Early birds: Westchase District’s Evelyn Martinez and Ruben Perez depart the office at 4:30 a.m. for a maintenance inspection.
As Westchase District builds more parks and trails – and as it adds additional capital assets like bus shelters and lighting – maintenance becomes a bigger priority in the District’s portfolio. Board members have authorized additional money and staff to address ongoing maintenance. In fact, it’s worth noting that the District’s 2025 maintenance budget – slightly more than a million dollars – is greater than its entire 1995 budget of $800,000.
Once a month, Projects Manager Evelyn Martinez and Field Services Manager Ruben Perez take an overnight drive of the District to check all of those assets and see what needs attention.
They depart the Westchase District offices at Richmond and the West Sam Houston Tollway and drive west on Richmond, stopping first at the underpass of the Brays Bayou Connector Trail, where it passes under Richmond. A frequent trail user has reported that the underpass lights are not working – a fact that is quickly confirmed by Martinez and Perez. It will go on the maintenance list Martinez is compiling.
Ped lights and bus shelters
Continuing their drive, the pair inspects all the pedestrian lights on Walnut Bend Lane, as well as the bus stop lighting. They check the underpass lighting on Wilcrest at the Westpark Tollway, as well as the Brays Bayou Connector Trail at Harwin.
They drive the length of Westheimer, from Westerland to Kirkwood, to check the pedestrian lights. The report will reflect that all are working. Checks of all the transit stops reveal several bad bulbs, but none of the shelters are completely dark, making them a safety risk. “We put first priority on safety,” said Martinez. “Any underpass lighting deficiencies or darkened bus stops will receive first priority for repair.”
Last stop is Camden Park, where they investigate all the pre-dawn lighting. On this day, the park seems especially dark, as some of the pedestrian lights and landscape lighting are not functioning. The bulbs and timing devices will be inspected by a daytime crew.
Inspection, then repair
Color wheel: Martinez uses a remote control to adjust the color of the Westchase District monument sign at Sneed Elementary School.
In the past, the team performed these night inspections in the evening. But as summer brought later sunsets, they decided to move the inspection to the early morning hours. “Having less traffic in the morning is a bonus,” said Martinez.
With more than 500 pedestrian lights and 35 bus shelters in Westchase District, Martinez’ check list is long. Fortunately, her repair list only yields the darkened underpass at Richmond and a few bus shelters that need bulb replacement. They return to the office before the sun comes up and before the day ends, Martinez will have compiled a full repair list and sent it off to the various contractors or agencies (CenterPoint Energy or the City of Houston) who are responsible for the repairs. In a month, they’ll perform the entire ritual again, ensuring that Westchase District is well-lit at night and that residents and visitors waiting for a METRO bus can feel safe.
