BHNA - October 14, 2003 General Meeting Minutes

Barton Hills Neighborhood Association General Meeting Minutes October 14, 2003
Call to Order	President Robin McKeever called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Approximately 45 BHNA members were present. Ed Nelson moved to accept the minutes for the June 24 meeting. The motion was seconded and the minutes were approved.
Parks Grant and Greenbelt Guardian	McKeever reported that BHNA won a $2,075 matching grant from the Austin Parks Foundation for repairs and improvements to the Barton Creek Greenbelt. The winning application was developed by Glee Ingram to fund initiatives of the Greenbelt Guardian program. The next Greenbelt Guardian workday is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm at the Homedale entrance directly behind Barton Hills Elementary School. Additionally, Whole Earth Provision Company and Patagonia are contributing to the Greenbelt Guardian program by providing lunch and snacks for volunteers.
Election of Officers	McKeever announced the proposed slate of officers for 2004 put forth by the Nominating Committee, chaired by Emily Mazac. The slate is: President - Don Long Vice President - Rayma Chase Recording Secretary - Debby Kalk Corresponding Secretary - Lance Schriner Treasurer - Derek Stuart ANC Rep - Robbie Botto McKeever asked for any nominations from the floor; none were forthcoming. The slate, as proposed, was elected. McKeever recognized the contributions of outgoing ANC rep, Peter Hess, who has served on the board in various capacities. Hess was recently appointed by BHNA to serve as a representative on the tri-county Barton Creek Planning Group that is working on issues related to the headwaters of Barton Creek.
Town Lake Park	McKeever presented a resolution that was requested by members through the listserve. Over the past two years, member Larry Akers reported on progress in establishing Town Lake Park, Phase II. A recent proposal would allow mixed use development of the parcel of land adjacent to the new Palmer Events Center. John Bell moved for BHNA to adopt a resolution against this proposal. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.
Barton Creek Remediation Plan	Les Tull from the City of Austin presented the initial remediation plan to remove contamination and prevent PAHs and other contaminants from getting into Barton Creek. The three sites with the highest levels of PAHs will each be subject to remediation efforts including removing contaminated soil and sediment. The sites are two off of Spyglass on the west side of the creek, and an area off of Barton Hills Drive that drains an apartment complex and the street itself. To prevent future problems, these areas will be retrofitted to contain storm water and treat it through the installation of sand filters. Total costs over the next several years are estimated to be $1.1 million. The funding for this will come from the Drainage Utility Fund fee assessed through monthly utility bills, and is designed for this type of remediation work. Nancy McClintock, Director of the Watershed Protection Division, also attended. Neighbors had concerns that the filtration ponds might be unsightly and unsafe. Tull, and other city staff present, acknowledged the need to balance costs, safety, and aesthetics. Additionally, residents are concerned about losing parkland to a filtration pond. Tull made a commitment to work with BHNA representatives as the design process moves into the next phase of development. City staff hopes to finalize the remediation design early in 2004.
Candidates	McKeever introduced Nancy Hohengarten who is running for county court-at-law. Her website is at www.NancyForJudge.com.
Envision Central Texas	McKeever urged residents to pick up copies of the Envision Central Texas brochure and to complete the survey and submit it by October 26. The premise of the program is that Austin’s population is estimated to double and current residents should be able to determine where that growth should occur. The survey is also available at the website: www.envisioncentraltexas.org.
PTA Resolution	Karen Dulaney Smith, president of the Barton Hills Elementary PTA, encouraged BHNA to support a resolution from the PTA in opposing the plan to open a convenience store close to Fulmore Middle School. The site, on Congress Avenue, was formerly a convenience store and is next to a 7-Eleven. The concern is that this facility is too close to the school to sell alcohol and needs a waiver. The owner of the store has admitted to violations in selling to minors at other stores he owns. After discussion, the resolution was moved, seconded, and approved.
Sidewalks	McKeever said that the Sidewalks Committee, chaired by Cindy Bogard, is looking at scheduling a fund-raiser to raise money to get sidewalks installed along major streets including Barton Hills Drive, and around the school at Homedale and Briarcrest. The committee is also working to clear sidewalks of overhanging tree branches, overgrown shrubs and weeds, and to remove utility poles and other obstructions from sidewalks.
Zilker NA	The Zilker Neighborhood Association asked BHNA to sign a letter in support of their efforts to persuade the owner of the shopping center at Treadwell and Lamar to keep the former Fiesta market space as a grocery store. McKeever reported that she signed this letter based on previous BHNA support for this activity in this space.
Police Report	Art Stone reported that APD reorganized its system of district representatives. We should learn later in the week who will be the new police representative to Barton Hills.
Speed Boat Races	In response to a proposal to revive speed boat races on Town Lake near Festival Beach, Scott Johnson proposed a resolution would put the neighborhood association on record as opposing speed boat races on Town Lake. Discussion on both sides was focused on whether the issue is relevant to this neighborhood. The motion was made, seconded, and the resolution adopted.
Open Forum	ACL Festival Larry Akers commended the organizers of ACL Festival for making a real effort to keep traffic and parking down in the neighborhood. Other neighbors were not happy with sound levels, especially on Sunday night. Recognition Peter Hess asked residents to join him in a round of applause recognizing out-going president Robin McKeever for her contributions to the neighborhood association. Dogs and neighbors Neighbors with an on-going problem with dogs and noise appealed to BHNA for guidance. Several residents strongly encouraged the parties to try mediation through the Dispute Resolution Center. Their website is at http://www.austindrc.org/.
Next Meeting	The next meeting is scheduled for January, 2004.
Adjourn	The meeting adjourned at 8:55. Respectfully submitted, Debby Kalk Recording Secretary

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