oakhillgazette.com
April 4, 2013 Volume 18, No. 7 Southwest Austin’s Community Newspaper Since 1995
A monument to neighbors helping neighbors story and photos by Bobbie Jean Sawyer
OAK HILL - Nearly two years ago, Lilly Henric returned to her normally serene Scenic Brook neighborhood to find complete
disarray. The sun was blotted out by falling ash and hazy black smoke as neighbors were corralled by police as firefighters and citizens attempted to save pets and salvage homes going up in flames all around.
“It was sheer chaos,” Henric said. “People were yelling and running back and forth. There was no water pressure. People were out with their hoses trying to wet down their roof but there was no water pressure. The
police were on the bullhorn yelling at people to move and they were starting to panic. That was all in about five minutes time.” When Henric was finally allowed back to her house after the historic 2011 Oak Hill fire, known officially as the Pinnacle Fire, she had a glimmer of hope that her home, along with several decades-worth
of keepsakes and heirlooms, was spared from the flames. “As I walked up to the house, the front wall looked fine. I thought ‘Oh, thank you God!’ I took another step and went down to my knees because the roof was gone,” Henric said. “It’s like somebody sucks all the air out of you.” Adding to the devastating See MONUMENT on page 22
Bowie Band chosen to perform in London New Year’s Day Parade story and photos by Ann Fowler
Connie Justice, Wanda Montemayor and Kathy Morgan work on “The Phoenix Rising,” a six by ten foot wall adorned with painted ceramic tiles decorated by Oak Hill residents, Austin students and police and fire departments. It will be unveiled at Windmill Run Park at a May 5 dedication ceremony.
OAK HILL - Former Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Duncan Sandys surprised the members and parents of Bowie’s marching band Thursday with an invitation to perform in the prestigious London New Year’s Day Parade (http://www. londonparade.co.uk/) in 2015. Councillor Sandys is the great grandson of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Said Band Director Kim Shuttlesworth, “You cannot apply to attend the parade. A committee of members recommends you for this prestigious honor. James Bowie’s bands have worked diligently over
The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Duncan Sandys. the past years to create a high standard of excellence in music. This See BOWIE on page 27
Workman files bills to gut SOS, loosen tree protections by Ann Fowler AUSTIN - In the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature, which started January 8 and ends May 27, 6,500 bills have been introduced. Thirty of those have been filed by Rep. Paul Workman, who represents District 47 and much of Oak Hill.
Another Workman bill would make it illegal to obey federal gun control laws Rep. Workman is the secretary and founder of the Workman Construction Company. The bills introduced by Rep. Workman would: remove Austin’s heritage tree protections, diminish
the protections of the Save Our Springs ordinance, and make it a crime for any Texan to obey Federal gun control laws. In a city that prides itself on environmental protections, the pro-
posed bills by an Austin legislator seem ironic. Some locals agree with the intent of his bills, others do not. For decades Austin had an ordinance on the books to protect trees with a trunk diameter of 19 inches
or more. In March 2008, more than 100 trees were cut down in Oak Hill without the proper approvals, but little could be done. Many felt the existing ordinance lacked teeth. In See WORKMAN on page 26