October 2013 - Hyde Park Civic Association

O
presideNt’s letter
ctober
traditionally
features some of
our nicest weather and
most interesting events,
and this year is no
exception. The month kicks off Oct. 1
with National Night Out in Lamar Park.
Now marking its 30th anniversary, this
annual event celebrates the partnership
between communities and law
enforcement to help keep
neighborhoods safe.
Local businesses and churches are
contributing food, drink and more for
the event. They’re listed elsewhere
in a full-page AD that features a map
showing the location of Lamar Park
on Hyde Park Boulevard between
Commonwealth and Waugh.
Bring a lawn chair if you want to
sit and share free food, drink and fun
with your neighbors starting at 6 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 1.
GREEK FESTIVAL OCT. 3-6
A few days later, the annual Greek
Festival returns to Annuciation Greek
Orthodox Church on Yoakum Boulevard.
In addition to benefitting the church,
part of the proceeds from the festival
have been donated to various charities
such as Children’s Assessment Center,
S.E.A.R.C.H., Houston Area Women’s
Center, Covenant House, Texas
Emergency Aid Coalition (EAC), and
the Star of Hope Mission.
If you’re not craving souvlaki, baklava,
etc., be aware of potential traffic
congestion near the church and adjust
your driving pattern. The festival schedule
is available at greekfestival.org.
In the mood for a different cuisine and
culture? Check out Festa Italiana Oct.
10-13 at the University of St. Thomas
(houstonitalianfestival.com) or the
TurkishFest Oct. 12-13
(turkishfesthouston.com) on Jones Plaza
downtown. Or visit the Bayou City Art
Festival, the Texas Renaissance Festival
or any of the other fun activities in the
busy month of October.
MONTROSE CRAWL OCT. 26
On Saturday, Oct. 26, strangely
dressed people will wander the streets
— and no, it’s not just another typical
night in Montrose. This time it’s the
7th Annual Montrose Crawl, billed as
“Houston’s biggest and best Halloween
event.” Costumed participants will hit
11 restaurants and bars between
Dunlavy and Montrose on Westheimer.
Prizes will be awarded for best costume
at each stop. A portion of the drink sales
will be donated to the Houston Area
Women’s Center. For details, visit
montrosecrawl.com.
PICNIC IN CHERRYHURST PARK
Autumn officially started Sept. 22,
but Houston summers typically last
through Halloween. So we’re ending
our summer of fun by co-sponsoring
a picnic in Cherryhurst Park with the
Cherryhurst Civic Association from
11 AM until 2 PM Saturday, Nov. 2. The
park is located a couple blocks west of
us on a lot bounded by Cherryhurst,
Windsor, Missouri and Ridgewood.
Bring a picnic lunch for yourself and a
dessert to share on a table set up inside
the Cherryhurst Community Center.
Tennis courts are available, and bring
Frisbees and other “fun on the lawn”
games, including chess and checkers.
More information, including a map, is
available elsewhere in this edition.
Our annual election is Monday, Nov. 4.
If you want to serve on the board or
volunteer in any capacity, email
president@hydeparkunited.org or call me
at 713-522-7050. Our year ends with our
annual Christmas Party Dec. 2 at Riva’s.
I hope to see you in Lamar Park the
evening of Oct. 1 for National Night Out.
George Sroka, President
National Night Out
in Lamar Park
Tuesday Oct 1 • 6:00 PM
Hyde Park Blvd. between Waugh
and Commonwealth
Picnic in Cherryhurst Park
Sat. Nov. 2 • 11 AM – 2 PM
Annual Election
Mon. Nov. 4 • 7 PM @ Rudyard’s
board coNtacts
presideNt
George Sroka
president@hydeparkunited.org
Vice presideNt
Macy Bodenhamer
vicepresident@hydeparkunited.org
SECRETARY
Janet Nichols
secretary@hydeparkunited.org
TREASURER
Bill Curry
treasurer@hydeparkunited.org
other coNtacts
deed restrictioNs
Shane Wilson
deed restrictions@hydeparkunited.org
MeMbership
Susan Ellis
membership@hydeparkunited.org
CITIZEN PATROL
Cynthia Greenwood
citizenpatrol@hydeparkunited.org
NEWSLETTER
Paul Civiletto
newsletter@hydeparkunited.org
NeWsletter adVertisiNg
Carlos Fernandez
advertising@hydeparkunited.org
LAMAR PARK
Rodney Morris and Dean Emmons
lamarpark@hydeparkunited.org
hpu civic association, po box
66422, houston, tX 77266-6422
www.hydeparkunited.org
Neighborhood
Block Captains
Bomar
Greg Jeu & Jim Hurst 281-541-6756
California / Westheimer
Cecilia Kammer 832-788-1586
Commonwealth
Liz Hudson & Carol Brownstein 713-527-9852
Mark McCreary 713-338-1929
Fairview
Irene Dahlgren 713-299-5190
Sandie Zilker 713-906-7123
Hyde Park / Hyde Park Apts.
Linda Carter 713-524-2952
Alex Aranda 713-533-9474­
Hyde Park Crescent
Susan Ellis 713-528-8289
Carlos Fernandez 713-520-7017
Hyde Park Townhomes
Daniel Posada 713-454-7834
Indiana / Yupon
Alice McCarthy 713-521-5807
Jackson
Brandon Bartee 832-866-1426
Maryland
Cathy Hanchett 713.542.4921
Michigan
Tom Whitworth 713-523-8035
Missouri
Jeanne Wallace 713-528-0834
Montrose
Syndee Sharrar 281 216 0953
Peden
Lori Corwin 832-582-6520
Vermont
Sharon Lord 713-522-9427
Waugh
Will Martin 405-361-2523
Welch
Scott and Lina Rigrod 713-528-2791
Cliff Jones 713-524-3055
West Drew
Mike McKann 713-526-6777
West Gray / Hazel
Sherry Waddell 713-252-3968
Willard
Camille Bogel 832-794-2577
Yoakum/Van Buren
Macy Bodenhamer 713-201-5810
Block captains: Notify
vicepresident@hydeparkunited.org of
any changes in contact information.
2
September Meeting Minutes
Hyde Park Civic Association President
George Sroka called the meeting to order
at 7 PM September 9th at Rudyards, with
20 members and guests present. The
August meeting minutes were approved,
then business proceeded with ballots
being handed out to all members in
attendance to vote on passage of the
newly revised and updated HPU bylaws.
Many thanks are due to Vice President
Macy Bodenhamer, who headed the
review committee, and to Lawyer
Talia Jarvis, who provided many hours
of work in drafting the final product.
The new document was resoundingly
approved and is now in effect.
Guest Speaker Police Officer Pate
attended the meeting to report on
HPU neighborhood safety. Pate had
been invited after residents commented
on Hyde Park’s Facebook page about the
arrival of a registered sexual offender
at 1705 Maryland, two buildings west
of Windsor near an elementary school.
Officer Pate explained that offenders must
register with their probation officers and,
if they don’t, their crimes become felonies.
(President’s Note: Pate checked after the
meeting on exact nature of the registered
offender’s conviction and probation.
He said his location and distance from
the school fall within legal limits in this
particular case.) Six such offenders have
been reported in our area. To meet some
of Houston’s Police Officers, attend our
annual National Night Out celebration in
Lamar Park on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
PROGRAM
Senior Community Liaison Sharon
Moses from Houston’s Solid Waste
Management spoke about recycling and
presented illustrations to identify what
items can be recycled. The program
was lively and interesting, as she made
clear what can be recycled in which bins.
Some residents have 96-gallon wheeled
recycling carts, which can take glass
containers, paper, metal and plastic.
Others have the 18-gallon bins, which
are limited to paper, metal and plastic
only. Moses said the city is funding many
more large carts with 70,000 to be rolled
out in the near future. During the last
roll-out, 35,000 were provided, and the
upcoming expansion will replace many
18-gallon bins with 96-gallon carts. The
city hopes to be complete with recycling
expansion in 2016.
What items can be recycled? (1) Clean,
dry boxes (paper board), for example
store-bought pizza boxes from the frozen
food section, but not the delivery pizza
boxes, which still have remnants of cheese
and oil. The oil contaminates the whole
recycling batch. (2) Plastic which has been
rinsed if it contained food. (3) Glass, but
not in the 18-gallon bins. Either use the
96-gallon recycle cart or take your glass to
a recycling center such as the one at 5900
Westpark near the Southwest Freeway
between Chimney Rock and Fountainview.
(4) Big blocks of Styrofoam like those
used to pack computers and other large
electronics can be recycled at the
Westpark Cycling Center.
Moses presented The Citizens Guide to
City of Houston Solid Waste Management
Department Services newsletter, The
Trash Facts. For more information, or if
you have questions, call 311 or visit
www.houstonsolidwaste.org .
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Volunteers are needed for National
Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Email
vicepresident@hydeparkunited.org
or call Macy at 713-201-5810.
• National Night Out starts at 6 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 1. Our party in Lamar Park
includes free food and drink, plus the
chance to meet and talk with Houston
police. Bring a lawn chair.
• Our Chapter 42 Workshop is scheduled
for Sunday, September 22 at 2 PM at
Rudyard’s with Shane Wilson and guest
speakers from the East Montrose and
Cherryhurst civic associations.
• Community-wide in Cherryhurst Park
will be held Saturday, November
2, from 11 AM – 2 PM (Details are
featured elsewhere in this newsletter.)
The September HPU Meeting was
adjourned at 7:55 PM.
2013 caleNdar
General meetings held upstairs at Rudyard’s at 7 pm
Oct. 1
National Night Out in Lamar Park
Nov. 2
Picnic in Cherryhurst Park
Nov. 4
General Meeting / Election
Dec. 2
Annual Holiday Party
General meetings held on the first Monday of the
month except when they conflict with holidays.
hpu citiZeN patrol report: aug 1-31
Number of known incidents reported to police: 4
Number of arrests: 0
Hours patrolled on foot: 194.75
Hours patrolled by car: 64
Number of trained citizen patrollers: 28
NeWsletter deadliNe
Deadline for the November 2013 newsletter is October 15.
Inquiries: newsletter@hydeparkunited.org
Advertising: advertising@hydeparkunited.org
TRASH PICKUP
Monday is our regular garbage collection day. Please do
not put out your trash/recycling bins before 6 PM Sunday.
When our collection day falls on a Monday holiday, garbage
and recyclables are picked up the following day.
RECYCLING PICKUP
As of July 29, 2013, most of Hyde Park switched to single
stream recycling (large green bins on wheels.) However,
those south of Fairview and west of Waugh will continue
with dual stream (small recycling bins, no glass allowed).
Recylables are picked up every other Monday. However ...
pickup dates differ for single and
dual stream recycling
Single stream (large bin with wheels) recycling pickup dates:
october 7, 21; November 4, 18
Dual stream (small bin, no glass) recycling pickup dates:
october 14, 28; November 11, 25
heaVY/JuNk Waste aNd tree Waste
october 2 – heavy/Junk • Nov. 6 – tree Waste
3
4
Your Realtor
& Neighbor
for 23 Years.
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For any of your real estate needs, call me!
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SPEAR
REALTOR ASSOCIATE
Circle of Excellence
713.204.7653
mspear@marthaturner.com
www.MikeSpear.com
WELCOME HOME
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Support Our Advertisers
5
6
Lyric Chamber
Theater has Hyde
Park Connection
California native and Hyde Park
resident Kelli Estes is the Executive
Director of Lone Star Lyric (LSL), the
only professional summer chamber
lyric theater in Texas. Estes came to
Houston during the 1990s for graduate
school at the University of Houston’s
Moores School of Music and stayed
for an additional three years teaching
voice and gigging around as a featured
soloist with several local
symphony and theatre
groups. She returned
to Houston in 2012
– after more
than a decade
performing in
New York and the
northeast – to expand
Lone Star Lyric’s season, producing and
directing the Lyric Cabaret (Oct-May),
a monthly cabaret series featuring the
Great American Songbook.
Lyric Cabaret has expanded the
series this year to include 20 shows.
Each are presented in a New York
cabaret style with a jazz piano
and percussion plus four fantastic
entertainers. The once-monthly
performances are held at Ovations
Night Club in Rice Village. The
October cabaret show is called,
“Till Death Do Us Part” – a fun take
for Halloween. Performances will be
held on Friday, October 25 at 8 PM
and 10 PM and Sunday, October 27
at 5 PM.
Estes is on the adjunct faculty of
Wharton County Junior College, has
a private voice studio, is a frequent
clinician for masterclasses, workshops
and is a guest judge for universities,
the American Festival for the Arts,
Greater Houston NATS competition
and Houston Grand Opera’s High
School Voice Studio. She enjoys
playing volleyball and taking humbling
daily jogs with her dog, Leelee.
For more information about Lone
Star Lyric or to attend a cabaret
rehearsal at Estes’ Hyde Park home,
please visit their website at
www.lonestarlyric.org.
Houston’s Biggest and
Best Halloween event
7th Annual Montrose Crawl
Saturday, October 26th!
First get your costume on, then get your
drink on as the Crawl hits 11 restaurants
and bars between Dunlavy and Montrose
on Westheimer, including Brasil, Poison
Girl, Pistolero’s, Boondocks, Etro Lounge,
Catbirds, Royal Oak, Slick Willie’s, El Real
Tex-Mex, Mo Mong, and Hay Merchant.
There will be no covers and no tickets,
plus drink and food specials all night long.
And prizes will be awarded for the best
outfits at each stop, so get into the spirit
before you get into the spirits.
A portion of drink sales during the Crawl
will be donated to the Houston Area
Women’s Center, one of Montrose’s most
important aid organizations.
The 7th Annual Montrose Crawl is
brought to you by Free Press Houston,
Houston’s leading independent newspaper,
Santo, our official beer, Izkali, our official
tequila, Sailor Jerry, our official rum, Reyka,
our official vodka, Cindie’s, our official
costume store, and The Houston Wave,
which is how we like to roll.
Visit montrosecrawl.com for more details.
The Houston Region is the kind of place where big ideas typically become
larger-than-life realities. Throw any challenge our way and we meet it head on.
But are we really ready for anything?
No one likes to think about disasters, but they happen here just like in every other
part of the world. The question is: are you prepared to survive them?
For more information: www.avondaleassociation.org
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Your new
newsletter
editor
Hi! My name is
paul civiletto and
I am the new
editor of “Hyde
Park United”
newsletter.
I’ve lived in
the Hyde Park
neighborhood for
over five years,
enjoying its many amenities
and its proximity to my job as a
graphic designer with a financial
services company. Originally from
San Antonio, I’ve lived in Houston
since 1988, moving here after
graduating from Texas A&M.
Please contact me at paul@civiletto.com
to submit items for consideration for
publishing in Hyde Park United. Thanks!
kevin calfee from the City of Houston Planning and Development Department
explains how the city defines blocks using a map of our neighborhood. Calfee
spoke at a civic association-sponsored workshop Sept. 22 at Rudyard’s on
Chapter 42, a subsection of a city ordinance that enables residents to preserve
and protect the character of their neighborhoods. Chapter 42 empowers
residents to petition the city to establish Minimum Lot Size (MLS) and Minimum
Building Line (MBL) restrictions. MLS prevents the subdividing of lots to build
multifamily dwellings. MBL establishes a minimum distance from the street for
new construction so it matches existing houses. Residents from the Cherryhurst
Civic Association also attended the meeting to share their experience with the
Chapter 42 application process. Look for more details on this workshop and
Chapter 42 in the next edition of the newsletter.
support our advertisers
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We are proud to be
a part of Hyde Park!
blacksmith
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
COFFEE
TEA
Underbelly: 713.528.9800 • www.underbellyhouston.com
Hay Merchant: 713.528.9005 • www.haymerchant.com
Blacksmith: 832.360.7470
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The Sidewalk Straddler
Parking becomes more vexing as growth continues in inner loop neighborhoods
It’s your driveway, right? So that
sidewalk that goes across it is your
piece of the sidewalk, right? So you
park in your own driveway, right? And
if you happen to block the sidewalk,
your piece of the sidewalk, that’s your
business, right? Well, yes . . . and no.
Parking continues to be a vexing
subject in most neighborhoods as
population density increases, garage
and driveway sizes shrink, business
activity increases, and the need to
put a vehicle somewhere becomes
little by little harder to address.
Let’s cover the simple part first.
Pinched for space or not, a property
owner or occupant cannot block
public access to the sidewalk that
cuts across the driveway into the
property. Not legally, at least.
For a while there was a question
being asked, and not just in our
neighborhood, about exactly what
HPD was going to do about the
sidewalk straddlers. Mostly, we (you
and I) don’t like to deal with them. It
seems a little petty, and certainly more
than a little petty to turn to someone
as you walk out into the street, around
their car blocking the sidewalk, and
complain, or – good grief – threaten
to have the owner ticketed. Who
wants to do that?
Still, when we talk to each other, and
boy oh boy when we talk to HPD, we
don’t seem to mind talking about it
at all. For many of us, it really does
not affect us. Car on the sidewalk? Go
around. Out into the street? So what?
But it’s not “so what” for all of us.
Consider that parent with one baby
in the stroller and another young
one walking in front. Going around
is a bit tougher with that stroller,
and navigating that kid safely around
behind and maybe into the street –
not fun. Not safe.
Consider those who have chronic
pain or actual disabilities that make
walking difficult and possibly very
slow. How trivial is that detour to
him or her?
How about that “chairdestrian” –
the man or woman in a wheelchair?
Now you have not just diversion and
inconvenience and a little concern.
Now you have issues of center of
gravity. Some driveway entries are
steep. Done poorly, an attempt
in a wheelchair can dump the
occupant out. None would do that to
themselves knowingly, but if the rider
misjudges and tries an impossible
descent or ascent, it could be much
worse than just inconvenient.
There are many possibilities that
create not just a nuisance but danger,
and so, HPD cannot simply ignore the
sidewalk straddle. On the other hand,
there are only so many hours in the
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
9-1-1 for Emergencies Only
HPD dispatch line 713-884-3131 to report
suspected criminal activity
3-1-1 City Help & Info OR
http://www.houston311.org/
ROAR Hotline (improper dumping):
713-525-2728
10
day, and in some settings it can be
seen that even when the sidewalk is
straddled there is still a way around,
maybe up into the driveway rather
than down and around.
As a result, here is what passes for
a compromise: the law is the law.
If you call HPD, someone will come
and do something – a warning, if
that’s appropriate, a ticket, or some
towing. It is the law. Other than that,
in the absence of any other cause
for engaging, they will not very likely
stop to ticket, much less tow,
a straddling vehicle.
If there is room to go up and around
(into the driveway) or down and
around (towards the street), without
hazard and without complication or
trespass, they are not likely to take
action without a complaint called in,
and even then may choose to warn
rather than ticket.
Make no mistake, though, if
someone is chronic about offending,
if neighbors complain, or if the
blockage is severe, HPD can and
will ticket straddling vehicles.
Make sure it’s not your vehicle,
though. Pull on up if you can, into the
garage if you must, or park on the
curb. It seems a small thing, but
it is the neighborly thing to do.
Submitted by Rick Wannall.
T
he Houston Parks
Board has added
a drop-down box
identifying “Lamar
Park” on their web site, allowing contibutors to make
tax-deductible donations.
Although major fundraising
isn’t scheduled to start for
another month, individuals
can donate by.
Contribute to renovating
the Lamar Park Fountain
1. Visiting
houstonparksboard.org
2. Clicking light orange
“Donate” button on the top
right of the page,
3. Clicking “Pay by Credit
Card” link,
4. Clicking “Donation For”
drop-down box and Lamar
Park will appear.
Tax-deductible donations are
only a few clicks away!
Join the Hyde Park United Civic Association or renew your membership
Fill out this Membership Form, check “New Member” or “Renewal,” then mail the application with
your $30 check to: HYDE PARK UNITED CIVIC ASSN, PO BOX 66422, HOUSTON TX 77266-6422.
Date:
Lamar Park
Check one: ❏ New Member ❏ Renewal
$
☞
for these local projects
☞
Enforcement Fund
$30
$
Name:
Address:
Primary Telephone:
Secondary Phone:
Email Address:
Interests/Concerns (check all that apply): ❏ Membership ❏ Lamar Park ❏ Social ❏ Newsletter ❏ Citizens on Patrol
❏ Block Captains ❏ National Night Out ❏ Other ________________________________________________________________
Thank you for joining, and helping us all build a “Sense of Community.”
You can also join online using PayPal at www.hydeparkunited.org.
11
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•Blueprints-Oversized Copies •Banners & Signs•Promotional Items•Personalized Needs•Wedding Invitations, Holiday Cards
We also offer self service copiers, computer rental, fax services, CD scans, and packing and shipping services.
National Night Out
Lamar Park
6 PM
October 2013
Fax: 713.521.0124 • rokk43@sbcglobal.net
713.526.2273
1405 Waugh Drive, Houston, Texas 77019