Speak Up Austin!

The City of Austin has launched a new online service to enhance community engagement and provide a forum for residents to offer suggestions on how to improve the way the City does business.

The new Web portal, www.speakupaustin.org, is a moderated online discussion forum where residents can offer ideas and comment or vote on the ideas provided by others. The website enables users to contribute ideas on any subject, by answering the question, “How can you make it better?”

Users can suggest a new service, a service improvement, a policy change or other recommendation. It also invites users to visit subject-specific forums on topics the City is currently exploring.

The Communications and Public Information Office will provide oversight to ensure comments remain civil, as would a facilitator at an in-person meeting.

Cap Metro spraying weed killer along tracks - March 23

Hello,

Please forgive the short notice, my team was just informed.

Please inform your neighborhoods or anyone of interest that tonight along the tracks that Capital Metro will be spraying weed killer along the tracks.

Once again please apologize for the late notice, and if you have any concerns and questions please let us know.

Regards,

Juan Wah

Community Involvement Specialist

Capital Metro Transportation Authority

512-369-7720 | juan.wah@capmetro.org www.capmetro.org

Optimists' Spring Carnival - March 26th

We are hosting our Opening Ceremonies and Spring Carnival on this Saturday, March 26th located at 1105 Morrow, near the corner of Lamar and Morrow. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., we will have our opening ceremony featuring the Austin Girls' Choir, led by director, Sara Burden-McClure. Mike Barnes, from KVUE, will throw out the opening pitch followed by a look at all the NAO teams!

Then at 10 a.m., the Carnival opens with games galore...Ring Toss, Duck Pond, Cake Walk, Moonwalk, Silent Auction…just to name a few...the main attraction will be, of course, some fabulous baseball and softball games at all levels! The carnival runs from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Admission is free, tickets for the Carnival games are on sale (25 cents/per ticket), and our concessions stand will be open serving up the best burgers, dogs, and chili cheese fries in town. All proceeds generated will go to our sports programs for the kids and the improvement of the park. Come join us and have some fun!

NAO is a non-profit organization established in 1952. More information about us is available at: http://www.naopt.com/index.html

Urban Rail: What do you think?

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and City of Austin are studying a proposed Urban Rail system to improve mobility, promote investment, and enhance connections to Central Austin destinations and the regional transit system.

Your input is important.

FTA and City of Austin Public Scoping Meetings

April 4, 2011 from 2-5 p.m., Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez St.
April 6, 2011 from 5-8 p.m., SEDL @ Mueller, 4700 Mueller Blvd.

City of Austin Urban Rail Open House Meetings

April 7, 2011 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., AT&T Center @ UT, 1900 University Ave.
April 7, 2011 from 5-8 p.m., Carver Museum, 1165 Angelina St.
April 9, 2011 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Ruiz Branch Library, 1600 Grove Blvd.

Submit written comments at public meetings, by mail to Urban Rail Project, Austin Transportation Department, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767 or AustinUrbanRail.com.

Comments after public meetings must be postmarked on or before April 29, 2011 to be included in the public record.

Learn more at AustinUrbanRail.com
Information line (512) 974-2503

Spanish translators and sign language interpreters available upon request. Please call (512) 477-1018 48 hours in advance to request assistance.

Community Movie Night Under the Stars! - March 26th

Toy Story ~ Saturday, March 26th starting at 7:15 pm
Free for you, family and friends at the Amphitheater behind Brentwood Elementary.

Featured Charity - Dress for Success

Complimentary drinks from Genuine Joe's Coffeehouse
Yummy treats provided by Clif Kids
Texas DPS Credit Union will be providing popcorn for $1 a bag. All proceeds go to our featured Charity and we will be accepting cash donations too. As always, we will accept can donations for the Capital Area Food Bank too.

You are welcome to bring your own snacks. Lawn chairs and blankets are very much encouraged.

Thank you to our neighborhood sponsors:

Marc Rosenberg (OSM Solutions), Shelly Roark (Mortgage Lending Solutions), Tiffany Peters (Moreland Properties), Kathleen Munchow (Texas DPS Credit Union), Genuine Joe Coffeehouse and Clif Kids.

03.14.11 CNA General Meeting Minutes

As 4 people were absent, we decided to postpone the spending policy discussion.

Council went along with Staff's recommendation to remove the barrier to westbound traffic at Morrow/Lamar intersection but not until specific safety measures are implemented. Crestview is considering hiring a traffic engineer to conduct traffic analysis at some point in the future to address the safety concerns of the neighborhood. Members of CNA plan to continue working with City Staff and Council to ensure all improvements and safety considerations are reviewed and implemented before any action is taken to change the configuration of the intersection.

April will be a candidate forum – no structure, mainly Q & A, on the 11th, 7-8:30. Eddie will invite the candidates.

April's newsletter will announce the CNA elections set for the May general meeting - All at-large positions (4), plus the president and the treasurer are up for election. CNA had 1 at-large Exec. Board member resign last month for personal reasons.

Financial Report:
+$10 membership
+$728 ads
-$413 printing
-$35 ANC membership
= $11,389

There will be a special executive committee meeting to discuss the CNA funding policy, tentatively April 4, 7-8pm. Eddie will get back to us with confirmation.

03.14.11 CNA General Meeting Agenda

7pm Wozniak Hall, St. Louis Church

The CNA general and executive committee meetings will be combined this month, as has been the ongoing practice. There is no presentation or special topic for the meeting, so mostly executive committee business will be conducted. As always, attendance by and input from the general assembly is welcome.

Agenda Items:
CNA spending policy (ex comm members should review Kat's handout BEFORE the meeting)
April meeting agenda (candidate forum for City Council elections in May?)
Update on Morrow and Lamar
Tagging Update
CNA Newsletter style guidelines(?)

Tagging in Crestview and Brentwood

The Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods are in the middle of a gang tagging wave. The City of Austin and Parks and Recreation are aware of this and working with us to both control it and prevent it from getting any further out of hand. However, they can only do so much. A new Yahoo group has been created for neighbors who are interested in helping stop this blight via a grassroots effort.
The Violet Crown TAG (Together Against Graffiti) Team can be found here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VCTagteam/
If you would like to help paint over existing tagging, report tagging that you have seen, suggest ideas for prevention or simply stay informed and active regarding this issue, please join us! A group of committed neighbors is often the very best line of defense!
*Please know that the bulk of this tagging is gang tagging. However, most of these gangs ARE made up of juveniles whose main concerns are graffiti, petty theft and drugs. No one need be concerned that gun-toting gang maniacs are parading through our 'hood. Drug dealing is a serious crime though, and we want to make sure that these kids know that our neighborhoods WILL NOT tolerate drugs or drug dealing of any kind in our park or on our streets.

FAQ Regarding Tagging:

Q: Who do I call if I see that something has been tagged?

A: You want to do a few things. 1. Call 311 and request that a police report be filed. This is VERY important as it shows APD what's happening in a certain area. 2. Ask 311 to have someone come out and clean it up ASAP (this is free even for private property) UNLESS you have already cleaned it up or covered over it yourself. 3. If possible, take a picture of it just in case it gets removed or painted over before the police can get there. It is helpful for them to see who made the tag. 4. Keep an eye out on the affected area. Taggers often return to the scene of the crime to see their work or to see if someone has tagged over it. 5. Call 911 if you see someone hanging around the spot. Of course, you must be sensible; you certainly can't call every time someone is waiting at a bus stop, for example.

Q: Can I paint over tagging that I see?
A: YES, you can! Please do, in fact. Please try to match the paint if at all possible. We are working to get paint from the city that we will keep on hand here in the neighborhood. If you need paint, just ask on the listserve or on the new TAG Team listserve and someone can help you. Lowe's and Home Depot carry lots and lots of spray paint in various colors. The metallic silver is very good for posts. There is also a red that supposedly matches STOP signs well. They also carry a few removal products. DO NOT USE REMOVAL PRODUCTS ON REFLECTIVE SIGNS. If you cannot cover up or remove the tagging, please call 311 and explain that you have tried, but to no avai,l and you need someone to come out ASAP. Please explain to them that your neighborhood is in a tagging wave and you need it clean up as soon as possible, please.

Q: Are the gangs dangerous?
A: Probably not at all. They are mostly comprised of kids, but the police do believe that there is drug dealing involved and that takes things to another level. Drug dealing in Brentwood Park and on our streets will not be tolerated and must be stopped.

Q: What can I do to help?
A: Lots of things!
1. Join our task force - The Violet Crown TAG (Together Against Graffiti) Team is a new Yahoo group set up to give concerned neighbors a place to talk and brainstorm. Please consider joining if for nothing else than to stay informed: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VCTagteam/
2. Get out on the streets and in your park! A busy and active neighborhood shows gangs that there are lots of eyes and ears around. The more empty and quiet the streets are, the easier it is to tag.
3. Call 911 if you see suspicious activity. We have a lot of street traffic in our thoroughfare neighborhood. People are different; they look different, they dress differently, they act differently. Just because someone doesn't look like you, doesn't mean they're a criminal. Please use good judgment.
4. Clean up tagging as soon as you see it. The number ONE thing that helps contain tagging (other than catching the taggers) is to cover it up as soon as it happens. It's simply a battle of wills. When the taggers see that we are busier than they are, they'll go somewhere else...or not.

Q: Will the tagging end? Will we win?
A: Probably not. It's imperative that we look at this as a beautification project and NOT as an "us vs them" scenario. We want to show that our neighborhood is loved and well-cared for and that we are an active and involved community. Whether we "win" or not is secondary. It does a 'hood good to beautify all the time, not just when faced with issues of vandalism.

Q: Can I still post on the main listserve about tagging?
A: Of course! The new TAG group is just another avenue for communication. The tagging issue WILL die down and the TAG Team was formed so that a few people can stay involved and on top of the problem even after the initial momentum has died down.

Thanks for caring about your lovely neighborhood!
Michele Holt