THIS WEEK: Contractors and Rented Trucks to Assist with Recycling Backlog; Recovery Funds Available for Harvey-Impacted Homes; Houston Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Chevron Houston Marathon
Contractors and Rented Trucks to Assist with Recycling Backlog
Mayor Pro Tem Cohen and her colleagues approved two agenda items to assist with the Solid Waste Department’s ongoing backlog of missed and delayed recycling and heavy trash pickup. The department has contracted out the collection of 10 daily recycling routes at the Northwest Service Center for the next year, as well as temporarily renting 5 additional trucks which can substitute in when existing trucks are down for maintenance.
Council purchased new trucks in December 2018, which are scheduled to be delivered throughout 2019: 20 will arrive in February, 12 in May, and 26 in August.
In addition, Mayor Turner has asked any Public Works Department employees with a CDL driver license to temporarily be reallocated to Solid Waste in the interim until the City can hire more experienced truck drivers.
If your recycling or heavy trash pickup was missed or delayed: please report the situation to 311@houstontx.gov and cc: DistrictC@houstontx.gov. Please be sure to include your name, address, and what your normal pickup day is. Our office will share with the department and with the Mayor’s Office.
Stay informed by continuing to check the department’s facebook page daily for updates on when your neighborhood’s pickup will take place.
Recovery Funds Available for Harvey-Impacted Homes
The Houston Housing and Community Development Department has opened 4 Housing Resource Centers, one in each quadrant of the city, to aid Houstonians whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Harvey in obtaining recovery dollars. The City will receive $1.17B in federal and state funds to facilitate:
- reimbursement for completed repairs,
- homeowner-managed rehabilitation
- city-managed rehabilitation and reconstruction
- buyouts
- interim mortgage assistance
Any interested residents must first complete a survey at Recovery.HoustonTX.gov.
Houston Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, January 21st, Houston will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the 41st Annual Original MLK Day Parade. The 2019 Grand Marshalls will be legendary civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis and Houston Astro George Springer! The parade will begin at 10AM at the intersection of Lamar St and Smith St downtown.
The Black Heritage Society, which organizes the parade, was founded in 1978 with the blessing of Dr. King’s father. They maintain an official IPM license from the King Center in Atlanta, GA.
Please note: the District C office will be closed on Monday, January 21st in observance of the holiday.
What’s Happening in the District
The Chevron Houston Marathon will take place this weekend and a large portion of the course will run through District C. On the morning of Sunday, January 20th, many major thoroughfares in the central portion of the district will be fully or partically closed to traffic. The Houston Marathon began in 1972 and has grown to attract over 28,000 entrants from around the world and over 250,000 spectators.