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December 1, 2017 Issue 59
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Residents of District E,
On this first day of December we are happy to see the most active hurricane season in history officially come to an end. Many Houstonians are in the process of repairing their homes and businesses as we head into the holiday season, which will look different for many families within District E. I encourage residents to reach out to neighbors and friends during this time of recovery because together we will rise above.
Earlier this month, Houston residents went to the polls and voted to restore the financial health of the City of Houston. Voter approval of the City's recent bond proposals allows for the replacement of aging first-responder vehicles, police and fire stations, library roofs, parks equipment and other essential facilities for public benefit. Additionally, the voter approved pension reform package will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually and stabilize the pension funds for police, firefighters, and municipal employees.
In addition to voter approval of the bond proposal, voter confidence has boosted the City's credit rating from Moody's which is a powerful endorsement of the hard work the City has accomplished towards becoming more fiscally sound. I continue to remain committed to making sure that the City stays focused to serving its residents to the best of my ability.
The city has much to celebrate this holiday season as we have seen communities come together in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Houston has successfully hosted the best Super Bowl our nation has seen, and the Astros have #EarnedHistory.
On behalf of the entire District E team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Please note that our council office will be closed on Friday, December 22, Monday, December 25th, as well as Monday, January 1 for my staff to spend time with their families. We will be happy to respond to your calls and emails when we return to the office on Tuesday, January 2.
Sincerely,
Dave Martin
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Plea For Three Campaign
The Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce has coordinated a mass letter writing campaign to ask the State of Texas take to immediate action on three items to help the Lake Houston Area recover and prevent future flooding: Remediation, Reduction and Representation.
1.
Remediation: Full funding to dredge both Lake Houston and the San Jacinto River in order to remove the sand, siltation and debris deposits and stricter enforcement of TCEQ regulations on legal and illegal sand mining operations.
2.
Reduction: Decrease the pooling level of Lake Conroe from 201 feet above sea level to 198 feet by pre-releasing water from Lake Conroe in a slow, systematic flow to ensure the dam at Lake Houston can efficiently and safely release the added water to the Gulf of Mexico. This is CRITICAL as the area has experienced three flood events since 2015.
3.
Representation: Add three interim board members to the San Jacinto River Authority representing communities downstream impacted by the release of water from Lake Conroe. These appointed board members would serve until legislation can be crafted to best address the issue of downstream representation on their board.
The state has not issued any plans or funding to help with remediation in our communities, It is incumbent upon every citizen and business in the Lake Houston Area to gain the attention of state officials and decision makers and request action.
- SEND emails to all suggested state officials beginning December 1
- SHARE the campaign with your employees, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and customers
- SPREAD the campaign on social media using #PleaFor3LakeHouston #RecoverLakeHouston. See sample tweets/posts, social media pages/groups at RecoverLakeHouston.com
- SIGN UP to get updates on the "Recover Lake Houston" movement (your email will not be shared or used for purposes other than Recover Lake Houston updates)
The Plea For Three Campaign is the initial step in a larger, long-term Recover Lake Houston Plan under the direction of the Lake Houston Area Long Term Recovery Task Force.
The future of the Lake Houston Area depends largely on the ability to rally the community and demand action to prevent flooding of this magnitude from occurring again.
Council Member Martin appreciates the Lake Houston Area Chamber spearheading this effort and encourages all residents to participate in this much needed call to action. Keep in mind these items are things that can happen immediately. Council Member Martin is sensitive to the long range plans the community needs in the form of infrastructure and improvement of drainage from the River to the Lake. Council Member Martin is dedicated to seeing through all efforts possible to make sure that flooding impacts to the Lake Houston area are reduced in the future and will continue to work diligently with local representatives to achieve this goal.
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El Dorado Widening Project
On November 30, Council Member Dave Martin and the City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department (PWE) hosted a public input meeting to discuss proposed alignment options and gather input from the surrounding communities for the El Dorado Boulevard Widening Project. The scope of work includes the expansion of the current two lane roadway to four lanes on El Dorado Boulevard, from Clear Lake City Boulevard to Horsepen Bayou.
Council Member Martin and PWE will continue to gather community input until Friday, December 15 at 5:00 p.m. For residents that were unable to attend the meeting, the alignment options and information about the project can be found on Council Member Martin's website.
The involvement of residents is essential to the process, and the input provided will have an impact on the timeline as well as the look of the overall project. At the end of the comment period, all comments will be evaluated and considered in the selection of the final alignment. Comments should be sent to [email protected].
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Save the Date! Kingwood B.O.P.A. Recycling Event
Council Member Dave Martin and the City of Houston's Solid Waste Management Department are holding a Batteries, Oil, Paint (latex only) and Antifreeze (B.O.P.A.) and Electronic Recycling Collection event on December 16, 2017. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Kingwood METRO Park and Ride located at Highway 3210 W. Lake Houston Parkway.
The event will be free and open to all City of Houston residents. A valid Texas driver's license or other proof of residency will be required. Business waste will not be accepted.
In addition to the B.O.P.A, residents may drop off scrap metal and large appliances. Large appliances include stoves, refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners.
Many common household materials are considered hazardous and need special disposal. When Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is disposed of in the trash, it can contaminate landfills and subsequently our groundwater. This event provides a free and safe alternative for residents to rid their homes of potentially dangerous materials. Below is a list of acceptable and non-acceptable items for the December 16th collection event:
- ACCEPTED ITEMS: only residential waste, rechargeable household and automobile batteries, motor oil and filters, LATEX paint, antifreeze, large appliances and scrap metal. Used motor oil will be limited to 15 gallons. All liquids are required to be in sealed, non-leaking containers that are labeled as to contents.
- ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED: business, medical and agricultural waste; oil-based paints, solvents, flammables, pesticides, herbicides and other similar hazardous materials and electronic waste.
For more information about the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and its services, residents may check online at
www.houstonsolidwaste.org,
Facebook, follow on twitter
@houstontrashor call 3-1-1, the City of Houston's Customer Service Hotline.
The Solid Waste Management Department provides solid waste service to the citizens of Houston through the collection, disposal and recycling of discarded material in a manner that is safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective.
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Judge Emmett's 15 Point Plan to Address Flooding
Council Member Martin has been diligently working with local elected officials, including Judge Ed Emmett, on recovery post Harvey and the need for resources in the Lake Houston area. In Judge Emmett's 15 point plan to address flooding concerns he makes it a priority to add flood control measures to both lake Conroe and Lake Houston. we look forward to continuing these conversations on needed infrastructure and hope to bring in other community agencies to assist in completing these endeavors.
Judge Emmett's 15 Point Plan can be found
here.
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BAHEP Coastal Spine
Help protect the Gulf Coast, our great State of Texas and our Nation by rallying congress! Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and the coastal spine initiative now has a direct link for you to send letters to your federal representatives giving support to the coastal spine. It takes less than five minutes of your time by using the template letter found
here.
Additionally, Council Member Martin was able to allocate funds from his Fiscal Year 2017 Council District Service Funds to contribute to the creation of the latest Bay Area Coastal Protection Alliance Video, Unprepared: A Nation at Risk. Click
here to view the video and please share this important information with your friends and neighbors.
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