Neartown Association Minutes Meeting 04/25/06

The meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm.

Little League: Ed Gonzales discussed dedication of the second Neartown Little League baseball park, dedicated to Eric Hilton who donated $200,000 to make the park happen. Ed noted that Little League International executives from all over the world participated in opening ceremonies. The Little League wants to use the field as a model for Little League throughout the world. With 300 youngsters now signed up, Neartown will soon need a 3^rd facility.

Plastic Pickup:

Mary Ellen Whitworth discussed a Bayou Preservation grant from Galveston Bay Estuary to help remediate pollution that eventually creates plastic logjams in our Bayous. The source for much of the pollution along Montrose is in retail parking lots. Not all retailers are as conscientious in cleaning their property as they should be. Several points were noted:

- a trash boat pickup along the bayou is feasible but relatively expensive; a less expensive way is to prevent the situation by picking up trash on the streets before it finds its way to the bayou; over 500 bags of trash were picked up in one recent effort.

- “Take the plastic pledge” and pickup one plastic item a day – free tee shirts were made available to those who would make this commitment.

Bridget Jensen suggested that trash cans be placed at Metro stops, with nearby business providing support.

Parking Issues:

Maria Rashad of City Parking Management discussed the activities of the group which currently has 51 employees, most of whom are engaged in enforcement. Parking Management now also handles residential parking permits, meter bagging, the volunteer handicap parking enforcement program.

Ms Rashad discussed several specific items relating to customer service including the online citation payment system and future objectives for online citations appeal and purchase/ renewal of parking permits. The master meter program was also discussed. This system is designed to replace existing meters, many of which are non-working and so obsolete that parts are no longer available for them. The new system is battery and solar-powered.

The following parking practices, among others, were noted as illegal in Houston:

- Blocking the sidewalk

- Parking on the City easement (from the sidewalk edge further from the street to the curb)

- Wrong side of street

- On an esplanade, median strip or traffic island

- Parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection or a traffic control device

In the Downtown area, the posted sign overrules meter signs for mobility lanes.

Parking enforcement phone numbers: 713-853-8274 and 713-853-8275

Reserved parking: 311 or 713-837-0311

PIP Sessions: Robert Graham announced that the city-wide PIP session would be held at 1602 State Street on May 9th; the local at the Multi-Service Center on May 17^th. Both sessions start at 7:00pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm.