District H Council Member Ed Gonzalez was the guest speaker at a Greater Heights Chamber of Commerce luncheon in November. Elected earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Adrian Garcia, Mr. Gonzalez said he was eager to work with the Chamber and other civic groups to improve the quality of life in the District. “We need to build communities up,” he said, “and raise the level of civic engagement and empower those communities to leverage their buying power.” He said the City must deliver services to the communities by eliminating blight and providing opportunities for affordable housing.

Gonzalez said that Houston has lost over 100,000 jobs due to the state of the national economy. He believes that the city needs to have a strong workforce. The economy, he said, will recover slowly and the first jobs to recover will be through local workforces. For that reason Houston needs to attract jobs and compete for new businesses to move to the area. “We have a diverse economy. Our energy and oil sectors have not been hit as hard as some economies. We are fortunate to have a world class port, airport, and medical center.”

He emphasized the need to protect infrastructure, some that is over 70 years old. It is important, he said, that the City communicate with chambers, businesses and citizens about the progress of projects in their area.

Council Member Gonzalez, who is a former HPD officer, voiced his concern about the potential loss of a high number of police officers to retirement. “Within the next few years 24% of our police department will be about 53 years old. Now the reason that is important is that it is the average age of retirement in police departments.” He said that Houston will need to hire more officers. Unfortunately, Houston did not receive a Federal grant this year because its crime rate was lower and job losses were not as severe as some other cities. Hopefully, he added, Houston will be included in the next round of grants.

He also mentioned the efforts that are being made to find who is responsible for the string of arson fires in the Heights area. “We do meet on a regular basis to make sure HFD has all the resources that are necessary to battle what is occurring out there. They are doing different investigative techniques and tools to try to capture those that are responsible for it. There is a collaborative effort between the HFD, HPD, and ATF, all agencies working together to make sure we have a combined approach.”

The Council Member gave the status of several projects in the Heights area. The Hike and Bike Trail which extends from West 26th and Nicholson to Houston Avenue and eventually to downtown will have another phase opened on December 19th. He said that due to fundraising efforts, construction on the Clayton Lee water fountain will begin soon on Heights Blvd. West 11th St. will be reconstructed from Studewood to Heights Blvd. with new pavement and sidewalks starting in 2010. He advised businesses along this corridor to contact Public Works about the project to plan for the disruption.

The Yale Street reconstruction will begin in 2011. It will involve repaving with asphalt and concrete from I-10 to West 24th St. Portions of Yale will be widened and will involve acquiring some right-of-way. Council Member Gonzalez commended the Heights residents who protested the potential loss of trees due to the project.

“Thanks to community input the City went back to the drawing board and determined they could save 90% of the trees with a new design.” He said he is excited about working with the Greater Heights Chamber and encourages everyone to “have an active voice with our office.”