AuGuST 2011

W
e came, we saw, we
conquered a tres
leches cake – and had a
good time doing it.
About 50 block captains,
citizen patrollers, committee members,
board members and their guests gathered in the upper room at Rudyard’s Pub
July 18 to enjoy food, drink and the companionship of their neighbors. The event
featured a tropical paradise theme with
plastic palm trees on the tables, tiki lights
above the bar, and Hawaiian shirts on several of the attendees.
But that doesn’t capture the international flavor of the event. As Membership
Committee Chair Stephen hill posted on
Facebook at the time: “At the Hyde Park
Volunteer Appreciation Luau at Rudyard’s
British Pub eating tres leches cake while
listening to Celtic music! Are you confused? It’s a multicultural celebration!!”
My thanks to Stephen, who wears two
hats as head of the Membership and Social Committees. He suggested the theme,
bought the decorations and planned the
social aspect of the event. His “Get to Know
Your Neighbors Bingo” proved to be so popular that we quickly ran out of prizes. Next
time, we’re buying more pineapples and
coconuts.
to enjoy beer, wine and soft drinks. Mike is
a loyal HPU supporter and newsletter advertiser. He also funds our civic association
e-mail system. As a special “thank you,” I
promise not to post my video of Mike winning the hula contest on YouTube.
Constant Billy, otherwise known as Bill Galbraith and emily Standish, provided
lovely musical accompaniment throughout the evening. Their Celtic-tinged music
during the hula contest was one of the
highlights of the evening.
Kroger on Montrose donated the tasty
and moist tres leches cake for dessert . . . with
fruit on top to match our tropical theme. The
renovation of “Disco” Kroger is nearly complete, so a new nickname is in order. What
to call a sleek, state-of-the-art grocery store
with a second-story café?
My biggest thanks go to the volunteers
who deliver our newsletters, patrol our
streets, watch out for their neighbors, help
find a lost cat or dog, and so much more. I
wish I could list all of you here. You are the
reason we held a Volunteer Appreciation
Reception. Thank you . . . most of all, you
make doing this job worthwhile.
Our next general meeting will be held
Aug. 8th, the SECOND Monday of the
month. We will have an “Open Forum on
Problems and Concerns in our NeighborBeth Cunningham, who also wears two hood,” so we won’t have a guest speaker.
hats as Secretary and Newsletter Editor, It’s an opportunity to share our concerns
helped decorate the room and looked quite and solutions to the issues facing Hyde
fetching in her grass skirt at the sign-in Park. I encourage you to come and bring
table. Vice President Macy Bodenhamer a dessert. Eating cookies, cupcakes or
provided Hyde Park’s “Featured Resident” brownies makes the discussion of traffic,
forms so attendees could nominate a crime, graffiti, etc. more pleasant.
neighbor for that honor. You can nominate
Our September meeting also falls on the
someone anytime by emailing president@ second Monday to avoid Labor Day. Check
hydeparkunited.org.
out the list of meeting dates in the column
Rudyard’s Pub deserves special thanks
for providing the space at no cost to the
civic association. Thank you, leila, for your
generosity. And thank you, Joe, for the
great food.
to the right and mark your calendars for
the rest of the year.
Hyde Park Resident and Realtor Mike George Sroka, President
Spear paid the bar tab, allowing everyone Hyde Park United Civic Association
2011 MEETINGS...
Aug. 8 . . . . . . . . . Second Monday
Open Forum on Neighborhood
Problems and Concerns. Bring
a tasty treat to share with your
neighbors during our discussion.
Sept. 12 . . . . . . . . . Second Mon.
Oct. 4 . . . . . . . . . . First Tuesday –
National Night Out
Nov. 7 . . . . . . . . . . . .First Monday
Dec. 5 . . . . Christmas Party – TBA
Grace Lutheran Church
At the corner of Waugh Drive and Missouri St.
BOARD CONTACTS
PReSiDeNT
George Sroka
president@hydeparkunited.org
ViCe PReSiDeNT
Macy Bodenhamer
vicepresident@hydeparkunited.org
SeCReTARy
Beth Cunningham
secretary@hydeparkunited.org
TReASuReR
Carol Brownstein
treasurer@hydeparkunited.org
OTheR CONTACTS
DeeD ReSTRiCTiONS
Stephen Marchione
deedrestrictionschair@hydeparkunited.org
MeMBeRShiP
Stephen Hill
membership@hydeparkunited.org
NewSleTTeR eDiTOR
Beth Cunningham
newsletter@hydeparkunited.org
hPu Civic Association PO Box 66422 houston, TX 77266
NeiGhBORhOOD BlOCK CAPTAiNS
Bomar Dan Schnorr 832-455-7135
California / westheimer Kathleen Schipper 713-522-2538
Commonwealth Liz Hudson 713-527-9852
Fairview / Van Buren POSITION AVAILABLE
hyde Park / hyde Park Apts. Linda Carter 713-524-2952
& Alex Aranda 713-533-9474
hyde Park Crescent Stephen Hill 281-658-6129
hyde Park Townhomes Daniel Posada 713-454-7834
indiana / yupon Alice McCarthy 713-521-5807
Jackson Doug Prince 713-471-6816
Maryland Chris Lemus 713-528-1673
Michigan Tom Whitworth 713-523-8035
Missouri Jeanne Wallace 713-528-0834
Montrose
Bill Pesota 713-527-8026
Peden
Mike Lutomski 713-443-4380
Vermont
Sharon Lord 713-522-9427
waugh
Sue Chin 713-522-3231
welch
Scott and Lina Rigrod 713-528-2791
west Drew Mike McKann 713-526-6777
west Gray / hazel Sherry Waddell 713-524-7655
willard
Camille Bogel 713-526-7625
yoakum
Macy Bodenhamer 713-521-4655
Block captains: Notify vicepresident@hydeparkunited.org of any changes in contact information.
Deadline for the Sept. hPu newsletter is Aug. 21. Submit all materials and advertising inquiries to: newsletter@hydeparkunited.org
2
Minutes of July 2011 meeting
Submitted by Beth Cunningham, Secretary
iNTRODuCTiON AND OFFiCeR RePORTS
The July 2011 meeting of the Hyde Park
United (HPU) Civic Association was held at
Grace Lutheran Church on Monday, July
11. HPU President George Sroka called the
meeting to order and all present introduced
themselves. There were 21 in attendance,
including five guests. Board members and
officers present were George Sroka, President; Beth Cunningham, Secretary; and
Stephen hill, Membership and Social Chair.
is working with the police department to
implement a citizen patrol, called Aaron’s
Angels, as well as Safe Shelter agreements
with local businesses to provide assistance
to anyone seeking refuge from violence.
Informational materials were distributed
about the garden’s dedication ceremony,
as well as the foundation’s mission.
Treasurer Carol Brownstein was unable
to attend or submit a financial report.
There was no report on Lamar Park either.
Representatives from the Cherryhurst
Civic Association outlined the campaign to
keep the Cherryhurst Community Center
open beyond August 12, when emergency
corporate funding will run out. See page 3
for more details.
Deed Restrictions Committee Chair Stephen Marchione reported via e-mail that
there are no pending deed restriction issues other than the Willard Street setback
approval. George reported that the setback was approved by the City of Houston
Planning Commission on Thursday, July 7.
OlD BuSiNeSS
The Volunteer Appreciation reception
will be held Monday, July 18, 7–9 pm at
Rudyard’s Upstairs. Entertainment will be
provided by Celtic music band Constant
Billy, made up of Hyde Park residents Bill Galbraith and emily Standish.
Membership Chair Stephen Hill reported
that he is continuing to send out notices
for renewals, and, in his position as Social
Chair, reported that the volunteer reception will have some surprises.
Trevor is still awaiting some content before he can finalize the website.
HPU Citizens Patrol coordinator Cynthia Greenwood reported in absentia that she
has received the signs but they are larger
than expected and a decision has not yet
been made about how to display them,
whether to purchase poles or hang on existing poles. Plans will be finalized later this
summer.
GueST SPeAKeRS
Three guests from the Aaron Scheerhoorn Foundation for Change attended.
Foundation President Doug Anderson
gave a presentation about its establishment in response to the December 10
murder of Scheerhoorn. In addition to the
Remembrance Garden at the corner of California and Grants Streets, the foundation
New BuSiNeSS
A block captain is still needed to handle
newsletter delivery for Indiana/Yupon.
ANNOuNCeMeNTS
The August meeting will probably be
held August 8 since the first Monday in August is only a couple weeks after the Volunteer Reception. The September meeting
will also be moved to the second Monday,
9/12, since the first Monday is the Labor
Day holiday.
National Night Out will be first Tuesday
in October in Lamar Park. Volunteers are
needed and should contact Stephen hill or
George Sroka.
A motion to adjourn the July meeting
was made, followed by a second. The motion carried and the meeting adjourned. n
Residents organize to save community center
local Parks & Rec facility slated to close August 12 without additional funding
A
t our July meeting, Carol Rensink,
the president of the Cherryhurst
Civic Association, described efforts to
keep Cherryhurst Community Center
open after emergency funds run out in
mid-August. The community center and
like-named park are located just west of
our community at Missouri and Ridgewood. The park and facilities are available
to all community residents.
On May 19, the City of Houston announced the closure of several community
centers and pools as part of budget cuts.
The city claimed that the Cherryhurst facility was underused, small in size, and that
the building was deteriorating. The center
would be closed already were it not for
emergency funds donated by ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil, allowing this and
other community centers to remain open
through Aug. 12.
Rensink and Cherryhurst Civic Association member lillian Brigman outlined
plans to form a non-profit “Friends of
Cherryhurst Park” to generate funding and
proposals to keep the center open and fully-utilized. Rensink also disputed the city’s
assertion that the center is deteriorating.
She said she would provide other information on the campaign to keep the center
open as it became available.
Cherryhurst Community Center is
housed in a WPA project built in the 1930s.
It was nearly torn down around 1980, but
was restored instead. In the 1990s, the
community raised about $25,000 and received matching funds for lighting, benches, and sprinklers, as well as fresh paint for
the building.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department staffs and maintains the park, handles insurance, and administers a variety
of programs, including a federally-funded
free lunch program for local school children, as well as a summer enrichment program and free tennis lessons for children.
The facility can be rented for social events
and classes. They are seeking new ideas
for future programs such as Jazzercize,
yoga, etc.
Specific administrative costs for each
community center are not known because separate records have not been
kept for each of the centers. The city estimates about $135,000/year, but this
is an average which includes parks with
pools, gyms, and other amenities that
Cherryhurst Park does not have. There is
also no record of the numbers of people
using the various programs. Community
organizers want to add new programs as
well as publicize existing ones to increase
usage.
Hyde Park residents wanting to learn
more about the community center can call
the center at 713-284-1992 during regular business hours. To get involved in the
community effort to keep the center open,
email Rensink at crensink.art@att.net. n
3
HPU Volunteer appreciation Reception
Rudyard’s Pub, July 18, 2011
hyde Park united Civic Association held its annual appreciation reception for its many volunteers: block captains, citizen patrollers, board members, committee chairs, and others who work tirelessly to make hyde Park the great community it is. This year’s reception took place at our own neighborhood watering hole, Rudyard’s Pub on waugh Drive. The volunteers were entertained by core members of the Celtic group Constant Billy—emily Standish and Bill Galbraith. The party’s motley theme was a unique mix of Celtic music, hawaiian decor, South Carolina pulled pork sandwiches, black bean hummus, and tresleches cake in an english-style pub—talk about diversity! On an hour’s notice, Constant Billy arranged its first “celtic hula” number to accompany the hula contest which was won by audience favorite Mike Spear—who had all the right moves! A million thanks to emily and Bill for their generous donation of superb entertainment, Constant Billy: Emily Standish and Bill Galbraith.
Mike Spear for the beer and wine, Rudyard’s Pub for the amazing food and service, Sara Fernandez for these awesome photos, and Stephen hill for his décor and being the “host with the most.”
Hyde Park United Board and Officers: George Sroka, Macy Bodenhamer, Stephen Hill, Beth
Cunningham, Carol Brownstein, Alyson Wilkinson, Stephen Marchione, Cynthia Greenwood.
4
Winner of hula contest: Mike Spear.
Stephen Hill
Carol Brownstein, Alice McCarthy
Mike Lutomski
Beth Cunningham,
Stephen Hill
George Sroka & Stephen Hill
Dan Schnorr
David Fawcett
Mary Ellen Whitworth
Mike & Tanya
Linda Carter, Margie Alexy
Sue and Bill Ellis
Linda Carter
Mike Spear, Ken Cary
Save the dates!!
August and September meetings will be held on the Second Mondays, Aug. 8 and Sept.12.
The August HPU general meeting will be an oPen forUM on ProbleMS And concernS.
Advertise your business here.
Reach more than 1,000 readers each month.
Business card ads, 2-in. × 3.5-in. $20/mo. or $150/yr.
Quarter-page ad, 3.5-in. × 4.75-in., $30/mo. or $300/yr.
Contact: newsletter@hydeparkunited.org.
5
hula contest participants at Volunteer Appreciation Reception
Hula contestants will remain anonymous
to protect their various careers, families
and reputations.
Tres leches cake donated by Kroger on
Montrose.
GENERAL CRAFTSMAN
large and Small Scale
renovation and repair
Call: Richard Paulssen
(713) 520 6311
6
Alice McCarthy
Alyson Wilkinson, Carlos Fernandez
George Sroka, David
Reggie Chin, Monica Marchione
Beth Cunningham
Monica & Stephen Marchione
Carlos & Sara Fernandez
Camille Bogel
Liz Hudson, Carol Brownstein
Macy Bodenhamer
Cliff Jones
Sue Chin
Nanette Griffin & Mike McKann
7
8
Positive Interaction Program (PIP)
Reported by Kathy Schipper
T
here was no PIP meeting in July.
Please report concerns or questions
online to the 802 Westheimer Storefront
using this email address: centralpatrol1district@cityofhouston.net. The Storefront
will also use this address to send out email messages and alerts regarding recent
criminal activity.
HPD again asked that people who want
to report suspected criminal activity to contact the HPD Dispatch Line (713/884-3131).
As a reminder, please report or fax to the
Storefront, non-emergency complaints or
problems utilizing the Central District One
PIP “Citizen Complaint Form”, a copy of
which is available on our website. Fax the
form to HPD Storefront: (713) 284-8616
The purpose of PIP (Positive Interaction
Program) is to facilitate an exchange of
information between the Houston Police
Department (HPD) and neighborhood residents, using monthly community meetings
as a forum. Hyde Park United falls within
the boundary of the Central Patrol/District One PIP Group and meets the fourth
Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m.
Everyone is invited (and encouraged) to attend the meetings, which are held at the
Police Officers Union Bldg, 1602 State St.
The next PIP meeting is August 24, 2011. n
Neighborhood Crime Report – May 2011
Activity
Street/Block
Premises
Date/Time
Apartment
05/02 08pm
1400-1499 Westheimer
Road/Street/Sidewalk
05/18 12am
1200-1299 W Gray
Multiplex Home
05/01 11pm
1500-1599 Missouri
Apartment
05/02 08pm
1200-1299 Hyde Park
Other/Unknown
05/06 07am
2500-2599 Montrose
Apartment Parking Lot
06/16 04pm
1400-1499 Welch
Multiplex Home
05/02 08pm
1500-1599 Westheimer
Residence/House
05/27 09am
1300-1399 Fairview
Auto Repair
05/03 06pm
1000-1099 Fairview
Restaurant Parking Lot
05/27 10pm
1400-1499 Westheimer
Commercial Building
05/01 01pm
1200-1299 Westheimer
Restaurant
05/05 09pm
2000-2099 Waugh
Convenience Store Lot
05/06 09am
1300-1399 Willard
Other/Unknown
05/12 08am
1300-1399 Fairview
Auto Repair
05/12 09pm
1800-1899 C’wealth
Driveway
05/18 10pm
2700-2799 Yoakum
Road/Street/Sidewalk
05/30 11pm
1400-1499 Westheimer
Bar/Nightclub
05/20 11pm
1700-1799 C’wealth
Apartment Parking Lot
05/22 07pm
1200-1299 Westheimer
Restaurant
05/24 01am
2100-2199 Yupon
Elementary School
05/25 01pm
2600-2699 C’wealth
Residence/House
05/30 08pm
2700-2799 Yoakum
Road/Street/Sidewalk
05/30 11pm
1400-1499 Westheimer
Bar/Nightclub Pkg. Lot
05/31 07pm
Agg. Assault 1500-1599 Missouri
Burglary
Auto Theft
Theft
Contact hPD dispatch line 713-884-3131 to report suspected criminal activity
9
Important dates and membership information
Garbage & yard Trimming Collection
Every Monday (except Holidays)
Recycling
AuGuST 2011
Monday, August 8
Monday, August 22
SePTeMBeR 2011
Tuesday, September 6
Monday, September 19
OCTOBeR 2011
Please note – Your automated container & recycling bin should be at your curb
by 7 a.m. and removed by 10 p.m., on your collection day. If it appears it may rain,
do not put out your newspapers for recycling, because the city cannot recycle wet
newspapers (they will pick them up but they cannot be recycled). Also, glass is NOT
accepted curbside. The closest place to drop off glass (and everything else except
toxics) is the recycling place on the corner of Center Street and Harvard. The site
has been remodeled with well-labeled containers.
If you do not have a recycle bin and would like to participate in the City’s Recycle
Program, please call 3-1-1 to arrange for the City to deliver a recycle bin to your
home.
If you are interested in looking at the city’s recycle schedule yourself, or are interested in what may and not be recycled, look at the following website (this is a recent
revision): www.houstonsolidwaste.org.
Monday, October 3
Monday, October 17
Monday, October 31
heavy Trash (2nd Tuesday)
Join our Facebook Group TODAY!
August 9 – Junk Waste
As soon as your request to join is approved you’ll be
able to stay informed with:
•
Community Alerts
•
Upcoming Events
•
Community Activities
September 13 – Tree Waste
October 11 – Junk Waste
Monthly Membership Meeting
Search for:
hyde Park Civic Association
Monday August 8 – 7:15 PM
Grace Lutheran Church
hyde Park Civic Association Membership Form Membership Fees ONly $25 Annually
Please support your local community by becoming a member today! The Hyde Park Civic Association is a 501(c)4
not-for-profit organization, and therefore relies on membership dues, donations and contributions to
fund our civic activities.
Date:
New Member:
Lamar Park Donation $
Renewal:
Neighborhood Protection Donation $
Name:
Street Address:
Home Telephone:
Cell Phone:
Business
Phone:
Email Address
Community Interest/Concerns:
One vote per membership. The bylaws of Hyde Park United define who can be a member. Your annual membership ensures your voice will be heard
in all matters concerning the area you have chosen to call home. Through our newsletter and monthly meeting, you can be part of this beautiful,
historic and growing area.
Thank you for joining, and helping us build a “sense of community.” Mail with your check with completed form to:
hyde Park united, PO Box 66422, houston, TX 77266
Join online at www.hydeparkunited.org or at the next membership meeting!
10