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!

The Constable Patrol: Introducing Deputy Vest /  by Lori Bigler

This post is part of an effort to introduce the people who patrol the Woodland Heights as part of the Constable Patrol Program.

Deputy David Vest is originally from Alvin, Texas and now resides in Houston, graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal science. He's been patrolling the neighborhood for three years and has been employed with Harris County Constables Office since 2005. Has a brother that is also a Deputy Sheriff in another county. He enjoys hunting, fishing, outdoor recreational activities and attends as many Texas A&M football games as his time allows. He enjoys patrolling the Woodland Heights because of the small community relations and its citizens.