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Inside Today: An Eclectic mix of furniture and accessories • 1B
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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston
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Saturday, June 7, 2014 • Vol. 60 • No. 31
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10570 NW Frwy 713-680-2350
City orders stop work order on historic Germantown home By Michael Sudhalter
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The City of Houston’s Planning and Development Department issued a stop work order on a home located in the Germantown Historic District, but the homebuilder said he’s working on rectifying the situation. Suzy Hartgrove, spokesperson for the city’s Planning and Development Department, said Terry Fisher of Fisher Homes was granted a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) last September for an addition to the 104-year-old one story bun-
galow at 121 Payne St., but a stop work order was issued earlier this spring “because the work done to the property exceeded the scope of the COA which resulted in partial demolition of the existing structure.” Historic districts require COAs in order to maintain the historic nature of the neighborhood. However, there are no deed restrictions on Payne Street. The city requested a restoration plan, which Fisher submitted on time, last month. He’s required to stop working on the home, See Stop Work, P. 9A
The city of Houston issued a stop work order on the construction of 121 Payne in the Germantown Historic District. Terry Fisher, the homebuilder who owns the property, has contacted the city to rectify the situation. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)
License to kill
Oak Forest to announce sidewalk decision on Friday
By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
The residents of Oak Forest voted on whether or not to keep sidewalks last week. The votes are being tallied and the outcome will be announced on Friday, June 6. On May 22, representatives from the city of Houston’s Public Works Department spoke at a community meeting during which they informed residents that homeowners associations can opt their neighborhoods out of a sidewalk ordinance. The ordinance states that new or redeveloped properties must have a sidewalk accompanying it. The city representatives said the exemption option is available, so neighborhoods can maintain their character if they choose to do so.
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FIND IT. ALTERATIONS: Men/women. Pick up or delivery. Charlotte, 713-694-0003. HAND PAINTED FURNITURE: Yours or ours. Don’t toss it, save it. Antiques by Nancy, 832-2828108. nltoy@msn.com, www. antiquesbynancy.com. HOUSECLEANING: Honest, dependable. Will customize clean. Years of experience. Love pets. Call Rhonda, 281-948-8590. 2004 KIA SEDONA: Seats seven. Great air, excellent condition, original owner. $2,200. 832-746-4106.
Dr. Jim Dennett with Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services- Mosquito Control Division checks out one of his department’s mosquito traps. (Photos by Michael Sudhalter)
Local Civic Club relies on outside contractors to keep the mosquitos at bay; Some wonder if it’s necessary. By Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
Mosquitos have always been a nuisance in Houston, especially when it rains. The Shepherd Park Plaza Civic Club responded six years ago by hiring a contractor, Northwest Pest Patrol, to spray the neighborhood once per week. The civic club votes each spring to renew the contract, and some residents have raised objections to it. “Some people ask not to spray in front of their house, but the wind will blow, so it’s hard to avoid,” said former SPP Civic Club president Chuck Blesener. “There’s not a whole lot we can do to appease those people. If we weren’t spraying, nobody would.” The Harris County Health & Environmental Department’s Mosquito Control Division only sprays for mos-
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quitos when there’s a risk for disease, such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and St. Louis Encephilitis (SLE). “We’re not for the indiscriminate use of insecticides,” said Dr. Jim Dennett of the County’s Mosquito Control division. “If you don’t have a problem, you don’t need to be out there in the first place.” Shepherd Park Plaza resident Dennis Woodward said the pest control company sprays every week, as the contract indicates, but he doesn’t believe it’s always necessary. “If I’m not being bitten by mosquitoes in the park, then I do not expect there are many mosquitos around,” Woodward said. “I believe that if there are not many mosquitos, they should not spray insecticide to kill them. I just want today’s technology to be used to notify the neighborhood each and every time it is going to be sprayed.” The county doesn’t have any con-
trol over whether private contractors spray mosquitos for nuisance (nondisease) purposes. Still, the county’s Mosquito Control works year-round, setting traps early in the morning to prevent the spread of mosquitos. Many of the traps are set inside storm drains where mosquitos congregate. Mosquito Control tests the mosquitos they gather from the traps and determines if they carry WNV or SLE. If they do, that particular area of the county is sprayed. “If you’re not trapping, you don’t know what you’ve got out there,” Dennett said. Mosquito Control rotate the types of chemicals, so the mosquitos don’t become resistant to the spray. Mosquito Control also has a partSee Contractor, P. 9A
Garden Oaks residents have expressed concern in recent weeks regarding an $18 million municipal drainage project that may require the addition of sidewalks and widened streets. Garden Oaks leaders met with city council member Ellen Cohen on Monday and shared their concerns. They expect to hear how Public Works & Engineering (PWE) has addressed those concerns in two to three Mark Klein of the weeks, at which Garden Oaks Civic Club spoke about time a meet- the proposed ing will be set Drainage Project up between GO at Tuesday night’s residents, Co- monthly meeting. hen’s office and (Photo by Michael Public Works. Sudhalter) Public Works did not have a representative at Monday’s meeting, but Cohen is confident PWE will be able to work together with the city to ensure everyone has a voice going forward. “At our meeting, the residents shared their concerns with me regarding potential sidewalks and other specific issues surrounding the upcoming Capital Improvement Project (CIP),” Cohen said. Alvin Wright, a spokesperson for PWE, said the project is still under review. “We continue to listen to the concerns of the neighborhood, and a hard determination on the project is not final,” Wright said. The most recent plan is for Alba to be widened from 18 to 27 feet, with sidewalks projected to add another seven feet. The residents’ efforts have caused the city’s Public Works and Engineering (PWE) Department to re-evaluate the project. The project was designed to add storm drains in Garden Oaks that would alleviate potential flooding See Drainage, P. 8A
Reagan graduate sets sights on college By Michael Sudhalter
THE INDEX. Church
City to re-evaluate GO drainage
Reagan High graduate Selena Martinez never met an extracurricular activity she didn’t like. That was especially apparent last Saturday when Houston ISD board trustee Anna Eastman introduced Martinez before awarding the senior with an HISD Board of Education Outstanding Young Woman Award. Eastman read the highlights of Martinez’s extracurricular accomplishments, but the graduates would still be sitting on the floor of Reliant Arena if she’d read the entire list. “I realized I liked helping people and learning new things,” said Martinez, an
18-year-old North Houston resident. “I never quit on one thing, and just kept adding to what I’m doing. (Earning the board of education award) was a huge honor. It helped me reflect on everything I’ve done in the past. All of the hard work was worth the recognition.” A total of $3.3 million in scholarships was awarded to Reagan’s senior class, including Martinez’s full scholarship to the academically-prestigious Bryn Mawr College in suburban Philadelphia. “I thought it was a really beautiful campus,” Martinez said. “It’s an allwomen’s college. There are a lot of opportunities to learn anything you want to learn.” Studying at Bryn Mawr allows stu-
dents to take classes at nearby prestigious colleges such as University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College and Haverford College. Martinez took several Advanced Placement classes at Reagan and finished with a 3.95 grade point average. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class (43rd out of 508) and plans on studying Psychology and the science of Child Development at Bryn Mawr. “Those majors are really important to me – they’re about things I’ve dealt with over the course of my life,” Martinez said. Martinez overcame difficult circumSee Martinez, P. 9A
Reagan High graduate Selena Martinez received a Houston ISD Board of Education Outstanding Young Woman award from HISD board trustee, and Heights resident, Anna Eastman. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)