WELCOME! Security Newsletter July 2024
SECURITY
Please add the Memorial Thicket℠ Security cellphone number to your contacts:(713) 501-5406. If you need assistance or suspect suspicious activity, please call them immediately. Due to several issues within the Crime Statistics Reporting Department of the Houston Police Department (HPD), May 2024 crime data, which includes a monthly breakdown of offenses for which HPD wrote police reports for zip code 77079, is currently not available. I will provide retroactive updates once the data becomes available. However, in coordination with our security guards, no offenses were recorded within Memorial Thicket℠ in May 2024.
ONE LANE OR TWO LANES
I am sure that you have heard the phrase “I learned something new today!” Maybe this will apply in this situation, but did you know that the exit lane from Memorial Thicket℠ onto Memorial Drive is ONE LANE? This is creating a significant safety issue for drivers, especially when a second driver pulls up, assuming it is two lanes, and blocks the view of the first driver either turning right or left onto Memorial Drive. The MTHA Board has assessed the issue and voted to have the City of Houston or one of its subcontractors paint/stripe the area to designate it as a one-lane exit. This would be a very similar approach to the “merging into one lane” at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard northbound at the Katy Freeway access road. Let us all create a safer environment by treating the exit as one lane! Board members agreed to initially pressure wash the area, so please drive slower and cautiously as work is being done in the area over the next two months.
PARKING ON A PUBLIC STREET
All streets within Memorial Thicket℠ are public streets maintained by the City of Houston. Therefore, every resident must abide by City Ordinance 26-93, which states that a vehicle cannot legally park on a public street for more than 24 hours at one time. This helps to reduce the neighborhood’s perception of being problematic and reduces the chance of any situations where a resident or visitor could dart out from behind a parked vehicle and not be seen in time. As of August 1, 2024, the security guards have been asked to begin monitoring the situation and will place a notice on any vehicle(s) in violation. In addition, an easement is granted to all police, fire protection, ambulance and other emergency vehicles and other service vehicles to enter upon the Common Area, including but not limited to private streets, in the performance of their duties. It is imperative that you do not park in the cul-de-sac areas, as there is limited space which could prevent an emergency vehicle from being able to traverse the area. It is very difficult, and impossible in some cul-de-sac areas, for large emergency vehicles to back up or travel around a cul-de-sac if a vehicle is parked. Lastly, here are some reminders regarding parking on public streets that apply within Memorial Thicket℠ as well:
APK-5 Parked on street more than 24 hours Parking in the same space on the public street is limited to 24 hours. The vehicle must move after 24 hours.
APK-11 Parked blocking private driveway A car parked curbside may not block any portion of a driveway.
APK-12 Parked within 15 feet of the fire hydrant. The area must remain clear for emergency vehicles.
APK-14 Parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection Parking too close to the corner blocks the view of pedestrians crossing the street or oncoming traffic.
As a reminder, under City of Houston Sec. 26-93, parking in excess of 24 hours is illegal. Additional information regarding parking can be found in the 2024 Memorial Thicket Information Guide on page 19. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
LAMP POST VIOLATIONS
As you have previously read, Memorial Thicket℠ does not have streetlights and each residence is required to maintain a front yard post lamp equipped with a photoelectric cell (if the lamp is electrical) that must remain lighted during periods of darkness. The security guards monitor and provide written notices on a weekly basis to residents whose lampposts are not working. If a lamp post is still not working after the fifth notice, do not be surprised to see the VP of Security and the security guard on duty personally visiting you and/or receipt of a certified letter with instructions for correcting the situation. Please do not put off repairing your lamp post as it provides safety and security for our neighborhood. Please remember, our directors, officers and architectural control committee members are volunteering their time as fellow homeowners for the benefit of all of Memorial Thicket℠. Making them spend time unnecessarily on these types of matters is not being neighborly.
SNICKET GATE
As a reminder, the Snicket Gate code was changed on May 18th . Please contact the guards at the number above to obtain the new code. Please do not share the gate code on any social media platform.
Jerry Fabian
Vice President of Security
802 Spear Point Cove
713.854.7957
July 22, 2024