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!

Dear Neighbors,

On Tuesday July 14th, my front door was kicked in and my home was burglarized. A few days prior to the break in, there were 2 men in a 1997 dark blue/black Chevy pick-up truck in our neighborhood going door-to-door, asking if we would like to purchase some type of fraudulent service. Essentially, they were looking for vulnerable properties to hit at a later time.

One of my neighbors recognized the vehicle a few days later and saw them in my driveway, not realizing they were planning to rob us.

For all of our safety, I am writing to ask that everyone in the neighborhood keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, paying special attention to solicitors, slow moving vehicles, etc. Write down suspicious license plates, just in case. With your help, we can keep this from happening from to our friends and neighbors.

Thank you,

Dominick

The intent of this survey is seek input from Windsor Park for a grocery store to be located in the Market District of Mueller at the southeast corner of Berkman and 51st St. The inclusion of gasoline pumps in the proposed site plan stirred debate at the January Windsor Park Neighborhood Association meeting that included Mueller Market District compatibility discussions with Bartholomew Park. Concerns brought up during the meeting included traffic, environmental sensitivity, connectivity to park, and impact on existing neighborhood gas stations were all mentioned as being important considerations for Windsor Park. The motion passed to write a letter to Catellus stating that Windsor Park does not support a grocer at the Market District that will include gas pumps on site. The survey will help identify Windsor Park's preferences for a grocery store and will be shared with the Mueller Developer. Your input is appreciated. http://www.surveymonkey.coms.aspx?sm=uqmP2fkXtH82f8M5XDiUlw_3d_3d Stafford Gunning Cloverleaf

Location: Windsor Park Branch Library

In Attendance: Rodney Ahart, Charlene Ansley, Meg Brooks, Mike Caesar, Sheryl Cheatham, Sara Jane Lee, Ruth Marie

Minutes

Minutes of the last executive committee meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Sara reported income of $180 from sponsorships and new members and said she has received all the funds she should have. She will pay the association’s dues to the Austin Neighborhood Coalition. She also reported that the association has $300 available for charitable donations. The committee agreed to donate $100 to United Memorial Methodist Church. There was discussion about encouraging new membership at the December meeting, on the list serve, and in the newsletter.

Yard of the Month

As announced at the last general meeting, winners for December have been chosen. There was discussion on the concerns about the award process expressed at the last general meeting.

Committee Reports

There was no parks report. It was noted that It’s My Park Day is coming up in April. Rodney said he thought the newly planted trees at Bartholomew were being watered.

Rodney brought up the letter he sent to the city manager stating the association’s resolution that the future signal at Reinli/Northridge and Cameron be modified to address concerns about eastbound traffic on Northridge. The city manager’s letter in response stated that the city was unwilling to do so. The executive committee had no recommendations, but the transportation committee meets on Wednesday and will presumably discuss the issue.

Rodney reported that an official complaint form and formal letter of protest from the association concerning Los Tequileros have been sent to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The commission has assigned an investigator to the case, and an audit of the business’s food and liquor sales by the state comptroller is expected.

Ruth said she did not attend the last ANC meeting.

Meg reported that the audit for 2006 is complete and that those for 2007 and 2008 will be completed on time. She said the audits were going well and expressed thanks to Sheryl for her help in the effort.

Other Issues

Sheryl suggested that the money for the Siegenthaler award be used for an installation to identify the trees that have been planted at Bartholomew. The idea was well received by the committee.

Rodney said that Diane Sullivan of the Cherrywood neighborhood was interested in helping Windsor Park start a neighborhood watch program. Discussion followed and was concerned with emphasizing burglary prevention, encouraging neighborhood resident involvement as the most effective way to reduce crime, and the role of alarm companies. Rodney said he would contact the district representative about getting the police involved.

Rodney said he was interested in holding a retreat for officers and others who wished to attend. He said he saw the purpose as setting goals for the association. Discussion settled on a Saturday afternoon in January as a possible time.

The committee discussed plans for the December general meeting at the Nomad. Assignment of offiers’ duties will occur online, and Meg suggested asking attendees to bring unused supplies they may have at home. There was also discussion of recognizing volunteers who help with producing and delivering the newsletter and of inviting local elected officials and neighborhood entertainers.
The officers for 2009 will be inducted at the December general meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

Location: Nomad Bar

Minutes: There was no motion and no vote to approve last meeting’s minutes.

Annual Holiday Party

The association held its annual holiday party. Rodney Ahart recognized Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Constable Bruce Elfant, and a representative of State Representative Dawnna Dukes. He also presented outgoing association secretary Michael Caesar with an award and announced a thank you gift to be presented to Lori Weber for her longtime work on the association newsletter. Katherin Brewer, the executive director of Austin Partners in Education, spoke and provided brochures on the organization and a list of open volunteer positions. Association member Bret Fulkerson gave an update on the Los Tequileros issue and left Alcoholic Beverage Commission complaint forms to be mailed in addressed envelopes he provided. Member Howie Richie announced Darrell Mayer’s annual wassail. There was also made available a petition for members to sign if they wished to express support for the association’s resolution concerning the traffic light at Cameron and Reinli/Northridge; the petition will be sent to city council. Representative Doggett spoke briefly. Attendees joined in the songs led by Judith Hutchison, Dolly Lambdin, and Mark Boyden. City councilman Lee Leffingwell was also present and spoke. Attendees were also entertained by the singing of Deborah Duncan. There was an announcement about movies at Dottie Jordan Park. The Strollers took the stage and played while the audience enjoyed the potluck offerings and socialized. Many thanks to the Nomad for their great job hosting the event.

Location: Memorial United Methodist Church

Welcome: Two new people introduced themselves.

Minutes: There was no motion and no vote to approve last meeting’s minutes.

Treasurer’s Report

Sara Jane Lee supplied the treasurer's report on the back of the meeting agenda and explained that the association is in the red for the month because payments for two months of newsletter printing were made in October.

Election of Officers

Meg Brooks presented the slate for the 2009 officers. Rick Krivoniak moved approval, and the membership did so by voice vote. Present officers retain their positions, except for secretary, which will be filled by Charlene Ansley.

Yard of the Month

The winners Kerri and Ed Hughey were not present to receive the award. Jeanette Swenson explained that the December winner has been selected and called for nominations for future awards. In response to questions from members, she discussed how the committee chooses yards. She also said that this month’s award was the 64th without a repeat and that the committee was now accepting nominations of yards that have already won. Discussion that followed included the types of yards that should be considered and ideas for new awards. Jeanette invited anyone who wished to come to the next committee meeting.

Police Report

Officer Lopez and Sergeant Jones of the Austin Police Department took questions. The sergeant declined to discuss the recent shooting. He responded to questions concerning whom to contact about drinking in the park and about vendors setting up in the Windsor Village shopping center and concerning the Home Depot day laborers. He said that contractors are not allowed to pick up laborers at the Mueller Home Depot.

Parks Report

Rodney Ahart read Cherie Simpson's post to the list serve about park issues (digest #2021).

Sweeney Circle Project

Frank Fernandez of Community Partnership for the Homeless spoke on the organization's Sweeney Circle project. He said the project consists of 24 units in six fourplexes that the organization is purchasing and will manage and rent out. He talked about the people at whom the project is targeted and the requirements prospective tenants will have to meet. He said the organization plans to close on the properties and start rehabilitating them about the end of the year and that it is considering other acquisitions in the area. He passed out a flyer and took questions.

Mueller Discussion

Dee Desjardin of Catellus displayed a map of Mueller and went over developments there. She said Catellus was aware of the day labor issue. She said that development of the retail site adjacent to Home Deport continues and that the Shoe Pavilion space has a new tenant. UT's 14-acre research development will be completed by year's end. The Ronald McDonald house has won a green building award. The hospital is accelerating its expansion plans because of demand, and Seton Hospital's administrative functions will be centralized at Mueller. The first apartment building complex is going up, the first phase of single family residences is nearing completion, and more than 250 families are moved in. Berkman won't be completed through to 51st until 2010. There will be approximately 3,000 people working in Mueller next year and ultimately about 10,000. Seventy-five of 140 acres of parks are finished. There was discussion about a bus stop for the south side of 51st and about the unsatisfactory bicycling situation at Mueller. There was no new information about the possible grocery store and the town center/market district.
Jim Walker took up the discussion of schools. It was pointed out that there is a 10-acre site for a school at Mueller but that it is the decision of AISD to build one there. Jim said the neighborhood should be considering how to make use of Mueller for the benefit of the surrounding schools. He also urged patience on the day labor issue and said that moving to the enforcement phase of the plan to deal with that issue was not the preferable outcome. He warned that the development of the town center or market district could be affected by the current economic situation. He also mentioned the possibility of tax credits for families and the elderly residing at Mueller. There was also discussion of the May 9 commuter rail election; Jim said one difficulty is getting rail up Manor Road and another how rail interacts with with 51st. He said that traffic should be monitored around Mueller to obtain data on how the development is impacting traffic in surrounding neighborhoods. There was mention of the traffic generated by Mueller parents bringing their children to schools in the surrounding areas.

The "jug handle" was also a topic of discussion, and Rick Krivoniak started by mentioning the online survey set up for this issue by a Windsor Park resident. Gordon Derr from the city and Terry McCoy from the Texas Department of Transportation were present. Gordon, Rick, and Jim went over the past history of the jug handle and discussed various solutions, past and proposed. Terry believes a fix for the situation will be complex. He said the department is short on resources and a solution in the short term is not likely. He said the department is planning a study of I35 from Buda to Georgetown. He is willing to meet to discuss possible solutions.

ANC Representative

Ruth Marie noted the low turnout for police commander's forums and encouraged all to attend. She also announced the ANC's "Place to Do Homework" project scheduled for Saturdays.

Other Business

Constable Danny Thomas introduced himself and said a few words.

Sara Jane Lee asked for volunteers to deliver newsletters on Duquesne.

The meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m.

Location: Windsor Park Branch Library

In Attendance: Rodney Ahart, Mike Caesar, Sheryl Cheatham, Rick Krivoniak, Sara Jane Lee, Ruth Marie

Minutes

Minutes of the last executive committee meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Sara reported she received three checks of $180 each from Elizabeth Haag and noted that one sponsor should have been charged $35 instead of $30 per month because the sponsor was running two ads for two different businesses each month. Rodney suggested the committee thank Lori Weber for her work on the newsletter with a gift and the committee agreed. The committee members will pay for it. The committee also agreed to make a payment of $38.70 to Mark Stoddard for the ink used to print the labels on the bags used to distribute newsletters to deliverers.

Yard of the Month

Winners on Ridgemont have been chosen and will be presented with their award.

Committee Reports

Sheryl brought an example of the welcoming gift bag and flyer she has been distributing to new residents to welcome them to the neighborhood on behalf of the association and described her experiences while distributing the bags.
Committee members related their experiences at the Arbor Day activities at Bartholomew Park and particularly noted the turnout by schools, business, government, charitable organizations, and others. Rodney made the suggestion the association send thanks out to those that attended.

Rick presented his edited version of Travis Mansfield’s letter to the city concerning the traffic signal at the Cameron, Reinli, and Northridge intersection and asked for further suggestions. The committee discussed the letter, made further changes, and agreed to individually go over the letter and send any further suggestions to Rodney, who will send the letter to the city. Rick noted that he believes the city already intends to agree to the association’s request concerning the signal’s design.

Ruth reported on public meetings concerning Reagan High School and suggested the association make an effort to get people out for upcoming meetings. There was general discussion concerning the history of the neighborhood and its schools and the long term outlook for the schools.

Development Projects

Rodney said Frank Fernandez would attend the next general meeting to talk about plans for rehabilitating rental properties on Sweeney Circle.

Rick and Sheryl discussed a meeting they attended on the Home Deport and day labor issue, and there was discussion on that. The committee also discussed the neighborhood night to be held at Home Depot and agreed to have a presence there. There was also some discussion about the impact of Mueller on other shopping centers around the neighborhood.

Rick described his efforts to get various players involved in the Mueller redevelopment to attend the next general meeting.

Rodney said he has contacted State Representative Dawnna Dukes for audit assistance connected with Los Tequilaeros.

Other Business

Charlene Ansley will stand for the office of secretary.

Contacts for the association’s audit were discussed and several possibilities were put forward. Sara has the necessary materials needed to conduct it.

Rodney agreed to be the association’s representative on the neighborhood planning contact team.

A memorial bench is costs more than is available from the Siegenthaler award. Other possibilities for the use of the money were discussed.

Rodney will check into the Nomad as the site for the December meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.