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Saturday, October 3, 2015 • Vol. 60 • No. 48
Movement to preserve history of curbside tiles gains traction By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
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Although the old adage is sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, sometimes it’s the other way around. At least that was the experience of Joey Sanchez and his wife on a bike ride from downtown to Herman Park which took them through midtown. On Caroline Street, they took notice of the blue tile mosaic along the curb that marked the street name. Once Sanchez started to look for the tiles, they were everywhere. And the Blue Tile Project was born. As Marks Hinton noted in his book Historic Houston Streets: The Stories Behind the Names, there are still streets in the Houston Heights and elsewhere that have their name and block number in tile on the curb at the end of each block. Hinton said that the city used this form of identification from the 1920s to the early 1950s because “it was cheap, attractive, durable and easy to read.” But because drivers
in faster moving automobiles needed something more visible, street poles on signs became the norm. Sanchez reimagined a new life for the tiles but first he wanted to catalogue them for the city, so he is getting the word out on social media and visiting neighborhood groups, like at the recent Oak Forest Homeowners Association meeting. “I’ve seen over 750 submissions [of tiles],” said Sanchez, “and Oak Forest is the furthest north I’ve received. T.C. Jester has some that travel pretty far north.” It makes sense for Oak Forest to be the northern boundary for the tiles since Frank Sharp started construction on the development in 1946. Oak Forest resident Lucy Fisher Cain said she’s noticed the tiles on Brimberry, Oak Forest and Nina Lee. She attended the recent meeting and said that people were Photo by Betsy Denson Joey Sanchez visited the OFHA meeting recently to talk about the Blue Tile Project. Oak Forest is the northern boundary for these mosaic tiles.
See Tiles, P. 10A
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Yale Street bridge to be rebuilt By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
The bell finally tolls Heights residents concerned about the former home of the Southwestern Bell switching station might be relieved to hear the building will be revitalized and will be avoiding the wrecking ball after spending many years empty. Find out the plans for the building in this month’s Business Leaders.
Find it on 1B
INSIDE.
Photos by Betsy Denson Top: Volunteers dig in at the Little Free Library #2 to plant flowers and beautify the area for neighborhood readers. Left: Another assignment for the volunteers was at MANNA’s Food Bank on 34th Street where they bundled fruits and vegetables for grateful recipients. Other projects included beautification at Stevens Elementary and Black Middle School. The Animal Justice League also had an adoption center set up at Mytiburger.
Celebrating heritage Students at Travis Elementary had a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity and Hispanic roots as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and a special event at the school. Children had the opportunity to learn about people and events from Hispanic history and culture both inside and outside of the classroom.
Find it on 3B
FIND IT. RUMMAGE SALE: Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 7901 Westview at Wirt (in Spring Branch), Friday, Oct. 2, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Clothes, hardware, home décor, dishes, children’s miscellaneous.
The INDEX. Church
6A
Classifieds
7A
Coupons
5A
Food/Drink/Art Obituaries
9A 4A
Opinion
3A
Public Information Puzzles
2A 4A
Leader-area residents lend helping hands to community as part of local ‘Day of Service’ By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Jonathan Kolmetz says that he and others involved with the Leather Apron Foundation are taking a stand against ‘slactivists’. Their mission? To bring “friends and neighbors together to financially support those with the biggest need in our local community” and to “increase personal interaction among individuals in order to strengthen our network of friends and neighbors.” Kolmetz said that he and three other graduates of St. Pius X High School came up with the idea of LAF about three years ago. They take their name from the society that Benjamin Franklin founded in the 1727 which according to Kolmetz was an “organization of do-gooders” who established the first public library and first volunteer fire brigade, among other contributions. “They were an eclectic group of people who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty,” said Kolmetz. “We are about getting our hands dirty.”
This pull-up-your-sleeves mentality was in full display last Saturday at the LAF’s day of service where more than 60 volunteers participated in projects at Stevens Elementary, Black Middle School, the MANNA Food Bank on 34th Street and the Little Free Library #2. There was also a group who went door to door on behalf of the Animal Justice League to provide information about the organization and low cost spay and neuter options. Jennifer Graves and other volunteers with the Animal Justice League also brought dogs to the command center in the Mytiburger parking lot who were available for adoption. Graves says that AJL picks up stray dogs off the streets, and provides for them no matter the level of neglect until forever homes can be found. They also have a Trap, Neuter and Release program for feral cats. Kim Antley, a volunteer with AJL, is also a key leader on the Bucket Brigade with LAF. Kolmetz says that the Bucket Brigade is the “eyes and ears” of the organization. “They are the on the school boards and the church boards,” he said. See Service, P. 2A
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Texas Department of Transportation officials confirmed that the aging bridge on Yale Street which crosses the White Oak Bayou will finally be rebuilt, starting in the fourth quarter of 2015. The bridge has received attention in the past from concerned residents and city officials alike. According to a previous article in The Leader in 2012, the bridge had been downgraded during two routine state inspections. The bridge had been labeled at one point “functionally obsolete,” and became off-limits to vehicles with heavy loads like 18-wheelers and school buses. The city did obtain fast-track funding and the bridge has been expected to be rebuilt within the following five years. Officials reportedly approved a contract for rebuilding the bridge, first built in the early 1930s, and construction will likely start in early 2016. Officials say that southbound traffic will be detoured to Heights to bypass the road closure and Northbound traffic will use Bass Court. The nearly $3 million contract will instead offer four lanes and 5-foot sidewalks both north and south.
St. Pius X starts work on new science center By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com Science teachers at St. Pius X High School say they are excited about their new $9.1 million Center for the Sciences and Media which school officials broke ground on last month. Trisha Dunn, a science teacher of eight years, says the new facility is a perfect example of just how much the school has continued to flourish. “Sometimes we’re limited here in our classrooms because of how old the building is and other things we don’t have,” Dunn said. “I think we’re all really excited to get the things we See St. Pius X, P. 2A
Photo by Jonathan Garris St. Pius X High School administrators turned over dirt as part of the groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new science and media center last month.
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