District F News from Councilman Al Hoang – February 2013

DISTRICT F NEWS

FEBRUARY 2013

AL HOANG

Houston Council Member

District F

City Hall Annex

900 Bagby, First Floor

Houston, TX 77002

Tel: 832-393-3002

www.HoustonTX.gov/council/f

For scheduling requests:

InviteF@HoustonTX.gov

Helpful City Numbers

Houston Help & Information

3-1-1 or 713-837-0311

Animal Control (BARC)

713-229-7300

Dept. of Neighborhoods

832-393-1038

HPD (non-emergency)

713-884-3131

Mayor’s Office

832-393-0955

Municipal Courts

713-837-0311

Parks Department

832-395-7000

Permitting Center

832-394-9000

Public Works & Engineering

832-395-2511

Solid Waste Management

713-956-6589

District F Map

Pay Utility Account Online

Public Works and Engineering, Utility Customer Service, is pleased to offer you various payment options to pay your utility accounts online.

Report Criminal Activity

The Stop Houston Gangs Task Force, has created a website to educate the public about criminal gangs and to provide a way for residents to safely report tips to thwart the potential threat.

File Police Reports Online

Houston citizens can file police reports from home, work, or anywhere with Internet access.

BARC Pet Adoptions

BARC provides the best adoption value the City has to offer. The adoption fee includes the cost of surgical sterilization (spay/neuter) of the animal, vaccinations, and other necessary medical services while the animal has been in the care of BARC. The fee also includes the first year’s city license.

Dear Residents and Friends of District F,

My office will be hosting the annual District F Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) meeting on Monday, March 4 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Tracy Gee Community Center, 3599 Westcenter Dr. If you wish to speak at the upcoming CIP meeting, please contact our office to sign-up at 832-393-3002. If possible, community groups should select one speaker to present requests on behalf of their respective neighborhoods.

Alief Early College HS Students Earn Full Scholarships

Alejandro Sanchez and Micah Peoples, both part of the first graduating class at Alief Early College High School, are recipients of a four-year, full tuition leadership scholarship from the Posse Foundation’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program. They were chosen from hundreds of Houston-area applicants for their extraordinary academic and leadership potential. Alejandro earned a full scholarship to Texas A&M University while Micah earned a full scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin. Congratulations!

New 311 App Available for Download

The city of Houston has added a new way for residents to report city-related issues. Potholes, water main breaks, malfunctioning traffic signals, or garbage collection problems, can now be reported using the brand-new Houston 311 app. Using your phone’s GPS, the app is able to pinpoint the location and even allows users to take a picture to attach to the service request. Reports are automatically added to the city’s 311 system and routed to the appropriate department for resolution. The Houston 311 app is available for free download at the iTunes Store and Android Google Play Store.

Alief-Amity Park Clean-up Project a Success

I want to thank the volunteers who participated in the clean-up project my office helped coordinate with YASS Inc., a local youth volunteer group, and Harris County Precinct 3. Approximately 175 volunteers dedicated their Saturday morning to clean Alief-Amity Park, and mulched over 100 trees, planted 26 new trees, and resurfaced playground areas with new mulch. Thank you again for making this community project a great success!

Respectfully,

Al Hoang

Houston Council Member

District F

2013 LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

Bring the whole family to ring in the Year of the Snake at these family-friendly Lunar New Year celebrations. Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 10, 2013, but several cultural groups will be hosting festivities throughout the month.

LUNAR NEW YEAR BASH

Saturday, Feb. 2

1 – 3 p.m.

Children’s Museum of Houston

1500 Binz

Houston, TX 77004

www.cmhouston.org

2013 LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL

Saturday, Feb. 9

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Chinese Community Center

9800 Town Park

Houston, TX 77036

www.ccchouston.org

VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

Sunday, Feb. 10

12 – 2 p.m.

Vietnamese Community Center

7100 Clarewood Dr

Houston, TX 77036

17TH ANNUAL TEXAS LUNAR FESTIVAL

Saturday, Feb. 16

Day-long celebration beginning at 10 a.m.

Alief-Amity Park

12509 Alief Clodine Road

Houston, TX 77082

www.texaslunarfest.com

LUNAR NEW YEAR HOUSTON CELEBRATION

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 16 & 17

Noon to dusk

Viet Hoa Center

8300 W. Sam Houston Pkwy S

Houston, TX 77072

www.lunarnewyearhouston.com

HFD HOSTING RECRUITING OPEN HOUSE

The Houston Fire Department is hosting a Recruiting Open House. The open house will include : hiring process overview, meet with a recruiter, meet with Houston area colleagues, meet with Houston Fire/EMT Schools, and meet with Fire Fighter employees. The event will be held on:

Date: Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location: HFD’s Val Jahnke Training Facility

8030 Braniff, Houston 77061

(just south of Hobby Airport)

Apply online now through Feb. 12, 2013 here.

There will also be a Houston Civil Service Exam on:

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: George R Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Exhibit Hall B
Houston 77010
Bring your drivers license or other photo identification.

For more information about either events please visit HFD’s career website www.hfdcareers.org or call 832-394-6600.

CRIME STATS SHOW SIGNIFICANT DROP IN CRIME

An analysis of crime statistics over the last three years shows Houston’s overall crime rate is down nearly 8 percent. The numbers are based on a comparison of Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) for the three years before and after the start of 2010. There were declines noted in murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft and auto theft.

The one-year comparison of UCR violent and non-violent crimes shows an overall crime rate that remained flat in 2012, as compared to 2011, a year in which the local murder rate dropped to its lowest point in more than four decades.

Even though one murder or one rape is one too many, there is always work to be done on those non-violent property crimes that tend to hit closer to home and are more prevalent among the general public than violent crimes. Houston Police Department (HPD) targets hot spots, but residents can also do their part by being more careful. The key to prevention is being aware of your surroundings.

Numerous brochures with crime prevention tips are available at houstontx.gov/police/crime_prevention. Many of these brochures are printed in multiple languages.

For more information on HPD, visit www.houstonpolice.org.

FREE DOCUMENT SHREDDING FOR INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS

COH Logo The city of Houston, in partnership with Data Shredding Services of Texas, Inc., is offering free on-site document shredding services to individual Houston residents once a month at different locations throughout the city. The following locations will host shredding services in the coming months:

Saturday, Feb. 23 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

HPD South Central Station | 2202 St. Emanuel

Saturday, March 23 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

HPD South Gessner Station | 8605 Westplace Dr.

Saturday, April 27 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Houston Police Officers’ Union Hall | 1600 State Street

The Houston Police Department (HPD) will also be on hand to provide residents with information on identity theft prevention. Data Shredding Services of Texas will provide shredding equipment to safely and ethically destroy sensitive documents.

For more information contact the Mayor’s Citizens’ Assistance Office at 832-393-0955. For a complete list of locations hosting shredding services in the coming months, visit the Department of Neighborhoods’ website at www.houstontx.gov/neighborhoods.