REMINDER: Traffic Meeting Dec. 6, 7PM @ Hogg

Don't forget about the upcoming Traffic Meeting hosted by the City of Houston at the Hogg Middle School Cafeteria on Tuesday, Dec. 6th, 7PM. If you did not receive the most recent traffic meeting notice in the mail from the City of Houston you may download a copy here or simply follow this link to comment online. Even if you comment online you may still want to download a copy of the comment card as it also includes a map of the new proposal. You will have 14-days to submit your comment after the meeting (deadline: December 21, 2016).

This is a new plan put together by city engineers. Comments submitted based on previous plans do not carryover. IF YOU WANT YOUR COMMENT TO COUNT YOU MUST SUBMIT A NEW ONE — NEW PLAN, NEW COMMENTS.

Constable Patrol: Data for October 2016

Newsletter readers: To view the charts please select the article title to read this article on the WHCA website.

The Constable Patrol operates on a fiscal year ending March 31. Through mid-November, we have approximately 400 subscribers, and 460 are needed to make two shifts sustainable long-term. We recently reached out to the neighborhood to get people to join for the second half of the year, and in the first two weeks of that, picked up about 20 new members. Hopefully more will continue to respond and I am optimistic we can hit our number with next spring's renewal campaign. You can also find information for membership on the Woodland Heights webpage.  Please support the Constable Patrol.

WOODLAND HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION CRIME STATES SEPT. 2016

• August
• September
• October

• August
• September
• October

As usual, about 50% of theft from vehicles was on Studewood and White Oak in and around commercial areas and they are as likely to occur at lunchtime as at night.

We had one breaking and entering (3500 block of Micheaux), one robbery (2100 block of White Oak, 7pm Wednesday Oct. 12th), one assault (1500 block of White Oak, 9pm Monday Oct. 10th), and one vehicle theft (1000 block of Merrill, Oct. 8th).

Most assaults and robberies occur in the commercial areas on the outer boundaries of our neighborhood.  While not in the neighborhood, most months we see one or more assaults or robberies in the 3600-3700 blocks of North Main. We remind you to please be aware of your surroundings when you are in the commercial areas that surround our neighborhood.

WHCA Constable Patrol Statistics

We remind everyone for a crime in progress, please call 911 first. If our deputies are on duty, they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911 for crimes in progress.  Do not hesitate to call Precinct One for something that doesn’t look right.  Our deputies want you to err on the side of calling things in. Our neighborhood is huge and you can help direct our deputies to suspicious activity.

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood, and remain through their shift, unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. 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 October 2016 here is some of their activity:

Number	Activity
15	Traffic stops, resulting in 1 citation. The deputies have radar and use it to monitor speeds in areas where there are complaints.
18	Suspicious person/vehicle call responses. This number increased substantially from recent months, and I view that as a good sign because people are calling in things that don’t look right. Please do not hesitate to call dispatch as this is the most effective way to utilize and engage our deputies.
15	Times they stopped to check something in the parks.
116	times they stopped to check something in the neighborhood (not otherwise included in these statistics).
12	House alarm responses (happily all were false or cancelled alarms).
17	Miscellaneous: responses to traffic issues and calls about speeding; various disturbances/loud noise, gunshots, mischief; stranded and abandoned vehicles and truancy.
38	“Meet the Citizen” – this is a conversation with a member of the neighborhood in a fashion that’s not covered above, (e.g. to introduce themselves or to 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.  

Steve Howard
VP-Security WHCA
November 28, 2016

FWP: Movie Night this Friday at Woodland Park

WHAT: Movie night, It's a Wonderful Life
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 2 6:30pm (doors open)
WHERE: Woodland Park Community Center, 212 Parkview

If you haven't heard, the Friends of Woodland Park in partnership with Star of Hope Charities will host a movie night this Friday at the Woodland Park Community Center. Bring a gently used (and clean!) blanket to the movie night and donate it to help someone stay warm this holiday season.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the movie starts at 7pm. Bring the kids, popcorn and refreshments provided.

Hope to see you there!

Heights HS: Holiday Decoration Drive

City of Houston: Next Historic District Guidelines Meeting

The City of Houston’s ongoing Historic District Design Guidelines project continues on Thursday, December 1, 2016, with a community workshop from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the United Way Community Resource Center, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, Texas. 
 
This will be the second workshop conducted by consultants from Winter & Company, who are currently developing guidelines for seven historic districts: Houston Heights East, Houston Heights West, Houston Heights South, Freeland, Old Sixth Ward, Norhill, and Woodland Heights. You do not have had to attend the first workshop in order to come to this one. All property owners in these seven historic districts are welcome and encouraged to attend.
 
This workshop will help property owners prepare to give informed, meaningful feedback on a Visual Preference Survey, which every property owner will receive in January 2017.  Consultants from Winter & Company will explain the various design tools that might be used to achieve the goals for each district, as well as the factors that make additions and new construction compatible with existing buildings. All information will be presented in an easy-to-understand way, and reference materials will be available online, prior to the meeting. The workshop will also include one or two exercises, designed to help the consultants further understand what the property owners in each district feel are compatible with their specific district. The workshop exercises will be made available online for those who are not able to attend. 
 
Please visit the project webpage (http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/Design-Guidelines-Heights.htmlbefore the meeting to find links to the informative materials, and again after the meeting to find links to the online exercises. More information about the project and previous activities can also be found on the project webpage.

City of Houston: Traffic Meeting

The WHCA is sharing this on behalf of the City of Houston. Any questions about the meeting, the provisions of the traffic plan, or the comment form should be directed to the Department of Public Works and Engineering. The Notice of Public Meeting will also be sent out from the City via mail to all residents affected by the proposed Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan per city ordinance. (Download the CoH Meeting Notice)

Based upon the comments received from the previous proposal, the City's engineers will be presenting their latest proposed revision of the plan during the meeting to be held on December 6, 2016 at 7pm.  The meeting will be held at Hogg Middle School's cafeteria.

Please note that a NEW comment period will follow the meeting and all residents are requested to provide new comments, as the city does not amalgamate old comments (from previous plans) into the new commenting period. Please DO NOT submit comments before the December 6 meeting.

Urban Farmer Richard Hall Speaking at Next WHCA General Meeting

Richard Hall, longtime Woodland Heights homeowner and well-known urban farmer, will be our featured speaker at the Nov. 15 meeting of the Woodland Heights Civic Association. The meeting is open to the public. It will begin at 7 p.m. at Hogg Middle School, 1100 Merrill.

Dr. Hall will explain in detail the operation of his family “farm” in Woodland Heights. ”We’ve got hens, grow herbs and veggies, plus bananas,” he said. The Hall family maintains several compost bins, they recycle rain and condensation from air-conditioning to water their gardens. Dr. Hall is a wonderful speaker and we're very excited to have him.

We hope to see you there.

Lights in the Heights Gala – 🎉Tickets on Sale 🎉

The 4th Annual Lights in the Heights Gala will be on Saturday, November 19th from 7-10pm in the game room at the new Elan Heights building. Please join your neighbors for a fun evening of games, music, and food. There will be a silent auction and raffle items from wonderful area businesses. Tickets can be purchased at the Woodland Heights Civic Association website.

Charity Golf Tournament Benefitting Hogg Middle School

Learn Local Charity Golf Tournament 2016

Learn Local is hosting our first golf tournament on November 5, 2016 to benefit Hogg Outdoors – a capital campaign to raise funds for enhancement to Hogg Middle School’s outdoor facilities including a major renovation of the SPARK park sports fields and the installation of gardens to enhance our new Culinary Arts curriculum. 

$100 player fee ($400 for foursomes) includes green fees, lunch and an awards Happy Hour, 4 drink tickets, player goodie bags, and a chance to win prizes from local businesses including Premium Draught and 8th Wonder Brewery.

Visit our website for more event info, to register, and for sponsorship opportunities.

Spending Update

Newsletter subscribers: To view a larger version of this chart please select the article title to view the image on the Woodland Heights Civic Association website.

View fullsize

Yard of the Month – Nov. 2016

Yard of the Month goes to Jane and Steve Ista who have been at 518 Byrne for 29 years. They have planted a lovely bird and butterfly garden edged in natural stones and you have to love that they went all out on the spider Halloween decorations.

Constable Patrol: Data for September 2016

Newsletter readers: To view the charts please select the article title to read this article on the WHCA website.

The Constable Patrol operates on a fiscal year ending March 31. Through mid-October, we have approximately 395 subscribers, and 460 are needed to make two shifts sustainable long-term. We recently reached out to the neighborhood to get people to join for the second half of the year, and in the first two weeks of that, picked up about 15 new members. Hopefully more will respond this fall. You can also find information for membership on the Woodland Heights webpage. Please support the Constable Patrol.

Woodland Heights Civic Association Crime States Sept. 2016

• July
• August
• September

• July
• August
• September

As usual, about 50% of theft from vehicles was on Studewood and White Oak in and around commercial areas, and is as likely to occur at lunchtime as at night.

We had one burglary of a building (800 block of Usener) and one burglary of a residence (500 block of Teetshorn).        

The robbery occurred in the 2500 block of Norhill shortly after midnight, Thursday, September 15.   While not in the neighborhood, most months we see one or more assaults or robberies in the 3600-3700 blocks of North Main. In July things calmed down a bit in that area, but picked up in August and September. Please be aware of your surroundings when you are in the commercial areas that surround our neighborhood.

WHCA Constable Patrol Statistics

We remind everyone for a crime in progress, please call 911 first. If our deputies are on duty, they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911 for crimes in progress. Do not hesitate to call Precinct One for something that doesn’t look right. Our deputies want you to err on the side of calling things in. Our neighborhood is huge, and you can help direct our deputies to suspicious activity.

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood, and remain through their shift, unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. 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 September 2016 here is some of their activity:

Number	Activity
11	Traffic stops, resulting in 3 citations. The deputies have radar and use it to monitor speeds in areas where there are complaints, and they pay particular attention to speeds in school zones;
3	Suspicious person/vehicle call responses (please do not hesitate to call about something that does not look right. I will take it as a good sign that these calls were significantly down in July, but this is the most effective way to direct our Constables to unusual activity).
16	Times they stopped to check something in the parks.
88	Times they stopped to check something in the neighborhood (not otherwise included in these statistics).
6	house alarm responses (happily all were false or cancelled alarms and none involved my cats).
9	Miscellaneous: responses to traffic issues and calls about speeding; various disturbances/loud noise, gunshots, mischief; stranded and abandoned vehicles and truancy.
49	“Meet the Citizen” – this is a conversation with a member of the neighborhood in a fashion that’s not covered above, (e.g. to introduce themselves or to 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.

If you have any questions about the Constable Patrol please contact Steve Howard through the WHCA contact page.

It's a Wonderful Life & Star of Hope

The Friends of Woodland Park cordially invite you to a screening of the 1946 classic, It's a Wonderful Life, at the Woodland Park Community Center on December 2, 2016. The winter months are particularly difficult for our homeless population which is why FWP, in conjunction with the Star of Hope homeless shelter, encourage all our guests to bring a clean, new or gently used blanket as a donation to help keep someone warm during this holiday season.

Deepest thanks to our sponsors: Greenwood King and Memorial Hermann in the Heights.

What: It's a Wonderful Life
When: Dec. 2, 2016 / doors open 6:30pm / movie starts 7pm
Where: Woodland Park Community Center (212 Parkview)

Save the Date: Neighborhood Traffic Meeting Dec. 6th

Mark your calendars for 7pm on Dec. 6th at Hogg Middle School for the next public hearing with city engineers regarding the most recent traffic management proposal. The City of Houston will mail you an official meeting notice so please be on the lookout for it. Be sure to check our website, Facebook page, or Nextdoor for new information on this topic as it develops.

Download the most recent traffic plan.

Wrap-Up: National Night Out

The WHCA held a national night out event on October 4, 2016. Approximately 100 neighbors came out to the Norhill Esplanade and enjoyed cold drinks, Rita’s treats and Wokker Texas Ranger. Special thanks to our constables who handed out kids bags and met all of the neighbors.

See Something, Say Something Campaign

The Greater Northside Management District, in cooperation with the Office of State Representative Jessica Farrar, has put together the attached document which provides a valuable list of phone numbers for various City of Houston and law enforcement departments and store fronts. Download the document.

Your Opinion Counts

My fellow WHCA members: I would very much value and appreciate your opinions on two initiatives:

1. what you think the WHCA Board or WHCA Members can do to increase the percentage of Woodland Heights neighbors becoming dues paying members,
2. what additional things/projects would you like to see your memberships dues allocated tor?*

My intent is to gather and publish everyone's ideas to WHCA members and Woodland Heights non-member neighbors to then present these findings to the WHCA Board for feasibility review and possible implementation. Please email your responses to membership@woodland-heights.org.

Thank you,
Roger Moxley
VP, Membership

*Current dues allocation: enforce deed restrictions, police land use, support park upkeep, manage constable patrol, liaison with City/County, oversee street repairs, produce monthly newsletter, maintain website, support Facebook & Twitter, beautify common spaces, fund common area maintenance, partner with Travis and Hogg, fund & manage Lights in the Heights, oversee community socials and gatherings, support community needs, provide public forums, monthly meetings for public, watch traffic issues, coordinate sewer and utility work, fund community grants, maintain historical records, partner with preservation and historical organizations, oversee urban development issues, monitor crime patterns, provide instant messaging capabilities to public, and fund & manage the Historical Home Tour.

Notice: Construction Crews Staging at Norhill Esplanade

Construction crews from Portland Utilities Construction Co. will use Norhill Blvd. and the Esplanade off and on throughout October as a staging and prep area for their sewer line replacement project happening within that portion of the neighborhood.

Block Captains

Neighbor Missy Wright is leading an effort to reinstate the block captain program. This team of volunteers distributes WHCA information to the front porches of the neighbors' on their designated block. It's a great way to meet/say hello to neighbors while helping the WHCA reduce postage costs. We’ve received a great response so far but need many more volunteers for the blocks of the streets listed below. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Missy Wright.  Do you live on one of the street blocks listed below?

Block Captains Still Needed for: 

• Key 700, 800, 900
• Pecore 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 800, 900
• Redan 100, 200, 800, 900
• Rural 3600
• Merrill 400, 500, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100
• Omar 500, 800, 1000, 1100
• Highland 400, 700, 900, 1000
• Bayland 200, 300, 400, 800, 900, 1000, 1100
• Woodland 300
• Euclid 400, 600  Byrne 100, 200, 300, 500, 600
• Teetshorn 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900
• Usener 800, 900, 1000, 1100
• White Oak 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2600  Stude 1000, 1100
• Ridge 800
• Sledge 700
• Voight 1000, 1100
• Forester 1100
• Greenleaf 1100
• Payne 100, 200, 300
• E. Woodland 100
• E. 6 1/2  1000, 1100
• E. 7th 1000, 1100
• E 7 1/2 1000
• Pineridge 3500
• Oakridge 3500
• Micheaux 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900, 3500
• Julian 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900, 3400, 3700
• Watson 2300, 2500, 3400, 3700
• Northwood 3000
• Florence 2700, 2800  Beauchamp 2600, 2800, 2900, 3000 3200, 3500, 3600, 3700
• Morrison 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300, 3400
• Houston 2400, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300 3400, 3500
• Bradley 3700
• Sage 1500
• W. Norma 100, 200
• North 100, 200
• Bruce 3700
• Quitman 100
• Railey 500
• N. Sabine 2700
• Vieux Carre 100
• Wrightwood 1100, 1200

Join Us  In Thanking The Current Block Captains:
Aaron Titus-Byrne Alaina Hebert-Beauchamp  Allison Hartzell- Omar  Allison Kirby- Woodland  Alyssa Holub- Oak Ridge Andrea Gorney- Bayland  Ann Grandich- Pecore  Carla Reed- Omar  Caroline Johntson-Northwood  CeeCee Nix- E 7th ½  Christina Azzarello- Parkview  Courtney Bachmann Forshey-Redan  Cynthia Pacheco- Woodland  Lallie Smith-Omar David Jordan-Euclid  David Langford-Omar  Debbie Hall-Omar  Dee Anna Miles-Kibler- Teetshorn  Delara Aubon-Teetshorn  Erica McCready-Merrill  Heath Bersch-Bayland  Jackie Witt- Highland  James Clarke-Woodland Jan Greer-Northwood  Jeanette Azzarello- Parkview  Jeanette Jenkins- Bayland  Jennifer Jacobs-Wendel Jennifer Nunnally- White Oak  Joan Carlson- Woodland  Judy Meitzen-Woodland  Kellie Farrell- Euclid Kelly Hare-Bayland  Kelly Jacob-Julian  Laura Hipps-Euclid  Lori Bigler-Ridge  Marcia DeBock- Woodland Margaret Dower- Highland  Marianne Smith- Highland  Mark Brannigan- Woodland  Mary Curl- Byrne Melanie Gehman-Beauchamp  Melissa McKee-Norhill  Michael Graves-Beauchamp Michaela Supkis-Redan Greg Wood-Redan  Missy Wright- Bayland  Nancy Tooker-Ridge  Pam Roche-Beauchamp Patricia Shepherd-Ridge  Patrick Rutledge and Friends-Gladys, Wendel, Usner, Thelma  Roger Moxley- Redan Rosie Walker-Euclid Sandra Gunn-Byrne  Sharon Greiff-Woodland  Sheryl Curtain- Bayland  Simone Adams- Bayland Christine Soderstrom- Euclid  Wendy Butler- Smith- Bayland

November General Meeting Date Change

Our November WHCA General Meeting was scheduled for November 8th (voting day) so we've decided to postpone one week to November 15th. The meeting will still be held at 7PM in Hogg Middle School. Please remember to vote.