- Two Galleria Westin Hotels on the Market with Combined Total Value of $210M [Houston Business Journal]
- Falcon Group Planning Kirksey-Designed Gated Community on Galveston’s East End [Houston Business Journal]
- 35,000 Households To Receive Single-Stream Automated Curbside Recycling in Late July [Houston Chronicle]
- 515 Post Oak’s $7.5M Renovation by Ziegler Cooper Now Complete [Prime Property]
- Clear Lake Regional Medical Center Finishes $92M Expansion [Prime Property]
- Grand Parkway, I-10 Connector Linking Katy and Cypress on Pace for December Opening [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- To Accommodate Future Growth, Hitchcock Investing in City Technology Upgrades, Water Storage Tanks, New Water Lines [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
- Heights Blvd. ‘Yarn-Bomb’ Installation Destroyed By Vandal [abc13]
- League City Votes To Expand Skate Park [Galveston County Daily New ($)]
- Houston’s First Confirmed West Nile Virus Mosquito Sample Found in Northeast Harris County [Click2Houston]
- The Sixth Ward House, Addition Connected by a See-Through Floating Dining Room [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
Photo of Buffalo Bayou at West Loop: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Re: Heights Blvd. Yarn-bomb
Don’t thread on me?
What a grinch.
Single-stream recycling is really a vast upgrade from those tiny 18 gal boxes, and much less unsightly on the curb. Some folks may have trouble finding somewhere to store another 96 gal bin, but that’s a small tradeoff.
Hurray, big-bin recycling expansion!
BOOO, Grinchy McGrincherton who cut down the yarn bomb!
A classic case of “good news, bad news?”
I was sad about vandalism until I found out I’m getting a big green bin. AWESOME.
Would also like to point out that the closing of the Center St facility was in fact a clue toward single-stream expansion, as I hoped.
The big green bins also take glass, which the little boxes didn’t. As a result, our haul off usually has significantly more in the green bin than the black one…which most times is holding only a single kitchen bag.
In Texas you have a right to execute vandals on the spot with your gun if it’s at night and you think you won’t be able to recover the work.
Word from witnesses was that the vandal was a woman who had previously been seen on Heights Blvd. yelling out randomly while walking alone. Looks like some serious mental health issues may be behind this.
@infinite_jim, that only applies if it’s YOUR property, not public property or someone else’s property. I’m all for gun toting vigilantism, but there are strict rules.
in Texas you have the right to execute anyone, with a good story and lawyer in tow
Actually you can kill them even if it’s not your property (like a neighbor’s) or public property too. The key determination is that you only have to think they will get away.
@infinite_jim, au contraire. The whole Joe Horn issue was because it was not his property being stolen, the only reason he “got off” is because the perp allegedly turned and tried to attack him.
They also drill this into your head during CHL classes, the “Shoot After Dark” law is a holdover from the cattle rustling days, the modern interpretation dictates that it must be YOUR property, or property specifically authorized for you to guard by the owner, it must be after sunset, and the property cannot be recovered by any other means. You also must consider the value of the property to the shooter, i.e. if you can easily afford to replace it, you can’t shoot. And of course, public property is specifically excluded and is the cop’s job to protect.
But as always, if the perp threatens you in any way, shoot first, ask questions later.
Several observations about the big green can rollout…
1. My hood has had this service for over 2 years, and I have racked up thousands of points through Recyclebank, which partnered with COH to encourage use of the program. I got a notice in the mail from COH last week saying that to fund the program expansion into other neighborhoods, they are killing the rewards points program.
I used this to get free coffee from Spec’s, free Subway sandwiches, free putt-putt, and lots of other cool discounts and freebies. I will miss that.
2. Even though 2 years ago the city came by and dropped off a big green can at every house on the block (including 1 for each townhome), and sent detailed instructions on how the program works (with rewards), only about 50% of my neighbors participate in it. I can tell because on recycling days, only half of the houses have their green cans out, but all have their black garbage cans out. This blows my mind, but I guess they’re just too lazy to sort their trash, or they don’t care. Guess I’m wired a different way because I got all excited when the program became available and I eagerly participate to this day.
3. The green can is the same size as the large black cans, which means you have to store both in an accessible location. That takes up more space at the end of my driveway, and is a problem for small lots. I am currently rebuilding my garage, and am having the architect look at creative ways to create a nook or fenced off area to conceal the cans.
4. Down the street is one of those lots where an aging single family home was replaced by 6 townhomes. Each townhome was given a big green can in addition to their big black can. This means that on recycle and trash day, there are now 16 cans on the street in front of that (formerly) one lot. It takes up the entire curb on both sides of the streete. On windy days, there are empty cans everywhere – in the street, on the sidewalk, etc. My point is these cans create some problems where there are dense clusters of individual addresses – would like to see COH come up with a solution for that.
4. Last thing, once I started separating recyclables from general trash, I quickly realized that at least 75% of my trash ends up in the green bin. Because COH only picks up the green bins every other week, but the black bins every week, I end up overflowing with recyclables every 2 weeks. I don’t understand why they don’t reverse the pickup frequencies between black and green – it would drive better participation and cost the same (truck-wise, at least).
Doh – I meant 8 townhomes, not 6 (8 x 2 = 16).
I would say a good 60% of my trash goes into the recycling can now which saves me $$ on trash bags as well as time emptying the trash all of the time. Plus, it’s fun shooting free throws into the can from the kitchen/garage door. haha
Superdave raises some good points, esp. number 3 and 4.
Maybe a way to solve number 3 would be to go to a 2 week rotation of pick up on the black cans as well. In other words, black cans get picked up one week, then green cans the next. It would eliminate the lot line to lot line cans on trash day around townhomes.
Before people start saying that townhomes should pay for private collection if they don’t abut the street, well the COH wanted the density when they changed the land use ordinances back in the late ’90’s. The City enjoys the extra property tax revenue these complexes bring in, compared to having a 60 year old frame house on a large lot. Same thing will begin to happen now that the density rules were changed out to the Beltway.
My in-laws live in The Woodlands. Their big green bin is picked up every week along with the regular trash. Right now I have the little bins (3 of them). I hope my part of The Heights is included. Maybe the neighbors will participate now.
So close! I live off Willowbend in Willowbrook and we didn’t make the cut, but I will continue to hike my 6 or 7 small bins to the curb every two weeks. I stopped driving the glass to Westpark ages ago, though.