Ongoing Issues

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A New Home in Richwood Place, 1850 Norfolk

Construction has begun on a brand new single family home in the 1800 block of Norfolk on a 8625 square foot lot. Developer, Carol Isaak Barden is developing the home.

She recently sent us this photo which gives us a glimpse as to what things will eventually look like. Carol says she is working to make the home very “green.” Once all of her vendors are solidified, she’ll send us more photos and she’ll have a sign posted on the property with further details. We welcome Ms. Barden to our neighborhood!

1850 Norfolk, currently under construction

To read more about Carol and her company and to see photos of some of her other projects, visit: http://www.carolisaakbarden.com/

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History of Properties in Richwood Place

Ever wondered about the history of your home? Who lived there before you? Has your house changed a lot over the years?

In February of 2010, Daniel Baker, the current Vice President of the Civic Association posted information about his experience locating some of the history of his home. Daniel’s post can be found here: http://home.richwoodplace.org/2010/02/28/historic-information-and-resources/

I followed the links from Daniel’s post, requested and received information on my house as well. The information included the names of previous owners, the appraised value at various times in history and a picture of the house. The above image from the year 1964 was a part of the file images I received. It was a very easy process. So, click the links and find out more about the history of your home. It could prove to be very interesting!

A view of our home, from the year 1964

Our house, today, from the same view

 

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NEXT GENERAL MEETING AT ZOE’S KITCHEN Tuesday, July 12th, 7-8pm

Dear Neighbors,

Our next general meeting at Zoe’s Kitchen will be held Tuesday, July 12th from 7-8pm. We hope you can join us. Meetings are open to all members. If you have not paid your 2011 dues, you can do so here by selecting “Join Today” at the top of the page. A minimum of $25 is required for 2011, however, there are larger amounts also available if you would like to donate more. We thank you for your support.

The Board of the RPCA will be meeting on Monday, July 11 from 7-8pm at the home of RPCA Secretary, Andy Stefaniak -1831 Norfolk- to prepare for the general meeting. Board meetings are open to all members as well.

We hope to see you soon and hope you are all keeping cool!

Sincerely,

Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam- 281-804-2157

President, Richwood Place Civic Association

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ERVAN CHEW PARK RIBBON CUTTING to CELEBRATE PARK UPGRADES

In Conjunction with Opening Day 2011 of Neartown Little League, there will be a “Ribbon Cutting” Ceremony at ERVAN CHEW PARK in honor of the recent improvements to the park.

When: Saturday, March 26, 2011 / 9:15 a.m.
Where: Ervan Chew Park

Program Participants (in order of appearance):
Master of Ceremonies – Mr. Joe Turner, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department
The Honorable Wanda Adams, Council Member District D, City of Houston
The Honorable Sue Lovell, Council Member At-Large 2, City of Houston
Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam, President, Richwood Place Civic Association

What: 15 minute ceremony to celebrate the improvements at Ervan Chew Park

Thanks to one of our residents and active members of the Neartown Little League, we were notified of this event this week and are happy to report that our neighborhood will be included in this celebration. We hope you can join us on Saturday.

Please also note that the Richwood Place Civic Association Board is working diligently to make further improvements to the park and we have received approval from the Parks Board to make some aesthetic improvements. We will be presenting these to the general membership for discussion and vote at the next general meeting.

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Meeting with and Improvements Planned for 1901 Richmond

As we are all aware, the apartments at 1901 Richmond have been a problem in our neighborhood for quite some time. The apartments formerly known as Skylane and most recently Houston Medical Apartments have been the home and cause of much criminal activity in and around our neighborhood. We’ve spent much time talking about this apartment complex and what we can do as a neighborhood to improve the quality of life in the surrounding area and clean up 1901 Richmond.

Thanks, in part to a post on this website and to a new owner interested in improving this property, representatives of our neighborhood met with the new owner this week. His name is Cody. He is going to be at the property daily updating the units and working to get the entire property rented out. If you would like to walk the property, you can call him directly at 713-992-3997 to schedule a time. He is interested in suggestions for upgrades (either cosmetic or functional.) And, he is very interested in ideas from the neighborhood to help improve the property and improve the effect its residents have on our neighborhood.

We are going to work diligently with the new owner to make a positive difference and we welcome your input and suggestions. Daniel, our Vice President, will also be sending a follow up email to those of you on our yahoo distribution list.

You can visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RICHWOOD_PLACE/ to be added to the email distribution list.

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Letter to Neighbors from Rebekah El-Hakam

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to 2011. We held our first RPCA meeting of the year last night at Zoe’s Kitchen. We have many new Board members as well as Committee Members and Chairs who will be serving our neighborhood this year. Please see the minutes for more details. Thank you to Jennifer Baker for posting them to www.richwoodplace.org

I’d like to start by saying a special thank you to Laura Mullen and Larry Wood for their years of service to Richwood Place. We appreciate the many hours you have volunteered and served on the Board of RPCA. Thank you.

I’d also like to introduce myself for those of you who do not know me. My husband, Moustapha and I have lived in our house on Lexington for six years. We have four children; Bakri- age 5 1/2, Maddux- age 4, Trinity- age 2 and Leeland- 6 months. We have a very busy and full house! We have been active members of the civic association for 6 years. I’ve served as Vice President and most recently as Chair of the Deed Restrictions Committee. This is my first opportunity to serve as president. I am a full time mom who also works as a contemporary worship leader at my home church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in West University Place. I enjoy singing, songwriting, cooking and baking, blogging, yoga and travel. I feel very blessed to belong to this neighborhood and will endeavor to be a positive voice for Richwood Place. I promise to work diligently to address issues. Please call me or email me with any suggestions, concerns or ideas. I am looking forward to a great year.

During the meeting, we discussed our biggest concern as a neighborhood- crime and illegal activity. We believe that many of the problems we are facing are directly connected to the apartment complex- Houston Medical Apartments at 1901 Richmond. We are focused on this property and what we can do to clean this area up. The Security/Safety Committee has placed this as a high priority and it is their first action item of the year.

Please put the following number in your cell phone: 713-884-3131. This is HPD’s non-emergency line. Call them whenever you see any suspicious activity and report it. We will receive more police presence if we have more calls coming in. If it is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

I’d also like to ask you to call our District D Councilmember, Wanda Adams. Her office number is 832-393-3001. We are asking for her help and for the City of Houston’s help in dealing with the safety issues we are experiencing from the residents and guests of the 1901 Richmond Property.

Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Rebekah
President, Richwood Place Civic Association, 2011
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Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam
281-804-2157 cell

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2011 RPCA Dues are Due!!!

It’s that time again, so please make sure to either pay your dues before the meeting or bring a check. You must be current on your dues in order to vote in the elections.

Our annual dues ar $25, but we will never turn down more!

Thanks,

Laura