Our next Civic Club meeting will be held November 21 at 7pm at the home of Robin Raasch, 6655 Rockbridge Ln. Robin will be providing drinks and snacks and will be asking people to wear shoe covers due to allergy issues. We will be hearing from the Houston Fire Department about home fire safety, a topic suggested by our neighbor Joann Luco. We will also be inviting our local law enforcement and elected officials to present updates. The last 30 minutes of our meeting will be devoted to committee time: Deed Restrictions, Community Improvements, Social Events and the Centennial Task Force.
We will not have a regular meeting in December, but will celebrate the holidays at our annual Idylwood Holiday Party on December 5 starting at 6:30pm at Patricia Hattenbach’s home, 1404 N. MacGregor Way. All attendees are asked to bring some goodies to share.
I know we are all enjoying meeting in the neighborhood, but at this point I have no volunteers for hosts in January or February. We can always use Spurlock Park as a meeting place from March onwards, but being indoors sounds like good planning for January and February. I also rely on our neighbors to suggest topics for meetings and would love to hear your ideas for speakers. If you would like to host or have a topic of wide interest to our neighbors, please email me at president@idylwood.org.
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Regards,
Diane Schenke
President
Idylwood Civic Club
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Idylwood Halloween Party Roundup |
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Thank you to our Idylwood residents for coming out to enjoy some fun, great music, tasty hot dogs and spending time with your neighbors. Our Halloween event would not have happened without your generous resident donations of support, be it monetary, donated snacks, prize gift certificates, Halloween props, and your precious time to make it all happen. Big hugs to all of our social committee members: Theresa Aldape, Annette Graves, Ericka Lewis, Carmen Martinez, Blake Mudd, Miriam Muguerza, and Kate Murphy for your help and time in making our Halloween park event a wonderful success!
Photos below for our prize winners and contestants. Check out more great pictures of the event on our Idylwood.org website.
Should there be any comments or suggestions towards future events please forward to me at Bull559@icloud.com.
Thank you!
Irma Niño
Social Committee Chair
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Minimum Lot Size Application |
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This fall, Idylwood Civic Club put in application to the City of Houston for a special minimum lot size block (SMLSB) designation for the block of 6600 Sylvan (North and South Sides) from S. Wayside to Idylwood. Seventy-nine percent of the owners on this block supported the SMLSB application, which would mean that no lot could be subdivided less than 6,300 sq. ft. Most of the area is already in Idylwood Subdivision, which is deed restricted with a minimum lot size of 5,000 sq. ft. per lot. Without this application, the City of Houston will allow unrestricted parcels to be subdivided into 1,400 sq. ft. lots.
All property owners included in the scope of the SMLSB application received notices in the mail from the City’s Planning Department. The end of the 30-day protest period is November 6, 2023. If no protests are filed, the Director can approve the application given the support already received. Otherwise, it goes to the planning commission for consideration. The Civic Club appreciates the neighbors on Sylvan who supported the SMLSB application to keep development consistent throughout our residential neighborhood.
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Idylwood Fall Cleanup Event |
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Thank you to the 20+ volunteers who came out for our cleanup on October 1st at the Sylvan/ N. MacGregor green space. You made such a difference, and we definitely needed a second dumpster! Well done and thanks for helping to improve our neighborhood. |
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Sunday, November 12 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at The Orange Show
2334 Gulf Terminal Drive, 77023
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Rockin’ Rollin’ Prints is back and will be held for the first time at the infamous Orange Show! This year’s artist theme is Connections.
This much-anticipated event will feature approximately fifty artists from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New York and London. Each artist will bring a carved 3’ x 5’ woodblock which will be inked and printed live using a 2-ton steamroller as a printing press.
Once pressed, the oversized prints will be hung and available for viewing and purchase.
I can’t believe I live in a neighborhood where I can walk/bike to an event like this… too cool!
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Recycle the Great Pumpkin |
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Pumpkin composting is back!
Drop off your pumpkins at the City of Houston Reuse Warehouse November 1-8. They will accept retired jack-o-lanterns, whole pumpkins, seeds, pumpkin guts – any pumpkin parts you have lying around. Please remove any costumes or non-pumpkin decorations before dropping your pumpkins off.
City of Houston Building Materials Reuse Warehouse
- 9003 N Main St, 77022
- November 1st through 8th
- Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
- No collection on Sunday
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More Fun in the Neighborhood |
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TX/RX Labs is Houston’s non-profit makerspace for innovation, education, and collaboration. They will be hosting Pop Shop Houston this year. During the event, TX/RX will offer two family friendly hands-on workshops for young crafters to customize their own holiday ornament using the laser cutter.
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Free to Attend
November 18 & 19, 10am - 6pm
at TX/RX Labs Makerspace & East End Maker Hub
6501 Navigation Blvd, Houston, 77011
Complimentary drinks, hands on DIYs, handcrafted beauty products, vintage clothing, plants, art, jewelry and more.
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Houston Solid Waste Management has launched HTX Collects, a mobile app that allows residents to stay better connected with the City’s waste and recycling collection programs.
In case you haven't discovered this app, it's really helpful to keep track of what waste will be picked up when. A notification is sent every weekend reminding what Monday's pickup will be. For example, there was a notification for Labor Day weekend announcing pickup service on Monday would not be interrupted for the holiday.
(Shout out to Brandon Young for this info)
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Premiere of Olivia Block's 12 Degrees of Sky
Original Sound and Light Composition at the James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace
Thursday, November 9, 6:15 pm
Inspired by the work of artist James Turrell and composer Alexander Scriabin, Block's composition maps colored lights with synthesized tones. Employing Scriabin’s color-to-pitch mapping system with Turrell’s colored light system, Block created a composition that functions like a modern-day color organ. Composed for the multi-speaker system embedded in the walls of the Skyspace, 12 Degrees of Sky combines electronically synthesized tones and the recorded sounds of the grand concert pipe organ at The Shepherd School of Music to create a perceptual twilight.
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Free and Open to the Public.
Running through November 29.
Presented by Nameless Sound and REMLABS.
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Deed Restrictions - Reminder |
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Section 4.5 describes Signs and Billboards. No sign of any kind may be displayed to public view on any Lot except signs of not more than six (6) square feet used to:
- Advertise the Lot for sale or lease
- Indicate security services
- Identify the builder or contractor while construction is in progress on such Lot
- Promote a political candidate, party or issue beginning no earlier than ninety (90) days before the date of the applicable election or referendum
For more details, download a copy of the deed restrictions here
As a reminder, the City of Houston will conduct a general election on Tuesday, November 7, from 7 am to 7 pm. Positions up for election include Mayor, City Controller, our own District I Council Member and all At-Large Council Member positions.
We also have a new email address for reporting potential deed restriction variances and issues:
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Idylwood Neighborhood Exchange |
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The former Idylwood Community Exchange is now being hosted on Google Groups as the Idylwood Neighborhood Exchange. To request an invitation for this group, please send a request to: Barc.Lee2020@gmail.com
Please note that like its predecessor, this group is privately maintained by a resident, and not managed by the ICC Board.
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Keep in Touch With Your Civic Club |
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Idylwood Pet of the Month |
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November "Visiting Pets of the Month"
Quinn and Kiwi
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What's a dog (or dogs in this case) to do when their owner's house sells before the new house is ready?? Yikes! Well, bunk with your best buddy for a while!
That's exactly what Quinn and Kiwi did and spent a couple of months chillin' with Woody. Tiger the cat did not want any part of this extended slumber party and stayed safe and out of sight most of the time.
Actually, Quinn- the Great Dane and Kiwi - the Silky Yorkie, (a Mutt and Jeff combo of sorts) had a great time romping, wrestling, running, barking, and hanging out with Woody - the Lab on N. MacGregor Way. When these two bigs ones got going, they were a force to be reckoned with: 230+ pounds heading your way! In their more quiet moods, they looked like Yin and Yang wrapped up on the floor!
I must say that Quinn is well mannered and highly trained, so she set a good example for Woody. She even taught him the art and joy of playing in the sprinkler system! Both dogs really enjoyed the continuous parade of pets and people each day and were eager to greet, race, and bark at all! They made many new friends, animal and human, during this time.
Now Woody gets to go and visit Quinn and Kiwi at their new home in Sugarland and keep up the alternating play dates! Oh, the benefit to the owners is complimentary pet sitting...not bad!
Story by Patricia Hattenbach
N MacGregor Way
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Neighbors: Submit your pet(s) to be featured in upcoming newsletters by sending 1-3 photos with a short story about your best friend(s) with the subject line "Pet(s) of the Month" to: idylwoodgardenclub@gmail.com
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Friendly Reminder From The Pets
For the health and safety of all neighborhood pets and people,
please scoop our poop!
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Please watch for email meeting updates from
Idylwood.neighbors.group@gmail.com.
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Garden Club Meeting Dates and Times
First Saturdays of the Month from 10 am-noon
(Possible exceptions for Labor Day and New Year's Weekends-then it's the 2nd Sat.)
New members are welcome to join us!! Yealy dues are $20.00!!
The "2023-2024" Garden Club Year!
Look at our great lineup !
Sept. 9, 2023: host: Irma Nino and Carmen Martinez on 6625 Meadowlawn; Speaker: Lynette Freeman - topic: Container Gardening
Oct. 7, 2023: host: Peggy Wallace on 6736 Sylvan; Speaker: Amber Leung- topic: Bird Friendly Communities
Nov. 4, 2023: hosts: Amy Dinn & Jake Goldstein on 6724 Sylvan; Speaker: Liliana Cracraft- topic: Herbal Mexican Folk Medicine
Dec. 2, 2023: hosts: Patricia Hattenbach & Jim McCallum on 1404 N. MacGregor Way; topic: Holiday Pot Luck Lunch and Fun Gift Exchange
Jan. 6, 2024: host: Robin Raasch on 6655 Rockbridge Lane; Speaker: TBD
Feb. 3, 2024: hosts: Rosie Pesina & Hugo Banda on 6641 Fairfield;
Speaker:Tommy Garcia-Prats -Founder of Finca Tres Robles;topic: Small Places
March 2, 2024: Fieldtrip TBD
April 6, 2024: host: Diane Kopfensteiner at the Lamar Towers; topic: Tour of the Urban Harvest Market and Thompson & Hanson's Nursery
May 4, 2024: host: Sally Lehr on 1704 Idylwood; topic: Neighborhood Plant Sale!
For more information, contact the Garden Club President:
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Owls are creatures of the night and
perfect Halloween visitors!
Who is making that sound and where are they??
Learn more about owl facts and folklore by Gary Clark, Houston Chronicle Nature contributor, in his October 28 article. Kathy Adams Clark has fantastic photos to add to their mystic. Click on the link below to learn more!!!
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Texas is ready for fall foilage !
Finally, I think we can say that Fall is here in Texas! We've been waiting for a long time to have some cooler weather and fall colors in Houston and throughout the state. Luckily, there are some scenic spots a few hours away that are nice alternatives to other areas around the country. Texas is always full of scenic wonders and surprises, so venture out if you can.
The article by Anthony Franze, in the Chronicle on October 29, gives a great overview of places to go around the state to see some of the best fall foilage.
Click the link below to learn more:
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Discover Landscaping Ideas
at the Preservation Houston Good Brick Tour
Nov. 4 & 5 !
Now is a great time to get a first hand look at a wide variety of landscaping ideas via the five homes featured this year on the Annual Preservation Houston Good Brick Tour on Saturday, Nov. 4 and Sunday, Nov. 5! Five historic homes have been selected and each has unique landscaping to compliment the design and period of the home. The home styles include 1894 Victorian, Colonial Revival, 1953 Mid-century Modern, and more!
Details: Tour five historic homes at 4111 Drummond (Ayrshire), 1802 Harvard (Heights East Historic District), 2337 Blue Bonnet (Braeswood), 3740 Carlon (Southside Place) and 3428 Piping Rock (River Oaks)
When: Noon-5 p.m. Nov. 4-5
Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 day of tour;
Click on the link below for more information of the tour:
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Houston Botanic Gardens - *Nov. Fun Pick *!
*Achieve Garden Success*
Sat., Nov. 18 11:30am-12:30 pm $20
In the Achieve Garden Success series, our Garden experts walk you through some basics of home gardening and share their favorite tools and strategies for growing and keeping yours productive. This month’s workshop will be all about brassicas: broccoli, collards, and kale.
Other program choices:
Sat., Nov. 4 10-11 am DIY Terrariums
Become a Tiny Gardener $ 55
Sat., Nov. 4 2-5 pm Trail Mixology
Beverage tour inspired by the Garden - 21 yrs. and older
Sat., Nov. 11 3-7 pm $ 55
Homegrown National Park: Building Networks for Life: featuring
Doug Tallamy, the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware
Presented in partnership with Equal Parts Brewing $45
Sun., Nov. 12 10 am-3pm Houston Plant Market
Do Your Holiday Shopping at the Garden $ 15
Sun., Nov. 12 2-4pm History of Mezcal
Origins of North America's original spirit $85
Fri., Nov. 17 10:30-11 am Storytime in the Garden
With Park Place Regional Library 50 free admissions
Sat., Nov. 18 10am-noon Brunch and Bouquets
Make your own holiday décor $65
Sat., Nov. 18 11:30am-12:30 pm In Praise of Cacao
Chocolate Making Ceremony $45
Sun., Nov. 19 2-4pm Wine and Wreaths
Make Your Own Holiday Décor $35
Be sure to confirm the November events' details by clicking the link below:
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Visit these areas throughout the Botanic Garden:
The Island
Natural Ecosystems
South Gardens ~~ Community Garden
Ticket Window: 713.715.9675 ext. 100
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Vegetable Garden Planting Dates Chart
Do you want to know exactly when to plant vegetables and herbs in your garden? Click here for Texas A&M University's yearly planting calendar for Harris County. You may want to print this out for future reference.
Tree Planting Guide For Houston
As our Idylwood trees age, succumb to disease and storm damage, and grow too close to our homes and power lines, we sadly see these marvelous companions disappear. Now is a good time to start researching the best trees for your yard to properly fit your needs, desires and space.
The Houston Area Urban Forestry Council has a fabulous planting guide for trees in the Houston area. This guide is packed with all the basic info you need when considering planting new trees.
Happy gardening!
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Remember: COH Tree Trash Gets Turned Into Mulch
When Picked Up on The First Tuesdays of Odd # Months
Keep in mind that trimmings from trees, shrubs and bushes can be placed on your curb for the city's Tree Trash pick-up on the first Tuesday of odd months.
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Thanks for your membership and love of nature!
Let's keep Idylwood beautiful and safe!
Kind regards,
Patricia Hattenbach
phattenbach@gmail.com
713-724-9608
2023-2024 Officers:
President: Patricia Hattenbach
Vice President: Nicole Wood
Secretary: Amanda Cai
Treasurer: Peggy Wallace
Thanks again to Jim McCallum and Patricia Hattenbach for providing the Yard of the Month write-ups and photos. It's wonderful to learn more about our great neighbors!
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Yard of the Month
November 2023
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The Idylwood Garden Club’s Yard of the Month award for November 2023 goes to Kim Winston and John (JD) Baumgartner at 6711 Meadowlawn St. |
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Kim and John have lived in Idylwood for 20 yrs. Before moving to 6711 Meadowlawn they previously lived on Fairfield St. The couple moved to Meadowlawn in 2011 to accommodate their expanding family. Before Idylwood they lived in the Houston Midtown area.
John is a native Houstonian; he grew up in the Heights and moved back after college. Kim moved to Houston in 1998 after living in quite a few places including Laredo and Switzerland. Kim says that they “consider Idylwood a hidden gem.” She adds, “we love that it is so close to downtown, inside the loop and surrounded by the bayou, golf course and the convent.”
John and Kim discovered Idylwood after visiting friends who had moved to Idylwood and “fell in love” with our neighborhood. Six months later they were Idylwood residents themselves.
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Kim prefers “plants that are butterfly, bee, and hummingbird friendly.” They have a combination of Beauty Berries, Turk’s Cap, Parsley, and Fennel. Phlox, Frog Fruit, Jasmine, and nectar plants are also available for thirsty winged visitors. |
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Most of the landscaping they have done has been in their expansive backyard. A deck with overhead fans and internet were added to the back of the house. French drains were also added to facilitate drainage. A pool was added in 2020. |
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The driveway was changed, an old garage was removed, and a storage shed added which now features a fantastical mural painted by famed local muralist Nicky Davis. Kim says she saw several of Nicky’s outdoor murals around town and commissioned him to paint something “kid friendly.” Apparently, Mr. David showed up one afternoon while Kim and John were out, and they came home to find a finished mural on the wall of the storage shed. Lucky that they love the result! |
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Kim’s theme for her Halloween yard decorations is (clearly) “Pumpkin Patch.” |
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click link above for access to their website
November 2023
Planting Guide
- Continue planting trees, shrubs, rose bushes and perennials. Planting now will ensure better survival next spring/summer and earlier growth and blooms.
- Plant fall and winter color – pansies, dianthus, snapdragons, alyssum, ornamental kale and cabbage, dusty miller, etc.
- Plant herbs and winter veggies. Cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, lavender and rosemary. Lettuce, spinach and other greens are just weeks from the salad bowl. Start onion sets, leeks and garlic now for spring harvest.
- Plant bulbs between Halloween and Thanksgiving for the holidays: Crocus, anemones, freesia, ranunculus, alliums, lycoris, etc. Plant paperwhites in pots by November 11th (Armistice Day) for blooming in time for Christmas. Refrigerate tulips until New Year’s Day, then plant every two weeks through Valentine’s Day for longer bloom time.
- Plant wildflower seeds through November – bluebonnets, paintbrush, larkspur, etc. Also plant sweet pea seeds in November for better results in spring.
Lawn
Replace dead grass with St. Augustine sod. Weeds will sprout in dead patches if you don’t. New sod will be well-established by spring.
Weeds
Apply pre-emergent weed control such as corn gluten or Barricade to prevent weeds from sprouting.
Mulch & Fertilizer
Winterize the lawn with an organic, slow release fertilizer.
Last chance to get that mulch down before the weather gets cold. The mulch you applied last spring is long gone! Protect roots and maintain moisture while keeping weeds to a minimum with a 3-inch layer of the mulch of your choice — pine straw, bark mulch, compost, leaves.
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If going out of town, alert your neighbors and request a Vacation Watch from Precinct 6 Constables. Click HERE to access the form.
Please keep an eye out for unusual activity and report to HPD (713) 884-3131 and the Constable's office (713) 274-3400. Please keep your home and cars locked at all times. Report any incidents to ALL authorities;
more reports = more patrols.
HPD is moving to a National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). To view crimes reported to HPD from Jan-Sep 2023, download the HPD Excel file here and sort by zip code or beat. Our beat is 11H10, which includes several zip codes.
A screenshot of last month's crime map is below. To interact with this map, including date ranges and area, go to Community Crime Map.
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Jake Goldstein and Steve Palmer co-chair our patrol group and report the group’s collective 30 patrol hours per month to HPD. Please contact Jake if you are interested in volunteering with our citizens patrol group.
Having a patrol presence in the neighborhood is a crime deterrent and a great way to give back to our community.
Please join us! More information on HPD's Volunteer Citizen Patrol is available here.
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Upcoming Dates to Remember |
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Nov 05: End of Daylight Saving Time (While it's common to hear daylight savings with an "s," the correct term is daylight saving time since the practice saves daylight.)
- Nov 07: Tree Limbs & Yard Waste
- Nov 07: Election Day
- Nov 11: Veterans Day (observed on the 10th)
- Nov 13: Recycling
- Nov 21: Idylwood Civic Club Meeting: 7pm @ the home of Robin Raasch, 6655 Rockbridge Ln.
- Nov 23: Thanksgiving Day and watching the Detroit Lions lose... once again
- Nov 24: Buy Nothing Day
- Nov 27: Recycling
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Dec 05: Heavy Trash
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Stay Informed!
Check out info about the neighborhood, including downloading a copy of the deed restrictions here.
Report a pothole, get your trash bin repaired or replaced, report a problem with a traffic signal, missed trash pickup, and more.
GRAFFITI ABATEMENT
Call the East End District at 713.928.9916 during business hours with the tagged address, intersection, and colors.
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Stay Connected!
NEXTDOOR.COM
Great way to connect with East End residents. It’s a great place to report or look for a missing pet, announce a garage sales, put out a crime alert, etc. This site is endorsed and its use encouraged by HPD. Sign up here
FACEBOOK
Google Email Group - Idylwood Neighborhood Exchange
If you are not currently a member and would like to join, please send an invitation request to Barc.Lee2020@gmail.com.
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If you have something you would like to see published in the Newsletter, drop us a line. Comments or concerns?
Let us know how we're doing.
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Idylwood Officers and Directors 2023-2024
PRESIDENT: Diane Schenke (Fairfield)
VICE PRESIDENT: Keith McCarthy (Merry)
TREASURER: Nicole Wood (Idylwood)
SECRETARY: Monique Studak (Sylvan)
Directors: Class A (two-year terms ending in December 2025):
Patricia Hattenbach (N. MacGregor); Tim Johnson (Wildwood); Danika Murphy (Rockbridge); Irma Niño (Meadowlawn); Richard Vela (Lindy)
Directors: Class B (two-year terms ending in December 2024):
Beth Barrette (Meadowlawn); Amy Dinn (Sylvan); Joshua Espinedo (Meadowlawn);
Jeff Klemm (Merry); Paul Leggett (Merry); Laura Manion (Meadowlawn)
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Post Office Box 9225
Houston, TX 77261-9225
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