Whispering Pines
Official Community Newsletter of Terranova West, Oaks of TNW, Terravista, Terravista Estates & Villa Nova
TNW POA MEETING NEXT TNW POA MEETING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014 4:30 PM AT CLUBHOUSE ALL RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND. RESIDENT INPUT 6:30 PM
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DECEMBER NEWS Submitted by Sharon Natenberg
As is customary, there was no Board meeting in December. However, to keep you abreast of neighborhood news, this is a report of the Harris County Public Safety Town Hall Meeting held at Northwoods Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, December 10. Officials at the meeting included: District Attorney Devin Anderson, County Commissioner Jack Cagle, Constable Ron Hickman, a Harris County Sheriff officer, and an officer from the Klein and Spring school districts. Attendees were able to question the officials by writing a question on a card. Our local citizens group that has been active in protesting the pending installation of traffic lights and the removal of stop signs along T.C. Jester had many supporters in attendance. However, the panel addressed only a few questions on this topic, dismissing the issue at this meeting by saying there will be a new study on the necessity of the traffic lights. Shannan Rumsey, activist from Spring Creek Oaks, requested to be able to give a statement, but was denied. She was able to give Commissioner Cagle a binder with letters explaining local neighborhood protests of the traffic light situation: the main issue being the probable increased traffic on T. C. Jester and its effect on the safety of our neighborhoods. The TNW Board signed Copyright © 2014 Peel, Inc.
January 2014 Volume 7, Issue 1
one of these letters as well as Boards from other area subdivisions. This citizens group is determined to continue questioning the installation of the traffic lights. Please contact any of our TNW Board members for more information or contact Commissioner Cagle directly at commissionercagle@hcp4.net. The panel addressed issues of crime. Questions were directed to the school officers as to our students’ safety. The school officers are regulated by the school administrators who are in charge of determining what punishments to give to offenders, of course, except in the case of an actual felony. Both school districts have added officers. Klein reports that they have a dedicated officer not only at the junior high and high schools but also at the elementary schools. Spring has eight (8) officers at Spring High School and five (5) at the other Spring high schools. There are gang suppression units and plainclothes officers that seek information on gang activity. District Attorney Anderson emphasized that there is “zero tolerance” for gang activity. Even though we certainly have crime issues in our area, the Sheriff and Constable reported that crime was actually down over the past 10 months. Nevertheless, they are working hard to shut down those massage parlors that are actually fronts for prostitution. An expert, Ann Johnson, has been hired to detect human trafficking. Game rooms are also an area of high crime because of the large amounts of money that accumulate there. Businesses “tagged” by graffiti are responsible for the removal of this graffiti. A question was asked about the on-going issue of those who stand along Steubner-Airline in front of Wimbledon to be picked up for day labor. Police officers cannot arrest these people unless someone makes a direct complaint. The businesses along SteubnerAirline don’t protest the presence of these people as they are customers in their businesses. Also, those who ask for assistance, wash your windows or ask for contributions as they are standing in the median of our busy streets, are not breaking any laws unless they threaten you. (Continued on Page 2) Whispering Pines - January 2014
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