Letter From The Prez Opens Used Bookstore… · SLNA-KAB Committee Co-Chair ... To join the yahoo!...

Copyright © 2009 Peel, Inc. South Lamar Neighborhood Association Newsletter - March 2009 �

S L N A Sentinel

Publication of the South Lamar Neighborhood Association

March 2009, Volume 3, Issue 3 www.southlamar.org

Letter From The PrezHello Neighbors,At a recent City of Austin energy event, I picked

up an interesting flyer from Austin Energy. It was all about signing up to be a Power Saver Volunteer. This is a new program where Austin Energy will alert those who volunteer 10 (or fewer) times during the summer before they expect there to be a peak demand on the power grid. When they contact a volunteer, they will ask them to take four simple actions to use less electricity between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.:

Switch off unnecessary lights Delay washing and drying dishes and clothes (except by hand) Cook dinner in your microwave or outside on a charcoal grill rather than with an electric range Turn up the air conditioning thermostat by two to three degrees.

Could something like that really help? In fact, yes, it would. Since most of those activities are done by most people in the early evening, it causes a peak demand for scarce resources. This forces Austin Energy to either generate more electricity or purchase it during the most expensive time of the day. By helping reduce peak demand, we can help put off building new power generators. Everyone doing their small part as a Power Saver Volunteer can add up to big benefits. If all 338,000 Austin residential customers turned off just two 40-watt light bulbs, the energy reduction would power 3,100 homes. To sign up or for more information about the Power Saver Program, look online at www.austinenergy.com or call (512) 482-5346. And as a thank you for becoming a Power Saver Volunteer, Austin Energy will send you a free Home Weatherization kit that includes weather stripping, outlet sealers, two compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), and an energy save nightlight. See ya ‘round the hood! Nancy Maclaine

P.S. Our next regular SLNA meeting will be Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. The location will be

announced in the April newsletter.

1.2.

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Austin Library Opens Used Bookstore

On Feb. 28, the Austin Public Library opened a used bookstore named Recycled Reads at 5335 Burnet Road. The used bookstore primarily will be operated year-round by volunteers with materials that are withdrawn from the library’s collection and from private donations. Thousands of books, videos, record albums, and assorted media are available for purchase for $1 or $2 each. All proceeds from the sales directly benefit the Austin Public Library and will be used for supplies, equipment and materials that supplement the library’s operating budget.

One of the bookstore’s objectives is to advance the City of Austin’s Go Green initiative. Items Recycled Reads is unable to sell will go to Books Beyond Borders, which helps provide books and funding to third-world schools and libraries. Items that are unusable reading material will be sent via Books Beyond Borders to companies that will recycle them into building material. Recycled Reads will be an active participant in the City’s Zero Waste Plan by ensuring obsolete materials are handled in an environmentally responsible way by keeping these materials out of landfills. The bookstore’s hours of operation are Tuesday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday 3 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday noon-5 p.m., and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Donations are accepted during the store’s business hours and by appointment by calling (512) 323-5123. To volunteer for the bookstore or for more information, call (512) 974-7400.

2 South Lamar Neighborhood Association Newsletter - March 2009 Copyright © 2009 Peel, Inc.

S L N A SentinelNewsletter Information

Editor Krista Umscheid [email protected] Peel, Inc. ........................ www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 Advertising ........ [email protected], 512-263-9181

SLNA Officers and ContactsPresident Nancy Maclaine [email protected] President Krista Umscheid ............................. [email protected] Secretary David Ansel ...................................... [email protected] Sally Merritt ......................................s.j.merritt@earthlink.netWebmaster Bill Stoughton ......................................... [email protected]/ANC Delegate Carol Gibbs .........................................cgibbs1@austin.rr.comNewsletter Editor (acting) Krista Umscheid-Ramirez .............. [email protected] SLNA-KAB Committee Co-Chair Wendy Brennan [email protected] SLNA-KAB Committee Co-Chair Link Davidson, ................................... [email protected]

To join the yahoo! e-list send an email to [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

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Candidate Forum Update - (Continued from Cover Page)


S L N A Sentinel

Candidate Forum Update - (Continued from Cover Page)

Candidates Forum Update Ready or not, another election season is upon us. You’ll see campaign

signs littering the roadways any day now. May 9 is Election Day, with early voting April 27 through May 5. I have no idea what else will be on the ballot (if anything) besides City Council members and mayor. This time there are five races for City Council, since Lee Leffingwell (re-elected to Place 1 in 2008) is running for mayor. So Place 1 also is now on the ballot, along with Place 2 (Mike Martinez), Place 5 (Brewster McCracken), and Place 6 (Sheryl Cole). Austin Neighborhoods Council -- to which SLNA owes an immeasurable debt for educating us about dealing with developers, among other things -- hosts what has become the best-respected Candidates Forum in the City Council elections. If you attend no other candidate forum, I encourage you to put this one on your calendar. On March 25, starting at 6 p.m., the Austin Neighborhoods Council will host a Candidates Forum for this year’s mayor and City Council elections at the Austin Energy Building, 721 Barton Springs Road. The format will be similar to last year’s Candidates Forum. The ANC Resources page on the ANC Web site (www.ancweb.org/resources.htm) has the questionnaire used last year along with the candidates’ responses to give you an idea of what to expect. The ANC Executive Committee will be putting together a questionnaire to be sent to all candidates for them to answer in advance of the forum. Their written answers will be available at the forum and they will then be asked follow-up questions. It can be quite an interrogation! Carol Gibbs SLNA Rep to ANC

Apd Forum NeedsNeighborhood Representation

Our neighborhood needs volunteers to attend the quarterly meetings of the Austin Police Department Southwest Area Commanders Forum so we can remain updated on issues affecting our area. We need someone or several people to attend meetings with the whole Southwest Division and other neighborhoods that are experiencing issues similar to ours, and then report back to the rest of neighborhood at our meetings, through our Web site or with an article in this newsletter. We urge someone to please volunteer to attend the quarterly meetings that APD offers to us. APD Southwest Area Commanders Forum coordinator Sally Becerra would be happy to add new contacts to her e-mail list. If you are interested, or want more information, send e-mail to [email protected] or call (512) 974-5903.

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512-263-9181 www.PEELinc.com

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� South Lamar Neighborhood Association Newsletter - March 2009 Copyright © 2009 Peel, Inc.

S L N A Sentinel

2009 South West Area CommandNeighborhood Watch Training

Learn more about how to set up a neighborhood watch program in your neighborhood.

2nd Tuesday of each month6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Clinton Hunter Substation404 Ralph Ablanado Drive

(Between Congress Avenue and S. First Street,one block north of Slaughter Lane)

March 10 April 14 May 12 June 9 July 14 Aug. 11 Sept. 8 Oct. 13 Nov. 10 Dec. 8

City Solicits Public Input On Community Programs

The City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office invites you to provide feedback on the Fiscal Year 2009-2014 Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan will be used to identify community priorities to fund housing, community development, economic development and public service needs. Public input opportunities include the following: Public Hearings: For a complete list of public hearings, visit the City’s Web site at www.ci.austin.tx.us/housing/conplan_09-14.htm. Meetings are scheduled for March 5 at 6 p.m. during the Austin City Council Meeting at City Hall, 301 West Second Street, and March 9 at 6:30 p.m. during the Community Development Commission at the City Hall Boards and Commissions Room, 301 West Second Street. Written Comments: Send written comments to: Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Attn: Kate Moore P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767 Online Surveys: Fill out an online survey at www.cityofaustin.org/housing. Surveys are available in English and Spanish.

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Classified AdsPersonal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to SLNA residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail [email protected] classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-263-9181 or [email protected].

*Annual Percentage Rate. All rates are expressed “as low as”. Actual rate may vary depending on credit qualifications. **Austin Telco will pay all standard closing costs on Home Equity loans below $100k. Additional non-standard fees will be the responsibility of the member. ***Rate applies to 1st lien commercial real estate loans with a loan to value of 80% or less; construction/development loan rates/terms may be different. No Pre-payment penalty. ****Annual Percentage Yield. Penalties for early withdrawal may apply. 1Regular - A minimum deposit of $1000 is required. 2Jumbo - A minimum deposit ofof $95000 is required. All APRs, APYs and terms are subject to change without notice. Please call for details. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

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*Annual Percentage Rate. All rates are expressed “as low as”. Actual rate may vary depending on credit qualifications. **Austin Telco will pay all standard closing costs on Home Equity loans below $100k. Additional non-standard fees will be the responsibility of the member. ***Rate applies to 1st lien commercial real estate loans with a loan to value of 80% or less; construction/development loan rates/terms may be different. No Pre-payment penalty. ****Annual Percentage Yield. Penalties for early withdrawal may apply. 1Regular - A minimum deposit of $1000 is required. 2Jumbo - A minimum deposit ofof $95000 is required. All APRs, APYs and terms are subject to change without notice. Please call for details. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

ATFCU 68th Annual MeetingTuesday, March 24, 2009

The Crockett CenterFor details, call 512.302.5555 ext. 7000.


S L N A Sentinel

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S L N A Sentinel

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Twin Oaks Branch Library Replacement Project Update

While construction continues to progress on the new Twin Oaks Branch Library, there have been some difficulties in adhering to schedule. In the past two months, the general contracting firm has replaced its project manager and job superintendent at the site. Correction of structural steel issues left by the previous, failed steel-erecting subcontractor are still an issue, and the structural steel standing on the job has not passed final inspection. Along the north side of the property, construction of a sidewalk completely compliant to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards is being started while attempting to not damaging the roots of an existing, large pecan tree. City staff, consultants and contractors are presently working on a solution to that challenge. Work to date and work expected in the upcoming weeks include site work, concrete

work, retention pond and irrigation piping, concrete sidewalks, structural steel corrections, steel roof decking installation, steel angle and metal plate connections for the wood trusses, and replacement of the north retaining wall. A Green Building point of interest of the project is that all the timber supplied for the

wood trusses and connecting wood beams are recycled fir timbers reclaimed from a 50-year-old barge that once plied the Mississippi River out of New Orleans. Based on a revised construction schedule provided by the general contractor to the City

on Jan. 22, the planned opening of the new Twin Oaks Branch Library is in October.

Watch Texas Government On Local Television

City of Austin Channel 6 televises all Texas House of Representatives sessions live, except on Thursdays and Fridays when Travis County Television Channel 17 airs the sessions. All regularly scheduled City of Austin meetings that are pre-empted by t h e H o u s e coverage will be aired at a later date. Check www.cityofaustin.org/channel6 for the most c u r r e n t schedule. The 81st Texas Legislature convened at noon Jan. 13, 2009. The session ends June 1, 2009.


S L N A Sentinel

I attended the Austin Clean Water Program (ACWP) recent “Meet the Contractor” meeting to understand the plans for the upcoming water line construction on Lamar Boulevard. The purpose of this work is to upgrade the existing water lines to provide greater pressure/flow especially for firefighting. Here are a few brief notes from the meeting. There were five residents/business representatives at the meeting (two SLNA, one Zilker, two South Lamar businesses) and probably 10 City of Austin and contractor personnel, including Crispin Ruiz, Bridgit Shea, and Larry Mendez, all of whom we dealt with on the ACWP sewer work in our neighborhood.The water line work is being done by McLean Construction, which has been doing the ACWP sewer work in Zilker these past months and is now wrapping that up. The water line upgrade work runs northbound from Manchaca Road at about Edgeware Drive on up to Lamar and ends at Mary Street. After that, the southbound side of Lamar has work scheduled from about Oxford Avenue to Bluebonnet Lane.The water line work has already started on Manchaca Road and will hit the northbound (SLNA) side of Lamar in early March. They plan to reach Bluebonnet by March 24. Part of this work doesn’t impact Lamar directly as they are running the pipe in the wide easement near Matt’s El Rancho Mexican Food Restaurant. They should be past Oltorf Street by April 20. The work on the southbound side commences April 20 and runs through May 6. Larry Mendez has agreed to e-mail updates about every two weeks that I will post to on our Web site.During construction, northbound Lamar will be reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. When work starts on the northbound side, it will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week. Construction across intersections such as Bluebonnet will only take place on weekends.They will be restricting the side of Lamar they are working on to one lane for rolling stretches of about 300 feet as they progress. The middle turn lane and three other lanes will always remain open.The staging area for this project will be the lot they are already using on Goodrich Avenue. In addition, they may store supplies (pipe, etc.) on the city’s lot at the corner of Thornton Road and Oltorf Street.There may be water outages at some point, but 48 hours notice will be given (via door hangers) of any planned outages.After all the work is completed, the City of Austin will do the same type of asphalt overlay on Lamar as was done between Treadwell Street and Barton Springs Road last year. That work should commence shortly after the water line installation is completed.The ACWP Hotline number is (512) 684-3204 and the project manager, Larry Mendez, can be reached at (512) 974-1581 or [email protected] or or Tony Lopez at (512) 974-8789 or [email protected]. As I said, I will post Larry’s updates to the group as I get them. John M. Bissell [email protected]

Water Line Construction On Lamar Boulevard

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Letter From The Prez Opens Used Bookstore… · SLNA-KAB Committee Co-Chair ... To join the yahoo!...

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