BHNA News Blog

BHNA Neighborhood Watch featured on KVUE

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:37:00 +0000

John Luther, who heads up our Neighborhood Watch, and Kimberly White Erlinger (immediate past president of BHNA) were both featured on a KVUE news story last night about the success of our associations' Neighborhood Watch program in reducing crime in Barton Hills. Check it out and be sure to pass along your thanks to all of the great folks who volunteer their time to patrol our neighborhood to keep it safe.

Greenbelt Guardians "It's My Park Day" Events, March 6, 9 AM-1 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:44:00 +0000

The Greenbelt Guardians will be organizing events at two Barton Creek trailheads this year: the Gus Fruh trailhead at 2642 Barton Hills Drive, and the Zilker trailhead, just west of the Barton Springs Pool parking lot, off of 2201 Barton Springs Rd.

Stan Ostrum will be heading up the work at Gus Fruh, and Glee Ingram will be leading the work at Zilker trailhead. We will be joining energy with volunteers around the city for It?s My Park Day, which is organized by the Austin Parks Foundation. Up to 60 city parks around the city will be receiving TLC.

On the Barton Creek Greenbelt, we will be focusing our energy on invasive plant removal, trail repair and maintenance, and trash clean-up. We will also have the opportunity to create a ?natural? symbolic art piece that thanks the volunteers for their work. The water is flowing and spring is in the air ? so we are looking forward to a great work day. We hope you will join us.

Come prepared with proper outdoor work gear: long pants, long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, and your favorite pair of gloves. We will provide snacks, water, tools, team leaders, and special tee shirts.

Please RSVP to this notice via email, and ALSO on the Austin Parks Foundation website (www.austinparks.org).

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 PM at St. Mark's

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Neighbors:

The second Neighborhood Watch meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9 at St. Mark's Church. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM and should last about one hour.

We invite all Barton Hills and Zilker residents to attend. We also hope you will share this invitation with your neighbors who may not be receiving information via the listserve as we will be sharing information to help reduce criminal activity within our neighborhood and we would like all residents to attend.

The general agenda for the meeting will consist of the following topics:

Orientation to Neighborhood Watch; what it is and what it is not.
Meeting your neighbors who share a common interest and concern or the safety and well being of our neighborhood.
How working with adjacent neighborhoods in crime prevention programs makes us all more secure.
Information about techniques for observation and reporting of suspicious persons or vehicles.
Question and answers related to home security; things you can do yourself at low cost.

Our last Neighborhood Watch meeting was very popular with over 80 people attending. The February 9 meeting is in response to requests for additional information on crime and safety within our neighborhoods.

Come and bring a neighbor. Be part of the solution. You will be amazed at what neighbors looking out for neighbors can do.

I Hope To See You There,
John Luther, Chair
BHNA Neighborhood Watch Program

BHNA General Meeting Agenda for Jan. 26

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:25:00 +0000

The next General Meeting of the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association is Tuesday, Jan. 26th from 6-8 p.m.

Join us at St. Mark?s Church (corner of Barton Skyway & Barton Hills Dr.).
Social hour at 6 pm Italian dinner for $6. All are welcome!

Agenda

7:00    Call to order/Welcome
7:05    Approval of Minutes / Treasurer?s Report
7:10    New Officer Introductions
7:15    Neighborhood Watch Update / Crime Prevention Tips
7:25    Paid Neighborhood Patrol
7:35    Capital Metro Rep - Route 29
7:50    Greenbelt Guardian Update
7:55    BHNA to be voting member of ANC
8:05    Adjourn

Subscribing to the Neighborhood EMail List

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:27:00 +0000

Hi Neighbors,

We've had some questions about getting onto the neighborhood listserve. It is a two-step process.

1. You must become a member of the association and pay your $10 dues. You can do this in two ways.

a. Join online at http://bhna.net/membership.html You can use the paypal link on the right-hand side. If you don't have a paypal account, it's pretty easy to set one up.
b. Join by mail at http://bhna.net/form.html Print out the form and send it to the address on the form. There is a place to check whether or not you want to join the listserve on this form. If you check the box, you will be added automatically.

2. Once you are a member (remember this listserve is a privilege of membership.) Visit http://bhna.net/listserver.html and click on the link that says barton_hills-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to send a message to our membership coordinator/Vice President Penley McQueen. He will approve listserve ownership after verifying that you are a member.

You can also renew at the next neighborhood meeting, which is on January 26th at 7 p.m. or by cutting out the form that is in every newsletter and distributed to 1200 households in our neighborhood every quarter and mailing it to the address on the form.

If you have applied and would like to join but still haven't heard anything, you can let Penley McQueen penley_mcqueen@yahoo.com know. But please be patient. We are a completely volunteer-run organization.

Speaking of which, MEMBERSHIPS ARE DUE. They renew annually in January. Although the crime is terrible, it is nice to see a little uptick in membership because of it. One of the association's big goals this year is to increase membership in the association and the number of people on the listserve.

Warmly,

Wendy Papasan
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Assn.
(512) 297-9431
wpapasan@kw.com

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Tuesday, January 5, 7:00 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:17:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Concerned about the uptick in crime in our neighborhood? Wondering how you can make your home and community a little safer? Then please join us for a neighborhood watch/crime fighting meeting on Tuesday, January 5th at 7 pm at St. Mark's Church (corner of Barton Hills Drive and Barton Skyway).

This meeting will be packed with excellent information about Neighborhood Watch and how you can help reduce criminal activity in our neighborhood. Learn about:

volunteer neighborhood patrols
tips on making your home more secure for under $5
having an Austin Police officer evaluate your home for increased protection

Austin Police Officers and neighborhood watch volunteers will be there to respond to specific concerns.

Please come and DO invite a neighbor who isn't on this list. See you then! The meeting will only take about an hour.

For more information on the Neighborhood Watch Program or to become a volunteer contact the amazing John Luther (he's like our own neighborhood superhero) at jluther@austin.rr.com.

Warmly,

Wendy Papasan
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Assn.
(512) 297-9431
wpapasan@kw.com

Greenbelt Guardians Workday: 10/31, 9AM-1 PM, Homedale Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Greenbelt Fans,

The creek is flowing! And we need more hands on deck for our work day this Saturday at the Homedale Trail. Come celebrate Halloween with us as we spook the weeds and invasives and organize some windrows, lay some stepping stones, and clean out the trash. RSVP soon so we can order enough Maria?s tacos treats to get us started.

Costumes welcome! We?ve got the supplies and tools, we need the hands and hearts.

Location: Homedale Entry, 2010 Homedale, behind Barton Hills Elementary School
Time: 9 am - 1 pm

Thanks, look forward to working with you.

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Barton Hills School Carnival, Friday Oct. 23, 6PM-9PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:08:00 +0000

Pull out your compass and get set for another adventurous carnival at Barton Hills Elementary School!

If you've never been to the annual fundraiser get ready, you're in for a treat! This Friday, October 23rd, from 6-9pm hundreds of neighbors will converge upon the elementary school to jump in bouncy houses, throw beanbags at their favorite teachers hoping they will get dunked, eat all sorts of delicious treats, play games, win prizes, run shrieking through a maze and generally have the best time ever!

This year's theme is exploration - think maps, oceanic creatures, ice fishing, a chopstick challenge and food from every continent - there's something everyone will enjoy! So pull on your hiking books and climb Mt. Everest to the
best carnival yet!

DeAnn Eisenhauer

St. Mark's Church Family Fun Festival Sat. Oct. 24th, 9AM-3PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:05:00 +0000

We invite you to come and bid on our wonderful Silent Auction baskets (by Ms. Becky from old Barton Hills carnival days) and incredible items and services too numerous to name, pet those adorable animals from Fry's Animal Farm-Petting Zoo, play with the clowns, and have fun at our games for all ages.

There will also be a pie contest, wine toss, kid's activities such as craft tables, face painting, and stuffed animal walk. We will be selling cactus and aloe babies from our abudant flower bed on the corner to benefit the gardens at St. Mark's so we can continue to beautify the neighborhood. As always Maggie's Cafe will be open and this year we have veggie burgers and kids meals.

Proceeds benefit the church and its Outreach programs.

For more info contact St. Mark's Church at 444-1449. As always thank you neighbors for supporting the Barton Hills School and St. Mark's Church through the years. We live in such a great neighborhood! Let's have fun this weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Becky Nolan

Oct. 20 BHNA General Meeting Agenda

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Fasten your seatbelts...

We have a very busy agenda for tomorrow night and it's our last meeting of the year so bring family and friends for the final hootenanny of 2009!

Pizza/pasta/salad dinner starts around 6 pm-$6 for all you can eat. Please come and stay for the meeting, if possible, as we will be voting on new officers for next year and discussing many city agency updates plus a few new neighborhood/development issues that have popped up recently.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Kimber

Kimberly White Erlinger
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Association

Barton Hills Neighborhood Association
General Meeting Agenda
October 20, 2009

7:00 PM Welcome/Opening Remarks

7:05 Approval of Minutes/Approval of Treasurer's report

7:10 2010 BHNA Officer Elections
(Proposed slate:
President, Wendy Papasan
Vice-President, Penley McQueen
Treasurer: John Morgan
Austin Neighborhood Council Rep: Kay Killen
Other positions TBD-Consider Volunteering!)

7:20 Update, discussion and vote on Barton Springs median project donation-Mary Campbell

7:30 Greenbelt Guardian Update, including Betty Brown/Homedale Sign-Glee Ingram

7:40 Development Update, including new Waterfront Overlay resolution and Red's Porch-Peter Hess, Melissa Hawthorne, Nan Clayton

7:50 Drive-By Museum Information-Joe Gieselman and Steve Dubov

8:00 Capital Metro Update-Alissa Schram

8:10 City Animal Shelter Update-David Lurie

8:20 Open Forum, if time permits

Greenbelt Guardian Work Day, Oct. 31 9 AM-1 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Hello Greenbelt Fans,

After a long, hot, dry summer, we are excited to get back to work on our adopted Homedale Trail for a fall work day. As always, there is plenty of work to do. It seems that the plant response to the life-threatening heat and drought this summer is resulting in wildly prolific blooming and seeding ? some of it is very welcome on the greenbelt, like the mass of native golden-eye blooming in our restoration research area of the trail. But some of it is not so welcome, like the choking community of ragweed in the drainage easement at the entry area of the trail, and in the creek bed upstream from the rock flats. We need some hardy, non-allergic volunteers to pull up these weeds and sack them for removal. And there are other weeds and invasives to remove along the trail: Johnson grass, Wisteria, Chinaberrry, Nandina, and the ever-pervasive Ligustrum.

We also need to do some tidying up of large fallen branches on the switchback trail and organize them into windrows, plus check for regrowth of the ligustrum population that was removed about in that area four years ago. In that same area, we plan to continue constructing stone steppers on the steep path, to improve the safety of the trail. There are a few piles of caliche and rock near the entry trail that we need to put to good use. And some dead or low growth branch pruning to do. Plus the regular trash clean-up along the trail and near the rock flats and Campbell?s Hole. Plenty of beer cans and paper wrappers to collect and haul out.

Please plan to wear long sleeves and pants and closed-toe shoes and bring your gloves if you have some and a water bottle. We will provide all of the tasks and team leaders and ivy block and tools and energy food and water. Remember, it?s Halloween Day, so plan on some silly fun, and costume if you feel inspired.

RSVP to assure we have enough tacos and tools.

Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Place: Homedale Trail Entry, 2010 Homedale Drive, directly behind Barton Hills Elementary School

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardian Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Ice Cream Social this Sunday, October 11

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Hi Neighbors,

Don't forget about the 1st Annual Barton Hills Ice Cream Social, happening this Sunday, October 11, from 2-4 pm. Take a break and join us for a cone and some conversation!

The Austin Ice Cream Truck will be at the school playground-please show caution on Barton Hills Drive-to hand out free ice cream cones! First come, first served.

Special thanks to Wendy Papasan for donating the ice cream, which she won in a charity auction!

See you Sunday!!

Kimberly White Erlinger
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Association

Call in number for ACL-related issues Oct. 2-4

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:51:00 +0000

Hi Neighbors,

I had a long and very cordial chat with Jason Maurer (PARD) this week regarding ongoing ACL issues in Barton Hills, specifically litter and bad driving. I very much appreciate the time he took to listen to our issues and to let me know what the city and C3 have tried, will try or will consider.

1. They are thinking about placing a directional sign at Barton Skyway and Barton Hills to remind/teach people that BS doesn't cross the greenbelt to Mopac. I told him that we have many people driving in circles, trying to get out of the 'hood due to this anomaly. Hopefully, there will be a sign this year if they can get to it in time. (I still have the sign frames from the old BHNA meeting signs and can attach some rudimentary directionals leading people back to Lamar to the frames. Any GFX designers who are handy with a Sharpie?)

2. They are trying to control litter as best as they can within the park system but one problem is that festival-goers drink in the neighborhoods and then toss their open bottle/can before approaching the police officers at Barton Springs Road. Unfortunately, that leaves our streets and yards as garbage cans for those who can't manage their litter. I might put out one of my boxes with a sign that says, "drop your can here instead of in my yard".

3. There will be six uniformed officers roaming Barton Hills, Zilker and Bouldin from 10 am to 11 pm each day. The phone number to call IF YOU HAVE AN ACL-RELATED ISSUE is below. Please call 911 for your garden-variety emergency and use the ACL number if someone is blocking your driveway, is drunk and disorderly, etc. Hopefully, one of the six officers will be able to help you asap.

4. Shuttle buses and other transportation: I asked him the obvious question: why are there no shuttles from Toney Burger or Barton Creek Square? Farmer's Market takes up Burger on Saturday and most shuttle riders are Austin visitors who are riding from downtown hotels. 35% of festival-goers take the shuttle and one can park in most of the downtown buildings to access the shuttle (pass this on to your friends). They have doubled the size of the bike racks at the festival site and are setting aside a large space near Barton Springs (north side) for moped and scooter parking.

I think that covers it. I invited Jason to drive his golf cart up to Spring Creek/Trailside/Briargrove so he can check out what it is like for the neighborhood. He knows Barton Hills well and knows it's a bit of a struggle for those of us on the north side but reiterated how much C3 and PARD appreciates our patience for the three+ days.

Neighborhood Call In Line (for festival related concerns)
512-320-0406 (prime neighborhood call-in number)
Staffed 11:00 am - 10:30 pm daily on EVENT days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
At some points, the line may be busy with another caller depending on call volume.

Kimberly White Erlinger
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Association

Kimber, Kay and Art

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:45:00 +0000

John Morgan, our BHNA Treasurer, shared this picture from the July 4th Neighborhood Parade. Austin Chief of Police Art Acevedo is flanked by BHNA President Kimberly White Erlinger on the left and Kay Killen on the right. Watch our site for more pictures from the Parade coming soon.

General Meeting Agenda for Tuesday, July 14

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:13:00 +0000

Barton Hills Neighborhood Association General Meeting
July 14, 2009 - Agenda

7:00 pm Welcome/Introductions/New Members
7:10 Announcements:

Treasurer's Report
Approval of April minutes
2010 Officer Elections at October meeting
Information on potential street meeting with city officials
Future neighborhood social events-and funding thereof

7:30 Fun Stuff-bring the whole family!
7:50 Barton Springs Median update
8:00 Greenbelt Guardians update
8:10 Neighborhood Watch update
8:20 Adjourn

Come to the 4th of July Parade!

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Hello neighbors,

It is with sheer delight and pleasure the Barton Hills Executive Committee announce the co-Grand Marshals for the 2009 Barton Hills Independence Day Parade on Saturday, July 4, 2009: (drum roll, please)

Leading the 16th annual 4th of July Parade will be the award-winning Barton Hills Elementary "Odyssey of the Mind" students and Austin's own Police Chief, Art Acevedo!

According to the APD website: "Art Acevedo serves as the eighth Police Chief in the 84-year history of the Austin Police Department and is the first Hispanic to lead the City?s police force. With more than two decades of law enforcement experience, he oversees a department that employs approximately 2,100 sworn officers and civilian personnel. With the consolidation of the Austin Police Department and the Austin Public Safety and Emergency Management Department in January 2009, Acevedo is now responsible for all municipal law enforcement in the City of Austin, including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, parks, and municipal courts. Appointed Austin Police Chief in July 2007, Chief Acevedo believes in the spirit of our community and the commitment to excellence demonstrated by the men and women he leads."

Thanks to Cherylann Campbell for this description: "Odyssey of the Mind (OOTM) is a competition in creative thinking for kids from elementary school to college. Teams are judged on how well they meet challenges, on creativity and teamwork. Our Barton Hills Elementary team is the first Austin area team to ever qualify for World Competition! They won the Central Texas regional competition, and came in second in the Texas State competition, to earn the chance to represent their school, their community, Austin, and Texas at the 30th annual Odyssey of the Mind, World Competition this May. In Iowa at the World Competition, they came in 24th of 47 teams competing in their division. They competed against teams from across the US, Mexico, Poland, Hong Kong and China."

"There are 7 kids on the team: 2 girls and 5 boys. This is their second year competing together as a team. Five will be at the parade. All are 10 years old who just finished 4th grade at Barton Hills Elementary. Five live in the neighborhood. They call themselves ?the Peeps.?"

Because we do not have permission to identify each of the children by name, we will give a "shout out" of congratulations to our talented team and thank all the neighbors and contibutors who helped get them to competition! Bravo!

Please come to the Parade next Saturday, and welcome Chief Art Acevedo and the students of "Odyssey of the Mind" as they lead our 2009 Barton Hills July 4th Parade! We're honored to have you as our co-Grand Marshals!

Please forward the attached Parade flyer to family and friends. See you at the Parade!

Kay

Kay Killen
BHNA Representative to the
Austin Neighborhood Council
512-447-4287
bhnaparade2007@yahoo.com

New Greenbelt Guardians logo debuts

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:00:00 +0000

BHNA President Kimberly White Erlinger passed along this note from Glee Ingram, quoted here with her permission:

I just wanted to share the excitement, that we now have a Greenbelt Guardian logo! Thanks to Scott Byers, who did the art work and layout and specifications - then we spent a few hours going over it together, adjusting this and that, then sent it out to our leadership group and got some feedback, and came up with the final product. It will have its premiere presentation on the back of some tee shirts that are being printed up for the National Trails Day work day on June 6 - we will be listed along with 6 other participating groups. Stan will also be installing it on our Greenbelt Guardian website soon.

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Greenbelt Guardian Work Day, Saturday, June 6 at Gus Fruh

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Hello Greenbelt Fans,

You have an opportunity to join a large improvement effort on the Barton Creek Greenbelt on Saturday, June 6, to celebrate National Trails Day. Our Greenbelt Guardians volunteers will be working at our adopted Gus Fruh trail, 2646 Barton Hills Drive, from 8:30 - 12:30. We will be weeding the entry trail, continuing work on the stone retaining wall by the swimming hole, removing the invasive ligustrum and nandina along the creek trail, and forming windrows for erosion management. We'll also clean up trash. We can keep at least 30 volunteers productively busy!

There will also be lots of other trail improvement activities at the 360 access to Barton Creek, to mark the first phase of the "Walk-for-a-Day Trail" that envisions connecting trails all the way from Austin to Kyle. The trail heading south out of Austin will branch off of the Barton Creek trail system between the 360 and Mopac/Twin Falls access points.

This National Trails Day Service Project is a joint conservation effort made possible through a partnership of American YouthWork's Environmental Corps, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the Austin Parks Foundation, the Hill Country Conservancy, and Austin-area REI stores. The Greenbelt Guardians, Central Texas Trail Tamers, Central Texas Mountaineers, and Austin Ridge Riders are joining the effort by providing project leaders and helping with the recruiting.

There will be generous rewards for your volunteer efforts! From 12:30 - 2:00 there will be a ribbon cutting and celebration PARTY at Zilker Park, with parking at the Polo Fields. A picnic style lunch will be provided by the Salt Lick, plus there will be music, beer, free t-shirts, and free swimming all day at Barton Springs.

So come put in some productive sweat equity, and then party, eat and swim with other dedicated, green-loving people at Zilker Park and Barton Springs!

To register to work with the Greenbelt Guardians at Gus Fruh, please RSVP to this email, AND sign up on the Austin Parks Foundation Website page (required to get an entry wristband for the Zilker party celebration). The web address for registration is: http://www.austinparks.org. Sign up under the heading Volunteer Opportunities for National Trails Day, June 6, 2009 for the project described as "Wall Building, Trail Work and Invasives Removal at Gus Fruh with the Greenbelt Guardians".

We'll look forward to seeing you there,

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinator

April 28th General Meeting Agenda

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:54:00 +0000

NEXT MEETING

Tues. April 28th, 6-8 p.m.

Join us at St. Mark's Church (corner of Barton Skyway & Barton Hills Dr.)

Everyone is invited! Pre-meeting social hour! at 6 pm. Italian dinner for $6.

All are welcome!

Agenda

7:00 Call to order/Welcome

7:05 Administrative Business

7:15 Proposal to support BHE Odyssey of the Mind team

7:30 Update on Rolling Stones school park projects

7:50 Greenbelt Guardians Update

8:00 Garden Club Update

8:10 Committee on Area Development Update

8:20 Neighborhood Watch Update

8:30 Adjourn

Survey Results-Most Important Issues

kimberly@ethreeproperties.com (Kimber at E3 Properties) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:57:00 +0000

As promised, here are some survey results from the Barton Hills Neighborhood Association survey. Please keep in mind that the survey ended at 100 responses, which is approximately 30% of listserv members, and that respondents were able to check more than one answer so the percentages don't equal 100%.

How important are the following neighborhood issues to you?

Very important
Greenbelt safety and sanitation 79.8%
Quality of Barton Hills Elementary 68.4
Greenbelt maintenance 66.7
Success of local businesses 66.2
Traffic patterns affected by new development 59.6
Graffiti 57.1
Lending a hand to neighbors who could use help 51.0
Litter 50.0
Getting to know my neighbors better 47.0
Additional yellow signs and crosswalks 37.8

What else, if anything, do you want to tell us about living in the neighborhood or about the neighborhood association?

-I wish that that participation in the process that result in development rules for the neighborhood were truly more open to the neighborhood...when I attend meetings, a few people are in control and not much is accomplished.

-Trying to change the traffic pattern of cars blocking traffic Barton Hills while waiting for their kids to get out of school. Not only does it block traffic but I almost got hit on my bicycle when an SUV veered into the bike lane to avoid the standstill of cars on Barton Hills. Can't they stage on Homedale?

-Maybe some organized/pick-up soccer game in the park? The 13 year population is getting tired of playing soccer in the ditch.

-Keeping the area in line with city and subdivision restrictions.

-Sidewalks.

-I would like to see our neighborhood make a coordinated effort to become more green by setting some energy or water usage goals.

-Doo poo clean-up at the park. There are signs and bags but no one uses them.

-Property owners, including St. Mark's, taking responsibility for street-side areas such as trimming low-hanging branches and cleaning up garbage and leaves.

-Quality, lowrise development on South Lamar.

-Overall safety.

-Speeding cars on Barton Skyway and Barton Hills Drive.

-Increased traffic due to development and Zilker Park events. Why can't the city route traffic to Lamar instead of through our neighborhood?

Stay tuned for more results, including What Can You Do to Help BHNA? and What Can BHNA do better?

April 18 Greenbelt Guardian Workday CANCELLED

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Greenbelt Fans -

This is to notify you that we are CANCELLING the trail resurfacing project planned for this weekend at Homedale Trail, due to the rain forecasts, plus a shortage of COA-PARD equipment and staff this Saturday. Instead of risking trail compaction damage or not finishing our project in the given time, we decided it would be best to reschedule the project. We will notify you when the conditions are more favorable for successful completion. Thanks to those of you who signed on ? I hope you will join us when we try again!

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardian Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Special Earth Day Greenbelt Trail Project, April 18, 9AM - 1 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Hello Greenbelt fans,

This is a second and updated notice of our special work day this coming Saturday, April 18, from 9:00 ? 1:00 at the Homedale Trail entry, 2010 Homedale Dr.

We will be completing our trail resurfacing project for the entry section of the trail, by applying a special, lasting granite and polymer mix. We will mix the granite and polymer in a concrete mixer, transfer it to wheelbarrows, haul it as far as 200 feet, spread, rake, and pack it. We need 12-15 volunteers to help us with this task. This will be another high energy activity, with immediate satisfaction and long-lasting results. Be sure to wear long sleeves and pants and work shoes and bring a pair of work gloves.

Along with our popular breakfast taco treat, this work day offers some added incentives. We are joining in the nationwide Green Apple Festival, occurring in 10 major cities. When you sign up through www.greenapplefestival.com, you will receive a ?green? gift bag and will be on the guest list for a VIP concert with Travis Tritt & Friends at Antone?s (Monday night, April 20). Check out the attached poster for this event.

Please RSVP here, and also at the www.greenapplefestival.com site so you can enjoy your thank you gifts.

Glee

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardian Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net

Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Monday, March 30, 7 PM

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:35:00 +0000

BHNA Neighbors,

In response to the increase in criminal activity in the Barton Hills area we are reactivating the Neighborhood Watch Program. This is a non-confrontational program that focuses on the idea of neighbors looking out for neighbors. It is an effective way to supplement the police presence by adding dozens of extra eyes and ears of BH residents to see and hear suspicious persons or activity within our neighborhood and report to APD at 911. It is a great opportunity for BH residents to stand up and take an active role in seeing that our neighborhood is and remains a safe and secure place to live.

An introduction to the Neighborhood Watch program will begin with a brief meeting and training session on Monday, March 30 at St. Mark's Church at 7:00 PM. This meeting will not last more than one hour. It may be the best hour you could invest yourself in if you want to be a part of reducing crime in our neighborhood. This meeting is essential for those residents interested in being block leaders for Neighborhood Watch or if you would like to participate in Neighborhood Watch Patrol; a segment of the program in which volunteers will be driving the neighborhood during evening hours as an added level of protection against criminal activity. Details of this aspect of Neighborhood Watch will be covered at the March 30 meeting.

Neighborhood Watch is strongly endorsed by the Austin Police Department and they will be working with us to see that volunteers receive orientation and training related to this program. APD envisions BHNA as becoming the model for other neighborhoods based on our traditional "get it done" attitude and response to community needs. I am sure our Neighborhood Watch program will be no exception to that tradition.

If you are planning to attend this meeting or if you have any comments concerning the reactivation of Neighborhood Watch I would love to hear from you.

I Will See You There,
John Luther, Chair
BHNA Neighborhood Watch Program

Neighborhood Watch Meeting
Monday March 30, 7:00 PM
St. Marks Church
Barton Skyway at Barton Hills Dr.

Invitation to It's My Park Day on March 7, 9-1 at Homedale and Gus Fruh

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Dear Greenbelt Guardians,

This is an active season for taking care of our much loved Barton Creek Greenbelt! After a very successful work day on February 7 at the Homedale Trail, we are gearing up for another big work day on March 7 to participate in the citywide It's My Park Day event, organized by the Austin Parks Foundation.

We invite you to come out to work on one of our adopted trails, Homedale or Gus Fruh, from 9:00 - 1:00 on Saturday, March 7. As always, we have plenty to do: invasive plant removal, trail maintenance and repair, rock wall & step construction, weeding and pruning along the trailside, trash pick-up, and other miscellaneous projects.

Please sign up to register through the Austin Parks Foundation website. They are providing the master coordination for this event, as well as free tee-shirts and snacks, and other support materials.

To register, do the following:
Go to: http://www.austinparks.org and select the It?s My Park Day page. You will see a full list of more than 50 projects around town. Scroll down until you see the projects titled Barton Creek Greenbelt ? Homedale Trail w/ Greenbelt Guardians and Barton Creek Greenbelt - Gus Fruh Trail w/Greenbelt Guardians. Select which one of these trails you want to work on.

If you are an individual signing up, just fill in your name along with all of the information fields including your tee-shirt size.

If you are signing up for a group, fill in your name and the total number of volunteers you expect in your group. In the tee-shirt column, put an "X", and then in the Notes column, fill in how many of each tee-shirt size will be needed for your group.

As a double check on the registration, you can also RSVP to this email.

We look forward to another productive and enjoyable work day on the greenbelt. As always, thanks for your support!

Glee Ingram, gleeful@earthlink.net
Stan Ostrum, sostrum@austin.rr.com
Greenbelt Guardian Coordinators

General Meeting this Tuesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Glenn) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Hi Everyone-

Forgive my tardiness in posting a reminder for the upcoming general meeting. I was felled by a stomach virus this week and lost time for a while.

The agenda is in the newsletter (I hope you all received one) and we really encourage all residents to join us Tuesday night. We will have your favorite pizza, pasta, salads and desserts from Rockin' Tomato (all you can eat for only $6) starting at 6 pm and the meeting will get started at 7 pm sharp.

The member who brings the most NEW members on Tuesday night will receive a gift certificate to a local vendor, so gather up your new (or old) neighbors who have never joined and win a prize!

WHEN: Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
6:00-7:00 social hour, 7:00 Meeting starts
WHERE: Saint Mark's Church, 2128 Barton Hills Drive
WHY: Because we have good food and great neighbors

See you there!

Kimber
Kimberly White Erlinger
President, Barton Hills Neighborhood Association