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Barton Hills-Horseshoe Bend Neighborhood Association
Newsletter April, 2001 |
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Neighborhood
Association Meeting Agenda |
Neighborhood Association Meeting
Tuesday, April 24, 2001 Social Hour and BBQ Dinner 6-7 p.m. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 2128 Barton Hills Drive Agenda 6-7 p.m.: Social Hour 7 P.M.: Business Meeting 1. Call to order, Welcome of New Members |
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ZIP Code 78704 Bicycle & Pedestrian Injuries and Deaths One of Highest in City
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After extensive research the Austin Safe Communities Project has identified zip code areas 78702, 78704, and 78745 as the areas with the highest number of child bicyclist and pedestrian injuries and deaths over the last 4 years.
The 78704 area is bounded by Town Lake, IH 35, Ben White Blvd, and Barton Creek and includes Barton Hills. A representative from the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department will give a 20 minute presentation on its Youth Traffic Safety Project at the April 24 BHNA meeting to explain where the injuries are occurring, how they are occurring, and most importantly, how they can be prevented. For the safety of our neighborhood children, don’t miss this important presentation. |
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| Barton Hills Wins "78704 Votes" Award |
At its March meeting, the Austin Neighborhood Council awarded Barton Hills Neighborhood the “78704 Votes” Award for having the highest voter turnout (59% in Precinct 325 and 62% in Precinct 342) of any neighborhood in the 78704 zip code during the November General Election, City & County Bond Elections, and Capital Metro’s Light Rail Referendum.
Congratulations to all of you who got out the vote and who voted. The award and the South Austin Billion Bubba March last fall were the brainstorms of Jack Speer of the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood. Austin American Statesman humorist John Kelso spoofed these zany ideas in his regular newspaper column. BHNA is looking for an appropriate place to display the 15” “Lincoln Mercury Division” chrome hubcap. Thank you Jack and Shauna Norton, the hubcap artist. Long live 78704, the genetically unaltered state of mind. |
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| Officer Jones Memorial Garden |
The City of Austin has formed a committee to design a memorial garden for Park Officer William Jones who was killed on Robert E. Lee Road in the line of duty on May 28, 2000. The Committee is composed of the Park Police Officers, family members of Officer Jones, and landscape professionals. Park Sergeant Frank Creasey (499-7713) is the chair of the Committee.
A preliminary rendering of the memorial site has been drawn as a guide to the committee. The committee’s goal is to have a finished conceptual plan in place by May 28, 2001 on which date the City will unveil the plan and have a ground breaking and memorial event on the site. Neither the cost of construction nor a budget has yet been determined. Fundraising for the memorial garden continues. Barton Hills residents and the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association have contributed $470 to date toward the Officer Jones’s family. If you are interested in contributing to the family or the memorial garden, please contact BHNA Treasurer Rafael Quintanilla at 2804 Rock Terrace, 78704, 443-2234 or rafa2@texas.net. |
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| City Considers Traffic Calming Measures on Barton Springs Road in Zilker Park | The City Parks Board asked the public works department to study the feasibility of traffic calming devices on Barton Springs Road within Zilker Park between Robert E. Lee Road and Loop 1. Increasing conflict between pedestrians within the park and the 25,000 vehicles per day that use the road prompted the request.
The measures include reducing the thoroughfare to one lane in each direction, reducing speed limits to 20 MPH, adding traffic calming devices, constructing pedestrian crossings, and reclassifying Barton Springs Road as a park road rather than an arterial. The Zilker Neighborhood Association suggested to the City that Barton Springs Road through Zilker Park be closed to vehicular traffic. The majority of the City’s Urban Transportation Commission opposed the closure idea but supported the construction of two raised flashing pedestrian pavement crossings, like the one in front of the Austin Energy Building on Barton Springs Road. |
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| Get Ready to Rumble ... More on Barton Springs Road |
The City has begun construction on Barton Springs Road between Jessie Street and Robert E. Lee Road. You have probably seen the clearing and utility adjustments being made along the south side of the road.
The work is divided into four phases. Phase I takes several months and replaces 1,600 feet of storm sewer between Town Lake and the north side of Barton Springs Road. Once Phase I is completed, the full asphalt reconstruction of Barton Springs Road, or Phase II, will begin in about June. The City will reconstruct the north side of the road between Robert E. Lee and Jessie streets first. Traffic will shift to three lanes on the south side of the road, with one lane in each direction plus a turning lane. New sidewalks, curbs, gutter, and a bike lane will be installed. Then Phase III will reconstruct the south side of the road while traffic shifts to the newly constructed lanes. Again, three lanes will be open, one in each direction plus a turn lane. New sidewalks and a bike lane also will be installed on the south side of the road. The fourth and final phase of the project is construction of the raised median down the center of Barton Springs Road between Robert E. Lee Road and Jessie Street. Landscaping of the median and street lighting are included in this phase. The entire project will last about eighteen (18) months, or the Fall, 2002. Needless to say, you should expect traffic delays and diversion during this project. Traffic volumes on Barton Skyway and South Lamar may increase. |
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| City to Pave Barton Skyway | The City Public Works Department has scheduled Barton Skyway for a seal-coat surface treatment for before August 1.
BHNA President Joe Gieselman requested that the paving be done prior to the beginning of Phase II reconstruction of Barton Springs Road so that the two entryways to the neighborhood are not under repair simultaneously. The City will give the request serious consideration. |
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| No Traffic Calming or All Way Stop on Robert E. Lee Road | On April 19 the City Council will award a contract for the implementation of traffic calming devices within the Zilker Neighborhood. As requested by BHNA, the work will not include traffic-calming devices, or speed humps, on Robert E. Lee Road between Barton Springs Road and Barton Hills Drive.
Also, after further consideration, City traffic engineers have decided not to install an all-way stop at on R.E. Lee at Barton Hills Drive. |
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| Planning Commission Gives Nod to Zilker Trail | On March 20 the City Planning Commission gave its unanimous approval for the Parks Department to proceed with improvements to the trail system within Zilker Park East.
The improvements include the reconstruction of the eroded trail along the east bank of Barton Creek, continuing along the fence line east of the pool, and then crossing Barton Creek to the south of the pool connecting to the existing hike and bike trail within the greenbelt. A spur will connect the trail to the sidewalks along Barton Hills Drive at the foot of “the hill”. The City will request bids in several months for the construction of the trail. |
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| City Redesigns Proposed Sidewalk Along Robert E. Lee Road for Third Time | In 1999 the Capital Area Metropolitan Transportation Organization (CAMPO) approved funds in Federal STP-4C funding for the sidewalk along Robert E. Lee Road. In November 2000 the City Public Works Department finished schematic designs for a continuous, 6’ concrete sidewalk west of the drainage ditch along R.E. Lee between Barton Springs Road and Barton Hills Road.
Due to budget constraints, the sidewalk was redesigned to eliminate the sections of the sidewalk where the asphalt parking lot within the park could be used instead. Unfortunately this design did not meet the standards of the Americans for Disabilities Act. An irrigation system within the park further constrained the design. The current design is nearing completion and will have the sidewalk located west of the drainage ditch between Barton Springs Road and the driveway to the Little League fields, then transition to east of the drainage ditch and immediately adjacent to R.E. Lee Road from the driveway, past the bus stop, to Barton Hills Road. Presumably, this design will be constructed before August, when grant funding for the sidewalk is scheduled to lapse. |
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| Update on St. Mark's Episcopal Church Expansion Plans | St. Mark’s plans to expand its campus have taken longer than expected due to decisions about the surface water management. The Church has agreed on a sedimentation/filtration pond for water quality purposes and a two-year detention pond (two separate structures). The Church anticipates a Site Development Permit Application in early May. If all goes well, site work will begin as early as November with building construction beginning in early 2002. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Survey Identifies Priority Activities for Neighborhood Association |
With their annual membership application, BHNA members ranked their priorities for the Association. Among twenty-five activities listed on the survey, the members ranked crime prevention, oak wilt control, and development in or near the neighborhood as being their top three priorities. The rankings, as shown below, changes slightly from last year. These priorities will become the focus of your Association leadership and Committees.
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| US Census Count 4390 in Barton Hills |
Preliminary results of the 2000 U.S. Census count shows that the Barton Hills area increased by 56 persons, from 4,334 in Year 1990 to 4,390 in Year 2000.
But the population distribution shifted. Households in the Horseshoe Bend area lost population (children grew up and moved away?) and households north of Barton Skyway and west of Barton Hills Drive gained in population. The BHNA newsletter will publish additional summaries of the Census as the data becomes available. |
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| Regional Traffic Plans | Traffic jams in and around Austin have raised awareness about traffic planning. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has completed Phase 1 of its feasibility study on long-term mobility improvements to Loop 1 (from Parmer Lane to SH 45 South) and US 183 (from Lakeline Boulevard to IH 35).
During Phase 1 of the study, TxDOT evaluated approximately 100 concepts and reduced those to four concepts recommended for further analysis. Now TxDOT is ready to begin Phase II, including public involvement, preliminary engineering, and environmental studies. To review recommended concepts, go to http://www.mopac183.com. If you have questions, you may call (512) 448-4459. TxDOT is asking the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Advisory Committee (CAMPO PAC), a regional body of elected officials charged with coordinating regional transportation planning, to endorse the recommended short list of concepts for further study in Phase II. CAMPO PAC will consider endorsing the concepts recommended for Phase II at either the May 14 or the June 11 meeting. CAMPO invites you to make comments by mail, fax, e-mail or in person at a public hearing scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 9, 2001, at the LBJ Auditorium, 2313 Red River Street. Written comments on the four recommended concepts can also be submitted to CAMPO by e-mail, campo@ci.austin.tx.us, or by visiting the CAMPO web site http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/campo/. Click the second item under Special Announcements and it will take you to a comment form that can be printed out. Comments can be faxed to CAMPO at 499-6385 or mailed to the CAMPO office at P.O. Box 1088, Austin TX 78767. Comments received between March 30 and April 9 will be given to the Policy Advisory Committee at the April 9 meeting. The comment period will be open through April 19 and comments received during this time will be given to PAC members at the May and/or June meeting. |
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| July 4th Parade Needs You! | It’s time to plan the neighborhood fun for the July 4th Parade and we need a volunteer to chair the planning committee. Thanks to the efforts of the previous committee chair, the organizational structure for this event is already in place, waiting for you to step in and take charge.
The event is popular with families and pets, always attracting a diverse and friendly crowd. Many supporters contribute efforts to make the event a success, but no one has stepped forward this year to chair the group. If you can coordinate this event, please contact Joe Gieselman at 441-4207. Without you, the BH neighborhood’s little kids and pets may miss out this year! |
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| Advertise in the Newsletter | Interested in advertising your business/service in the neighborhood newsletter? There are over 1200 families that live in our neighborhood! A business card sized ad is $50 in January and June (when it is distributed neighborhood wide), and $30 in October and April (when it goes to paid Association members).
If you’d like to advertise in all four newsletters, it is $140. Call Kay Killen at 447-4287 for more information. Please support our local neighbors and businesses that support us! |
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| Babysitters Wanted | Several Barton Hills mommies are looking for experienced babysitters. Our children’s ages range from 7 months to 5 years. Interested in babysitting? Please call Diane Long @ 416-0679. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you are not a neighborhood association member, sign up today! The cost is a mere $5.00 per year, and the benefits are well worth it.
Return the membership form below with $5.00 check, payable to Barton Hills Neighborhood Association, to: Rafael Quintanilla, Treasurer, BHNA 2001 Barton Hills - Horseshoe Bend Neighborhood Association Membership Form Name(s) (include full names of all 18+ household members) (1) ______________ (2) _________________ (3) _______________ Address: _____________________ Phone: (H) ________ (W) _________ E-mail: ____________________ I/we wish to receive the newsletter: ___ in paper form ___ by e-mail ___ both |
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