BHNA - April 8, 2003 General Meeting Minutes

Barton Hills Neighborhood Association General Meeting Minutes April 8, 2003
Call to Order	President Robin McKeever called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm. Approximately 45 BHNA members were present. After reviewing minutes from the October 2002 and January 2003 BHNA general meetings, Rafael Quintanilla moved to accept them, John Bell seconded and the minutes were approved unanimously.
Earth Day	Brandi Clark encouraged residents to participate in Earth Day activities on Sunday, April 27. Highlights will include a Parks Fest featuring a Partner for Parks program that helps partner supporters of specific parks with like-minded people. There will also be an open water swim in Town Lake.
City Council Races	McKeever encouraged members to attend one of several candidate forums scheduled in upcoming weeks prior to the May elections for mayor and three council seats.
Barton Hills Handbook	McKeever held up a copy of the newly released handbook and thanked Craig Smith and his committee for all of their work in developing it and to Howie Ritchey for his work in shaping it into a printed book. Handbooks cost $5 and will be given to new residents. Plans are to update it annually. The handbook does not include a directory. According to McKeever, there have been directories in the past but they were too difficult to keep current.
Membership	Treasurer Derek Stuart encourages everyone to renew his or her membership – it’s only $5 per year.
Prentiss Properties	Steve Beers presented information on a tract of land adjacent to the greenbelt south of Loop 360 and the Brodie Tract. The parcel is currently owned by Prentiss Properties and though they have permissions in place for two five-story office buildings with parking garages, the soft economy has put any building plans on hold. According to Beers, two issues of concern to BH neighbors are that the sewage treatment for these properties would be handled by an on-site system, not the city’s wastewater system, which could increase the possibility of an accident directly impacting Barton Creek. Another issue is that for over 30 years the property has been identified as one important to the continuity of the greenbelt and many observers feel should be protected as part of the parks system. Beers urged BHNA to draft a letter to Prentiss Properties encouraging them to explore public/private options for purchasing the tract for public parkland. Craig Smith moved and Howie Ritchey seconded the motion to send a letter to Prentiss Properties encouraging their assistance to achieve public ownership of this strategic property. The motion carried unanimously. McKeever will follow up with Steve Beers for details that should be included in the letter.
July 4th Parade	Jen Stuart will head up the parade committee again this year. She is seeking veterans, musicians, and volunteers. Unfortunately, Old Navy will not be a sponsor this year. A proposal to allocate a budget of $500 for the parade was adopted unanimously.
Report on Barton Pool Safety	Peter Hess, chairman of the Barton Springs Committee, reported that the committee has been following the city’s testing and evaluation and has been reading the reports. The committee has three goals: 1. Resolve the remediation issue at Barton Place Park Apartments. It seems that sealants from the parking lot are a source of contamination. 2. Work with other committees and groups to forge a long term strategic plan for the creek and springs. 3. Keep members informed on what we can all do to minimize runoff from our cars, lawns, driveways, and homes. Hess reported the city will not act until it receives final scientific reports in writing. Questions arose concerning the soil and Hess said that there are no problems showing up in the soil surrounding the apartments or creek. The problems seem to be due to the parking lot asphalt sealant, which is a relatively new product, and there is little research about it yet. Also raised was the possibility of residue from leaking gas tanks at a 7-Eleven that was located where Barton Market is now. John Bell said that those tanks were removed with state funds. There may have been leaks that could be investigated.
ACC Tax Referendum	BHNA member Rafael Quintanilla, who served as BHNA treasurer last year, also serves as president of Austin Community College’s board of trustees. He made an appeal to BHNA members to support two ACC propositions on the May 3 ballot. The first is authorization to add 5 cents per $100 valuation to the tax cap, which has not been raised since 1986. Since then ACC has grown dramatically. ACC is now the third largest institution of higher learning in Central Texas, after UT and A&M. Its 30,000 students pay the highest community college tuition in the state while ACC has the lowest tax rate in the state. Quintanilla urged residents to continue to support Austin’s quality of life by making college accessible and affordable. The second proposition is a $99 million bond issue to allow ACC to build a new campus at a site it owns at Stassney and Manchaca and to purchase the Rio Grande campus from AISD, among other capital improvements.
Austin City Limits Resolution	McKeever read a proposed resolution from BHNA to Austin City Limits Music Festival. This resolution, narrower than one presented and rejected by members at the January BHNA general meeting, focuses exclusively on the ACL festival and its use of Zilker Park and impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Mary Ann Neely moved to adopt the new resolution as worded. Larry Akins seconded and the motion was approved unanimously. McKeever will communicate the resolution to Jesus Olivares at the Parks and Recreation Department.
Proposed South Lamar Improvements	McKeever presented a proposed set of recommendations for safety improvements to South Lamar. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety sub-committee of the city’s Urban Transportation Committee developed the recommendations and requested adjoining neighborhood association consideration for support. The measures include curb cuts, crosswalk on the north side of Oltorf at Lamar, a crosswalk at Dickson, and a bike lane from Barton Springs Road to 360. McKeever asked BHNA to support the resolution by writing a letter to the City in support of it. Mary Ann Neely moved and Peter Hess seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. The next step is for the list to go to City Council for adoption and funding. Neely also asked what we could do to beautify South Lamar. She volunteered to head a committee. Nan Clayton agreed to work with Neely and also is concerned about the concrete pads Capital Metro has put in place that require maintenance.
Safe Routes to Schools Update	Debby Kalk reported that TxDOT did not award funds to any of the projects Austin submitted as part of the Safe Routes to School program. BHNA had requested continuous sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, and other safety features so that pedestrians would be able to reach Barton Hills Elementary safely. Kalk said that there are concerns that Austin’s costs were significantly higher than those submitted by other cities. She is continuing to investigate and to determine if the project will be continued this year.
Police Beat	Kalk reported on updates from city and parks police. Officer Mike Summers, our liaison from the city police force, said that they have cracked down on speeders along Barton Hills Dr and the curve up to Robert E Lee. The speed limit there is 20 mph. He also encourages residents to report non-emergency issues to 311. A resident suggests that BHNA members adopt a strategy that has worked in other communities where people pledge to drive the speed limit. Sgt Michael Wade of PARD reports that they continue to clean transient camps along Gus Fruh. Transients are moving further south and deeper into the greenbelt to avoid detection. McKeever said that Airman’s Cave is being desecrated by inappropriate use of this fragile location and that there isn’t enough enforcement. There was a suggestion to have the alternate point of view by inviting an advocate for the homeless, such as Richard Troxle, speak at one of our meetings. Wade reported that they are vigorously enforcing the no leash law after a serious incident last week when a child was mauled by dog in the greenbelt. The fine for dogs off the leash is up to $500. Vicki Bell asked if other residents would like to petition for additional off-leash areas so that dogs can have opportunities to run freely.
Electric Lawnmowers	Scott Johnson is heading the city’s electric lawnmower promotion program. Gas mowers are among the most polluting motors in our environment. Residents who trade in a gas-powered mower can get up to 1/3 off the cost of a new electric mower. The details are at www.cleanairforce.org or you can call Scott at 447-4595.
Barton Springs Road	McKeever reported that the no-left-turns for westbound traffic will remain in effect until the project is completed, estimated now to be in 5-6 weeks. This is because the road is reduced to two lanes.
Greenbelt Guardians	McKeever saluted Glee Ingram for organizing the greenbelt maintenance program as a partnering agreement with the City. In the first event last week, BHNA volunteers contributed hard work and appreciated sandwiches donated by Green Mesquite. The event was a great success. BHNA spent $150 to acquire materials, including cedar logs for erosion control. Volunteers placed the logs along the trail to prevent erosion and worked with John Cook from the Parks Department to make a bridge with two large logs that had to be floated across the creek the previous day. BHNA appreciates the dedication and effort required by city staff to make this project a success. Ingram plans maintenance events to coincide with each change of seasons.
Open Forum	McKeever introduced a new feature to BHNA general meetings. Twice each year the meeting will feature Open Forum, an opportunity for participants to offer comments and engage in discussion. The comments were: Larry Akins suggested we follow through with the city to make the right hand lane eastbound on Barton Springs Road a right-turn-only lane. It worked so well during construction that it should be permanent. The speed humps on Rabb/Rae Dell seem much harsher than those on Kinney and Heather. McKeever reported that the city won’t pay to change them but if residents coordinate with Zilker and raise the money, it can happen. Mary Ann Neely suggests we provide information on the city’s Grow Green program at each BHNA meeting. We can also highlight this information in our newsletter and website. Other suggestions for cutting emissions around the house: use non-detergent cleaners, don’t idle the car in the morning to warm it up, don’t use insecticides. Nan Clayton encouraged members to attend a Friends of ACC event this week. McKeever encouraged members to give the board feedback on the Open Forum. Let them know your comments.
Next Meeting	The next meeting is scheduled for June 24.
Adjourn	Mary Ann Neely moved to adjourn. Nan Clayton seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05.. Respectfully submitted, Debby Kalk Recording Secretary

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