Violet Crown Festival Music Line Up

The Violet Crown Festival, which will be held on Saturday, May 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., in Brentwood Park, has announced its music lineup. In addition to the best in local food and arts; neighborhood history; community resources; and family activities, the festival will showcase a full slate of local music.

Performers at the festival will include:

11 a.m. - Roger Beck and the Knights of Texas Swing: Roger's the long-time barber at Crestview Barber Shop and has been playing music in Austin even longer. Great swing and country music standards.

12 p.m. – Schmillion: 2010 Austin Chronicle Music Awards' Best Under-18 band, with members from Brentwood, Crestview, and Hyde Park (students from McCallum and LASA high schools). They've rocked audiences at Momo's, Antone's, Emo's and the Texas Lonestar Roller Derby.

1 p.m. - Jungle Jill and the Jaybirds: Fun for the kids! Folk rock/ Americana/ Bluegrass. All-ages family dance band with puppet show!

2 p.m. - Low Elsie: Young singer-songwriter Lowell Carrico brings his rock/ blues/ Americana original songs to the stage. He's influenced by Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, and Widespread Panic.

3 p.m. - The Happy Campers: Original rootsy Americana five-piece band, including Brentwood's own Vanita Trippe!

4 p.m. - Deann René: Crestview songstress and lead singer of the edgy pop-rock band On Ejde brings her singer-songwriter act to the Violet Crown stage.

5 p.m. - Panther Trio: These three McCallum High students will rock the festival to a close with their original tunes!

Admission to the festival is free. Information is available at the Violet Crown Web Site. Become a festival fan on Facebook (Violet Crown Spring Festival 2010) and spread the word to your friends!

Proceeds will help support projects of the Friends of Brentwood Park, Brentwood and Crestview neighborhood volunteers dedicated to maintaining the park and helping continue to develop it as a community resource. The group already has made an impact after several work days in the park and is making plans for more enhancements.

This spring's festival is the 10th neighborhood event Violet Crown Community Works has coordinated since 2003.

Major sponsors of this spring's event include Amy's Ice Creams, Discount Electronics, Grande Communications, the Pilates Center of Austin, and Sweet Leaf Tea. Additional sponsors include Barnstormers Studio, Burnet Road Storage, Crestview Minimax IGA, Drake Industries, HEB, John Dunham/Juice Homes, L Style G Style magazine, and Rose & Associates Properties. Special thanks to Friends of Brentwood Park for volunteering to help with this spring's festival.

Violet Crown Community Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, helping build and sustain community in Brentwood and Crestview by supporting neighborhood enhancement projects and events.

For more information about VCCW and the festival, contact Mona Prater, 512-450-1167. To sign on as a festival volunteer, contact Vanita Trippe, 512-302-9792.

Imagine Austin - Upcoming forums for public input

Austin’s Future
Is in YOUR Hands!

You Gave Us The Pieces…
Come Help Us Put Them Together

Over 5,000 Austinites told us they wanted to see a more diverse population, a more diverse mix of housing types, more and better ways of getting around the city, and local business growth. We used that input to craft a vision statement for Austin’s future. Now, we want to know what you think of that vision. We are facing the startling reality that Austin is expected to double in population over the next 30 years. You'll have a hands-on opportunity to identify how we should grow and what transportation infrastructure we'll need. It's your chance to interact directly with your fellow Austinites as we chart a course for Austin's future. It’s up to YOU to make it happen!

Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan and the Strategic Mobility Plan invite you to participate in one of four upcoming forums.

Tuesday, April 27
Austin Community College Eastview Campus
3401 Webberville Rd., Austin, TX 78702 3:30 –9 pm
Interactive exercises begin at 3:30 and 6:30 (snacks and pizza)

Wednesday, April 28
St. David’s Episcopal Church
304 East 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701
7:45 am -1:30 pm
Interactive exercises begin at 7:45 and 11:30
(breakfast and lunch)

Wednesday, April 28
Anderson High School
8403 Mesa Drive, Austin, TX 78759
6:-8:30 pm (pizza)

Saturday, May 1
Fulmore Middle School
201 East Mary, Austin, TX 78704
9-11:30 am (breakfast tacos!)

For more information and to RSVP please visit the Imagine Austin web site.

Help ensure Crestview gets funding for roads, schools, libraries, etc. - Turn in your Census Form

Dear Travis County Residents:

Section 1, Article 2 of the U. S. Constitution requires that beginning in 1790 all U. S. residents shall be counted every 10 years.

Only Alaska, Mississippi and Utah have a lower response rate for responding to the U, S. Census than Texas and Travis County is in the lower third among the largest Texas counties. After 2 mailings, informational hot lines, e-mails, extensive media coverage and pleas from elected officials and community leaders for us to complete and return the Census forms more than 500,000 Travis County residents remain uncounted. At stake are the estimated 4 new congressional districts for Texas (the most for any state) and billions of dollars of federal funds for roads, schools, public works projects, libraries, etc. Each resident is worth about $15,000 in federal funds over the next decade and as it stands Travis County could lose a billion dollars if just 70,000 (about 7%) Travis County residents are missed.

Responding to the U.S Census is easy, safe, important - and it is federally mandated.

If you have received the U. S. Census form, PLEASE complete and return it to avoid a Census worker coming to your residence. If you have not received a Census form, beginning Monday April 12th through April 20th you can call and complete your Census form over the phone at 866 872-6868 (English) or 866 928-2010 (Spanish). Or you can go to a Census Assistance Center (complete list available at Constable5.com) and complete a Census form.

Each 1% of U.S. residents who fail to complete the Census will cost taxpayers about $85 million to pay Census personnel to visit non responsive households.

Please support our community and save tax dollars by completing your Census form. It's the right thing to do and it is the law.

Constable Bruce Elfant

Brentwood Elementary Garden Tour - April 24

6700 Arroyo Seco
Saturday April 24, 11 - 3pm.



The school will be showing off their 13 organic gardens, and hosting free kids gardening activities.

04.12.10 CNA General Meeting Minutes

As the meeting was combined with the executive committee meeting, the minutes are posted on the CNA committees site.

Sustainable Neighborhoods meetings - Apr 20, May 18

Those of us who follow happenings along streets like Lamar and Burnet expect a new wave of redevelopment in the next 5-10 years, as the economy picks up. This will coincide with the opening of rapid bus service running every 10 minutes starting in 2011 (Lamar) and 2013 (Burnet). We have questions:

- Will new housing occur randomly up and down a miles-long corridor, like traditional car-centric apartments? Or will it be focused in "town centers" at places like Burnet/Anderson and Lamar/Airport, where it is close to better transit, relatively buffered from single-family homes, and designed to encourage strong community?

- Will support for town center districts be just sidewalks on the side of a hot, noisy, smelly street? Or will town centers be supported with a combination of outdoor features like plazas, pocket parks, trails and sidewalks that together encourage alternatives to driving on area streets?

- Where will the funding and ordinance changes come from to achieve family-friendly and transit-friendly development? How quickly will City policy changes occur? Will it be in time to influence the next wave?

Two of the City's influential policymakers are coming out to North Central Austin to address these questions.

Tue April 20 - Asst Mobility Director Gordon Derr Will Speak On Planning of Suburban Transit Corridors

Tue May 18 - Asst Planning Director Garner Stoll Will Speak On Comp Planning and Suburban Redevelopment

Join us at the next two meetings of Sustainable Neighborhoods to find out what the City has in mind, and how we can influence these changes in a neighborhood-friendly fashion. The meetings are 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the activity center of the Village Christian Apartments, 7925 Rockwood Ln. I think these two meetings can have positive repercussions for the City's planning efforts now underway. But we need your participation for that to happen. Please come out!

Crestview Neighborhood Plan Contact Team Formation - April 19

Update:

On April 19th, the proposed by laws were accepted (with a minor edit in two parts changing from "chair" to "facilitator") with a 10-2 vote. Candidates for facilitator (Paige Hill), vice-facilitator (Tonia Scaperlanda), and secretary (Heidi Goebel) were nominated and each approved by an 11-1 vote. All of the CNPCT officers currently serve on the CNA Executive Committee.

-------------------------------------------
Update:

Next Monday April 19th, at 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, we will meet at the St. Louis Catholic Church, 7601 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78745

This meeting will be to vote on the draft bylaws and nominate and elect officers for the Crestview Neighborhood Plan Contact Team.

The Contact Team is responsible for monitoring and prioritizing the neighborhood plan’s recommendations and is also responsible for making recommendations regarding any future amendments to the adopted neighborhood plan.

The officer positions that will be voted on will be: Facilitator, Vice-Facilitator and Secretary. If you are interested in serving in one of these positions please come to the meeting.

Attached you will find a copy of the draft bylaws. Section 9 of the bylaws outlines the officers & their duties.

See the attached flyer for more information or go to the following website.

Warm regards
Margaret

Margaret E. Valenti
Neighborhood Planner III
Contact Team and Education Coordinator
(512) 974-2648

City of Austin
Planning & Development Review Department
505 Barton Springs Road, Austin Texas 78704
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Help protect your neighborhood and keep your neighbors informed of proposed amendments to our neighborhood's plan! The Contact Team is responsible for monitoring and prioritizing the neighborhood plan’s recommendations and is also responsible for making recommendations regarding any future amendments to the adopted neighborhood plan. The meeting on the 19th will vote of the by laws for the team and elect officers. See the flyer for details.

04.12.10 CNA General Meeting Agenda

As the meeting is combined with the executive committee meeting this month, the agenda appears on the CNA Committees site.

Twin Oaks Biergarten Meet and Greet - April 12

Twin Oaks Biergarten, LLC will be hosting a meet and greet on Monday April 12, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Twin Oaks parking lot located at 6700 Burnett Rd. We will be answering questions as well as providing a tour of the site for people to see our development plans.

Please feel free to join us at the meeting.

I hope to see all of you there,
John Bucy III
twinoaksaustin@gmail.com

Morrow and Lamar Intersection Update

UPDATE:

Stakeholders in the Highland and Crestview neighborhoods and other interested parties –

City staff presented the results of the Morrow Street traffic analysis to the City Council Comprehensive Planning & Transportation Committee (CPTC), on April 5, 2010, however due to time constraints the Committee did not have time to ask questions of staff or discuss the agenda item. Therefore, the Committee asked staff to return to the next CPTC meeting to complete the discussion.

The CPTC will meet on Monday, May 3rd, 2010, 2pm, City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX. The Morrow Street Traffic Analysis will be the first staff item on the agenda, following citizen communication and approval of minutes from the previous meeting. The agenda for the meeting will be posted tomorrow on www.ci.austin.tx.us/agenda/committee.htm.

Please note that this will be a staff update to the CPTC - it is not a public hearing. It will be at the Committee’s discretion as to whether they will take any comments from the audience on this agenda item. During the April 5th meeting, 3 citizens spoke on the Morrow Street Traffic Analysis agenda item.

The CPTC meeting may be viewed on the Channel 6 website www.ci.austin.tx.us/channel6/ live or in replay. I will update the Morrow St. traffic analysis website (www.ci.austin.tx.us/planning/morrow.htm) following the CPTC meeting with any news or future public input opportunities.

Please call or email me if you have any questions.

Molly Scarbrough
Principal Planner
City of Austin
Planning & Development Review Dept.
Tel: (512) 974-3515
Office Hours: 8:30am to 3:00pm
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The Morrow Street traffic analysis will be presented to the Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee (CPTC) of the City Council on Monday, April 5th, 2010, 2pm, City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX. The agenda for the meeting is posted on here.

Staff will present the traffic analysis findings and a summary of neighborhood viewpoints gathered during the Feb. 8th public meeting. Please note that this will be a staff update to the CPTC - it is not a public hearing. It will be at the Committee’s discretion as to whether they will take any comments from the audience on this agenda item. The CPTC meeting may be viewed on the Channel 6 website www.ci.austin.tx.us/channel6/ live or in replay. I will update the Morrow St. traffic analysis website following the CPTC meeting with any news or future public input opportunities.

Please call or email me if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Molly Scarbrough
Principal Planner
City of Austin
Planning & Development Review Dept.
Tel: (512) 974-3515
Office Hours: 8:30am to 3:00pm

NOTE: See earlier post for background.