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Inside Today: Surf ’s still up in Oak Forest • Page 1B
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SATURDAY | September 7, 2013 | Vol. 59 | No. XX | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
Oak Street Before • During • After Clean up
THE BRIEF. sponsored by
In a report on conditions near Brinkman Street in North Houston, a lot at 922 Oak St. was discovered overrun with weeds and dead trees. On the lot, a sign indicated the city of Houston had tagged the lot as a nuisance. On Aug. 28, the city’s Department of Neighborhoods sent a crew to clear the property.
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Cleaning up Oak St.
10570 NW Frwy 713-680-2350
read full story • Page 8A
Last chance for Good Brick nominations
The deadline is fast approaching to nominate historic preservation projects for a 2014 Good Brick Award. Entries must be submitted by 3 p.m. Sept. 9. Updated guidelines and nomination forms may be downloaded at www. preservationhouston.org/awards/. Nominations must be received at Preservation Houston’s office, 3272 Westheimer Road, Suite 2, by the deadline. To qualify, preservation projects must be located within Harris County and must have been completed within the last three years. Residential, commercial and institutional projects all qualify for awards.?? Anyone may submit a nomination. In the case of building projects, the nominee must be the property owner who carried out the project. Nominating yourself will not affect your chances for receiving an award. For additional information, e-mail contact@preservationhouston.org.?? The 2014 Good Brick Awards will be presented during Preservation Houston’s Cornerstone Dinner on February 21, 2014.
Atmosphere, good food – and family everywhere
TOP: Waiter Isaac Galvan has worked at Cavatore for more than 20 years, and his wife and daughter are employed there, as well – part of the 35 families who owner Federico Cavatore says are responsible for its success. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar)
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Federico and Dolores Cavatore are the second generation to run their family’s restaurant, which is turning 30 this month. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar)
BELOW: The kitchen at Cavatore turns out classic Italian specialties and gourmet specials at lunch and dinner. (Photo by Charlotte Aguilar)
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by Charlotte Aguilar and Michael Sudhalter
What
YOU
Can Find Inside Looking For A Job? Each week you can find new job listings in our Help Wanted section. Garage Sales Shopping? Look for our weekly listings as well as online.
See more, Page 4B
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When Federico Cavatore discusses his “family business,” as he loves to do, he’s really talking about 35 families –– his own and the extended families of waitstaff, cooks, bartenders and others who’ve kept Cavatore’s Italian Restaurant thriving through 30 years of everything from blissful success to natural disasters to economic downturns. “We’re a very happy family and a very happy staff,” Cavatore said. “We’ve
worked together for countless number of years, and it shows. Everyone puts their heart and soul into this restaurant.” The homey eatery exists in a rustic old Bastrop barn hauled by Giancarlo Cavatore to the 2120 Ella Blvd. site in 1983. Its tables are covered in red-checkered cloths, its walls with memorabilia of Giancarlo’s Italian homeland, the air scented with the welcoming aromas of garlic and herbs. While Giancarlo and his Argentinian wife, Anna, opened the restaurant, now it’s Federico and sister Dolores who run
THE INDEX.
Public Safety Hipstrict Topics Obituaries Coupons Puzzles Sports Classifieds
2A 7B 4A 5A 6A 4B 3B 4B
The federal government has released a draft reevaluating the final Environmental Impact Statement for the U.S. 290 Corridor construction project, running from the 610 Loop to FM 2920, and a public meeting will be held Sept. 12 to go over the complex report. The report largely addresses the interim placement of managed toll lanes in the center of the widened highway, from 610 to the Grand Parkway (State Highway 99), but noise issues and more will be discussed at the meeting. “The meeting is informational to help persons prepare comments or prepare for a hearing that will be requested for the Final Re-Evaluation,” said attorney Carol Caul, who is representing the stakeholders’ interest in the construction project. The meeting will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Lazy Brook Baptist Church, 1822 W. 18th St. Copies of the re-evaluation and public meeting summary report are available for review and reproduction at the Texas Department of Transportation Houston District Headquarters, 7600 Washington Ave. or the US 290 Program Management Consultant office at 2950 North Loop West, Suite 1150. It’s also available for review online at www.my290. com for a period of 30 days. Written comments may be mailed to TxDOT Houston District, Attention: Director of Project Development, P.O. Box 1386, Houston, TX 77251-1386, or by e-mail at HOU-PIOWebmail@txdot.gov. The comment review for this review ends on Sept. 18.
Nightclub with new evocative name opens in Oak Forest residents overwhelmingly the NW Mall pleased with S.E.A.L. Security see Cavatore • Page 8A
by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com
Expires 9-15-13
4610 N Shepherd 713-695-5071 ������������������
it, with an assist from Mom. Federico gets wistful talking about his dad, who died from a heart attack in 2005 after beating cancer five years earlier. “I wish he could be here to celebrate,” he said. “Thirty years is such a milestone. You don’t see many restaurants making it this far.” Although Federico started raking leaves outside the restaurant at the age of 7, he said his father deliberately kept him and his sister away once they reached
Meeting to be held Sept. 12 on U.S. 290 re-evaluation
James Alexander, director of operations for Strategic Executive and Logistical (S.E.A.L.) Security Solutions, a private security firm, gave a thorough presentation and answered residents questions last Wednesday night at Frank Black Middle School, concerning contracted neighborhood patrol in the Oak Forest. At one point, the packed auditorium erupted in nearly unanimous applause, causing one of S.E.A.L’s K-9 security dogs to bark in response. That was humorous, but the reason for Wednesday’s meeting was no laughing matter. Oak Forest residents have been vic-
S.E.A.L. director of operations James Alexander gave a presentation and answered questions for Oak Forest residents on Wednesday night at Frank Black Middle School. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter). tims of burglaries and robberies in recent months, so the homeowner’s association made it a point to look into contracted patrol options.
They chose S.E.A.L. over the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable and another private security firm. Oak Forest HOA president Craig Powers said the goal was getting 25 percent of the residents to pay for the security. The more residents that pay, the more security hours will be provided. Powers said the HOA would like to sign a contract by late October and have the S.E.A.L. officers begin patrolling on Nov. 1. Lucy Fisher-Cain, a member of the HOA’s security committee, said the HOA has received payments from 100 people. “We were very pleased, and the people seemed to be pleased, too,” Fisher-Cain said. “We did a lot of vetting. It’s the best
see S.E.A.L • Page 8A
A controversial nightspot opened at the Northwest Mall on the weekend of Aug. 24, and with a different name than originally expected -- one evocative of a former troublespot near that location. Chapa, 444 Northwest Mall, made its debut just weeks after its ownership, Triangle Entertainment, reached a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) mediation agreement with individuals and civic leaders who had originally protested the club’s mixed beverage license. The club was originally supposed to be called Chela’s, which translates to “a cold one‚“ in English. Larkin Stallings, the club’s co-owner, said it was changed to Chapa for marketing reasons. “Chapa doesn’t mean anything -- that’s the silliest thing about it,” Stallings said. Protesters were concerned that Stallings and coowner Mario Anzaldua had been the owners of El Chaparral, which was located in the parking lot of the Northwest Mall from 2007-2012. There was a
see Nightclub • Page 8A