Hi folks,

Here's a summary of what's coming this fall for BHNA:

1. The City of Austin's Neighborhood Planning kick-off meeting for the South Lamar Corridor - October 1 at Unity Church, 2806 Del Curto.

2. Newsletter - the deadline for articles, ads, and other submissions is October 1. The newsletter will be mailed to members on about October 14.

3. Nominations - it's time to think about our officers for 2006. We have several positions open and welcome your suggestions!

4. Budget - it's also time to consider budget requests for 2006. If you would like to have a project considered, please submit your detailed proposal by October 1.

5. General meeting - our next BHNA meeting is Tuesday, October 25 at St Mark's. If you have something for the agenda, please let me know before October 1.

Questions? Comments? Let me know. Thanks,

Debby Kalk
President, BHNA

Construction Notice
Barton Creek Lift Station Relief Tunnel, Sections 1 and 2
Wastewater Improvements Project

You?re Invited to: MEET THE CONTRACTOR

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Splash! Exhibit, Barton Springs Bath House
Sheffield Education Center in Zilker Park
(Adjacent to Barton Springs Pool)

Please RSVP to the ACWP Hotline at 684-3204
Refreshments will be served

Contractor: Dibco Construction
Onsite City Construction Inspector: Alexa Locklear ? 845-6581
Project Manager: Stan Evans ? 479-1636
http://www.cityofaustin.org/ca

As you may know, the Austin Water Utility (AWU) has initiated the Austin Clean Water Program to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) from the collection system. These overflows represent concerns for both community health and the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given the City of Austin an Administrative Order to achieve this goal by June 2009 or face fines of $27,500 per overflow per day.

Construction begins in September 2005 and should be complete by fall 2006.

Here are the project details:

BARTON CREEK LIFT STATION RELIEF TUNNEL, SECTIONS 1 AND 2

Residents have begun to see contractor activity in the Toomey Road area this month, including fencing, mobilization, trailers and the initial excavation of a shaft. The City of Austin selected Dibco Construction as the contractor for the $9.2 million project. The contractor has agreed to stay out of Zilker Park in September to avoid conflicts with the Austin City Limits Festival. In October, the contractor will set up the work area in Zilker, just north of Barton Springs Road. Construction will end in the fall of 2006.

This project will relieve the existing Barton Creek lift station, located underground in the parking lot near Barton Springs pool. The 30-year old lift station has been deteriorated by corrosion, heightening the possibility that sewage could spill out into the sensitive Barton Springs watershed.

The project will provide 33-inch diameter fiberglass pipe installed in two sections of tunnel. A shallow tunnel will be constructed in Zilker Park for about 1,700 feet, connecting to the existing Barton Creek Interceptor. The shallow tunnel will be joined by a drop shaft to a deeper tunnel that extends for 1600 feet under Barton Creek to the shaft site off Toomey Road. The main shaft at Toomey Road in the parking lot will be about 70 feet deep, and will have a temporary lift station built within the shaft to lift the wastewater to the adjacent South Austin Outfall. The temporary lift station will be underground, and is expected to be operated until mid 2010.

A future tunnel will be designed that will connect the Barton tunnel to an existing tunnel, such that all of the wastewater flow will be conveyed by gravity to the South Austin wastewater treatment facility. This future downtown tunnel will parallel Town Lake, and will relieve the Shoal Creek lift station, located near Seaholm, as well as provide wastewater capacity for continued downtown development.

Construction of the Barton Creek Lift Station Relief Tunnel project avoids impacts to activities and developments in Zilker Park and the areas along Toomey Road. It eliminates the need for a siphon or another lift station in Zilker Park.

Our best wishes to Don Long and his family as they make their transition to a new city and new neighborhood, and many thanks to Don for all that he has done for Barton Hills!

ACL Fest
We have many items on our docket this fall, beginning with the Austin City Limits Festival which begins Friday, Sept. 23 and runs through Sunday evening, Sept. 25. The festival organizers, Capitol Sports & Entertainment, have been highly pro-active in understanding our neighborhood concerns and in working with us to find workable solutions. If you have any comments or questions about the festival, please contact me and we will work to address them.

Ticket Auction
I also want to recognize Capitol Sports & Entertainment for their generous community support. They donated 16 ACL tickets to BHNA that we were able to auction off to raise money to support our neighborhood programs.

Planning
Planning is one of the significant themes this fall for Barton Hills Neighborhood Association. We will soon be immersed in the City?s neighborhood planning process, a program that we?ve been waiting for over many years. Many thanks to neighbors Melissa Whaley Hawthorne and Patricia Wilson for their energy and organization in kicking off our thinking and planning with their Planning As a Second Language Program.

Nominations
We?re beginning to field candidates for our slate of officers for the 2006. Please consider contributing to your neighborhood association and joining a great team!

General Meeting
Mark your calendar for our next BHNA General Meeting on Tuesday, October 25 at St Mark?s Church.

Please let me know what?s on your mind. You can reach me at 442-8829 or debby@cortexlearning.com. Thank you!

Debby Kalk
President, BHNA