Lakewood Civic

Many people have expressed interest in keeping the footbridge between Honeysuckle Drive and Baytown Junior opened and maintained. Representatives from the Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) met with Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (GCCISD) Assistant Superintendent Dr. Anthony Price to discuss this possibility.

Currently there is an investigation on whether the bridge is owned by the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) or GCCISD. HCFCD plans to remove the bridge unless an organization claims ownership. One of our LCA Board members was on the GCCISD Board when the bridge was built in the mid 1980’s and he has provided the school district of the name of the GCCISD maintenance supervisor that designed and helped build the bridge. If GCCISD can get confirmation that they are the owners of the bridge there is a good probability that GCCISD will accept responsibility for maintenance and keep the bridge open.

Actions being taken are:

·  The LCA will contact HCFCD again and request they to send a letter to GCCISD confirming HCFCD does not own the bridge.

·  GCCISD will research the installation of the bridge based on the information the LCA provided to them.

·  The LCA will follow-up with GCCISD to confirm if they will accept ownership of the bridge and keep it opened and maintained.

More to come …

Lakewood Newsletter November 2018

If you weren’t able to attend the Town Hall Meeting last night (24-SEP-2018) but would like to know more about ExxonMobil’s proposed expansion, click on this link to view their presentation –> Baytown Chemical Plant Growth

Also, on 12-SEP-2018 ExxonMobil held a Public Meeting on their requested revisions to the Baytown Refinery’s Hazardous Waste Permit, which can be viewed here –>  ExxonMobil Hazardous Waste Permit Modification

This Waste Permit presentation includes the following acronyms/references:

• AOC – Area of Concern
• Area 70 – land that was part of the refinery that is being changed to the Olefins Plant
• BOP – Baytown Olefins Plant
• BTZ – Below Treatment Zone
• E&PS – Environmental and Property Solutions
• FOA – Facility Operations Area

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL NIGHT OUT – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2

LOCATION : The Former Lakewood Pharmacy Building
(Castillo’s Reception Hall)
7129 Bayway at W. Baker Road
Tuesday, October 2, 2018    6:30pm-7:30pm.

INVITEES include Mayor Don Carlos, candidates for Mayor (Lee Larson and Brandon Capetillo), Councilman Charles Johnson, a K-9 police representative, the local fire department on Bayway, all four churches in the Lakewood area, and teachers from both the schools in Lakewood.

FOOD – We’ll have SUBWAY SNACKS, DESSERTS, and water/tea.

Come visit with your neighbors and local officials. And get signed up to get on NextDoor Lakewood so we’ll all be connected.

Hosted by Lakewood Neighborhood Watch   HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

LCA Open Meeting Policy

Lakewood residents are encouraged to communicate with the Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) Board and be involved in our subdivision. Please click on the link above to view the LCA Board Open Meeting policy.

Please mark your calendars and try to attend. Our City Councilman Charles Johnson will be hosting a Town Hall meeting on September 24th at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Lakewood Church of Christ, located at 7701 Bayway Drive in Baytown.

If you have any questions for Councilman Johnson, please use the ‘Contacts’ drop down box and send them to the ‘Webmaster’ by Monday (9/17) so Mr. Johnson has time to get answers from the appropriate City Department.

Representatives from ExxonMobil will also be at this meeting to share information and answer questions about their proposed expansion.

As you are driving around Lakewood you should notice some new signs (see attached picture). These signs are being placed in Lakewood at the request of the Lakewood Civic Association due to the number of people who have been chased or attacked by loose dogs, fallen off of bicycles or have had to swerve off roads to avoid hitting a dog in our subdivision. While most of our neighbors are responsible pet owners and do not intentionally let their pets roam there are still some people who purposely let their dogs out or do not adequately contain them. I do not want to see our neighbors or pets injured by loose dogs and I expect pet owners do not want to pay fines for letting their pets wander the neighborhood. Let’s be good neighbors and responsible pet owners and eliminate the problem of loose dogs in Lakewood.

Please take a few minutes to read the latest newsletter from the Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) by clicking on the ‘Newsletters’ link on the top menu bar.

The LCA newsletter features a new section “Lakewood Notables” to recognize some of the outstanding people we have in Lakewood. If you would like to submit something to be included in this section for our next issue, please use the ‘Contacts’ dropdown box for the ‘Webmaster’.

ExxonMobil has purchased the property next to St. James House on Baker Road. There were previously safety and health concerns when Vopak Moda attempted to gain approval from the City of Baytown to build a tank farm at this location that could store up to 105 million gallons of crude oil. ExxonMobil currently does not have plans to build on this property and is well aware of concerns expressed by many Lakewood residents regarding potential development at this site.

I recently reported that one of our neighbors had been chased by loose dogs while walking in Lakewood. The City of Baytown (COB) issued a citation to the dog’s owner.

The Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) receives numerous complaints regarding loose dogs. Several neighbors have been chased by dogs, fallen off of bicycles or have had to swerve off roads to avoid hitting a dog. Per the COB: “Your dog must be confined at all times, even on your property, by a sufficient fence and/or humanely chained in such a manner that he cannot leave your property. Failure to properly confine your dog can result in a fine and/or summons to Municipal Court.” Violators may be fined up to $500.

The LCA has met with the COB to  address the issue of loose dogs to protect our neighborhood. The city already recognizes loose dogs as an issue for all neighborhoods and is taking steps to prosecute more owners who violate the ordinance.

What you can do to help:

• If you have a dog, be a responsible pet owner and ensure it is contained at all times; either in your house, a fenced yard, or walked on a lease. Have your dog microchipped and have it wear a collar with a tag so you can quickly get your pet back.
• If your pet inadvertently gets loose, post it on NextDoor Lakewood and look for it. Do not wait for it to come home.
• If you see a loose dog, contact COB Animal Control via the Health Department at (281) 420-5384 or report it through the COB app. You can remain anonymous when making a report. After hours and aggressive animal attacks should go to the non-emergency phone number (281) 422-8371, unless it is an emergency then call 911. You can also contact the LCA board via the website and we will follow up with the city.

Fines for loose dogs increase for repeated violations. Most people in our neighborhood are responsible pet owners, they care about their animals and do not let them roam. However there are some people who purposely let their dogs out or do not adequately contain them. I do not want to see our neighbors or pets injured by loose dogs and I expect pet owners do not want to pay fines for letting their pets wander the neighborhood. Animal Control will be patrolling our neighborhood more frequently and responding to complaints received. They will be issuing fines instead of just warnings. Let’s be good neighbors and responsible pet owners and eliminate the problem of loose dogs.