Elections

Elections for new officers of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association will be Monday, December 9. Positions being filled include President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Any member with dues current as of June 30 may run for office. We will form the nominations committee at the meeting on Monday, November 11.

Monthly Meetings

All meetings of the OFNA are held the second Monday of each month at the Kroger grocery store on West 43rd at Ella Blvd, beginning promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Dates of upcoming meetings are:

• October 14 – Rep. Ken Yarbrough
  
  
• November 11 – The White Oak Bayou Association
  
  
• December 13 – Election and Christmas Social

Members of the OFNA newsgroup receive reminders by email of upcoming OFNA meetings and committee meetings. Recent speakers have included Dwayne Bohac, candidate for state representative, Rosalind Haynes, the principal of Oak Forest Elementary school, telling us about the renovations planned for the school, and Dr. Paul Nester from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, discussion fire ant control. Is there anyone you would like to see speak to OFNA or who you know would be an interesting speaker? If so, please let me know. We are always looking for interesting speakers. You can contact me by the OFNA Hotline (713-688-6342) or by email at LDLee_1@yahoo.com.

Heavy Trash

The City of Houston picks up heavy trash once a month. Heavy trash should be placed for collection between the hours of 6 p.m. the Friday before, and 7 a.m. on the scheduled collection day. If you live within the boundaries of the following areas the pick up days are as follows:

• East of T.C. Jester – 3rd Thursday
  
  
• West of T.C. Jester, East of Mangum – 3rd Friday
  
  
• West of Mangum, East of Antoine,
  
  
• North of W. 43rd – 3rd Friday
  
  
• West of Mangum, East of Antoine,
  
  
• South of W. 43rd – 2nd Thursday
  
  
• West of Antoine, South of W. 43rd – 3rd Thursday
  
  
• West of Antoine, North of W. 43rd – 4th Tuesday

You can visit the City of Houston’s Solid Waste Department website at for more information, including a map and schedule of pick up days.

Beautification Committee

The Beautification Committee completed plans for planting trees on W. 43rd Street between Oak Forest Drive and Libbey Lane on esplanades without trees. The OFNA approved the plans at last September’s meeting. We have submitted the plans to the City of Houston and await its approval. We have contracted with Landscape Management Company to plant the trees during the first week of December and to water them for the following year.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some of the most frequently asked questions to the OFNA Hotline (713-688-6342).

How do I report a pothole on my street?

The best place to call is the City of Houston’s 3-1-1 Service Center. Dial 311 and tell the operator you want to report a pothole. You can also report the pothole online at http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/potholes/.

My neighbor has a junk car in his front yard, can he do that?

No. City code prohibits parking of a motor vehicle that cannot drive on its own power on the street or any place that can be seen from the street, like a driveway. Call the City of Houston’s Neighborhood Protection Division at (713) 218-5664. Also, leave a message in the OFNA hotline and we can submit the complaint to the Houston Police Department’s Differential Response Team storefront on W. 43rd and Ella.

I started work on my house and the City of Houston placed a red tag, stopping the work, what should I do

You need a building permit from the City of Houston whenever you want to build a new structure or you want to repair, modify, alter or add on to an existing structure. The City of Houston’s Planning and Development Department is responsible for issuing building permits. Since the building permit application requires you to state that the proposed construction does not violate any deed restrictions, you should check with the Deed Restriction Committee before submitting an application. The Planning Department emails a list of building permits each week. The Deed Restriction Committee reviews the list to insure that all permits granted have been reviewed and approved. If a permit has not been reviewed and violates the deed restrictions, the City is notified and the permit is withdrawn. To have your plans reviewed, call and leave a message on the OFNA hotline (713-688-6342) and a member of the Deed Restriction Enforcement Committee will contact you to review your plans.

How can we get the City of Houston to place “Children Playing” signs on our street?

The City of Houston will not place “Children Playing” or similar signs because they do not conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Design. Such signs suggest it is okay for children to play on or near the street. This false sense of security is not something the City of Houston wants to encourage parents and children to believe in.

Mosquito Prevention Recommendations

The City of Houston Health Department has published the following recommendations to control mosquitoes.

Reduce mosquito-breeding sites at your home by:

• Draining all standing water
  
  
• Turning over all containers which could hold water
  
  
• Draining and refilling birdbaths daily
  
  
• Eliminating pot plant saucers
  
  
• Raking and removing or mulching mow magnolia leaves

Keep the storm sewers clean:

• Do not allow lawn clipping to enter the storm sewers. Blow the clippings into the yard or sweep them up and bag them for disposal.
  
  
• Pick up trash around the yard such as weekly newspapers and other litter.

Protect yourself:

• When going outside, use an insect repellent which contains the ingredient DEET.
  
  
• Wear long sleeves and long pants when outside.
  
  
• Make sure that mosquitoes cannot enter your home through gaps in doors, window, vents, floor cracks, etc.
  
  
• If mosquitoes are found inside the house, swat them or use a flying insect spray to kill them.