Meeting Recap

President's Report February 2025 by Michael Graves

The WHCA held a Special Member's Meeting on Tuesday, February 18, in The Great Room at Zion Lutheran Church on Beauchamp Street. We nearly filled our new venue with neighbors drawn to a focus on security matters. We invited several special guests, including;

  • Constable Alan Rosen, Pct 1

  • Council Member Mario Castillo, COH District H

  • Deputy Constable Jacob Lemmons, Pct 1

  • Deputy Constable Amanda Suggs, Pct 1

  • Sergeant Graham, HPD Central Division

  • Lt James Mancango,HPD Central Division

WHCA Constable Patrol 2025-26

The first order of business for the gathering was to announce a change to the Woodland Heights Constable Patrol program. WHCA Co-Director of Security Beth Sorensen began by giving an overview of the program and its benefits to the community.
 
She was followed by WHCA Treasurer Doug Carroll, who explained the numbers that illustrate why the board felt it necessary to raise the program's membership cost. The current $350/yr rate was established in 2019. That price has remained unchanged, even as the cost of the contract has increased every year.

In point of fact, the Constable Patrol Program has been losing money for many years. For a time, that loss was offset by revenue from special events, including the Home Tour and Lights in the Heights. When COVID hit, special event revenue imploded. We missed one entire cycle of Home Tour. And Lights in the Heights actually lost money for several years, only just returning to break even in 2024.

With revenue sources declining and costs increasing, the board unanimously decided to raise the price for the Constable Patrol. We considered several possible rates, eventually settling upon $420/yr. This new rate will take effect on April 1, 2025. That's just $1.15 a day.

From a purely analytical perspective, this change is a 20% increase over the 2019 price, even though the contract cost has increased 26% over that time. Further, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports inflation (CPI) as 25% over the same period.

Much of how the change is enacted is dictated by the credit card payment processor used by our web host. Most CPP supporters participate in the program by way of auto-renewing subscriptions. They will receive a message notifying them of the change and when it will impact them. If your subscription renews before April 1, 2025, you'll already be paid up for the year. You won't pay the new price until 2026.

Neighborhood Safety More Broadly

The Constable Patrol had been an issue being considered by the board for several months. We had already been planning a meeting to go over those details when, on January 27, the neighborhood was rocked by the assault of a young girl on her way home from Travis Elementary School. To address this matter in depth, we invited local government and law enforcement representatives.

Constable Alan Rosen, Precinct One

Constable Alan Rosen was the first to address the gathering. He was very well informed about the situation, going into depth about the perpetrator, Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, a registered sex offender, released in 2024, who, as of this writing, remains a fugitive. The constable was able to detail this person's criminal history and how he was released in Harris County without local law enforcement being alerted to his presence.

The constable took questions from the crowd for 30 minutes.

Council Member Mario Castillo, District H

Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, addressed the gathering regarding his concern for public safety and the additional resources and initiatives his office has taken. In particular, he highlighted a program funded through his office called the District H Patrol initiative.

"This new public safety initiative includes community patrolling by the Houston Police Department's Differential Response Team (DRT), the use of two new Polaris vehicles, and the community-led District H Patrol Task Team." District H Patrol website

CM Castillo noted, "This program is not meant to just be enforcement, but it's also meant to be educational. And so we have done workshops in the past. We did a firearm safety storage and handling workshop where we also gave folks gun safes so they can properly store their firearms. We're in the in the works of planning a CPR one and we're open to ideas. If there are other workshops that communities want to do, as part of this initiative, we can bring one to the Woodland Heights or to the surrounding area. But I do want to make sure that y'all utilize the program."

Council Member Castillo stressed the importance of using other resources provided by the City of Houston and Harris County Precinct 1.

  • COH 3-1-1 system - Call for non-emergency access to city services

  • 9-1-1 - Call to report a life-or-death emergency that requires an immediate response from police, fire, or ambulance personnel.

  • (713) 755-7628 - Precinct One Constable Dispatch number for the WHCA Constable Patrol

Sergeant Clayton Graham, HPD Central Division

Sergeant Graham from HPD Central Division stepped up to describe the Central Division, which includes Woodland Heights. He emphasized how HPD and the Constables work in partnership and noted,

"Regarding the incident on the 27th, I do know that they are actively trying to track where the suspect is. He's sold all his property and is not in Harris County right now. I can tell you that much. Because if he was, we would find him."

Sergeant Clayton addressed numerous further questions from the crowd. Questions he could not answer were addressed by some of the many Deputy Constables and HPD officers in attendance.


Wrapping It Up

As I conclude this report, let me share the board's primary message to the neighborhood. We are working to ensure the WHCA Constable Patrol Program's future by stabilizing its financial path.

First, I encourage you to subscribe to the program. The new price, $420 a year, going into effect on April 1, 2025, is less than a cup of coffee a day at your favorite shop. Personally, I think it's a pretty good investment to provide increased security for your family and your neighbors.

Second, if we can secure funding to sustain the two patrol shifts and we get an overwhelming response from our neighbors, we could look into adding a third shift. That would provide 24-hour security with dedicated officers patrolling Woodland Heights streets. Their ability to respond to neighborhood crime when it happens is key. Officers you know, looking out for you and your family, is priceless in a city as large as Houston.

Finally, if we are not able to raise enough funding to add a third patrol but have enough to have two patrols with some additional funding left over, we could consider some new strategies. Both the Constables and HPD have spoken highly of the Flock Safety camera systems. These surveillance cameras monitor traffic at key entry points to the neighborhood, logging vehicle information, including license plates.

Our own Deputy Lemmons devoted many hours to reviewing Flock footage from elsewhere in the city to help identify the truck associated with the January 27th incident. This is how they ID'd the suspect. Just imagine how useful such a system could be if we had cameras closer to home! But this system is on our wish list and is on standby until we're able to get our financial footing again for the WHCA Constable Patrol as it currently stands.

I know this is a lot of words, but I hope you understand how much work, discussion, and even debate your WHCA Board has had over this issue. I hope you understand and join us in supporting the program. We thank you in advance for that support.

What is a Super Neighborhood? by Brad Snead

By Estella Espinosa and Brad Snead

Super Neighborhoods - You may have heard the term amongst several other local government terms and wondered what it references. Some background history from the Super Neighborhood Alliance Memorandum of Understanding includes important dates on their history and purpose.

  • June 7, 1999 - Mayor Lee Brown launched the Super Neighborhood Program "as a means to welcome the input offered by community-based organizations throughout the City. The program was key to the Mayor's concept of Neighborhood-Oriented Government that, at its core, provided for community participation in decisions of local significance made by the City."

  • February 2002 - leaders of super neighborhood councils began informally meeting monthly to share ideas for community projects, ways to improve the initiative, and constructive feedback to the City to Institutionalize super neighborhoods.

  • November 2002 - The Mayor agreed to 'introduce a proclamation acknowledging the Alliance as an Advisory Board that advises the Mayor on matters of community Impact, conduct citywide outreach about the Super Neighborhood Initiative, and introduce a resolution for City Council approval that reflects a commitment for the City to consider super neighborhood action plans (SNAPs) proposed by the councils to make annual budget decisions.

  • March 17, 2003 - Initial Memorandum of Understanding between the Super Neighborhood Alliance and the City of Houston signed,

  • September 9, 2024 - Updated Memorandum of Understanding signed, effective September 9, 2024.

Super Neighborhoods are codified in the City of Houston's Municipal Code under Chapter 33, Article VIII. Their purpose is to "allow citizens to engage with each other, identify needs for their neighborhoods, and present any findings or requests for their communities, " according to the City of Houston Super Neighborhood Handbook.

The Woodland Heights neighborhood is part of the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood 15 and sends a representative to regularly scheduled Super Neighborhood 15 meetings. These meetings are open to the public and are held on the third Tuesday of February, May, August, and November at 6:30 p.m. at the Heights Fire House, 107 W. 12th St, 77008. Brad Snead has volunteered his time to be the representative for the WHCA and our neighborhood for several years. He provides the following update on the February meeting.


Super Neighborhood 15 Meeting - February 18, 2025

Memorial Heights Reinvestment Zone, TIRZ5, gave updates. Relevant to WHCA, Stude Park is now in the crosshairs of redevelopment. It is listed in the potential projects in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department on TIRZ 5's website, page 5 of the list. At a minimum, there will be a new playground. They have hired the SWA Group of landscape architects to study further redevelopment. Additionally, in the plans is a crosswalk connecting White Oak Bayou Park to the neighborhood over White Oak just East of Watson.

District H is starting a "Safe Pathways Initiative" to use some of its service funds. CM Castillo welcomes all ideas for safety improvements that connect schools, parks, and community spaces.

Bike Houston will lead a Houston Ave bike clean-up on March 8. That overpass is now the only serviceable bike path out of the neighborhood since TxDOT construction damaged the MKT and Hogan bridges, leading to their closure.

The group of private citizens discussing the formation of a Greater Heights Management District is planning to present at the next SN15 meeting on April 15, 2025. This proposal is very important to our neighborhood as the area under discussion includes the Woodland Heights neighborhood (Editor's note: more on what a management district is and who creates it can be found at this link).

As minimal information regarding this group's proposal and its impact on the Woodland Heights neighborhood is available, it would be advisable for Woodland Heights neighbors to attend to gather information and ensure our voices are heard. Originally, this proposal was earmarked to be presented to the 2025 Texas Legislative Session for review and potential approval. The word on the street is that the group is no longer pushing for that timeline.

WHCA - Member Meeting August 20, 2024 by Michael Graves

As is our habit, Woodland Heights Civic Association held a Member's Meeting in the library at Travis Elementary School on Tuesday, August 20th.

These meetings are your opportunity to engage with the WHCA board and committees, both to catch up on things going on in the neighborhood and provide feedback. It's your opportunity to both hear and be heard. The meeting got underway just after 6 p.m. on the hottest day of the summer to that point.

CM Mario Castillo
After an initial welcome to the 30-ish members assembled, the agenda began with Council Member Mario Castillo and Sabrina Salts, Director of Special Projects, District H. CM Castillo was invited in advance with a list of questions from neighbors.
 
The Council Member began by highlighting the District H Patrol Program. He described it as, "…a public safety initiative that is geared towards nuisance level quality of life issues. So, think illegal dumping, homeless encampments, junk motor vehicles that are abandoned, overgrown lots, aggressive panhandling, loitering, those sorts of things. These are things that people do call HPD 4, and oftentimes, they just don't get to them right away. There's obviously a limited number of officers. They're focused on high level, emergent problems. This is a program that can be utilized by anyone in District H to go to districthpatrol.com. There's a form you fill out, there's a certain criteria of nuisance problems that this program will address, and those get routed to Sabrina. Sabrina sends them to the proper HPD command".

He went on to address CenterPoint's recent flurry of tree trimming, which has caused concern among neighbors. “They have been coming through and doing some tree trimming. This is this is in their purview. There are some regulations about how much they can cut, which I think y'all have been pretty proactive about letting them know that, even putting notices on the trees themselves.”
 
He continued, "It's not necessarily CenterPoint out there doing the trimming. They're hiring a number of contractors to go out there and do that. When that happens, you can have sort of a lapse in standards. You're putting a lot of folks out there to do a job and not necessarily looking at every single tree they're cutting to see if it meets your standards. So that's where your eyes and ears play an important role. I'm happy to be a conduit between CenterPoint and the neighborhood, to ensure that what they're doing is in compliance. If there are issues, definitely send my office a photo and an address.”
 
The Q&A with Mario went on for a full 30 minutes and covered much more detail than I can get into here. The one big takeaway from the discussion is that 311 is important. The city’s 311 system is the primary way to report issues to the city. Every 311 report is issued a ticket number. City departments are held accountable for addressing their various 311 issues. You can open 311 tickets;

  1. By calling 311

  2. Using the Houston 311 app

  3. Or via the web

If you feel the city is not responsive, you can contact the council members' team at districth@houstontx.gov. Be sure to include the 311 ticket number when contacting them.

Lights in the Heights & BASH Committees address the gathered neighbors.

Lights in the Heights

Ashely Allison and Lauren Snead followed Mario with news about planning for Lights in the Heights and the LITH Bash. Ashley announced the featured streets for LITH 2024: Byrne, Euclid, and 7 1/2th.  The festival hasn't been on this route since 2019. Memorial Hermann  Hospital in the Heights has once again returned as the presenting  sponsor.

Council  Member Carla Cisneros submitted the winning design for the event logo.  It merges the themes of Space City with the Travisaurus from the Travis  Elementary playground. A cloisonné ornament based on the logo is available in the WHCA online store. Order yours today!

Lauren announced the LITH Bash, which will be held Friday, November 15th, at Eureka Heights Brewing.  There will be good music, food, drink, and live and silent auctions,  all in support of Lights in the Heights. She expects there will be an  early bird sale for bash tickets. Remember to Save the Date—details will follow in upcoming newsletters and on social media. Proceeds from the LITH Bash will help fund LITH.

Both committees seek volunteers to assist with all aspects of the Bash and LITH. If you are interested in volunteering, email LightsInTheHeights@gmail.com. It's a great way to get in the holiday spirit while being a part of your neighborhood!

WHCA Board
Each member of the WHCA board in attendance introduced themselves and gave a brief description of their role and recent activities.

Along the way, Director of Beautification Ryan Taylor acknowledged the assistance of Pat Rutledge, Louise Moss, and Tiffany Tyler in recent projects. He further noted several planned workday events in the coming months, starting with Ley Plaza Park on Saturday, September 21st.

I closed out this summary highlighting the unexpected requirement that WHCA move all its worldly possessions out of the storage unit at I-10 and T.C. Jester. That building was damaged by Hurricane Beryl, such that all ground-floor tenants were forced to move out with rather little notice. The WHCA board opted to move to Big Tex Storage on 11th Street. The move itself was undertaken by Louise Moss, Estella Espinosa, and myself.


Guest Speaker - Whole Home Backup Power Affordable Backup Power Presentation

At each member's meeting, we have a guest speaker on a topic broadly of interest to the neighborhood. In the past, we've had naturalists, beekeepers, and bird watchers, among many others.

On this occasion, I gave a presentation I created, June's Derecho. It describes what Stella and I have learned in recent years as we've implemented An Affordable Strategy for Whole-Home Backup Power. It's a set of notes providing guidance on how to run an entire home, including central air conditioning, for much less than the $15-20K that it typically costs to install a dedicated standby generator.

This was the third time that I've given this presentation. The first was online using Zoom. A recording of that session is available, and the slides are also available here. About a third of the assembled crowd stayed all the way to the end, which was around 7:40 p.m.

District H Town Hall Recording Now Available Online by Woodland Heights Civic Association

A recording of the District H Town Hall, including discussions of both Redistricting as well as the District's Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), is now available to view online here. As a reminder, the public can attend any Town Hall meeting, a list of which can be viewed on the Redistricting website here. Residents who cannot attend the meetings in person may choose to attend a virtual meeting on May 25th at 6pm

Meeting Notes: WHCA September General Meeting & Candidates Forum by Lori Bigler

The WHCA September General Meeting was held Tuesday, September 10th at 7 pm in the auditorium of Hogg Middle School. This article is a recap of the events of that evening.

Lights In The Heights Merchandise

Members filtered into the auditorium past a table with an array of Lights in the Heights merchandise. Beth Allen-Brock and Melissa McKee explained that these items are available for order now. Some items are made to order, so it’s important that you place your order via the WHCA website asap. In those cases, items will only be available people who order in advance.

The ladies further indicated that people who order LITH merchandise will be able to pickup their goods at the Friday Night Lights event on Friday, December 13th.

(L-to-R) WHCA President, Harry McMahon, former Treasurer Melissa McKee and former Secretary Beth Allen-Brock.

Call To Order

WHCA President Harry McMahon opened the meeting, calling for a show of hands from the members present to determine that there was a quorum. With around 40 people in the auditorium, it was determined that we did have quorum, although this was not critical since there were no agenda items requiring a vote by the membership.

Lights In The Heights Date & Route

Next, Harry introduced Ashley Allison, Co-chair of the 2019 Lights in the Heights committee. Ashley announced that Lights in the Heights would be Saturday, December 14th. The proposed route is Highland and Omar Streets, from Studewood to Florence.

The proposed route is subject to approval of our permit application. LITH has been on these streets in the past, but not for a number of years. As such, we have every reason to expect that the permit will be issued. When the details are finalized a reference map will be published.

Everything you need to know about Lights in the Heights will be in the November WHCA newsletter, which will be printed and hand-delivered throughout Woodland Heights.

Volunteer Your Porch!

The LITH committee is looking for folks along the route (Highland & Omar) who would like to host an entertainer on their front porch. Interested residents can contact Kent Brock at entertainmentlith@gmail.com

LITH Masquerade Bash

There will be a LITH Holiday Masquerade Bash on Friday, October 25th at Studewood Place, 1111 Studewood. This is fun, casual event with all funds going to support Lights in the Heights. Tickets are now available in the online store at the WHCA website.

District H Candidates Forum

With the WHCA housekeeping out-of-the-way, Harry turned the meeting over to Charles Kuffner, the moderator of the District H Candidates Forum.

We were pleased to have all four of the candidates running to represent District H on Houston City Council participating in the event. We recorded the proceeding for the benefit of those who could not attend.

Many thanks to WH resident Estella Espinosa for her work preparing this video. It was our first time using this venue, which was surprising for the amount of reverberation it presents. The presentation has been substantially tidied up, but not edited for content. The recording contains the exchange in its entirety.

COH Presentation on Heights Area Street Safety Improvements by Lori Bigler

The WHCA General Meeting on March 19th included a presentation about plans to change the configuration of 11th Street, Studewood and Pecore. This presentation helped to inspire an impressive turnout (62!) for the meeting, which was held in the library at Travis Elementary School. Since there are no doubt many others who would be interested in the details of this project, we recorded the meeting, to make it available here. The slides used in the presentation are also available in PDF format.

The decision to record this meeting was very last minute. The event was shot with a single camera, mostly focussed on the presenter. The video offered here was edited only to add the slides and whatever B-roll shots I could capture using my phone, once the Q&A was underway. It was not edited for content in any way.

Replay: The Mayor's Town Hall Meeting by Lori Bigler


Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a Town Hall meeting on Monday, September 10th at The Moody Park community Center. This meeting targeting District H was the second in a series of town hall meetings to address the two propositions on the ballot for the November 6th election.

Speakers included CM Karla Cisneros, Mayor Turner, Director of Finance Tantri Emo, Fire Chief Samuel Peña, Police Chief Art Acevedo and Carol Haddock, Director of Public Works.

The presentations began with Proposition B, which is a ballot initiative by the firefighters union who are seeking to force wage parity with Houston Police officers.

Discussion of Proposition A, with respect to management of the Rebuild Houston funding, followed later in the meeting.

HTV live-streamed the meeting. This means that you can watch recorded playback of the event right here.

Meet The new WHCA Board of Directors for 2018-19 by Lori Bigler

The Woodland-Heights Civic Association Board of Directors for 2018-19

The Woodland-Heights Civic Association Board of Directors for 2018-19

This evening the members present at the March General Meeting elected the following as the new WHCA board for the coming year. Listed in order left-to-right.

  • Beautification: Stephanie Riceman
  • Security: Cody McGregor
  • Secretary: Debbie Hall
  • Infrastructure: Matt Johnson 
  • Communications: Michael Graves
  • Membership: Jay Francis
  • President-Elect: Harry McMahon
  • Deed Restrictions: Melissa Sternfels
  • President: Matt Reynolds
  • Treasurer: Sharon Greiff

This new board will take the reigns on April 1st, 2018.

Meet The WHCA Board for 2017-8 by Lori Bigler

The picture above was taken on March 21st following the WHCA General Meeting that elected the board for the coming year. The new board is (Left-to-Right):

Tyson Greer, President
Melissa Sternfels, VP Membership
Brad Snead, VP Security
Michael Graves, VP Communication
Beth Allen-Brock, Secretary
Matthew Reynolds, President-Elect
Carla Reed, VP Beautification
Craig L Jackson, VP Deed Restrictions
Melissa McKee, Treasurer
Matt Johnson, VP Infrastructure (not shown)

The board meets to conduct the business of the WHCA once a month. In addition, general meetings are held every second month.

 

 

 

General Meeting Recap – July 2016 by Guest User

Unfortunately we weren't able to video record this month's meeting but here's a quick recap of what transpired. First, our guest speakers:

  • The City of Houston gave a short presentation regarding the pending sewer line work the 900 blocks of Bayland, Highland, Omar, Merrill, and Redan. The old cement sewer lines will be replaced beginning in the August/September timeframe. The entire project is expected to take 2 to 3 months.
  • Neighbor Jim Weston of the I-45 Coalition spoke briefly to inform us there have been no new developments in the I-45 project and the next step is the as yet unscheduled last public meeting prior to the project start. That meeting is expected to occur sometime at the end of the year.
  • We also heard from the organizers behind the Pierce Skypark, a project seeking to transform the Pierce Elevated portion of I-45 into an expansive green belt similar to the High Line in New York City.
  • Finally, we heard from a representative from State Rep. Carol Alvarado's office who told us about a town hall the Representative is hosting about the Zika virus. The event is Wednesday, August 3rd, 6:30pm at the E.B. Cape Center Auditorium, 4501 Leeland St. Come learn about the virus, what you can do to prevent infection, travel warnings, and understand the pregnancy risks.

Next up, WHCA business:

  • Treasurer Melissa McKee updated us on the association finances since the last general meeting. If you have specific questions please feel free to contact her directly.
  • VP of Security Steve Howard let us know the Constable Patrol program is short subscribers to sustain a second shift. If you haven't renewed your membership yet please do so as soon as possible.
  • There were no updates regarding the traffic management plan. As soon as the WHCA receives information we'll share it on Nextdoor and the WHCA news page.
  • The historic district guidelines for the Woodland Heights, though in very early stages, are moving forward. If you have questions about these please refer back to our previous article on the matter.
  • A point of discussion was raised concerning the board's authority to allocate funds as allowed under the current bylaws.