4-11-16 TWIH
City news,
features,
and
updates
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April 11
2016
What you need to know for the May
7th Special Election
EARLY VOTING INFORMATION
Early voting will be conducted at the Walker County Annex,
1301 Sam Houston Avenue, Suite 101
April 25 through May 3, 2016 - Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
There will be two twelve - hour days during early voting:
Tuesday, April 26th and Tuesday, May 3rd – Early Voting
Hours 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
CITY POLLING LOCATION
All qualified registered voters of the City of
Huntsville will vote at the
Walker County Annex
1301 Sam Houston Avenue , Room 101
Huntsville, Texas 77340
When: Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Where: Gibbs PreK School, Huntsville Elementary, Samuel W. Houston Elementary, Scott
Johnson Elementary, Stewart Elementary, the Hawkins Administration Building (7 am-4
pm) the Huntsville Public Library (10 am-4 pm)
& Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of
Commerce. (9 am-4 pm)
Who: Contact the Chamber of Commerce at
(936) 295-8113 or HISD at (936) 435-6397 for
more information.
Why: All books will be sorted and distributed to HISD students in PreK through fourth
grade (ages 3 through 10) for students to keep. Allowing book ownership creates a
sense of pride and fosters an appreciation for reading. Statistics show that early
exposure to literacy will ensure greater future educational success. Monetary donations
are also accepted, make checks payable to the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of
Commerce.
Little Stinger Book Drive – Tomorrow!!
The City of Huntsville will hold a special election on May 7 to elect a
Councilmember - At - Large Position 1.
Election Day: Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 7, 2016 Special Election: Voting information, key dates When is Election Day? (Cuando es el Dia de Eleccion?)
Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sabado 7 de Mayo del 2016 de 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Am I registered to vote? (Estoy registrado para votar?)
In order to vote in this election, you must be a registered voter of the particular political subdivision.
The last day to register to vote for the May 7 election is April 7, 2016.
If you are not sure if your voter registration is current you may call (936)436-4959 or visit:
https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/Introduction.jsp.
(Para poder votar en esta eleccion tiene que ser un votante registrado de la division politica particular. Si no esta seguro si su
registracion para votar esta vigente puede llamar (936)436-4959 o visite nuestra pagina de web arriba.)
Where do I go for early voting? (A donde voy para votar temprano?)
There will be one Early Voting Polling Place for all entities:
Walker County Annex, 1301 Sam Houston Avenue, Suite 101, Huntsville, Texas.
(Habra solamente un lugar para votacion temprana para todas entetidades que sera localizada en el Walker County Annex.)
HOT Workshop
HUB Show
Easter Egg Hunts
The annual HOT Funds workshop was a huge success this year. Three
dynamic speakers were brought in by Kimm Thomas, the Director of
Tourism & Cultural Services, to speak with local community organizations to
teach them everything they want to know about the Hotel Occupancy Tax
funds that they are eligible to apply for. The speakers offered their expertise
in tourism and how a community can develop a tourist-driven culture.
Scott Joslove, President and CEO, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association;
Elizabeth Taylor, consultant and former CVB & Convention Center Director
for the City of Waco; and Arthur Andrews, a nationally known motivational
speaker each gave a presentation of how these funds and events will help
our community grow.
"I would particularly note how proud I am to be here with one of the best
directors in the state,” said Joslove. “Kimm is state of the art and knows
how to create business in your community" Joslove mentioned about his
time at the workshop.
"Kimm and her staff are making sure people here understand what's
possible, what's legal, and how to make it grow. Every community should do
thiand Kimm is a great example." Taylor mentioned. The event was a
success and it was great to see all of the growth happening right here in
Huntsville!
The 20th Annual Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)/Vendor Show
was better than ever. Held March 17 at the Walker County Storm Shelter, it
was sponsored by the City of Huntsville, the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice, Sam Houston State University, the SHSU Small Business
Development Center, and Walker County.
“The main objective of the show was to assist vendors in the Huntsville area
to increase their customer base to include government entities said Billie
Smith, City of Huntsville Purchasing Manager. Each level of government has
slightly different bidding requirements and this can be daunting to the
vendors. The sponsors were available to discuss various details pertaining
to their purchasing processes and procedures” stated Smith . The City of
Huntsville looks forward to working with local vendors.
Local Government Day
Here at the City of Huntsville we love getting kids excited about their local government, so we invited the Huntsville
Homeschool Organization to join us for Local Government Day! The students hosted their own City Council meeting full of
motions, proclamations, and excellent use of the Mayor’s gavel.
To start the afternoon, the students learned about the type of government the City of Huntsville has, so they could
represent the City well when it came time to host their mock council meeting. When the time came to fill the chairs of all
eight City Councilmembers, the Mayor, City Attorney, City Manager and City Secretary, their faces lit up with excitement!
They all took their roles very seriously and told us it was interesting to see how the meetings are conducted. The City of
Huntsville has a bright future with these young city officials in the making! If your group is interested, we would love to have
you!
2016-2017 City Calendars Are HERE!
They flew out the door last time, so we can’t wait for you to enjoy the new calendars!
This time the theme was You and the City. You and your neighbors submitted
fun shots of things you do at City events and facilities - thank you!
Pick up your calendar at City Hall, Utility Billing, Service Center, Sam Houston Statue & Visitor
Center, Huntsville Police Department, Huntsville Public Library, Main Street, The Wynne Home
and Municipal Court!
Women of 1520
Councilmembers Olson and Humphrey spent the
evening of March 17th giving advice to the
organization Women of 1520 on the SHSU campus.
Councilmember Montgomery joined later that
evening as a roundtable speaker.
They spoke about the importance of networking and
gave advice from a business owner perspective.
Councilmember Humphrey mentioned “The event
was much more than I expected, and it was
incredible to be around a group of such motivated
and go-getter minded women. We opened the night
speaking about different business topics and then
guest speakers at each table engaged in
conversation with the women. The event was very
impressive and it was refreshing to see women
building confidence and ultimately a better
community.” said Humphrey.
Huntsville Music Festival
The City of Huntsville’s Main Street Program is bringing back the annual
Huntsville Music Festival this April! Join the community for FREE
concerts, the last two Thursdays in April, the 21st and 28th from 5:00 pm
to 10:00 pm in Rather Park at the corner of University and 13th. April
21st kicks off with acoustic performances by Kenna Danielle, John
Slaughter, and Sam Riggs. JB and The Moonshine Band will close the first
night with a full band jam!
The music continues the following Thursday on April 28th with a full night
of acoustic country from Presley Lewis, Andy Terrell Band, and Bubba
Westly. This final night has a double headliner and song swap with Adam
Hood and Zane Williams.
Local food trucks and Shenanigans will be set up at the concerts selling
great food and drinks! Mark your calendars, dust off your lawn chairs,
bring your appetites, thirst, friends, family and neighbors. Join us for two
beautiful evenings of music and fun! For more details: facebook.com/
COHmainstreet.
At the beginning of March, Huntsville Police Department hired a new
Data Control Clerk, Judy Phillips, to start learning the ways of retired,
Debra Jones. The department took her in with open arms and she has
been learning the ropes from one of the best.
Phillips and her husband have lived in Huntsville for a majority of their
lives while raising two daughters. For the last 30 years, Phillips has
worked for Huntsville ISD serving 10 years as a teacher and the rest of
her time as a counselor at Sam Houston Elementary School and the
final part of her career with HISD was as a Special Education
Counselor.
Having spent most of her adult life in Huntsville, Phillips knows a lot of
people at the Huntsville Police Department , but everyone with a new
face.. “could not have been more welcoming and loving” Phillips told
us. She is most excited about the people she is getting to work
alongside with and the opportunity to continue to support the
community and help in any way she can.
As well as loving the community, Phillips is also an SHSU Bearkat. She
received her Master’s Degree from SHSU , she and her family still give
back to the university as well as support athletics, especially the Women’s Basketball Team.
A fun fact about Mrs. Phillips is she is a Data Control Clerk by day and a children’s Author by night. Alongside Coach Nichols,
the SHSU Women’s Basketball Head Coach, are partners in writing and illustrating children’s books. Phillips does most of
the writing while Coach Nichols focuses on the illustrations. In their current chapter book series, Miss Priss On & Off the
Court, she gets advice from Coach Nichols since the book is centered around a young girl discovering her passion for
basketball. The duo’s first book, Beauregard Le' Moose is Loose in New Orleans, is centered on a traveling moose and the
adventures he goes on. “I find time to write late at night, and I am a devoted reader which helps inspire me for new stories
to write,” said Phillips. Their books are published with Smooth Sailing Press in Spring, Texas and available on Amazon.com.
Mrs. Phillips is “delighted to be a part of the Police Department and thoroughly enjoyed her time with Huntsville ISD.” So, a
warm Huntsville welcome to Judy Phillips!
Huntsville Police Department Welcomes Judy Phillips!
Just recently, Mayor Andy Brauninger and former
Mayor Mac Woodward, the Director of the Sam
Houston Memorial Museum, set off to take part in
the dedication of a statue of the young Sam
Houston in Maryville, Tennessee. The group had the
privilege of witnessing history during the unveiling
ceremony along side the Mayor of Maryville, Tom
Taylor, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, descendants
of Sam Houston, and many other distinguished
guests. The statue was named, “You Shall Hear of
Me” after Houston’s final words to the people of
Maryville when he left to join the U.S. Army.
Mayors Brauninger & Taylor had the honor of
proclaiming March 19 Sam Houston Day. Governor
of Tennessee, Bill Haslam performed the same
honor for the entire state of Tennessee.
“The trip to Maryville was wonderful. The people
could not have been nicer and more
accommodating. It was great to celebrate Sam
Houston at an early age and the importance of his
time in Maryville. Huntsville and Maryville share the
unique honor of both being the “Home of Sam
Houston.” I encourage anyone that is in the Maryville
area to visit the Sam Houston Statue and School
House.” said Woodward. “Our trip was great, I would
say the best part of the trip was the people of
Tennessee, they treated us so nicely the entire time.
There were more than 300 people at the statue
unveiling. The life of Sam Houston created a strong
bond between our two communities.” Brauninger
commented.
They both returned with great memories from their
trip and new friends in Maryville! Check our social
media platforms to
see more photos
from the event!
Sister Cities Honor Sam Houston
Follow your City!
Now on Instagram: CityofHuntsville
http://twitter.com/HuntsvilleTexas
www.facebook.com/HuntsvilleTX
https://www.youtube.com/huntsvilletxGOV
A Knock Out of the Park
The Easter Bunny came to Huntsville!
From the Wynne Home
to the grounds at City
Hall, the weather over
Easter weekend was
picturesque for the
several Easter egg hunts
going on all over the
City. There were special
appearances made by
Sammy the Bearkat and
the Easter Bunny
himself. Thank you to
all of the families who
came out to celebrate
Easter around the City!
The 2016 Scott's Major League Baseball Pitch Hit & Run Program was the best one yet. The day was full of friendly
competition for boys and girls from the community. Different age groups competed in events including hitting, speed,
pitching and other core baseball and softball skills. We have 6 participants who get the opportunity to travel to Conroe on
May 14th for the Sectional competition. We want to wish all our Huntsville winners best of luck in the next round!
City Council Adopts 2016 Strategic Plan
Goal #1,City Appearance - Provide policies, amenities, and events that enhance the City’s already beautiful and historic
natural environment.
Goal #2, Communications - Provide public information outreach efforts that inform the public of City operations,
accomplishments, and policies, and allow for citizen input on matters of Council policy.
Goal #3, Economic Development – Promote and enhance a strong and diverse economy.
Goal #4, Infrastructure - Ensure the quality of the City utilities, transportation, and physical structures so that the City’s core
services can be provided in an effective and efficient manner.
Goal #5, Resource Development - Enhance the quality of life for citizens, businesses, and visitors by leveraging the human
and fiscal resources available to the community.
Goal #6, Finance - Provide a sustainable, efficient, and fiscally sound government through conservative fiscal practices, and
resource management.
Goal #7, Public Safety - Provide safety and security for all citizens.
Goal #8, Long Range Planning – Match available long-range financing
capacity with projects to improve and sustain the quality of life of the citizens of Huntsville.
In a climate of economic uncertainty, many families are turning
to innovative ways to ensure a productive future for everyone
from mom and dad to their children. To assist local families with
that effort, the Huntsville Public Library will be promoting STEAM
through the end of the 2016 school year.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) is a
movement that is sweeping the nation in both schools and many
libraries. “Children learn best by doing,” said Assistant City
Librarian Anne Sparks. “It is not about what they know but what
they can do.”
Huntsville Public Library’s first STEAM program, held on April 1,
promoted engineering by creating marshmallow towers. The
second event is a Nature Day for elementary-aged students
from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15, in the Community Room.“As part of the library's STEAM program, children are invited to
experience and appreciate the beauty of nature through building unique crafts and by planting seeds to replenish the
environment,” said Sparks.
According to the American Library Association, the objectives of the STEAM movement are bring art and design into the mix of
traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), to encourage their integration into the education of everyone
at any age, and to influence employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation. “Literacy is multifaceted. Lifelong
learning includes all ages,” said Sparks. “We can facilitate discovery and promote interest which is a powerful motivator.”
In preschool-aged children, STEAM introduces fundamental concept skills, while promoting a love of the library. For school-
aged children, programming promotes a deeper understanding of
STEAM and engages reluctant readers. In adults, STEAM reactivates
the learning process and encourages growth.
A Health and Safety Day is planned for the final STEAM program of
April at the library. Families are invited to come from 4:30 to 6:30
p.m. on Friday, April 29. There will be opportunities to meet police
officers and firefighters. “This will be a valuable learning experience
with safety tips and more,” Sparks said. “We will have many booths
that will keep everyone busy and learning.”
For more information, contact the Huntsville Public Library at 936-
291-5472. Story by Brenda Poe, Huntsville Public Library Cataloger.
Huntsville Public Library STEAM Program
Be sure to follow to our
YouTube channel & social
media sites to be among the
first to see our new animated
videos full of information! The
current videos have everything
you need to know for the May
7th Special Election! Follow at
https://www.youtube.com/hun
tsvilletxGOV
Watch us!