HSPCA : iWalk for Animals @ Stude Park

Fetch your sneakers and a furry friend, and join the Houston SPCA for some fun at the 2015 iWalk for Animals on Saturday, December 5 at Stude Park from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There will be a 5K Canine Caper and a 1K Pup Strut along the banks of White Oak Bayou. You don't want to miss exciting demonstrations, live music and amazing vendors! And, of course, participate in everyone's favorite pet-related contests like Best Kisser, Best Costume and Pet Owner Look Alike!

Enjoy a perfect morning with your family and friends, all while raising much-needed funds to support the Houston SPCA's lifesaving programs and services. Participate on your own – or as part of a team - and help give thousands of orphaned, abused and neglected animals a second chance at life! Every step you take and every dollar you raise for the iWalk helps the Houston SPCA keep our 24-hour Injured Animal Rescue Ambulances on the road every day of the year and fund over 7,000 cruelty investigations. Your Houston SPCA is committed to all animals and intervened on behalf of nearly 50,000 animals last year including cats and dogs; small mammals; horses and farm animals; and native wildlife. And, we proudly place 100% of our healthy animals into loving, new homes!

Happening at Reagan HS

The German Club at Reagan High School will host the first ever Oktoberfest at the school on October 7th from 4pm to 6pm.

The event will provide food (Bratwürste und Crepes), drinks, entertainment and games for children and adults. Profits from the event will be donated to organizations helping refugees in the town of Leipzig.

If you're interested in sponsoring their efforts or purchasing tickets in advance ($8 adult, $5 kids) please contact the president of the German Club, Cynthia Torres, for information.

Vielen Dank!

SPONSORED POST: Four Square Design Studio

Our thanks, once again, to Four Square Design Studio LLC for sponsoring this month's WHCA newsletter. The WHCA email newsletter reaches over 400 neighbors. If you're interested in sponsoring please get in touch.

Historic homes, modern living, award-winning design

• Renovations
• Additions
• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Interior design and decoration

We have an abiding love of historic structures, but we enjoy juxtaposing old and new. We are skilled problem-solvers; when designing additions, we seek to accommodate the needs of modern living while respecting the original spirit and design of a historic building.

To see a sampling of our projects, visit us at foursquaredesignstudio.com or call us at 713-802-1699.

Constable Patrol: August 2015

(If you're viewing this story in our newsletter please visit the WHCA website to view graphs.)

Crime statistics

As always, theft from vehicles is the most prevalent crime. Please don’t leave valuables in your car.

The City of Houston is usually 3 or more months behind in releasing monthly crime stats. To stay more current, about once a week I monitor daily crime reports, and accumulate the data to arrive at the crime data presented here.

WH Crime report

WH vs. Entire 2A30 Beat

For August: Robbery of business 2700 block of Houston Avenue. Auto thefts in the 2400 block of White Oak and the 1100 block of Usener.

Constable Patrol Statistics

Our permanent night shift deputy has completed the 8 week training of his new police dog and we are pleased to welcome his return to duty in our neighborhood. We remind everyone that for a crime in progress, please call 911 first, principally because we do not have 24/7 deputy coverage. If our deputies are on duty, they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911.

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood, and remain through their shift, unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. The deputies spend their shift cruising the neighborhood. When they stop to look at something or take some action, they keep a log, so we have a general idea of their activities.

• 46 traffic stops, resulting in 11 citations, (the deputies have radar and use it to monitor speeds in areas where there are complaints about speeding, and they do strictly enforce speeds in school zones; the stops are throughout the neighborhood, but about half were on Studewood, Bayland, Watson and White Oak)
• 2 arrests (both drug related, in the 600 and 1100 blocks of Omar)
• 3 responses to criminal mischief
• 11 suspicious person call responses
• 8 suspicious vehicle call responses
• 106 times they stopped to check something in the parks (especially along White Oak)
• 270 times they stopped to check something in the neighborhood
• 6 house alarm responses (it’s been 4 months since my cat set off the alarm)
• 2 disturbance/loud noise complaint investigations
• 32 “Meet the Citizen” – this is basically a conversation with a member of the neighborhood in a fashion that’s not covered above,  (e.g., to introduce themselves or answer a question).

Our deputies are very service oriented, so if you see a deputy and have a question, or just want to say hello – please flag them down.

Thank You to Watson Esplanade Volunteers

A big thank you to the continued wonderful work of Louise Moss, Pat German, Pat Rutledge, and Pat Schaper. Their hard work and dedication to the beautification of our community is greatly appreciated.

National Night Out

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live. Together, we are making that happen.

Come join your neighbors October 6 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on the Norhill Esplanade for National Night Out. Food trucks, beverages, and family-friendly fun. Get to know your neighbors and take part in a great Woodland Heights community event.

SPONSORED POST: Four Square Design Studio

Our thanks to Four Square Design Studio LLC for sponsoring the September WHCA newsletter. The WHCA newsletter reaches over 400 neighbors. If you're interested in sponsoring please get in touch.

Historic homes, modern living, award-winning design

• Renovations
• Additions
• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Interior design and decoration

We have an abiding love of historic structures, but we enjoy juxtaposing old and new. We are skilled problem-solvers; when designing additions, we seek to accommodate the needs of modern living while respecting the original spirit and design of a historic building.

To see a sampling of our projects, visit us at foursquaredesignstudio.com or call us at 713-802-1699.

Special Guests at September General Meeting

The WHCA is excited to announce that all three candidates for the open District H City Council position -- Roland Chavez, Karla Cisneros, and Jason Cisneroz -- have accepted invitations to attend and participate in a candidates forum at the WHCA’s September 8 General Meeting. Each of the candidates will have ten minutes to speak about his or her platform, and then we will open up the floor to questions for approximately thirty minutes. Please make every effort to attend so that you can listen to each candidate’s vision for the City, District H and the Woodland Heights for the next two years. 
 
When:  Tuesday, September 8, 7-8:30 p.m.
Where:  Hogg Middle School Auditorium

Constable Patrol Update

WHCA Crime & Constable Patrol Stats

HPD Beat 2A30

If you're reading this in our monthly newsletter please view this article on our website to view a bar chart showing crime statistics over the past three months.

As always, theft from vehicles is the most prevalent crime. Please don’t leave valuables in your car. For July: Burglaries involved residences in the 100 block of Alma, 3700 block of Bradley, and 900 block of Woodland. Auto theft in the 3700 block of Bradley.

The City of Houston is usually 3 months behind in releasing monthly crime stats. To stay more current, about once a week I monitor daily crime reports and accumulate the data to arrive at the crime data presented here.  

Hopefully, many of you got to meet our deputies at the July 4th parade. Our day shift deputy is waiting for it to cool off a bit before he gets back on his bike. Our permanent night shift deputy is about to complete his 8 week training course with his new police dog. During his training several other deputies are covering his shift, and as always we receive support from surrounding contracts (Heights, Garden Oaks etc.). It is common for deputies from nearby contracts to respond to calls in our area as Precinct One endeavors to provide prompt service when we call.     

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood and remain through their shift unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. The deputies spend their shift cruising the neighborhood.  When they stop to look at something or take some action, they keep a log, so we have a general idea of their activities. For July 2015 here is some of their activity:

• 21 traffic stops, resulting in 10 citations, (the deputies have radar and use it to monitor speeds in areas where there are complaints about speeding, and they do strictly enforce speeds in school zones)
• 2 arrests (both drug related, in the 800 and 1000 blocks of Studewood)
• 3 responses to criminal mischief
• 6 suspicious person call responses
• 16 suspicious vehicle call responses (resulting in 9 stops, 3 warnings, 1 citation)
• 85 times they stopped to check something in the parks (especially along White Oak)
• 222 times they stopped to check something in the neighborhood 
• 7 house alarm responses (zero caused by my cat)
• 2 disturbance/loud noise complaint investigations 
• 37 “Meet the Citizen” – this is basically a conversation with a member of the neighborhood in a fashion that’s not covered above,  (e.g., to introduce themselves or answer a question).

Our deputies are very service oriented, so if you see a deputy and have a question, or just want to say hello –  flag them down.

Steve Howard
VP-Security WHCA

Next WHCA General Meeting

The WHCA’s next general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8. We will be discussing important developments with regard to the Constable program, the METRO bus route, and other pressing issues in our neighborhood. We may also have an exciting guest speaker or two, so stay tuned.

Lights in the Heights Update

Calling All Volunteers

Lights in the Heights kicked off early this year with a meeting this past Wednesday night. We were thrilled to have a great turnout at our first meeting, with a mix of new faces and returning committee members. Our next meeting is Sept 2, Wed at 8PM at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services on 11th Street. We have plenty of room for more volunteers, so if you're interested in getting involved with LITH, please join us at the next meeting.

LITH 2015 Logo

It's time to start thinking about this year's LITH logo. We're reaching out to the neighborhood early this year in the hopes of creating a healthy competition and giving our resident artists ample time to participate. Designs will appear on all merchandise, including the newly coveted ornaments. It will be featured on prominent display at the annual Gala. Please submit all designs to Jan Greer at janrynda@gmail.com by Tuesday, October 20.  

Recent Traffic Problems

Last week, the neighborhood experienced a significant traffic spike as a result of TxDOT’s closure of I-10 to do construction on the Houston Avenue Bridge. This included several 18-wheelers streaming up Watson, despite the sign at Usener and Watson that clearly prohibits such traffic. The WHCA is working with State and City officials, including the Mayor’s office, to make sure that they have a plan in place to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself the next time I-10 or I-45 is shut down. But this is also a reminder of the importance to implement traffic calming measures in the neighborhood. If you would like to join the neighborhood committee that is working with the City on this issue, please email us at infrastructure@woodland-heights.org. 

Revisions to Historic Preservation Ordinance

Historic preservation is important to many of our members, so the WHCA believes it is important for its members to be aware that the City’s Planning and Development Department is proposing changes to Chapter 33, Historic Preservation Ordinance. According to the City, the changes were crafted to correct and clarify targeted items and create greater consistency for applicants and for the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC). The proposed changes and the information related to this process can be found on their website.

Comments from the public may be submitted by calling 832-393-6556, via email, or by mail to HPD Review, Planning and Development Department, P.O. Box 1562, Houston, Texas 77251-1562. HAHC will review all comments and consider final action at its August 27, 2015 meeting, so please take the time to read the proposed revisions and to submit your comments before August 27, 2015.

July 14th Meeting Cancelled

The meeting scheduled for July 14th is cancelled. We hope to see you at the next meeting.

Fourth of July Parade

We are all set for the 4th of July Parade at the Norhill Esplanade starting at 9 AM. Please bring your child’s favorite riding toy, bike or scooter to join in the parade. We will have two different snow cone trucks, coffee, tea and children’s activities. Remember that your voluntary membership to the Woodland Heights Civic Association allows for the WHCA to sponsor these events. We will look forward to seeing you all at the Norhill Esplanade on Norhill between Bayland and Euclid at 9 AM on July 4th.

Now Taking Submissions

The WHCA newsletter is now taking submissions from our readers. There's a lot happening in our neighborhood and our small group of volunteers can't be everywhere so we're opening up the newsletter to your submissions. There's no minimum length and submissions are taken on a rolling basis so send them in when they're ready.

• Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop activities in the community.
• Local art shows.
• School theater or musical performances.
• Fundraisers within the Woodland Heights community.
• Special Events.

To submit some news simply visit the News page on the WHCA website. Select the Submit a Story button on the right side of the page and we'll be in touch.

Sponsored Content

We're also now accepting sponsored articles from area businesses. Promote your business. Promote your upcoming sale or event. We're open to ideas. For details please contact Mark Sternfels, VP Communications.

Taking Nominations for VP Beautification

Our beloved VP Beautification, Vicky Bettis, is resigning, so the WHCA is in need of a new VP Beautification and is taking nominations. The VP Beautification is in charge of awarding the Yard of the Month and of heading up various beautification projects in the neighborhood. If you're interested, please send a short explanation of your qualifications and the reasons you'd like to take on this WHCA Board position. Keep in mind that you must be a member of the WHCA to hold this or any other Board position. We look forward to hearing from all interested candidates.

METRO Buses on Bayland & Watson

UPDATE 1: Original post was missing the link to the METRO bus route petition. Now added.
UPDATE 2: Added link to petition in favor of keeping current METRO bus routes. Modified text to accommodate new link. Removed infographic.

As was discussed at our last General Meeting, METRO has decided to maintain the current bus route on Bayland and Watson. A large number of residents on Bayland (and elsewhere along the route in the neighborhood) have expressed their desire to have this route moved to the perimeter of the neighborhood. In prior meetings with METRO, some of those residents were left with the impression that METRO would do just that. However, METRO has now confirmed that its plan is to leave the route as it currently exists. So, those residents are starting a petition to bring to METRO before METRO finalizes its route decisions, which will be in early June.

Please review both petitions and make your voice heard.

Petition in favor of keeping current bus routes.
Petition in favor of changing bus routes.