HOUSTON (KTRK) — A sharp rise in burglaries in one neighborhood and the weather is making homes vulnerable to thieves.

Today, Houston police officers will go door to door in the east Montrose neighborhood just north of Westheimer.

Police can’t say for sure if these break-ins are the work of just one person. But it leads homeowners in
the neighborhood to wonder because in several of the home burglaries, the same MO was used.

Full Story (ABC 13 KTRK)

Please join us at the 1800 block of Norfolk on Tuesday, October 5th, 6 – 8 PM for our annual National Night Out event. We’ll be serving hamburgers and hotdogs grilled up fresh with chips, cokes, beer, and wine for all our residents. Feel free to bring an additional side or dessert to share.

In previous general meetings, the majority of residents have expressed interest in buying “sign toppers” for our street signs. The sign toppers are metal decorations that would be mounted to the top of all Richwood Place street signs to help define the neighborhood.

Cliff Helmcamp found a terrific quote from a sign shop in Louisiana that will produce all 15 of our signs for a fraction of the cost of previous bid:

15 18×14″ custom cut 3mil aluminum composite double sided signs, printed vinyl with laminate protection, full color – $480
15 18×14″ custom cut & painted .080 aluminum with RTA vinyl signs – limited to color and detail – $645

Remaining issues:

• We will need to get permission from the city to install the sign toppers.
• We need a logo/design that we own or that is within the fair uses of the license.
• We need to agree if the design, sign, and installation costs will come out of the general budget or if signs will be sponsored by a resident.
• We need to find and engage a contractor to do the installation.

If you are interested in assisting with any of the above items, please contact Cliff or reply to thie post. We can further discuss our plans at the October 5th National Night Out on the 1800 block of Norfolk.

We’ll be having a general neighborhood meeting at 7pm this Tuesday, August 10th at Zoe’s Kitchen on Shepherd. The meeting will last an hour and cover ongoing issues in Richwood Place.

See you there!

Here is a PDF of a Mandell Place (north of Richwood Place) security update that itemizes a number of burglaries in the last few weeks.

Mandell Place Security Update (7/2010)

In the age of big-box home improvement stores, the family-owned hardware store is getting rare, but Southland Hardware in Montrose is going strong.

The 16,500-square-foot store holds floor-to-ceiling bins of bolts and pipe fittings. Fan belts hang from the ceiling. An old wooden case displays pocket knives under glass.

Managers Ross Wandrey and Ekford Hazle have worked there 30 years. Bobbie Hardesty, 86, works in the electrical department and buys its inventory. Mayor Annise Parker is one of the regulars.

Full Story – Houston Chronicle