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SRCC general membership meeting notes - 9/7/09

1- meeting procedures and etiquette. welcome newcomers

2- approve minutes from august 3rd, 2009, general membership meeting:
MOTION: sam martin, jean warneke - to approve the minutes = PASSED

3- report on coyote presence in neighborhood and related trapping program, rene barrera, city parks and recreation department and randy farrar, us department of agriculture:
there has been an ongoing effort to track and trap urban coyotes that show signs of aggression. the goal of the program is to remove these coyotes from their urban setting. state law prohibits the relocation of coyotes due to an effort to curb rabies so the animals are euthanized locally. blunn creek is a unique urban habitat that sustains coyotes as far north as little stacey pool. if you come in contact with a coyote the best thing to do is scare them off to maintain their avoidance behavior but also call 311.

4- update on issues at capital metro transportation authority, john-michael cortez:
the dillo will be suspended starting october 8th and a fare increase to $.75 and eventually $1.00 by late 2010. all information concerning the future plans of cap metro are on their website along with surveys listed in the 2020 section. john-michael also mentioned there is going to be rapid bus service up congress soon that will stop at oltorf, riverside and one more spot in between at 10 minute intervals. he offered to come to another meeting and elaborate on this.

5- srcc neighborhood area national night out event for october 6th, shannon stewart:
plans have been made to hold a national night out event in the baptist church parking lot which will include the fulmore middle school mariachi band, the texas state yo-yo champ, city council members have been invited, the travis heights APD district rep, travis heights neighborhood safety reps and town lake animal shelter reps. 6pm-8pm. this event is to help create a more cohesive neighborhood by giving neighbors a chance to meet each other. community awareness creates safety and will hopefully deter crime. if you'd like to volunteer or donate, please contact shannon at svstexas@sbcglobal.net. other neighbors are planning events for smaller areas within travis heights as well as the sherwood oaks neighborhood.
MOTION: mark davis, jean mather- SRCC endorses this event = PASSED

6- update on boardwalk and potential of a blunn creek connection. presenters, jean warneke, srcc anc rep:
the current city plan to bridge the gaps in the hike and bike trail around ladybird lake by building an overwater boardwalk shows a connection point at blunn creek but a review of the area shows little to connect to. residents are exploring what the plan might be but no new information has been discovered. there is currently a "pedestrian tunnel" accessible by a stairway at the end of alameda but it's rough to say the least.

7- report on aisd property in area8 that srcc reps have been trying for years to protect as the headwaters of blunn creek. aisd has submitted a site plan for development/expansion of a cold storage facility. presenter- marty christman, co-chair of the parks, schools and environment standing committee:
blunn creek is one of the only creeks in austin that flows year round and much of it has to do with the undeveloped tracts that still remain within the recharge zone, one of which is owned by aisd and situated north of 71 near the new walmart. as these tracts are developed the ability for rainwater to absorb into the ground and feed the springs and creek is diminished. this tract is directly on the creek and could be used as a water detention pond for runoff from 71 and further south which otherwise flash floods the creek and stacey park during heavy rains. you are urged to write letters to the school board asking them to respect the wishes of the residents in the area and help preserve the ecosystem that relies on these open tracts.
MOTION: jean mather, jean warneke- srcc write letter to school board addressing the subject, explaining the goals and proposing potential solutions = PASSED

8- update on the norwood house renovation plans. presenter- wolf sittler, director of norwood posse and srcc member:
there will be a fundraiser october 11th from 3-8pm at the continental club to raise money to further this project. any volunteers for grant writing are appreciated. donations are always welcome.

9- vote to approve/disapprove road closures for acl music fest:
closures do not affect our area - no vote taken

10- vote to approve/disapprove road closures for austin symphony kinder concert:
closures do not affect our area - no vote taken

11- discuss issue of VBRO (vacation rental by owner) houses in the neighborhood being rowdy or otherwise disturbing to neighbors on regular basis. presenter- lisa mcminn, srcc resident:
lisa lives next door to a home that was built and later moved out of by the current owner who now rents it as a weekend rental. the 3 story home with pool, hot tub, pool bar and balconies has been rented regularly for months mostly to groups of 5-10, usually younger males, who tend to party late into the night. neighbors are experiencing weekly parties extending past 2am and are looking into the legality of such rentals in residentially zoned homes. it was determined the best solution for now is to call 311 every time the noise levels become excessive past legal hours since the property manager doesn't appear to be able to or want to curtail the activity themselves. if anyone is familiar with the laws concerning running a single family home as a weekend rental and the issues of noise, please share your experience.

12- on august 25th, 2009, the srcc executive committee voted to approve the street closures for the keep austin weird 5k on sept, 12th.

13- sherwood oaks (the neighborhood north of st eds, south of oltorf, east of congress and west of i-35) is organizing its own national night out event to help in the creation of a neighborhood watch. contact elloa mathews at ellomail@austin.rr.com or 442-6986 for more information.

14- grayco pud in the eroc area is going to city council on sep 24 [ 14 correction offered 9/16 by G. Goff], 2009, contact gayle goff at gayle.goff@gmail.com for more info.

15- bruce barrick has found his replacement as area 3a co-coordinator in brian talenti, who attended and was introduced.

16- on sept, 24th, the baptist church goes to council about the requested zoning/land use changes. residents have acquired the signatures necessary to have a valid petition against it.

17- the communications subcommittee hopes to make its recommendations to srcc at either the upcoming october or november meeting.

garret

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