Save the date for our Spring Membership Drive- Neighborhood Block Party, Monday, May 7 from 6-8pm. We originally had it on the schedule in April, so be sure to note the change on your calendars.
Also, we are looking at having the party in the 1800 Block of Lexington to show off their beautiful streets, curbs and sidewalks…if you are a resident of this block and want to help host, we would love to have you help! What we need from you: your driveway, and front yard and (hopefully) use of your grill. Let one of the Board members know if you or a group of neighbors would like to host together. It is always a fun time!
Happy April!
Author: El Momma
SIGN TOPPERS! and many thanks!
Here are some photos of the sign toppers being installed in late October. These signs really look amazing. Thank you to all who helped install them. Especially Andrew Stefaniak for leading the team. Thank you to Moustapha El-Hakam for the great design and to Cliff Helmcamp for being instrumental in having the signs fabricated. We have many neighborhood realtors to thank for paying for the signs:
John Daugherty Realtors – Jim Smith.
Greenwood King Properties – Ruth Adams and Cliff Helmcamp.
Heritage Texas Properties – Jerry Blum and Suzie Herring.
Modern City Properties – Lisa Thompson.
New Leaf Realty – David Houston.
Thank you all for your contribution to our great neighborhood. Your neighbors appreciate you!
I also want to thank Andrew Stefaniak for installing our new neighborhood watch signs. They look amazing. Last year the Neighborhood Watch team logged 723 volunteer hours patrolling our great neighborhood. Great job everyone! Special thanks to Sue Bailey and Larry Wood for keeping our Neighborhood Watch group organized.
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- RICHWOOD PLACE- Corner of Hazard and Lexington
Happenings in and around the neighborhood…
Good afternoon, neighbors! Hope you are all keeping dry out there on this wet March day.
I just wanted to send out some updates about things that are going on and have been going on in the neighborhood.
We had our first general meeting of the year on Tuesday, February 21 from 7-8pm at Zoe’s Kitchen. There were approximately 20 residents in attendance. We also had a visit from Council member Ellen Cohen’s chief of staff.
Some of the topics we discussed included: Security, CIP plan, Deed Restrictions, Drainage at Ervan Chew Park, our new Neighborhood identification and Citizen Patrol/Watch signs, Street reconstruction, drainage and sidewalk improvement initiative via 3-1-1.
We set a date for our Spring Membership drive/ Block party, Wednesday, April 18. 6-8pm. Possible location is the 1900 Block of Lexington unless another resident volunteers their driveway/yard. There will be a raffle. Every household that is a 2012 member of the Civic Association will be entered to win. NNO in the fall will be on the 1800 Block of Norfolk.
We heard a report on Graffiti by one of our neighbors working hard to abate graffiti very quickly. Thank you! Your work is really making a difference.
Behind 1857 Richmond there are several shopping carts. We could use a volunteer to drive by with a truck, pick up the carts and drop them in the parking lots of the stores where they belong- they are marked. At least 2 belong to Randall’s. I’ve asked them to come pick them up and they have not. Please let me know if you can help with this.
The city moved forward with drainage improvements to the soccer field at Ervan Chew Park this month. I will send out an update when I receive more information.
A new initiative to work toward seeing our streets, sidewalks and drainage improved will be rolling out soon. We’ll send out more info once the plans are finalized.
I’m posting pics of the new sign toppers in a separate post. Check them out!
Hope you all have a great day.
-Rebekah
First General Meeting of the Year this Tuesday!
Please Join us this Tuesday, February 21 for our first General Meeting of the year at Zoe’s Kitchen. 7pm
I met with our District C Council Member, Ellen Cohen earlier this week about several ongoing and some new issues in our neighborhood. A few of these issues include: street reconstruction, drainage, sidewalks, graffiti, installation of proper drainage of the soccer field at Chew Park, crime, ongoing issues at Hazard and Richmond, and more. Please come to the meeting and be a part of the discussion and let us know how we can work together to make Richwood Place an even better neighborhood in 2012.
Meetings are open to all current members of the civic association. If you have not paid dues in 2012, please do so at the meeting OR online here: http://www.richwoodplace.org
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam
President, Richwood Place Civic Association
Save the Date(s) and Call 3-1-1
Dear Richwood Place Neighbors,
We have a couple of meetings coming up that we would like for you to know about and attend.
First, our first Board meeting of 2012 will be Wednesday, January 25 at the home of Treasurer,
Sue Bailey
1930 Norfolk
7-8pm
All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Our first general meeting of the year will be Tuesday, February 21 at Zoe’s Kitchen from 7-8pm.
Please visit our website http://www.richwoodplace.org to pay your 2012 dues of at least $50. You can also mail a check to our PO Box at
Richwood Place Civic Association
PO Box 980262
Houston, Texas 77098
or, you can bring it with you to the first meeting.
Up until quite recently, the amount of graffiti has been down in our neighborhood. Thanks, in part to the work of one amazing neighbor. However, last week, we encountered more graffiti at the park and on a residential fence. Some of it has been abated already. On Sunday, they could not take their truck, pictured below onto the soccer field because of the known drainage issue that we have been working with the city to fix for over a year. The ground was too wet to drive a truck on. The truck is pictured below. Please take time to look for graffiti. If you see the graffiti in the park or in other areas of our neighborhood, call 3-1-1 and make a report. Be specific about the markings, the color and what is said and mention “gang graffiti.”
Thank you and I hope to see you all soon.
Happy 2012!
-Rebekah
Yard of the Month- 1933 Lexington…Congratulations!
1803 Portsmouth- YARD of the MONTH!
Congratulations to our most recent yard of the month winners!
A Richwood Place National Night Out to remember
We were ready. The planning was over and now it was time for National Night Out!
The tables were set, the band was finishing their sound check and neighbors were beginning to arrive. Right on time, the fire truck from our local HFD Fire Station 16, pulled up. They said they were going to park in the middle of the street, blocking it. That sounded good to me. Just then they got a phone call ,”We have to make a quick run. We’ll be back!” Off they went, to work.
Meanwhile, the band started playing. Allen Oldies Band, all dressed in classic suits and ties playing from a neighbors’ front driveway and serenading folks as they walked down the street. They were great! The dance floor, aka. the driveway, was open and the children started to dance. The dancing wouldn’t end until the music did, well after dark.
Neighbors arrived from all over our 12 block neighborhood, adding their appetizer or sweet dish to the table, signing in, slapping on a nametag and grabbing a beverage. The party was off to a festive beginning as everyone began to talk with their friends and neighbors. And, the Fire Truck and firemen returned from Station 16.
We had well over 125 neighbors in attendance. One of the first to arrive was a gentleman who has lived in Richwood Place for 38 years. He talked about the changes to the neighborhood and said this was his “first neighborhood event!” He had received 2 invitations, so he had decided to come on out for the party. There was the couple who just moved in. They were excited to meet more of their neighbors and get a feel for the neighborhood. Of course, there were the familiar faces, the folks who support and come to every event and then there were the new faces, some young, some older. But, new. Lots of new smiling faces. And, kids! There were children everywhere. They were dancing, sneaking cookies from the food table, playing with giant blow-up hammers, running, walking and being held by their parents. They were happy to see each other.
This night was special. It is one that won’t soon be forgotten. And, it wouldn’t have happened without some very special folks that I’d like to take a moment to sincerely thank.
First, thank you to our hosts. For offering your part of the block…again! For grilling, helping to set everything up and cleaning up after the party. Thank you for offering a driveway stage and dance floor. And, to our hosts that were busy welcoming our newest resident. We thank you for always supporting our great neighborhood! Welcome to Richwood Place, little one.
Second, a huge “thank you” to our sponsors!!! Our neighbor and friend, Ash Rowell and Duff Beer and Wine Distribution provided all of the beer and wine. If you were there, you saw the variety of really great beers he provided for the event. This was awesome! Ash, you and Duff outdid yourself! Thank you!
Our invitations and banner would not have happened without two of our sponsors: Moustapha El-Hakam, Attorney at Law and REPRINT!, Your Local Printer. Thank you to Moustapha for designing the invitations, banner and street sign toppers. Our neighborhood printer, REPRINT!, located at the corner of S.Shepherd and 59, south of 59 printed everything for us. Craig Pritchard, at REPRINT!, was amazing to work with. They were fast and did everything right the first time. I thought the invites and banner looked amazing.
And a big thank you goes out to two Neighborhood Realtors for sponsoring the event: Cliff Helmcamp with Greenwood King and Jerry Blum with Heritage Texas. These two sponsorships were key to us being able to hire the Allen Oldies Band. And, that was such a huge part of making the night as fabulous as it was. The energy was great and the music was awesome! Thank you to Cliff Helmcamp and to Jerry Blum for your sponsorships of the event. The band rocked!
Thank you to all of the neighbors for coming to National Night Out 2011! It was a huge success. Please support our sponsors, as they were a big part of this event being as successful and fun as it was.
We will be following up with folks and asking them to join the civic association. Dues go toward events like this one, security, deed restriction enforcement, beautification projects, etc. You can join by clicking the above tab “Join Today!” Annual dues for 2011 are $25 per household, or you are welcome to donate more. Thank you for your support. We hope to see you around Richwood Place!
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- National Night Out- 2011
Graffiti, working together to solve this growing problem
If you’ve walked or driven through the neighborhood in recent days, you’ve probably noticed it. It’s mostly in the public right-of-way, on city property. It’s on some business signs and doors. It’s on the phone metal boxes owned by at& t, on polls, signs, walls, etc. I hesitate to say it is everywhere, but it is. It’s everywhere. Graffiti.
I can hardly stand it. I’ve called the city countless times. The first step, calling 3-1-1. The city says that in order to prevent graffiti, you must abate graffiti within 24-48 hours. Currently, that is not happening. And, when graffiti is removed, nearby graffiti is ignored.
We are working on a new plan to solve this issue. Please read the below article from the city’s website. And, let the board know if you have any ideas to help us rid Richwood Place of graffiti.
Note: I intentionally left out specifics about the graffiti from this post including the word that is being used most that begins with the letter “r.” I’ve also been in contact with the HPD gang task force asking for their help as well.
An Update regarding new drainage in the soccer field of Ervan Chew Park
As you may recall, we have been working with the city for the last several months to get drainage added to the existing soccer field. As part of the recent updates to the park beginning in 2010, a new concrete walking path now encircles the entire soccer field. On one hand, we have not had to worry about the drainage issue this Summer, as we are in such need of rain, However, we are hopeful there will be rain soon and are still working to get this fixed.
Here is the update I received from the City of Houston this morning:
“We received the bids, we now have all the necessary documents from the successful bidder so we can create a contract. We are going to Council to award the contract in mid-October, after which we can issue the Notice to Proceed for the work to begin.
The drainage project was bid with other projects to insure the best price, and I have spoken to the Project Manager responsible for this to see if we can do the drainage project at Ervan Chew first.”
I will post any further updates as I receive them.
