Maintenance Takes Center Stage in Westchase District: More Parks and Trails Increase Maintenance Demands.
Anyone who has ever bought or sold a home knows the importance of curb appeal. At Westchase District, we’re “selling” our area every day to prospective residents, tenants, and investors. So we highly value our curb appeal and want the area to look clean and well-maintained to anyone who visits.
As Westchase District’s investment in public spaces continues to grow, the District’s maintenance budget must keep pace. With five miles of trails, three parks, and hundreds of esplanades, the District is adding staff and additional budget resources to its maintenance portfolio.
Efficient Tracking and Field Work
Projects Manager John Estrada, who oversees the District’s maintenance efforts, keeps an exhaustive maintenance inventory, tracking everything from the basic mowing schedule to water usage, to downed pedestrian lights, broken irrigation lines, or damaged bus shelters. Estrada modeled his system after the City’s 3-1-1 system and other similar efforts used by public entities to track issues that need attention. “My goal is to address any problem within 24 hours,” said Estrada. “Sometimes it takes longer depending on which agency is involved.” Estrada’s system tracks the location of a specific concern, a description and photos, as well as saved emails. He assigns consecutive ID numbers to each maintenance concern, as well as the specific geo-location from Google Maps to help Westchase District contractors or other agencies (City of Houston, CenterPoint Energy, etc.) locate the identified problem.
Estrada receives maintenance reports from contractors working for the District, from other staff who are working out in the field, and from property managers and citizens who report problems. But he’s also out in the field himself, inspecting the trails and parks and proactively looking for maintenance concerns. “I prefer to identify the problem before I’m notified from someone in the community,” he says with the subtle humor of a professional who takes pride in his job. “But, I welcome anyone to send me an email. Please include the address, a description of the problem and, if possible, a photo.”
Field Inspections and Proactive Maintenance
Visitors along the Westchase District trail system may spot Estrada as he regularly drives the trail in a Westchase District golf cart looking for maintenance concerns. He’s checking the condition of the underpasses, drinking fountains, and looking for any irrigation leaks. He also drives Walnut Bend Lane and Westheimer looking for any trees, bus stops, or pedestrian lights that need attention. “Westchase District has invested millions of dollars into making these two streets look good. It’s my job to make sure they keep looking good,” said Estrada.
Estrada also makes monthly night-time inspections looking for lighting problems and other issues that might not present themselves during the day. And he makes specific inspections of signage throughout the District to address leaning stop signs, fading street signs, or brackets that need to be replaced.
Hurricane Response
Estrada’s responsibilities grew exponentially in the days and weeks following Hurricane Beryl. He and Louis Jullien, the District’s director of open spaces, drove the District after the storm identifying emergency issues. “We were looking for fallen trees that were blocking the street and leaning trees that might fall on someone,” said Estrada. He reported more than 50 issues to Westchase District’s landscape maintenance company, signage company, City of Houston 311, METRO, Westchase Community Association, CenterPoint Energy, and private properties.
After addressing the emergency concerns, Estrada turned his attention to the cosmetic issues. “We determined if the trees needed to be replaced or if they could be righted with the help of stakes,” said Estrada. “Our crews focused their attention on cleanup those first two weeks after the storm, rather than mowing and their other weekly tasks.”
Saving Money
Estrada is always looking for ways to make the operation more efficient, saving money to the District and its stakeholders. He says many maintenance issues can be handled by Westchase District contractors or staff. Estrada is in the final stages of adding a new maintenance staff member to assist him in the maintenance inspections and repair. “We’ve purchased ladders and tools so that we can do what we can. We only outsource what we can’t do,” said Estrada.
Westchase District has also launched a pilot program in partnership with WaterLogic, a company specializing in smart water management services. The initiative, which began in March on Walnut Bend Lane, aims to save money and conserve water by using advanced technology to manage irrigation systems. WaterLogic’s system uses cloud-based technology to control irrigation schedules, allowing for quick adjustments. “The equipment allows us to make changes to the irrigation schedule from any location if – for example – it has rained recently. It also alerts us if any of the irrigation equipment requires maintenance,” said Estrada. “We’re still analyzing the data. But since beginning the pilot project, we have seen a noticeable reduction in our water bill on Walnut Bend,” said Estrada. “If it proves successful, the technology could be expanded across the District.”
If you spot a situation that requires maintenance in the District, please reach out to Estrada by emailing jestrada@westchasedistrict.com. Good luck spotting it before he does.
