NEARTOWN ASSOCIATION (NTA) MEETING

Cherryhurst Community Center, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Minutes

NTA President Jack Rose opened the meeting at 7:10 PM.

Both residents and officials deemed Meet your Elected Officials event a success. Everyone liked the site, La Strada, and there was ample opportunity to talk to the city officials present. Jack has set up several meetings to discuss Neartown issues with officials since the event, and is looking for presidents or vice-presidents of civic associations who want to have a dialogue with Mayor White.

Super Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) update: we have submitted our 2004 final plan to Council Member Ada Edwards. When it was presented, Jack had an opportunity to ask questions of several of the city’s departments. It has now been submitted to the departments for review and approval. Jason Jeffries from COH said that we should receive our response in late April or early May.

59 Gridlock update: Robin Holzer has volunteered to act as liaison for a large portion of Houston which includes the Heights and Neartown. The mayor’s task force has asked residents to report all traffic, road, and infrastructures problems to the city’s 311 service. Ed Gonzalez suggested that Robin contact the presidents of the area civic associations to help spread the word.

Management District update: The Neartown board has been meeting with the Montrose Museum Business Alliance to discuss the formation of a management district for Neartown. We have chosen Mike Mark and Laura Mullen to join an exploratory committee as to the formation of such district. With the delegates from the MMBA, they will be comparing the priorities of the Neartown business owners to those of the residents. Possible priorities include: Safety, transportation, capital improvements and branding of the area. Additional information will be provided as the study progresses.

Announcements

Laura Mullen announced that there will be a General Meeting hosted by Councilman Ada Edwards on Wednesday, March 24^th, at La Tapatia on Richmond. This meeting will discuss the possibility of creating a dog park in Ervan Chew Park or some other site nearby. All interested parties are encouraged to attend and show their support.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 PM

NTA Secretary, Laura A Mullen