The WHCA general meeting on March 12th is the final meeting of our year. That meeting centers around electing a new Board of Directors. On April 1st that new board takes over for the 2019 - 20 year.
To facilitate that election, the WHCA President is tasked with appointing a nominating committee who are charged with finding candidates to run for the various open directorships. According to the bylaws that committee must be two (2) current directors and three (3) homeowner members.
So it is that we are seeking volunteers to sit on the nominating committee. To sit on this committee you must be a WHCA member and not yourself running for a directorship.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Harry McMahon at president@woodland-heights.org.
Yard-of-the-Month: 1126 Highland /
Brian Walker and Lorenzo Rodriguez have been lovingly tending their garden at 1126 Highland for over twenty years.
With midwinter taking a toll on many yards, theirs stands out as it continues to bloom, now with deep roots and a history surrounding their home. It’s a treat for neighborhood wildlife and insects, with diverse plantings including azaleas, bottlebrush, irises, lilies, lantana, succulents, and hibiscus, as well as the more common crepe myrtles, muhly grass, boxwood, and sago palm. They even incorporated a small yard art hydrant to welcome dogs!
The bricks imprinted with Mexia that make up part of their walkway were salvaged from their home’s original oven. When I asked about a pretty tri-leaf filling around their lilies and azaleas, Lorenzo said “That may be a weed. But it’s nice and grows well, so I left it.” I love that approach, and it’s so pretty.
Stephanie Riceman
WHCA, VP Beautification
WHCA Yard-of-the-Month Sign Missing! /
It seems that the WHCA Yard-of-the-Month signs has gone missing. It's last known perch was 528 Bayland. We need it back! If someone grabbed it, perhaps to prank a neighbor, we'd be happy just to see it returned to where they found it. No questions asked. Michael Graves VP Communications, WHCA
Have you seen this sign? We need it returned.
MextroNext Public Meeting Monday, January 28th /
METRO’s Board of Directors, led by Chair Carrin Patman, is developing a new plan for transit services in the Houston/Harris County region. It will be a forward-looking plan focused on providing more transportation choices to more people.
The planning process has been underway since 2017. The current phase in the process includes a series of public meetings to expose the draft plan for comment. The public meeting nearest to Woodland Heights is as follows:
Monday, January 28 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Fulbright Tower
1301 McKinney
Houston, Texas 77010
For more information about MetroNext see their website.
Councilor Karla Cisneros on Trash & Recycling Collection /
This morning’s email newsletter from District H Councilor Karla Cisneros included the following letter:
January 17, 2019
Dear District H Constituents,
As Council Member representing District H, I want to touch base with you all regarding the spike in missed and delayed waste pick up whether it be recycling or heavy trash. Please know that this spike is not isolated to your neighborhood or even just District H. This is a city-wide problem that has been happening for the last few months, and in an effort to achieve clarity, I have compiled below information regarding the delays and what the Solid Waste Department is doing to resume regularly scheduled recycling and heavy trash pickup.
What is causing the delays?
The City’s fleet of recycling trucks is aging and many sustained damage during Hurricane Harvey. This has led to equipment downtime as the trucks are repaired.
Many homeowners’ garbage and recycling bins were washed away during Hurricane Harvey, creating a backlog of delivery of the new bins.
Solid Waste is experiencing an increase in volume, typical for this time of year, further contributing to delays.
Solid Waste needs new truck mechanics and experienced CDL drivers, of which there are few, due to the nation-wide skilled labor shortage.
What is the City doing to help?
At the end of the summer, Solid Waste will receive 69 new trucks.
City Council voted to approve a recycling collections contract with a private vendor and a rental contract for extra manual collection garbage trucks while we wait for the new trucks to come in this summer.
While there is a hiring freeze for most City of Houston departments, Solid Waste is exempt so that they may hire desperately needed trucks drivers and mechanics. To apply, visit this website.
Solid Waste has staff working overtime on weekends in an effort to get back on schedule.
Mayor Turner’s team is tracking all missed and delayed pickups personally by remaining in communication with Solid Waste, 311 operators, and Council Members.
The Solid Waste Department’s Facebook page updates information on daily routes being picked up each day.
Regularly-scheduled pickups are projected to resume ~60 days.
What can residents do?
Solid Waste is encouraging residents to take advantage of the six neighborhood depositories in the city. For more information on locations and requirements please visit this website.
If your bin is not picked up on your regularly-scheduled day, please report the situation first to 311 and then to my office by calling 832-393-3003. My office will coordinate with the Solid Waste department as well as the Mayor’s office to track and resolve the issue.
Continue to follow social media and the Solid Waste website for updates on when your neighborhood’s pickup will take place.
I understand that this situation is not only inconvenient, but frustrating. My staff and I have been tracking this issue for months and continue to vigilantly advocate for the constituents of District H. We are here to make your communications with the City of Houston more efficient and more transparent, so please do not hesitate to call my office with your issues, be they Solid Waste related or otherwise.
Sincerely,
Karla Cisneros
Council Member, District H
Yard-Of-The-Month: 528 Bayland /
My friend and I have loved this sweet, expansive yard for a while! Watching it transform through seasons only seems to bring out the beauty in its evolution.
Looking over the fence you see nicely manicured space, but what is really cool is all along the sidewalk: an antique water fountain with a little bowl for neighborhood critters to have a drink on hot days, benches for big and little kids to have a rest and meet neighbors, and a thoughtfully designed sidewalk that lofts over giant oak root mounds and also easy for those of us on wheels. It's a lovely merger of urban and wild - how fitting for our Woodland Heights, so close to downtown.
- Stephanie Riceman, VP-Beautification