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Saturday, August 6, 2022 • Vol. 67 • No. 31
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It’s not just my business, It’s my neighborhood
Residents question GOMO leadership on remaining $300,000 By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
A controversial homeowners-esque association will soon emerge out of bankruptcy proceedings charged with distributing more than $300,000 in homeowner funds, and at least some residents living in the organization’s boundaries question whether they can trust the group’s leaders to handle that money properly. Residents have begun asking questions about the
group, and asking for a bigger role in deciding its future and funding, ahead of the end of a yearslong legal battle. Only three members of a 12-person board remain with the organization that first came under fire as the result of property dispute in 2016. A state district court judge eventually sided with plaintiffs in the case, determining the organization had violated the Texas Property Code when it formed in 2002 and thus had no standing to collect transfer
fees on completed property sales. The organization filed for bankruptcy in 2018. “I don’t support the notion (that) a few handpicked inner circle residents should arbitrarily make the decision as to how the remaining $300,000 of neighborhood funds should be utilized,” homeowner Frances Schwartz said. “Whatever is done should be done with broad-based owner support.” At the very least, those See GOMO P. 4
Locals question proposed new council districts
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By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
Serving coffee, tea, wine, beer, savories and sweets 7 am to 9 pm daily.
Residents across the area might soon find themselves with new elected representatives and at least some groups have begun reaching out to learn more about Houston’s ongoing redistricting plans. Representatives for the North Shepherd Community Alliance, for instance, are calling on the city to place all of the alliance’s geographic boundaries into one council district. “The way the council districts are cut is crazy,” said Kelly Hakes, a member of the alliance. “…issues affecting one part of the district don’t have anything to do with another part.” Despite some concerns across the Leader’s coverage area, at least one political expert with the University of Houston says the city’s ongoing redistricting should ultimately be less controversial than some states’ recent efforts. “Typically at the local level, there aren’t those same partisan battles that are fought at the state level,”
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INSIDE.
Pouring in A 2nd Cup recently received a TEGNA grant to help with one of its key survivorship programs.
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See DISTRICTS P. 4
On the Up(side) Headlining this week’s Nibbles and Sips, The Upside Pub has set its official opening date
Photo by Matt deGrood Several road construction projects across the area are set to begin in the coming years, and local businesses are asking questions about how it might affect traffic in the neighborhood.
Construction projects have businesses wondering about schedule By Matt deGrood
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Honored The late J.V. Cain, a former Booker T. Washington tight end, will be inducted into HISD’s Hall of Honor on Aug. 13.
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From Interstate 10 all the way over to Interstate 45 – the Texas Department of Transportation has big construction projects planned across the area in coming years. And, while engineers envision a future where wider roads mean less traffic, at least a few neighborhood businesses have questions about what the construction might mean for them in the interim. “The key question is going to be time,” said
Emmett Doherty, one of the owners of Nationwide Tools & Supplies, a supply business with headquarters at 6100 N. Shepherd Drive. “How many months will this be in disarray?” Doherty in a phone conversation with the Leader this week said that while he had questions about the department’s plans, he wasn’t yet concerned or upset about the projects. “I’m not going to get overly concerned yet,” he said. “I’ve always felt like TXDOT has done a fair job historically of addressing businesses’
needs.” Representatives for the North Shepherd Community Alliance are set to reach out soon to department officials to set up a meeting to discuss four pending projects that could have an effect on the area – the expansion of Interstate 45, work on Interstate 10 and construction along Shepherd and Durham drives, according to meeting minutes provided to the Leader. “We’re worried it will be hard to get in and out,” said Kelly Hakes, a member of the alliance. Much remains un-
known about the particulars of those projects. For instance, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration has halted the $7 billion plan to widen Interstate 45 from downtown north to Beltway 8 in Houston over civil rights concerns. It’s not yet clear when the project might resume. The department, however, did hold a public meeting late last month to unveil plans to raise Interstate 10 through part of the area See CONSTRUCTION P. 4
Kamin
Cisneros
North Shepherd Community Alliance back after delay
Coupons ...................................................... 6 Food/Drink ................................................ 5 Opinion ........................................................ 3 Public Information............................. 8 Puzzles ......................................................... 3
By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
After months of dormancy during the coronavirus pandemic, a community group dedicated to addressing local issues near Shepherd Drive is reforming under new leadership. Betty Heacker, the owner of Wabash Feed and Garden, last week
hosted more than 15 people for the first meeting of the North Shepherd Community Alliance since the height of the pandemic. The alliance is meant to serve as a gathering place for local associations, businesses, churches and more to discuss issues and pool resources, Heacker
said. “I believe there is a real benefit to this organization because NSCA bridges all divides,” she wrote in a letter to invitees. Membership in the alliance had been ticking up before the coronavirus pandemic began, she said. The group was first formed by Kathryn Van
Der Pol, who owned an auto shop in the region, but she has since sold the business and moved elsewhere in the state, according to Kelly Hakes, who works at Wabash Feed and Garden with her aunt, Heacker. With Van Der Pol exiting, Heacker decided See NSCA P. 4
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