More NTMP Poll Results

On July 26th the NTC members received the following update on the NTMP project:

Dear NTC members,

As previously indicated, we sent out a survey to the 52 residents and subsequently received 26 responses back. 23 of the 52 support the current plan and 3 do not.  Based on the updated results, the test cushions will remain and we’ll move forward with the final Council approval and close out the project. Thank you for your patience and input throughout the project.

Thank you,

Khang Nguyen, P.E., PTOE | Assistant Director
City of Houston | Houston Public Works | Transportation & Drainage Operations

FIREFLY FIELD HAS ARRIVED!

The Friends of Woodland Park are proud to announce that Dylan Conner’s remarkable sculpture, Firefly Field, has been fully installed in Woodland Park.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Friday, July 27th was a banner day for FWP and the park as everything came together when Dylan’s colleagues and a crew of experienced metal sculptors worked all day to install his inspirational sculpture.  Lighting was completed as well so by evening the park was transformed into a native spectacle.

Since Friday, FWP has been approached by a significant number of neighbors plus park and art lovers wishing to donate to the project and to have their families’ contribution forever memorialized on the donor plaque to be installed soon.  We have therefore decided to re-open the fund raising to allow those who would still like to contribute to this park improvement to do so.  Details will be posted on our website, www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org.  This opportunity will likely only be available for the next 30 days or so, so please be sure to act soon if you are interested.

Our next phase of this project will be the initial creation of the landscape garden which has been designed by our friends and neighbors at SWA.  The bed with flagstone edging, a premium garden soil mix, and mulch will be built in the next few weeks, and then in early fall when the weather is cooler we will plant various native grass species.

For those who would like to be a part of this addition to the park and contribute their time, perhaps in addition to their financial donation, we certainly need volunteers to help with the installation of the landscape.  Please check our website for future details or look for updates posted on NextDoor.

Our tremendous artist, Dylan Conner, is a third generation Woodland Heights resident, a graduate of HSPVA, and a scholarship winning graduate student currently enrolled in U of H.  He has contributed public art in the Houston Heights Boulevard Art exhibit and been involved in the installation of huge and noteworthy sculptures in the area.  He is a truly remarkable talent and an extremely loyal Woodland Heights resident.  We thank all of you who have supported our local artist.

We hope to see you at the park.

August Voting for the Harris County Flood Bond Program

On the anniversary of Harvey, Houstonians have the opportunity to decide to vote for or against a 2.5 billion dollar flood control project which would cover drainage improvements, upgraded warning systems, infrastructure repairs, home buyouts, and the construction of more detention basins. The cost of these projects would mean a property tax increase of no more than 1.4% if the bond passes. The proposed flood projects are targeted at various watersheds located across the “bayou city”. Community comments and suggestions are still being accepted. To read more about the bond proposal, check out the Harris County Flood District website at https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/ .
 
Early voting begins August 8-21 and the election will be held on Saturday, August 25. To determine more about places and times to vote, consult www.harrisvotes.com . Please consider weighing in on this important issue.

My First General Meeting

My first official solo act was to preside over the General Meeting for the WHCA scheduled for July 10.  Of course, I was running late for the meeting as a result of my bill-paying job.  On my way to the meeting, I get a flurry of comms about the meeting.  I pulled over to see what was happening.

It seems, through some miscommunication among the staff at Hogg Middle School (the locale of the scheduled meeting), the doors to the building were locked and there was no assistance available.  Consequently, after deciding to cancel the meeting, an ad hoc gathering flocculated at A 2nd Cup on 11th.  Those who made the effort to attend the General Meeting gathered informally out of courtesy to the guest speakers and to hear their presentations.

Figure 1 - Shelley Rice presents "All Things Bees In Texas."

David Welch and Shelley Rice (Figure 1) each made interesting and informative presentation regarding “Special Minimum Lot Size and Building Ordinances” and “All Things Bees” respectively.  The gathering disbanded after some discussion of recent events and some offhand communication of board information.

Now, if I was making an autocratic decision regarding how to deal with the cancelled General Meeting, the fact all the folks who attempted to attended the General Meeting came together at the ad hoc gathering plus the fact there was no official business set forth that required a vote would be sufficient to deem the General Meeting requirements fulfilled.  However, a review of the bylaws makes clear their silence on dealing with a cancelled General Meeting but also reveal clarity regarding the General Meeting must take place within the bounds of the Woodland Heights.  

There is no doubt in my mind those who drafted the bylaws and included the clause indicating the General Meeting should occur “at a place within the Association Boundaries” did so with the intent of allowing easy access to all eligible Homeowner Members. Given the fact my estimates place the location of the ad hoc gathering a mere 100 feet out of the area of the Association (Figure 2), it is clear the intent of bylaws was fulfilled by moving the gathering in easy walking distance.  There is also the question of quorum.  From our headcount, there is a valid question as to whether or not we could have met the quorum requirements.

Figure 2 – Hogg Middle School north limits to the seating area of Second Cup; distance estimate.  Image and calculation credit to Google Earth

Given the above, I will likely not reschedule the meeting.  However, I will entertain reconsidering this decision should two prerequisites fall into place: 1) I receive enough requests to reschedule the meeting to meet General Meeting quorum requirements, and 2) Those who send the requests and meet the qualification of Association membership firmly commit to attend the meeting.

I am looking forward to serving our neighborhood with the dedicated individuals of the board and of the neighborhood.  I will always field requests and listen to opinions with the neighborhood’s best interest in mind.  

For the greater good of the neighborhood,

respectfully,

Harry McMahon,
President, WHCA
 

WHCA FINANCIAL UPDATE JULY 2018

Questions about WHCA finances can be directed to treasurer@woodland-heights.org.

A Message From The New President: The Training Wheels Are Off!

Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

In March I committed to a two-year term on the board of directors for the Woodland Heights Civic Association.  The term to which I was elected (I am using the term “elected” loosely since  I ran unopposed) was one year as president-elect, essentially a trainee under the president, Matt Reynolds. The one-year president-elect term was to be followed by my own one-year term as president.  However, early this summer Matt informed the board of directors he and his family are being transferred overseas.  Consequently, and through due process, my term as president was moved up and extended to cover the balance of Matt’s term as well as my own.  My year with training wheels goes out the window.

I guess you are all thinking, “Who is this guy?”  Good question.  My wife, a wonderful lass, born in Scotland and raised in Australia, and I moved to the Woodland Heights about eleven years ago.  We lived on Bayland for about five years then we moved to our current home on Omar.  We have two children, both born while we lived in the Woodland Heights.  My daughter, 10, and my son, 4, keep this sixty-year-young father spry.

This is my first foray in the official world of Woodland Heights civic service.  The decision to throw my name into the hat was based on family and community.  First off, I was interested in setting an example of community service for my children.  Secondly, I have witnessed several of my friends and neighbors sacrifice their personal time and their personal interests to promote the broader interest of the Woodland Heights community.  I would like to increase participation by the residents of the Woodland Heights in our civic endeavors and promote recognition of the unselfish effort that goes into the process of community oversight from which all the neighborhood residents benefit greatly.  In short, I am hoping to give a little back.

Please follow the Woodland Heights community activity on our website (www.woodland-heights.org), on Facebook and Twitter.

- Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

Marcia DeBock Is Retiring The Yard Sharks

Marcia DeBock has been teaching swim lessons in the backyard pool of her home on Woodland street for 26 years.  By her own estimation she has taught some 1200 neighborhood children how to swim through her program the Yard Sharks.  The last week in June marked the final chapter of the Yard Sharks as Ms. Marci has elected to retire. 

The shark that gave Yard Sharks its name.

Ms. Marci has delighted generations of young sharks and inspired their parents. With abounding patience, an admirable aptitude for remembering the name of each swimmer, and a gift for teaching as enviable as her vegetable garden Ms. Marci is dually energetic and warmhearted.

Incredibly, given that she teaches preschoolers, I’ve never seen an unhappy swimmer in Ms. Marci’s class. Her heated pool, flanked by towering bamboo and generously shaded by a large palm tree is welcoming to children and adults alike. 

In fact, the DeBock’s entire backyard, (which children enter by passing beneath a giant shark sculpture and through the metal gate crafted from a bicycle seat) is a wonderland. There children can delight in observing a chicken, “Blue”, (who by Marci’s account does not lay eggs) dragonfly, frog, and feline yard art, and an elephant fountain that spouts water through its trunk and currently houses hundreds of tadpoles, while they wait for their lessons to begin.  (Ms. Marci teaches 30 minute classes M-TH from 3 pm to 7 pm offering makeup classes on Fridays in the event of a thunderstorm earlier in the week).   This environment fosters relaxation in the children and helps diffuse any fear of the water newcomers may have. 

Ms Marci with students Parker, Carrie, and Luke June 2018. 

Ms. Marci breaks swimming down into a series of analogies including pizza strokes, rocket ship arms making it both accessible and interesting to children as young as 3 years old.  Her playful approach to class almost guarantees it is the children’s favorite half hour of the week. Few if any traditional swim lesson moments can be observed in Marci’s classes. Rather, her allegories are punctuated with games of water baseball, fishing, and, much to the envy of small siblings not yet old enough to participate in swim classes, rides on her oversized inflatable whale.  By the end of the season children who were reticent to put their toes in the water have been transformed and emerge as confident and capable young swimmers who’ve made new friends and joyful  memories in the process.  

Thank you Ms. Marci for 26 years of enthusiastically nurturing our neighborhood’s children.  Thank you for helping them to uncover an innate love of swimming and for instilling them with self-confidence and pride that will serve them far beyond the walls of the pool. Congratulations on your retirement! 

- Andrea Gorney

Fried Chicken Recipe

The fabulous Gus’s Fried Chicken has opened on Washington Avenue. Here is my “take” on their recipe. It takes advantage of a long marinade to tenderize the chicken and a higher of amount of corn starch for extra crispness. I hope you like it.

 24 hour marinade. Begin the day before you plan to fry the chicken
(Increase these quantities, depending on how much chicken you plan to make)
1 lb (one) boneless skinless chicken breast  or thigh meat, cut into three pieces, or, double recipe ingredients for the weight of your chicken, for example, if you are using a 3-5 lb chicken cut into pieces

• 1 cup corn starch
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup water (note: 1 ½ cups is too much. I actually ended up with 1 ¼ cup water and poured off a little water in the morning that had gathered on top of the marinade)

Marinate for 24 hours.

Fry at 325-350 F. Use a neutral vegetable or corn oil. I do not recommend canola oil as it smells like frying fish and adds an unpleasant fish taste to fried foods.

Note, when the exterior crust looks perfect, the interior may still be uncooked. It is the curse of the larger chickens that they sell now in the grocery stores (which is why my original instructions are for a boneless skinless chicken breast). Try your best to buy a 2.5-3 lb chicken.

If it isn't spicy enough, "salt" with Tony Chachere creole seasoning. Next time you make it, increase the amount of cayenne, and/or, add chopped whole serrano chiles or habanero chiles to the marinade.

I still finish the chicken in the oven to assure that it is cooked throughout.

Temptation may be to make a thicker batter. But I think that for the crispiest crust, a thinner batter is the way to go. Just enough so that it clings.

I used to remove my chicken pieces from the marinade batter with tongs. But I found that this scraped away some of the batter. Now, I just spear the pieces with a fork and drop them into the hot oil.

You can test the quality of your batter by pouring some into the hot oil and frying it up crisp. Taste it and adjust seasonings. If it is too spongy tasting instead of crisp tasting, it may have been too thick and will need to be thinned slightly. 

- Jay Francis, VP Membership

The Buzz About The July General Meeting

Late Breaking Update: Eek! Due to a miscommunication tonight's general meeting has moved from Hogg Middle School to A 2nd Cup Coffee on 11th street. Sorry for the late notice!

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The July General Meeting of the Woodland Heights Civic Association will take place Tuesday, July 10th at 7pm in the cafeteria at Hogg Middle School, 1100 Merrill. 

The agenda includes:

• David Welch with the Community & Regional Planning Division of the City of Houston Planning & Development Department presenting about the Special Minimum Lot Size and Building ordinances, including information about how the program works, the application and renewal process, and answering questions. 
• All Things Bees in Texas - by Shelley Rice, a WH resident who is a member of Houston Beekeepers Association.

Of course, the WHCA board members will provide updates on their various areas of activity. It's also your chance to pose questions to the civic association board. We hope to see you there! 

LITH 2018: Save The Dates!

Lighter in the Heights

Neighborhood Garage Sales
Saturday, September 29, 2018
7 am - 1 pm

Light up the Night Holiday Bash

Benefiting Lights in the Heights
1111 Studewood
Saturday, November 3, 2018
7 pm - 11 pm

Friday Night Lights

Neighborhood Gathering
Norhill Esplanade
Friday, December 7, 2018
6 pm - 9 pm

Lights in the Heights

Saturday, December 8, 2018
Byrne and Euclid Streets
6 pm - 9 pm

Presented by the Woodland Heights Civic Association.
Details to follow by email and at http://www.woodland-heights.org.
For more info contact lightsintheheights@gmail.com.
Hope to see you at all four events!

Fourth of July Parade Cancelled!

Morning All,

I have been up watching  the radar and the forecasts for about an hour.  Although the thunderstorms have been pushed back a little, the thunderstorm probability for the Woodland Heights is still very high... 79% by 9 AM, 94% by 10 AM and 98% by 11 AM.  Given these numbers and risking err on the conservative side, I have decided to cancel the Fourth of July Parade.  The last thing I want to do is put the folks in our neighborhood in any kind of danger.

- Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

Fourth of July Parade 2018 Status

Given the impending inclement weather on the morning of the Fourth of July, we thought it important to notify the neighborhood on what will occur if there is inclement weather. Unfortunately, in the event of inclement weather, the parade is canceled. We will make the final go or no-go decision early in the morning of the Fourth and post that decision well before the scheduled start of the parade at 9 AM.

- Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

NTMP Poll Results

This just in today....

Dear NTC Members,

Thank you all for your input and assistance in this project. It has been a long journey, but we are near the end.

Below is a summary of the comments that we received from the public meeting in April.

After reviewing the comments, our director has decided that the City will either accept the test speed cushions as they currently are in the neighborhood or remove them entirely.  To help make this final decision, we will be sending out a survey to the 52 residents who indicated ‘support with modification’. The survey will inform them that we do not intend to make any modification and they will be given the option to either support or oppose the test cushions as installed. Then the project will be closed out. If desirable, residents can submit a new NTMP application in 3 years.

Regards,

Khang Nguyen, P.E., PTOE | Assistant Director
City of Houston | Houston Public Works | Transportation & Drainage Operations
611 Walker Street, 5th Floor | Houston, TX 77002 | 832-395-3008
Khang.Nguyen@houstontx.gov

WHCA Financial Update June 2018

*Memberships and Constable Patrol Dues are being processed for June and are not represented in the revenue.  The Total for the year includes dues paid January through March

Questions about WHCA finances can be directed to treasurer@woodland-heights.org.

Annual 4th of July Celebration

This 4th of July, join us and your neighbors at the Norhill Esplanade from 9am to 12 noon. Kids are encouraged to bring their decorated ride for the holiday parade! The fun will include the parade, snow cones, games and a bouncy house.

A family neighborhood event open to all, this 4th of July event is sponsored by the Woodland Heights Civic Association.

YARD-OF-THE-MONTH: 1102 Euclid

There is a lot to love about the yards horseshoeing our Norhill Esplanade: a jasmine arch, rose garden, two plank swings, flower-lined walkways, a Little Free Library, and little pops of color in yard chairs, yard art, and embedded in paths. 

But the anchor to all that you find here is at 1102 Euclid. Artist Elena Cusi-Wortham moved here in 1992, building her unique home that is also her workshop and an expressive space for her craft, social passions, and gathering place. Her banca jardin is a lively community bench that draws children in to discover a handmade mosaic of nature's influences, which plays out all around the tile pieces.

Throughout her L-shaped yard you will find plantings that are both practical and simply pretty: persimmon, fig, tangerine, and a bay leaf bush are useful. For shade and flowers: magnolia and ash trees, orchid tree, African daisies, Mexican olive, palo verde, and bottlebrush. A raised bed forms an inversion of the arc in the bench, and has been a vegetable patch in the past, now home to milkweed, lantana, chives and more.

Elena's yard is a place of rich discovery for our neighborhood, but she has also shared her talents all over Houston, including four elementary school Spark Park and a Cotswold Project on Prairie St. downtown. She is currently working with the Community House on Avenue F and 72nd where she helps neighborhood children create their own tile mosaics, and discover art in nature.

Have you renewed your membership for the 2018 Constable Patrol Program?

Effective July 9th, 2018 those that have not renewed their membership will be asked to relinquish their sign in order to ensure we are able to provide paying members a sign with a current sticker.

Summertime is upon us and active members of the program can rest assured while away on  vacation that our local Constable is checking on your home. This is just one of many benefits of the Constable Patrol Program.

This is your last chance to renew before your outdated sign is collected! If you’re not yet a member and would like to join, there is still time!

Subscribe today!
https://www.woodland-heights.org/constable/

Questions?
Contact Cody McGregor, WHCA VP-Security
security@woodland-heights.org

Recipe-of-the-Month: Fifteen-Second Carrot Cake

My friend Elyssa’s photo of the recipe after she made it. Used with permission. - Jay.

In the 1980’s, I found a quick and easy (and terrific) food processor recipe for a carrot cake baked in a standard bread loaf pan. I lost the recipe. It was only years later (thanks Ebay) that I tracked down the out-of-print magazine and recovered the recipe. It is my default carrot cake recipe these days and I know you will enjoy it.

For more of my writings on food, check out my blog: www.houstonfoodexplorers.com. Bye the way, if you aren’t currently a member of the WHCA, please feel free to contact me about how and why you should join.

Jay Francis
Woodland Heights’ Own Culinary Historian
and WHCA VP of Membership

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Fifteen-Second Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots, peeled (about 8 ounces)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup pecan halves
• Cream cheese frosting or rum sauce

Grease and flour an 8 ½ × 4 ½ × 2 ½ inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Shred the carrots or zucchini with the fine shredding disc of a food processor and remove (1 ½ tightly packed cups). Process the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla with the metal blade for 2 seconds. Do not over-process.

Evenly sprinkle the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the mixture; process until smooth about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the mixture with the pecans and add the shredded carrots and process until the pecans and carrots are evenly distributed, 4 seconds.

Turn into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

If using the cream cheese frosting, cover top and sides of the cake with it. Garnish with extra pecan halves making crosswise rows fairly close together so that each slice has a row of pecans.

If using the rum sauce, leave the cake unfrosted and pass the sauce with it, and, if you like, a bowl of whipped cream. Makes 1 carrot cake.

Cream cheese frosting

• ½ stick unsalted butter cut into 4 equal pats
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

Process together all the ingredients with the metal blade of a food processor until smooth.

Rum Sauce

• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup dark corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ stick of butter
• ¼ cup light rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan constantly stir over low heat until boiling the sugar, corn syrup, cream and butter, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the rum and vanilla. The sauce may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Serve the sauce hot or cold. Makes about 2 cups.

Introducing WHCA Lemonade Stand Alerts!

While summer is not officially upon us, school is out and the kids are looking for things to do. It's warm enough that we've already encountered a couple of lemonade stands. I confess that I'm drawn to a lemonade stand like a moth-to-a-flame. I'm always happy to part with a few dollars in return for lemony refreshment, and the hope that I've helped some young entrepreneur in-the-making. 

The trouble is that it's not easy to know when a new lemonade stand pops-up. They can be unpredictable. They can turn-up, run a while, then disappear quickly. Many folks don't even know that they were there. I'd like to help in this regard.

If you're planning a lemonade stand, let us know. Send an email to communications@woodland-heights.org with the time and location. We'll quickly post it to the various WHCA channels, including our Facebook page, mailing list and Twitter account.

Hopefully we can drive traffic to all the neighborhood lemonade stands. That way the kids have a great time, and see good return on their effort.

As for the rest of you...be watching those channels for your opportunity to help our bright, young business folks get a good start. Think of it as a kind of citrus-powered Y-Combinator.

- Michael Graves
WHCA VP-Communications

Critical Mass Ride will NOT be meeting at Stude Park as originally announced

On June 8th it was announced that Critical Mass Houston would be relocating the meeting place for their major monthly bike ride to Stude Park. This was announced in a video posted to their Facebook page. We shared the video to the WHCA Facebook page to inform neighbors of this fact.

As you might expect, this announcement caused a great deal of discussion in various forums. There were numerous threads on Nextdoor, with many people sharing their past experience of the ride. The were many voices both for and against this change. Some legitimate concerns were raised by both the organizers and those concerned about the impact of the event on the neighborhood. 

All of that is preface as earlier today Hector Garcia, one of the organizers of CM, left the following comment on the WHCA Facebook page:

"UPDATE: Hello Woodland Heights. Wanted to update you all and let you know that Critical Mass WILL NOT be meeting at Studewood park. 

We had a great meeting this morning with HPD, a couple of key officials and council woman Karla Cisneros, who detailed a lot of logistical issues with using Studewood as a meeting location. We now have a couple of great alternative meeting spots for the once a month ride in the works and you can all breathe a little easier now.  :)

I do want to thank the few residents who stepped up to offer assistance and anyone else who showed patience and understanding. We'll see you the next time we pass through the heights. Again, you're all invited to come join the ride on the Last Friday of the Month. We'll post the new meeting spot as soon as we confirm." 

A big thank you to everyone who came together to help Critical Mass find a new meeting place that would meet their needs, while minimizing the impact on the neighborhood.