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January 6, 2023 Issue 120 |
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Dear residents,
2023 marks the beginning of my last term in office as your District E Council Member, I plan to prioritize mobility, public safety, and resiliency. Mobility in District E is a top priority with two major roadways under expansion. In the south sector, El Dorado Boulevard is near completion with the replenishment of native tree species on the horizon. Those living in the north sector can look forward to the ground-breaking of the expansion of Northpark Drive this spring, which I have been working on diligently since I took office in 2012.
These projects take years of coordination and work with not only federal, state, local entities but within the community as well. At the end of the day the community must all live with the result, and it is important to remember these projects are our legacy. The beautification and preservation of our community’s character is extremely important to those living in District E. I believe that quality makes our area one of the most beautiful to live and visit in the city. In addition to these major road expansions, I plan to continue to utilize my Council District Service Funds to repair panel replacements across the district as well as work closely with the Houston Public Works Transportation Drainage Operations team to prioritize street rehabilitations in high traffic areas.
This past fiscal year, I have also spent a significant amount of my Council District Service Fund Dollars related to public safety overtime initiatives in both the north and south sector areas, while also providing our officers with crucial life saving equipment, and FLOCK Cameras. My dedication to the community, its safety, and our first responders will continue through supporting them any way that is possible.
As we get ready to kick of the 88th Texas Legislative Session next week, I’m excited to work with our partners in the legislature to fortify the resiliency of Lake Houston and our Texas Coast against future threats. I am incredibly proud of the relationships that I have cultivated with our state partners in the House and Senate which make this session particularly exciting.
This legislative session presents an opportunity to continue improving our resiliency to natural disasters with thoughtful projects on land and sea while expanding our reach into space through technological innovation at the Houston Spaceport. The sky is no longer the limit for District E as we continue to break barriers with the future development and expansion of the Houston Spaceport. I encourage you to visit www.capitol.texas.gov where you can find all the information you will need to keep up with the over 1600 bills that have been filed so for the 88th Texas Legislative session. The last day to file, legislation is March 10th and regular session is only 180 days.
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
City Resources
Kingwood Community Center
(281) 348-2570
Community Resources
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Contract Awarded for Northpark Drive Overpass Project |
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The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA)/ Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10 Board awarded the contract for the Northpark Drive Overpass Project to Harper Brothers Construction. Harper Brothers Construction will be in attendance at the upcoming TIRZ Board meeting, which is being held on Thursday, January 12. As a reminder, all TIRZ Board meetings are open to the public and take place at the Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods) on the second Thursday of each month at 8:00 a.m.
The design and engineering plans for the Northpark Drive Overpass Project were completed in early 2022 and went out for bid during Summer of 2022. A visual of the design can be seen here. It took many months to go through the process of acquiring property for the right-of-way necessary to expand Northpark Drive. Now the contract is awarded, groundbreaking is scheduled to take place in Spring 2023. As the groundbreaking date gets closer our office will share more details regarding lane closures and other information related to construction activities.
The Northpark Drive Overpass Project is expected to alleviate congestion, enhance accessibility, and increase safety in the Kingwood area by widening Northpark Drive from four to six lanes between I-69 and Russell Palmer Road, along with adding a grade separation at Texas State Loop 494 and the Union Pacific Railroad crossing. The 2015 Kingwood Area Mobility Study, commissioned by TIRZ 10, concluded this project is critical to ensuring public safety.
Visit the LHRA website for more information on the Northpark Drive Overpass Project and view the 2023 Board of Directors Calendar.
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Update: Evonne Street SWAT Project Phase 1 |
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Phase 1 of a drainage project, conducted by the Houston Public Works Storm Water Action Team (SWAT) along Evonne Street, began Monday, December 5, 2022. The scope of work includes the removal and replacement of reinforced concrete storm sewer inlets on and near Evonne Street and El Buey, as well as the replacement of the storm sewer south of El Buey Way. The asphalt will also be milled and overlaid to establish proper drainage from Wayman Street south to El Buey Way. The cost of Phase 1 is $180,000.00 and is funded through the Dedicated Drainage & Street Renewal Capital Fund.
Crews mobilized Monday, December 5, 2022, and the project is anticipated to be completed by Tuesday, April 4, 2023, weather permitting. Construction activities are expected to take place Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Should there be any lane closures, flagmen and orange traffic cones will be used to help traffic flow through the construction zone.
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. There are no water or sewer impacts anticipated.
For more information, please contact Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin's office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.
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Lake Houston Spillway Dam Infrastructure Project
Receives Favorable Benefit to Cost Ratio
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This past summer, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced challenges related to the Lake Houston Spillway Dam Improvement Project regarding the ability for the City of Houston to secure a benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) between .75 and 1. Those challenges have been overcome thanks to Mayor Pro Tem Martin diligently pursuing innovative strategies and Mayor Sylvester Turner along with Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello’s meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator to discuss the inequities of the Federal BCR formula associated with incorporation of social benefits.
As a result, Mayor Pro Tem Martin and Mayor Turner would like to announce that a HUGE hurdle has been removed for the Lake Houston Region as the revised draft BCR for the Lake Houston Spillway Dam Improvement Project has been determined to be federally compliant and is very favorable. The revised BCR was completed by Atkins, a City of Houston consultant, and is for an eleven-gate structure. The eleven gates will be built into the existing embankment on the eastside of the Lake Houston Spillway Dam. Building the new gate structure in the east embankment removes the high-construction risk of modifying the existing gate structure, allows the continued use of the existing gate structure during construction, and eliminates the need for a cofferdam in the lake.
The City of Houston is now preparing this BCR analysis to be sent to FEMA for justification of the project which has a preliminary cost estimate of nearly $200 million, exceeding the City of Houston’s FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant amount of $48 million. In anticipation of a much more costly project, Mayor Pro Tem Martin, Chief Costello, and State Representative Dan Huberty met with the Texas House of Representatives Speaker Dade Phelan’s Director of Finance to begin conversations for additional state dollars to fund this project as a life and safety initiative for the survival of the community and economy in the Lake Houston Area.
Key partners this legislative session will be Congressman Dan Crenshaw, State Senator Brandon Creighton, Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan, State Representative & Chair of Appropriations Dr. Greg Bonnen, State Representatives Charles Cunningham and Armando Walle. Mayor Pro Tem Martin is committed to working with Federal and State partners to ensure the cost of the Lake Houston Spillway Dam Project is fully funded before he leaves office in December 2023.
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Houston Ballet Student Matinee of Stanton Welch's The Nutcracker
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District E staff attended the Houston Ballet Student Matinee performance of Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker with local City of Houston schools.
Special thank you to Houston Ballet’s Associate Director of Education and & Community Engagement, Lauren Anderson, and the Houston Ballet for all their hard work and dedication to the city.
For more information on the Houston Ballet Education and Community Engagement’s commitment to providing high-quality, community-sponsored educational programming to the diverse populations of Houston, please visit https://www.houstonballet.org/about/ece/. |
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City of Houston Outcome-Based Budgeting |
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The City of Houston’s budget reflects the priorities and realities of funding programs and services in the nation’s 4th largest municipal government.
For the upcoming budget cycle, the City of Houston will begin the transition to a new approach to budgeting. Rather than the traditional incremental budgeting, the City will start incorporating elements of outcome-based budget, which seeks to transform the way City leaders make decisions on the allocation of financial resources by focusing on expected results and outcomes of City programs and services.
With this new process, the City is soliciting feedback on what Houstonians believe is important in a City budget and where they believe the City should spend its tax dollars. Residents may visit this link to provide input and public comment-- https://tinyurl.com/2z5s2a3h
For more information on the City’s finance department, please click here.
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Solid Waste 14th Annual Holiday Bike Giveaway |
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District E staff had the privilege of attending the 14th annual Holiday Bike Giveaway on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at the Thomas "Buck" Buchanan Service Center.
Huge "Thank You" to Keep Houston Beautiful, DRC, Inc. and Houston Solid Waste Management Department for continuing this wonderful tradition and providing joy to Houston children.
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NASA Johnson Space Center's Jingle & Mingle with a Splash |
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Mayor Pro Tem Martin attended NASA Johnson Space Center’s 2022 Jingle & Mingle with a Splash, where he enjoyed performances by the Space City Big Band, Pearland High School Choir and the Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre.
Orion Program Manager, Howard Hu, gave an update and highlighted the recent Artemis 1 and Orion achievements. The Orion Spacecraft completed its record-breaking mission after the craft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.
Thank you, Director Wyche, for the invitation, and the wonderful experience.
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Ring in the New Year with a New Family Member
BARC Offering $23 Adoption Fees for Adult Dogs
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Adoption fees for PURRFURRED pets have been reduced to $5, as well. All puppies, cats, and kittens will have regular adoption fees. BARC's pet adoption package includes a spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, a one-year City pet registration, and a pre-registered microchip with a lifetime registration -- worth hundreds of dollars if purchased separately.
About BARC
BARC, the City of Houston's Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, takes in more than 25,000 animals annually regardless of behavior, breed, or medical condition. BARC works each day to improve Houstonians and their pets' health and safety by pioneering programs such as low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter services, mobile adoptions, transfer/rescue partnerships, and community outreach.
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Houston Solid Waste Management Department 32nd Annual City of Houston Tree Mulching Event |
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Houston Solid Waste Management Department's (SWMD) annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays which can be repurposed for mulch or other landscape materials.
SWMD has opened 24 residential Christmas tree drop-off recycling locations throughout Houston through Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
Two locations in District E that are open daily from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. are the Kingwood Branch Library and Ellington Airport Recycling Drop-off. For more information about the program, please visit www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/tree2023.html
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Bag it & Bring It! All-Plastic Recycling
at Kingwood Recycling Center
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There is a new all-plastic recycling program at the Kingwood Recycling Center (located at the Kingwood METRO Park & Ride) happening every Saturday and Sunday.
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 residues
- 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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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 (districte@houstontx.gov) if you would like us to include your upcoming event in future newsletters!
January 11 – KSA Public Safety Committee Meeting
January 12 – HPD Northeast Division Positive Interaction Program Meeting
January 16 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (OFFICE CLOSED)
January 17 – HPD Clear Lake Division Positive Interaction Program
January 17 – Kingwood Positive Interaction Program Meeting
January 26 – Freeway Manor Civic Club Meeting
January 31 – Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee Meeting
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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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