District K Newsletter – July 2021

On Thursday, July 8th, in collaboration with TIRZ 25, TIRZ 9 and the 5 Corners Improvement District, I unveiled an amazing $1.1 million project to enhance drainage, lighting, striping, landscaping, traffic movement, pedestrian safety and more at five major intersections along US 90A/ South Main.

 

The part of the project that you will probably notice first and love the most is the multi-colored illumination of underpasses, along with the median improvements, combining into a visual statement that District K is a place of character, pride, spirit and success.

 

The project, called the Gateway Improvements, will include upgrades along US 90A at, Fondren Road, Hillcroft Avenue, Chimney Rock Road, S. Post Oak Road and Hiram Clarke Road.

 

Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 25, a tri-party agreement partner with TIRZ 9 and the 5 Corners District to continue making improvements in the area, is funding the project. The Houston office of Huitt-Zollars, Inc., designed the project; D G MEDINA CONSTRUCTION LLP is the builder and Up Art Studio of Houston conceived the eye-popping lighting scheme.

 

With electrical work already underway, the project is scheduled for completion in December, just in time to contribute new lighting to the holiday season.

As we are working to improve the infrastructure in our community, residents will notice more large panel replacements throughout the district. The goal for replacing these structurally deficient panels is to preserve the existing pavement and extend the service life of our streets. Short of road reconstruction, panel replacements are considered substantive repairs that improve ride quality and safety. The following locations in Fort Bend, Houston will be addressed over the next few months:

 

 

We will continue to identify the areas in the district that qualify for panel replacements and hope you will let us know if there is an area you feel we should address as well. Please call the request in to 311 and follow up with and email or phone call to our office with the service request number. DistrictK@HoustonTX.gov or 832-393-3016

Mark your calendars for Harvest Market Day in Fort Bend Houston on Saturday, July 31, 2021. Mayor Sylvester Turner and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum will join HarvesTrolley on a tour in Fort Bend Houston to introduce the new shopping experience to the community.

 

HarvesTrolley offers a unique grocery shopping experience. Residents have a choice of receiving pre-ordered groceries and fresh Ready Meals from your friendly neighborhood driver or by shopping directly from the well-stocked Trolley. You can buy anything from milk and cheese to fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables, as well as, canned goods and dry products. This innovative service offers freedom to plan ahead or request a Trolley stop – the choice is yours!

 

For more information click on link: https://harvestrolley.com

Download the app – harvestrolley

 

Tour times and stops are still being finalized. More information coming soon.

What an honor it was to meet Raevyn Rogers last weekend as her family celebrated her success at the US Olympic Track & Field Trials. Raevyn attended Dowling Middle School (now Lawson) and then ran track for Kinkaid HS before she became a legendary University of Oregon Duck. Raevyn is a middle distance athlete whose personal best in the 800 metres of 1:57.66 is the 9th fastest in US History.

 

Raevyn is a 6 time NCAA individual champion, the 2017 winner of the Bowerman and now she is headed to Tokoyo with hopes of realizing her childhood dream. Despite being rescheduled for 2021, the event retains the Tokyo 2020 name and will take place from July 23 – August 8, 2021. We are rooting for Raevyn and all of the athletes representing the USA. After the Olympics Raevyn is headed to compete in the World Games. We will surely celebrate when she returns!

As we get closer to starting construction of our new library coming to 5505 Belrose Dr. we must determine a name. The Library Naming Committee has narrowed the over 300 suggestions to five choices. The city wide poll is now open and closes at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, July 14. Houstonians can vote for their favorite name from the list.

 

Click on link to cast your vote: https://forms.gle/VGWBbP6cJh28ZJo9A

JULY TREE WASTE SERVICES ARE DELAYED, AS A RESULT RESIDENTS WHO RECEIVE 1^st Week Tree Waste Collection Services SHOULD PLACE THEIR ITEMS ON THE CURB NOW!

 

Residents who receive 2^nd Week Tree Waste Collection Services should hold their items and not set-out before Wednesday, July 14.

 

Updates for 3^rd and 4^th Week Tree Waste Collection Services will be announced soon.

 

Solid Waste Management Department’s tree waste collection crews will collect only “clean” green placed out for collection in the month of July 2021. Starting July 8, crews are working to complete 1^ST week tree waste routes.

 

JULY is (odd month) Tree Waste Month. “Tree Waste” is defined as “clean” wood waste such as tree limbs, branches, and stumps. Lumber, furniture, and treated wood will NOT be accepted.

 

Junk Waste may NOT be placed for collection during a Tree Waste month.

 

Residents who wish to dispose of Tree Waste or Junk Waste before their scheduled once-per-month collection may use one of six Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Centers. For more information, visit the Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center web page here or call 3-1-1.

 

A few reminders:

·        No more than 8 cubic yards (about the size of a minivan) of tree waste may be placed at the curb for collection.

·        Solid Waste management is NOT allowed to collect any material that was generated by contractors.

Solid Waste crews are working diligently to remain on schedule with the support of contractor crews. The department apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused and want to ensure residents they are making every effort to avoid delays in service.

 

Link to the SWMD website for updates: https://bit.ly/3dZMBon

 

The “Friends of Marian Park” invite you to join their community bike ride on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 7:30 am. We encourage you to come out and join in on this fun community event.

 

Link to register: Bayou Trail Bike Ride

Houstonian’s love the arts! The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will award over $5.6 million in grants to 132 arts and culture nonprofit organizations. The grants will fund sponsored projects across the City that will offer public exhibitions, presentations, and performances in 2021.

 

The funds were awarded via the Support for Organizations grant program, which supports nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects with annual arts and cultural programming that is available to Houston residents and visitors. 

 

More information is available here. 

Attention aspiring business owners! The City of Houston’s 2021 Liftoff Houston Startup Business Plan Competition (Liftoff Houston), sponsored by Capital One Bank and administered by the Houston Public Library (HPL) and the Office of Business Opportunity (OBO).

 

Liftoff Houston aims to empower Houstonians to start their own businesses through a series of workshops and coaching sessions that take place from August through October. Winners in three categories – Service, Product, and Innovation – will each receive $10,000 in seed money from Capital One Bank. Applications are open through Monday, Aug. 2.

 

“Startup businesses play a critical role in our City’s economic future,” said Houston Public Library Director Dr. Rhea Lawson. “The Houston Public Library is pleased to support their development by providing access to free and vital business and investment reference resources, market research, state of the art technology equipment with high-speed Wi-Fi, and other valuable services such as fax and copy services and space for meetings and trainings.”

 

To qualify as a contestant for Liftoff Houston, applicants must live and operate their business within the Houston city limits. The business should be for-profit, in operation for less than one year, and have verifiable revenue that does not exceed $10,000. Past winners have included businesses in retail, merchandise, labor, consulting, software, hardware, market businesses, hospitality, tourism, health and fitness, education, finance, technology and logistics.

 

Those who do not qualify to compete in the competition, or those who do not wish to compete can also apply to participate in the Liftoff Houston Educational Pathway, which offers access to all the business education opportunities provided by the program, but without the pitching component.

 

“Liftoff Houston will provide you with a wealth of knowledge and information about how to successfully start your business, and the Office of Business Opportunity is also available to assist,” said Office of Business Opportunity Director Marsha Murray. “I encourage contestants to connect with us for a host of free resources at our ‘one stop business center’ where you can receive guidance on business permitting, licenses, one-on-one business counseling, legal assistance and much more. These services can certainly supplement the learnings offered by Liftoff Houston, and assist contestants on their entrepreneurship journeys.” 

 

For more information about Liftoff Houston, visit www.liftoffhouston.com or e-mail liftoffhouston@houstontx.gov. 

Are you interested in becoming a Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar? Becoming a VDVR allows you to legally register others to vote. If you have previously been a VDVR, your certification has expired and you need to attend another training in 2021 to continue registering voters. This certification will be effective through December 2022. This is a non partisan training.

 

Free COVID-19 vaccinations are available all over the Houston area. The schedule is available on the

vaccine page of HoustonEmergency.org/covid19.