The West U City Council approved street closures and installation of temporary no parking signs for the race during Monday night’s meeting.

The streets within West U that the race is run along will be closed to all vehicular traffic beginning at 6:30 a.m. and reopening by 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Temporary no parking signs will be placed along the route about 48 hours before the race starts.

Mayor Bob Fry said its the city’s privilege to have the marathon come through West U and the sense of community the event brings out is as much a benefit to the city as it is the runners.

The city will host an official “Marathon Hoopla Station” at city hall. West U City Hall is the 10.5 mile point of the marathon and is home to the annual Mayor’s Marathon Breakfast.

West U residents are encouraged to come out, watch the race and cheer on the runners.

The city is accepting applications until Nov. 1 for tree plantings from its Tree Trust. Residents who wish to apply can fill out an application here.

The Tree Trust was established to ensure the regeneration and diversity of the city’s urban forest. The Tree Trust is funded by payments from residents and contractors who remove trees for construction purposes and cannot replace them due to space limitations.

The city offers several varieties of trees including Cedar Elm, Bald Cypress, Nuttal Oak, Bur Oak, Monterey Oak, White Oak, Live Oak, Drummond Red Maple, Savannah Holy (recommended under power lines), Texas Redbud (recommended under power lines), Lacebark Elm, Black Gum, Water Oak, Shumard Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Mexican Sycamore, Loblolly Pine, Green Ash and Chinese Pistache (recommended under power lines).

The city will plant, stake, mulch and fertilize the trees for residents in January. The city is not responsible for maintenance after planting.

Trees will only be planted in the Street Right of Way and residents are asked to consider available planting space when selecting the type of tree they request.

Tree species that mature into large trees will not be planted beneath the canopy of an existing healthy tree or overhead utility lines.  Residents are also asked to consider visibility triangles at street intersections and at street and driveway intersections.

Residents who have the required growth space and are approved will receive a 30 gallon tree at no cost.  Trees will be approximately 10 feet tall and 2” in caliper.

For more information, contact West U Forester Craig Koehl at 713-662-5313 or ckoehl@westu.org.

The parks and recreation department is partnering with Oceanic Ventures to hold an underwater photo shoot with Santa in November.

West U families can take a photo underwater with Santa on Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rec. Center pool, 4210 Bellaire Blvd.

Pictures cost $10 per photo if you register at the Rec. Center by Friday, Nov. 1. Otherwise pictures will cost $35 the day of the event. The cost includes the underwater photo session with Santa, one photo and gift bag.

For more information, contact the Recreation Center 713-662-7420 or visit www.westutx.gov/events.

The West U Parks and Recreation Department will host a Health & Wellness Fair at the Recreation Center, 4210 Bellaire, on Nov. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The purpose of the fair is to reach out to residents, motivate them to be fit and healthy, and showcase the programs available at the Recreation Center.

There will be presentations, class demonstrations, and informational booths. Prizes will be given out throughout the event. The kickoff to the second annual Biggest User Contest will also take place on Nov. 2.

Vendors currently scheduled to be at the event are Moya Varner, Nutrition Specialist from MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Neda Dodig of West U Dental, Nicole and Dave Wilkenfeld, Personal Trainers, and many others.

For more information, contact the Recreation Center at 7163.662.7420.

The event will be held at Colonial Park, 4130 Byron St., at 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy tasty treats such as roasted corn, turkey legs, hotdogs, and nachos. The event includes a a pumpkin decorating station, a face painting station, and other haunted activities for you and your kids to enjoy. There will also be costume contests for different age groups, so the whole family is encouraged to dress up in their best Halloween attire.

Following the event, the last showing in the Movies in the Park series will start at 7 p.m. The city will show “OZ: The Great and Powerful,” on a large inflatable screen. The movie is about a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics is hurled away to the vibrant Land of Oz, where he must find out who is good and who is evil to be able to resolve the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants.

For more information, contact the Recreation Center 713-662-7420 or visit www.westutx.gov.events.

Traffic Violations

At 11:42 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 3100 block of Rice. Upon making contact, the officer detected the smell of marijuana. The driver was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and expired driver’s license.

10-19-13

Possession of Narcotics

At 12:02 AM, officers were dispatched to the 6600 block of Brompton for a report of a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle was located. The driver was arrested for possession of marijuana.

10-19-13

Burglary of a Motor Vehicle

At 01:52 AM, an officer was flagged down in the 2600 block of Bissonnet for a burglary of a motor vehicle. The victim stated that an unknown person shattered his front passenger window and removed his property.

10-19-13

Burglary of a Motor Vehicle

At 01:52 AM, an officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Bissonnet in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle. The victim stated that an unknown person smashed his driver side rear window and removed his book bag containing a laptop.

10-20-13

Evading

At 02:36 AM, an officer was investigating a person suspected of public intoxication. During the course of the investigation, the suspect fled on bicycle. The subject ensued on a short chase with the suspect. The suspect was apprehended and arrested.

10-20-13

Warrant Arrest

At 11:09 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 2500 block of Quenby. After further investigation, it was discovered that the driver had open warrants with West U. The driver was arrested.

Event Chairs Judy Cheng, Dee Gilder, Friends Executive Director, Donna LaMond and Event Chair, Ashley Gumbert.

The seventh annual urban campout was held on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6. The gross amount raised from the event was $117,152.

Through the new online registration this year, Fathers and Flashlights sold out in a record three minutes.  Fathers and Flashlights had 498 children and 257 dads who took part in the community event.

The event was chaired by Judy and Comfort Cheng, Dee Dee and Jamie Gilder and Ashley and Sam Gumbert.

The hot Saturday temperatures did not slow down the fun for anyone.  Tents were pitched and the wide-range of activities began at 4 p.m.  Big hits for the campers were the popular Catch-and-Release fishing, Tie-Dye, Rock Climbing, Giant Slide, Jacob’s ladder and an Inflatable Obstacle Course. Camp Russo was once again a must do for the little campers, this year offering Camel rides, a petting zoo and a pumpkin maze.

Dinner was donated by Eldoe Street Café & Catering, Chick-fil-A (Holcombe and Buffalo Speedway) and Papa John’s Pizza.  Desserts by Harper Street Treats, Potbelly and Tiny’s No. 5 were enjoyed while dancing to music provided by Tommy Blaze.  The Houston Astronomical Society provided telescopes and viewing assistance for the campers to stargaze before lights out.

Before the rain arrived on Sunday morning, the campers were treated to breakfast donated by Goode Company Restaurants, Shipley Do-Nuts and Kolache Factory.

The chairs and their families enjoyed the urban campout as much as the almost 750 attendees. This was their first year to chair this event. They along with all the campers were glad that the weather held out for all of the activities on Saturday.

“Fathers & Flashlights was a great success,” said event Chair Dee Dee Gilder.  “As one father told me, ‘there are not times anymore where kids can just play free and run around with their friends.’ When we grew up we had that freedom but not much today.  It is always a treat to see kids having so much fun.”

The Chengs, Gilders and Gumberts would also like to recognize that the night would not have been possible without the help of the volunteers (257 Moms), the City of West U Parks & Recreation Department, West U Elementary, Tri-Sports and Friends of West U Parks underwriters and sponsors.

Direct Energy was once again the Title sponsor of the event.  Other donors include Frost Bank, Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., Maggie Garza, Keller Williams/Old Republic Title, Cadence Bank and Cammarata Pediatric Dentistry.  Many other businesses and families donated generously to Fathers & Flashlights 2013 and with the combined generosity from all, the tireless hours of preparation and planning from the Chairs and the commitment from the Event Committee, Fathers & Flashlights was a great success.

The election, which will decide the outcome of six proposed changes to the West U charter, is being conducted by Harris County. The closest location where West U residents can vote is Fiesta Mart, located at 8130 Kirby Dr.

Photo identification will be required at the polls. For more information about required identification for voting, visit www.votetexas.gov.

Residents will be voting for or against the following propositions:

Proposition 1

Authorize an amendment to Article II Section 2.03 of the charter relating to the limit on successive terms for mayor and council, to increase the number of successive terms from two(2) to three (3).

Proposition 2

Authorize an amendment to Article IV, Section 4.01 of the charter relating to the power of initiative, to increase the number of signatures required on Initiative petitions submitted to council from three percent (3%) to five percent (5%) of all qualified voters of the city.

Proposition 3

Authorize an amendment to Article IV, Section 4.02 of the charter relating to the power of referendum, to increase the number of signatures required on referendum petitions from three percent (3%) to five percent (5%) of all qualified voters of the city.

Proposition 4

Authorize an amendment to Article IV, Section 4.06 of the charter relating to results of election, to limit the four-fifth (⅘) vote requirement of council to repeal or amend an ordinance to a six (6) year period and allow a simple majority of council to repeal or amend an ordinance eight (8) years after adoption.

Proposition 5

Authorize an amendment to Article VI, Section 6.02 of the charter relating to the city manager, to authorize the city manager, with the approval of city council, to appoint the city secretary.

Proposition 6

Authorize an amendment to Article VI, Section 6.03 of the charter relating to the city secretary, to delete the provision regarding city council appointment of the city secretary and include a provision setting forth the powers and duties of the city secretary.

Early voting will take place Oct. 21 – Oct. 25 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 28 – Nov. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For a complete list of early voting locations, visit http://www.harrisvotes.com/earlyvoting/earlyvotinglocationsschedule.pdf.

Election day is Nov. 5.

West University Elementary School’s magnet program will be eliminated next school year, which will cost the school $273,562 in funding.

West U Elementary is one of 20 HISD magnet programs that will be eliminated next school year because they are not drawing enough students from outside of the neighborhood.

The elementary school’s enrollment is 1,254. Of those, 41 are non-zoned magnet students, which represents 3.3 percent of the overall student population, HISD Media Relations Manager Jason Spencer told InstantNewsWestU.com. Magnet schools are expected to have about 20 percent non-zoned students, according to HISD policy.

West U’s school-based magnet programs include math and science. Magnet programs offer an integrated and enriched curriculum and teachers receive specialized training depending on the school’s focus, according to the school district.

The 20 HISD magnet programs that will be eliminated have a combined magnet budget of $4 million which will be used for other academic purposes. West U will no longer receive the additional $273,562 in magnet funding that it had been getting, Spencer said, and will be funded like all other non-magnet neighborhood schools.

HISD says that students who are currently enrolled in magnet programs that are being eliminated after the current school year will be allowed to continue attending those schools until they complete the highest grade level offered at those schools.

The phasing out of the magnet programs was developed along with a new magnet program policy that was adopted by the HISD Board of Education. The policy set minimum standards for magnum programs to meet with it comes to attracting students from outside their attendance boundaries. While some magnet programs are being eliminated, the district is also adding new magnet programs to meet current demands.

West University Elementary Principal John Threet says that the school has been anticipating the decision to eliminate the magnet program for several years but the school will continue to provide educational excellence without any of their programs suffering.

Threet issued the following statement this morning:

“The decision to close the Magnet program at West University Elementary School has been anticipated by us for many years. When our school began to achieve Exemplary status in 2001, and received recognition from the Texas Business & Education Coalition as an Honor Roll School, from Children At Risk as one of the higher performing schools in Houston and Texas, and from the National Center for Educational Achievement as a Higher Performing School, our enrollment from families within our school attendance zone began to grow dramatically. Like many successful HISD schools, we accommodated this neighborhood growth by reducing the number of Magnet transfer students we accepted each year. While we are a whole school Magnet program and all children benefit from the program, our Magnet transfer enrollment has dropped to thirty-one children. Our percentage of neighborhood children has grown from 65 percent in 1996 to 98 percent today.

“One goal of the Magnet policy is for all Magnet schools to have 20 percent of their students transfer from outside the school attendance zone. In order to meet this goal and still educate the 1,200 students who live within our neighborhood, we would have to have a total enrollment of more than 1,600 students. This isn’t possible given the size of our building.

“We anticipated the eventual reduction or loss of Magnet funds over 15 years ago and began planning for it. The District has discussed the new goals for the last couple of years and we knew we would probably lose our program. Our PTO, administration, and community have already begun planning for this eventuality and will make sure that the educational excellence for which our school is well-known will continue without any of our programs suffering. We will continue to have the same great classes, teachers, and programs upon which our reputation stands.”

No crimes reported.

10-17-13

Possession of Narcotics

At 10:16 AM, an officer initiates a traffic stop in the 5900 block of Buffalo Speedway. Upon further investigation, it was discovered the driver was driving with a suspended license and in possession of a controlled substance. The driver was arrested.

10-17-13

Fraud

At 11:15 AM, an officer was dispatched to WUPD in reference to fraud. The victim advised that an unknown person used her debit card number to open an account.

10-17-13

Possession of Narcotics

At 7:19 PM, an officer initiated a traffic stop in the 4200 block of Bissonnet. The passenger was found to be in possession of marijuana. The passenger was arrested.

10-18-13

Warrant Arrest

At 2:44 AM, an officer was dispatched to HPD Southeast Jail to take custody of a subject with West U warrants. The subject was taken into custody and transported to WUPD Jail.

This community tradition will take place on Oct. 19 from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with the Bazaar starting at 10 a.m. on University Blvd in front of West U Elementary.

It promises to be a boo-tastic good time for kids of all ages and this year’s Carnival Chairs, Caroline Adams Jones, Kristine Martinez and Kara Schaefer invite the community and surrounding neighbors to attend.

This year the Boo Bash Carnival will have more than 30 fun inflatables and games, an entertainment stage with a DJ, the popular Sweet Shop, confetti eggs and also a few new tricks and treats. The Boo Bash Bazaar will feature a variety of great vendors selling jewelry, clothing, gifts, housewares and much more. Jerry Built will be on hand grilling up some delicious burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. Satisfy your food cravings with Chick-fil-A, pizza, cotton candy and Kona Ice.

Individual tickets for the Boo Bash Carnival will be available on the day of the carnival.

Fraud

At 11:58 AM, an officer was dispatched to WUPD in reference to fraud. The victim stated that her debit card was compromised and was used to withdraw money from an ATM in Chicago.

10-15-13

Criminal Mischief

At 3:39 PM, an officer was dispatched to the 4200 block of Bellaire in reference to graffiti spray paint on a wall.

Police said an intricate design was spray painted on the wall behind the Rec. Center. The incident is still under investigation.

10-15-13

Driving While License Suspended

At 10:38 PM, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 3200 block of Rice. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the driver had a suspended license. The driver was arrested.

Starting Nov. 4, the city will be implementing new recycling pickup days, which will be coordinated with trash pickup.

Starting Nov. 4, the city will be implementing new recycling pickup days, which will be coordinated with trash pickup. Residents will still have curbside recycling collection once a week, but it will be collected on one of the trash pickup days.

Currently, the city collects recycling on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Assistant Public Works Director Dave Beach said. The route restructuring will change pickup days to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. By not collecting recycling on Wednesdays, it reduces the city’s overhead costs and gives the city an alternative day to collect during the holidays.

For example, Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 28. Residents who have a Thursday recycling pickup day will have their recycling picked up on Wednesday, Beach said. Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, so the pickup day won’t be affected.

Be on the lookout for an information packet from the city starting Monday, Oct. 21. City staff will be hand delivering packets to every resident with information about their specific new recycling day. The packets will also include maps showing the new recycling and street sweeping days, holiday schedule for the remainder of 2013 and all of 2014.

Vovkovinskiy, who is 7 ft. 8 inches tall, came to speak to Pershing’s eighth grade Peer Assistance Leadership students.

The mission of the PAL, Peer Assistance and Leadership program, is to utilize the potential of young people to make a difference in their schools and communities. Founded in Austin in the 1980’s, the program addresses the underlying causes of violence, tobacco, alcohol, and drug use by youth. Students in PAL have the opportunity to work as peer helpers on their own campus and at the elementary schools, and are involved in creating and participating in service projects. These carefully chosen peer helpers must complete an extensive training program before mentoring other students or performing service-learning projects. Members of PAL are not counselors or teacher aides; these students simply provide a listening ear and a positive example for their peers to follow.

The organization is sponsored by two of our Pershing teachers, Dawn Harrison and Jerome Flanagan.

The first showing will be “Rise of the Guardians.” It is the story of five immortal guardians who must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world, from an evil spirit named Pitch.

The movie will start at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 and will be showed on a large inflatable screen by the Colonial Park Pavilion, located at 4130 Byron Street. Admission to the event is complimentary.

Movie snacks and drinks will be available for purchase on site.

The second presentation of Movies in the Park will feature “OZ: The Great and Powerful” on Friday, Oct. 25 after the second annual Full Moon Fest.

For more information, contact the West U Recreation Center at 713-662-7420.

James Jay Beckman, listed by the Harris County Appraisal District as the owner of a house on Albans valued at $882,985, is a co-defendant in the lawsuit along with his employer, CIT Group, Inc.

The lawsuit was filed by Houston KP, L.L.C., owners of the strip club “Privilege” located in Southwest Houston. The lawsuit alleges that between July 4th, 2013, and through the month of August, Beckman frequented the club “13-14” occasions, spending approximately $25,000 each time. Beckman allegedly used CIT Group’s American Express card to pay the bills.

In total, the club says Beckman spent $321,857.72 within that time frame. The lawsuit says that on or around Aug. 15, Beckman contacted American Express and said he did not authorize the charges, which were then reversed.

“In accordance with its standard policy, AMEX retained the money and refunded the charges to defendants’ AMEX account,” it says in the lawsuit. “In other words, AMEX took all the money the defendants spent at the club and returned it to them leaving the club out hundreds of thousands of dollars, causing the club to lose its privileges with AMEX, and causing AMEX to withhold additional monies from the club to cover defendants’ charges.”

The owners of the club also allege that about a year earlier, Beckman spent “substantial sums” at the club and again reversed the charges.

The lawsuit is asking for the full  $321,857.72, along with recovering “lost profits because the club lost its privilege to accept AMEX and lost substantial business as a result.”

Also included are exemplary damages, attorney fees, court costs and interest.

Located at the West University Community Center, 6104 Auden St., the event will boast a USA Track and Field-certified 5K course for the first time.

Read more …

Credit card abuse

At 09:04 AM, an officer was dispatched to WUPD in reference to credit card abuse. The victim stated that an unknown person used his credit card number to make purchases at several gas stations.

10-8-13

Driving while license suspended

At 3:22 PM, an officer initiated a traffic stop in the 3700 block of Robinhood. After further investigation, the driver was arrested for driving while license suspended.

10-8-13

Traffic Violations

At 8:20 PM, an officer was dispatched to area of University and Westchester for a report of a suspicious person. An officer arrived in the area and located the subject walking in the roadway where a sidewalk is provided.  The subject was arrested.

10-9-13

Possession of Narcotics

At 12:06 AM, an officer observed a male urinating in public in the 3900 block of Bellaire. The subject was also in possession of dangerous drugs. The subject was arrested.

The city sought applicants for positions on the zoning and planning commission, the zoning board of adjustment, the building and standards commission, the parks board, the recycling and solid waste reduction board, the senior services board and the Friends of West U Parks board.

The three statutory boards in West U are the ZPC, the ZBA and the BSC.

Council appointed Richard Wilson to serve as chairman of the ZPC. Other members include Philip Snyder, Mary Anne Jay, Sam Parikh, Lauren Griffith, Connie Clark and Michael McEnany.

Council appointed Carole Steen as chair of the ZBA. Other members include Sandy Hellums, Samantha Brantley, Prias Coffey and Milton Frankfort. Alternates include Donald Yurewicz, Don Culbert, Ed Sobash and Katherine Brem.

Longtime ZPC Chairman Steve Brown was appointed chair of the BSC. Other members include Sylvette Bobb, Vernon Tyger, Denny Powers and Frank Griffin. Alternates include Charles Marshall, Bruce Beneke, Kris Westbrook and David McDaniel.

Parks Board member Melissa Pifko has been named the new chair of the board with Kevin Boyle being named the new vice chair. Other members include Tracy Larson, Donald Armstrong, Jon Trevelise, Amanda McGee, Moya Varner, Susan Reeves, David DeAnda and Burt Ballanfant.

Council has appointed Orval Lee Marlow II as the new chair of the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board. Other members include Mary Birch, Vibhu Sharma, Jason Ball, Bill Rankin, Owen Rutz, Mimi Tsai, Mary Barnwell, Yvonne Jacobs, Jerome Brown and Edwina Forster.

Council reappointed Stan McCandless and John Neighbors to serve as co-chairs of the Senior Services Board. Other members include Pieter Vrancken, George Baker, Michelle Moore, Sarah Ballanfant, Selby Clark, Janet Vrancken, Becky Arnold, Mary Ryerson, Joe Mitchell and Virginia Lootens.

Katie Hill was appointed to the Friends of West U Parks Fund.

The term for the boards and commissions began Sept. 1 and will end on Aug. 31, 2015.

The adopted budget accounts for $32.4 million in expenditures and $34.4 million in revenues.

The budget is expected to raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by $537,848 or 3.43 percent. Of that amount, $116,637 is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year.

Property taxes account for 50 percent of the city’s revenue, or $16.3 million.

The general fund budget, which funds almost all city services, accounts for about $14.5 million in revenues and $15.6 million in expenditures.

The largest portion of the general fund accounts for personnel and benefits.

The city is eliminating two full-time positions through attrition due to technology enhancements and increased efficiencies in delivering services. The city will have 123 full time employees in 2014 compared to 125 in 2013.

The city has budgeted for a 3 percent pay-for-performance increase in anniversary dates for city employees. The city has also budgeted $1.7 million for employee health benefits.

The city budgeted for several capital projects including demolition and rebuild of the animal control shelter, a partial roof replacement on the municipal building, community building re-insulation and senior services heat pump and air handler replacement, Colonial Park concession area enhancement and pump house energy-efficient lighting additions.

The budget also includes replacement of seven public works vehicles.

West U residents may pay more in property tax rates in 2014 even though the city’s tax rate decreased due to the increase in appraised property values.