Dear Residents,
With the start of the 2021/2022 school year, I would like to encourage residents to return to school safely. First, please be aware of where school zones are along your route and be sure to slow down to ensure the safety of the children. Additionally, be aware of crosswalks within school zones allowing children plenty of room to cross the road. Remember cell phone use is prohibited within school zones to prevent drivers from being distracted, so they can practice the caution needed when driving near schools and parks.
Please remember to share the road with students who may be riding their bikes. Always allow bicyclists to go before you and watch out for bike riders who may be leaving driveways or coming from behind parked cars.
I would also like to remind residents to make sure you are allowing yourself enough time to travel, as we return to full in-person education. There will be more traffic in the mornings and afternoons, which will add time to your commute. With that in mind, please be sure to adjust your schedule allowing for time when traveling through school zones. We are all in this together as a community, so have patience for students making their way to and from school.
It is also important that parents take the time to remind their students to be cautious when crossing roads, and to make sure students know the importance of staying alert when they are on public roads, as situations can change in an instance.
Road Conditions can change as quickly as our weather here in Houston and while we enter the peak of Hurricane Season. It is important to make sure your families are prepared with a Family Emergency Plan on hand. The City of Houston and Harris County have tremendous resources available to residents which will prepare them to have supplies ready for sheltering in place or evacuation, if necessary. Please take the time to stock your pantry and prepare your family, should such a storm impact our area.
I wish each student, parent, teacher, janitor and administrator good luck in this next school year. Stay safe, healthy, and happy.
Sincerely,
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Mayor Pro Dave Martin
900 Bagby, First Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: (832) 393-3008
The District E Team
Jessica Beemer
Chief of Staff
Katherine Cunningham
Deputy Chief of Staff
Dustin Hodges
North Sector Manager
Mark Mitchell
South Sector Manager
Allie Cerling
Intern
City Resources
Kingwood Community Center
(281) 348-2570
Community Resources
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Deputy Treasury Secretary Visits Houston |
On Friday, July 16 Mayor Pro Tem Martin had the privilege of meeting with Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyamo and Judge Lina Hidalgo to highlight the City-County partnership for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
The City and County, in partnership with Baker Ripley and Catholic Charities, have successfully distributed over $137 million, helping over 36,000 families. Another $53.5 million will be distributed to help Houstonians stay in their homes during these trying times.
Mayor Pro Tem Martin was honored to represent the City of Houston at this event, and appreciates Deputy Treasury Secretary Adeyamo taking the time to highlight the successful collaboration.
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Exploration Green Conservancy |
Exploration Green Conservancy (EGC) is looking for community volunteers. EGC is a non-profit organization located on Clear Lake City Blvd built and maintained entirely by volunteers.
There are several phases of construction occurring this summer with a couple of projects expected to be finished in the fall. EGC would like us to remind you to stay off the trails between Reseda and Neptune until construction is completed. Volunteer opportunities are still available during construction with the exception of tree planting.
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Lake Houston Spillway (Flood Gates)
Project Community Meeting
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On Thursday, July 8, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin hosted a community meeting on the Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project in Kingwood, which was attended by nearly 300 residents. Participants were asked to submit questions during the meeting. All questions submitted, have now been answered and can be found here.
The Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project, located on Lake Houston along the San Jacinto River, will increase outflow capacity of the Lake Houston Dam. The project proposes installing new crest gates in the existing uncontrolled spillway. This will allow for a rapid decrease of water levels in Lake Houston in advance of storm events to prevent or reduce upstream flooding, protecting about 35,000 residents and 5,000 structures. The FEMA grant provides $4.3 million for the initial phase and positions the city to receive $42.7 million for construction.
The meeting consisted of a brief presentation on the status of the project and a break-out session with Black & Veatch engineers to answer any questions the community had. You can watch a video of the meeting on YouTube, here. The presentation materials can be viewed here. The presentation materials and video of the meeting can also be found on the District E Webpage.
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El Dorado Construction Status Update |
The El Dorado Expansion Phase I has run into some delays due to consistent rainfall in the Clear Lake area but is still on schedule for completion in October 2021.
Phase II, consisting of the underground water detention and the hike and bike trail, will begin immediately following the completion of Phase I and is expected to be completed in May of 2022.
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The Lake Houston Safety Plan provides Lake Houston residents and visiting recreational users with information preparing them to better identify their location on the lake and how to best report a lake incident to 9-1-1 dispatchers.
The "Know Your Zone" map was created by District E in collaboration with the Houston Fire Department, Houston Police Department, Houston Planning Department, Houston Office of Emergency Management, Houston Emergency Center, and the Houston Public Works Department. To date, signs have been installed at Deussen Park, East End Park, River Grove Park, Kings Harbor and on the FM 1960 Bridge. Houston Public Works has been hampered by the weather but is still working to install signs that have been requested by community groups and private community boat dock owners.
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin is proud this safety plan is already making a positive impact, in early April 2021 a caller reported a kayaker in trouble on the Lake and knew they were located in the Orange Zone. First responders reached the kayaker in trouble, wearing a life jacket, and pulled them and their boat out of the lake within twenty minutes.
To learn more about the plan visit www.houstontx.gov/knowyourzones. There you can print your own maps, share with neighbors, post on social media and #knowyourzone.
Should you like to request a presentation for your group (HOA, Civic Club etc.) or receive resources directly, please email the District E Office at districte@houstontx.gov.
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Lone Star Flight Museum Visiting Plane of the Month |
The Lone Star Flight Museum will welcome a new visiting aircraft, giving visitors a chance to see a different plane at the museum each month, all year long.
The August Visiting Plane of the Month is the RAFE David Brown LongEZ, pictured to the right.
In addition to the visiting plane, Lone Star Flight Museum is hosting SBD Dauntless Hangar Talks, which will be taking place Saturday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
These 30-minute presentations showcase the dive bomber's historical significance, including uniforms and artifacts that would have been onboard the Dauntless. To learn more and get your tickets visit their website here.
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Concacaf and Generation Amazing Collaborate to Launch Football for Development Program |
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On Tuesday, July 20, Mayor Pro Tem Martin had the privilege to attend the kick-off event for Concacaf and Generation Amazing’s new Confederation-wide joint football for development initiative. This initiative will benefit thousands of children and youth across Concacaf’s 41 Member Associations.
After giving remarks on the importance of this program, Mayor Pro Tem Martin formally kicked off the football activities by kicking a Concacaf and Generation Amazing ball onto the field at Discovery Green. Concacaf coaches then hosted fun and engaging football sessions for 200 children and young people from a range of Houston soccer leagues and programs, and the Special Olympics.
The Football for Development program will continue over the course of four years and will be tailored to each community’s strengths and needs. The sessions will use an innovative football for social change methodology to enhance equality and social inclusion. Once coaches have been trained on curriculum including how to use football as a tool to support social change, Concacaf will implement a six-week football for social change program across local schools, academies, and clubs to benefit hundreds of boys and girls ages 8-12.
To find out more about the launch of the program, follow @CONCACAF and @GA4Good on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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State of the Precinct Luncheon |
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Mills Branch Road Rehabilitation Project Underway |
Last month, District E sent a press release related to the Mills Branch Road Rehabilitation Project. Houston Public Works began the road rehab project on Mills Branch Wednesday, July 28. The scope of work includes rehabbing the roadway along Mills Branch Road between Northpark Drive and Clover Valley Drive. The cost of the project is $500,000 and is funded through the City of Houston Metro Projects Construction Fund.
Crews were mobilized on Wednesday, July 28. The project is expected to be completed by Saturday, September 11, weather permitting. Our office is aware of mobility concerns and the 2021-2022 school year starting soon. Additional measures will be taken to alleviate traffic issues where possible but delays are imminent moving through this area. Construction activities are expected to take place from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
As a result of the construction activities, please be aware of flagmen and orange traffic cones that will be put in place on-site to help with traffic flow through the construction zone. Businesses and residents will have access to driveways and sidewalks at all times and may experience an increase in noise levels due to trucks and equipment in the area.
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Partnership Lake Houston Leadership Awards |
On Tuesday, July 20, Partnership Lake Houston hosted their Leadership Awards Luncheon, honoring several businessmen and women in the Lake Houston Area.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 award ceremony was postponed. 2020 4 under 40 honorees were recognized at this meeting. We would like to extend our congratulations to the 2020 4 under 40: Christopher Butsch, Jennifer Carney, John Corbeil, and Tracie Mieth.
Congratulations to this year’s 4 under 40: Asdrubal “Dru” Gutierrez, Adam McAlpine, Mike Miller, and Daniela Sumbera.
Additional congratulations to the first-time winner of the Dr. Guy Sconzo Leadership Lake Houston Outstanding Alumni Award, Terry Vaughn. The award is named in honor of former Humble ISD Superintendant Dr. Guy Sconzo.
Mayor Pro Tem Martin congratulates the award recipients on their achievements and accomplishments in the Lake Houston area.
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The Houston Police Department Positive Interaction Program holds monthly PIP meetings featuring speakers from different divisions (Burglary and Theft, Homicide, K-9, Helicopters, etc.) explaining how their division operates. This is done so citizens will know what to expect, should they ever need the police. District E has four different HPD Divisions: Clear Lake Division, Eastside Division, Northeast Division, and the Kingwood Division. Each division holds its own PIP meeting and residents are strongly encouraged to attend.
Clear Lake Division: 3rd Tuesday of the month, 6:00 p.m., at Memorial Herman Hospital 11914 Astoria Blvd Professional Building 2nd Floor Room 200. For more information please contact Office Buitron at Richard.Buitron@HoustonPolice.Org
Eastside Division: 3rd Monday of the month, 6:30 p.m., at the Eastside Station 7525 Sherman St. For more information please contact Officer Tapia at Javier.Tapia@HoustonPolice.Org
Northeast Division: 2nd Thursday of the month, 6:00 p.m., at the Northeast Station 8301 Ley Road. For more information please contact Officer Miles at Kenneth.Miles@HoustonPolice.Org
Kingwood Division: 3rd Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m., at the Kingwood Church of Christ 2901 Woodland Hills Dr. For more information please contact Officer Morales at Jesse.Morales@houstonpolice.org or Officer Nichols at Ayaht.Nichols@houstonpolice.org.
Huffman: 3rd Thursday every other month, 7:00 p.m., at the Lakewood Heights Community Center 24445 Sunny Glen Dr. For more information please contact Officer Morales at Jesse.Morales@houstonpolice.org or Officer Nichols at Ayaht.Nichols@houstonpolice.org. (Next meeting will be September 16, 2021)
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TxDOT Loop 494 Widening Project Update |
Due to delays with the railroad, gas lines, impacts to waterlines, and a joint detention pond, TxDOT has added 125 contract days to the Loop 494 Widening Project. Project staff and the contractor are doing everything feasible to continue to progress the project. The project is estimated to be completed in late summer 2022.
The Loop 494 Widening Project is a multijurisdictional project involving Montgomery County and the Texas Department of Transportation. The scope of work includes:
- Widening 1.7-mile facility to a 4-lane divided highway
- Continuous left-turn lane from Kingwood Drive to Crescent Springs Drive
- Raised median from Crescent Springs Drive to Sorters-McClellan Road
- Reconstruction of the Kingwood Intersection and elevate intersection to remove dip at RR
- Sidewalk installation along the west side of Loop 494 that will allow pedestrians to cross Kingwood Drive at the signal
For more information, contact Emily Black at 713-802-5022. Follow us on Twitter @TxDOTHouston.
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COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Information |
Residents should continue frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing masks. Find free, fast, and safe COVID-19 testing sites here.
As of Monday, May 10, 2021, everyone age 12 and older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. The state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel recommended opening vaccination to everyone who falls under the current Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorizations. All vaccines are authorized for people age 18 and older. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people 12 and older.
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Mayor's Back to School Fest |
Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Annual Back to School Fest is back! The event will take place in the NRG Park Yellow Lot as a “drive-through” event on Saturday, August 14.
The annual fest presented by Shell Oil company is designed to help economically disadvantaged Houston-area elementary school students and their families as they prepare to return to school.
In addition to distributing 25,000 backpacks with school supplies, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events has partnered with the Houston Food Bank to provide food to the students’ families. Additionally, face masks will be distributed to ensure a safe return to school.
With one in four Texas children living in poverty, the Back to School Fest is focused on changing the future, one child at a time.
Registration is recommended for participation in the fest and can be done here.
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City of Houston Launches New 311 Platform |
The City of Houston has launched an innovative 311 platform that makes interaction easier, quicker, and more convenient for customers to request information on city services and report non-emergency issues.
The 311 Call Center receives roughly 2.2 million contacts and creates approximately 450,000 service requests annually. The creation of this new system embraces emerging technology that puts the power of case creation into the hands of residents via a newly created Virtual Agent, allowing residents to only rely on call centers for the most complicated cases, reducing call volumes and wait times.
The cloud-based 311 application fundamentally changes how the City interacts with the public by delivering an advanced, self-service-based platform. The new Customer Relations Information System (CRIS), powered by Microsoft Dynamics, was officially launched on June 26. Over the past few weeks, the Houston Information Technology Services (HITS) and the Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA) teams have worked diligently to stabilize the system as the city transferred over 10 years of data into the new system.
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Examples of some of the new functionality include:
- A customer self-service portal with a virtual agent, allowing residents to create service requests on their own
- The ability to re-classify a case instead of having to close it and create another one
- Cases being routed to a team, instead of an individual minimizing case inactivity due to staff being out of office
- Cases created via the web portal, app, or call-taker all have the same service request numbers and, when not confidential, are searchable on all platforms
- Prior to service requests being created, there will be a proximity search performed to ensure no duplication of cases created (e.g., pothole cases being flagged as 1000 Main St. and at the corner of Main St. and Texas St.)
During the Tax Day Flood, Hurricane Harvey, and Winter Storm Uri, the 311-web portal, app, and call centers were critical points of information gathering and distribution during those times of crisis. With this system upgrade there will be an improvement to call center wait times and self-service capabilities during regular times, and an enhanced capability to be more responsive and minimize wait times during times of crisis.
“The new system is another example of how Houston is building a Smart City of the future. This new 311 system has the potential to be the platform that connects all City departments and systems to each other ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for constituents,” said Mayor Turner.
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See a pothole, report it by calling (713) 837-0311 or use a Smartphone App.
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Get the latest on COVID-19 including locations of active testing sites can be found here.
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Tune in to HTV Houston to watch live and recorded City Council and Committee Meetings.
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