District F Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 2

TIFFANY D. THOMAS

Houston City Council Member, District F

Housing and Community Affairs Committee, Chair
Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee, Member
Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, Member
Regulation and Neighborhood Affairs Committee, Member
Ethics, Elections, and Council Governance Committee, Member

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

COMMUNITY INPUT REGARDING CIP AND CDSF
The District F office will host our first series of community meetings to discuss the FY21 budget, and proposals for CIP and CDSF projects.*Super Neighborhood 17 Meeting (Ashford Park, Westheimer, Royal Oaks)
Thursday, March 12th 6:30PM
Budewig Intermediate
12570 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77082

Super Neighborhood 25 Meeting (Alief/Westchase)
Thursday, March 26th at 6:30PM
Judson Robinson Library – Westchase
3223 Wilcrest Dr, Houston, TX 77042

Super Neighborhood 20 Meeting (Piney Point, Tanglewilde, Westmont, Briarmeadow)
Thursday, April 2nd at 6:30PM
Location: TBD

*These meetings are separate from the annual
CIP Town Hall hosted by the City of Houston that discusses current District F CIP projects:
Tuesday, March 24th at 6:30PM
India House Houston
8888 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77031

CDSF REQUEST FORM

*all requests are subject to approval from Legal and corresponding departments.

2020 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program coordinated by the Texas Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Division. According to the non-profit organization Feeding America, “During the school year, 22 million children receive free or reduced-priced meals through the National School Lunch Program. When school is out during the summer months, however, only 3.9 million receive free or reduced-price meals through the Summer Food Service Program. This gap of 1 in 6 summer to school-time participants is the result of various barriers experienced only during the summer, including a lack of access to meal sites, insufficient program awareness, and limited resources when schools are closed.”

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) wishes to expand this program. Council Member Thomas would like to ask for churches, apartment complexes, learning centers, schools, and other nonprofit groups that want to participate in the Summer Food Service Program to submit applications to HPARD. The SFSP will operate from June 1 through August 7 for youth ages 1 to 18.
Simply forward the application form to [email protected] or send a list of organizations to the program manager at [email protected]. Applications are due March 27, 2020

HPARD Summer Food Service Program Contact:
Rummeka Allen
Phone: 713-676-6832
Email: [email protected]

Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church is celebrating their 155th Church Anniversary with a Membership Loyalty and Homecoming Celebration on Sunday, March 15th at their 10:45am and 3:30pm services. A large portion of the congregation will be donning 19th century attire. For information on Pilgrim Rest MBC, please visit their website: http://www.pilgrimrest.net/

JOB POSTING
(Please click on the image below to view the full post in PDF format)

ALL YOUTH AGES 16-24 ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY,
AS WELL AS BUSINESSES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HIRING!
EMPLOYERS, PLEASE VISIT: https://hirehoustonyouth.org/employers/

COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE DISTRICT

On Tuesday, February 4th, Council Member Thomas attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Kickoff Event at Elsik High School. The headline concert performer for this year is District F’s very own Lizzo, who grew up in Alief and graduated from Elsik High School before launching to stardom in the music industry.

On Sunday, February 9th, Council Member Thomas was invited by Congressman Al Green to attend a press conference at the Tan Tan Restaurant on Bellaire Blvd to address the panic surrounding COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. As part of the group of local elected officials in attendance, Council Member Thomas and Council Member Edward Pollard stood in solidarity with the businesses in Chinatown, and with the Chinese community of Districts F and J, respectively. We implore you to continue patronizing these businesses and restaurants. There are no reported cases of the coronavirus in neither Houston nor Harris County. There has only been one reported case of the coronavirus in Texas, and that individual, along with a group who had a high likelihood of being exposed to the virus, has been quarantined at a military base in San Antonio. For updated information regarding the virus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

On Tuesday, February 11th, Council Member Thomas was invited to attend the Alief Neighborhood Center Outreach Event hosted by Manhattan Construction, the contractor for the construction phase of our $60m CIP project. Representatives from Manhattan Construction were present to answer questions from the community and potential subcontractors. Construction is set to begin this fall. For more information, please view this presentation. A new date for the demolition ceremony for the outgoing Alief Community Center is currently being scheduled by the General Services Department and will be announced shortly. For the relocation schedule of current activities, please view this document.

CIP PROJECT UPDATE

CHELFORD CITY DIVERSION PACKAGE #1

Heavy traffic has been reported by residents along Westpark Dr, especially at the West Houston Center Blvd intersection due to project construction. To alleviate the congestion, the Traffic and Drainage Operations division of Public Works is currently identifying key locations to place traffic signs to suggest motorists to take an alternate route. Timing of the traffic signals is also to be adjusted. Please be aware and drive on a different street where possible.

For more details regarding this Capital Improvement Project, including timelines, please click on the map below.

STREET IMPROVEMENTS

SIDEWALK RENOVATION & RAMP INSTALLATION
@ STANCLIFF RD & LANDS END DR

Thank you to Bayou Place resident, Gabriella “Ricki” Hollon-Meadows for sending this request to our office. A ramp will be constructed on the Stancliff sidewalk at this intersection, to match the ramp on the Lands End Dr sidewalk. The matching ramp, funded by the City’s Pedestrian Access Review (PAR) program, will benefit wheelchair-bound students and other community members near Douglas Smith Elementary. A work order from Public Works with a construction timeline will be released shortly and we will announce the dates. If you are a disabled resident who would like to apply to the PAR program, please visit: https://www.houstontx.gov/disabilities/sidewalksafety.html

BROOKFIELD NTMP

Speed cushions are currently being installed in the Brookfield subdivision through the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP), which has received funding from our Council District Service Fund (CDSF) to expedite the process. Installation is expected to be completed on Monday, February 24th.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

On Tuesday, February 18th, the Housing and Community Affairs Committee reviewed 22 items on the agenda, including funding for Housing Vouchers and Single Family developments. There was a lively debate in the public comment section regarding the proposed 9% housing tax credit projects. Your comments are welcomed and often help redirect the conversation.

To review the agenda, visit:
houstontx.gov/council/committees/housing.html

To watch the committee hearings from 02/03 and 02/18, visit:
https://houstontx.swagit.com/committees-commissions

HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING – 02.19.20
Council Member Thomas’s Comment on 9% HTC Projects
(click below to play the YouTube video)

THE PEOPLE’S POP-UP
City Hall Annex – 900 Bagby ST, 1st FL

Join us in the office every Friday from 9AM to 3PM to discuss constituent concerns with Council Member Thomas and the District F staff. You can schedule time or drop on by! Either way, we want to hear from the residents of District F. We sincerely value your input!

Super Neighborhood 17
2nd Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
Eagle’s Trace Retirement Community
14703 Eagle Vista Drive, 77077
https://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/17.html

Super Neighborhood 20
2nd Monday, 7:00 pm, Quarterly
HPD Richmond Storefront
6310 Richmond Avenue, 77057
https://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/20.htmlSuper Neighborhood 25
4th Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Huntington Village Clubhouse
9511 Cook Rd, 77099
https://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/25.html

Midwest
Officer Alex Chan
832.394.2780
[email protected]
7277 Regency Square, 77036
3rd Wednesday, 7pm, monthlyWestside Division
Officer Tim Whitaker
832.394.5712
[email protected]
3203 South Dairy Ashford, 77072
3rd Thursday, 7pm