Lakewood Civic

The Lakewood Civic Association in conjunction with the Lakewood Pool will be sponsoring a Summer Kickoff Party on May 25th. It will be a fun day to meet your neighbors, with free swimming and other activities. If you are interested in helping plan this event please comment or send me a Private Message. I’ll set up a meeting for the volunteers. Thank you. 

Thanks to everyone who helped plan the Lakewood Community Garage Sale, the people that held sales at their homes, and all the people who came out to find those great deals!!!

The annual Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) meeting will be held May 14^th at 7:00 pm at the Lakewood Church of Christ. Mayor Brandon Capetillo will be our guest speaker and all Lakewood residents are invited to attend.

Our Community Garage Sale will be:

Saturday – April 13, 2019

8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

This is the first of several events planned in order to bring a greater sense of “community” to our neighborhood. If you wish to participate please notify Rebecca Spann at: catsmeow47@hotmail.com , and let her know if you would like your address listed on the flyers that will be available at street entrances. Signs as being made for each entrance into Lakewood. We will also post the information on various Facebook sites. If you have a Facebook account you may wish to post it there. There is no cost to participate as the Lakewood Civic Association will pay for the City permit. These events are usually quite successful and we’re sure ours will be too. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Sea Scout Nate Gifford installed a new sign for the Lakewood Boat Club launch as a part of his Eagle Scout project. Nate took the LCA plans and organized the construction of the sign using LCA funds. Nate and his fellow crew members of Sea Scout Ship 208 did a great job with the new sign. We thank Nate for his service and wish him success on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

Per the Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) bylaws, a nominating committee was assigned by the LCA president. As it has been done in the past, the nominating committee this year was comprised of several LCA board members that were not running for re-election to the board. The available board members for the nominating committee were Wayne Hanson, Frank McKay, and Randy Dickey. Multiple potential candidates were under consideration from both residents that submitted their own names and residents that were asked to run for the board. Eight candidates have been selected for the four available positions per the bylaws.

The eight candidates will be on the ballot in the newsletter planned to be mailed out mid-April. The votes of the paid members who return ballots will be counted a couple of days before the annual meeting on May 14, 2019. The new board members with the largest number of votes will be announced at the annual meeting.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 16, 2019 – Thanks to all the people who expressed interest in running for the LCA Board. Due to the large number of potential candidates received and the timing needed to design, publish and mail out the annual newsletter, the LCA has ended the nomination period.

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Greetings Lakewood Subdivision Neighbors,

It’s time again to recruit volunteers for the Lakewood Civic Association Board of Directors.

Gene Mueller, who was President of the Lakewood Development Company, helped organize the Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) in the 1940s.

You may ask, “What is it like to be part of the Board of Directors?” Although the purpose of the LCA is to solve community problems of common interest to the residents and property owners of the Lakewood subdivision, it is so much more than just enforcing deed restrictions to maintain Lakewood as a desirable place to live. For example, since I joined the LCA Board this past May the LCA had CenterPoint Energy move Lakewood up on their schedule to install LED street lighting for better visibility and theft deterrence, requested and had the City of Baytown install signs in key locations aimed at minimizing the number of dogs who are intentionally let loose in our neighborhood; arranged a Town Hall meeting with Councilman Johnson and ExxonMobil to keep residents informed on items that could affect them; shared vintage photos of our area for your viewing pleasure and provided financial assistance to the Lakewood Neighborhood Night Out, the Lakewood Pool, Upkeep of the Boat Ramp and Maintenance of the Lakewood Sign. The LCA will also soon be polling residences on events that we can help host.

The Board typically meets once a month so it’s a small investment of time with a potential for big community impact. If you are interested in running for the LCA Board please reply via the ‘Contacts’ menu and your name will be turned into the Nominating Committee.

Thanks!

Randee King

Harris County Flood District (HCFD) identified the foot bridge between the west parking lot of Lakewood Church of Christ and the South border of GCCISD property as a bridge with no owner. HCFD has a mandate to find owners for all the bridges that cross their drainage ditches or, if no owner, to remove the bridge. This bridge was installed sometime in the 1970’s to divert foot traffic from Bayway and provide a more direct path to the schools. There is no clear record of the bridge ownership.

The perimeter security issue is important enough to GCCISD that they are not willing to accept ownership of the bridge and keep the gate open.

LCA has been discussing, first with GCCISD and then the City, the foot traffic concern resulting from the closing of the foot bridge. The closing was going to divert foot traffic down Bayway and down Honeysuckle where there are no sidewalks and the same deep ditch to cross.

GCCISD does agree foot traffic after the closing of the bridge is a concern and needs to be addressed. The City and GCCISD are working together on a plan to build a new bridge near Bayway and put in the connecting sidewalks. They are working together to pursue an available grant for the funding. 

LCA will continue to follow this issue.  The existing bridge will be removed, likely within the month.

Please click this link to view a letter from Dr. Anthony Price, GCCISD Deputy Superintendent, regarding the foot bridge –> Footbridge Update

It’s time to vote!

Community events can be a great way to bring residents together, build relationships, feel more affiliated and engaged, and create a sense of community pride in our neighborhood.

Below are suggestions (in alphabetical order) for neighborhood events. Let me know if I missed any that someone has suggested and I will modify this post.

Please vote on the events you’d like to have in Lakewood, in order of preference, by replying to this post, or you can send an email to lakewoodcivic@aol.com 

• BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY
• BLOCK PARTY – with food, games and perhaps booths to raise money for a charity
• BLOOD DRIVE
• CLOTHING DRIVE
• COMMUNITY PARTY – with food and entertainment
• COOKOUT – with games and music
• CHRISTMAS CAROLING – with hot chocolate
• CHRISTMAS PARTY – – with food and entertainment
  
• EASTER EGG HUNT
• FOOD DRIVE
• FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
• HALLOWEEN PARTY
• MARDI GRAS PARADE
• NEW YEAR’S PARTY – – with food and entertainment
• POLAR EXPRESS MOVIE NIGHT
• POTLUCK DINNER – with games and music
• SPRING COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE – Having a neighborhood yard sale usually attracts larger crowds because there is an opportunity for lots of bargains without having to walk for miles or car hop from location to location. Addresses for those residents that wish to participate can be advertised.
• SUMMER KICK-OFF PARTY – Can be held in conjunction with the opening of the Lakewood Pool, with snacks and games for children.
• TOY DRIVE

Thanks!!

Local Lakewood resident, Dell Cantrell, has published his first book: “In God’s Eye, a Collection of Poetry”. How Dell came to write poetry and the origin of this books was in an article in the December 27, 2018 Baytown Sun,

Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the building fund of Trinity Episcopal Church

Dell Cantrell, a cradle Episcopalian, is a first-time author who was born in Houston but has lived in Baytown for the last 43 years. A retired certified public accountant and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he lives with his wife Suzanne and is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church where he’s served on the vestry, sung in the chancel choir and served as church treasurer for many years. He and Suzanne have two daughters and two grandsons.  Dell is also serving as the Vice president of the Lakewood Civic Association

For more information about the book, visit www.DellCantrell.com.