By Betsy Densonbetsy@theleadernews.com

The recent sale of The Dutchman at 834 Wakefield as well as the sale of Red’s Coun-try Place across the street last May – both to townhome developers – are not the only real estate transactions on the street. A drive down Wake-field reveals both townhome construction and signage an-nouncing new developments in front of modest homes which won’t be standing for long. Some existing enterpris-ing homeowners along the street want to get in on the act too with For Sale signs dotting their yards.

The motivation for these property owners? Profit, of course.

While Red’s sold for $600,000 in May of 2014,

The Dutchman presumably sold for more – realtor Stacy Mathews told The Leader that they were “pushing the enve-lope on price.”

A reader recently sent The Leader notice of another list-ing for sale near the CrowBar. The property at 923 Wakefield, is offered for $1,715,000. The lot size is 40,789 square feet, twice the size of The Dutch-man. It’s both a warehouse and a single family residence – now used for a landscaping and contracting business – that HCAD recently appraised for $916,000.

Broker Hart Schleicher who has represented the property owner for about six months said that they just reduced the price this week from $44 to $42 per square foot. He said they’ve had a fair amount of interest “mostly from develop-

ers.”A preschool had signed a

letter of intent for the property but ended up not following through because of concerns about a nearby cell phone

tower.Schleicher doesn’t repre-

sent any other properties on the street but says “[develop-ers] are willing to pay in that area.”

So far that seems to be true. On the corner of Alba and Wakefield, Urban Living’s Swayze Court is nearing com-pletion. Vinod Ramani, owner of Urban Living, told The Lead-

er in August of 2014 that the entire development is 14 three story patio homes. Phase one is six townhomes and phase

Saturday, October 3, 2015 • Page 1B

Adventure Sports Gym 1B · New staff announced at Heights Chamber 2B • Annual Chairman’s Gala 2B

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By Kim HogstromFor The Leader

Many of The Leader’s readers have noticed the recent commotion surrounding the old Southwestern Bell switching station located at 1714 Ashland St. in the Heights. Constructed in 1957, the unusual building features hints of Art Deco design mingled with a sober solidity not found today.

Officials with Rohe & Wright Builders now say they plan on retaining and restoring the old, three-story building.

The building and its parking lot occupy near-ly half a city block in the heart of the commu-nity. Many locals have feared for the future of the switching station, which was originally con-structed by the Bellows Construction Company, the same firm that constructed the San Jacinto Monument.

Some were certain that the building would face-off with a wrecking ball. After all, the prop-erty is a short walk from 19th St. and its ameni-ties, and the plot is large, making it highly de-sirable for a mid-rise development. Worse still, others have suggested the spot would surely host the Heights’ first high-rise.

All the worry was for naught. The builders are converting the switching station into 24 lofts, and adding 20 traditional cottages on the remaining land. The new development is called Bell Heights and construction started several weeks ago.

The lofts will range in size from 1,500 to 4,000 square feet and occupy all three floors. Each will have a private balcony with touches of New Orleans style. Finishes will be high-end, such as stone and hardwood floors, and profes-sional-grade appliances.

The top of the building will host a 10,000-square-foot rooftop retreat with skyline views, an outdoor kitchen, an arbor, and a fire pit lounge so that residents can enjoy year-round entertaining.

“The Southwestern Bell structure itself is very

substantial,” said Donna Sonne Wright, profes-sional realtor with Boulevard Realty. “It is the sort of structure that would not be affordable to construct today. It was originally designed to handle a fourth floor, but my clients, Rohe & Wright, chose not to add a fourth floor, instead adding the roof-top entertainment center.”

The three-story, free-standing cottages shar-ing the property will echo the charm found in the Heights. The same high-end touches used in the lofts will apply. The homes are available in sizes from 2,200 square feet to 2,900 square feet. Each will have its own balcony and garage.

While construction started a few weeks ago, sales of the units started in the Summer of 2014.

We have nine lofts, and five cottages under contact,” Wright said. “We have been able to do this without so much as a model. All we have are the plans and the lot, so we are pleased with the interest we’re generating.”

The Bell Heights are currently scheduled to open in Fall, 2016.

See Wakefield, P. 3B

Contributed ArtThe old Southwestern Bell switching station in the Heights will be restored and used for luxury lofts, putting to rest fears that the building would ultimately be demolished.

Southwestern Bell building in Heights to be converted into new luxury lofts

By Jonathan Garrisjgarris@theleadernews.com

Guy Paproski, CEO of Adventure Sports Gym, calls his proposed project the next step in the evolution of fitness facilities. He and CFO Chuck Baldwin are currently in the midst of raising capital for the massive undertaking, which Paproski says will focus on a group of Houstonians now spending more time and money at local gyms than any other group – Millenials.

“In the next five years, millenials will spend almost as much as Baby Boomers and Gen-X’ers combined at fitness gyms and programs across the country,” Paproski said. “Millenials also want their fitness to be fun, adventurous and ever-changing, along with having a social atmosphere and better integrated technol-ogy.”

With the younger generation driving the growth of the fitness industry, and the break-out success of the CrossFit movement, Pa-proski and Baldwin are hoping their concept will attract investors. Adventure Sports Gym aims to offer a 115,000 square foot facility, featuring both indoor and outdoor exercise amenities, complete with spin studios, group exercise rooms, cardio and weight equipment, “spa-level” change rooms and saunas and even a ten story tower for rock climbing and other activities.

Paproski and Baldwin are looking to raise a total of about $75 million through a combi-nation of equity and investments. The facility would be located adjacent to Memorial Park near the intersection of Washington Avenue and Interstate 10.

“There’s nothing really out there that gives

young people all of what they want in one lo-cation,” Paproski said. He pointed at facilities that concentrate solely on activities like rock climbing and other forms of fitness as not ad-dressing all of the needs of what some young athletes might like to have.

“In CrossFit gyms, you don’t exactly have the best amenities in terms of showers and changing rooms,” Paproski said. “There aren’t any one-stop shops to meet everyone’s needs in a Millenial family.”

That’s something Paproski wants to change with ASG. One major addition for younger families will also be 20,000 square feet of ac-cess-controlled children-only play areas which Paproski called a “McDonald’s PlayPlace on steroids.”

“The 5,000 square foot tower in particular will come with some amazing stuff,” Paproski said. “It will include a few 100 foot rock climbs and we’ll also have a Ninja Warrior-esque training area. We’re looking to have about 55,000 square feet dedicated to CrossFit and obstacle training.”

Paproski said he is currently working closely not only with the city and potential investors as a kind of private-public partnership, but he and Baldwin are also working with the Memo-rial Park Conservancy to better integrate the surrounding biking trails along the bayou into the proposed project.

According to an investment packet, ASG aims to be a major start-up with its four acre property aiming to begin a long line of com-petitive facilities over the next decade or so.

“[ASG] is a start-up business that envisions building 30-50 premium 100,000+ square foot exercise facilities over the next 10 to 20 years,” according to the investment sheet.

Photo by Kim HogstromThe Southwestern Bell switching station in the Heights as it stands today.

Pumped Up

Contributed ArtDrawings of the proposed, multi-million dollar Adventure Sports Gym from the south shows the building’s ambitious design as its ownership aims at attracting potential investors.

Proposed Heights sports complex focuses on attracting Millenials

Developers, businesses explore options along Wakefield

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By Jacob MillweeFor The Leader

Ever wonder why the Heights is dry? It does seem a bit archaic in today’s world of craft breweries and specialty liquors. Where restaurants can gain fame on the depth of their cellars and bars’ reputations are built on the quality of their cocktails. There’s no doubt about it, Houston appreciates a good drink. So why does the greatest neighborhood in Houston restrict the sale of one of Houston’s favorite commodities?

We have to go back to the early history of the Heights. The city of Houston annexed the Heights in 1918. There was a huge Baptist influence in the Heights at that time and the neighborhood, as well as the nation, frowned on the consumption of alcohol. The

Prohibition Act was passed in 1919, just one year later (al-though it didn’t really go into effect until 1920). The gen-eral attitude of the day was that alcohol led to crime and went hand in hand with vice. Its ability to impair judgement had a debilitating effect on both the individual and society as a whole, and for this reason it was outlawed.

The leaders of the Heights at that time sought to protect

their great community from this terrible influence. Due to the way the annexation was occurring, the Heights had the ability to write the annexation agreement themselves and so in that agreement it was stipu-lated that the Heights “shall remain dry until time turnith not.”

As it happens time continues to turn, and so the Heights re-mains one of the last dry areas in Texas. Believe it or not, this has worked to our advantage quite often. Due to a number of factors the area saw a steep decline during the mid to late 1980s. The prohibition of alco-hol sales kept many less than savory businesses from com-ing in and establishing them-selves in that period, which al-lowed the Heights to preserve its family friendly atmosphere well into the present day.

While it may seem a relic of

a bygone era, the dry aspect of the Heights has relatively little impact on our lives. It is but a short drive (or for some a brisk walk) to some fine drink-ing establishments just outside the dry boundaries such as the Washington Avenue strip or the esteemed local brewer-ies Karbach and St. Arnolds. So I encourage you to look at the Heights being dry not as a drawback, but as one of the many idiosyncrasies that make the Heights such a unique and wonderful place to live. Then as now, we survive and thrive on our character and the strength of our community.

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President Jacob Millwee has announced changes to the Chamber staff. Joining the Chamber as Director of Events and Operations is Jill Johnston and Joni Simpson-Gomez moves from part time to full time as Office Adminis-trator. Johnston replaces Trish Gardiner who is relocating to California.

Jill Johnston has a rich background in banking, hav-ing served as a Senior Loan Officer for RMC Vanguard/Pa-triot Bank and other positions with JP Morgan Private Bank and Chase Home Finance. Her credentials include a profi-ciency in technology and she has demonstrated impressive communication and writing skills. Jill has attended the University of Houston and pursued a degree in Political Science. She prides herself on being a hard-working results-driven team player and those attributes will serve her well in her Chamber activities.

Joni most recently was a part time Chamber staffer and brings credentials that in-clude a background in Human Resources. Previously she worked at Oasis Petroleum as a Benefits Advisor and prior to

that she was the Senior Staff Human Resources Analyst for Rosetta Resources, Inc. in Houston. Joni is a graduate of Baylor University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She brings skills including be-ing detail oriented and cites her ability to work with em-ployees at all levels of an or-ganization.

Greater HeiGHts CHaMBer ConneCtion.From the President: The curious case of the Heights as a ‘dry’ stronghold

Millwee

Chamber announces new staff members

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simpson-Gomez

Members honored at Chairman’s Gala

The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce recog-nized honorees and named winners of its Achievement Awards at the Annual Chairman’s Gala held on September 18, 2015. The awards represent an ongoing tradition in the Chamber and are designed to acknowledge outstanding accomplishments on behalf of individuals or companies. Chamber members submit-ted the names of nominees for awards and the winners listed below were chosen by a judging panel comprised of previous recipients.

The Volunteer of the Year honorees – Natalie Coyle, Dee Fa-rino and Teresa Briggs, and the 2015 recipient, Cincy Reiben-stein of Reibenstein & Associates.

The Company of the Year Award honorees – Insurance and Benefits Advisors and Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospi-tal, and the 2015 recipient, Members Trust of the SW Federal Credit Union.

The Rising Star Award honorees – John Frels of Mortgages Direct and Willie Diefenbach-Jones of Send Out Cards, and the 2015 recipient, Kathryn Hodge of St. Joseph Medical Center.

The Buy Local First award honorees – Insurance and Ben-efits Advisors, John Frels of Mortgages Direct, and the 2015 recipient, Houston Highway Credit Union.

The Chairman’s Award was given to Terry Burge, former Chamber President

The President’s Award was given to Jan Featherston of Sign-Ups and Banners Corporation.

In presenting the awards, President Jacob Millwee said: “The honorees in each category exhibited professionalism, high mor-al standards, customer or client satisfaction and the countless other intangibles that help individuals and companies achieve success.” The Chamber congratulates each honoree and looks forward to annually bestowing these awards and rewarding out-standing performance and support.”

The Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce works with business owners who want to do business in the Greater Heights area by providing education, business support and referral opportunities so that they are empowered to grow their business. For more infor-mation on the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.heightschamber.com.Ad # 30111

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By Christina Martinezchristina@theleadernews.com

The Reagan Bulldogs went into their rival game against Bellaire undefeated, with one thing in mind – victory.

The big matchup took place at 7 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 26 at Delmar stadium with both teams heading into the game 3 – 0.

“Last year we had an op-portunity to defeat Bellaire,” Head Coach Stephen Dixon

said. “I think our kids went into last year’s season intimi-dated, hearing what others thought about us playing in 6A. After competing with big teams like Foster, the guys have their confidence and this year’s team has a whole lot of swagger.”

The first two touchdowns went to Reagan, and Coach Dixon said if they can take the first touchdown, their op-ponent will have a problem with keeping up with their

momentum.The final buzzer sounded,

Reagan Bulldogs on top 29 – 14.

This week the Bulldogs have a road district game against Milby at 7 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Barnett Sports Complex - 6800 Fair-way Dr. 77087.

Milby has yet to win a game, heading into Thursday night 0 – 4.

“We played Milby before and we were the top pick,”

Coach Dixon said. “We end-ed up having 11 turnovers and lost the game. You can never take an opponent for granted, that’s how injuries happen. We won’t take Milby for granted because a victory is never guaranteed.”

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Travis Elementary students celebrate Hispanic Heritage MonthBy Kim Hogstrom

For The Leader

More than 400 parents, teachers, and administrators had a chance to celebrate cultural diversity and their Hispanic roots as part of Hispanic Heritage Month at Travis Elementary School on Sept. 24.

Early in the evening, nearly 100 children sat clapping and singing in the school’s library as local singer/songwriter Don Sanders performed traditional folk songs in both English and Spanish. The 30-minute concert also allowed interested parents to attend the first PTA Meeting of the school year in the audi-torium down the hall.

The auditorium seats about 200 but the chairs filled quickly and the meeting soon transformed to a standing-room-only gathering. Here, parents voted on programs and other matters of significance to the education of their children.

When the PTA meeting concluded, excited children, many in traditional Central and South American garb, poured out of the library and into the auditorium. There, they were treated to the Heights-based dance troupe, Grupo Zapata, in a demonstration of folk dancing, or Ballet Folclórico, that inspired many to swirl and twirl in reflection.

“This is our second year of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Travis,” said Principal Thomas M. Day. “The month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and this function crowns the cel-ebration. It is tremendous. Throughout the month, our teach-ers introduce the children to people and events from Hispanic history and culture in the classrooms. The PTA initiated it and sponsors it, and we thoroughly embrace it and support it.”

In what was possibly the highlight of the evening, adults and kids alike then moved to the cafeteria where tables lined the walls. A breathtaking selection of Hispanic foods was laid out, most of which was prepared by the parents of the children at-tending Travis Elementary.

“Travis parents came out in record numbers to our PTA meeting. It was incredible. Then they enjoyed comida deliciosa provided by our families,” stated Event Co-chair, Jennifer Yeg-goni, in reflection. “Un agradecimiento especial to Diana Mar-tinez for bringing in Taquería Arandas in the Heights, with the

owners themselves serving throughout the evening.” In addition to all the festivities, Travis Elementary posts col-

orful maps and decorations from Mexico, Central and South America in the halls through the month. This year, a special exhibit of vintage huipiles (pronounced wee-peel) - native garments of Mexico and Central America - will be on display through Oct. 15.

Event Co-chair and Travis parent Debbie Muñiz believes that Travis Elementary is an exceptional HISD school, and that the heritage celebration is only one of the reasons why. “Strong school leadership, dedicated teachers and staff, involved par-ents, and a supportive and active community make Travis an exceptional school,” Muñiz stated. “In addition to learning about the contributions and rich culture of Latinos to the US, events like this show our children that we are truly a commu-nity.”

Photo by Betsy DensonTravis Elementary School members share some special dishes with others to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Reagan varsity football improves to 4-0 record

two is eight townhomes. All are priced between $500,000 and $600,000. The six homes of phase one are all still for sale.

According to HAR, sales of townhouses and condominiums slipped 4.0 percent in August with a total of 620 units sold com-pared to 646 properties in August 2014. The average price, how-ever, edged up 0.8 percent to $197,091 and the median price increased 4.7 percent to $149,000. Inventory grew from a 2.6-months supply to 3.1 months.

Juan Cuevas with real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Mil-lichap is not involved with Swayze Court or with the property at 923 Wakefield but provided The Leader with some perspective on profit margins for townhome developers.

He said that townhouse density is significantly less than mul-tifamily developments. With regard to the property at 923 Wake-field, which is about an acre, he’d estimate that a good density number for townhouses would be 18 units per acre or less. Cue-vas also said that the profit margin for developers is about 20% of the sale of the home.

So, to put the economics into perspective, if a developer buys the property at 923 Wakefield and puts 18 townhomes on the land, and then sells them for $600,000 a piece, their 20 percent profit would be a little over $2 million.

Time will tell if there is any sustained slowdown of townhome sales in The Leader area. If so, perhaps interest from developers will wane as well. But for now, the For Sale signs keep coming down and the townhomes keep going up.

Contributed Photo

By Betsy Densonbetsy@theleadernews.com

Jason Cisneroz says he is the only candidate for District H who lives the most com-mon problems of the district every day.

“At the end of the day, District H is a working class community,” he said. “My neighborhood has stray dogs, illegal dumping, and potholes too. My wife and I are rais-ing our two young daughters in the Near Northside and I know the importance of in-vesting in our neighborhood and keeping it safe.”

He says that his experience covers all the bases — “com-munity involvement, organi-zational leadership, protecting our families overseas and on the streets of Houston, and getting things done at City Hall for District H.”

In his current job as a HPD Community Service Officer, Cisneroz works with business owners to reduce crime, orga-nizes neighborhood meetings with law enforcement, enforc-es code violations, and works with residents at the HPD community storefront.

“The most important thing I do as a community service of-ficer is to build trust between Houstonians and police,” said Cisneroz.

An Army veteran of Op-eration Enduring Freedom II and graduate of the Uni-versity of Houston, Cisneroz also worked for current may-oral candidate Adrian Garcia, when he was a councilman for the district, as well as re-cent District H Councilman Ed Gonzalez at City Hall. Cis-neroz says the time spent with the two council members has

given him a unique perspec-tive on the job.

“Ed and Adrian both have different styles, so I learned different things from each,” he said. “Adrian taught me how to take action and work together to achieve the com-munity’s goals. And Ed taught me the importance of follow-ing up and making sure con-stituents receive information quickly, regardless of the out-come.”

Cisneroz also has a sense of the city’s most pressing pri-orities. First up - fixing the Re-Build Houston formula to give neighborhoods the infrastruc-ture and repairs they need.

“The ReBuild Houston formula puts our neighbor-hoods at the bottom of the list because we live in homes, not high-rises,” said Cisneroz. “But some neighborhoods in District H haven’t seen new infrastructure since they were annexed. And others are crumbling under higher-than-ever traffic loads. I will be a megaphone for better infrastructure in our neigh-borhoods, and fight to get ReBuild Houston dollars back into our community.”

Crime and safety is also something he plans to address by improving communication between law enforcement agencies to increase response time and keep families safe. He said that communication between law enforcement agencies is lacking at the present time.

“As a community service officer at HPD, I know that a good relationship between the community and police is priceless,” he said. “Because when you know your beat of-ficer, and you see them even

when you don’t need them, you don’t just feel safer. You are safer.”

As the husband of a bilin-gual elementary school teach-er at Davis High School, help-ing schools also ranks highly.

Cisneroz says he wants to help schools in turn help their students by continuing the safe sidewalk program, there-by ensuring every child can get to and from school safely. He also wants to provide more after school programs at city libraries and parks.

In order to give every child an opportunity to suc-ceed, Cisneroz would like to bring additional trade, col-lege-bound mentors, and ap-prenticeship programs to high schools.

Even with its current issues, however, Cisneroz thinks Houston is in better shape than it was ten years ago.

“Houston’s greatest strength, the relentless ser-vice of everyday people, is stronger than ever,” he said. “It is strengthened by our di-versity, and by the tools we use to mobilize and get things done for our communities. And that is why, together, we can tackle any challenge that comes our way.”

Page 4B • Saturday, October 3, 2015

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Rea� W����, Rea� Li��Keys to Becoming Your Personal Best

Da�� Smit� T���a�

Sponsorships & Booth Space Available

In Focus: Cisneroz cites time with HPD in bid for District H

Cisneroz

There will also be a silent auction, cake walk, DJ and dunking booth.

October 17, 20159:00 am - 12:00 pm

4141 Costa Rica

ScarboroughHigh School

GaraGe SaleHousehold Items to include: Large screen TVs, Furniture, Tools, Appliances, Bicycles

and much more.

Patrick Kelley

“Real Bearded Santa”

Sleigh Number (713) 826-1273pwkelley@yahoo.com

Santa Patrick

For Private or Public Events Call To Reserve

Coming oCtober 17

For Advertising Contact A Leader

Sales rep (713) 686-8494