New route offers access to neighborhoods, health care, shopping and college

This week, Pasadena drivers may have started noticing some unfamiliar white buses making the rounds around town. Those buses are part of the City’s new bus service, a partnership between Harris County Transit, Pasadena Second Century Corporation, San Jacinto College, Commissioner Sylvia Garcia and the cities of South Houston, La Porte and Baytown.

Through the new service, which began operating on Monday, January 4, riders can board any of the six buses at one of more than 25 different stops throughout the city. The route spans both the north and south sections of Pasadena, as well as sections of La Porte and South Houston. Riders can also connect to some of the county’s other bus services, which travel to places like Baytown and Crosby.

“This bus service will provide residents with better access to jobs and medical services,” Harris County Transit Services Director Ken Fickes said. “The route provides access to places like Bayshore Hospital, San Jacinto College, Strawberry Clinic, Pasadena’s City Hall, Pasadena Town Square Mall and many major retailers. It was created to help people get all around the community.”

Buses on the route run in two directions, eastbound and westbound, with a bus arriving at each stop approximately every 35-40 minutes. Service is offered Monday through Friday, excluding county holidays, from 5:30 a.m. until about 6 p.m.

“Each bus will run from Fairmont up to Spencer, then into South Houston and to La Porte, where riders can transfer to travel to other destinations,” Pasadena planning director Sarah Benavides said. “It is approximately a 70-minute route, and that route can be modified according to the needs of our citizens as we get feedback.”

City economic development director and Pasadena Second Century board member, Paul Davis said the idea for the new service began to really take root about two years ago, when Second Century authorized a study for redevelopment in the north side of the city. One of the main recommendations made by the team who conducted the study was to establish an inter-city transit service. Now, through a federal grant administered by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, that recommendation has become a reality, and Davis said the entire community will benefit.

“This is something that will help students get to their classes at San Jac, or help someone get to medical services that they need,” Davis said. “It will encourage shopping, and we’re hoping it may even help with tourism. It should also help improve air quality and relieve some of the traffic on our roads.”

For the first two weeks of operation, bus fares will be waived, so that riders can try out the new service for free. After that, or beginning Jan. 18, a regular adult fare will be $1 each way. Students who have a valid ID will not be charged to ride the bus. Children under the age of 2 will also ride for free, while kids between the ages of 2-12 will pay $0.50 each way. Seniors who are 65 or older, or people who are disabled, will also only be charged $0.50 to ride. All riders should bring the exact fare amount, as drivers will not be able to make change.

Each bus has seats/seatbelts for 20 passengers. All buses are equipped with lifts for those who are disabled. For a map and detailed route information, visit www.pasadenatexas.net or www.harriscountytransit.com. All rider feedback, including suggestions for route modifications, should be directed to Harris County Transit at (713) 578-2216 or via email at transit@hctx.net. 
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Take a tip from these cold weather cues to avoid chilling out this weekend

With our area expected to see its lowest temperatures in more than a decade, local emergency management officials are encouraging residents to prepare and be safe. In the frigid temperatures, everyone should remember to pay particular attention to protecting the Four Ps: people, pets, pipes and plants.

First and foremost, people should try to stay inside whenever possible and keep warm, although some precautions should be taken in doing so. Using space heaters, for example, is an easy way to warm up a room, but they are also the main cause of home fires in the winter, so they should never be left unattended. The heaters also should be kept at least three feet away from furniture, drapes and all flammable materials. If used, the heater should be placed on a hard, level and non-flammable surface. Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water, and children and pets should stay away from the device.

Parents should also closely watch their children around any and all other indoor heating devices, like fireplaces, and never leave them unattended. Stoves, ovens and charcoal grills should never be used to heat a home, and generators should never be placed indoors. Fireplaces should have a large glass or metal screen in front of them to catch sparks and rolling logs and should also be professionally inspected once a year.

In addition, smoke alarms should be installed on every floor of a home and should also be regularly checked, as often as once a month, to ensure that they are working properly. Carbon monoxide alarms should also be installed, particularly near all heating devices, and tested often. Emergency management officials also suggest having a qualified technician check all heating systems, water heaters and other gas-, oil- or coal-burning appliances every year, as well as an annual chimney and flue inspection and cleaning.

If a person does need to leave the home, he or she should dress in layers and wear protective outwear, including a jacket, hat and gloves, and should avoid overexertion outdoors, as cold weather puts an additional strain on the human body.

To protect pets, bring them indoors and make sure their bed or crate is placed in a safe and warm place that is away from drafts. Any other animals or livestock that must remain outdoors should be given extra blankets and straw to help increase warmth and housed in a well-insulated spot off the ground that is out of the wind and moisture. Also, because the cold weather tends to deplete an animal’s energy, they tend to need more calories and nourishment in these conditions.

To protect a home, people should take steps to protect their pipes. All exposed faucets and pipes, including those outside of the house or in unheated crawl spaces, attics and garages, should be wrapped for insulation. Outdoor hoses should also be disconnected, drained and stored in a protected area.

Another thing outdoors that will need extra protection is the plants around a home. For cold-sensitive outdoor plants, put down extra mulch and consider covering the foliage with a cloth fabric of some kind to shield the plants from wind and frost. Bring potted plants inside or store them near the interior wall in a garage to provide extra warmth and protection from wind.

Finally, residents should stay informed and stay prepared. Keep emergency supplies at hand and check on the latest weather conditions on local news stations or on websites, like www.hcoem.org.

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Pasadena scores state-wide first as computer recycling comes to your curb

After hosting several successful and popular one-day computer recycling events, the City’s sanitation and environmental services departments have teamed up to offer the service every day and made it even more convenient. Now, instead of storing unwanted computer parts or, even worse, dumping in landfill-bound trash, Pasadena residents can now call the sanitation department and schedule a day and time for a sanitation crew to come make a curbside pick-up.

“This will mean no more of these pollutants going in trash bags and to the landfill, or taking up space in garages or closets or waiting in line on a Saturday to drop off the old computer,” environmental services manager Sarah Metzger said. “Imagine how great this will be for our citizens – it will be convenient for everyone!”

Even better, she said, is the fact that because of the quantity the City will be collecting, CompuRecyclers, the computer recycling provider the City has used for years, will offer their recycling services for free. The computers, if possible to repair, will be given for free to several worthy institutions. Older models are broken into component parts and used by various industries as raw materials for manufacturing. Regardless of which path a computer ends up on, Metzger said none of them are sent overseas to pollute other lands and countries.

“This is the best possible recycling of computers. With this new service and our staffed recycling center for other recyclable materials, our sanitation department just keeps getting better and better. Can you imagine how much landfill space we are saving every day?” Metzger said.

To schedule a pick-up, contact the sanitation department at (713) 475-7884. Anything associated with computers, including cables, printers, keyboards, and monitors, is eligible for this new pick-up service. Metzger said the service will begin immediately and should be beneficial to everyone, especially with all of the new electronics that were purchased or received during the holiday season.

“There is no other city in Texas doing what we are doing,” Metzger said. “I am so proud of us!”

January 14 event gives Pasadenans input on Houston-Galveston mobility project

The IH-45 corridor, which Pasadena sits in the middle of, is an area that is booming. There is an increasing number of both jobs and housing being created and, as a result, congestion in the area has increased. Also adding to the increased traffic is the growing number of people commuting from central parts of the area to one of two major employment centers that sit at both ends of the region: Houston and Galveston.

But now a project, known as the Galveston-Houston Mobility Corridor Alternatives Analysis, has begun to analyze the area and develop four potential mobility solutions, and the project planners are inviting the public to join them in a series of discussions about each of the options.

One of these meetings will be held in Pasadena on Thursday, January 14 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Cleveland-Ripley House Neighborhood Center, located at 720 Fairmont Parkway. During the meeting, planners will outline the problems with mobility in the area and discuss several different potential solutions to help remedy those problems.

“Current roadway facilities are congested, and there is no room for expansion,” the projects website states. “The existing limited amount of transit available in the corridor is overburdened and most of the corridor is un-served by transit. Aside from quality-of-life issues, the corridor’s congestion and mobility problems also contribute to the region’s poor air quality and slows emergency evacuation in the face of hurricanes. In summary, the Galveston-Houston Mobility Corridor is an attractive candidate for innovative mobility solutions.”

After a feasibility study was done, four viable solutions were proposed as alternatives. The first suggested solution is called “no-build,” meaning that no improvements be made beyond what is already identified in the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s transportation plan. The second possible plan, called the Express Bus Alternative, involves the expansion of park and ride bus services throughout the area, with buses bound for major employment centers leaving every 10 minutes.

The BRT Alternative, which is the third suggested plan of action, would create an exclusive two-way commuter bus service that would run between Downtown Houston and Galveston, serving the 11 cities in between. In this plan, the bus service would utilize exclusive bus lanes and high capacity buses and would use existing and new bus facilities as part of its operation.

The final suggestion is the Commuter Rail Alternative, which would be a commuter rail service that traveled along the existing Galveston Houston & Henderson Railroad, which runs parallel with SH 3 and IH 45 for almost the entire length of the area being evaluated. Although the railway is currently in use for freight operations, it typically only sees between 6-8 trains per day, and the proposed plan calls for the exclusive use of this railway for three hours during morning peak commute hours, as well as three hours in the evening rush time.

Regardless which plan is chosen in the end, the project has the same goals to meet. They include improving travel times along the Gulf Freeway, giving area residents more mobility options, increasing access to employment opportunities and connecting downtown Houston with Galveston, as well as the 11 cities in between. Planners also estimate that a transit project could add $1 billion in economic value and more than 20,000 jobs. On the environmental side, the project also hopes to reduce vehicle emissions, improve air standards and decrease fuel consumption.

Improvements to the congestion along the Gulf Freeway could also increase safety for residents in the area; during Hurricane Ike, traffic was moving at a speed of 1 mph. A major transit improvement on an exclusive guideway could be a lifesaver in a hurricane event for everyone in the area, but particularly low-income, elderly and disabled individuals residing in Galveston.

The analysis is part of the federal planning process to study potential transit mobility solutions and is an important local step in the pursuit of federal funding to address growing traffic congestion on IH-45 and SH3. The sponsors of this transit mobility study are the City of Galveston, Galveston County, and the Federal Transit Administration. The study is being coordinated with Harris County, the Texas Department of Transportation, METRO, the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District and the 11 cities in between Galveston and Houston.

For more information, visit www.galvestonrailstudy.com.
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Library shows big heart with holiday donations to The Bridge residents

Showing the true spirit of the holiday season just past, the Pasadena Public Library created a staff donation drive to help the Bridge Over Troubled Waters organization in Pasadena with the often overlooked sundries that are important to daily living.

“During donation time, we take for granted small items like cotton swabs, toiletries and other necessities that are so important to our everyday lives,” Library Director Sheila Henderson said.  “With so much attention given to larger items often donated, we wanted to acknowledge that the smallest details can make all the difference in the quality of someone’s day.”

Instead of having a Secret Santa event for the library staff, Senior Administrative Assistant Cassie Loftin-Shepherd polled library staff to find a community charity that would benefit the most from their donations during the holiday season and The Bridge Over Troubled Water here in Pasadena was selected. The Bridge has up to 75 women and children in residence at the emergency shelter at a time, and ensuring they have adequate supplies is key to their success.

Loftin-Shepherd began working with Bridge community liaison LaDonna Page to decide what was most needed and then organized a donation drive within the library. By encouraging staff to fill the boxes located in both Central and the Fairmont Branch to capacity, the library was able to bring in over 290 essential items during the holiday.

“We set the bar for ourselves this year,” Loftin-Shepherd said.  “If I know our staff, we’ll raise it higher next time!”

The Bridge Over Troubled Water (http://www.thebridgeovertroubledwaters.org/) exists to assist women, children and men in crisis, particularly those who have been affected by domestic violence, sexual assault or homeless situations.  Please contact LaDonna Page at 713-472-0753 ext. 112 for further information on how to help.
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Upcoming Madison Jobe discussion lets seniors sound off on their priorities

Harris County, with both Houston and Pasadena as well as many other cities within its boundaries, is one of the largest counties in the country and is home to more than 250,000 individuals who are 65 or older. And national projections estimate that this population will continue to grow dramatically, possibly even making up 20 percent of the population by the year 2030. It is a segment of the population that is as diverse as it is large, and in 2008, the county released its Aging Agenda, a plan geared to moving toward the future and making our area more senior-friendly.

And now Pasadena seniors are being invited to come to the Madison Jobe Senior Center and have their voices heard and provide feedback on their priorities for the Aging Agenda.

On Tuesday, January 12, the Center will host a Care for Elders meeting, which begins at 2 p.m. The presenter will be Jeanette Lazarofsky, an advocate for older adults in our area. Depending on participation and feedback, the meeting should not last longer than two hours, and refreshments will be served. There will also be handouts and door prizes.

One of the main focuses of the day’s discussion will be finding out which of the Aging Agenda’s eight areas are of concern to the seniors in attendance. The eight categories in the Agenda are:

• Basic Needs
• Safety & Security
• Housing Options
• Civic Engagement, Volunteerism & Employment
• Mobility & Transportation
• Access to Quality Care
• Health & Well-Being
• Recreation, Culture, Lifelong Learning, Life Satisfaction & Spirituality

“At our meeting next week, we are going to discuss the issues with seniors and ask them exactly what their priorities are,” said Madison Jobe manager Barbara Sitzman. “We hope to see everyone there. We would love to have a large attendance by our wonderful seniors!”

Next week’s meeting will be the first in the line of a series of regular meetings. Sitzman said from now on, there will be an Aging Agenda happening every year, although in the future they will be held in May, for Older Americans month. For more information, contact the Madison Jobe Senior Center at (713) 477-0175.
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