Message from Outgoing WHCA President

From outgoing WHCA President Tim McConn:

I have had the absolute pleasure of serving as President of the Woodland Heights Civic Association for the last year. I call it an absolute pleasure because it has provided me the opportunity to work with and get to know a number of my neighbors from across this great neighborhood, all of whom love this neighborhood dearly and all of whom have a common purpose in mind: ensuring that the Woodland Heights continues to be the best neighborhood in Houston. And it was by working with those great neighbors that we were able to accomplish so much this past year. 
 
Preserving and beautifying our green spaces is always a top priority for the WHCA. This past year, we devoted significant funds to maintaining and beautifying the wonderful green spaces around the neighborhood, including the Norhill Esplanade, Ley Plaza Park, and the Watson Esplanade.  
 
Preserving the integrity of our neighborhood through the enforcement of deed restrictions is also a top priority of the WHCA, and this year we made great strides on that front. Members of the WHCA Board worked tirelessly with the members of the Norhill Deed Restrictions Committee to help shepherd the Norhill Deed Restrictions through to approval, ensuring that a large portion of our beautiful neighborhood is protected by reasonable and balanced deed restrictions. Also, our deed restrictions team continued their monitoring efforts around the neighborhood, and as a result, we were able to work with multiple residents to make sure their renovations and new constructions complied with applicable deed restrictions.
 
Helping to ensure the safety and security of the neighborhood will always be a top priority of the WHCA. This past year, we fully funded two shifts of Constable service. We also worked with the City on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program because of serious and very real concerns about the increasing volume and speed of traffic in our urban neighborhood. I know that not everyone in the neighborhood is in favor of the measures being proposed, but I hope everyone understands that all of the hard work of the WHCA Board members and the Neighborhood Traffic Committee on this issue are being driven by one goal: maintain the safety and security of Woodland Heights residents. I am very proud of our efforts on this issue.  
 
The WHCA also works hard to maintain open lines of communication with government officials to make sure they are fully aware of the needs and viewpoints of Woodland Heights residents. Last July, when the closure of I-10 at I-45 sent big rig trucks and thousands of other vehicles streaming through our neighborhood, we spent hours working with Council Member Gonzales’s office, the Mayor’s office, and TxDOT to remedy the situation and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. These efforts resulted in TxDOT officials and new Council Member Cisneros coming to our General Meeting in November to discuss what should be done during a similar closure in December. The result of this meeting and follow up discussions was that there was virtually no impact on the neighborhood during those most recent closures. We also held a debate at our September General Meeting for the candidates for the City Council District H position. This provided our members a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the candidates.   
                   
Finally, we organized a number of events to bring neighbors together in a fun and social setting. We had our first Movie Night on the Norhill Esplanade in October, and we put on the 2nd annual night before Lights in the Heights gathering for the neighborhood. But the best of all was yet another successful Lights in the Heights. Jan Greer and her team of volunteers did an amazing job, and the result was a fun-filled night for all who came. We hope to duplicate this success as we bring back the Home Tour in April.   
 
We could not have accomplished so much without such an active and hard working Board. These people are volunteers who have full-time jobs and families, but they spent several hours each week working hard to ensure the success of all of the WHCA’s projects. They all deserve our heartfelt gratitude.  And an extra big thank you to David Jordan, who is rolling off the Board after serving for several years in various capacities, including as President. We all owe David our gratitude for his hard work and passion for this great neighborhood of ours. 
 
Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your President. You’re in great hands with incoming President Casey Ballard and the new Board.

Sponsor: Greystar Begins Pre-Leasing Luxury Apartments at Elan Heights

Greystar is pleased to announce the start of pre-leasing at Elan Heights in Houston, Texas. The 326-unit apartment community is conveniently located at 825 Usener Street near the intersection of White Oak Drive and Taylor Street. The high-rise development will include seven floors of luxury apartment homes in Woodland Heights.

Elan Heights is being developed and professionally managed by Greystar. The community will feature spacious studios, one and two-bedroom apartment homes ranging in size from 627 to 1,427 square feet of living space. Modern interior finishes will include quartz countertops with undermount sinks, stainless steel appliances, upgraded French-door refrigerators, built-in microwaves and ovens, custom glass-front cabinetry and hardwood flooring. Apartment homes will incorporate features such as gourmet kitchens, ten foot ceilings, Saflok® electronic locking system, custom closets, private balconies, and full size washers and dryers in every unit.

The community will provide a signature amenity package that includes an on-site fitness studio, yoga room and virtual exercise routines and classes by Fitness on DemandTM. Elan Heights will include a state-of-the-art conference center, a resident lounge and game room. Residents will be able to enjoy a sky lounge with indoor and outdoor seating areas, a resort-style swimming pool, courtyard, outdoor kitchen, grilling stations and a fire pit. The pet friendly community will offer a dog spa, dry cleaning service and on-site parking.

Construction is expected to be completed by October 2016. For more information on Elan Heights, visit www.ElanHeights.com.

Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Janet and Henry Tallichet of 802 Woodland. What a beautiful yard!

Sponsor: Four Square Design Studio

Our thanks, once again, to Four Square Design Studio LLC for sponsoring this month's WHCA newsletter. The WHCA email newsletter reaches 425 engaged neighbors. If you're interested in sponsoring please get in touch.

Historic homes, modern living, award-winning design

• Renovations
• Additions
• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Interior design and decoration

We have an abiding love of historic structures, but we enjoy juxtaposing old and new. We are skilled problem-solvers; when designing additions, we seek to accommodate the needs of modern living while respecting the original spirit and design of a historic building.

To see a sampling of our projects, visit us at foursquaredesignstudio.com or call us at 713-802-1699.

Constable Patrol: January 2016

Newsletter readers: To view charts of crime stats please visit this article on the WHCA website.

We see a spike in crime every December. For January, theft from vehicles accounted for 10 of the 14 reported crimes. Please don’t leave valuables in your car – especially at local businesses. Burglaries: residence 1400 block of Wrightwood, residence 400 block of Teetshorn, building 800 block of Wendel.

WHCA Crime Statistics

The City of Houston lags in releasing summary monthly crime stats. To stay more current and to get details for our neighborhood, about once a week I monitor daily crime reports, and accumulate information to arrive at the crime data presented here. In mid-January, the city adopted a new service for crime reporting, CrimeReports. In some ways it’s better than what they had, but it is now too cumbersome for me to identify total monthly crimes for police beat 2A30. My reports will no longer compare our WHCA data to the entire police beat 2A30 that includes WHCA and the Heights.

WHCA Constable Patrol Statistics

We remind everyone for a crime in progress, please call 911 first, principally because we do not have 24/7 deputy coverage. If our deputies are on duty, they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911 for crimes in progress.

The Constable Patrol operates on a fiscal year ending March 31. A few of you have already renewed for 2016/2017, and we will be starting our annual membership campaign in March.  Please continue to support the Constable Patrol.

Our deputies are motivated to keep the neighborhood safe. One lap around the perimeter of our neighborhood is a bit over 3 miles, and there are approximately 2,500 homes, so there is a lot of ground to cover. Feedback from you is an important tool, so please do not hesitate to call Precinct One if you see something that doesn’t seem right.

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood, and remain through their shift, unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. The deputies spend their shift cruising the neighborhood.  When they stop to look at something or take some action, they keep a log, so we have a general idea of their activities. For January 2016 here is some of their activity:

Number	Activity
17	Traffic stops, resulting in 5 citations. The deputies have radar and use it to monitor speeds in areas where there are complaints, and they pay particular attention to speeds in school zones; the stops this month were throughout the neighborhood, with the majority being on Bayland and Studewood.
10	Suspicious person call responses.
2	Responses to calls about (door to door) solicitors (we usually have 8-10 per month).
10	Suspicious vehicle call responses (plus 2 abandoned vehicle calls).
41	Number of times they stopped to check something in the parks (mostly along White Oak, Stude and Usener).
205	Number of times they stopped to check something in the neighborhood (not otherwise included in these statistics).
9	House alarm responses.
8	Miscellaneous: responses to traffic issues (2), various disturbances/loud noise, gunshots, mischief (5), investigating open door (1)
75	“Meet the Citizen” – this is a conversation with a member of the neighborhood in a fashion that’s not covered above, (e.g. to introduce themselves or to answer a question). Our deputies are very service oriented, so if you see a deputy and have a question, or just want to say hello please flag them down.

If you have any questions please get in touch.

Steve Howard
WHCA, Security
security@woodland-heights.org

Now Accepting Board Nominations

The WHCA Board Nominating Committee are now accepting nominations for seats on the Woodland Heights Civic Association Board for the 2016-17 term, which starts April 1, 2016 and runs through March 31, 2017. Elections will be at the general meeting on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. at Hogg Middle School Cafeteria. 

The following positions are up for election: 

• President-Elect (president in waiting for the 2017-18 term) 
• Treasurer (handles the WHCA's accounting, must be proficient in accounting concepts and software) 
• Secretary (prepares minutes of WHCA board and general meetings, maintains books and records of the WHCA) 
• VP, Beautification (responsible for nominating yard of the month, proposing and executing other beautification projects) 
• VP, Communications (responsible for maintaining the website and preparing and distributing the newsletter) 
• VP, Deed Restrictions (responsible for monitoring land use and deed restriction issues in the neighborhood, must be a lawyer licensed in Texas) 
• VP, Infrastructure (responsible for monitoring all infrastructure issues in the neighborhood, such as the recent sidewalk construction and METRO issues) 
• VP, Membership (sign up new members each year, maintain database of members) 
• VP, Security (responsible for managing the Constable program and contracts) 

If you would like to nominate yourself, please fill out this form and email it to us at president@woodland-heights.org. Thanks! 

Sincerely, 
The Nominating Committee (Allison Hartzell, JW Lodge, Glen Sementelli, Casey Ballard, and Tim McConn)

Sponsor: Four Square Design Studios

Our thanks, once again, to Four Square Design Studio LLC for sponsoring this month's WHCA newsletter. The WHCA email newsletter reaches 425+ engaged neighbors. If you're interested in sponsoring please get in touch.

Historic homes, modern living, award-winning design

• Renovations
• Additions
• Kitchens and bathrooms
• Interior design and decoration

We have an abiding love of historic structures, but we enjoy juxtaposing old and new. We are skilled problem-solvers; when designing additions, we seek to accommodate the needs of modern living while respecting the original spirit and design of a historic building.

To see a sampling of our projects, visit us at foursquaredesignstudio.com or call us at 713-802-1699.

Our School Update

Travis Elementary

•  

Hogg Middle School

• Sixteen National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and Student Council members from Hogg Middle School volunteered to make luminarias last month's Lights in the Heights festivities. They spent an hour-and-a-half filling bags with sand and a candle, enough to fill two trailer loads full. Thank you, Razorbacks, for helping to light up the route.
• The Hogg Library is undergoing a transformation. In its goal to become a library of the 21st century, they are building a Literacy Library for Language Art teachers and students. Students in middle school read at varying levels and Hogg is differentiating instruction to meet the needs of these students. Students take a test in the Myon program to determine their Lexile level. With this knowledge, students and teachers then select books that expand their vocabulary. Myon tracks students’ reading and growth by providing access to over 4,000 digital books. To compliment this digital library, the HISD Secondary Curriculum and Development Literacy Team helped Hogg process has over 2,000 books for its Literacy Library. Ten volunteers have logged in over 80 hours to label, barcode, cover, sort and shelve these books. A huge thank you to our HISD Secondary Curriculum and Development Literacy Team for showing Hogg spirit by wearing red on our big volunteer day.
• Hogg art students are busy creating Hollywood/Academy Award themed props for the WHCA Home Tour Preview Event held April 15th. Tickets now on sale.

Reagan High School

• The Reagan journalism class put together a very informative video about John H. Reagan and the current effort to rename the school because of Reagan's history as a Confederate.

WHCA General Meeting

The next WHCA General Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at the Hogg Middle School Auditorium. Note that elections for WHCA Board positions will be held at the March 8 general meeting. In early February, the WHCA will notify the neighborhood (via NextDoor, the WHCA website, newsletter, and signs) regarding the details of how to submit nominations. Please remember that nominations cannot be accepted from the floor at the March 8 meeting.

Traffic Management Meeting

The City is going to hold a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program meeting on February 3rd at 7 PM at the Hogg cafeteria. The City is going to outline the proposed traffic plan for the Woodland Heights, which includes speed cushions and neighborhood traffic circles on Watson, Bayland, Michaux, Beauchamp, Euclid and Pecore. We really need to have strong support for this plan so that the City will move forward with implementing the plan. The first stage of the implementation will involve the installation of temporary devices to gauge their effectiveness on the aforementioned streets, and confirm that traffic is not simply shifted to other streets in the neighborhood. Please make every effort to attend the meeting and ask your neighbors to attend as well.

Yard of the Month

There is never a time when I drive by this house, that I don't love it! Donald Clay at 626 Omar has a knack for choosing plants that are not ordinary and they are beautifully maintained. His yard is manicured, well cared for and no matter the time of year, it looks splendid. I especially love the evergreen Wisteria on the arbor and the Weeping Crabapple tree in front of it. The Pride of Barbados planted next to the utility pole is the perfect way to enhance an otherwise eyesore. The hedge is Cuban Gold (Duranta).

Take some to walk by and see it for yourself!  You won't regret it.

Brigette Larson
WHCA Beautification

Lights in the Heights Wrap-Up

While Lights in the Heights 2015 was a rainy one, it did not dampen the spirits of the neighbors. Attendance was lower than last year but Woodland and Euclid were still filled with merrymakers and all the bands played their hearts out.

The committee would like to express deep thanks to our Entertainment Sponsor, Memorial Hermann Greater Heights. They were gracious, easy to work with and were crucial to our success. We also had amazing Gala Sponsors, most of whom have been donating all three years. Please check out all these local businesses and show them some love! We also thank all the neighbors who contributed through our 3rd Annual Gala and all who purchased LITH2015 merchandise.

I cannot say enough about the dedicated volunteers of the LITH committee. Thanks to each of you for all your hard work!

— Jan Rynda Greer

Constable Patrol: November 2015

Newsletter readers: To view charts of crime stats please visit this article on the WHCA website.

Theft from vehicles was down for November, but please don’t leave valuables in your car especially at local businesses. The City of Houston lags in releasing summary monthly crime stats. To stay more current and to get details for our neighborhood, about once a week I monitor daily crime reports and accumulate the data to arrive at the report presented here.

WHCA Crime Statistics

WHCA Compared to Entire HPD Beat 2A30

We remind everyone for a crime in progress please call 911 first principally because we do not have 24/7 deputy coverage. If our deputies are on duty they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911 for crimes in progress.

Our deputies are motivated to keep the neighborhood safe though one lap around the perimeter of our neighborhood is a bit over 3 miles so there is a lot of ground to cover. Feedback from you is an important tool so please do not hesitate to call Precinct One if you see something that doesn’t seem right.

Our deputies come to work in our neighborhood and remain through their shift unless they are called to respond to a nearby contract. The deputies spend their shift cruising the neighborhood.  When they stop to look at something or take some action they keep a log so we have a general idea of their activities. For November 2015 here is some of their activity:

Constable Patrol Activity

Lights in the Heights

The Woodland Heights neighborhood is again looking forward to Lights in the Heights 2015 on December 12th from 6PM to 9PM. Road closures of Euclid and Woodland begin at 5PM and will be blocked off for the festivities. As always, additional streets will have parking and driving limitations, some beginning early that Saturday. Please review the event on Nextdoor for further details and updates. There are about 20 performers on the route this year. Merchandise, including ornaments, koozies, luminaria and some prior year merchandise will be available at Friday Night Lights.

Updated (12/2/15): Fixed spelling errors.