Neighborhood News

Residents of District E,

As I write the October newsletter, I can’t help but think of how quickly the last ten months have flown by. In reflecting back to January 2013, I think of the many things we, as a District E community have accomplished. In January, I was appointed to Budget and Fiscal Affairs (BFA); Ethics Council Governance; Transportation, Technology & Infrastructure committees and Health Benefits subcommittee by Mayor Parker. I was active in communicating and working with the Mayor’s Administration, the BFA committee, and the Finance Department during the Fiscal Year 2014 budget process where the Mayor and City Council passed a $4.5 billion operating budget. Currently, my office is working with the Department of Public Works and Engineering to reassign Houston Permitting Center employees to be officed in Clear Lake to provide a more accessible place for nearby residents to obtain city permits. Lastly, we were successful in allocating a one time grant to Space Center Houston to help fund the 747/Shuttle Endeavor for the conversion of creating a state of the art educational facility.

Separate from the budget, there have been many improvements in both sectors of District E some of which include the installation of a dedicated left turn lane and future design plans to construct a dedicated right turn lane on North Park Drive near Woodbridge Parkway to help mitigate traffic; South Shaver Road reconstruction; improvements to Frey Road in southeast Houston and improvements to Farley Road at Ellington Airport. Currently, I am working with the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and Dr. Bill Merrell from Texas A&M regarding a coastal storm surge protection system known as the Ike Dike.  Lastly, I am working closely with the Lake Houston TIRZ #10 and the City of Houston as we acquired a 2.5 acre tract of land west of Highway 59 for a future public safety site.

I am proud of the work the District E community has accomplished in just a short ten months and I am honored that you the residents of this district have made the decision to keep me seated as your city representative for another two years. I was extremely grateful to not draw an opponent; however, my name will still appear on the ballot. I assure you that my office will continue to work with you and for you as we fight for what’s right here at City Hall. I do want to remind you that every single Council Member, as well as the Mayor and City Controller will be on the November ballot. Don’t forget you can vote for all five At-Large Council Members. It is our right as Americans to vote in all elections and it’s important to make our voices heard. I encourage you to learn about each of the candidates and vote for who you think will best serve you and the interests of the City. It’s important voters are knowledgeable and elect representatives that are focused, committed and dedicated to serving the citizens of Houston.

For information purposes only:

First Day of Early Voting: Monday, October 21, 2013

Last Day of Early Voting:Friday, November 1, 2013

Election Day: November 5, 2013

Once again, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you at City Hall. I’ve been blessed to have gotten to know many residents of the district and I continue to be amazed at what great community leaders live in District E. I look forward to another two years of working with you for the betterment of our district and this great city in which we live.

Sincerely,

Dave Martin

For more information, please contact Council Member Martin’s office.

The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and Council Member Dave Martin are hosting a Mobile B.O.P.A. (Batteries, Oil, Latex Paint and Antifreeze) collection on Saturday, October 26 at the Kingwood METRO Park and Ride parking lot. All residents disposing of material must present a drivers license and water bill as proof of City of Houston residency.

Only the following items WILL be accepted:

• Antifreeze (15 gallon limit)
• Appliances such as air conditioners, freezers and refrigerators
• Latex paint (15 gallon limit)
• Rechargeable and lead acid batteries
• Scrap metal Used motor and cooking oil (15 gallon limit per container)

The following items WILL NOT be accepted:

Alkaline batteries, ammunition, business waste, compressed gas cylinders, dioxins, electronics, explosives, household hazardous waste/chemicals, household trash, medical waste, paint without labels, PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyl), radioactive waste, smoke detectors or tires.

For more information about the Kingwood Mobile B.O.P.A. collection, contact Sandra Jackson at sandra.jackson2@houstontx.gov or 713.837.9164. To learn more about the Solid Waste Department, visitwww.houstonsolidwaste.org

On September 5, Kingwood Park High School hosted the Kingwood Bizcom. Council Member Martin gave an update about the construction happening on Northpark Drive, as well as issues relating to City of Houston. Other speakers included: Tony Austin (Kingwood Farmers Market), Lisa Drabing (Kingwood Park High School), Shannon Sharpe (Humble ISD school safety), Angela Conrad (Humble ISD Board of Trustees), Pct. 4 Montgomery County Commissioner Ed Rinehart, and Melinda Stephenson (Kingwood Medical Center).  Council Member Martin thanks the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce for inviting him to address the citizens, organizations and businesses in the Kingwood area and to address the needs of the community.

During the month of September a new milestone was reached in the collection efforts of electronic waste in the Kingwood area. On September 7, The City of Houston and CompuCycle in coordination with Keep Kingwood Green organized an E-Waste recycling event and collected over 7.6 tons at the six hour collection  at the Kingwood Metro lot. This increased the total to over 201 tons since the monthly collection began in November of 2011. Stay tuned to Council Member Martin’s newsletter and Facebook page for more upcoming e-waste recycling events.

The City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department began installing a 12-inch waterline along Magnolia Point Drive and Reba Lane on August 19. The construction is expected to be completed by February 4, 2014.  While construction progresses, please be mindful of workers while driving.

Feel free to contact Council Member Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or by email at districte@houstontx.gov if you have any questions.

On Monday, September 23, 2013 the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering’s (TAME) mobile exhibit, known as the Trailblazer II, visited Kingwood Middle School. Students in grades 6-8 had the opportunity to visit the display which incorporates teachings in the classroom through seven hands-on exhibits. Explanations and demonstrations were also provided by volunteers that highlighted fundamental concepts in science, technology, engineering and math.

As a former Humble ISD school board member, Council Member Dave Martin is supportive of programs such as the Trailblazer that supports STEM education, and has worked with TAME over the past year to coordinate an event for students in his council district.

The Trailblazer is a 40-foot trailer that houses a variety of engineering and science exhibits, which engages students, teachers and parents through hands-on activities. The Trailblazer II visits schools and community events statewide helping to raise students’ awareness of and motivation to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The Trailblazer II is the only interactive science and engineering museum on wheels in Texas.

For more information about the TAME Trailblazer or to reserve the mobile exhibit for a future event, please visit www.tame.org/programs/trailblazer.

The 9/11 Heroes 5K Run took place this year on September 7, at Ellington Airport. Council Member Martin participated in the event and briefly addressed attendees, volunteers and the community during the opening ceremony.

The 5K run is held annually in honor of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as those who have served our country since: veterans, first responders, civilian, and military personnel. The 9/11 Heroes Run is a wonderful occasion for individuals and communities to thank their local veterans and first responders, and to honor those who have given their lives in service to our country. Part of the proceeds from the 2013 Houston race was donated to two local organizations, Assist the Officer & the Houston Fire Fighters Burned & Crippled Children’s Fund. The remaining proceeds have been donated to the Travis Manion Character Does Matter Program and the Travis Manion Foundation Challenge Grants which supports veterans and families of fallen service members by providing funds to help them take the next step in their lives with resources such as life coaching, transition assistance, grief support, and mentoring to help them accomplish their goals.

On September 4, BAHEP hosted a public discussion about the future of commercial spaceflight. In particular, the discussion focused on a proposal for making Ellington Airport a licensed spaceport. Houston Airport System Director, Mario Diaz, spoke about the licensing needed by the Federal Aviation Administration and the different steps needed to be taken. Director Diaz says that Ellington could receive a license as early as 2014.

In July 2013, Houston City Council supported and approved a $718,900 contract that would give the Houston Airport System (HAS) a license which would let Ellington Airport become a nucleus for commercial spaceflight. A study done by HAS in 2012 found that it would cost between $48-122 million in order to set up and prepare Ellington to launch space vehicles.  Diaz believes the Bay Area is a fitting place for a commercial spaceport, especially with NASA Space Center and other space related companies close by.

On September 4, Council Member Martin along with Bob Mitchell and Dan Seal from BAHEP, Dr. Bill Merrell from Texas A&M Galveston, and other elected officials from the area visited and toured the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System that was installed by the United States Corps of Engineers following Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of the tour was to learn more about the successes following the installation of this system and how to mirror that with a similar system being proposed for Bay Area Houston known as the “Ike Dike”

The Ike Dike is a proposed plan to build a 17 foot wall along the coast’s dune line which would, in essence, stop storm surge at the coastline. This wall would be built using the same, proven technology used in the Delta Works project in the Netherlands, which constructed gates and barriers along their coast. The wall would protect the entirety of Galveston, Galveston Bay, Houston, the Port of Houston, as well as the Ship Channel, Chambers County, and Brazoria County. The Governor’s Commission on Recovery and Renewal reviewed the Ike Dike concept and recommended that a six county public corporation be formed on the upper Texas coast to deal with storm surge and regional recovery strategies.

On average, the Houston/Galveston area is hit by a hurricane every 15 years. Hurricane Ike caused about $30 billion in damages, loss of life, and considerable damage to the natural environment, however, future hurricanes have the potential of being a great deal more destructive. It is thought that a “Katrina-like” storm would cause aggregate losses to the Texas economy of $73 billion in gross product, $61.3 billion in income, and 863,000 jobs. Also, the Houston/Galveston area is home to the largest and most important concentration of petroleum refining and petrochemical processing plants in the United States.

Council Member Martin believes that it is our responsibility to lessen our vulnerabilities and protect our coastal investments, as well as our city. He believes that the coastal spine technology is technically feasible, economically sound, environmentally friendly, and socially just.

Texas Public Safety Commission Chair Cynthia Leon and Texas Secretary of State John Steen announced last month that Election Identification Certificates (EIC) will be available at 25 EIC mobile stations, which will begin deploying across the state the first week of October. These mobile stations, which will issue EICs only, are part of an ongoing effort to provide EICs to Texans in need of photo identification now required to vote in elections in Texas.
To view the current schedule of EIC mobile station locations and for updates to the schedule, visit www.VoteTexas.gov.

The Houston Fire Department (HFD) and the Care Van Program are teaming up again to provide Houston area children withfree childhood immunizations for children birth up to 18 years whose families have no insurance, are underinsured or are on Medicaid. Children with CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) or private insurance will not be accepted. Remember: For each clinic, a parent or adult guardian must accompany the child(ren) and provide the updated immunization records for each child.

To see a complete list of all fall 2013 clinics in English and Spanish, visit  www.houstontx.gov/citizensnet/2013fallimmunizationschedules.pdf.

For additional information visit www.houstonfire.org, www.carevan.org  or contact Paul Box at paul.box@houstontx.gov or 832.394.6636.

Mattresses are accepted at all six depositories; however, only the mattresses dropped off at the 2240 Central Street, Houston 77017 and 5565 Kirkpatrick, Houston 77028 depositories are diverted for recycling. Other locations for mattress drop off may be added in the future.

All depositories are open:

Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Daylight Savings Time)
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Non-Daylight Savings Time)

Houston residents may use the depositories four times per month and are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before closing time to allow adequate time to unload. Each user must provide a Texas Drivers License or ID and a current utility bill or city property tax receipt as proof of residency.

As a friendly reminder, the city of Houston’s Solid Waste Management will pick up “Junk Waste” during the month of October. “Junk Waste” is defined as items such as furniture, appliances and other bulky material.

Placement Instructions:

• Junk Waste should be placed adjacent to the front curb in a location easily accessible to the collection vehicle between the hours of 6:00 p.m. the Friday before and 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day.
• Junk Waste should not be stacked under low overhead electrical wires or other cabling, signs, or mailboxes; next to fences or posts; or on top of water meters, gas meters, fire hydrants, or other exposed utility components.
• Materials should not be placed in the street, on the sidewalk, or other right-of-way, or in any manner which would interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
•  Junk Waste collection is limited to occupied residential units and vacant residential lots only if the waste generated is in connection with the maintenance of the property.

Restrictions:

• No more than eight cubic yards of Junk Waste may be placed at the curb for collection.
• A maximum of four cubic yards of building material (not to include roofing shingles, brick, plaster or concrete) generated by the resident in connection with the maintenance of the residential property may be collected by Solid Waste Management Department crews.
• Appliances containing refrigerant must have a tag attached to them certifying a qualified technician has removed the refrigerant.
• The SWMD is not allowed to collect any material that was generated by contractors who were retained by a resident to perform work on his or her residential property. It is the responsibility of the contractor to remove all debris that may arise from the contractor’s activities. These contractor-related activities include, but are not limited to: trimming and removal of trees, remodeling, new construction and roofing.
• If authorized items placed for collection are mixed with unauthorized items, department personnel shall not be obligated to sort the materials and may refuse the entire load.