3400-3600 blocks ofAmherst and within in Priority Area 7A will be complete. Water Works - winter water conservation Patrick Walters, Utilities Superintendem With winter quickly approach- ing it is time to consider water conservation and water system preventive maintenance. Winter time on the Texas Gulf Coast is normally cool and wet. Now is a good time to look at the automatic sprinkler systems and reduce the time the systems run or turn them off entirely until the weather dries up again. Sometimes this happens sev- eral times during the winter months. Also look at preventive measures to assure against losses that may occur during extended periods of unusually low temperatures. Although it is unusual to have a hard freeze in our area it's pos- sible and has happened in the past. We should develop a freeze protection plan for our water pipes. This includes wrap- ping exposed pipes under the house and in attics. It also includes wrapping or having freeze protection covers avail- able for outside faucets. If your planing (Water Works - continued on p.7) olice otter Uctober, 2000 Criminal Mischief Juvenile suspects located and issued ci- tations. 2600 Bissonnet - Oct. 6. Vehicle parked in business parking lot scratched by sharp object. 3800 Marlowe - Oct. 6. Vehicle win- dow broken overnight. 6400 Vanderbilt - Oct. 28. Several occupants in vehicle damaged vehicles and stole pumpkins from various loca- tions in the city. All suspects taken into custody. 3500 Nottingham - Oct 29. Hallow- een decorations damaged by un- known suspect(s). Criminal Trespass 3700 Sunset - Oct. 25. Resi- dent reported seeing a male exit her residence during daytime. 6700 Brompton - Oct. 26. Male ob- served inside parked vehicle at night. Items inside vehicle disturbed, but noth- ing missing. Burglary of a Building 2800 Wroxton - Oct. 14. Bike stolen from unsecured garage. 3200 Plumb - Oct. 21. Tools stolen from unsecured garage. 5600 Kirby - Oct. 25. Back door of business pried open overnight and paint- ing stolen. 3100 Albans - Oct. 25. Unendorsed check written by resident stolen and cashed at out-of-state bank. Theft 4100 Southwestern - Oct. 7. Jew- elry missing from residence. 2900 Sunset - Oct. 19. Unsecured bike stolen from front yard. 2800 Wroxton - Oct. 24. Jewelry stolen from residence. Workers sus- pected. 3000 Amherst - Oct. 30. Two lion statues near front porch stolen. 2700 Werlein - Oct. 30. Two large urns stolen from front porch. 3000 Georgetown - Oct. 31. Pump- kins stolen from several residences. Forgery 2800 Bissonnet- Oct. 10. Resident's information used to purchase several items with counterfeit checks at store out of state. 2800 Sunset - Oct. 14. Resident's information used to purchase several items at various stores with counterfeit checks. 4100 Milton - Oct. 22. Resident's checks forged and used to make several purchases. 2900 Carnegie - Oct. 24. Resident's personal information obtained and used to open an E-Trade account via internet. r Burglary of Residence 2700 Sunset - Oct. 5. Back door of residence pried open. 2700 Nottingham - Oct. 5. Back door of residence kicked open. Suspect fled from inside of home when resident arrived. 2600 Talbot - Oct. 5. Back door of residence with alarm kicked open. Alarm was not activated. TV stolen. 2600 Robinhood - Oct. 8. Residents arrived home and found suspect load- ing stolen property into vehicle. Suspect fled scene with TV's, VCR's and jew- elry. Suspect later located and taken into custody. Attempted Burglary of Residence 3700 Robinhood - Oct. 8. Suspect attempted to gain entry into residence by breaking back door window pane. Suspect later located and taken into cus- tody. Burglary of a Motor Vehicle 3300 Albans - Oct. 3. Wireless headphone sets and other items stolen from unlocked vehicle. 2800 Bissonnet -Oct. 11. Slimjim (Crime up close- continued on p.7) Page 5 Chiefs Corner vy PO&C- Ch-f kevov segley The holidays are already here. Seems like we just got through with the big millennium celebrations and now its time for Christmas and Hanukkuh. In this last column of the year, there are two topics that I would like to touch on. During this season, remember that it is the holiday season for the bad guys too. They will be out doing their holiday "shop- ping" at your expense if possible. Re- member to continue with your normal security practices such as securing your home and car when you're away. Set se- curity alarms, even if you plan to be away for only a short time. Don't leave valu- ables or packages in plain sight. When shopping in shopping centers, try to go with friends and family members instead of alone. Remember where you park your car, have your keys out and ready, and walk purposefully to your car. Take note of suspicious persons and vehicles. If in doubt, ask a police officer or security guard to escort you to your car. Make a number of trips to your car with a few purchases rather than carrying a days worth of shopping to the car at one time. If you plan to be out of town, take nor- mal security precautions. Call the West U Place Police Department and request a home watch while you are gone. Horne watch is a free service and provides con- siderable peace of mind. As always, there are those less fortunate during the holiday season. Of particular concern are children who, through no fault of their own, face the season with little hope, and with slim prospects for a warm, joyous season. The West U Place Police Department is working to brighten the season for these children. The "A Toy Brings Joy" toy drive is an attempt to collect toys for children who may otherwise receive nothing this season. The Police Department is collecting unwrapped toys at the Police Department building, 3814 University Boulevard. Toys will be wrapped by employees and will be donated to area shelters. For more information, call Bernie White at 713.662.5870 or bwhite@westu.org. The West U Police Department would like to thank each of you for your contin- ued support during this year. May the blessings of the holiday season be with each of you now and in the coming year. Page 6 A, night on the town with t~~ a St U Police by Mary Grace Greenwood, Neighborhood Safety Board member by Rick Jenkins, Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board member West U has had a proactive and successful recycling program for many years. The Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board has prepared an informative document addressing the subject of household hazardous waste (HHW). A HHW is any substance in your home that has the potential to cause harm or injury because it is toxic, corro- sive, flammable, or explosive. Examples are paint, cleaning chemicals such as oven cleaner, drain cleaner, bleach, pool chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. There are many state and federal regu- lations that apply to West U for HHW disposal. Also, landfill operators impose guidelines on West U. HHW cannot be discarded with house- hold trash. Landfills are designed, con- structed, and operated differently for the specific type of waste they contain. The best approach is simply to use all of the cleaner or chemical or share it with a friend or neighbor. Improper dis- posal of HHW potentially has other im- pacts in addition to disposal cost such as causing injury to our trash collectors and contamination of ground water and surface water. Currently West U resi- dents can use the City of Houston facil- ity, 5900 Westpark between Chimney Rock and Fountain View, to discard paint (latex only-no oil based paints), anti- freeze, oil and lead acid batteries (auto and marine types). Recently the Board applied for a grant with the Houston- Galveston Area Council for vouchers to use the new City of Houston HHW fa- cility on South Main at South Post Oak that takes a broader spectrum of HHW. We'll keep you updated on the progress of that grant. The Recycling and Solid Waste Re- duction Board encourages you to read the full HHW document which can be found on the West U web site www.westu.org. A paper copy of the document can also be obtained by con- tacting Rick Jenkins at 713.23 0.223 0 or Joann Taunton at 713.664.8327. 7 PACHIS calendar of events for December 5, Tuesday Start the holiday season with a matinee showing of __---A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theater. Bring refresh- -sr ments for intermission. Will leave for the show at 9:00 ann. $7.50. ® December 5, Friday" ` Fashion as Works of Art is the topic at the Artist Spotlight at the lassell. Enjoy Selven O'Keef's lec- ture followed by a tour of the British designers show 9:30 - NOON. Free. (Approved - continued from p.1) The City Council certified the results at their meeting of November 13. In addition, sidewalk bonds were included as part of $20.95 million issue for infra- structure improvements. These bonds were sold on November 201'' and have an effective interest rate of 5.4134%. The successful bidder was A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc/Dain Rauscher, Inc. The first sidewalk contract is ex- pected to be awarded in early 2001. (Water Works - continued from p.4) an extended vacation you may wish to turn off or have the city turn off the wa- ter to your house and then open all in- side and outside faucets to allow water to drain from the pipes. A lot of water has been pumped into the distribution system this year. The Wa- ter Utilities division has attempted to fix leaks as quickly as possible throughout the dry season and continues to do that now. This and other water saving mea- sures has reduced the unaccounted for water in our system from an annual av- erage of 29.5% for the period ending December of 1999 to an annual aver- age of 22% for the period ending Sep- tember of 2000. To contact the Water Utilities Division call the Public Works office at 713.662.5839 or pwalters@westu.org. After hours, please contact the Police dispatcher at 713.662.5850. c=am=- December 11, onday ®December 22, Friday Join us for a special trip to` Get into the spirit with a trip to the Rienzi Mansion decorated in the Dynergy Ice Plaza on the Fish spirit of the season with many Plaza at Worthan to Masterson family ornaments. Sorry, watch the skaters. Last we can only take a group of twenty. year we brought along 12:30 - 2:30 PM. $5.00 - $10.00. some cake and coffee. "x:15 - 11:30 AM. Free. ® December 19, Tuesday January 10 Wednesday You're invited to join us for our Holi- day Party. Beautiful decorations, a Join us for a trip to Beaumont for the delicious luncheon and uplifting en- recreation of the Spindletop Blow- delicious luncheon help out (water not oil) in honor of its 100tH make your holidays anniversary. Time and price to be special. Bring a announced. friend. Time to be - Please all 713.662.5895 Lr more inform-tion announced. $2.00. or to mall reservations to attend events. (Crime up close- continued from p.5) tool possibly used to gain entry into ve- hicle. Vehicle's steering column broken and dome light destroyed. 3800 Marlowe - Oct. 16. Unsecured vehicle entered. 5300 Kirby - Oct. 19. Window bro- ken and radio stolen from vehicle parked at business. 5800 Buffalo - Oct 22. Money and other items stolen from unsecured ve- hicle. 2700 Albans - Oct 22. Gun stolen from vehicle. Exact location of offense unknown. 2600 Bissonnet - Oct. 28. Window of vehicle parked at business broken out. Stereo and CD's stolen. 2600 Bissonnet - Oct 29. Door lock of vehicle parked at business pried open. Stereo and CD's stolen Domestic Disturbances - three Juvenile Disturbances 4200 Law - Oct 7. Twenty five (25) citations were issued to juveniles at un- supervised party. Minors were in pos- session of alcohol and drugs. (A night on the town- continued from p.6) name of the barking dog's owner then used his computer to access the house number information. A citation was left at the front door. Charlie also solved the mystery of a report of an "old man with no shirt walk- ing backwards." As we drove to the area, Charlie remembered a man who frequently watered his lawn in the eve- nings and conjectured that perhaps he had been pulling a hose backwards. Sure enough, when we drove past his house, the man was outside. He had on a beige shirt and in the darkness it certainly looked like he didn't have a shirt on. Case solved. So what is a night on the town like for a West U police officer? Certainly not like the cops and robbers shows on TV. There were no high-speed chases or jumping over fences chasing danger- ous suspects. Our officers are trained and prepared to do those things, but a lot of what they do is simply help our citizens with whatever comes up and do what they can to ensure a safe neigh- borhood. This takes a lot of patience, dedication, compassion, and a great sense of humor. So what can citizens do to help? Call when you see something unusual so they can investigate. And wave at them when a patrol car drives by your house to show your appreciation. 0 City of West University Place 3800 University Boulevard West University Place, Texas 77005 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 6270 Houston, TX ® C>` s 9 2000 Hecycnng ano souo ua u rrwi v rain I no ou.mmy anu 0PrnCityHailCoun- Waste Reduction @ 6:30 PM City Hal Standards Commis- Chambers Board @6:30 PM Conference Room sion 0 6:00 PM in the ighborhood Safety Public Works Lunch City Hall Conference and @ 6:00 PM City Room. Parks Board @ 7:30 PM Room. it Conference City Hail Conference 3 Room. 4 5 Room. 6 Special Session @ Traffic Task Force 6:30 PM City Hail Con- 6:30PM City Hall ference Room Council Chambers Council Meeting :30 PM City Hail jf ouncil Chambers ' - 10 11 1213 18 2( .N 27 Friends of West U Park; y 6:30 PM City Hal Conference Room F _ arks Board 0 7:30 M Council Chambers 1 2 3 Senior Services Board Meeting 0 2:30 PM. Zoning and Planning Dommission @ 6:45 PM "ity Hall Conference 4oom 14 ing Board of Ad- nent 0 7:30 PM in City Hall Council e Building and andards Commis- n @ 6:00 PM in the y Hall Conference om. / 4 41 9