ALIEF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING

Minutes for Tuesday, November 27, 2007

 

Alief Super Neighborhood # 25 held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday,
November 27, 2007 at 7:00 P.M. at the CenterPoint Energy Building,12330 Bellaire Blvd.

 

PROGRAM:

Chairman Michael Manning called the meeting to order at 7:05 P.M.
Secretary Henry Williams conducted the Roll Call of council members. He
announced a quorum was present. (See attached.)

 

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

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Ms Tina Tran (Sen. Rodney Ellis’ office); Mr.Wea Lee & Mr John Robbins
(International Business District); HPD Officer Scales, and Veronica Hernandez ( Mayor’s Office).

 

MOTIONS made:

1. Chet Machen:
   to appoint to Nomination Committee: L’Tisha Michaels, Marie Lee, and
   Anne Williams.  Seconded: Dorothea Pindell.
   Council voted.  Motion
   Passed.

 

COMMITTEE & STANDING
REPORTS –

a. ALIEF
LIBRARY – Manager Shami Gill reported there are now 7 new
computers for research only, and 7 more new ones for general use. Early voting
started today and is from 7 AM to 7
PM.

 

GUEST SPEAKERS:

1. JAMES TILLMAN, from the City of Houston Planning Dept. explained this year’s SNAP
   program. The city plans to spend more, and do it more quickly to complete
   infrastructure needs. For instance,
   drainage repairs are a top priority and have taken a good share of the project
   budget funds.

 

1. WEA LEE, from the Southern Chinese Daily News
   and president of the new 16 square mile INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICT explained
   that the priorities are, first crime and security and then landscaping and
   beautification. The boundaries are from the Beltway to Highway 6 along
   Bellaire, Beechnut and Bissonnet. It will be supported by a tax on involved
   businesses. We all need to work together
   to develop more business in the area.

 

CITY REPORTS: Mr. Donald
Perkins, from the city planning Dept., introduced the new planner assigned to
Alief, Mr. Luis Nunez. He will be the Super Neighborhood’s contact with
the planning dept. and may be contacted at Luis.Nunez@cityofHouston.net  or 713-837-7755.

 

OLD
BUSINESS

TREE PLANTING – Barbara Quattro reported we are not planning any
tree plantings this year since keeping them watered is too difficult because of
lack of volunteers.  Gary Woods, previously
with the city parks dept. has been appointed as the City Advocate for
Trees.  He is now working to convince the
city that volunteers can not handle the watering, which the city could do with
little effort.  Many more trees would be
planted and city would be much prettier and healthier if he is successful.

 

NEW BUSINESS

Ms. Jan Albers, president of
Brookfield Home Owners Improvement Corp., presented a donation check of $250 from
the HoA to the ASNC. Thanks were expressed for their continued support of
the ASNC and the Alief community. This is their third annual donation.

 

SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN (SNAP) PLANNING – There will be a follow-up meeting for finalizing the
work done tonight next Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 PM
at the library on Kirkwood.

Chairman, Michael Manning, asked that all attending breakup into 4
groups to address the following area concerns: 1] PUBLIC HEALTH 2]
TRANSPORTATION, 3] GREEN SPACE 4] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The committees gave the following reports:

 

• Public Health / Public Safety /
  Public Education – Dorothea Pindell

o
Expanded Library with sectioned off areas for
children, teens, adults, using the computers.  Quiet area for reading and
research.  New library to have designated study rooms.

o
Neighborhood Watch Program

o
Area businesses can help in training high school
students by giving them jobs/internships where they can learn useful
skills.  More partnership between area businesses and high school
students.

o
More organizations like Big Brother / Big Sister so
young kids can look up to a role model.

o
Senior Citizen Center with recreational activities, classes,
etc.

o
Vocational courses for parents.

o
Preventive programs for youth

o
More police officers.

• Transportation / Infrastructure
  – Razi Asaduddin

o
Widen Bissonnet from 4 to 6 lanes from (Beltway 8 to
City limits)

o
Light-Rail along Westpark Tollway

o
Full Depth Paving along:

• Kirkwood (West Belfort to Bissonnet
• West Belfort (Kirkwood to Synott)
• Beechnut (Beltway 8 to City Limits)
• Dairy Ashford (Alief Clodine to West Belfort)

o
Overlay Keegans rd
(Bissonnet to West Belfort)

o
Optimize Traffic Control Signals on Bellaire,
Beechnut, Bissonnet, and West Belfort.

o
Expand Harwin (beltway 8 to City Limits)

o
Expand/Widen Synott (Bellaure

to Harwin)

o
Streetlights on Eldridge (Beechnut to Bellaire)

• Parks / Green Space – Michael
  Kreinsen

o
1. Alief Community Park Improvements

• Re-engineer or contour the playing fields to improve
  drainage
• Re-surface the park roadway at the Bellaire entrance/
  exit
• Revise the Bellaire entrance/ exit to improve traffic
  safety

Add parking spaces

• Add handicap parking spaces

o
2. Harwin Park Improvements

• Repair / Resurface the walking trail
• Add parking spaces
• Add handicap parking spaces

o

3. Add Hike & Bike Trail

• Along bayou from Alief Hastings HS to ArthurStorey Park

Economic Development / Out of the Box
– Wei Lee

o
Visitor / Connection Center in Chinatown

o
Upgrade Strip Centers to code

o
Beautification of Streets

o
Expansion of side walk system

o

Tax incentives for small businesses

o
Business/government security initiatives

o
Support blue star initiatives

o
Collaborate with Dept of Commerce & state

o
Support Int’l Management District

 

These suggestions came from the Dec 3
follow-up meeting at the Alief Library:

Full-depth repair (cut into street and replace with
concrete)

• Full-depth
  repair along West Bellfort (Kirkwood to Synott)
• Full-depth
  repair along Beechnut (Beltway 8 to city limit)
• Full-depth
  repair along Harwin (Beltway 8 to Boone Rd.)
• Full-depth
  repair along Bissonnet (Beltway 8 to Synott)
• Full-depth
  repair along Dairy Ashford (West Bellfort to Alief-Clodine)
• Full-depth
  repair along Boone Rd. (Harwin to Bissonnet)
• Full-depth
  repair along Kirkwood (West Bellfort to Bissonnet)

 

Street lights (I’ll forward you an application
to submit based on the following submittals. All these requests are major
thoroughfares)

• Kirkwood (northbound side) – Hornsbrook to West Bellfort
• Kirkwood (southbound side) – Emery to West Bellfort
• Kirkwood (northbound side) – Alief-Clodine Rd. to Bellaire Blvd.
• Kirkwood northbound side) – Carvel to
  Beechnut
• Wilcrest
  (southbound side) – Beechnut to drainage ditch @ Glenshannon
  subdivision

 

Trees (these should have been planted in esplanade after
major thoroughfare was completed)

• Kirkwood (Alief-Clodine to Bellaire Blvd.)

 

Traffic control

• Install
  protected left-turn traffic signal along Wilcrest @ High Star (northbound
  & southbound)
• Install
  protected left-turn traffic signal along Cook Rd. @ High Star (northbound &
  southbound)
• Install traffic
  signal along Kirkwood @ Hendon (replace 4-way stop sign
  along major thoroughfare)

 

PUBLIC
SESSION

TEXANS TOGETHER – Two members attended the meeting this evening. It is a non-profit organization concerned
with health, education, safety and other area concerns.

 

KERR HIGH SCHOOL – Music students thanked Alief for
their support. $2,000 was raised by the 400 people who attended their fund
raiser.  On December 12 at 7 PM is a free concert at Taylor HS; Dec. 20,
tickets are $20, for a dinner (6 pm) and concert (7:45 pm) at Kim Son Restaurant on Bellaire.

 

The next ASNC meeting will be held at 7:00 P.M. on the fourth Tuesday,
January 22, 2008, at the CenterPoint Energy Building, 12330 Bellaire Blvd.

 

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

 

 

Minutes approved on _____________________

 

Respectfully Submitted

Henry Williams, Secretary