Important-Reagan Community Dinner Tuesday, October 14

Dear Reagan Friends,

This Tuesday night, October 14, is the high point of our community planning process. After a month of meetings, we will be presenting a community-based plan to support Reagan at a community dinner from 6 to 8:30 pm. School board members, district folks, and Reagan alumni Rep. Dawnna Dukes and Rep. Donna Howard, along with community leaders and pastors, will be on hand to hear the plan. The media will also be out in force. I think it will be a tremendously positive night for the school!

I want to ask several things:

1. Please come! Encourage friends who want to show support for Reagan to be part of this evening. My hope is that we have 200-300 in attendance. I don't see why this shouldn't happen
2. Encourage alumni, parents, church, community members and potential volunteers to come!
3. Encourage members of the business and professional community to come out!

We will have dinner together, some music from Reagan and the community, a few speeches, and the actual presentation of this exciting plan. Then there will be 30 minutes of breakout groups to discuss, add or comment on the plan. We will take this final round of community comments and integrate them into the plan.

This will also be a big night for the recruitment of volunteers.

Begin to spread the word!

If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks!

Allen Weeks
St. John Community School Alliance
(512) 653-4935

Too bad that the redesign won't include extending the East-bound bike lane on 51st. Trying to get from 51st to Berkman is not easy since the bike lane currently just kind of disappears right at the bend when bike would be hidden from traffic. You have to get over into center lane very early if you want to make it safely.

For that matter, it would be nice to have extended the bike lane on Southbound Berkman too since it too just disappears right around the spot that you have people wanting to turn right.

Minutes – Executive Committee
August 25, 2008 – 7:00 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 income of $170 from memberships and $35 from sponsorships. Because of paperwork holdups with PayPal, Barb Selgestad's donation of $100 has not been received. Sara also described other difficulties with PayPal, including gaps in new member information that PayPal is not passing on. Sara reported that she is still waiting on the delivery of advertising checks from Elizabeth Haag. She also said that the newsletter did not include an advertisement paid for by Pharr Tennis Center; compensation for this error was discussed. Rodney expressed concern that he, Sara, Elizabeth, and Lori Weber had met on this issue and that the solution settled on at that time has apparently not been implemented. The committee was in agreement that money paid by advertisers should be going directly to the treasurer so she can clearly communicate with the newsletter editor about the ads that will appear. Ruth suggested providing stamped addressed envelopes to advertisers for mailing in their sponsorship payments. There was also discussion about deadlines and timing related to this issue. Rodney will get in contact with Elizabeth, and Sheryl and Sara will look into improvements to be made to the process to avoid problems in the future.

Transportation Committee Report

Rick reported that installation of the traffic light proposed for Cameron Road and Reinli could occur before or after the restriping of Cameron. He also presented maps illustrating the proposed crosswalks at 51st Street and Berkman Road and said the intersection would be discussed at the upcoming transportation committee meeting.

Voting Member Election

The committee discussed the membership's recent vote against bestowing voting privileges on certain current business members. There was related discussion concerning the possibility of changing the bylaws to restrict such votes to the same election as the annual election of officers or some other annual scheme.

Special Presentations

Ruth presented copies of Austin Neighborhood Coalition resolution concerning the implementation of city council districts, maps of the proposed districts, and copies of an ANC resolution opposing the tax subsidies granted the Domain development. The committee approved the appearance of two speakers on these topics at the next general meeting.

Development Projects

Rodney reminded the committee about the city council vote on 5908 Manor Road September 25. He also mentioned that neighbors need to register their complaints about Los Tequileros to get police department attention and that the state representative for the district that includes the neighborhood may pay some attention to this matter. Messiah Lutheran's request for VMU goes before the planning commission in September and the council in October. Rick reinterated the committee's stand that the church needs to gain the support of its neighbors if it seeks association support. Sheryl noted construction of a possibly unpermitted building on property near Wheless Lane and Coventry Lane. The Sutherlin Road project appears to be dead.

Other Business

The committee discussed membership recruitment. Sheryl suggested obtaining information about new neighborhood residents from a real estate agent. She noted that having a table set up for sign up at meetings has been helpful in generating new members.

The committee went over the list of association committees and their members and updated the list. During this discussion, the need for an annual audit to preserve the association's nonprofit status came up, and several names were brought up for contact as possible auditors to help meet this requirement. Rodney will attempt to contact the Siegenthaler family to clarify the use of money donated by them to fund an association award, rather than return the funds at the end of the year as the executive committee had decided at an earlier meeting.

Ruth reminded the committee about National Night Out.

Rodney mentioned complaints he has received concerning the neighborhood listserve.

The meeting adjourned about 8:30 p.m.

Fares Effective October 13, 2008

From the Capitol Metro web site (Adult Fees):

• Bus Fares
  • Single Usage: $0.75
    
  • Express: $1.50
  • Local Day Pass: $1.50
• MetroRail
  • 1 Zone: $1.00
  • 2 Zones: $1.50
• All Services Day Pass: $3.00
• 7-Day Local Metro Pass: $7.00
• 31-day Pass (Adult)
  • Local Service: $18.00
  • All Services Pass: $36.00
• Dillo Fares
  • 2-Hour Pass: $0.50
  • 31-Day Pass: $5.00
• Stored Value Card (formerly half-priced farecard): $12.00 ($15.00 value)
• RideShare Monthly Pass: $45.00
• STS
  • 10-ride Ticket Book: $7.00
  • Monthly Pass: $22.50
• Reduced Fare
  
  • Dillos: $0.25
  • FRS: $0.35
  • Express & Rail: $0.75

In fall 2010, the local bus fare increases to $1.00 with proportional increases to other fares.

August 9, 2008 – 10:00 a.m.

Location: Memorial United Methodist Church

Welcome: Eight new people introduced themselves. Rodney Ahart introduced representatives of the University Hills Neighborhood Association and others.

Minutes

Motion was made from the floor to approve the July general meeting minutes, and they were approved by the membership.

Treasurer’s Report

Sara Jane Lee supplied the treasurer's report on the back of the meeting agenda and went over it.

Yard of the Month
Nancy Murrow did not present this month's award because the winner was not present. She described the general activities of the yard committee.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo

Chief Acevedo opened with comments on a variety of subjects, including the influx of parolees from Williamson and Bexar counties into Travis, issues related to the location of mental health facilities in Austin, the taking of blood at DWI arrests, police staffing strategies and overtime, the "com stat" program to allocate police resources based on real time data and statistics, the "fusion center" to improve cooperation with other law enforcement jurisdictions, and the leniency of judges and juries in the area. During the question and answer period that followed, the chief addressed other issues, including the current downtown initiative and the police use of horses and bicycles. Rodney presented the chief with an award.

Election on Voting Members

Ballots were distributed and Rodney explained the voting process. Neither of the Mebanes received the three-quarters vote of approval by the membership needed to approve their request for voting rights in the association.

Care Communities Presentation

Roger Temme, outreach coordinator of Care Communities, was present. He set up a display table, distributed literature, showed a video, and spoke on the work of the organization.

District Representatives

Officer Amir Abdul-Khaliq addressed issues brought up by attendees during the chief's presentation, including developments related to specific crimes in the neighborhood, yard parking enforcement, and police activity on Sweeney Lane, and answered other questions from the attendees. He also supplied police telephone and e-mail contact information.

Projects in Windsor Park

Rodney reminded the meeting that the city council meeting of September 25 will take up 5908 Manor Road. Bret Fulkerson spoke on Los Tequileros. He gave a history of the business, the problems associated with it, and efforts to address those problems, and urged the membership to oppose the business's request for a late hours permit. Ruth Marie moved the association submit a letter to the city opposing the granting of a late hours permit and urging the city to enforce the current zoning at the site, and the membership agreed.

Transportation

Rick Krivoniak reported that the traffic light at Reinli and Cameron is not a "done deal" and that representatives of the city will attend the October general meeting for discussion on this matter.

Announcements

Ruth announced the Wildlife Neighborhood Habitat Challenge, National Night Out, and a public hearing on the U.S. 290 tollway.

The meeting adjourned at 12:15 p.m.

As sent by Windsor Park Library head librarian Eric Travis:

Recently, you might have noticed some new faces behind the desk at the Windsor Park Branch Library or missed some familiar ones. During the past three months, an unusual number of employees have been reassigned within Austin Public Library. The public is invited to come say "goodbye" to the former "Windsor Parkers" and "hello" to the new ones.

The Windsor Park Mixer will take place at the library on 5833 Westminster Drive from 5:30 pm to 7 pm on Thursday, September 18th. For more details, call 926-0333.

The WPNA Transportation Committee met with Rashed Islam of HDR/WHM Transportation Engineering Consultants in late August to review the 51st Street/Berkman Drive intersection design for Berkman’s extension into Mueller. Plans call for dedicated left-turn, forward and right-turn lanes on both the north- and south-bound lanes, with single lanes entering into both Windsor Park and Mueller. The existing grade change will be considerably leveled out, and at WPNA’s request, a fourth pedestrian crosswalk from the Bartholomew Park corner to Mueller was added to the preliminary design. The Committee also asked that the sidewalk ramps at the four corners of the intersection be standardized as much as possible, making them more navigable for the sight-impared.


A preliminary drawing of the proposed intersection is linked below (Berkman@51st.gif)

Attach file:

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  Berkman@51st.gif (112.04 KB)

Bartholomew Park has been chosen for Arbor Day which means that there will be day long celebration including the planting of 270 trees! For more information and how to volunteer go to http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/arborday.htm

Prior to that there will be two park clean up days on October 11th to remove invasive species and on October 18th to clean the creek.

To volunteer for either or both of these events contact Kyle Girten at kgirten@gmail.com for the 11th and Cherie Simpson at roohut@grandecom.net OR JUST SHOW UP!!!

It will be a great month for Bartholomew!

Minutes – Executive Committee
July 28, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.

Location: Windsor Park Branch Library

In Attendance: Rodney Ahart, Mike Caesar, Rick Krivoniak, Sara Jane Lee

Minutes

Minutes of the last executive committee meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Sara reported income of approximately $700 from sponsorships--largely from a five-month advertisement by Grande Communications--and about $100 from memberships. The association must pay two months' worth of newsletter printing costs totaling $1300.

Yard of the Month

Winners of the August award have been selected, but it is unknown who will be presenting at the general meeting.

Committee Reports

Rick reported that the traffic light proposed for Cameron Road and Reinli is not a done deal and that city representatives are willing to come to the association's general meeting to discuss the light, perhaps in September or October--a discussion that should already have been held. Installation would not occur until after the Cameron restriping.

Development Projects

The city council vote on the 5908 Manor project was postponed to August 7. Rodney believes the project will not get the zoning approval it needs. Rodney also brought the city staff report on the site plan that Los Tequileros submitted to the city. The business has until November 24 to address the numerous concerns of city staff and get approval for its plan. Since Rey de Bastos in not in the association's boundary, the association will support the decision of the Pecan Springs neighborhood.

Windsor Park Neighborhood Plan Contact Team

Rodney will update the membership on the formation of the team at the next general meeting.

Voting Status

The committee discussed requests for voting status by Nicki and Bob Mabane and Zora Mae Hise. According to the bylaws, such requests need a three-quarters vote of approval by the membership. The committee agreed to put the request of the Mabanes to a vote because they own the Carousel Lounge and open their premises for association functions, but not Ms. Hine's because she seems to have no connection with the neighborhood other than attending the church where the association holds its meetings.

Speakers

The committee approved the appearance of Roger Temme of Care Communities for a presentation on care teams at a future general meeting. The committee did not approve an unspecified presentation on single member districts because the committee felt there is enough information on that topic available elsewhere. Rodney does not know when if ever the association will get a visit from the police chief.

Other Business

Sara brought up the new floodplain maps that were recently released and suggested that some members of association might be affected. Mike said this information should be passed on at the next general meeting.

Rodney will be absent from the September general meeting so it will need to be conducted by another officer.

The meeting adjourned about 8:30 p.m.

Excerpted from the Mueller Redevelopment list....

the hours of the Ella Wooten Pool (in the Mueller Redevelopment) have been extended. The pool staff informed me that they will be open 1-7pm on Saturdays and Sundays thru October for residents and non-residents. They said there is a chance that the hours will reduce to 1-6pm at some point, but that they will be open for a good portion of the day either way. The cost is $3 for adults and $1 for children.