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December 2, 2022 Issue 119 |
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Dear residents,
I hope each of you had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends. As 2022 ends and I enter my last year as the Council Member for District E, I reflect on many blessings we experienced over the last 10 years. I can't help but be grateful for the opportunity to serve the City of Houston and the residents of District E, growing in my leadership over time.
I continue to be grateful to have met the people I have, to work daily with my colleagues around the council table and be involved in the many exciting projects and developments underway across the district. I am so proud of all the hard work, dedication, and growth of our community from the 2024 expansion of Northpark Drive to the continued expansion of our Houston Spaceport, District E continues to stand out in the City of Houston.
I am so happy to see all the continued panel replacements, sidewalk installations, issuance of lifesaving first responder equipment, community initiatives like the Lake Houston Safety Plan, and planting of trees throughout District E that have all been possible through the District E Council District Service Fund.
There are still multiple developments in the works over the course of 2023 and opportunities for key legislation at the state level this year that will enhance the quality of life for residents and generate a significant economic impact, not only for District E but the city as a whole. I look forward to bringing more news about these projects and developments in the new year.
Please note that our council office will be closed on Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26, in observance of the Christmas Holiday. Lastly, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season.
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
Dustin Hodges
North Sector Manager
Mark Mitchell
South Sector Manager
Romina Sahagun
Fall Intern
City Resources
Kingwood Community Center
(281) 348-2570
Community Resources
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December 14, 2022, Harris County Flood Control District will be hosting a virtual community engagement meeting to discuss a proposed flood damage reduction project for Taylor Gully. The Flood Control District will provide more details soon on how to participate. |
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End of an Era at Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership |
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I would like to congratulate Bob Mitchell, President of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, on his upcoming retirement. After serving 21 years with BAHEP and the last 14 as the president, Bob is stepping down.
Bob’s contributions to the City of Houston and the Bay Area, have not only improved District E, but our region as a whole. Even though Bob is starting a new chapter in his life, I am sure he will remain a pillar in our community. Thank you, Bob, and congratulations.
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Artmeis I Launch, Kennedy Space Center |
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Mayor Pro Tem Martin, Council Member Robinson, and staff were invited by NASA’s Johnson Space Center to attend the third Artemis I launch attempt, at the Kennedy Space Center Banana Creek Launch Viewing Location in Florida.
Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come. The primary goals for Artemis I are to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II. This mission will last 25 days, 10 hours, and 53 minutes. For more information on the Artemis Program please clicher here.
Thank you to JSC for being such gracious hosts.
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Holocaust Garden of Hope Breaks Ground in Kingwood |
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Mayor Pro Tem Martin along with other community leaders expressed their joint commitment to education, healing, and reconciliation as they assembled for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Holocaust Garden of Hope on Monday, November 14, 2022. Construction began the last of week of November on this free to the public open-air museum. This Garden is designed to impact the next generation to take a stand against antisemitism, persecution, prejudice, and indifference.
The community assembled for a luncheon at Raffa’s Restaurant for donors, dignitaries, educators and other civic and governmental leaders. After a summary of the history of the Holocaust Garden of Hope (HGOH) by Mitch Jerome, Holocaust Remembrance Association founder and president Rozalie Jerome shared her passion for the Garden project and officially recognized the numerous individuals involved in its development. Award-winning broadcast journalist Shara Fryer served as emcee and hosted a panel interview with the Consul of Israel to the Southwest, Elad Shoshan, and the Consul General of Germany, Kai Hennig. Shara’s family connection to the Holocaust and World War II supplied a golden thread that wove the words of each participant into the tapestry of the day’s presentation.
Immediately following the luncheon, the official ground-breaking ceremony began with the blowing of the shofar, followed by an opening prayer by Rabbi Brian Strauss, senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Yeshurun. As a sign of breakthrough and a call to remembrance, the sound of the shofar accompanied the groundbreaking, as shovels of dirt were turned over and tossed on the grounds of the HGOH. City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin passionately stated his pride in Houston and Kingwood hosted the March of Remembrance the last ten years and now the Holocaust Garden of Hope.
For more information on Growing the Garden and planting a legacy through donations and corporate sponsorships, Rozalie Jerome can be contacted at [email protected]. The Garden will be free to the public and is designed to highlight the experiences of children during the Holocaust. Stories of survivors, perpetrators, upstanders, liberators, and bystanders growing the Garden and planting legacies will be told in a way that provokes us all to examine our own hearts.
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Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership 2023 Quasar Recipient Announced |
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The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership has announced that Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, will be honored with the organization’s esteemed 2023 Quasar Award for Economic Development Excellence. BAHEP’s annual Quasar Award Banquet will be held on Jan. 27, 2022.
Director Wyche NASA’s Johnson Space Center, home to America’s astronaut corps, Mission Control Center, International Space Station, Orion and Gateway programs, and more than 11,000 civil service and contractor employees.
Director Wyche is responsible for overseeing a broad range of human spaceflight activities, including the development and operation of human spacecraft, commercialization of low-Earth orbit, and Johnson’s role in landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon. Under Wyche’s leadership, Johnson was recognized by Forbes and Statista as the No. 1 best employer among Texas' major employers.
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Trees for Kingwood Tree Planting |
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Mayor Pro Tem Martin joined volunteers with Trees for Kingwood in planting 100 trees donated by the City of Houston Urban Forestry on Monday, November 7th. The mission of Trees for Kingwood is to restore the Livable Forest. Over the last 5 decades, Kingwood has lost over ten thousand trees due to disease, storms, and drought. Regeneration of the Livable Forest has been hampered by a number of invasive vine species that choke off new tree growth.
Mayor Pro Tem Martin joined leaders of seven Kingwood Community Associations which contributed funds to support the tree planting event. It was great to have seven neighborhood associations come together to spearhead the effort and plant more trees in Kingwood, because of the trees we’ve lost in our medians and other areas. To see these associations come together and plant a legacy that will be here for years to come is a good thing for the neighborhood and wonderful for the community.
Trees for Kingwood will need both volunteers and financial support to achieve its mission. Volunteers are needed to clear areas of vines and other invasive plant species where the tree canopy has been lost in the preparation for new tree plantings. Volunteers are also needed to support the planting and care of new trees. Financial support is needed to support the purchase of trees and contractor and equipment rentals to support the reforestation effort. Charitable contributions can be made to the KSA Parks Foundation for the Trees for Kingwood effort. For more information please visit their website treesforkingwood.org or email them at [email protected].
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HCA Houston 24/7 ER - Fall Creek Grand Re-Opening |
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District E staff had the privilege of attending the grand re-opening of the HCA Houston 24/7 ER in Fall Creek on Wednesday, November 30. Serving the Humble area, HCA Houston ER 24/7, a department of HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood, is a conveniently located, full-service emergency room providing care for all types of acute injuries and illnesses. They offer fast, convenient care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.
- Staffed with board-certified emergency medicine physicians
- Specialty-trained emergency nursing staff
- On-site testing and imaging
- Accepts most major insurance plans
- Affiliation with HCA Houston Kingwood makes direct admission simple and seamless
For emergency visits requiring inpatient care, HCA Houston ER 24/7 can facilitate your admission to the hospital of your choice. They can also provide direct admission by ambulance to a room at an HCA Houston Healthcare-affiliated hospital. Huge thank you to Partnership Lake Houston for coordinating the ribbon cutting for this wonderful asset in our community.
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HPD Eastside PIP Thanksgiving Dinner |
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District E staff attended the HPD Eastside PIP Thanksgiving dinner on November 21, 2022. The group was unable to meet last year, due to Covid. Residents and officers were very excited to sit down with each other and share a meal. Thank you HPD for serving and protecting our community. |
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TxDOT Loop 494 Expansion Project Update |
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Due to delays with the railroad, gas lines, impacts to waterlines, and a joint detention pond, TxDOT has experienced numerous delays with the Loop 494 Expansion Project. The project staff and the contractor are doing everything feasible to continue to progress the project. The project is estimated to be completed in early 2023.
TxDOT’s contractor is currently in the process of paving the last 1700 feet of the northbound main lanes on the southern end of the project. The contractor is scheduled to start placing driveways in the first part of December. TxDOT is also working on the placement of new traffic signal poles at Kingwood Drive, so the contractor can proceed with paving the intersection.
The Loop 494 Expansion Project is a multijurisdictional project involving Montgomery County and the Texas Department of Transportation. The scope of work includes:
- Widening a 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 will allow pedestrians to cross Kingwood Drive at the signal
For more information, contact Emily Black at 713-802-5000. Follow the TxDOT Houston District on Twitter @TxDOTHouston.
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District E Staff attended the AMOCO Federal Credit Union Ribbon Cutting for the new location located on Clear Lake City Blvd, to present a Proclamation from the City.
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Bag it & Bring It! All-Plastic Recycling
Starts in Kingwood on December 10th
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Mayor Pro Tem Martin is excited to announce a new all-plastic recycling program starting on Saturday, December 10 at the Kingwood Recycling Center (located at the Kingwood METRO Park & Ride).
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Bag ALL of your PLASTICS for recycling and bring them to the weekend recycling at the Kingwood METRO Park & Ride lot.
You can still use your regular curbside recycling to recycle plastics, that doesn't change. BUT, the new weekend recycling program accepts all types of plastics. Curbside plastic recycling has limits.
Styrofoam, for example, can now be recycled! Bag it and bring it to the weekend recycling at the Park & Ride!
- Empty and rinse out any liquids, food, and other residue
- Bag it! Place all plastic material in a plastic bag. No sorting is needed.
- Tie the plastic bag and BRING THEM TO THE WEEKEND RECYCLING at the Park & Ride lot in Kingwood
"Bag it and Bring it!" ALL PLASTICS!
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- Soda bottles
- Water bottles
- Food containers
- Clear cups
- Milk jugs
- Detergent bottles
- Shampoo bottles
- Clamshell food containers
- Plastic pipes
- Shower curtains
- Squeeze bottles
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- Plastic wrap
- Plastic bags
- Yogurt cups
- Ketchup bottles
- Medicine bottles
- Styrofoam
- Plastics plates
- Plastic cutlery
- Baby bottles
- CDs
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NEW RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY
This all-plastics collection will be possible thanks to new sorting and recycling technology - technologies that can sort and transform all types of plastic into new products, far beyond the typical items like water bottles and milk jugs.
These technologies include new sorting and pre-processing methods and scaling up both mechanical and advanced recycling.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
- Only PLASTIC recyclables should be bagged
- All other recyclables, like paper, metal and glass needs to be loose, NOT in plastic bags
- This new program applies only to the Kingwood Recycling at the Park & Ride, only on the weekends, when the City of Houston Solid Waste Management provides recycling bins
- Please do not bag any plastics in your curbside recycling. Those items need to be loose as usual
This program would not be possible without the partnership of ExxonMobil, Lyondell Basell, Cyclyx, Houston Solid Waste Department, and Keep Kingwood Green. For more information about the program and how new technologies are being leveraged to make this possible please visit the website here. |
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Annual Houston Fire Department Operations Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive Underway |
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The Houston Fire Department is kicked off its annual toy giveaway for area children on Friday, November 4 thru Wednesday, December 14, 2022. Over the next several weeks, Houston Firefighters will work alongside the community and corporate sponsors to collect and distribute toys and gifts to families in need.
The toys collected will be distributed Saturday, December 17, 2022, there is no registration required, and it will operate on a first come first serve format. The drive-thru event will begin at 9 a.m. at Dick Graves Park, located at 2000 Reed Road Houston Texas 77051.
For many years now, HFD along with businesses and community volunteers have worked together for one of the largest holiday toy drives in the City of Houston. This year's goal is to assist between 7,000-10,000 families (up to 30,000 children). HFD can reach that goal with help from the community and our generous sponsors like Shell Houston, Amegy Bank, Target, Go Minis and Latham & Watkins.
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District E Electronic Recycling Events |
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District E Upcoming Monthly Events
Please refer to Mayor Pro Tem Martin's District E website for location, time, and more event details for City of Houston Events. Email the District E office ([email protected]) if you would like us to include your upcoming event in future newsletters!
December 6 – Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee Meeting
December 8 – TIRZ 10/Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority Board Meeting
December 8 – HPD Northeast Division Positive Interaction Program Meeting
December 14 – KSA Public Safety Committee Meeting
December 14 – Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce General Membership
December 16 – Kingwood Super Neighborhood Council Meeting
December 20 – Kingwood Positive Interaction Program Meeting
December 23 – Office closed for Christmas Eve
December 26 – Office closed for Christmas
January 2 – Office closed for New Years Day
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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 to HTV Houston to watch live and recorded City Council and Committee Meetings.
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