Another Monday looking into YOUR questions; Safety, Centerpoint, Condos on Yale
What are our constable patrols responsible for? When are those pesky utility poles leaving? And what’s going on at 829 Yale?
Hi Heights!👋
Happy Monday! There is a lot on my radar this week :)
It’s funny. When I first took on this beat, one of my biggest worries was whether I’d have enough to talk about. Turns out… I really didn’t need to worry about that. There’s SO much happening around the Heights, the harder part has become figuring out how to get to all of it.
What do you think?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
🚗 A QUESTION ABOUT CONSTABLE PATROLS
This one came from a DM, and I think there’s something worth understanding here.
Some Heights-area neighborhoods pay for additional constable patrols. With the Friday business break-ins, and all of the messages I’ve gotten about stolen cars, someone asked exactly what those arrangements provide.
If a crime happens in one of these neighborhoods, what are the contract deputies actually responsible for? Are they simply providing an extra patrol presence, or do they have a role in responding to and investigating crimes? Great questions.
I’m starting with the contracts and public records so I can understand how the system works before I start asking the constable’s office questions. Let me know if this is something you’re interested in!
⚡ THE CENTERPOINT RESILIENCE PROJECT IS UNDERWAY
A few of you caught something I was wondering about, too: CenterPoint had said a major infrastructure project would begin around mid-August, and then… we hadn’t seen much.
Well, I’m told work finally got underway late last week.
The project involves replacing older utility poles as part of CenterPoint’s broader effort to improve the reliability and resiliency of the power system.
The goal was to go out with their team this week to show what they’re actually doing, but we had to move it to next week because of potential rain impacts. More to come on this!
🏗️ SO… WHAT IS HAPPENING AT 829 YALE?
I’ve gotten questions about this property before, but there’s a new wrinkle.
Neighbors say they’ve noticed what sounds like activity inside the long-stalled Heights condo project, while the property itself is becoming pretty overgrown.
Is construction actually moving again? Is someone occupying the building? Or is there something else going on? It’s been mentioned enough now that I think it warrants some digging. Looking into this!
🏛️ NORHILL: THERE’S A MEETING THIS WEEK
The proposed Norhill Design Guidelines are moving through the City process, and residents have a chance to make their voices heard!
Council Member Mario Castillo is hosting a community meeting with the Houston Planning Department:
Thursday, Sept. 3 6–7 p.m. Proctor Plaza Community Center 803 W. Temple St.
If you live in Norhill and have been wondering what all of this actually means for you, this is a good opportunity to hear directly from your councilman, and to speak up.
❤️ AND FRIDAY, SOMETHING FUN!
I’m going to introduce you to the Everybody Belongs Club. It’s a really special organization doing work right here in the Heights to bring people with special needs together and build genuine community around them. I got a look at what they’re doing, and honestly… I think you’re going to love this one.
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So those are some of my thoughts! Let’s make it a goal to get 500 more followers this week, and get the account to 5,000 followers! KPRC2 is really proud of the community we’re building, but I want to prove that local reporting really matters to you. Share share share!
And as always, if there’s something happening around the Heights that I should know about, send me a message. Next week’s newsletter will go out on Tuesday because of the Holiday. See you then!
Best,
Nicole