C mpass Rose MAY 2018
2018 HURRICANE SEASON, ARE YOU PREPARED? For those here for last year's hurricane season, there is little need for the reminders of the devastation of Harvey. Regardless of how many storms you have lived and endured, it is always important to be prepared. Hurricane season begins June 1st, and weather officials are predicting a more than active storm season. Hurricanes like Harvey emphasize the need for every citizen to have a well thought out personal and/or family plan. The following are some basics that should be part of your plan: Protect from the Dangers of Inland Flooding • Protect Your Past - Personal records and special items. • Protect Your Present - Buy flood insurance! • Protect Your Peace of Mind - Focus on planning & communications. • Protect Yourself & Others - NEVER drive on flooded roads. “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” Prepare a Disaster Survival Kit • Have enough non-perishable food, water, and supplies for family and pets to last at least (5) five days. Prepare for Hurricane Season • Know if you live in a designated evacuation zone. Nassau Bay is in Zone ‘A’, not to be confused with flood insurance zones. Plan ahead for where you will go and when you will leave. • Familiarize yourself with your school and workplace evacuation plans. • Learn how to shut off your utilities and know emergency numbers to call. • Protect your property, board up windows, secure outside furniture, and secure boats, trailers and other items. • Perform an inventory, make copies of important insurance documents (Property, Life, Health, etc) along with credit and ID cards. Make a video or take pictures of your property and belongings for insurance purposes. • Store important documents in a secure place away from home. • Keep some cash in a safe place that can easily be accessed during an evacuation. ATM’s are useless during power outages. Plan for Those with Functional Needs • Hearing, speech or mobility impaired, the critically ill, people without vehicles or those with special dietary needs should call 211, the State Transportation Evacuation Assistance Registry, to register for assistance. When a Hurricane Threatens • Frequently monitor TV, radio (KTRH 740 AM), NOAA weather radio, internet and hurricane help lines. • Fuel your vehicles and keep them topped-off.
PREPAREDNESS SEMINAR Learn what you need to do before disaster strikes to protect yourself, your family, your property, and your community. Join the City of Nassau Bay for our Citizen Hurricane Preparedness Seminar on Thursday, May 24, 2018, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Nassau Bay City Hall (1800 Space Park Drive). The seminar will cover topics such as an overview of the 2018 Hurricane Season, citizen preparedness, and mitigation. Speakers include Jamie Galloway, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Nassau Bay, and Dan Reilley, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the Houston/ Galveston National Weather Service. For more info, call 281-333-4211.
SIGN UP FOR ALERTS Now is the time to sign up for Nassau Bay's emergency alert notifications. We will keep you informed in emergency situations through our Swift911™ Portal. Residents can register online at www.nassaubay.com/alerts. In addition to our alert system, Nassau Bay issues regular updates via social media, including Facebook and NextDoor. Join the conversations on Facebook @nassaubay and Nextdoor at nassaubay.nextdoor.com.
Nassau Bay City Hall | 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 200 | Nassau Bay, TX 77058 | 281.333.4211
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR May 2018 Planning Commission ......................................... May 1 Coffee with the City Manager................ May 4, 9am Garden Club Installation Luncheon................ May 8 Coffee with the City Manager.............. May 11, 9am City Council Meeting............................... May 14, 7pm Parks & Rec Committee Meeting (if needed).... May 16 Coffee with the City Manager.............. May 18, 9am Hurricane Preparedness Seminar.................. May 24 Coffee with the City Manager.............. May 25, 9am City Hall Closed (Memorial Day).................... May 28
June 2018 Coffee with the City Manager................ June 1, 9am Planning Commission (if needed) ........................... June 5 Coffee with the City Manager................ June 8, 9am City Council Meeting.............................. June 11, 7pm Coffee with the City Manager............. June 15, 9am Parks & Rec Committee Meeting (if needed)... June 20 Coffee with the City Manager............. June 22, 9am Coffee with the City Manager............. June 29, 9am For more information about these events and a complete list of community events, please visit: www.nassaubay.com/calendar. If you have an event you would like to include, please email Sandra Ham at sandra.ham@nassaubay.com
CANBE CORNER
Legacy Bench Program: CANBE is pleased to announce our Legacy Bench Program is in full swing. A sample bench will be on display soon as well as benches available for Legacy. Be the first to honor a loved one, friend or citizen! Legacy Benches are available for a tax deductible donation of $1,400. Junior Member Applications: Thank you to all who requested applications for the Junior Member position. We will be reviewing applications at our May meeting and notification of acceptance will be announced in June. Legacy Bricks: Honoring a graduate this spring? Legacy Bricks make the perfect gift for a tax deductible donation of only $100! Legacy Bricks can be installed in David Braun Park or sent directly to you. Visit City Hall or our website at www.NassauBayCANBE.org to place an order!
NASSAU BAY GARDEN CLUB
Va Va Bloom! On Friday, April 13th, Nassau Bay Garden Club’s biennial fundraiser, Va Va Bloom! was truly an event carefully cultivated by President Betty Armstrong and Chairs Cherry Nims, D’Lisa Johnston, Jennifer Hudgins, Valerie Moses and Ann Davidson to make Bay Area friendships bloom! Though the skies were a threatening gray over the beautiful Lakewood Yacht Club, they couldn’t begin to dim the bright smiles of all the ladies and gents as they visited and bid on auction items generously donated by many local businesses, Garden Club members and friends throughout the community. When a flower blooms, it bursts open. That is exactly what happened when the models, assisted by Don Matter and Bob Warters, burst down the runway blossoming in fun Spring fashions from Sandy Carney’s Cassanova’s Downfall, Juanita Rufino’s The Clothes Horse and Lisa Finklea’s Back Bay Boutiques. Models who wowed the attendees were Councilmember Sandra Mossman, Kathryn Gehbauer, Christie Reynolds, Ashleigh Klug, Judge Holly Williamson, Assistant City Manager Mary Chambers, Stacey Amdur, Joyce Mayor, Tuie Lee, Joy Edwards, Kitty Kalil, Judith Crowley, Kelly Halbach, Donna Stoa, Win Weber, Royce Walker and Betty Harper. The Garden Club greatly appreciates everyone who helped in any way to make the fundraiser a wonderful success! Beautification Day On March 24th, approximately 60 residents worked on gardens throughout the City. It was the first of several gardening endeavors this year. Please take time to walk through these gardens. Plans are being made to spruce up more gardens in the near future. The rose trellis in Reflection Garden, located just inside David Braun Park, fell during a somewhat violent storm. Special thanks to Tuie and Roscoe Lee, Gail and Jerry Newberry, Richard Armstrong and Nancee and Jeff Lynn for coming to the aid of the demolished trellis. Under Roscoe’s eagleeye engineer guidance, the trellis is rebuilt and the rose bush, the Betsy Martin, is recovering! The Garden Club will have an Installation Luncheon on May 8, 2018 and then proceed to summer break.
BRITISH TEA ANYONE? If you are a fan of Netflix’s The Crown, PBS’s Victoria or are eagerly awaiting the Royal Wedding in May, you are going to love St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church's program with former British Journalist, Cathy Hollowell! Join St. Thomas on Saturday, May 12th at 2:00 pm to learn all the inside stories about Britain’s Royal Family....and more, like enjoying ‘proper’ tea and scones. Cathy has travelled with Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Phillip, covered Prince Charles and Diana Spencer’s wedding as well as interviewing stars of stage, screen and politics. So, come and join them and get an early update on all things Royal... plus a few other interesting tidbits!
Nassau Bay City Hall | 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 200 | Nassau Bay, TX 77058 | 281.333.4211
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BY THE NUMBERS Statistics for March 2017
POLICE
Total Service Calls............................. 323 Total Reports Taken........................... 37 Total Patrol Miles.......................... 6,126 Crimes Against Persons...................... 5 Property Crimes.................................. 18 Arrests.................................................... 10 Avg Response Times (minutes).... 3.96
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Total Calls.............................................. 36 Fires............................................................ 2 Rescue....................................................... 2 Motor Vehicle Accident...................... 0 Hazardous Conditions......................... 7 Fire Alarm.............................................. 10 EMS Assist............................................. 11 Cancelled in Route/Other.................. 4
EMS
Total Calls.............................................. 79 Total Patients in Nassau Bay.......... 35
SAVE THE DATE Don’t forget Nassau Bay’s annual 4th of July festivities! Help us celebrate Independence Day with a day full of family fun and neighborhood activities. From a City-wide water fight, local veterans honored in our parade, to a spectacular fireworks display viewed from David Braun Park. It is sure to be a fun filled celebration! We would be honored to have any veterans, young and old, be a part of our parade. This is a great way for us to honor your sacrifices and service to our country. Please contact Kathy Prior at kathywhite1975@yahoo.com or 817845-9654 if you would like to be included or know someone who we could include.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE Do you know the REAL heroes behind Nassau Bay's four amazing holiday events – Easter in the Park, Fourth of July Parade, Halloween in the Park, and Holiday in the Park? It is the hard-working volunteers of the Nassau Bay Special Events Committee! The Special Events Committee is made up of six members, Chairwoman Stacey Amdur, and members Gail Barnett, Chris Zajac, Sara Plunk, Kathy Prior, and Amy Laird. These amazing volunteers do all of the behind-the-scenes work so that our Nassau Bay neighbors can come together in community and fun! Each special event is chaired by a different member, with responsibilities changing every year. For 2017-2018, event chairs included Easter in the Park – Stacey Amdur, Fourth of July – Chris Zajac & Kathy Prior, Halloween in the Park – Stacey Amdur & Sara Plunk, and Holiday in the Park – Kathy Prior. The Special Events Committee always welcomes new volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Stacey at staceyamdur@gmail.com. Nassau Bay is so thankful for such an extraordinary group of volunteers! Thank you to Stacey, Gail, Chris, Sara, Kathy and Amy for all you do to make Nassau Bay such a great City!
HAVE YOU SEEN IT?
Ormond Gigli, longtime photographer for TIME and LIFE magazine, snapped everything from farmers to movie stars in his decades long career. But his most famous image, Girls in the Window, features long-time Nassau Bay resident Karen Wixon. Taken on New York’s East 58th Street in 1960, Girls in the Window is widely considered one of the most famous fashion shots of the 1960s, capturing a slice of long-gone New York. Karen is featured wearing a purple dress, and appears on the third floor, fourth from the right. “I am very happy to have worked with an icon like Ormond Gigli, a top photographer in New York and for Life and Time magazine,” she said. “And I am so glad that I didn't fall out of the window, as the ledges were shaky.” Karen is a renowned make-up artist, having worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. Although Karen is technically retired, she still serves as a film location scout and continues to assist her husband with The Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival.
Nassau Bay City Hall | 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 200 | Nassau Bay, TX 77058 | 281.333.4211
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NASSAU BAY ANIMAL SHELTER
BUTTER
BAILEY
Help find loving forever homes for Butter and Bailey, and all of the dogs and cats at the shelter. Please call the Nassau Bay Animal Shelter at 281.333.2944 and schedule a time to meet one of our dogs or cats ready for adoption. www.nassaubay.com/animalshelter Hours: Mon-Thurs 7:30am-5:30pm Fri 7:30am-11:30am
Find us on Facebook @NassauBayAnimalPound
VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE
Nassau Bay is pleased to announce the launch of our redesigned website: www.nassaubay.com. The freshly redesigned website offers a modern look and streamlined user experience. It features enhanced resources and functionality designed exclusively for Nassau Bay citizens, businesses and visitors. The City’s website is a true resource for Nassau Bay citizens, offering them more information and transparency about what is happening within their city government. Also, the site is now 100% responsive ,allowing for users to view the full site on any device. As with any new website, there may be a few glitches that will be adjusted over the new few weeks. We will be improving the site and adding more functionality as the site grows and new needs arise.
AWESOME OPOSSUM
Here's why Animal Control Officer Troy Bradfield think opossums are awesome! It's my opinion that the opossum is totally awesome! Now some will disagree, but let me tell you you about the opossum and then see if you change your mind. The first thing you should know is that the opossum is a hero in the fight against ticks. An opossum can eat up to 4,000 ticks in one week, helping to slow down the spread of Lyme disease. In addition to ticks, they eat cockroaches, rats, mice, snails and slugs – actually, they eat almost anything, keeping our environment free of all the nasty things we don’t like. Snakes? Opossums are immune to the venom of poisonous snakes. Is rabies a concern of yours? Not to worry. Although any mammal can be a carrier of rabies, the chance of opossums being a carrier are very rare. The body temperature of the opossum is very low, making it almost impossible for the virus to survive. Are you now convinced that opossums are totally awesome? Even if you're not, I encourage you to "live and let live." They serve a purpose and deserve a place in our world!
THANKS! STREET EATZ SPONSORS Thanks for joining us on April 28th for the Street Eatz Party on Town Square. Thank you to our great sponsors: Griffin Partners, AMOCO Federal Credit Union, Houston Food Truck Association and Okies YardHouse for helping us provide this great event! Event photos can be seen on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nassaubay.
COUNCIL MEETING RECAP
April 9, 2018 - Regular City Council Meeting
Received a grant in the amount of $4,370.75 from The NRA Foundation for the purchase of new Police Department duty rigs
Presented a Proclamation to CenterPoint Energy for Safe Digging Month, encouraging homeowners to call 811 before digging
Heard a presentation on the Southeast Water Purification Plant (SEWPP). Approved appointment of Melinda Mintz (Hilton Houston Clear Lake NASA) to the Bay Area Houston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (BAHCVB) Board of Directors and to the City’s Hotel/Motel Tax Task Force. Approved continuance of the Special Use Permit to operate an automotive repair shop at 1910 NASA Parkway, with several recommendations / clarifications made by Council for the Special Use Permit. Approved a resolution establishing a board for Keep Nassau Bay Beautiful. Join us for next month's Council Meeting: Monday, May 14, 2018 @ 7:00pm - Nassau Bay City Hall Nassau Bay City Hall | 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 200 | Nassau Bay, TX 77058 | 281.333.4211
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