WHCA V.P. Needed! No Experience Needed

The WHCA board has been busy these past couple of months. There’s a lot going on—there’s just so much to do. One of the tasks in a process is a bylaw revision. Such matters are no fun, but they are important. A recent review of the bylaws highlighted a simple fact that’s gone unnoticed for some time. Also, our level of activity—the WHCA board is one body short! So, we are announcing a call for volunteers for the vice president position.

The role of the Vice President, which has been vacant for a considerable time, is a little nebulous. Along with the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, the vice president is a member of the executive committee. They could sometimes be called upon to stand in for the President, chair a meeting, or take on any of a variety of tasks.

Historically, the Vice President was tasked with organizing the annual 4th of July Kids Parade. However, since we’ve not had a VP for some time, others have most recently organized that event. A newly minted VP could engage in any way that fits their sphere of interest. Leverage their strengths.

Suppose you love our little hometown close to downtown, and have thoughts about its future. In that case, this is your chance to help steer the civic association and, by extension, the neighborhood as a whole. Interested parties who are WHCA members can contact me directly.

Michael Graves
President, Woodland Heights Civic Association

Greater Heights Super Neighborhood 15 Council

https://www.facebook.com/events/407988114648691?ref=newsfeed

Details

Event by Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council

107 W 12th St, Houston, TX 77008

Duration: 2 hr

Public · Anyone on or off Facebook

The second quarter meeting of the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood Council (GHSNC) will be in person at the historic Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station.

The main guest presentation will be from members of the Houston Planning Department on the Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Development ordinances, so that GHSNC members and members of the public can have a better understand of these programs and how they might apply to our area. Other items on the agenda include TxDOT’s proposal to raise lanes on I-10 between Heights Blvd and I-45, updates from the stakeholder members, and other items of mutual interest.

The update on the 11th Street Safety Improvements project previously scheduled for this meeting will take place at a separate City meeting 6:00 PM the following night via Microsoft Teams Live. Visit www.letstalkhouston.org/11th-street-bikeway for details.

Nominate for 2022 Board Elections

In accordance with the WHCA bylaws, an election will be held at our Annual meeting on the second Tuesday of May. The WHCA is now accepting nominations for seats on the Woodland Heights Civic Association Board.

An election will be held at our 2022 Annual meeting on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 for the following Board of Directors positions:

• President

• Dir - Beautification

• Dir - Communications

• Dir - Deed Restrictions

• Dir - Security

Go to the 2022 Nominating Form and nominate yourself or a neighbor - woodland-heights.org/board-elections

A New Face on the WHCA Board of Directors

Director of Communications: Lori Bigler

I'm a Texas native and grew up in the Houston area. I had an early love for the Heights, starting with frequent trips to hear bands play at Fitzgerald's during my high school and college days. Fast forward many years later, a couple of moves from and back to Texas, my husband and I bought our house in Woodland Heights in 2015. We love biking the neighborhood with our two young kids and frequent the various area parks and esplanades. 

Since moving here, aside from participating as a block captain, I've mostly watched as other civic minded neighbors volunteered their talents to community efforts such as LITH, the newsletter, 4th of July on the Esplanade and the Constable Patrol Program. I'm happy to have the opportunity to give back to our community through volunteering as Director of Communications and to contribute to the many activities that make Woodland Heights wonderful and unique.

WHCA July 2020 General Meeting

Please join your neighbors virtually for our July General Meeting. We will be introducing new board members and looking for a new Director of Communications and other volunteers. If you would like to suggest a topic for the agenda, please email president@woodland-heights.org.

When:

Jul 14, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time

Where:

This virtual gathering will be conducted using Zoom.
Neighbors seeking to attend must register in advance.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 
 
Respectfully,
Alaina Hebert
President, WHCA

New Faces on the WHCA Board of Directors

In a message a few weeks back we noted some recent changes in the WHCA board. I thought it good to introduce these new folks, who have taken up the task of helping WHCA navigate through the coming two years.

Director of Beautification: Allison Hartzell

Living in and being active in Woodland Heights for over 30 years has given me great insight into the neighborhood and Heights in general. My husband and I worked to pass the original deed restrictions back in the 1980's when we got our start in volunteering for the community.

Our three girls are native Woodland Heighters and all went to Travis. Being a long time volunteer in the local community, including past president of WHCA (2010), as well as an avid gardener, makes Beautification a good fit so I can continue to give back to the neighborhood which has brought me and my family lots of great memories.

Many of you may know my dog better than me, Chuck and I stroll the neighborhood multiple times a day though our walks are getting shorter and shorter as he hits his golden years. We will be perusing yards for Yard of the Month on our walks!  Please feel free to drop me an email if you have suggestions or want to nominate a Yard of the Month.

Director of Security: Margaux Poizat

I was born and raised in New Orleans and moved to Houston in 2001, to eventually purse my Nurse Anesthetist degree. I crossed paths with my husband who was here for an engineering internship. The Heights always drew me in because of the resemblance to my home town. So this is where we choose our home in 2007. 

Our children have attended the neighborhood schools from the time they were four years old. My daughter will be starting her last year at Travis Elementary in the fall and my son will start his second year at Hogg Middle School. 

In my spare time I like to tinker. I enjoy making jewelry, collecting/restoring antiques and playing the piano. I’m excited for this new role in our community. 

The nominating committee is continuing to seek candidates for several positions that will be filled at the Annual General Meeting in July. For details please contact Alaina Hebert at whcavolunteer@googlegroups.com

A Message from the WHCA Board

Dear Woodland Heights Neighbors,

We are all living through time unprecedented within most of our living memory. I see no need to belabor the point, but, group meetings for Associations like ours are, at least for the near term, right out of the question. The result is we cannot hold our scheduled May General Meeting.

The business of the WHCA goes on despite the Covid crisis. The image above is a screen shot from our April board meeting, conducted using Zoom.US. It was one of the shortest meetings in recent years.

The overarching issue for the Association at our May General Meeting is our Annual Meeting, in which we vote on the Board of Director positions scheduled for election. To facilitate this unavoidable cancellation, in our Board Meeting of April 7, 2020, the board voted unanimously to postpone board elections until the next General Meeting, scheduled for July 14, 2020.

To accommodate this action, several outgoing board members have graciously agreed to stay on and see us through to the July election. In preparation for the July General Meeting and Board Election, we need to identify candidates for all positions up for re-election. We have interest from neighbors for Directors of Security and Beautification, but still need candidates for President and Directors of Communications and Deed Restrictions. If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact Alaina Hebert, the Secretary for the WHCA and the Chair of the Nominations Committee, at secretary@woodland-heights.com.

I know July is not the best time for holding elections. Historically, our July meeting is our meeting of lowest attendance. Therefore, in order to build a quorum permitting the election, I am appealing to your civic pride to break that trend. We truly need you to attend.

Further, please rest assured we, the Board of Directors of the WHCA, will find a suitable way to hold a meeting, either in person or virtually, based on the situation as prevails on that second Tuesday of July. To be plain, your attendance, regardless of the fashion or format, is important for our community.

- Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

Passing the Director of Membership Baton

As many of you know, this summer, our Director of Membership, Sharon Greiff, resigned her post on the Woodland Heights Civic Association Board of Directors. Speaking for the entire WHCA Board, we wish Sharon the best and hope to see her back involved with our wonderful neighborhood soon.

Since Sharon’s resignation, the Board has been keeping an eye out for a suitable replacement. Effective as of our last Board meeting, October 1, 2019, our search was officially ended. Kelly Hare, a 15-year resident of the Woodland Heights, accepted the Board’s nomination and was duly appointed to replace Sharon. Needless to say, the Board is excited to have Kelly on board. We all feel she will to a great job.

Kelly and her husband, Perry, have two boys. One son attends Travis Elementary and the other goes to Hogg Middle School. Professionally, she is Speech and Language Pathologist with her career currently on hiatus.

Please reach out to Kelly if you would like to become a member of the Woodland Heights Civic Association or if you have any questions about what being a member means. Her official WHCA email address is membership@woodland-heights.org.

Announcing the WHCA September General Meeting & Candidates Forum!

Tuesday, September 10th at 7pm
in the auditorium at Hogg Middle School
1100 Merrill St

This month the highlight of the agenda is a Candidates Forum including; Karla Cisneros, Cynthia Reyes-Revilla, Isabel Longoria, and Gaby Salcedo. All four are running for the Houston City Council seat representing District H, which includes Woodland Heights.

Residents attending the meeting will be able to submit written questions, to be asked by the moderator, and answered by each of the candidates.

Karla Cisneros

Cynthia Reyes-Revilla

Isabel Longoria

Gaby Salcedo

Charles Kuffner (Moderator)

The Candidates Forum will be moderated by WH resident Charles Kuffner. He is the author of Off The Kuff, a Houston-based political blog covering state and local affairs. Founded in 2001, it is the oldest continuously running political blog in Texas. It has gained tremendous support throughout the state for its detailed political reporting and commentary. Kuffner’s work has been syndicated by the Houston Chronicle and has been featured in Texas Monthly and the Houston Press.

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Also:
As usual, there will also be updates from the WHCA board of directors and committees.

WHCA Secretary Alaina Hebert is leading a new effort to encourage the proper recycling of batteries and consumer electronics items with batteries inside. Following the guidelines offered at Call2Recycle.org, items will be collected at WHCA General Meetings, like one planned for September 10th.
 

Wanted: A Few Good Neighbors!

Hi Woodland Heights -

1. Do you want to get more involved in the issues that face our wonderful neighborhood?

2. Do you have a strong opinion about the future of the Woodland Heights or the WHCA and its mission?

3. Do you want to get to know better some of the wonderful and talented people in this great neighborhood?

4. Do you have talents in accounting, legal, social media, public relations, technology, fundraising or just a love of the history of the neighborhood you'd like to volunteer to our great neighborhood?

If so - then you should think about joining the Woodland Heights Civic Association Board for the 2019 - 2021 term, which starts June 1, 2019 and runs through May 31, 2021.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in a WHCA board position for the two-year term, please send an email to the nominating committee at nominations@woodland-heights.org. All candidates that wish to run for office (including those current board members running for re-election) must return a nomination form into the nomination committee one day prior to the election on March 14th.

Feel free to speak directly with a member of the nomination committee or an existing board member about these positions. The nominating committee members are:

• Matt Johnson (Board Member)

• Melissa Sternfels (Board Member)

• Pat Rutledge (Non-Board Member)

• Lauren Lindsay (Non-Board Member)

• Estella Espinosa (Non-Board Member)

All WHCA Board members must be current homeowner members of the WHCA.

———————————————————————

Descriptions of the open board positions are below:

SECRETARY

The WHCA Secretary is tasked with recording all meetings in a timely and organized fashion. The Secretary acts as the official record keeper for the organization.

Duties and responsibilities of the WHCA secretary:

1. Ensuring meetings are effectively organized and minutes kept in a timely manner

2. Maintaining effective records and administration

3. Upholding the legal requirements of governing documents

4. Communication and correspondence via email and print

5. Posting minutes online and maintaining a WHCA binder of documents, including minutes, sign-in sheets, records, correspondence, agendas, etc.

6. Setting up and monitoring membership sign-in at general meetings

7. Assisting the President and other board members with other duties as needed

8. Attending board meetings and general meetings

 Technical demands of the position

1. Time Commitment: The job of secretary requires 6-12 hours per month.

2. Familiarity with MS Word, MS Excel and Adobe PDF.

3. Use of Dropbox and other online tools for management and storage of documents.

4. Participating in communications online via email in a timely manner

 TREASURER

The WHCA Treasurer is tasked with maintaining financial records, including periodic reporting to the WHCA, as well as payment of bills and invoices, maintaining bank accounts and providing support for special events.

Duties and responsibilities of the WHCA Treasurer:

1. Maintaining financial records including filing of tax information to both State and Federal Entities.

2. Maintaining bank accounts and pay resources (paypal/stripe)

3. Payment of bills and Invoices

4. Assisting with budgeting and providing oversight

5. Providing support and oversight for special events

6. Maintain tracking for Sponsorship, Special Events, Sales and programs (membership and constables)

7. Review and recommend insurance for organization, directors and special events

Technical Demands of the position:

1. Time Commitment: The job of treasurer requires 10-20 hours per month. This will depend upon beginning of year membership drives and special events

2. Familiarity with Non-Profit Accounting software, MS Word, MS Excel, Adobe PDF.

3. Use of Dropbox and other online tools for management and storage of documents.

4. Participating in communications online via email in a timely manner.)

 DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP

 The WHCA Director of Membership is responsible for enrolling new and existing members in the organization, as well as for general promotion of the organization and its aims to the greater Woodland Heights community.

 Duties and responsibilities of the Director of Membership:

1.  Keep records of new and existing members.

2. Provide information regarding the WHCA and its mission to new and existing residents of the neighborhood.

3. Provide input/suggestions to expand/ improve services and add value to membership.

4. Actively recruit new members and promote and encourage participation in the WHCA

5. Assess membership needs through instruments such as surveys and questionnaires or other methods suggested by the board, and communicate member needs to the board.

6. Manage block captains and direct neighborhood outreach efforts. 

7. Provide welcome packages to new residents in the neighborhood.

8. Assisting the President and other board members with other duties as needed

9. Attending board meetings and general meetings

 Technical demands of the position

1. Time Commitment: The Membership position requires 6-12 hours per month.

2. Willingness to promote and lobby for WHCA to residents.

3. Familiarity with MS Word and Adobe PDF.

4. Use of Dropbox and other online tools for management and storage of documents.

5. Participating in communications online via email in a timely manner

 DIRECTOR, INFRASTRUCTURE/LAND USE

 The WHCA Director of Infrastructure/Land Use is tasked with assisting the neighborhood with infrastructure-related issues (streetscapes, sidewalks, water systems, lighting.) This position interfaces with the City of Houston Public Works regarding public works, civil engineering issues, traffic and related issues. In addition, this role is responsible for questions or concerns about land use issues related to building codes, zoning, lot size and use, and similar concerns.

 Duties and responsibilities of the Director of Infrastructure/Land Use:

1.  Interface with City of Houston Public Works regarding civil, public works, streetscape, and related issues.

2. Maintain or account for the public infrastructures for which the WHCA is responsible (electricity on the esplanades etc.)

3. Act as a resource for members with land use questions or concerns, whether on private property or public.

4. Spearhead initiatives toward neighborhood improvement that extend beyond beautification (i.e. planning issues, code issues, etc.)

5. Assisting the President and other board members with other duties as needed .

6. Attending board meetings and general meetings

 Technical demands of the position

1.  Time Commitment: The Infrastructure position requires 6-12 hours per month.

2. Familiarity with City of Houston communication protocols.

3. Some familiarity with land use, codes, deed restrictions, and similar issues.

4. Familiarity with MS Word and Adobe PDF.

5. Use of Dropbox and other online tools for management and storage of documents.

6. Participating in communications online via email in a timely manner