Council Member Sue Lovell had the privilege of presenting a proclamation to John Sedlak and declaring Nov. 15, 2011 John Sedlak Day in Houston. John retired from METRO as Executive Vice President after more than 28 years of service to the Houston area. His contributions to mass-transit in the area cannot be overstated. Since joining METRO in 1983 John has been instrumental in implementing the light rail program, the HOV lanes, and the park and ride system. He has worked with numerous groups including the Houston-Galveston Area Council. John will be missed in his retirement, but he has earned it.

CM Lovell with Capt. Wendy Baimbridge, HPD Chief McClelland, and the Captain's family.

Council Member Sue Lovell was happy to join Capt. Wendy Baimbridge at the Houston Police Department’s promotions ceremony October 4. Council Member Lovell has worked with Capt. Baimbridge often and was excited to see her earn her promotion.  Capt. Baimbridge works with City Council members often and routinely presents to various Council Committees. As a member of the HPD Auto Detailers Unit, Capt. Baimbridge works hard to protect Houston consumers.

“Capt. Baimbridge has worked with my office on numerous issues and I know first-hand how much she means to the Houston Police Department. Wendy is a tireless worker and I am happy to see her promoted to captain,” Council Member Lovell said after the October 5 Council session.

The City of Houston’s Planning and Development Department has announced their 7th annual community conference, titled “Community U- Lessons in Neighborhood Organizing.” The one-day event will be held October 15 and will offer three 55 minute classes, with options for participants to choose from for each time period. There will be sessions on deed restrictions, volunteer recruitment, safety and crime prevention, managing community projects, and more. The conference only costs $5, but anyone wishing to attend must register by September 30. The event will be held at the United Way of Houston at 50 Waugh Dr, in Montrose. For more information e-mail the Planning Department at CommunityU@Houstontx.gov or visit www.houstonplanning.com to register on-line.

Due to persistent drought conditions and continuously decreasing water levels in Lake Houston, as of August 15, Mayor Parker has mandated the implementation of Stage Two Water Conservation Measures. Residents are required to repair detectable leaks within 72 hours of discovery and limit outdoor irrigation to the hours between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. on no more than 2 days per week (Sundays and Thursdays for customers with even-numbered street addresses; Saturdays and Wednesdays for customers with odd-numbered street addresses). Failure to follow requirements may result in fines. For questions or to report a violation, call 311.

Today is national 811 Day. Council Member Sue Lovell would like to remind everyone how important it is to call 811 before digging, no matter how small the job may be. 811 is the number to call to have any utilities or pipelines on your property marked before you dig. Nearly 40,000 pipelines have been damaged in Texas since 2007, and more than 40% of damages result from excavators not calling 811 prior to beginning their projects. It is vitally important for everyone to call 811 to have any pipelines or utilities marked for free before digging. Natural gas lines are damaged more than any other facility, which can be very dangerous. The Texas Railroad Commission suggests you take CARE:
Call at least 48 hours prior to beginning your project;
Await the required time, and call back if need be;
Respect the marks laid down;
Excavate with care.

Yellowstone Academy, the private school in Third Ward, marks ten years of service this year as well as the first eighth-grade class. On the occasion, Council Member Sue Lovell, who supports Yellowstone Academy, presented a congratulatory statement:

“On the tenth year of welcoming students and the celebration of the first eighth grade graduating class, words cannot describe how proud I am to be a part of this amazing place of education. I am asking you to join with me to support the children, parents, teachers, and staff of Yellowstone Academy.”

To learn more about Yellowstone Academy and its students (including these young men, who posed with a bicycle recently donated by Council Member Lovell), visit www.yellowstoneacademy.org.

The City of Houston has activated its heat emergency plan—done when the heat index, a computation of air temperature and humidity, reaches 108 on two consecutive days. Anyone without access to air-conditioning can seek shelter during business hours at city multi-service centers, libraries, or recreation centers. Houstonians may call 311 and ask for the nearest open city facility. METRO can provide free transportation to the Central Library (500 McKinney). Arrangements for transportation to the library can be made by calling 311. Learn more about the city’s heat emergency plan at www.houstontx.gov.

The Houston Public Library has announced the reinstatement of Saturday hours at 16 locations and the library system will maintain Monday through Friday hours for after school use at 14 locations. These hourly changes come after the system carefully reviewed usage patterns in an effort to tailor library hours to the public’s needs. Citizens had expressed a strong desire to keep Saturday hours in neighborhood libraries and Council Member Sue Lovell is happy to see the library system could make it work in a time of tight budgets. The total hours most libraries will be open will be reduced, but the new hours should insure locations are open when the public needs them the most. For more information on your neighborhood library’s hours please visit www.houstonlibrary.org/hpl-locations.

July Fourth is always a great time to get together with friends and family to celebrate America. This year join Council Member Sue Lovell, Mayor Annise Parker, and other city leaders at Houston’s annual Freedom Over Texas concert and fireworks display. The free, family-friendly event kicks off at 4 p.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. with a fireworks show along Buffalo Bayou in Eleanor Tinsley Park. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday weekend and enjoy the Fourth of July festivities! For more information log onto www.freedomovertexas.org.

Houston City Council at its meeting today, June 29, created three new historic districts: Heights South, Woodland Heights, and Glenbrook Valley, adding these new districts to the current total of 16 city historic districts, which includes the Old Sixth Ward Protected Historic District. Historic districts are representative of a variety of time periods and architectural styles from Houston’s past, dating back to the mid-1800s.

The Council votes were 9-5 for Heights South, 9-5 for Woodland Heights, and 10-4 for Glenbrook Valley.

“Our history is preserved with these votes today,” Council Member Sue Lovell said. “I want to thank everyone for their work on the creation of these districts.”