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Saturday, June 16, 2018 • Vol. 63 • No. 20
About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
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Timbergrove development concerns neighbors
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Much has been made of Houston’s amended flood plain ordinance and how it will impact construction, and Timbergrove residents have taken issue with several potential developments near the neighborhood that are within the flood plains. The city of Houston has granted many permits since Harvey, and Timbergrove Manor – whose southernmost street, Queenswood Lane, and
others flooded heavily in Harvey -- is now home to several of them. Of concern to residents is that the potential sites are not only within the flood plain – in some cases lower than the
Contributed photo Shown here are homes on Queenswood Lane in Timbergrove Manor following Hurricane Harvey. A proposed housing development just south of the road is one of several causing concern for rebuilding residents.
division (a property which lies entirely within White Oak Bayou’s 100-year floodplain and has never before been built on), and City Side Homes Urban Living project all appear to be underway. Requests for comment from site developers went unreturned prior to press time.
neighborhood homes which flooded – but also appear to be presenting water displacement concerns for those in the immediate vicinity. Palisades Park homes, Stanley Park sub-
Concentrated activity brings issues Timbergrove residents near Shirkmere Road recently realized structures being built up for the City Side Homes
Urban Living had a two-foot high concrete wall with drains sloping towards their side, and contractors filled that concrete wall with dirt. As a result, residents on the upper side of Shirkmere Road -- between Hurst and 11th Street, where much of the activity is concentrated -- have said they can see dirt from the property already draining to the front, overflowing curbs and going onto existing propoerties during even the smallest rain events. “I’ve never seen street floodSee Flood P. 2A
A sweet father daughter team Photo by Zach Maxwell Wagner Park, with soaring single-family homes surrounding, will get a facelift thanks to winning a grant contest.
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Wagner Greenspace wins $20,000 grant
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commercial kitchen, but decided to open up her own storefront about a year and a half ago. AshleyCakes has been open since early May. “My dad told me that now’s the time,” said Ashley. “We need to do this.” Bill was in logistics at an international start up related to the oil and gas industry, when that business suffered through a downturn and he was laid off. Initially, he was just helping out his daughter washing dishes in the commercial kitchen, but soon saw a niche he could fill. “She needed the help,” said
And the winner is... Wagner Greenspace! The half-acre undeveloped space in the Heights will receive a $20,000 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and The Walt Disney Company to help make improvements and turn it into a community park. The funds will help pay for tree plantings, seeding, benches, bird houses, interpretative signs and trash bins to help transform the space into a neighborhood gathering spot for fun and healthy activities. “NRPA is proud to collaborate with The Walt Disney Company and their ESPN and ABC Television media networks on these exciting programs,” said Rebecca Wickline, NRPA senior vice president of development. “ESPN and Disney ABC Television group have the power to help us reach hundreds of millions of people and their investment supports our vision that everyone deserves a great park and will bring children and families closer together through the power of parks and play. Congratulations to this year’s grant recipients.” The finished product at Wagner will be a nature-based recreation area that will support birds and other wildlife while providing opportunities for nearby residents to connect with nature. Woodland Park and Dow Park were also in the running for the funds in Houston. “This is a great day for the Wagner Greenspace’s surrounding community
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Elizabeth Villarreal Your Neighbor & REALTOR® Photo by Betsy Denson Ashley Griffith and her dad, Bill, ring up a customer at AshleyCakes. Below, a “crawfish boil” themed cake.
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Local bakery builds foundation with family By Betsy Denson For The Leader
inside.
Good news. Local restaurants serve up a variety of good food that is also good for you.
Page 1B
Meet Molten! Molten is a mellow dude who loves a tennis ball and wants nothing more than a family to love him.
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 7A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons. ................................................. 6A Food/Drink/Art................................... 1B Obituaries.............................................. 5A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A
Ashley Griffith and her dad Bill are like most daughters with their fathers. There’s the goodnatured banter that you’d expect, along with the verbal shorthand that marks many long term relationships. It’s good that they get along because as Ashley says – “You love your parents, but you don’t spend this much time with them as adults.” This is due to the fact that Bill Griffith is the general manager of AshleyCakes bakery, 2032 E. TC Jester, which sells custom, specialty and readymade cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Oak For-
est resident Ashley Griffith, who was an actuary before she went to Le Cordon Bleu, has been making custom cakes for the past eight years out of a small
Heights native translates Argentinean poetry By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com With Houston being so diverse of a city and the Heights especially so, it’s no surprise that Heights native Bianca Broman would be inspired to seek out more of other rich cultures. This intrigue brought her to Argentina and gave her the opportunity to translate a book of poetry by Inés Zanini from Castilian Spanish into English. “I grew up in a time when living in inner city Houston meant living with a lot of diversity. My friends spoke Spanish, their par-
ents spoke Spanish, so I was always surrounded by it,” Broman said, “It’s that diversity in Houston that has inspired me to learn different languages. It had a positive effect on me to have an open heart and mind and to see things from different angles.” Originally a bilingual education major, Broman switched to geology with a minor in modern languages (Spanish emphasis with some Portuguese, French, and Latin). Though she is now continuing her Master’s degree in the sciences, the Spanish language and culture are still an important part
of her life. While doing her Bachelor’s, Broman got the opportunity to study abroad and that brought her to the city of Buenos Aires. She was looking forward to the language, food, culture, and more specifically, the tango. But that was just her first taste of the Argentinean life. She’d choose to return to the country two years later for a work-study internship program where she would teach English to all ages in various parts See Poet P. 7A
Photo contributed Inés Zanini, the poet who wrote Rustling Dreams (Agitando Sueños), which is now available in the U.S.
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