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Newsletter of the Houston Heights Association
Volume 39, Number Twelve, December 2013
40th Anniversary 1973–2013
Heights Holiday Home Tour
“In the New Old-Fashioned Way”
Don’t forget! On December 5,
6, and 7, the Heights celebrates the
holiday season “In the New OldFashioned Way.”
Tour Headquarters will be at the
Houston Heights Fire Station, 107
W. 12th Street at Yale. Explore the
Holiday Craft Market, listen to some
live music, and enjoy a tasty bite from
one of the food trucks. Don’t forget
to pick up a $12.00 limited-edition Heights ornament [above]! Shuttle
buses to the tour homes will be available at Tour Headquarters, and
parking will be available close by.
Tickets for Friday, December 6 (6:00–9:00 PM) and Saturday,
December 7 (3:00–9:00 PM) are available at the usual locations: Davis
Hardware, Jubilee, Another Place in Time, and Buchanan’s Native
Plants and at our website. No single-home tickets will be offered, and we
will not be selling tickets at the individual homes this year!
Don’t miss the Rockin’ Holiday Party!
The neighborhood will be rockin’ around Houston Heights on
Thursday, December 5, with a ’50s style party and fundraiser from
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the newly renovated historic Houston
Heights City Hall & Fire Station! We’ll have delicious appetizers
from one of our neighborhood’s most popular restaurants (Liberty
Kitchen), professional swing dancers (the Hepcats), and a “swellegant”
holiday-inspired silent auction.
Holiday Party ticket holders get a private tour of the decorated
homes before the party (5:00–7:00 PM)! Tickets are just $75 each,
with all proceeds benefiting the Houston Heights Association. Tickets
are limited, so don’t miss out! Party tickets are available at our website.
HHA Monthly Mixer
& Meeting
Wine tasting, Food Bank, and fun
Monday, December 9
HHA Fire Station, 12th & Yale
At the December Holiday
Mixer and Meeting, our featured
speaker is local Kroger Sommelier
James DeLeon. James will offer
tastings from the store’s wide
variety of specialty wines and
beers. Cheesemaster Blanche
Kinze is teaming up to offer a
selection of cheeses to sample.
We are partnering with the
Houston Food Bank to give back
during this season of generosity.
Meet Carrie Grzelak, Special
Events Manager at Houston
Food Bank, and learn about this
wonderful organization.
You can participate with
HHA all day Monday, December
9. Drop your gift of canned or
non-perishable food items into
the Food Bank container at
one of these wonderful Heights
businesses: Boulevard Realty at
1545 Heights, C&D Hardware at
...continues on page 2
The Houston Heights Association gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Winter 2013-2014 Sponsors:
Platinum
Gold
Monthly Meeting from page 1
314 East 11th, Lolas at 1102 Yale,
or The Corridor Shops at 238
West 19th. Items will be accepted
on Monday night at the Fire
Station, too.
We will have holiday
entertainment to complete the
festive atmosphere.
So come out to the Fire
Station for this special evening.
Doors open at 6:30 PM for
Mix & Mingle; general meeting
commences at 7:00 PM. Everyone
is invited!
Did You Know?
Silver
Bronze
2
Did you know you can ask
not to receive a paper newsletter?
Email info@houstonheights.org
and let us know you prefer to
read us online only. We can
use the savings on printing and
postage for other HHA projects,
and you’ll have that much less
paper to recycle.
The Heights is published monthly by
the Houston Heights Association, Inc. Its
purpose is to acknowledge achievements and
to inform HHA members of events.
Copyright © 2013, the Houston Heights
Association and/or the authors unless
otherwise noted.
Newsletter inquiries, suggestions, or
submissions should be directed to:
Editor, The Heights, 107 W. 12th Street,
Houston, TX 77008-6907,
email editor@houstonheights.org,
or leave a message on 713-861-4002.
VP of Communications................. Julie Pettit
Editor.............................Mark R. Williamson
Assistant Editor........ Kathleen S. Williamson
December contributors:
Donna Bennett, Jim Bennett, Anne Culotta,
Angela DeWree, Dee Melancon,
Lauriel Hindman, Lanna von Baden.
Director Election
Results
At the November 11 General
Meeting, Acting Election Chair
Bill Davis announced the results
of the election of Directors to
serve terms starting in 2014. Janet
Buchheit, Stacey Courville, Bill
Pellerin, Mark Williamson, and
Robert Woods were elected to
serve full three-year terms. Mike
Yeary was elected to serve a twoyear term.
The entire 2014 Board of
Directors is listed below. The
2014 Board will elect the 2014
officers and set 2014 meeting
dates at its Organizing Meeting
on Monday, December 16.
The Houston Heights
Association thanks the following
departing Directors for their
service: Donna Bennett, Keith
Crane, Mike Easley, and Becky
Standridge.
2014 HHA Directors
Bill Baldwin (2015)
Matt Bedingfield (2014)
Janet Buchheit (2016)
Stacey Courville (2016)
Bill Davis (2015)
Rob Hellyer (2014)
Leann Mueller (2015)
Bill Pellerin (2016)
Andrea Sharp (2014)
Addie Ann Spicer (2015)
Dave Steitz (2014)
Mark Williamson (2016)
Robert Woods (2016)
Mike Yeary (2015)
vacant (2014)
(Number in parentheses is
last year of term.)
More Recycling
Changes — Center
Street Closing
Green recycling carts started
arriving in the latest Heights
service areas (between 11th and
20th from Studewood to Yale
and between 7th and 11th from
Nicholson to Shepherd) in midNovember. Automated recycling
pickup in these areas is expected
to begin in early December on
the same schedule as with the
small green bins.
Center Street facility closing
The Center Street
Neighborhood Recycling DropOff Location is scheduled to
close on December 31, according
to signs posted at the site. Those
signs suggest that citizens without
access to curbside or automated
recycling pickup use the North
Neighborhood Depository
and Recycling Center at 9003
N. Main or the Southwest
Consumer Recycling Center
at 5900 Westpark for general
recycling.
Where do I recycle my
electronics now?
The Westpark facility also
accepts electronic equipment
for recycling, as does the main
location of CompuCycle at 7700
Kempwood Drive in the Spring
Branch area. This is the company
that has been picking up monthly
at Center Street, but their main
location is open daily (Mon–Fri
8:30–4:30, Sat 9:00–3:00).
Visit http://www.houstontx.
gov/solidwaste/electronics_
recycling.html for more
...continues on page 5
Donations
Our thanks to the following
donors for their generous support
of the programs of the Houston
Heights Association.
Ashley & Jeff Day — Parks,
Boulevard
Karl Ittman & Lori White
— Donovan Playground,
Flower Gardens
April & Randy Johnson —
Fire Station Restoration
Rita Johnson & Jennifer
Smart — Boulevard
Weezie & Peter Johnston —
Boulevard
Sheryl Kolasinski — Parks,
Boulevard, Flower
Gardens, Fire Station
Restoration
Matt Menger & Sam Steph —
Boulevard
Tom & Yvonne Miller
— Boulevard, Flower
Gardens
Todd & Bea Moseley —
Boulevard, Flower
Gardens
Adam & Katie Pearson —
Parks
John & Carolyn Redfield —
Boulevard
Sandy & Dave Steitz —
Parks, Boulevard, Flower
Gardens, Fire Station
Restoration
Heather & Patrick Wall —
Boulevard
Dorothy Yannuzzi — Parks
3
2013 Boulevard Update
by Jim Bennett, Boulevard Committee Chair
Your friends, neighbors, and local businesses have been busy
this year keeping the Heights Boulevard esplanade alive and looking
good. The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department mows
the esplanade, empties trash, and takes care of dead and dangerous
trees. HHA maintains the flower beds, mulch beds, sprinkler systems,
jogging trail, and seating areas as well as planting new trees. (The
exception is the 1000 block, which has been “adopted” by the Heights
Rotary.)
This year’s HHA activities beyond standard maintenance included
the following:
• Volunteers spread 518 cubic yards of mulch from I-10 to 20th
Street in a series of 17 work sessions over several months.
• Planted 49 new trees with irrigation to each tree.
• Removed 9 dead trees with volunteer labor.
• Ground out 18 tree stumps with a mix of volunteer labor and
contractors.
In addition, the Heights Garden Club became part of the HHA
Boulevard Committee, which resulted in the beautiful flowers at
both the I-10 entrance sign and at the 20th Street Rose Garden. The
Garden Club has started holding monthly meetings on the second
Saturday of the month that include tours of fabulous gardens in the
area. If you are interested in gardening, see their article on page 6.
Please thank the following local businesses that have donated
services on the Boulevard this year:
• Lucas Craftsmanship renovated and painted the gazebo on the
1000 block which should keep it looking good for years.
• Gilbert’s Tree Service once again volunteered to trim the palms
at the I-10 entrance sign (which they have done for us each
year since the palms were planted!). They also helped us out
with some much needed tree trimming on the 700 block.
• Ravenscourt Landscaping and Design has donated irrigation
repair services multiple times on the Boulevard to help keep
everything green.
• Leyendecker Landscaping donated soil and labor for flower
beds.
• Yale Stone, The Heights Pages, and New Nurseries all donated
materials to make the entrance sign flower bed sparkle, while
New Roots Landscaping donated labor to get the beds ready
for planting.
If you’d like to become involved with the activities on Heights
Boulevard esplanade, drop a note to boulevard@houstonheights.org.
4
Late-Breaking News:
Libby Lee
Our friend Libby Lee (D.
Elizabeth Weatherford Lee)
passed away on Saturday,
November 16. Libby and her
late husband Clayton Lee were
outstanding citizens of Houston
Heights and long-time supporters
of the Houston Heights
Association. Libby chaired the
Centennial Banquet in 1991
and received the Marcella Perry
Award in 1992.
The family requested, in lieu
of sending flowers, a contribution
be made in Libby’s honor to
the Heights Rotary Charitable
Foundation for the World War II
Memorial and Clayton Lee Plaza,
P.O. Box 70228 Houston, Texas
77270.
We plan an extended
remembrance of Libby in a future
issue.
Recycling Changes from page 3
information from the City about
recycling electronics.
For electronics recycling
closer to home, check out the
“GREENspot” program (http://
greenspotdropoff.org), mostly
located at storage facilities. The
closest location appears to be
North Loop Storage at 1440
North Loop, between Airline and
I-45 (Mon–Sat 9:00–6:00, Sun
9:00–1:00).
Constable Statistics
SeptOct
Total Arrests
6
7
Citizen Assists
11
31
Citizen Contacts
17
17
Vacation Watches
223 120
Court Citations
118 118
Alarm Responses
14
13
Suspicious Vehicles
38
19
Park Checks
52
51
Disturbances
1521
Major Accidents
2
3
Criminal Offenses
11
17
Miles Patrolled
6,363 5,433
New Members
Please welcome the following new members to the Houston
Heights Association.
Blair & Jeff Ainsworth
Camille & Thomas Mikhail
Anne Kennedy,
Lisa Miller
Attorney at Law
Tom & Yvonne Miller
Anytime Fitness, Philip Mook
Joshua Moore
Ashley Day, Realtor,
Mosaic Clinic Hair
Keller Williams
Transplant Center,
Tim Beeson
Rashid Rashid
Oscar Bondi
Todd & Bea Moseley
Scott & Linda Brown
Ram Narayan
Sharon & Britt Dearman
Diane Oswald
Design3 Studio, Inc.,
Nicole & Sam Pannunzio
Vicki Warner
Nataly Perez, DC
Bobbie Echard
Christine & Clayton Powell
Ana Espino & Peter Xia
Michelle & Christopher Ryan
Patrick Gimlett
Adrienne & Brent Schwartz
Good Dog Houston, Daniel
Tony Stephens
Caballero & Amalia Pferd
The Little Gym,
Amanda Hembree &
Dawn Koenig
Justin Morton
Luke & Elena Walker
Ron Johnston
Julie Watson
Weezie & Peter Johnston
Jessica & Matthew Williams
Chip Maxey
Jessica & Shane Wilson
Jeannie & Clayton McCain
James Yarbrough
Ashley & Dustin McMillian
Call For Community Improvement Award Nominations
by Anne Culotta, CIA Judging Chair
Take a Bow, Heightsites! You have probably heard that Houston recently took the No. 1 spot on
Forbes’ list of America’s Coolest Cities To Live. Did you also know that Houston Heights was named
one of the best big-city neighborhoods in the country in CNN Money’s Best Places to Live rankings?!
Yessireebob, our very own “Home Sweet Home” is in the spotlight now! And we didn’t get here without a
lot of hard work and good ideas.
Once again, it is time to look around the neighborhood and see who has been improving it. The
nomination form for the 2013 Community Improvement Awards with the rule sheet on the reverse
is included in the print edition of this issue and on the new HHA website. (Click here.) Nominees
and winners will be announced at the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Dinner on Sunday,
February 23.
The 2013 Community Improvement Awards is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the positive
changes and additions to our neighborhood that make us so danged cool. Next time you pass that
renovation, restoration, or new construction that you just love, whether residential or commercial,
consider giving credit where credit is due. Nominate the project for a CIA!
Submissions must be received by January 10, 2014.
5
Heights Garden Club
by Dee Melancon, member of the Heights Garden Club Subcommittee of the HHA Boulevard Committee
The Heights Garden Club has been busy. If you would like to tour beautiful gardens, help us with
projects, and learn more about gardening, please join us. Like us on Facebook and visit our website, www.
heightsgardenclub.com.
We have a garden tour or meeting the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM. Please join us in
future projects. The following is our line-up for our upcoming tours and meetings:
Dec. 14, 2013: Victoria Harrison’s garden at 729 Rutland
Once the site of Sam Blackman’s family
home and blacksmith shop in the 1900s.
Victoria Harrison and Jay Wehnert, along with
Portia Leyendecker, have helped rebuild the soil
and design the garden for increased sustainable
production. You will find prolific rosemary,
mint, thyme, and oregano throughout the yard.
The carpet of arugula grows year-round in the
shade of the pecan. Victoria harvests the seeds
to replant and give to family and friends. The
vegetable garden is home to citrus trees, greens,
beets, lettuces, and many more favorites for the
table.
Jan. 11, 2014: 741 E. 11th St. just off Studewood (indoor meeting)
The company occupying this beautiful building is Berkshire
Hathaway. It’s an interesting building - a former grocery store, built
in the 1930s that was renovated about 10 years ago. Joe Keefe with
Bartlett Tree Experts will be our guest speaker. The winter is the
perfect time for trimming and planting, so please join us for this very
informative talk. We will also have sign-up sheets for you to receive
emails for upcoming garden tours and work parties. We will have
door prizes and refreshments. Come introduce yourself and learn
more about the garden club.
Feb. 8, 2014: Rose Garden Tour
The Rose Garden located at 20th St. and Heights Blvd. will be our meeting place for our February
meeting. February is the perfect time for trimming your roses, so this February meeting will be a great time
to learn from a local rosarian on how to trim and care for your roses.
At The Properties
6
Events at the Houston Heights City Hall and Fire Station, Donovan Park, and Marmion Park
Heights Tai Chi Association meets Saturdays at 9:00 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM in Marmion
Park, Heights at 18th.
Photos with Santa presented by John Daugherty, Realtors and the Houston Heights Association on
Saturday, December 7, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Donovan Park. Families are invited to visit with
Santa and have their photo taken for free. What a fun and friendly way to celebrate the holidays!
Calendar (continued from back cover)
Sunday
January 5, 2014
Deadline for
next newsletter
12
19
26
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
13
HHA General
(tentative)
7:00 PM
Fire Station
14
15 Heavy Trash
(tree waste in
odd months)
16 - garbage
and recycling
17
22
23 - garbage
24
27
HHA Education
6:30 PM
Fire Station
21
Greater Heights
SNC (SN15)
6:30 PM
Fire Station
18 No more
electronics recycling at Center
Street; facility
closed.
28
29
30 - garbage
and recycling
31
6
HHA Land Use
6:30 PM
Fire Station
20 MLK Day
HHA Board
(tentative)
6:30 PM
Fire Station
7
8
PIP Meeting
7:00 PM
1602 State Street
Community Calendar
9 - garbage
Events planned by other community organizations
Every Saturday, 8:00 AM, Heights Running Club meets on the
Heights Boulevard jogging trail at 7th Street. Contact Meghan.olds@
gmail.com to be added to the weekly distribution list.
First and third Thursdays, 7:30 PM, English Country Dancing in
the Heights, dances taught and called. For more information, email
jnjbloom@gmail.com or visit www.hatds.org/ecd.html.
December 6–15, UpStage Theatre and Santa Claus present a Fairy
Tale Twist to a Classic “Carol” by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus. For
more information, visit www.upstagetheatre.org or call 713-838-7191.
December 7, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Women Artists of the
Heights Winter Holiday Art Show featuring twelve local artists at 1711
Rutland. For more information, visit womenartistsoftheheights.com.
December 7, 1:00–4:00 PM, Helms Elementary PTA presents
their Winter Festival “Winter Wonderland in Texas” at the school,
503 W 21st. Food, games, and activities. For more information, email
helmsfestival@gmail.com.
December 14, 5:00–8:00 PM, Heights Christian Church presents
Dickens on the Boulevard. Christmas music, refreshments, costumed
actors from Upstage Theatre. For more information, email pastor@
hcchouston.org.
December 17, 7:00–8:30 PM, Houston Storytellers Guild meets at
St. Andrew’s House, 1811 Heights Boulevard, for a holiday gathering
with a short talk by storyteller Jay Stailey about family stories and
how to collect them from your family. For more information, www.
houstonstorytellers.org or 713-643-8478.
10
Deadline for
Community
Improvement
nominations
11
Heights Garden
Club
10:00 AM
741 E. 11th
25
February 1
Future History
February 23, Awards Dinner
April 4–6, Spring Home Tour
[tentative dates]
June 7, Heights Fun Run
[tentative date]
October 6, Bicycle Rally &
Scavenger Hunt [tentative
date]
December 5–6, Holiday Home
Tour [tentative dates]
December 9–10, Holiday Food
Baskets [tentative dates]
Heavy Trash Notes
December is a “Junk Waste”
month; January is a “Tree Waste
Only” month. Remember that
the heavy trash pickup date is
now the third Wednesday for
most of the Houston Heights
area. For dates in your immediate
area, visit the City Solid Waste
site www.houstontx.gov/
solidwaste/treewaste.html.
7
Spread Some Cheer: Help With Holiday Food Baskets
The Heights Rotary Club and the Houston Heights Association annually underwrite, prepare, and
distribute food baskets to local families in need. These families are chosen by area charities. You can help
assemble and distribute the goodies on December 10 and 11. One hundred baskets (actually sets of six
bags) will be assembled on the first floor of the Fire Station on the evening of Tuesday, December 10,
starting at 5:00 PM. Volunteers will be sorting bulk groceries among the baskets for about two hours; come
by whenever you can. This is a great opportunity for the entire family to give back to the community.
Delivery starts after lunch (approximately 11:45 AM) on Wednesday, December 11. Come by the Fire
Station to pick up a set of bags and the name and address of a family to receive them; if you have a large
car or van, pick up several! Delivery should be completed that afternoon. If you are interested in lunch,
BBQ plates are available for $10 (cash only) beginning at 11:00 AM. Typically, delivering three baskets
takes 60–90 minutes.
This is a great way for the whole family to volunteer some time to a very worthy cause. Previous
participants can assure you, the smile and sometimes joyous tears on the recipients’ faces makes the true
meaning of this holiday season truly memorable.
Please help us make the holidays brighter for local families in need. If you are interested in
volunteering a couple of hours of time or would like to learn more about this project, contact Scott Lester,
President of Allegiance Bank Texas — Heights, at 281-894-3270 or email him at scott.lester@allegiancebktx.
com.
Happy Holidays!
Calendar of Events for December 2013
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
8
9
HHA General
“Wine Tasting”
7:00 PM
Fire Station
10
Holiday Basket
Assembly
5:00 PM
Fire Station
11
Holiday Basket
Delivery
11:45 AM
Fire Station
12 - garbage
13
18 - heavy trash
(junk waste in
even months)
19 - garbage
and recycling
20
14
Heights Garden
Club
10:00 AM
729 Rutland
23
24
25
26 - garbage
27
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Kwanzaa begins
31
January 1, 2014
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day
2 - garbage and
recycling
1
Deadline for
next newsletter
15
22
29
2
HHA Land Use
6:30 PM
Fire Station
16
2014 Board
Organizational
Meeting, 6:30
PM, Fire Station
30
3
4
PIP meeting
7:00 PM
1602 State Street
17
Greater Heights
SNC (SN15)
6:30 PM
Fire Station
HHA headquarters: The Fire Station is on the corner of Yale and 12th Streets.
5 - garbage and
recycling
Rockin’ Holiday
Party
5:00–10:00 PM
6
Holiday Home
Tour
6:00–9:00 PM
See page 1.
3
7
Holiday Home
Tour
3:00–9:00 PM
See page 1.
21
electronics recycling, 9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Center
at Harvard
28
4
continued within
HHA web site: <http://www.houstonheights.org>