Monthly Newsletter

March 4, 2022 Issue 110

Dear Residents, The beginning of 2022 has flown by, we are now preparing for Spring Break with the annual kick off of our Lake Houston Safety Plan, to remind Lake Houston visitors how important it is to pay attention to where you are and #knowyourzone. This safety plan has created seven colored zones across Lake Houston allowing 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders to identify and respond to emergencies more easily. The District E Office worked diligently with City of Houston Departments and Lake Houston residents to roll out the Lake Houston Safety plan last year and we are excited to continue to learn of its success. Since our initial kick off last year, Lake Houston Safety Plan Zone Maps have been placed at all public marinas, boat ramps, and docks as well as a few private community-run boat ramps throughout the Lake Houston Area. Additional signage has been placed on the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge and FM 1960 Bridge for boaters to be able to easily identify zones as they move through the water. The District E Office continues to actively work with communities located around the lake to circulate and distribute resources related to the Lake Houston Safety Plan. I highly encourage each Lake Houston resident to take the time to review the Lake Houston Safety Plan, and to print out your very own map to keep handy around the house, on your boat, or jet ski!  The Lake Houston Safety Plan has made such an impact to the City of Houston it is now being considered as a model for emergency response for other large bodies of water in the City of Houston. I am extremely proud of this endeavor, if your community could benefit from a presentation on the Lake Houston Safety Plan, please do not hesitate to reach out to the District E Office by email districte@houstontx.gov or by calling (832) 393-3008. Sincerely,

The District E Office Mayor Pro Dave Martin 900 Bagby, First Floor Houston, TX 77002 Email: districte@houstontx.gov Phone: (832) 393-3008 The District E Team Jessica Beemer Chief of Staff Dustin Hodges North Sector Manager Mark Mitchell South Sector Manager Carolina Hernandez Executive Assistant Ivan Baque Intern City Resources  Kingwood Community Center (281) 348-2570 Houston 311 (713) 837-0311   City of Houston Solid Waste Department   City of Houston Office of Emergency Management Community Resources   Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce   South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce    Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce    Kingwood Service Association   Kingwood Super Neighborhood Council

2022 Houston Rodeo Season Kickoff

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin attended Mayor Turner's Rodeo Kickoff Breakfast and took part in the Rodeo Houston Downtown Parade alongside Council Member Abbie Kamin, Council Member Sallie Alcorn, Council Member Mary Nan Huffman, Vice Mayor Pro Tem Castex-Tatum, Council Member Amy Peck, Council Member David Robinson, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, and many other dignitaries.

Lonestar College – Kingwood Groundbreaking for Fire Training Facility

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin and staff attended the Lone Star College-Kingwood groundbreaking ceremony for its future Fire Training Facility on Feb. 11.   The new building, scheduled to be completed in August 2022, will house all necessary equipment for students to undergo fire exercises and learn other essential skills needed to become certified firefighters in Texas.   The $2.5 million, 2,000-square-foot facility will feature training areas equipped to simulate burning buildings, car fires and chemical emergencies. For more information visit www.lonestar.edu

Dredging Underway at Rogers Gully

Ongoing Dredging Operations The City of Houston, through its contractor, DRC Emergency Services, LLC (DRC) began dredging at Rogers Gully last month. Rogers Gully is located in the Walden subdivision on Lake Houston. DRC expects to dredge approximately 250,000 CY of accumulated material at Rogers Gully, which will be deposited at a secondary disposal site on the east side of Lake Houston near the old marina off of Fairlake Lane south of FM 1960. Phase I The first phase removed accumulated materials near and at the mouth bar on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. During phase one of this project, 400,000 cubic yards (CY) of material was removed from the mouth bar. Prior to completing the last strip of the mouth bar, DRC dredged in the area immediately north of it removing approximately 260,000 CY.   Phase II The second phase of dredging focuses on removing accumulated materials in the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and other locations in Lake Houston. For DRC to begin dredging the East Fork they had to first dredge a route for the boats to traverse back and forth from the disposal site located on the West Fork to where they would start their assignment on the East Fork. To date, approximately 254,000 CY of silt and sediment has been removed from the East Fork. The grant funding for Phase I & II was made possible thanks to the efforts of State Representative Dan Huberty.

Fix a Leak Workshops March 15th & 17th

Learn from the experts on how to find & fix household leaks! This program provides residents necessary tools to identify and fix leaks in their own homes. This year Houston Public Works is partnering with cities across Texas to bring together a virtual class line-up featuring some of the leaders in the leak repair industry.  Part 1: Indoor Leak Repair Tuesday, March 15th, 6pm- 7:30pm Register here! Part 2: Outdoor Irrigation Leak Repair Thursday, March 17th, 6pm- 7:30pm Register here!

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin Welcomed The Visegrád Group

Last week, on behalf of Mayor Sylvester Turner, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin welcomed the Ambassadors of The Visegrád Group, V4 for short, an alliance of four European states: Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. There were discussions on how to further increase business ties, educational, and cultural partnerships between the V4 countries with the City of Houston. Mayor Pro Tem Martin looks forward to collaborations with the V4 in the future!

Lonestar College – Kingwood Health Professions Center Ribbon Cutting

On Tuesday, February 22 staff from Mayor Pro Tem Martin's office had the opportunity to attend the Lone Star College-Kingwood ribbon cutting of their Health Professions Center.   The new 49,440-square-foot facility features state-of-the-art medical spaces for the college's health care programs, including dental assisting, dental hygiene, nursing, occupation therapy assistant and respiratory care programs. Construction on the $18.8 million center began in spring 2020 and finished in fall 2021. Some of the facilities features include simulation, virtual and cardiopulmonary labs; a 24-chair dental clinic; two skills labs with 11 hospital beds; a simulation lab with eight surgical areas, three ICU rooms, and a labor and delivery area; a life-skills teaching lab; a patient environment lab; and a rehab gym.   The completion of the Health Professions Center will also bring the dental programs back on campus since they were moved off campus due to damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.   Congratulations to Lone Star College-Kingwood on this exciting and much needed expansion!   For more information visit www.lonestar.edu/health-science-kingwood.

One Safe Houston

Mayor Turner Released the Comprehensive Plan to Combat Violent Crime, Holistic Approach Invests Resources in Houston Police, Community Programs and Root Causes of Crime. The plan outlines a commitment to put more officers on the streets through overtime and cadet classes, while creating a $1 million gun buyback program. It also provides $1.5 million in additional funding to the Houston Forensic Science Center to address backlogs and funds domestic violence programs with an additional $3 million to provide more services for survivors and prevention efforts. You can read the full press release here.

District E BOPA Events Happening This Spring

NORTH SECTOR RESIDENTS SOUTH SECTOR RESIDENTS

Houston Public Works Engage Houston Website

Houston Public Works has launched a new website ENGAGEHOUSTON.ORG which allows residents to find and follow upcoming and ongoing Houston Public Works projects in their area. Residents can signup to receive updates on specific projects, and leave questions and comments about a project, for City Engineers to answer.

See a pothole, report it by calling (713) 837-0311 or use a Smartphone App.

Get the latest on COVID-19 including locations of active testing sites can be found here.

Tune in to HTV Houston to watch live and recorded City Council and Committee Meetings.