Events

Post-Harvey: FEMA Guidance on Rumors & Scams /  by Lori Bigler

It was bound to happen. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey there have come to be some rumors and even outright scams with respect to various issues facing people impacted by the storm. Fortunately, FEMA has assembled a web page with some great guidance on these issues.

Here are a couple of key takeaways from this guidance:

Flood Insurance - September 1 Deadline

Rumor: There are reports individuals must file a flood insurance claim before Friday, September 1 because a new Texas law goes into effect that day and all claims filed after Sept. 1 would be negatively impacted.

This rumor is FALSE. (August 30)

Texas State “House Bill 1774,” passed by the 85th Texas Legislature, does not affect flood insurance policies or claims. Flood insurance is provided through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which was created by Congress through the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP is a federal program subject to federal law, so this new Texas state law will have no impact on NFIP policyholders.

Flood Insurance Premiums - Robo-Calls

Rumor: There are reports Texas residents are being told (via robo-call) their flood premiums are past due and in order to have coverage for Hurricane Harvey they need to submit a payment immediately to a website.

This rumor is FALSE. (August 30)

Insurance companies and agents selling flood insurance policies do not use this process to communicate with customers about their flood insurance policies.  In fact, if your payment is past due, your insurance company will send you several pieces of mail 90, 60, and 30 days before the policy expires.

If you receive a call regarding your flood insurance policy:

Hang up the phone. Don't press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. Just hang up.

Then contact your insurance agent or insurance company immediately to verify the information. Or call 1-800-638-6620 if you have a policy with NFIP Direct

METRONext Community Open House Thursday, August 17, 2017 /  by Lori Bigler

METRO will be hosting a METRONext Community Open House meeting on Thursday, August 17, 2017 at Montie Beach Community Center from 6:00PM – 8:00PM. We want to hear from you!

A Critical Plan for a Changing Region

Population in the greater Houston region will increase from 6 million today to nearly 10 million in the next 20 years. That raises a lot of questions about how we will live our lives and get to places we need to go. METRO wants to plan now for a transportation system that meets the needs of our continually evolving, dynamic and diverse region.

As we embark on the creation of METRONext, the new regional transit plan, we want to know what kind of transit system would best meet the needs of you and your family. Whether you currently use public transportation or not, we want to work with you to find solutions that best serve residents, communities, businesses and visitors. Imagine the future with METRONext.

Opera invites one and all to visit them at Lambert Hall on August 19th /  by Lori Bigler

Opera in the Heights will host its first Open House in historic Lambert on August 19th from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Lambert Hall is located at Heights Blvd. at 17th Street.

It will also include free live opera performances every 20 minutes, plus a chance to meet Opera in the Heights singers.

The event is free to the public. The Open House will be a chance to experience firsthand the behind-the-scenes magic of Opera in the Heights.

Highlights for the event include giveaways, popcorn, face-painting, social media contest, opera costume dress-up station and photo op, an opera coloring sheet station, as well as breakfast bites from neighborhood eateries. Opera subscriptions and ticket discounts can be purchased during the event. For more information, visit http://www.operaintheheights.org/open-house-2017.

Lambert Hall was formerly the sanctuary for Heights Christian Church, now located on northern portion of block of Heights Blvd. between 17th and 18th Streets. 

Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council Meeting, July 31st /  by Lori Bigler

Super Neighborhoods are a way for the City to rationalize the way council interacts with the myriad of civic and neighborhood associations across the city. Woodland Heights Civic Association participates in the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council, aka Super Neighborhood 15.

GHSNC15 is hosting a public meeting Monday, July 31st, 6:30pm at the Historic Heights Fire Station, 107 W 12th St, Houston, TX 77008.

WHCA General Meeting - July 11, 2017 at 7:00 p.m at Lucky's Upstairs /  by Lori Bigler

It’s summertime, and school is out! 

As a benefit to our membership and the Woodland Heights community, the Woodland Heights Civic Association is hosting the July General Meeting at Lucky’s, located at 2520 Houston Ave, just at the edge of Woodland Park.

In addition to hearing updates from our neighbors and the board, we will sample some of the many appetizers from Lucky’s new and very much improved menu! And don’t worry about getting thirsty, nonalcoholic beverages also will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there!

WHCA 4th of July Festivities /  by Lori Bigler

Hey Neighbors!  Please come join our community celebration of American Independence at the Norhill Esplanade on the 4th of July.  Kids can decorate their bikes to join in the parade, and families can stick around afterward to enjoy music, refreshments, bounce houses and more.  Festivities are open to all and begin at 9 AM with the parade, and will continue until noon.  Can't wait to see you there!

Hogg Middle School Registration /  by Lori Bigler

Zoned to Hogg MS and planning to attend in August? Registration for new students is June 12-15 from 8:30-11:30am & 2:30-4:30pm.

Bring the following:
1.) parent/guardian ID;
2.) proof of residency (current utility bill, HCAD tax bill or current lease);
3.) the student's shot record; and
4) the student's last report card.

Magnet students who have already provided these documents to Ms. Andrade are registered for next year.

Call us if you have any questions: 713-802-4700.

AIA Houston City Landmarks Night /  by Lori Bigler

The AIA Historic Resources Committee, partnered with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center and Preservation Houston's Pier & Beam, is excited to announce an event that provides an opportunity for individuals to participate in preserving Houston’s history.

The City of Houston owns many important public buildings and facilities that are candidates for local designation. However, there is little to no information about the properties, which is how you can help!

The Historic Resources Committee aims to inform individuals about these properties and sign up interested parties to research and write about a specific subject to pass along to the city. If you aren’t interested in writing a report, come anyway! Meet fellow preservationists and learn about how to access the HMRC’s architectural collections for fun or for future projects.

Event Overview:
City staff will give a short presentation on the basics needed for a landmark designation report, followed by an Architectural Orientation of the Texas Room by Architectural Archivist, Samantha Bruer. Come for part or for all.

Download To Calendar
May 10, 2017
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Julia Ideson Library
500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77002

Register Online at the AIA Houston web site.

WHCA General Meeting, Tuesday May 9th at 7pm /  by Lori Bigler

The WHCA will have a general meeting this coming Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:00 PM at Hogg Middle School. Please come out to hear updates from your neighbors about what is going on in and around our neighborhood.

In addition to hearing updates from each board member, we will also hear from several guest speakers including:

Please come out to hear about these important topics for our neighborhood as well as the chance to network and connect with your neighbors about any issues or concerns that are important to you and our wonderful neighborhood, the Woodland Heights.

Hope to see everyone there.

HPD: Citywide Positive Interaction Program Meeting /  by Lori Bigler

HPD-PIP.png

Please join HPD on May 9th at 7 p.m. for the Citywide Positive Interaction Program Meeting and meet members of HPD's Mounted Patrol. 

Focusing on the three “C’s” – Crime, Community and Crowds the unit enhances the livability and viability of our great City. 

On any given day you may see members of the Mounted Patrol crushing crime, keeping the peace at protests, interacting with the community during demonstrations, searching for missing persons, and even riding in a parade. 

The Citywide PIP meetings are held at the Houston Police Officers Union, 1602 State Street. 
For more information, please contact Senior Police Officer James Sobota at 713-308-9079 or james.sobota@houstonpolice.org. 

***The Citywide PIP meeting is open to everyone to come and see what the Positive Interaction Program is about; although, we encourage you to join your divisional PIP groups which can be found here http://www.houstontx.gov/police/pip/divisional.htm

TxDOT: North Houston Highway Improvement Project Public Hearings /  by Lori Bigler

The following is from the notice sent by TxDOT to anyone who has expressed an interest or registered a comment about the project.

Join us to provide your input on the proposed North Houston Highway Improvement Project! The proposed North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) includes the following improvements:

  • Adding four managed express lanes (also known as MaX lanes) on I-45 from Beltway 8 North to downtown Houston
  • Reconstructing I-45 mainlanes and frontage roads from Beltway 8 North to downtown Houston
  • Rerouting of I-45 in the downtown area to be coincident with I-10 on the north side of downtown and coincident with US 59/I-69 on the east side of downtown
  • Removal of the existing elevated I-45 roadway along the west and south sides of downtown
  • Adding access to the west side of downtown via “Downtown Connectors” that would allow access to and from various downtown streets
  • Realigning both I-10 and US 59/I-69 within the proposed project area to eliminate the current roadway curvature
  • Adding four I-10 express lanes between I-45 and US 59/I-69

Public scoping meetings have already been conducted in 2011 and 2012, as well as a series of public meetings in 2013 and 2015 to present information. The public hearings will present the recommended alternatives and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public review:

 NHHIP Public Hearings

Tuesday, May 9, 2017
St. Pius X High School
811 West Donovan Street Houston, TX 77091
Open House: 5:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 11, 2017
Houston Community College Central Campus
San Jacinto Building
1300 Holman Street Houston, TX 77004
Open House: 5:30 p.m. 
Public Hearing: 6:30 p.m.

The first part of the meeting will be an open house format so citizens may come and go at their convenience, followed by a formal presentation and comment period. Please note: The same information will be presented at both meetings. The hearing will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish translation. Comments must be postmarked or emailed by Tuesday, June 27, 2017, to be part of the official hearing record.

Special accommodations: If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this meeting, please call the public information officer at (713) 802-5076 at least five working days prior to the meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate these needs.

The environmental review, consultation and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated Dec. 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.

We also encourage you to see the online meeting notice as well as the I45NorthandMore project website.

Contact Information

Please note: This email is an automated notification, which is unable to be monitored. We're happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please contact the Houston Public Information Office at HOU-piowebmail@txdot.gov or at 713-802-5076 at any time about this project. 

FWP: Light The Night Event Reminder /  by Lori Bigler

Friends of Woodland Park invites Houston to our celebration of Firefly Field on April 29th from 7pm to 9:30pm at Woodland Park.

This free, family-friendly event is the biggest event we've ever done. We'll have food trucks, face painting, fun activities for the kids, a prize raffle and live music from funk/soul/rock band, Supreme Tabby. It's a Houston-sized party for its second-oldest park.

Visit the event on Facebook. Please let us know you're going and share with your friends.

Houston Innovation Week 2017 /  by Lori Bigler

Houston Innovation Week 2017 will be at the Leonel Castillo Center May 1st-5th . Classes on Thursday, May 4th will be entirely in Spanish.

Over 30 free, one-hour business and financial education sessions will be offered on leadership, innovation, financial success, marketing, and social entrepreneurship.

People can sign up and get more info on the website:  https://peoplefund.org/iwhou/ 
 
 

Friends Of Woodland Park Firefly Field Day /  by Lori Bigler

On Saturday, Feb. 25th the Friends of Woodland Park (“FWP”) held Firefly Field Day at Woodland Park.  The event was generously underwritten by the WHCA.  The weather was perfect, and the turnout was tremendous as residents from all over the greater Heights area attended.

As has become a custom for our family friendly events, Bayou City Play brought their crafts, materials, and creativity for the children to build whatever they wished.

Our FWP Master Naturalist and Travis Elementary Garden Instructor, Steve Brennan, was there with his plant, animal and critter materials which are always a huge hit with children of all ages.
The primary purpose of our event was to introduce the neighborhood to the now fully approved Firefly Field sculpture designed by fourth generation Woodland Heights resident, Dylan Conner.  Our sculptor was there and engaged many of the attendees with his concept and design for this incredible addition to the park.  We had renderings prepared by our landscape architectural advisors and advocates, SWA, to show everyone just exactly what the sculpture will look like when installed.  We also had fun giveaways, door prizes and snacks for all in attendance.

We were very proud to introduce our City Council District H Representative and Woodland Heights resident, Karla Cisneros, who provided some very kind words and presented a check for $10,000 as the first donation for the Firefly Field!

But the fun and donations did not end there.  Representatives from Elan Heights/Greystar were also there to present the FWP with a check for $15,000 to fully underwrite the matching fund required to have a B-cycle station installed in the park.  Word from the executive director of the B-cycle program is that our application is being fast tracked and the station will be powered via solar energy so that it can be installed and fully functioning before summer arrives.

Woodland Park was once the destination for entertainment and outdoor fun for Houstonians. With Firefly Field, we hope to return this historic park to some of its former glory. We know the surrounding community will benefit from a rejuvenated park culture full of activity and exploration. Please visit the project’s website and consider supporting Firefly Field (www.fwp.fund).

- Pat Rutledge for Friends of Woodland Park

Historic District Workshop March 30, 2017 /  by Lori Bigler

Workshop will reveal results of Design Survey And take community comments

A community workshop on March 30 will be conducted by the City of Houston Planning & Development Department to present results from a survey of historic districts and to gather feedback. The workshop will take place Thursday, March 30, at Heights Theatre, from 6:00 p.m. until 8 p.m. Address of Heights Theatre is 339 W. 19th Street.

According to its website, the City received 871 responses to a Compatible Design Survey it mailed to owners of 3,486 properties located in six historic districts. The highest survey participation rates were in Freeland (64% of 36 properties) and Woodland Heights (30% of 386 properties). The highest number of responses came from Houston Heights East (237, or 26%) and Norhill (197, or 23%).

The results of the mail survey, as well as input from meetings, were used to develop a Strategy Paper. The Strategy Paper also includes findings and recommendations from consultants.

Copies of the Strategy Paper will be available for review beginning March 16 online (houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres) and at the Heights Library reference desk for two weeks prior to the March 30 workshop and for one week afterward.

Anyone unable to attend the workshop may submit comments or questions through Sunday, April 9, online to project manager Steph McDougal at steph.mcdougal@houstontx.gov or via postal mail to Steph McDougal, City of Houston, P.O. Box 1562, Houston TX 77251-1562.

WHCA General Meeting Reminder /  by Lori Bigler

We want to see you there!

The next WHCA general meeting is set for Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at Hogg Middle School Cafeteria. The key item for the meeting is election of new WHCA Board members for the 2017-18 term.

The following positions are up for election:

  • President (presides over board meetings, oversees all business and operations of the Association)
  • President-Elect (president in waiting for the 2018-19 term)
  • Treasurer (handles the WHCA's accounting, must be proficient in accounting concepts and software)
  • Secretary (prepares minutes of WHCA board and general meetings, maintains books and records of the WHCA)
  • VP, Beautification (responsible for nominating yard of the month, proposing and executing other beautification projects)
  • VP, Communications (responsible for maintaining the website and preparing and distributing the newsletter)
  • VP, Deed Restrictions (responsible for monitoring land use and deed restriction issues in the neighborhood, must be a lawyer licensed in Texas)
  • VP, Infrastructure (responsible for monitoring all infrastructure issues in the neighborhood, such as the recent sidewalk construction and METRO issues)
  • VP, Membership (sign up new members each year, maintain database of members)
  • VP, Security (responsible for managing the Constable program and contracts)

If you would like to nominate yourself, download the nomination form, fill it out, and email it to the nominating committee at pat@flagstonemortgage.com. Nominations must be submitted by Monday, March 20th. Nominations from the floor are not permitted.

Please note: to be considered for any Board position, you must be a paid member of the WHCA prior to election. Thanks!

FWP Firefly Field Event Saturday, Feb 25th 10am-1pm /  by Lori Bigler

Please join the Friends of Woodland Park (FWP) as we celebrate our past successes, our tremendous future plans, and our 10th anniversary. We will be hosting a free, rain or shine, family fun day in the community center building at the park: 212 Parkview St.

We are excited to be bringing Bayou City Play back to Woodland Park for another opportunity to enchant and energize children of all ages. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

We are looking forward to sharing our "monumental" plans for 2017 with the community and are fortunate to have some special guests helping us, including Council Member Karla Cisneros.

CM Cisneros will help us unveil our plans for "Firefly Field", a truly inspiring sculpture designed by our fourth-generation Woodland Heights resident and metal sculptor extraordinaire, Dylan Conner. Fundraising for this park gateway installation, which is planned for the great lawn, will take place in the coming weeks. We look forward to an outpouring of community support for this remarkable addition to the park.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Woodland Heights Civic Association for their continued support of our efforts, and for their specific sponsorship and underwriting of this family event.

LITH 2016 Wrap-up /  by Lori Bigler

Lights in the Heights came together nicely this year. It takes such effort from us the neighbors: from the committee, the porch volunteers, the Gala attendees, those who deck out their homes to the nines, to those who graciously attend LITH.

There are some key characters on the Lights in the Heights Committee who deserve our gratitude: Stephanie Leachman, who ran the Lights Gala to provide much-needed proceeds in a fun way with some particular challenges this year, Meredith Burk who did an amazing job recruiting and managing the logistics of TWENTY bands and porches in a way that made the evening perfect, Robyn Klepper in charge of all new, flashy signage and new, flashing merchandise and cloisonné ornaments and their distribution and the decoration contest, Katie McCafferty who took over Friday Night Lights from three co-chairs and added a food and toy drive, Andrea Gorney who took on the various maps and flyers and delivery, Terri Guerra who listened to me whine and managed the security as she has done for many years, Caroline and Lauren Earthman who kept the luminaria tradition glowing while eliminating the sandlot. Several others played key roles, especially doing the last-minute, overlooked tasks: Michael Graves, Desiree Ruiz, David Coyle, Philip Teague, Amanda Brown, Lauren Snead, Sara Metsa, Ginnie McConn, the Brock family and the Jordan family all took on something important for LITH2016.

The WHCA takes on so much work for us at this time of year also: Mark Sternfels put in hours creating online sales portals and adding and editing web pages and marketing material for us. Casey Ballard and William Getschow spent a great deal of energy on insuring us properly. Melissa McKee cut as many checks as I will have to write thank you notes and kept the budget on track. Marian Wright and the block captains helped with delivery of notices to the neighborhood.

While it would not be inappropriate for me to thank all our sponsors also, I am including Jason Glover and Memorial Herman Greater Heights staff because they took part of our workload this year. His graphic design team drafted many logos for us, updated them with our comments and drafted most of our signage design. MHGH volunteers collected our toy drive and food drive items, and arranged delivery to Heights Interfaith Ministries.

Thank you to my committee. I deeply appreciated each of you giving your extra time to this beloved holiday event. I love Lights in the Heights and I love the Woodland Heights and feel thankful. If you know anyone listed here, do tell them thanks. They absolutely deserve it.

- Jan Greer, LITH Chair

From the Editor: LITH fell into a gap created by the transition between people in the VP Communications position. This resulted in a delay in the January newsletter, including this post. 

LITH Gala 2016 Recap /  by Lori Bigler

The Lights in the Heights Gala was held on Saturday, 11/19/16, at the new Elan Heights Apartment Building. This is our primary fundraiser for Lights in the Heights, and we raised $12,000+ this year through ticket sales, silent auction, and raffle.

Elan Heights was wonderful in opening their doors and welcoming us to their beautiful game room overlooking the bayou and downtown. The Houston Heights Orchestra group provided music. Special thanks to our neighbors who helped to pull this event together: Jan Greer, Robyn Klepper, Phil Teague, Michael Graves, Emily Trout, Teri Hagen, Meredith Burke, David Coyle, and Mark Sternfels. Thanks to those who helped the day of the event: Desiree Ruiz, Amanda Brown, Lauren Snead, Amalia Doebbert, Janie Reyes, and Andrew Burke.  

The event sponsors were instrumental in organizing the event: Elan Heights, Memorial Hermann Heights, Sonoma, Kagen Cellars, Cherry Pie Hospitality (Lee's Fried Chicken and Pi Pizza), Treadsack Restaurant Group (Down House, Hunky Dory, and Bernadines), Wokker TX Ranger, Red Dessert Dive, Happy Fatz, Eureka Heights Brewery, Heights Floral Shop, Heights Print Store, Wolfe’s Cleaners, and Davis Hardware. 

We had wonderful auction/raffle items donated by: Kagen Cellars, ABC Home and Commercial Services, Opera in the Heights, Obsidian Theater, Jack Nadel, Bayou City Smiles, Onion Creek, Good Dog, Town in City Brewery, Buchanans, NiaMoves, Orange Theory, Woodland Heights Civic Assn, Dalia Rihani, Houston Heights Orchestra, and Heights Kids Day of Music. 

It was a fun night with wonderful neighbors, and set the stage for Lights in the Heights.

- Stephanie Leachman, LITH Gala Chair