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Barton Hills-Horseshoe Bend Neighborhood Association
Newsletter June, 2001 |
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Neighborhood
Association Meeting Agenda |
Neighborhood Association Meeting
Tuesday, June 26th, 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 |
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Star Spangled
Celebration |
8th Annual Barton Hills Association 4th of July Parade
WE WANT YOU! We want you to come join in this great neighborhood tradition, Wednesday, July 4th for the 8th Annual Barton Hills Neighborhood Parade. The Parade will assemble at 8:30 a.m. at the Barton Hills Market and proceed at 9:00 am to the Barton Hills Elementary Playground. Show off your true blue patriotic and creative spirit. Decorate your bike, wagon, stroller, scooter, roller blades, pets or yourself and march in the parade. For those who need a little help with decorations, Old Navy will be donating flags and streamers. These decorations will be handed out at 8:00 a.m. at the Barton Hills Market. Old Navy will also be distributing kazoos. So, come early and join the kazoo band in the Parade. It will be three cheers for the red, white and blue and you may just win an award or two. The ceremonies will be held on the Barton Hills Elementary playground. Nationally known and locally loved singer/songwriter Sara Hickman will serve as Honorary Grand Marshall and sing the National Anthem. The Boy Scouts will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pulitzer prize nominee Bill Brands will present us with the history of Independence Day. KUT-FM’s Howie Richey will serve as our Master of Ceremonies. KEYE-TV’s Mike Adrian, will be our flavorful Parade announcer. Representative Ann Kitchen will join in the parade. We’ll be holding a special recognition ceremony for Barton Hills Elementary Teacher of Year, Martha Schroeder. Ms. Schroeder’s kindergarten class is invited to help present her with this special honor. There will be tons of fun for everyone. Festivities include: watermelon seed spitting contest, sack races, piñatas and awards for the parades participants. Watermelon, cookies and Hi-C orange punch will be served. Along with your patriotic spirit, we need donations of cookies and watermelon. Please bring them to the playground on your way to the parade. Or if you cannot bring them the day of the parade, but would like to donate something, please call Noel Holmes to arrange another time for drop off. If you have an eye for patriotic style and flair, you be the judge!!!! We are in need of four talented individuals to help judge the parade participants. We also need energetic early birds to volunteer to help set-up the festivities at the Barton Hills Playground at 7:30 a.m. on the 4th. All patriots who volunteer their services for this star spangled celebration will be officially recognized by the M.C. and greatly appreciated by all who attend this event. The Barton Hills Neighborhood Association would like to thank all those who have made this year’s parade possible. Thanks to our sponsors; Abby Printing, Green Mesquite BBQ, McDonalds and Old Navy. Also thanks to the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association's Summer 2001 newsletter advertisers; Del Tierra, B&B Inc., Guy McRoberts Massage, Matt's Famous El Rancho, Peoples RX Pharmacy, Phoenicia Bakery & Deli, and Whiteside Motors. Please show your new and continued support to these local businesses that support us. A very special thanks also go to the organizers of the parade: Noel Holmes, coordinator; Lisa Burr, first aid; Bob and Janice Daemmerich for their trailer; Lisa Fehrenkamp, food; Emily Mazac, publicity; John Merino, set-up; John Bell, set-up; Carl Newsome, logistics and cones; Howie Richey, MC; Sara Hickman, Grand Marshall; Art Stone, PA, trailer and logistics. For more information or to volunteer, please call Noel Holmes 441-8810. |
| Police Beat |
Our District Police Representative, Officer Keith Hamblin is finally finished with his special property crimes assignment and back among us. He will be patrolling our area and looking for the usual criminal activities. He will also renew his quest to rid our area of the abandoned vehicles. Officer Hamblin said that during his first pass through our area, he noticed a lot of garage doors open….some with the lights on. This is an invitation for burglars to help themselves to your stuff.
Art Stone is working with the City on our Neighborhood Night Out on August 7th. All those wishing to have a local block party should contact Art for information. Smaller get-togethers tend to promote better interaction between neighbors relating to suspicious persons and vehicles. At the latest meeting between citizen representatives and the Police, the crime statistics for our area were released. The Police Department is posting the crime numbers by neighborhood, zip code, etc. and we can get our own BHNA crime report posted with enough interest. |
| The Ophelia Project |
Diana Borja and Raphael Quintanilla hosted an informational and fund raising event in May for The Ophelia Project. The Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping girls and young women develop and maintain high self-esteem and leadership skills. Based on Dr. Mary Pipher’s book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, the Project was formed by a group of concerned Austin parents in 1996.
The Ophelia Project was organized in response to a decade of research by educators and psychologists showing that girls of all socio-economic levels experience a dramatic loss of self-esteem in the middle school years. The biggest drop is in perception of competence. Even girls who excel in math in elementary school are half as likely as boys to feel competent in math by the time they enter high school. The decline in perception of competence in middle school precedes by two years a real drop in performance. Additionally, by age 18, 78% of all girls say they are unhappy with their bodies. The alarming statistics are attributed to rampant “lookism” promoted by the media and the culture, gender bias in the classroom, and growing awareness among girls of gender stereotypes that devalue women. According to Dr. Pipher, the best way for families to counteract pressures on their daughters to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy female images is to help them become healthy “resisters.” Resisting negative influences is accomplished primarily through awareness of unhealthy media messages, self-awareness, body awareness, and learning specific coping skills. The Ophelia Project has organized more than 70 speaker presentations in middle schools in the Austin, Eanes, and Round Rock school districts. Speakers have included former Governor Ann Richards and NASA astronaut Lt. Col. Catherine “Cady” Coleman. For more information, contact the Ophelia Project at 851-8100 or by email at http://www.SheShines.com, a new website targeting girls 10-18 years old and their parents. |
| Think Before You Throw |
"Hazardous waste disposal" conjures images of nuclear materials and chemical weapons of mass destruction to which the average person has little direct connection. Actually, the average resident of Barton Hills has routine responsibility for many materials that are potentially toxic to the neighborhood environment or city landfill.
The City of Austin’s Solid Waste Services says that disposing of household chemicals in your trash is dangerous. Chemical containers can break in trash compactors and mix with other chemicals. Ammonia and bleach, for example, create poisonous gases and fumes when mixed. Resulting chemical reactions may injure trash collection workers, pets, neighbors, family members, Barton Creek and other environmental elements. Household chemicals, such as fertilizers, pool chemicals, pesticides, motor oil, paints, and thinners should be safely disposed through Austin's Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The drive-through facility is located at 2514 Business Center Drive, just south of the Ben White/Burleson Road intersection. It's open every Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. Call 974-4343 for directions or information. They also have a great web site: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/hhw.htm. The City also operates a 24-hour Environmental Hotline 499-2550 to report spills and pollution problems. The Watershed Protection Department provides this service. |
| Greenbelt Entrances |
Neighborhood residents were recently notified by the City of a discussion for potential improvements to the Spyglass/Barton Skyway greenbelt entrance. City staff from the Water and Wastewater Utility hosted the meeting at Zilker Elementary School on May 24th to brief residents on the Thousand Oaks Interceptor Capital Improvement Project and to gather ideas for additional, related improvements.
Plans for constructing the Thousand Oaks sewer main will require erosion control at the Spyglass/Skyway entrance. A design to control erosion also allows the opportunity to improve the entrance. Design work on the Thousand Oaks project will begin this summer, and construction for the one-year project is scheduled to begin in 2003. Improvement suggestions were solicited from residents who attended the meeting. The discussion focused on parking issues, with a consensus among those present that any additional impervious cover should be avoided. Appropriate signage and trash collection were also emphasized as residential concerns related to park entrances. Mary Ann Neely proposed that the project contract include a provision for participation by neighborhood associations. Although the meeting targeted the Spyglass/Skyway entrance, participants expressed strong concern about lack of City attention to increasing traffic, parking and trash issues at unofficial greenbelt entrances. The Bluffview Drive dead-end within the BHHBNA area was cited as a hot spot of concern. The Water and Wastewater Utility staff said they would refer the concerns to the Parks and Recreation Department. |
| National Night Out |
Okay neighbors – it’s time to get out there and meet each other! On Tuesday, August 7, 2001 we will join thousands of communities nationwide for the 18th Annual National Night Out.
National Night Out is designed to: 1. Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness. So, on Tuesday, August 7th, turn on your porch light, go outside and visit with neighbors, and join our effort to fight neighborhood crime. Anyone wishing to organize a block party, call Art Stone @ 448-2717. |
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