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Saturday, January 10, 2015 • Vol. 60 • No. 10
Heights Post Office likely to be closed, sold By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
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The United States Postal Service announced it has determined the Post Office at the corner of Heights Boulevard and 11th Street to be “excess and no longer necessary for Postal operations,” and will likely move to sell the property. The Leader previously reported the USPS had been considering moving its retail services out of the Heights Finance Station to the T.W. House Carrier Annex at the corner of 19th Street and Bevis in nearby Shady Acres. A public meeting had
previously been held in September regarding the potential closure and sale of the property, however a public notice taped to the door of the post office regarding the property’s “disposal action” appears to announce the location may be no more. “Postal Service policy requires the property to be sold at market value,” according to the notice. “Contributions, donations or free use of any kind is not permitted under the Administrative Policy governing disposal actions.” A USPS representative could not be reached for comment at press time,
however The Leader previously reported that the consolidation of the Heights Finance Station and the T.W. House Carrier Annex is part of a larger national effort by the U.S. Postal Service to help cut costs and use facilities as efficiently as possible, Public Affairs Representative Dionne Montague stated. “We’re looking at all of our facilities, carrier plants and other buildings to see if we can enhance the services for our customers,” Montague stated in a previous article. “We have to
Photo by Jonathan Garris With the closing of the Heights Finance Station Post Office, Heights residents might have to travel a bit farther for their postal needs.
See Post Office, P. 2A
Off the rails?
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Greater Heights Chamber founding director dies By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader
The art of meditation In this month’s Your Health, The Leader takes a look at the Diamond Way Buddhist Center on W. 34th Street. The recently relocated center offers people a chance to explore Buddhist teachings and relieve stress.
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The INDEX. Church
6A
Classifieds
5B
Coupons
5A
Food/Drink/Art Obituaries
3A 4B
Opinion
4A
Public Information Puzzles
2A 4A
Photo by Jonathan Garris Texas Central Railway President Robert Eckels (left) addresses a Leader-area resident’s concerns Monday evening at a town hall meeting organized by community leaders with local homeowners associations and Super Neighborhoods. Hundreds of concerned homeowners living in Northwest Houston and beyond filled the inside of Lutheran High North, mainly in opposition to the proposed high-speed railway route which would carve through communities like Oak Forest and Garden Oaks.
Residents air doubts, ire over Dallas-Houston high-speed rail at forum By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com If Monday night’s public forum for Northwest Houston-area residents and representatives of Texas Central Railway is any indication, the company has its work cut out for them when it comes to winning over the hearts and minds of those most affected by the proposed Dallas-Houston high-speed rail. More than 300 people gathered inside of Lutheran North High School for the community forum, which offered many residents a chance to ask questions directly to TCR President Robert Eckels. Eckels, a former Harris County judge, has met with Leader-area residents during several other meetings, including a Super Neighborhood 12
meeting at the Candlelight Community Center in November and a forum held by Super Neighborhood 22 in December at the Council on Alcohol and Drugs. Mark Klein, president of Super Neighborhood 12, emphasized the meeting was not a public scoping meeting which are organized by the Federal Railroad Administration. However, the forum allowed residents to ask questions, learn more about the project and utilize comment forms to submit to the FRA as part of their environmental impact study drafting process. A Tough Crowd Eminent domain has been a frequent and controversial topic among many residents whose land either borders or lies near the BNSF railway in places like Oak For-
We made it to Mars; now what? “This idea of building a non-stop train from Houston to Dallas sounds a whole lot like we’re building a rocket ship to Mars without any consideration for what to do when we land.”
Read more of Publisher Jonathan McElvy’s column on Page 4A.
See Fields, P. 2A
Oak Forest honors 610 residents with new volunteer award
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Of the two preferred routes proposed by the Texas Central Railway, the route indicated with a red line would follow the existing right of way along the BNSF railway, passing directly through neighborhoods like Oak Forest and Garden Oaks.
est and Garden Oaks. Like previous meetings, however, Eckels maintains that the company would focus as much as possible on constructing elevated track for its high speed rail in existing right of ways to avoid utilizing acquiring land through methods like eminent domain. However, many residents were still ambivalent. One landowner in particular said he first heard about the project last month, and owns a cattle ranch in a rural area about 200 yards from a BNSF rail line. The rancher told Eckels he and
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1545 HEIGHTS BLVD.
Heights business leaders and other residents are mourning the loss of Jack Fields, one of the original founders of the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce, who died Jan. 3. According to his obituary, Fields “passed away peacefully” at his home last week and was laid to rest Jan. 7 at Forest Park in The Woodlands. Fields, along with a handful of other similarly inclined individuals, breathed life back into the Houston Heights with the founding of one of Houston’s most effective business and community Fields partnerships. He was 87 years old. In 1988, the Heights was in a critical state of decline. The area was originally a thriving working-class community brimming with homes, schools, parks and businesses. However, sometime between the founding of the Heights in the 1890s, and the century that fol-
other investors were “taking money out of his pocket,” and spoke about the potential impact on wildlife and his family. “My dad’s mobile home where he’s going to retire is 200 yards from this thing,” The man said. “What about the wildlife? You’re going to eliminate all of the deer movement east and west for 200 miles?” Eckels said the company’s current proposition is to maintain elevated track whenever possible and would compensate ranchSee Rail, P. 7A
122 PAYNE ST. List Price:
$519,999
By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader
The Oak Forest Homeowners Association is paying special tribute to a pair of residents whose nearly 50-years in the area stands as a reflection of community dedication, commitment and vision. 610 the OFHA created the In December, Richard Rabe Award for Volunteer Service, in honor of Richard Rabe, former President of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association (OFHA) and 50-year Oak Forest resident. He and his wife, Darlene Rabe, have been familiar faces in the community and have made names for themselves serving with numerous local organizations and volunteer See Rabe, P. 5A
Photo by Kim Hogstrom Richard and Darlene Rabe have been community members in Oak Forest for more than 50 years.