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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecemberThe West U City Council adopted its lion a year. Y2K budget on October 251 and reduced Yehl cautioned residents that they will the property tax rate by a penny. not see an immediate reduction in in- While the City's services will remain surance rates. largely unchanged, two enhancements "We have one opportunity to have our are included in the budget - funding for additional police protection and the rating evaluated," Yehl said. "We need to make sure that we meet the criteria goal of improving the City's fire insur- for receiving a lower rating. I expect ance rating. The budget calls for the hiring of three that process to take 12-18 months and then the rating agency must make a re- new police officers, four dispatchers and port before the classification is changed. a fire marshal. Community oriented po- Since the state of Texas changed rat- licing and traffic enforcement will be the focus of the new officers. The other new ing systems many West U households have seen insurance premiums increase positions, along with improvements to the ' 10-20% in the past year, although there City s emergency dispatch center, is were no changes in service delivery expected to result in a reduction of fire , response time, or staffing. insurance premiums by over 14 percent The budget also calls for a 10% in- and save residents as much as $1.5 mil- crease in water and sewer charges. Yehl Emergency commissioned i t On Sunday, November 14, 1999, St. emergency to provide shelter and assis- Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 5308 tance to needy individuals and families Buffalo Speedway, was commissioned . The Session of St. Andrew's has ap- as a potential American Red Cross proved the Agreement and 33 volunteer Emergency Relief Shelter. Chapter rep- members of congregation have received resentative Jo Flint presented Reverend training, including the Pastor, Custodian James cNaull with an agreement des- and three nurses. The Red Cross will ignating the Church as a Red Cross provide logistic and technical support to Shelter. This Shelter could be activated the church in the event the Shelter is by the Red Cross in times of extreme activated. ?ft to right, Elder F. Brodie, St. Andrew's Shelter Coordinator; Reverend James E. McNaull, St. Andrew's; West UCouncil Member John Grubb; and Ms. Jo Flint, Red Cross Shelter or. noted that this increase was related to the City's infrastructure funding program and the need to position the fund finan- cially for the next bond sale scheduled for late 2000. Solid waste collection fees are also scheduled to increase by $.50 per month, the first increase in rates in over six years. Fees support twice a week gar- bage collection, once per week curb-side recycling, and the operations of the RecycleXpress center. Overall, the City is anticipating oper- ating expenditures of over $28 million including $7.9 million in the City's gen- eral fund to operate police, fire, street maintenance, parks & recreation, and administrative services; $3.8 million in the debt service fund to pay outstanding bond obligations; $10.3 million for ' - structure financing, and $1.7 million in capital projects. Inside Council Chambers Page 2 ;7; v r ®i_ 'i VedBy: Mayor Linda Lewis Talk about community is everywhere-on the Internet and TV, in newspapers and magazines, on street corners in West U. The concern among many is that communities are breaking down and depersonalizing. The consequence is such tragic events as have happened in Littleton, Atlanta, Ft. Worth and Los Angeles. It occurs to me, that here in West U, we are very lucky. We live in a com- munity small enough to allow us to know one another and to, perhaps, spot trouble before it happens. To celebrate our good fortune and to strengthen our relation- ships, something big is planned for spring. Together with our neighbors in Southside Place, West University Place is hosting Home Place Celebration, a month long series of events for all of us. The Cel- ebration begins April 1 and continues through the month. A group of more than twenty ener- getic, excited citizens are working to- gether to plan Home Place Celebra- tion. What is truly wonderful about the group is that it represents everyone from Little League to West University El- ementary to West U Rotary to Friends of West U Parks to Newcomers-well, you get the picture. The result of their efforts may well be the first event ever to involve the entire community, and the number of participants is still growing! Anyone who wants to be part of the activities has only to call Mark Mailes, Parks and Recreation Director, at 713.662.5894. Fighting crime with your car by Council Member Dr. John Bertini Much of the crime that is committed in West University Place can be con- sidered "crimes of opportunity". As citi- zens, we can, at minimum, reduce the opportunity for criminals to work in our city by removing easy access to our cars. Whenever possible, do not leave your car parked on the city streets. A car within a garage or far up into the driveway is located in a place more dif- ficult for break-in or theft of the vehicle. Although not exclusively, nighttime is probably the most important time to put our cars "out of harm's way". Even in those households with several cars, some of which are quite large, their saf- est place is tucked away in a garage or driveway. Patrolling our city streets would also be made easier for our police depart- ment if they were devoid of the large number of cars, many of which are ille- gally parked as to direction and distance from the curb. If there were fewer cars on our streets or better yet, absolutely no cars on the street, our police officers would be much more apt to be able to identify those persons travelling through our city at night that may be up to no good. The way it is now, if an officer observes someone driving a car four or five blocks away, and if the car pulls over and someone gets out, it is very difficult for the officer to know which car they got out of and where the sus- pects went. I am not an advocate of a city ordi- nance prohibiting parking. We have plenty of state laws and adequate city ordinances that define how, where, and how long we may park cars on the street. What I am advocating is the application of common sense and being a good neighbor to make it harder for criminals and easier to our police force to make our streets safer. The best thing about all this is that Home Place Celebration is being un- derwritten by good friends. Reliant En- ergy has already joined hands with us as a Best Friend sponsor, and other busi- nesses or groups who are supporting the event include Compass Bank, Sterling McCall Toyota, West U Rotary Club and Surroundings. These folks committed before we even began actively seeking benefactors. Their assistance ensured that the event would change from a dream to a reality. Because of sponsor generosity, not only will Home Place Celebration pay for itself, it is expected to be profitable enough to allow a dona- tion to West University Elementary that will go toward the purchase of new play- ground equipment. Why did the steering committee choose to support the purchase of equip- ment for school property? Very simple answer: more children and families use this play space than any other in the com- munity. Children from West U and Southside have enjoyed it for years. New equipment is needed, and Home Place Celebration will help accomplish that goal. The event is anticipated to become an annual happening and will benefit other community endeavors. As a first order of business, we need a poster for the Home Place Celebra- tion. Children of all ages are invited to submit their artwork depicting a dream playground for consideration. Entries may be turned in at the West U Com- munity Building, Southside's City Hall or West University Elementary. The dead- line for entries is January 14. There is so much more to tell, but I will save some tidbits for weeks to, come. In the meantime, mark April Y,, on your calendar-that will be a very,,", special day with baseball, hot dogs ane an outdoor concert featuring The Corr, mittee and Brian Black! 5 ia€; 'iii West "Una ve r. ity Tezn € 71 ~o '--`mi d2 k d~ s... c8 ~s~..:•c; t> t3~; ej e :2tesyourco,nLributions.SGZ.. aCitj,Cu? n'cs.3800 Wesi ]V. 'TS1tV ?-.ace, Tllr 7 7005, by hv- i[u iaio:lih nre,,, ddi .ou _ tLC;..i<s ~1. Geneernl 7-3'.6 .~a .v i i1:~La~~2 `3,~ Shei_=a , e2,7 1,1.,, VC fus or! 'tile V/0-hil V` '70 at <7, L L t; qa rs ~ ij ` ~ _ i t s r t r~1. Snow forecasted for December 6t" Join us for the 11" An- nual ?Tree Lighting Cer- emony, complete with real snow! En- joy holiday music courtesy of the West U Elementary Chorale and West U Vio- linists. Visit with Santa Claus, who will be on hand for photos. The fun and fes- tivities are scheduled to take place at West U City Hall, 3 800 University Bou- levard on Monday, December 61' at 6:30 PM. So bundle up and come help spread some holiday cheer. ALk Holiday Camp While you shop `till you drop, your chil- dren will have a bundle of fun! Activi- ties include arts, crafts, games, songs, movies, and more! Registration begins November 301h for residents and De- cember 2nd for non-residents. Register at the Community Building, 6104 Auden. For ages 5 & up. (Children need to bring a sack lunch. Snacks and lem- onade are provided.) Days: Monday - Thursday Rine. 9:00 Am - 2:00 PM Session: December 20 - 30 Fees: $125/$135NR Coordinator. Lachele Stoeck Location: Scout House Page 3 Elves Ornament Workshop Join us for the Elf Orna- ment Workshop! Each child will make three ornaments, while enjoying traditional holiday music, cook- ies and punch. Register in advance at the Community Building, 6104 Auden. Space is limited. Day: Wednesday, December 8 Tame: 2:00 - 3:00 PM (3-5 YRs) 3:00 - 4:00 PM (51/2-10 YRs) Fees: $10 + $5 Supply Fee Instramctor. Lizabeth Simon Holiday Sleigh Ride You are invited to cel- ebrate the season on a fes- tive sleigh ride Sunday, December 121h from 4 - 6 Pm departing from the Scout House. Draft horses, laden with bells will whisk your sleigh through a winter wonderland while you sing your favorite songs. Song sheets will be provided along with hot cocoa and homemade cookies. The sleigh ride is sponsored by the Newcomer's Club and is open to all. Costs are $2 for children ages 2-12 accompanied by an adult and $5 for adults. f1I5forically ~§peakll2g.. Dorothy Zink, Mary Lee Gray and June Although the West University Place Begeman, is charged with placing revoly- Historical Society has collected a great ing displays in the case. The current dis- deal of archival material relating to the play spotlights the beginnings of the West history of West U, we do not often have U Garden Club. Several years ago the the opportunity to share the material Garden Club donated their scrapbooks, with residents. Thanks to the gener- which date from 1934. osity of the City, the Historical Society The Garden Club, organized in 1934 with now has a glass display case in the 43 members, adopted the slogan, Good Community Center. Gardeners Make Good Neighbors. The Archival Committee, composed Within a few years the club had grown to of Gail McKinnon, Bobby Lee Land, (Ilistorically Speaking - continued on p. 6) "D2, ai _ ~i_ E_5_°~ _G i; 1`1e1 c; in 0011JLil ii0u :!i th t "n j M&2edIs is ~!Ti ..lie _veni 'sJL rch E,,.s 'io OLTDC~c 0 U',~i(I'_'a .L. r t....SL i....- - .eCsiL _l2iiieli ct 1 CliOU!. Lt Oi ls. are CC. Ariui iCfic",~_ C'CC:'.s rC :lie `:'!(esi: ! liliveCsit .ace Cori-, ui ' rents- , ' I .A,;.'a7 si f ~.S -e ~ Clii1`,` aCr conce,~ iC;t_ s, ? -0.t„L _ricc. G._16~rCi- - i011 outdoo concei s iCdi LeC o .,pliL 1, 00, ri toe el (eliC~ is I. `t eaC'ine S ~~.~CiCiai,.' l.. Subr€F.e -nc to ;J !«P.,- , e.eCi ^t "~r i SCI-1001, ''1Yest U c0?iif`iLini"v veil' eC of Soutli_-iCie 7'f ce _'i ,i iIi;BI sUC i OI- ..,:0+ i - 1 Or, Corm ,C"r_ t !c ~1a Can e[ 10 - i / 1.5.666 363). Tr LOYEE a 4 . ® - -j -J ' - by Sgt. Missie Newman ; %.,,%X& 1 mutes r :)f er -,iai effort Police 11 e ' )er, 1999 ® n - v cif a 4100 Hilton - ®cto' -r26. Resident reported two 20" BMX chrome boys bikes, one Haro with yellow and red trim, and one Giant with blue and or- ange trim, stolen from their open garage. Case pending. Burglary of a Motor Vehicle. Resident reported T yep top cut open. Contents inside had been moved around, (Blotter - continued on p. 6) (Blotter - continued from p. 5) but nothing was missing. Case pending. 6400 Community - October 28. Resident reported her vehicle window broken out and two purses stolen. One purse contained bills and personal pa- pers. The other purse contained a cam- era. Case pending. Criminal Mischief 4000 Byron - October 3. Resident re- ported the vehicle emblems stolen from the hood and trunk of his car. Case pend- ing. 2600 University - October 8. Resi- dent reported a shattered rear vehicle window. A beer bottle was found in- side the vehicle. Nothing was missing. Case pending. 5200 Buffalo Speedway - October 9. A police officer observed a passen- ger in the bed of a pickup truck throw a dark-colored object. The officer heard the sound of breaking glass as it hit the road. The officer followed the vehicle. After a short chase the vehicle pulled over. Another vehicle stopped and the driver reported hearing a loud thud when that same truck passed his vehicle. The victim's vehicle was damaged. The ju- venile driver of the pickup truck was charged with evading arrest. 4200 Tennyson -October 11. Resi- dent reported a shattered vehicle win- dow. Nothing was disturbed or taken. Case pending. 4100 Coleridge - October 11. Resi- dent reported a broken vehicle window. Nothing was missing. Case pending. 4100 Coleridge - October 11. Resi- dent reported a shattered rear vehicle window. Nothing was missing from in- side. Case pending. 6600 Vanderbilt - October 15. Resi- dent reported that the paint on the rear of his vehicle had been scratched. Case pending. 5300 Buffalo Speedway - October 25. Church employee reported that some unknown person used black spray paint to write words on the outside wall of the church's gym and fencing. Case pending. 2900 Rice - October 30. Resident reported that her Polaris pool motor, booster pump, head hose and sweep were stolen from her backyard. Case pending. Theft 4000 Bellaire - October 7. Business owner reported a moneybag with cash missing from the business' safe. Three co-owners have access to the safe. Later in the month, a newly installed video surveillance camera caught an employee entering the safe and taking money. The employee was arrested and charged. Case closed. 4100 Marlowe - October 11. Resi- dent reported his son's red BMX Pa- cific Hot Lava bicycle missing from his backyard. Case pending. 4200 Sunset - October 22. Resident had exterior painting done by an indi- vidual who hired additional help to com- plete the job. The resident provided a house-key for rest room use. She no- ticed later that a gold necklace with a gold coin was missing from the upstairs master bathroom, which should not have been used by the workers. Suspects have been listed. Turned over to the detectives for further investigation. (Historically Speaking - cont. from p. 3) over 200 members, prompting the need for a larger meeting place. Club mem- bers began promoting the idea of a com- munity building. Thus, the Community Center was built in 1941, largely through the efforts of the Garden Club mem- bers. During the war years, members worked with the Red Cross and also led the neighborhood in planting Victory Gar- dens. During the 1940's the Club grew to more than 400 members. Today, the Garden Club consists of 15 members and still meets monthly. Stop by the Community Center and re- view this portion of West U history, ; i-i iVs tulle ae mss.. ea the needles beg; o < < 3 d Free holiday tree begins w o IJ, it._ ay ;3e time to dispose of i i. egmnil:g a1' c i ' 1p J ;'ild T-1111 i ~n 2000. ` 1 -1 a SD dove e f E 1 r T-=c else ^f is :io t c c t. Piave t~e t:eo -dic C'Ui' - - wiE e compost (~'o ii, a _p 14, rc b ag). Page 6 (Signs - continued from p. 4) calming devices that are passive, least intrusive and objectionable. Literature supports that as a motorist's attention is diverted with specific easy-to-read in- formation, he/she tends to slow the ve- hicle. Signs delineating West University Place from Houston are scarce. West U is unique and worthy of special atten- tion as traffic enters and exits our bound- aries. West U has 46 entrances from Bissonnet, Kirby and Holcombe and 18 entrances in the College Court area. An aim of the Subcommittee is to look at present signs with the vision of stan- dardization. An effort is being made to up-date regulatory signs that have faded and become obsolete. The Subcommittee has made recom- mendations to the City Council for signs that will highlight our City, alert motor- ists that they are entering the City of West University Place, and relay a subtle message to obey our traffic laws. (Holiday Safety - continued from p. 4) ily tree, which cannot be seen from the road. ® Be wary of scam artists. Christmas is a time for giving. However, don't fall for every sad tale. If you feel compelled to assist the homeless, give to a local shelter rather than to an individual. If someone comes to your door claiming that their car is broken down, offer to call for assistance. Igo not let them into your house to use the phone! If you don't know whom to call, call the police. If the stranger does not want the police contacted, this is a red flag to call imme- diately. ® Thieves will decorate their homes with items stolen from someone else's yard. Make sure you safely secure decorations. ® Don't advertise what you received for Christmas. After all the unwrapping of presents is done, break down boxes that advertise the contents and put them in unmarked boxes. Wait until trash pickup day before placing the boxes out- side or take them to the recycling cen- ter. Thieves may be more than inter- ested in what gifts you have received. Happily, it is unlikely that you will be burglarized or sca ed during the holi- days. Nevertheless, remember to pro- tect yourself and your property by keep- ing alert. z a age 7 ® December 2, Thursday Join us for our an- - nual visit to Id Town Spring, a quaint little shopping spot. Membersfrom the Newcomer's Club have been invited to join us. 9:00 Ann - 4:00 PM. Free, except for purchases and lunch. Sorry, there is a waiting list. ® December , Friday F Senior Program: Yasuhiro Ishimoto: A Tale of Two Cities and Brice Marden. Work Books and Se- ries. Lecture and docent-led tour. 9:30 Ann - 12:30 PM. $1:00/$2:00. ® December 1, Friday Artist Spotlight: Lisa Ludwig. Lecture at the Glassel School, fol- lowed by a tour of the MFA. 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Free. ® December 14,Tuesday Don't miss Senior Ser- vices annual Christmas arty at St. George Ortho- dox Church, 5311 Mercer. Enjoy a hot lunch and entertainment by two different groups. As usual, people are needed to volunteer pies and cakes for dessert. The Newcomer's Club will be on hand to help. 11:00 Ann - 1:00 PM. $2.00. ® December 21,Tuesday If you are not in the holi- day spirit yet, a mini-bus trip to the Miracle at the orta , will help. The famous skating rink is moving from South Main to Texas Avenue. Watch the skaters and af- terwards, perhaps, enjoy a group lunch. 10:00 AM - Free. Please call 713.662.5895 for more information or to make reservations to attend events. ® January 11, Tuesday Join us for a highly ener- getic and informative lecture on how to "Use it or lose it." Memory loss doesn't have------ to happen to you. Recent studies suggest that brain power can be in- creased at any age! All a-es in- vi"~ a,_I.2:00 - 3:00 PM. Free. rTlmr~ In r The City recently hired White Oaks ,'Studio to develop a parks master plan. The process includes surveying West U residents on the current parks sys- tem. White Oaks also hopes to learn about possible future growth in each household in West U. Let us know your thoughts. Please take the time to complete and return the survey. Watch your mailbox for the survey. It's coming in', January. - - - - No matter how hard we try to keep track of all the things we are responsible for doing, occasionally there is work that drops through the cracks. We need to know about it. Tell us if there is work that needs to be done on your street, in your neighborhood, or anywhere around West I.T. Tell us about the problem and where it is. Help us do a better job and we'll all try to make West U a better community! Location: Description of work or proble : How long has condition existed? Who should we contact for additional information? Phone number: Best time to call: Er ,E~ City of West University Place . ' i 3800 University Boulevard - West University Place, Texas 77005 BULKRATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Pemtit No. 6270 Houston, TX RM EM MM MM MM MM EM MM MM M A I t- M mm mm EM MM MM MM Mo t L 91 Ilk --Sundt _a - t .es : °.q ::urs&_~ ;cy , . Friends of WestU-Parks The Building and Newcomer's Club f 0 6:30 PM City Hall Standards Commis- Coffee, Conference Room Sion @ 6:00 PM in the NOON, 10:30AM - Community Parks Board @ 7:3 City Hall Conference Center. Room . na Council Chambers v " Traffic Task Force 6:00Pra Public Work - Lunchroom 1 2-- " 3 4 ^ Neighborhood Safety B d 7 45 • m~ e' . Senior Services Boar ^ `r oar @ : PM in Meeting @ 2:30 Pm. he City Hall Confer nce ROOM. Zoning and Planning s 5 City Hat Conference 6 8 Room 9 10 11 Special Session @ Recycli ng and Solid Traffic Task Force Zoning Board of Ad- :30 PM City Hall Con- Waste Reduction 6:00pm Public Work justment @ 7:30 PM in ference Room _ Board 6:30 Pm in (x7 Lunchroom the City Hall Confer- e Council Meeting the Pu lic Works Lunch Roo ence Room. 7:30 PM City Ha m. a Council Chambers _ _ 13 14 a 15 L j 1 E ) a city c.,fiC -S cIc / - 14 - - 20 22 2 24 ~ - Special Session (a~ - Ci + FiC S 6:30 Pre City Hal Conference Room , , ~ - oun5c t eTg~a :30 Pea City HaH Council Chambers .Fr1 - - ` i - 26 7 21J 29 30 r_ 1 eighborhood Safety Friends of WestU-Park The Building and Newcomer's Club oard @ 7:45 Pea in 0 6:30 Pm City Hal - Standards Commis- Coffee 10:30AM - he City Hall Confer- Conference Room sion @ 6:00 Pm in the , NOON, Community gi nce Room. Parks Board @ 7:3 City Hall Conference Center. ® Pm Council Chambers Room. 2 " 5 6 7