Minutes for Tuesday, January 22, 2008

ALIEF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
Minutes for Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Alief Super Neighborhood #
25 held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2008
at 7:00 P.M. at the CenterPoint Energy Building, 12330 Bellaire Blvd.

PROGRAM
Michael Manning called the
meeting to order at 7:10 PM. Secretary, Henry Williams,
conducted Roll Call of council members (See attached.). A quorum
was met.

Hospitality: Donated
by A’ Chau Chinese Restaurant, 6796 Synott @Bellaire. Organized
and delivered by Ray Moon. Thanks were expressed for their support
of the ASNC and the Alief community.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS:
Guests present included: Mark Fury (Harris Co. Commissioner Steve Radick’s
office); Bill King (former Kemah mayor/ member of Houston-Galveston
Area Council, transportation); NgocThanh Nguyen (Boat People SOS); Shami
Gill (Manager Alief Library); Catherine Le, (Congressman Al Green’s
office), Courtney Moore (TX State district 133 Rep Jim Murphy’s office);
Ricci Sanchez (HCHD Boone Rd Clinic manager); Kristi Thibaut (candidate
for TX State Rep. District 133); Joe Lippeatt (ASNC web site organizer/new
email system)
MOTIONS
MADE:

1. Elsie Smith: to
   accept the November minutes as presented. Seconded: Ray Moon.
   Council voted. Motion Passed

2. Henry Williams:
   to accept the qualified council members for re-certification.
   Seconded: Dave Williams. Council voted. Motion Passed.

3. Marie Lee: to add
   Alief Community Park demolishment and rebuilding as a multi-service
   center to the SNAP. Seconded: Elsie Smith. After discussion,
   motion was withdrawn.

4. Marie Lee: to write
   a letter in support of Rainbow Village III, independent senior living
   center. Seconded: Michael Manning. Motion Passed.

GUEST SPEAKERS:
NgocThanh Nguyen from
Boat People SOS, requested that immigrants who are victims of domestic
violence should be referred to her organization. She distributed
information about Boat People SOS.

CATHERINE LE – Reported
Congressman Al Green’s office gives assistance to people needing help
with federal programs such as: immigration service, VA, housing, Medicare,
social security, etc.

RICCI SANCHEZ – Director,
new Harris County Community Health Center on Boone Road, reported that
ground has been broken for the new facility; the new slab has been marked
out, and work is ongoing.

KRISTIN SWANN – Texans
Together is a non-profit, working from the grassroots, to organize the
community to work together for improvements. They are involving
many young people. They had a meeting at the library on January
5; the next one will be Feb. 2 at 10:30 AM. Some of their members attended
the SNAP meetings.

RICK MORENO – Newly
elected AISD School Board member, thanked all who voted for him.

SALVADORE MEJIA – Independent
Soccer League of Alief. Thanked all who have helped him keep 5-15
year old kids playing soccer and out of trouble. There are 20 soccer
teams for kids and adults at the Alief Community Park.

JOE LIPPEATT – Stated
that the www.AliefLife.com web site address will take you to
the ASNC website (AliefSuperNeighborhood.org). He said
any organization that wishes to make an announcement can post it at
the site along with their email address. He also said he would
look into the issue of eliminating the problem of outgoing emails by
Anne being sent in duplicate. Michael presented him with a certificate
of appreciation and thanked him for all his hard work and long hours.
COMMITTEE

& STANDING REPORTS
CHAIR’S REPORT
– Chairman Michael Manning suggested a need to get a high school student
on the council, and requested that the By-laws committee research the
possibility (Dave Williams, Marie Lee, and Henry Williams).

Michael said he received a
request for representatives to attend a newly organized City of Houston
medical advisory group. Volunteers were Ricci Sanchez, from Harris
Co. Hospital District and Kimberley Mathis, of W. Houston Medical Center
and an ASNC board member.

TREASURER’S REPORT-
Ray Moon stated that any individual or business can support the ASNC
through food sponsorship for $150 per donation. The bank balance
was $3,549.70. Some of the money includes the food donations.
Michael said the council should be able to find appropriate spending
venues for the money.

SECRETARY’S REPORT
– Secretary Henry Williams reported that the 2008 & 2009
term Stakeholder Endorsement forms for the following positions have
been submitted for re-certification and are qualified:

Position # 3 Alief Community

 

Assoc. (ACA) – Mike Kreinsen

Position # 4 S.A.V.E. Alief

 

– Henry Williams

Position # 12 Resident

 

at Large 1 – Barbara Quattro

Position #15 Neighborhood

 

Area #2 – Dorothea Pindell was seated in November

Position #17: Neighborhood

 

Area #4 – Michael Manning

Hubert Vo resigned from the
Cultural Diversity Group Position # 19. (See Position #6 below)
Razi Asaduddin submitted paper
work for approval and was seated in the Cultural Diversity Group Position
# 19.

* Paperwork is in transit

 

for: Position # 1: Religious Group – L’Tisha Michaels

Position # 6 Management Company Group

 

– Hubert Vo

OPEN POSITIONS: # 7, Youth
Services; #9, Social Services; #10, Chamber of Commerce, #13, Resident-at-Large
#2.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR
OFFICERS consists of Marie Lee, Anne Williams and Dorthea Pindell.
Nominated and elected were: Michael Manning, Chairman; Dave Williams,
Vice Chair; Ray Moon, Treasurer; and Henry Williams, Secretary.

SNAP COMMITTEE consists
of anyone (not just council members) who wants to be on the committee.
All are invited to participate. Currently, Dorothea Pindell is Chairman,
Vice Chair is Razi Asaduddin, and members are Dave Williams and Chet
Machen. Preliminary reports were handed out to the floor and council.
Michael noted that for the evening both SNAP and CIP items would be
handled together.

Razi outlined the twelve areas
of interest for improvements developed by the SNAP group. Those
items included police presence, clean up trash, expand library, improvements
to Alief Community Park, need for hike and bike trails, widening of
Bissonnet, a multicultural fair/festival, after school programs, youth
initiatives, street lights, traffic control signals, senior citizen
program, support of the management district, beautification, tourism,and
public works including sidewalks.

The council voted to prioritize
the top three SNAP issues. They were: (1) Alief Community Park;
(2) Library; (3) Police, tied for second; and (4) Green and Clean.
The remainder of the needs would stand as the committee listed them.
He directed the council to come up with ideas on how to perform the
youth initiatives program.
Area resident, Ms Teri Kaplan,
(also from TX Dot) stated that when the SNAP/CIP states the need for
hike and bike trails, or other general projects should be more specific
as to location.
BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS:
Tree Planting
– Barbara Quattro announced she plans no tree planting this year due
to the frequent need for watering vs. paucity of availability of volunteers
to water the trees

CITY REPORTS – DONALD
PERKINS (city Planning & Dev. Dept)
announced:

• He has taken care
  of the installation of the street lights portion of the SNAP.
• Encouraged everyone
  to attend the CIP meeting for District F on Monday, January 28th.
  He also suggested that the council separate the SNAP items from the
  CIP items.
• Said plans were
  in the making to widen Bissonnet from four to six lanes however, this
  would involve reducing the median width and thus the trees planted thereon.
  He told Barbara Quattro that she could meet with the officials at the
  planning stage and see how to save as many trees as practicable.
• Declared the 2008-2013
  CIP can be found on line and at the library.
• Suggested additional
  speakers to include Arturo Michelle (legal department), the solid waste
  director, and at large council members Peter Brown, Ronald Green, and
  Yolanda Jones.
• Provided a handout
  with information available on the various officials serving the District.
• Stated there is
  a Keep Houston Beautiful grant up to $500 per organization available;
  details will be emailed.

NEW BUSINESS
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
– March: HPD Captain Richard Gerstner, Westside Police Station;
and a short update from TX State Representative Hubert Vo.
PUBLIC SESSION
Dan
Nip, Representative from Senior Independent Living Projects including
a new one on Boone Loop Road (Rainbow Village I, II and III).
Michael recommended the council write a letter of support for same.
There are elevators and back up generators. Rainbow Village I
and II are 100% occupied with 178 residents.

The next ASNC meeting will
be held at 7:00 P.M. on the fourth Tuesday, February, 26th, 2008, at
the CenterPoint Energy Building, 12330 Bellaire Blvd.

The meeting adjourned at 9:08
P.M.

Minutes approved on _____________________

Compiled by Vivien Sugar, Appointed
Assistant Recording Secretary

Edited and Respectfully Submitted
Henry Williams, Secretary Alief
Super Neighborhood Council