Ervin Jackson
Health and Human Services
For weeks, Clark Nash called animal control about a vicious dog running loose in his neighborhood. Several officers tried to capture the dog, but each one failed, Nash wrote.
Then Ervin “Duke” Jackson showed up and tracked down the dog.
“Duke went beyond the call of duty and put forth the extra effort to subdue the animal,” Nash wrote. “Duke’s outstanding performance made our street safe again.”
Tina Greene, Heleace Wiley, Roy Woodard
Finance & Administration
“I have used this service for several community concerns, including street light repairs, heavy trash pickup and roaming dogs,” wrote Hattie Ligon about 311. “During my calls, I’ve met three special jewels in Heleach Wiley, Tina Greene and Roy Woodard.
“Please keep up the good work.”
Gwendolyn Condoleo
Mayor’s Office
A Republic Waste Services subcontractor left two large dumpsters at the entrance to the Buckow subdivision. The subcontractor folded, and the dumpsters sat there for four months, wrote Rhonda Beinhorn.
One of the dumpsters was spilling over, but nobody empted it, she wrote. Trash, including tires and a refrigerator, was strewn on either side of the street.
Residents were getting upset, wrote Beinhorn, who contacted several city employees about the dumpsters.
Finally, she was put in touch with Gwendolyn Condoleo, Beinhorn wrote. Condoleo contacted Republic Waste Services, and in less than two hours, a Republic truck cleaned the area and hauled away the dumpsters.
“Thank you very much for your help, support and cooperation in cleaning up this community,” Beinhorn wrote. “All your efforts are greatly appreciated.”
Willie Shankle
Parks and Recreation
For more than a decade, the members of the Gus Wortham Women’s Golf Association have used that course as their home. But they have became more and more distraught by the course’s deterioration over the years, wrote Trish Schmid, association president. Members were even pressuring her to move the group’s Thursday meets to a different course.
Willie Shankle promised to improve the site and retain the group’s loyalty.
“We know the Gus Wortham course is an old and valued institution in Houston, and it would have been a shame to allow it to remain in such a state of disrepair,” Schmid wrote.
Shankle has lived up to his word and then some, Schmid wrote.
“Each week we see the continued evolution of the course’s grounds, which again makes us happy to be playing there,” she wrote. “Mr. Shankle and his staff should be commended for breathing new life into this fine old course.”
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Tonia Brown
Finance & Administration
After his toilet backed up Sunday morning, R. Sanchez spent hours using a snake trying to dislodge the clog. Then, he called a plumber, who told Sanchez he couldn’t fix the problem because it was located beyond Sanchez’s property line.
Visions of long, inconvenient and costly sewer repairs began playing through his head, Sanchez wrote. Feeling helpless, he called 311.
Tonia Brown answered and “professionally and courteously” logged the call, he wrote.
“PWE’s angels descended in my place and fixed the sewer problem Monday morning.”
Stephen Scott
Fire
“If I am ever in need of emergency medical attention, I want Stephen Scott taking care of me,” wrote Dr. Thomas Luton, an emergency medicine resident at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
While working at the hospital, Luton has had many encounters with Scott. And each time, Scott has been energetic, caring, assertive and knowledgeable, Luton wrote. He gives concise but informative reports about his patients, making it redundant when Luton took the patient’s history.
“The city needs more highly motivated and responsible individuals like Mr. Scott,” Luton wrote.
Vi Johnson, Fred Schumacher
Library
Like many others, Kathleen Yarborough sometimes gets too busy and forgets to return her library items. That’s why HPL’s Web site and its e-mail notices are such a godsend, she wrote.
“It is a real stress reliever. Renewing and being able to request books online – all great, great things. Kudos to all involved.”
Scott Steller
Public Works & Engineering
Scott Steller understood that the Talley Construction project he was inspecting was unique and inspected it appropriately, wrote Joe Bourque of Talley.
Instead of shutting down the project each time he found a minor infraction, Steller explained the problem and allowed Talley to continue construction after Bourque assured him the problems would be fixed. Then, Steller re-inspected the infractions when he returned for his next round of inspections.
Because of Steller’s flexibility, Talley finish the project on deadline.
“I have never commended any of the inspectors, but I have the need to congratulate the department on Mr. Steller’s training and perception to keep the project moving when possible. Keep up the great work,” Bourque wrote.
Duke Atkins, Michael Burdick, Guadalupe Duron, Alvin Gills, Warren Jones, Jason Turrentine
HPD
For a long time, heavy traffic flowed day and night to and from the house across the street from Helen Labbe’s home. At times, the traffic was so heavy Labbe’s family couldn’t get into their driveway and had to wait until someone from the other house left.
The people living at the house were seen urinating in the two-feet-tall backyard grass, Labbe wrote. Because she suspected they were selling drugs in the house, Labbe called police.
Lt. Duke Atkins said he’d look into the problem, Labbe wrote. That night, Officers Michael Burdick, Guadalupe Duron and Jason Turrentine arrested the house’s owner and others at the residence. The officers continued their vigilance on a nightly basis until the traffic problem decreased significantly.
However, much of the traffic simply moved to the daytime, she wrote. So he contacted Atkins again. The next day, officers Alvin Gills and Warren Jones were at the house, making arrests and writing tickets. They continued going to the house and making arrests.
“I am happy to say that today there is no one living in the residence and no more vehicle traffic at the location,” Labbe wrote. “The neighbors and I are overjoyed the way this problem was handled and feel we have our street back.”