Letters from the President

Hello Lazybrook Neighbors,

It’s been a hot and dry couple of months after a drenching spring time. It will be interesting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us this fall. Our family has definitely appreciated the rain and break in the heat recently and our fingers are crossed that trend will continue.

Houston fall brings about a break in the heat as well as some terrific holiday activities. National Night Out will be in October and everyone is encouraged to get outdoors and meet their neighbors. We hope to arrange another movie night with the Lazybrook families and then our holiday season will be upon us.

Remember our elections are upcoming in December. Many of our community members are vocal about their desires to improve our neighborhood and we need these voices to manifest themselves into actions with the help of volunteers. If you have a passion area or desire to contribute, please consider volunteering to hold an executive position or chair a committee.

As I write this letter the weatherman is warning or a possible freeze here in the first few days of March.  However there seem to be a few indications that spring is coming as there are a few days predicted to be in the mid 70’s.

For those that were not able to attend the January Civic Club meeting much discussion was focused around the increase in dues for membership and the natural area of the bayou, Lazybrook portion of TC Jester Park that borders our neighborhood along West TC Jester Blvd.  The final vote for the annual dues passed and the new rate for 2015 has increased to $40. These dues will go towards making our community a great place to live.  The proposal to cut the natural portion of the bayou did not receive enough votes to pass and will remain a natural landscape. We ask that all neighbors respect this vote outcome and work through the Lazybrook Civic Club to propose further changes to this area.  I have committed to work with the City of Houston and the Parks Department to have a regimented schedule of trimming and maintenance in the area between where the power lines cross the bayou and Ella.

As we prepare for springtime I hope that many of our residents are able to participate in the many area and communities events planned including:

• Lazybrook Easter Egg Hunt to be held and Sinclair Elementary on March 29th,
• Timbergrove 5k at 11th Street park and
• Heights Kids day of Music on April 18th at Love park.

I would also like to thank Shawn Broussard for volunteering to chair the Hospitality committee. Her contribution and willingness to step forward is appreciated and we look forward to seeing her in action.

We are still in need of a Deed Restrictions Petition committee chair to lead the effort of getting the current deed restrictions updated to modern codes and building materials while preserving our Lazybrook neighborhoods character. If you are interested please contact me.

Has it been a year come and gone? Lazybrook holiday season was certainly joyous and full of good times and 2015 looks us squarely in the eyes now.

Many of you decorated your homes for the holidays to make Lazybrook look festive and the Lazybrook Moms hosted their second annual Christmas Caroling complete with a visit from Santa himself this year. The weather was beautiful and certainly a good time had by all. Thanks to everyone for your contribution to make our neighborhood a special place this year. A special thank you to Mike Smith and the families on Widdicomb that hosted the pre-caroling party as well as a movie night in November. The families of Lazybrook have deeply appreciated the opportunity to get to know one another and grow as a community.

Speaking of growing, this past year certainly provided that opportunity for me as a first year President. I have learned more about our community and how to serve you better. In reflection on 2014, I first want to thank those of you who stepped forward to support Lazybrook and really elevated your commitment. We had some serious issues facing us between our membership rates and committee staffing. Many of you were willing to spend some extra time and effort to support their community and your time has been deeply appreciated. Hopefully, you will be able to continue serving your role this coming year and maybe even convince some of your neighbors to join in the fun.

Looking forward to 2015, we have made progress this past year and more improvements are always needed. Some of our most critical needs remain around sourcing volunteers to serve our Civic Club. Below is a list of our greatest need areas:

• HOSPITALITY – General responsibilities are to assemble and distribute the Welcome packets, assist in coordination of neighborhood events such as 5th Friday.
• DEED RESTRICTION PETITION – Seeking chairperson to lead the committee on recommendations and process for updated the deed restrictions for Lazybrook.  Also seeking members for this committee.
• MOSQUITO SPRAYING – In order to continue spraying we must have a chairperson willing to coordinate with
• the vendor.
• AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD – Keep in touch with the happenings around the neighborhood and provide announcements for the newsletters, births, deaths, anniversaries, etc.

If you can find some time this coming year to serve your neighbors, please consider filling a spot in one of the below noted Committees. Also, if anyone has some extra room in their garage for a few storage totes, we are looking for a volunteer to store the Lazybrook sign Christmas decorations until the next holiday season. Thanks for taking the time to read this letter, being kind to your neighbors and serving your community.

Finally, please consider joining us at our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, January 27th. At this meeting, we will hold a confirmation vote to increase dues to $40 as well as a discussion and vote on the future state of the TC Jester Park area between 610 and Ella, South West of the bayou. To provide adequate time there will be a signup sheet for those wishing to have a voice their point of view on the area and desire for future plans. Let me know as soon as possible if you would like to speak to address this topic or to volunteer for any of the open positions above.

Not sure where the year has gone, but another holiday season and year end is upon us. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed a terrific National Night Out this year in the neighborhood. We had several block parties and our house had almost 20 attendees. Even without our parade this year, a good time was had by all. Halloween was another treat. The weather was beautiful and all the kids we ran into seemed to be having a great time.

The Cougle’s have noticed more neighbors out walking and in their yards as the weather has cooled off. It’s been nice to speak with you and get to know each other better and let’s all hope for a mild winter that allows for plenty of time outdoors.

Over the coming months we have several events available to residents. The Lazybrook Mom’s Club will be hosting caroling this year and a block party. The date has tentatively been set for Sunday, December 14th and stay tuned into your emails for more specifics on the block to host. The children and residents that participated last year said it was a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone and definitely something to become an annual tradition.

Finally, we have our final Lazybrook Civic Club and Holiday Social scheduled for Tuesday, December 2nd. Please be sure to come out and say hello and vote for the changes in the neighborhood impacting you. On the agenda for this meeting is the vote for increasing the membership dues (must be voted on in two consecutive meetings so will also be in January) as well as nominations for 2015 officers. We ask everyone to bring a dish or drinks to share, and canned good donations for the Lazybrook Baptist Church holiday food drive.

Due to time constraints, and to allow for Holiday Social, the voting on the TC Jester Park natural areas along the bayous and mosquito spraying will be held in the January meeting.

We hope to see you at a future meeting where you can make a difference in your community.

It looks like we survived another Houston summer in Lazybrook. Thankfully, although it hasn‘t felt much like it in August, this summer has been relatively mild. More rains would be welcome; however, we’re also surviving without the extreme drought like conditions we had a few years ago. If you are like us, your yard and garden has suffered a bit this summer; however hopefully with cooler days around the corner, everyone will be out and about in the neighborhood once more.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Lazybrook Annual Membership Drive this year. Membership is up from last year and we still have a ways to go. If you see new neighbors, please encourage them to join the Civic Club and make donations. Our responsibilities to the community vary widely from deed restrictions to median maintenance to our Citizens on Patrol program. Membership is our primary funding source and these programs are so worthwhile, we want to see them continue and expand to the future. As the executive team we will be considering all options to ensure that the Lazybrook Civic Club can sustain our financial commitments.

Late September and October are some of the most enjoyable times in Houston and I hope that everyone has an opportunity to experience some of the wonderful sites and sounds of Houston and our neighborhood. From the Taiko festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre, to the Greek Festival, the outdoor venues are all ablaze during these months with activities. National Night Out is fast approaching as well on October 7th, 2014. Please, whether you are a block captain or neighbor or even got this newsletter by accident, make an effort to connect with your neighbors on National Night Out. Studies show time and time again that, where more interaction and activity is at the community level, crime goes down and family satisfaction goes up. We plan to be out that evening and hope you will also.

Well, it seems that spring has finally sprung here in Lazybrook. The weather seems to be moving in the ever familiar direction of hot, hot, hot. I’d like to start this letter in much the same way as my last, with a sincere thank you. All the effort during April in increasing our membership rate and collecting dues is appreciated. Many folks pitched in to increase awareness and many of your neighbors stepped forward to join and support their neighborhood. We do not have the totals as of yet, but we are optimistic that our rate of membership is increasing. If you haven’t had an opportunity to pay your membership dues yet, please do so online, through your Block Captains or through our Membership Chair, Janell Bryans.

In addition to the membership drive this past month, we had progress on other fronts within the Civic Club. A more invisible, but absolutely crucial role of the Civic Club is the enforcement of our deed restrictions. This is done to ensure that the spirit and architectural integrity of our neighborhood is preserved. People live in Lazybrook because it is one of the few places remaining in Houston where yards, both front and back, still can be found and it’s the Civic Club responsibility to ensure that remains the case. The primary way we oversee our deed restrictions is through our Architectural Review and Deed Restriction Committee. This Committee reviews all remodeling plans and monitors activity in the neighborhood to ensure that the deed restrictions are followed. In recent years, we have had challenges keeping this committee staffed and completing the required reviews. This past month, I invited interested residents to my home to discuss the best path forward for the committee. There was much discussion around responsibilities and how best to move forward in the future. We have some internal tasks to complete, but are looking forward to presenting that path in the May Civic Club meeting so be sure to attend.

With the warmer weather, it has been nice to see neighbors out in their yards and along the bayou these past few weeks. The bluebonnets were beautiful this year and I do hope that you and yours had an opportunity to enjoy them. Again, sincere thanks to those who are stepping forward to support your community and continued pleas for additional support. If you haven’t had the chance to get outside and meet some neighbors, pay your dues, reach out to your Block Captains or even do a little yard work, I encourage you to do so in the next month. Our family has grown to love this neighborhood and developed many strong friendships with other families. It only takes a “Hello” sometimes.