trymahjong

more info in Chronicle this morning. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/City-closing-streets-to-encourage-exercise-5291684.php

Alabama street (from Shepherd to Spur) has been added to the repair "worst first" Richmond gets no repairs till Metro decides if the rail goes through. Westheimer? Yes that was how it was put Westheimer? repairs? That big report the Montrose Management district commissioned on the state of disrepair of Montrose streets was "received" the Peewees but filed away because the content had to be verified or some such remark-- District C hosted a Capitol Improvement Program (CIP) last evening at the multiservice center. Very dry meeting where all the COH (Finance-Public Works-General Services-Public Parks)speakers joined Ellen Cohen in the same ole same ole "prioritize lowing debt and which pot hole is crowned WORST in order to be fixed first. Questions were fielded and answered using and REUSING terms Lowering debt and worse gets fixed first--always finishing each little statement see me after this meeting or call 311-- The magic Van was never mentioned. At the end of the meeting lots of impassioned pleas for repairs-- some about the state of sidewalks but most concerning streets in Montrose from Shepherd to the Spur---

www.gohealthyhouston.org/sundaystreetshtxabout There were community meetings about this last week and Ellen Cohen talked about it in her newsletter. For Montrose looks like you can use your bike on Westheimer from Yoakum to Hazard.

I think the story of Montrose is one of those notions that already has a "story" and just needs visuals. Otherwise why wouldn't it be OSMTX-HOUSTON? Montrose is the sort of place that lots of people have heard of in some fashion or another and form concept of it in their mind. The opportunity of OSMTX was to give (even in a short amount of video) it a spin of reality-- pictures, places and moments that tell what Montrose is today. Then when people visit Montrose, the visuals from the TV series and the reality of walking around Montrose are connected.

geeeeeeeeeeeee this may be the consensus I was looking for-- overlapping I admit, I don't always understand why some buildings are cherished others reviled. But I understand, why I cherish this building-- I walk by it almost daily, it "sets" well within the neighborhood. It was kept up and looked nice during all seasons. I won't be able to see many buildings like this. I show it off to visitors. It's part of a Historical walking tour. Many people living in this neighborhood value this building-- I guess I can let go of it in this location-- if the building could be saved-- build the townhomes on the valuable property sure-- but can't the building be saved somehow.

I'm not sure if anyone else posted about this-- it was about "Montrose" but after I watched it I felt slightly unsettled in that I didn't think it told much about living in "Montrose" Www.osmtx.com/southwest

It's great that there are repairs getting done on parts of Westheimer. I urge everyone to show up at March 5 CIP meeting so perhaps--just perhaps repairs can be done to lower Westheimer.

I finally asked a realtor friend about this house---he said there is no kitchen. He went on to say it's hard to get a loan from a bank on house with no kitchen. He thought $200,000.00 would be needed to remodel house. COH had labeled another back building as hazardous someone sent out demo crew to tear down that small shed and replace side fence. COH put a pink tag on gate that requires owner and or legal rep to appear Feb 19 in Houston.-- Owner contacted Avondale Civic and claimed the house had been in their family since 1905 plus asked for information on realtors.---- The Civic association was under the impression Avondale wasn't developed until 1907-- hmmmm

Here's an opportunity to voice your opinion-- Capital Improvement Plan Community meeting at Multiservice Center on West Gray--March 5 http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/west_university/news/houston-cip-meetings-begin-next-week-cohen-s-district-c/article_5ffb20e2-673b-54da-8e12-d9bc53dce69e.html

Friends of Mandell Park have scheduled a Feb 20 groundbreaking--11am 1501 Richmond at Mandell.

I don't know how well this location is doing---but in my experience of visiting the store . . . the parking lot usually has a lot of cars and there is always a line to check out. The downstairs where the tools are always seems to have people in the aisle.

Sears renovating by taking off cladding from great art deco architecture---GREAT IDEA! The Renovation (Great paint job) of old Cleburne Cafeteria--Great idea More Great ideas are needed for this section of Midtown. I'm hoping that Half-price Books will move into this area "If and When" the location on Westheimer and Montrose gets booted.

I saw the Chronicle article yesterday. I was in that store last week. I will miss it. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2014/02/houston-hardware-store-to-shutter-after-66-years.html

From Ellen Cohens enewsletter The District C office frequently receives community requests for the ability to track how well City departments respond to requests for service in their neighborhoods. This week, the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee received a presentation on a new online transparency tool that enables citizens to do just that. The 311 Performance Dashboard provides a broad range of data on the functionality of every city department and provides easy-to-read charts to make the information accessible. A resident can, for instance, look up how many reports were made for missed trash pickup in their neighborhood over the past six months. The person can then compare that rate to other neighborhoods throughout the City, and determine how fast the Solid Waste Department responds to these requests. 311 Performance Dashboard, created by Frank Bracco of the Performance Improvement Division, won top prize for best application at the most recent Tech Street/Open Houston Hackathon.

Noticed a lot of construction and building of upper and lower decks-- any updates?

I know Ryan Hildebrand is putting a new restaurant/bakery on the property that was Ruggles-- I wonder if the demolition of these small storefronts might be used for access (There is only access to new restaurant on Westheimer at present-- not sure if the alley access is an option) or perhaps additional parking for the new restaurant?

Houston National College Fair Thursday, February 13, 2014 The Houston National College Fair is a free, annual fair for all students. High school students, parents, adult students, graduate students and veterans, will receive tools to help their transition to college. Attendees meet with national college admission representatives, receive resources to support the college preparation and search process, as well as help applying, and paying for college. Approximately 300 counselors and representatives from colleges and universities' meet with students and their families to discuss admission and financial aid opportunities. Informational workshops will also be held. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, February 12th, 2014. No on-site registration will be allowed. Register for the fair at: http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/SpringNCF/Pages/Houston.aspx The Mayor's Office of Education Initiatives is partnering with the Houston A+ Challenge, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, colleges, universities and school districts to bring college admission resources and support to Houston area families. Location: Reliant Center Exhibit Hall A1 One Reliant Park Houston, TX 77054 College Fair Schedule: Thursday, February 13, 2014 Morning Session: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. FAFSA Session: 5 p.m - 7 p.m Evening Session: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Directions and Parking: Find directions and a map of Reliant Center online. To find parking enter Gate 10, there is a $12 charge to park at Reliant Center. Also follow us on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/HouCollegeFair www.Facebook.com/HoustonNationalCollegeFair Need more information? E-mail: corey.humphrey@houstontx.gov or call: 832.393.0900

3205 was the smaller building --it was torn down today, also the building next door to that was demolished.

from Ellen Cohen newsletter Food Deserts Targeted by Council A distance prohibition on the sale of alcohol has acted as a partial barrier for large grocery stores to enter many Houston neighborhoods, resulting in 'food deserts,' across the city. To make affordable and healthy food easier to obtain, Council amended the ordinance that creates ‘alcohol-free zones’ surrounding churches and schools so that large grocery stores – stores that typically include beer and wine sections, which experts assert are necessary for these businesses to remain profitable – may locate in these zones. To ensure that affected neighborhoods remain protected from unwanted bars and liquor stores, only grocery stores that are over 10,000 square feet, for whom alcohol represents less than 25% of sales receipts, are applicable. In addition, stores that sell liquor or provide for on-premises consumption are expressly barred from participating. University of Houston researchers found that up to 26% of Harris County residents are afflicted by food deserts and that residents in low income areas with limited access to transportation are disproportionately affected.

a neighborhood friend sent me an email-- This is a bar that seems to have been in the neighborhood forever located on Hyde Park and Stanford http://about-online.com/2014/01/09/clubhydeparkhouston/ The article says another local bar owner bought it---

Volunteer for the 2014 Homeless Count Deadline to Register: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 How many people are homeless in Houston and who makes up this vulnerable population? How many are children? families? veterans? To help answer these questions, the City of Houston needs your help in supporting the annual Homeless Count conducted by the Coalition for the Homeless. Please participate in this important effort by volunteering for the Count! The 2014 Homeless Count will take place on Thursday, January 23, 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. and if needed, Thursday, January 30, 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m., as a contingency count date. To register, simply fill out the registration form. Deadline to register is Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Once registered to volunteer, you will be assigned to one of the ten staging areas in Houston to count. On Thursday, January 16, 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., required training will be available at all ten locations. Assignments are based on your preference and the volunteer need. To view the training staging areas, visit http://www.homelesshouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014-PIT-Staging-Area-List.pdf. The annual Homeless Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the local Continuum of Care funding process which brought more than $23,000,000 to our community in the 2013 fiscal year. The Homeless Count also helps measure the progress on ending homelessness in Houston and has documented a 28% decrease from January 2011 to January 2013. For information on how to participate in the Homeless Count, contact Gary Grier, Director of Community Engagement, Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County at ggrier@homelesshouston.org or call 832.531.6006. To learn more about the Mayor's Homeless Inititiatives, contact Anna Pena in the Mayor's Citizens' Assistance Office at anna.pena@houstontx.gov or call 832.393.0955.

I guess this subject has been talked about earlier than I thought-- http://offthekuff.com/wp/?p=56908 from Nov. 7 -- not the most optimistic view The one cautionary note I would strike is on term limits. You know how I feel about term limits, so I’m not going to go into that. My concern is that this necessarily means a change to the city charter, and that implies the possibility of a larger can of worms being opened. Which, maybe Mayor Parker would welcome, I don’t know. I personally have a hard time shaking the feeling that the goal of this exercise is to curtail the power of the Mayor one way or another – I have a hard time seeing us move to a City Manager form of government, but things like giving Council members the power to propose agenda items are in play. Which, again, may be something the Mayor wants to discuss, and even if it isn’t may be a good thing for the rest of us to talk about. I’ve said I’m open to the conversation, and I am. Doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the possible ways it could go.

In the Ultimate Heights section of todays Chronicle http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bellaire/news/article/Planned-arts-center-seen-as-boon-to-Midtown-5101910.php

Reconsidering term limits might be a good start, but why not also consider creating a City Manager position. It seems surprising that a city the size of Houston doesn't already have one.