Candlelight Vigil & Rally for Homeless Youth

Covenant House Texas, a long-time institutional member of the Neartown Association, is holding its 24th annual Candlelight Vigil and Rally on Thursday, November 20, 7:00 - 8:00pm. The event will feature testimonies of hope from Covenant House youth and music by Wayne Watson, with emcee Khambrel Marshall of KPRC. Covenant House is also accepting donations of gently used gloves, jackets, coats, hats, thermals, and rain gear. Donations can be dropped off before the event beginning at 6:30pm. Covenant House Texas is located at 1111 Lovett Blvd. near the corner of Westheimer and Montrose (Parking is available in the West Lot of Kroger's). For more info on Covenant House and this event, visit http://www.covenanthousetx.org.

– by Kay Warhol

A Visit from Officer Victor Beserra

Winlow Place was pleased to have Officer Victor Beserra from the Houston Police Department as a guest speaker for the Winlow Place General Meeting on October 21. He reminded us of several important ways to ensure the safety and security of ourselves and our neighbors. A few that were discussed:

  • Report all crime. You can do this by calling 911 when appropriate, or the dispatch number (713) 884-3131 or by submitting a Police Alert Slip. Fortunately, crime has decreased significantly in our area. When HPD identifies/arrests one or two suspects, that often directly results in a significant decrease in the types of crime we tend to see which are more petty crimes – vandalism, theft, automobile break-ins and the like.
  • Communicate with the adjacent neighborhoods. Officer Beserra's patrol is between Montrose and Kirby from East to West, and from West Gray to Richmond from North to South.
  • Know your neighbors. This is one of the biggest ways to prevent crime. Introduce yourself and exchange phone numbers/email addresses. In a hypothetical situation, if the neighbor directly across from you sees a young man walking around your home, and doesn't recognize them, they can call you to ask whether the person should be on your property. You might say "Yes, that's my nephew Dan" – or you might say "No, nobody should be there." An ounce of prevention...
  • If you see a crime happening, and your heart starts racing: This is more than likely a time to call 911 when your pulse quickens. When calling 911, you can always request to speak directly to an officer – the 911 operator is a trained civilian, but not an officer. Let them know that you are feeling in danger if that is the case.
  • If you witness a crime that your gut tells you is not urgent: This might be a time to call the non-emergency dispatch number (an officer will still respond). The number for this is (713) 884-3131.
  • What about the door-to-door "Magazine Salesmen"? DO audibly answer if you're home, but don't open the door. This will let them know that you're home, and that someone is around/watching. This will prevent them from snooping around the perimeter of your home or engaging in a crime of opportunity.
  • If you have an alarm system, use it. Be sure to make it a habit – set both while away, and while at home. Same goes for cameras. While cameras do not always deter criminals at the time the crime is being committed, they can help in identification of them.

Many thanks to Officer Victor Beserra for taking the time to give such a great talk to Winlow Place. He also addressed several specific questions during our Q/A, which are not listed here. Please contact us for further information.

– by Caroline Garry

Bistro Menil Now Open

As many of you know, the Menil has been working on the opening of a new restaurant adjacent to the lovely gem of a museum we are so lucky to have right within walking distance of Winlow Place. It is housed in a Craftsman bungalow just across the street from the main entrance at the Menil and is now open for business. Hours are from 10:00am – 10:00 pm from Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 10:00am – 9:00pm on Sundays.

Please visit this blog post by the Chronicle for photos of the building (and food!), as well as commentary on the architecture. An excerpt from this article:

"We have long wanted to develop a cafe on our campus, not only as a service to our visitors from Houston and around the world, but also as a place of interaction between the museum and the community," stated Josef Helfenstein, director of the Menil Collection. "With the opening of Bistro Menil, and the completion of a new campus gateway into which it is incorporated, we take a step forward in our larger plans to make the Menil more open and engaging for all."

– by Caroline Garry

Historic Preservation Ordinance Info Session

As an FYI and information-gathering purpose, residents from Winlow Place may be interested in attending an upcoming meeting hosted by the City of Houston Planning and Development Department. The department is in the process of updating the historic preservation ordinance. Public meetings on that process will begin on Monday, September 29. Details are below.

Date: Monday, September 29
Time: 6pm – 7:30pm
Location: 900 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002 (in the Council Annex Chambers)

From the original email:

The ordinance was updated in 2010 to create permanent protections for historic structures in designated districts and to establish a new process for creating a historic district. The goal of this process is to correct and clarify targeted items and create greater consistency for the applicants and for the commission. The amendments will provide applicants with additional options for a streamlined approval, provide the commission with improved guidance on which to base their decision and create a more efficient process.

The results of Committee meetings will be posted on the Department website. Citizens can email historic.ordinance@houstontx.gov to sign up to receive updates about the process, meetings and proposed amendments. For additional questions, call 713.837.7963.