AN EVENING IN THE PARK!
Please join your neighbors, councilmembers, public safety personnel and city employees for a hamburger/hotdog dinner in the park the evening of Wednesday, April 29 from 6- 8 PM. Topics include: Bicycle and dog registration, public safety displays, city hall and roadway construction, infrastructure updates, and recently enacted utility rate increases.
$200,000 Federal Grant Received
Southside Place was recently awarded a $ 200,000 Community Development Block Grant for a new water plant emergency generator.
BELLAIRE BOULEVARD BRIDGE AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
The $1.8 Million Bellaire Boulevard Bridge Crossing Project will begin
May 1st. This Harris County funded project will take 5 months to complete.
WATER/WASTEWATER RATE INCREASES TAKE EFFECT WITH THIS BILLING CYCLE
On February 10, city council approved the following new water/wastewater rates based upon a cost of service and a rate design study by Water Resources Management. All residential, commercial, and industrial customers are now charged a minimum bill based upon meter sizes. Meters less than 1" in size are charged $ 16.80. The majority of residential and commercial meters are less than 1 inch. Residential water rates increased from $ 3.35 to $ 4.69 per thousand. Residential wastewater rates increased from $ 3.35 to $ 4.46 per thousand. Winter averaging is now used for wastewater rates. Your wastewater rate is based upon December-February water usage. Commercial water rates increased from $ 3.35 per to $ 3.87 per thousand. Commercial wastewater rates increased from $ 3.35 to $ 4.65 per thousand. The rate adjustment reflects increases in costs of water and sewer maintenance, a 5% City of Houston surface water contract rate increase, and an on-going $ 380,000 reconstruction project of the city's 54 year old water well.
AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL WATER BILL FOR 2009
(Two Month Billing of 20,000 gallons)
New Rates and City Comparison
Southside Place $ 110.60
West University Place $ 111.08
Bellaire $ 67.96
FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES
$ 37,000 HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT
The Southside Place Volunteer Fire Department was recently awarded a $ 37,000 F.E.M.A. grant to acquire new bunker gear. Since 2002, the department has received over $ 109,000 in grant monies for radios, air packs, and bunker gear.
SOUTHSIDE PLACE CELEBRATES
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS: 1934-2009
The 75 Best Things About the City of Southside Place
On August 3, Southside Place will be celebrating its 75th Birthday. To help celebrate, Southside Place Today is soliciting citizens' comments on the 75 best things about the city. During the next several months, the city will publish the list in upcoming Today issues.
Send your "Best" comments to citymgr@southside-place.org or drop them by city hall.
CITY HALL CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY
Construction of the new municipal complex has begun. A ground-breaking ceremony took place on April 2. Completion of the new city hall building is scheduled for January, 2010.
Drawings of the new administrative, police, and fire building are located in the city hall foyer.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO REGISTER YOUR PETS WITH CITY HALL FOR 2009.
Cost is $ 5.00 for new tags
Thirty-two (32) dogs are currently registered.
POLICE TRADING CARDS
During the evening of April 29, new police trading cards will be available for collection. Officers will also begin distributing them throughout the community.
BELLAIRE BOULEVARD ROADWAY
The $ 5.8 million Bellaire Boulevard reconstruction project is 65% complete. Construction is near Stella Link and Auden. New crosswalk pavers have been installed at Academy. New traffic signal poles can be viewed at all three intersections along Bellaire Boulevard. Double arm decorative poles will be placed in the esplanade in the next two months. The westbound traffic between Auden and Edloe is now closed to Bellaire Boulevard residents only. Please feel free to call or visit city hall with any suggestions or comments about the project scope.
SOUTHSIDE PLACE WATER FACTS
On average, the city buys 89 Million gallons of water from the City of Houston each year. Some 294,000 gallons of water are used for residential and commercial purposes each day.
No Sanitation Pick-Up on May 25. Collection on all residential streets will occur on Tuesday, May 26. Have a safe Memorial weekend. Please use the Police Department housewatch program during the summer months.
