The District J Journal – August 8, 2014

It’s Going to be a Busy Fall . . .

This fall is shaping up to be a busy time for District J!

Coming up within the next few weeks, the City Council Quality of Life Committee meeting will address proposed changes to the food truck ordinance.  Your District J office will keep you informed as to the location and time of that meeting. The public will be invited to attend and share comments with the Committee.

As always, our District J parks will be at the forefront of community activity. Stay tuned for more information about an upcoming Town Hall meeting to inform the community about the proposed $1 million improvements to Crain and Lansdale Park that are being designed. The next phase of the Gulfton Skate Park project at Burnett-Bayland Park is about to take off.  You will want to help with that project. And the Friends of Lee LeClear Tennis Center are preparing an upcoming inaugural gala designed to kick-off its major fund-raising activities. Additionally, we will be working closely with the Westwood community to begin the visioning process for upgrading Forum Park.

Finally, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Bellaire Reconstruction Project. The entire project is scheduled to be completed this fall. I know we all look forward to celebrating completion of that work.

Your District J office will keep you up to date on all of these projects.

Thank You,

–Mike Laster, Council Member – District J

“Be a Neighbor, Not a Nuisance”

These are good words to live by, and we only wish more of our neighbors abided by them! But now you can help, by providing them with this brochure of Code Violations.

If you see any of these violations taking place in your community, please call 3-1-1 or visit the 3-1-1 website. As always, please let this office know too, by calling 832-393-3015 or by e-mailing us, using the links provided.

Drainage Fee Update

With the advent of new aerial technology and changes in property-use, there is a citywide effort underway to update the impervious surface database. The update will affect the drainage fee residents see on their utility bills every month.

Phase I, which included 15 super neighborhoods, has been completed and 2 super neighborhoods that are found in District J, Alief and Brays Oaks, were investigated. The super neighborhoods are being studied by their amount of impervious surface; areas with the most impervious surface will come first. 2,803 accounts in District J will be affected and all will be notified of the changes to their drainage fee beginning this month. (If your fee is decreased, the only change you will see is on your utility bill.)

Please contact our office if you have any questions.

Houston Plans New Mobile City Hall

The City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods (DON) is partnering with the Rice University Center for Engineering Leadership to explore opportunities for taking city government out of downtown and into Houston neighborhoods via a mobile city hall.

The department is seeking citizen input about the services that might be offered via the mobile venue. The goal is to provide an avenue for residents to have issues addressed without having to travel downtown.

Please click this link to take the survey and give your opinion!

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