Brentwood Park pavilion and open house

Dear Neighbors,

You might notice 4 wooden stakes in a large rectangle formation just east of the playscape. These four stakes are wrapped in bright 'construction orange' ribbon, and each has a flyer notice from Friends of Brentwood Park.

As you know, Friends of Brentwood Park is working on a pavilion project with Parks and Recreation Dept., and these 4 stakes represent the approximate size and placement of the 24 ft wide by 48 ft long proposed pavilion.

These stakes will be in place until our July 9th Open House at the Park (10am to Noon). View project details at the display case at the Crestview Shopping Center (between the pharmacy and cleaners).

We welcome your feedback and input about this park project, and hope you can join us at the open house or send us a message.

Please crosspost to Brentwood.

Thank You,
Kat Correa

Bike route along Woodrow

In order to address traffic congestion and air quality, the City's Public Works Department is implementing and improving a bicycle route system, as directed by the Austin City Council per City Ordinance No. 20090611-075 (The Austin Bicycle Plan). Woodrow Avenue from Koenig Lane to Anderson Lane is part of Route 41 of the City of Austin bicycle system.

In coordination with routine street maintenance (road re-surfacing and re-striping), and to enhance mobility in the corridor for both motor vehicles and bicycles, the street striping will be reconfigured to modify parking and improve existing bicycle lanes. To accomplish this reconfiguration, on-street motor vehicle parking will be prohibited on certain sections of Woodrow Avenue. The corridor's safety and mobility, as well as the results of an on-street parking use analysis, were considered to determine these parking modifications:

· Woodrow Ave. (Koenig to Alegria) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street.
· Woodrow Ave. (Alegria to Arcadia) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street except Sunday 8am-1pm.
· Woodrow Ave. (Arcadia to Brentwood) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street.
· Woodrow Ave. (Brentwood to Ruth) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street except Sunday 8am-1pm.
· Woodrow Ave. (Ruth to Morrow) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street.
· Woodrow Ave. (Morrow to Dartmouth) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street except Sunday 8am-1pm.
· Woodrow Ave. (Dartmouth to Duke) –prohibit parking on the west side of the street.
· Woodrow Ave. (Duke to Anderson) –prohibit parking on both sides of the street.

Figure 1 – Woodrow Ave Planned and Existing No Parking Zones [see link]

You can obtain additional information and provide feedback at an Open House on June 30th, 2011, from 6:00 pm to 7:30pm at the Virginia L Brown Recreation Center, 7500 Blessing Ave, Conference Room B. If feasible, modifications to the proposal can be made after input received at the Open House. If you cannot attend this Open House, please provide feedback to Neil Kopper at 974-7166 or neil.kopper@ci.austin.tx.us . Final striping plans will be made available online at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/publicworks/bicycle-projects.htm two weeks after the Open House.

Sincerely,

Annick C. Beaudet, AICP
Project Manager, Bicycle & Pedestrian Program
Department of Public Works | City of Austin
Phone (512) 974-6505 | Fax (512) 974-7222
annick.beaudet@ci.austin.tx.us | www.cityofaustin.org

SN Meeting June 21 to Hone Tree-Planting Strategy

Sustainable Neighborhoods of North Central Austin will meet on Tuesday, June 21 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM to discuss strategy and tactics for planting up to one hundred sidewalk trees along our commercial streets throughout North Central Austin.

We need help to do this - ideas, time and fund-raising expertise. Please come out and help us make our commercial streets a seamless part of our neighborhoods. Or contact me offline.

The meeting will be at the Village Christian Apartments Activity Room, 7925 Rockwood Ln. Directions at https://sites.google.com/a/snaustin.org/snaustin-external-site/meeting-directions.

Strong Volunteer Efforts Save Tree from Drought

Extraordinary efforts from volunteers from Crestview, Allandale and Brentwood seem to have saved a tree planted in March at the bus stop by Burnet at Justin. Other trees planted on Burnet in March and in October are doing well.

The one tree had lost about half its leaves, and the other leaves were brown along the edges. This happened despite following our watering plan. Our rule has been to water each week there was no rain. In late May, we had a couple of weeks with 1/2 inch or so of rain, so we didn't water for two weeks. Since then, volunteers have watered the trees twice a week. Some people have watered the trees on their own, without signing up for the watering rotation. The tree most at risk has started budding out new leaves. Thanks so much to everyone who is pitching in this summer to keep these trees in good shape!

Need Tree-Watering Volunteers or Contributions for this Summer

Several people have stepped up to water trees this summer, but we could use a few more people. Please contact me offline if you would be willing to water at either of those locations, or contribute funds so that we can pay a local student to supplement our rotation. Also let me know if you would be able to help organize watering at future planting sites on Burnet, Lamar, Anderson or Airport.

SN Requests Matching Grant to Plant Dozens of More Trees on Burnet

Sustainable Neighborhoods in May submitted a letter of intent for a City of Austin Neighborhood Matching Grant that could help fund planting and watering of from 20 to 80 more trees on Burnet Rd. Scope of the initiative will depend on what watering options the City's program director thinks could be viable.

Quick update on the 21 trees planted at Lamar Middle School in October last year, and near Frisco's on March 13. Amazingly, all but one of the trees are in great shape.

We went into a drought cycle almost immediately after planting the trees at Lamar, and it has been unrelenting. Normal rain in Austin between October and March is 15.3 inches. This last half year we got just 5 inches.

The trees are thriving because of dedicated support from neighbors. A core group of people has been watering the trees at Lamar once a week like clockwork. Frisco's has done a great job of watering the six trees planted at their location. One Sustainable Neighborhoods member is trucking water to four trees near bus stops once a week. The Lamar MS trees also got some TLC from the KAB Clean Sweep effort on 4/19.

YOU CAN HELP TOO.

1. Say "Thanks" to the folks at Frisco's, for their hard work making Burnet more beautiful.
2. If you ever visit Elsi's or Frisco's, take a moment to pour water on the trees with one of the jugs by the trees, and refill it while you're dining.
3. If you live near Burnet-Justin/Pegram and take evening walks, consider taking water to the trees at the bus stop on the SE corner.
4. Email me to sign up for a place on the Lamar MS tree watering roster, posted at https://sites.google.com/a/snaustin.org/snaustin-external-site/lamar-tree-rotation
5. Help organize tree-watering posse's for future trees planted along Burnet Rd. We can plant trees at many sites only if we can line up a two-year watering rotation. We can also use your volunteer time to obtain neighborhood matching grants. If you're interested in helping with this (or donating matching funds), email me offline.

Thanks again so much to everybody who has already helped to plant and water trees! Over time, Burnet Rd is going to get greener. :)

Steven

SN Meeting June 21 to Hone Tree-Planting Strategy

Sustainable Neighborhoods of North Central Austin will meet on Tuesday, June 21 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM to discuss strategy and tactics for planting up to one hundred sidewalk trees along our commercial streets throughout North Central Austin.

We need help to do this - ideas, time and fund-raising expertise. Please come out and help us make our commercial streets a seamless part of our neighborhoods. Or contact me offline.

The meeting will be at the Village Christian Apartments Activity Room, 7925 Rockwood Ln. Directions here.

Crestview Neighborhood Planning Contact Team Upcoming Meetings

The elections to fill vacancies for the Facilitator, and Secretary positions for the Crestview Neighborhood Planning Contact Team (CNPCT) will be postponed until the regularly scheduled August CNCPT meeting on August 15, 2011, 6:30 p.m. at the Crestview United Methodist Church.

The June CNPCT meeting will be held at it's regular time and location, on Monday, June 20th at 6:30 p.m. at the Crestview United Methodist Church. The June meeting will be held as an informative meeting to go over the purpose of the CNPCT, the CNPCT by laws and responsibilities of the vacant positions for anyone interested in attending.

Information and discussion regarding the CNPCT will be on the agenda for the CNA Meeting scheduled for this Monday, June 13th, 7:00 p.m. at Wozniak Hall, St. Louis Catholic Church.

06.13.2011 CNA General Meeting Agenda

As usual, the meeting will take place at 7pm in Wozniak Hall of the St. Louis Catholic Church.

- Neighborhood Planning Contact Team update
- Planning Ice Cream Social
- Discuss displaying info on other groups or activities in the CNA display case
- Discuss an annual meeting plan