Dear HCP4,

Happy New Year! I hope your 2024 is off to an excellent start.

2024 offers an opportunity for a renewed commitment to ourselves, our family, and our community. While a presidential election year marks a critical time to make our voices heard, I encourage you to be an active member of our local community all year long. Volunteering, attending listening tours and community workshops, and connecting with us in person are just a few ways to practice local civic engagement.

At Precinct 4, we are committed to providing opportunities for you to get involved, starting with our Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. On Saturday, January 13, I invite you to volunteer alongside us at our tree planting, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Bear Creek Pioneers Park, and at our clean up at Riceville Mt. Olive Baptist Church from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Continuing the momentum from our 12-stop listening tour in 2023, we are planning quarterly in-person sessions and bi-annual virtual listening sessions. These sessions give me and my team valuable insights into your ideas and the issues you care about most—from improving greenspace and flood resiliency to finding more transportation options and increasing public safety. Your feedback is shaping the direction of Harris County Precinct 4 and can help lead to tangible changes. For example, this year we will finish our Precinct-wide parks plan, which began last September and includes recommendations to increase park access and use parks to improve socioeconomic outcomes and physical and mental health. Opportunities for you to get involved and contribute to this comprehensive planning effort—along with our Freed Park, Bayland Park, and Burnett-Bayland Park ongoing community-based master plans—are coming soon.

We also have two community plans in the works for Katy East and East Spring Branch. These plans will create a list of recommendations to improve public safety, expand transportation and mobility options, ensure access to greenspace, and foster economic opportunity. Our next public engagement opportunity is January 20 from 12-2 p.m. at the Houston Community College Katy Campus. Additionally, we have an open survey and interactive project map for Katy East residents to share their ideas.

We are also excited to kick off our proactive call for partnership projects, Places4People in late February. Because we believe deeply in the power of partnerships, we will once again invite cities, school districts, MUDs, management districts, etc. to submit potential infrastructure projects they would like to work with Precinct 4 on. This initiative stretches your tax dollars by bringing together local governments and organizations to fund sustainable infrastructure projects that equitably support local communities. Last year, Places4People helped to fund the landmark Buffalo Bayou Greenway Trail, which will connect Buffalo Bayou Park to Memorial Park, along with 31 other projects. If you have an idea for a project, contact your local City Council representative, MUD, TIRZ, or other government agency to work together on getting your proposal submitted.

In 2024 and beyond, I encourage you to continue being the change you want to see in our community. Together, we will keep moving Precinct 4 forward!

All my best,

Lesley Briones

Commissioner Briones, in partnership with Shell and the Energy Corridor District, officially opened the gathering space and container art mural at Energy Hill at Terry Hershey Park. 

A collaboration between Precinct 4, Shell Energy and the Energy Corridor District, this unique community gathering space features a mural celebrating the story of the energy transition and the Energy Corridor community. Painted on a re-purposed shipping container, the 40-foot mural provides an anchor and way-finding space across from the main entrance to Terry Hershey Park.

The Katy East Community Plan and Mobility Study is approximately a nine-month process to set a shared vision that strives to enhance the quality of life for all residents within the study area.

Driven by robust public engagement, the plan will examine existing land use, mobility, infrastructure, and economic development challenges and opportunities in the community. The final plan will create prioritized list of projects, policies, and program recommendations to support the aspirational values of the community seeking to improve quality of life, livability, and economic opportunity.

Commissioner Briones, in collaboration with Fort Bend County Judge KP George, the City of Houston, Harris County Toll Road Authority and METRO, signed a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 14, cementing their intentions to move forward in partnership on the Westpark Tollway Study.  

In May 2023, Commissioner Briones announced plans to re-envision the Westpark Tollway. More than half a million people live within a mile of the 22-mile stretch of the Westpark Tollway, and demand is growing.  

This study will focus on expanding mobility capacity and options in the fastest-growing region in Texas and creating more vibrant and accessible connections between communities on both sides of the Tollway.  

Key wins from Commissioners Court in December included:

December 5, 2023

✅ Presented a resolution to honor outgoing Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for his decades of tireless service.

✅ Allocated $30M of federal ARPA funds for the SHINE Child Care Fund, offering a lifeline to child care providers that faced unforeseen challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

✅ Appointed Precinct 4 Senior Planner, Nandini Seth, to the Harris County Cultural Education Facilities Finance Corporation.

✅ Appointed Dr. Andrew Juan to the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force.

December 19, 2023

✅ Allocated over $1.3M to Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a 3-year program that will manage and remove floatables, litter, and pollutants from the Buffalo Bayou.

✅ Approved a Precinctb4 partnership with The Common Market for bi-weekly food distributions at Bayland and Radack Community Centers. The organization will provide 70 farm-fresh boxes at no cost to the county.

✅ Appointed Meghan Fairbanks and Diamond Stylz to at-large positions on the LGBTQIA+ Commission.

✅ Appointed Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca to the Harris County Safe School Commission.

✅ Allocated $9.5M to Harris Health, expanding the Food Pharmacies program and funding a new outpatient gastroenterology lab at Quentin Mease Health Center.

COMMISSIONER BRIONES PARTICIPATES IN SPARK OF

LOVE TOY GIVEAWAY

Commissioner Briones was spreading holiday cheer this month, joining forces with the Houston Police Department Police and Clergy Team (PACT), Council Member Edward Pollard and the Chinese American Relief Efforts Houston (CARE) for the 14th annual Spark of Love Children's Toy Giveaway! Together, they brightened the season for 100 needy families with heartfelt gifts.

HARRIS COUNTY PARTNERS WITH CITY FOR NEW GREENWAY TRAIL ALONG BRAYS BAYOU

Precinct 4 joined forces with Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher and Harris County Precinct One to celebrate the inauguration of a pristine 10-foot wide greenway trail along Brays Bayou. Connecting parks and communities, this concrete trail is a testament to progress and connectivity.

COMMISSIONER BRIONES DISTRIBUTES FOOD ALONGSIDE HOPE CLINIC, PRECINCT4FORWARD

Commissioner Briones, alongside Precinct4Forward, partnered with HOPE Clinic Alief for the Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Food Fair! The organizations were able to help over 700 needy families during the event.

COMMISSIONER BRIONES TOURS BANGLADESH AMERICAN CENTER IN ALIEF

Commissioner Briones was honored to explore the Bangladesh American Center, gaining valuable insights into the rich culture and heritage of the Bangali community.