The Third Annual “Around Hear” concert will be performed on the Menil campus this Saturday, April 17, 2010, at 1:00 PM. These free concerts are produced, composed and performed by students from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The music is celebrates the sights and sounds of the outdoors.
Bring chairs and/or blankets and enjoy a free concert of interesting music.
The American Planning Association has unveiled the top 30 places to live in America and wouldn’t you know it, Montrose is listed among the top 10 neighborhoods! Our neighborhood was the only neighborhood in Texas that was selected. To read about their selection criteria and their article on our neighborhood, click here. Other articles that highlight this news: Houston Press, Fox Houston, Dallas Voice
The Greater East End Management District announced that it has been awarded $5 million in stimulus funds for bringing sidewalks to city standards along Navigation, York and Sampson in the East End. The improvements will also include lighting, striping, benches, plantings, transit shelters and ramps.
For those who might not know, we have recently become a part of the newly created West Montrose Management District. The hope is that we can get some of the same attention that this district has received. Here is an except from the Houston Chronicle about our new management district:
The West Montrose Management District also has a proposed inaugural board of directors and its service and assessment plan is in place, reflecting those of its east Montrose counterpart, which has 11 board members.
The west district will have only five, but “there’s some overlap” that would facilitate unification of the districts, Hawes said.
All directors are volunteers and either property owners or agents of property owners.
The east district’s budget for 2009 is $453,000, based on 2008 property valuations, Hawes said.
If legislation passes, west Montrose businesses will be assessed 12.5 cents per $100 valuation.
A four-component service and assessment plan operational in the district’s eastern half would be extended into the district’s western half if the legislation passes, Hawes said.
The service plan includes public safety, business development, transportation and visual promotion.
“In public safety, (we would have) off-duty patrol officers patrolling the area, as they already do in East Montrose,” Hawes said. “We have a vehicle and they patrol and we are already seeing great effects from that.
“We work closely with (Houston Police Department) vice squads and gang task force.”
Business development is achieved through marketing the nonresidential business area, Hawes said, and transportation planning will pay close attention to opportunities and challenges afforded by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s proposed light-rail line on Richmond Avenue.
Parking plan
“We’re working with St. Thomas University in coming up with a parking plan,” Hawes said. “We want people to be cognizant of the vitality of these commercial developments and businesses without negative affects.
“We just hired Walter P. Moore to do a mobility assessment for parking, streets, curbs, pedestrian walkways and we’re doing that right now.”
The fourth area of visual promotion focuses on public right of ways and thoroughfares, but from an aesthetic viewpoint aimed at improving the area’s landscaping, lighting, esplanades and pedestrian crosswalks and business access.
“We’re not here to replace city and county services,” Hawes said. “We’re trying to be the glue that brings the community together to speak as one voice.”
Though only commercial enterprises are assessed or targeted for improvements, the districts end up benefiting residents, visitors and customers, he said.
“Everyone benefits from higher values and a higher caliber of commercial development, areas where people want to walk and spend money,” Hawes said.
There were too many useful links to fit them all on the side bar, so we pared them down to the most useful, and here you have the full set.
City Councilmember District D 713.247.2001
Harris County Precinct 1
– Neartown Office 713.755.9300
– Main Office 713.755.6111
HPD Neartown / Montrose Center 713.284.8604
HPD Traffic Fines Info 713.247.5100
HPD Non Emergency 713.884.3131
HPD Central Division 713.247.4400
Texas State Rep District 134 512.463.0389
Texas State Senator District 13 512.463.0113
Texas State Board of Education Rep 281.257.0836
US Rep District 7 202.225.2571
US Senators 202.224.2934 202.224.5922
Center Point 24-Hour Reporting 800.752.8036
Reliant Energy 866.222.7100
Houston METRO Schedules 713.635.4000
Houston Museum District 713.715.1939
IAH Airport 281.230.3100
Hobby Airport 713.640.3000
Houston Better Business Bureau 713.867.4947