Contact: Jeanette Swenson
Telephone: 512-524-1973
Email: jeanetteswenson@yahoo.com

Making a Splash at Bartholomew Park

Northeast Austin, Texas, May 9, 2011

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m. a celebration will be held at Bartholomew Park, 5201 Berkman Drive, in northeast Austin. The Windsor Park Neighborhood Association is planning a ribbon-cutting for the new splash pad in the park and a celebration of the recent improvements at the park including the dedication of a new memorial bench. Neighbors and friends of the park are invited to bring their lunches for a picnic in the park and enjoy live music, free Amy's ice cream, activities for the kids, and splashing in the new splash pad. Some local organizations will be there to provide information about their programs and services.

Bartholomew Park is a 57-acre Austin district park in the Windsor Park Neighborhood. Tannehill Creek runs through the middle of the park which includes a disc golf course, baseball and football fields managed by the Northeast Dellwood Optimist Club, a playscape, and many other features. A new swimming pool has been designed for the park and is expected to be under construction next year.

With the closure of the Randalls at Berkman and 290, we've wondered what will be coming. The latest information suggests that we will be getting a new location for the El Rancho grocery (a small chain in Texas). What I heard was 8-9 months, meaning summer of 2011.

From the City of Austin.... Voting until September 13, 2010.

The Parks and Recreation Department is conducting a public survey of the conceptual master plan design of Bartholomew District Park. If you're interested in choosing one of the three conceptual master plan maps for the Bartholomew District Park, please complete the survey.

TxDOT tries, tries again at 51st and I-35
Ben Wear: Getting There
Published: 10:20 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010

Jughandle, meet the gooseneck.

Uh, what?

We're talking about the intersection of East 51st Street and Interstate 35, which over the past decade or so has been something of a problem child for the Texas Department of Transportation.

Now TxDOT is going to take a third swipe at improving the vexatious interchange, possibly with about $2.3 million in City of Austin dollars that could be approved by voters in November as part of the $90 million bond referendum.

The tinkering began nine years ago when TxDOT shut down a cloverleaf ramp leading from 51st to southbound I-35, along with a rather unique bridge that spanned I-35 and enabled drivers on Cameron Road to cross over to the west side of the freeway. The opening of a flyover north of there, where U.S. 290 meets I-35, had rendered this setup unsafe, in TxDOT's opinion. You can still see the outline of that cloverleaf, and the abandoned bridge remains as a sort of forlorn engineering monument.

Then came the "jughandle," TxDOT's name for what resulted when it eliminated a piece of northbound frontage road that connected to 51st.

To accommodate a coming deluge of development on the old Mueller airport property to the east, starting in 2005, drivers on northbound I-35 who wanted to go west on 51st had to turn east on Barbara Jordan Boulevard, north on Lancaster Drive, and then back west.

On a map, that permanent detour resembles the handle of a, well, jug.

That innovation made things better for the developers of Mueller, giving easy access to the new hospital and all the big-box stores and homes that have sprung up in the five years since then.

But it made life worse for people who live in the Windsor Park neighborhood north of 51st and east of Cameron, and for people living on the west side of I-35. They faced a much more convoluted path home that routed them through a busy shopping center, and the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association let TxDOT know that it didn't like it.

Thus TxDOT's latest fix, the "gooseneck," which is my moniker. The agency has left this one undubbed.

What TxDOT would like to build, at a construction cost of about $1.1 million, is a new piece of northbound frontage road that would go under 51st, obliterate part of the abandoned bridge from Cameron, then connect to East 53rd Street and Cameron. Drivers then, with a little backtracking, would be able to get to 51st and go west or east, or go north on Cameron.

If voters say yes to those $90 million in bonds, and thus the $2.3 million for this interchange, then construction on the gooseneck would probably occur in 2012.

TxDOT would use the rest of the money for engineering work on the west side of the interchange. The agency would like to find some way for people to get from 51st to southbound I-35 without going through a traffic light, which is currently the case. Actually building that improvement would require still more money, possibly again from the city (which, like other local governments, increasingly is paying for some state highway improvements because TxDOT is strapped).

Be patient. Perfection takes time.

For questions, tips or story ideas, contact Getting There at 445-3698 or bwear@statesman.com

That's a real shame and I'm sorry to hear it. My condolences. I hope you reported this to 311. While it won't help you, it will help the police understand the issues going on in our neighborhood.

I've read numerous articles in the newletter about cats being mauled by dogs. Unfortunately, this hit home last night. My stepdad was awakened at 2am by a noisy fight outside. By the time he got outside our cat had already been attacked and killed. The pack of dogs consisted of 3 medium sized dogs and 1 white, small, fluffy dog. Please take note and keep an eye on your furry loved ones. We live on Corona Dr. - east of Berkman. Beloved cat and family member, Callie, mauled by dogs 8/9/2010Beloved cat and family member, Callie, mauled by dogs 8/9/2010

My cat is missing so I'm hoping someone has spotted him. I'm afraid that he may have snuck into someone's garage or shed without them knowing and may be trapped. He doesn't meow a lot so he's not likely to make a lot of noise if he is stuck somewhere. So if anyone had an open garage, shed or vehicle open (most likely between Monday-8:30 pm thru Tues-8:00 am), please double check for him.

I last saw him Monday (3/29) at 8:30 pm on Larkwood Drive. It's very out of character for him to stay away this long.

Description:
Black/brown wide striped tabby
Green eyes
Male/neutered
Approx. 14 lbs.

REWARD for return or info leading to return.

http://austin.craigslist.org/laf/1669990013.html

If you have have seen him, please call me @ 512-751-5720 or email me at hood1@mac.com

Many thanks!
Jenn

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Found a small, well-cared for female chihuahua mix near Manor and 51st street today, 9/28/09. Please call to describe 928-8190.

Our home was broken into at 10am on 8/26. The two men entered through a kitchen window facing the back yard. Luckily, a friend was driving by, saw the men removing items from our home and loading them into their vehicle, and called 911 with the license plate. The men fled the scene but were quickly arrested. Remarkably, we got all of our stuff back immediately (the police took it out of their vehicle, photographed it as evidence and loaded it into our vehicle).
One of the guys had a warrant out for his arrest (two previous robberies). The police said that he would not be able to bond out. They said it was highly unlikely that the other guy would be able to bond out either.

All things considered, it was a happy ending. Both of our pets are unharmed, both men were in handcuffs and on their way to jail, and we got our stuff back.

Just a reminder: if something looks suspicious, call the police! Take down license plates and get a description of the person. The more information the better. There were neighbors in the front yard two houses down who thought it "looked weird", but didn't call to report it. If it looks "weird", call and let the police sort it out!