SRCC general meeting notes 11-3-2008
1 – treasurer's report: bob drew
the final payout was made for payload pass work done by PBS&J the 4th of july fund held by the austin
community fund is not earning interest
2 – private security for the neighborhood: marc davis
given the rising crime statistics in the SRCC borders some residents have begun compiling
information about hiring a private
security force to make up for a lack of response from APD. APD patrols have not noticeably increased and
arrests have been few. based on a program implemented by pemberton
heights, neighbors have researched
hiring off duty APD officers to make extra patrols (car, bike, foot), give feedback on resident
behavior that encourages crime and
hopefully make arrests. an experimental program could
be introduced during the holiday season
and that data used to tweak the program.
at 20 hours a week the program would cost
approximately $3,000/month. the role of
the SRCC is uncertain as of yet but a listserv
was started for those interested in helping to plan http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthRiverAustinsecurity/ -
it was agreed that $30/month is the
upper threshold for what residents are willing
to pay. with 60 more households that threshold is attainable. the data
collected by this project could be used to push
the issue with APD. you can check a list of
reported incidents on the APD website. this information will be added to the next newsletter to garner support and funding to
expand the project. if
you are interested in participating/contributing to the cause,
please join the yahoo group b/c the
organizers are looking to get started as
soon as possible. be sure to report any and all
crimes to APD.
MOTION: to write a letter to APD from SRCC addressing this issue and copying city council
and the district attorney = PASSED
3 – live music task force recommendations: danette
chimenti
danette is the current president of the austin neighborhoods
council which has been monitoring the work done by a city appointed 15 person task force comprised
of 12 music industry people, 2 planning
commission people and 1 neighborhood rep. the ANC voted unanimously that the recommendations
fall short. while many
issues have been addressed by the task force they seem to have overlooked residential proximity. outdoor live music near residences has been a growing problem due partially to a
disagreement about acceptable decibel
levels and at what times such activity should be permitted. peer cities
examined have chosen to adopt ordinances that
address this same issue and in general the decibel levels and times are more restrictive than what is being
proposed by the task force. council will review the findings on nov
20th so now is a good time to write them
with your concerns/stories.
MOTION: to write letter in support of ANC letter asking city council not move forward until they
address the compatibility issue = PASSED
4 – weekend bridge and road closings: danette chimenti
the city put together a task force to examine the issue of bridge and street closures for various
events. the current
ordinance sets a limit of 12 events per street per year but talk of exempting existing iconic events from this
limit would raise this limit. current requirements for organizers to gather 80-90% of the signatures of "affected parties"
might be waived or removed completely. so far there is little consensus on what to do but the group is meeting every monday
night from 5-7 at the waller creek building room 104. we
are all encouraged to participate.
5 – crime wave in area 8: roni
area 8 is also experiencing an increase in crime and looking for ways to curb it. the city offered to install more street lights if the neighbors cover the cost. participation in the private
security proposal mentioned earlier is one option.
6 – boardwalk letter to staff and council: gayle
goff
a letter about the hike and bike trail extension east of congress has been written to express
concerns and ideas about the location of
the path with a focus being placed on keeping as much of it on land as possible and using a boardwalk
as a last resort component of a hybrid
solution.
MOTION: submit letter to the PARD board = PASSED
7 – guero's – rob lippincott
the 13 year owner of guero's on south congress is
seeking an upgrade to his liquor license
that would allow him to serve till 2am 7
days a week. he says it will add value to his business
and allow his managers to legally have a
drink after work although he claims he
has no intention to change his current business hours. this issue was
brought up at a previous SRCC meeting when we voted to oppose the license upgrade. no new action was taken.
8 – committee reports –
a. 1711 kenwood requested a variance to decrease the minimum lot size
for having a duplex from 7,000 sq. ft. to 6,956 sq. ft. No neighbors appeared in opposition so
SRCC decided to take no
action.
b. november 11th at
garret
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