Support Your Neighborhood Association and Join the HPWBANA Inside: Monthly HPWBANA Constable Report Highland Park West Balcones Area
HIGHLAND PARK WEST BALCONES AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION VOLUME 17, NUMBER 06 • JUNE 2021 • WWW.HPWBANA.ORG
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021
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Highland Park West Balcones Area
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Highland Park West Balcones Area
Austin Citywide Information Center... 974-2000 or 311 Emergency Police, Fire and EMS.............................. 911 Non-emergency Police (coyote sighting, etc.)......... 311 Social Services (during work hours)........................ 211 APD REP. - Officer Darrell Grayson........ 512-974-5242
BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Jason Lindenschmidt................ president@hpwbana.org VICE PRESIDENT Bill McMillin.........................................vp@hpwbana.org TREASURER George Zwicker........................ treasurer@hpwbana.org SECRETARY Dawn Lewis.............................. secretary@hpwbana.org NEWSLETTER EDITOR Pam Keller.............................. newsletter@hpwbana.org WEBMASTER Henry Tang.............................webmaster@hpwbana.org BOARD MEMBERS Bill Hyland...................................... board@hpwbana.org Michael R. Levy.............................. board@hpwbana.org Rebecca Spratlin............................. board@hpwbana.org
The HPWBANA Board meets on the fourth Monday of each month except December. Please go to HPWBANA. org for our current meeting location or contact president@ hpwbana.org. HWPBANA is bordered on the north by 2222, on the south by 35th Street, on the west by Mt. Bonnell Road, and on the east by MoPac and by Bull Creek Road between Hancock Drive and 45th Street. Mail your membership dues to HPWBANA, P.O. Box 26101, Austin, Texas 78755.
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021
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Highland Park West Balcones Area
President's Letter
Neighbors:
In the 1997 Articles of Incorporation for the Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association, the Purposes of the Association state: “Specifically, the Corporation is organized to preserve and enhance the neighborhood in northwest Austin, Texas; to foster a closer, more genuine community of neighbors; to provide a forum for pursuing a variety of goals beneficial to the neighborhood; and, to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood in matters such as land use, zoning, environmental protection, public services, traffic, safety, consumer protection, and other matters of neighborhood concern.” HPWBANA, like many other neighborhood and civic associations, is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership to manage the affairs of the Association. Each year at the annual meeting, members of the Board are elected; however, when there is a vacancy on the Board, it may approve filling the vacancy by an affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining Directors. Currently, there are two vacancies on the nine-member HPWBANA Board of Directors. The Board meets monthly. The Board is actively seeking to fill the two vacancies. Please consider volunteering for one of the openings. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact any of the Board officers: Jason Lindenschmidt, President president@hpwbana. org; Bill McMillin, Vice President vp@hpwbana.org; Dawn Lewis, Secretary secretary@hpwbana.org; or George Zwicker, Treasurer treasurer@hpwbana.org. For more information about HPWBANA’s Bylaws : http:// hpwbana.org/resources/hpwbana-bylaws Jason Lindenschmidt, President Board of Directors Highland Park West Balcones Neighborhood Association president@hpwbana.org
2021 Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association Meeting Schedule, Fourth Monday of each Month (except December)
Beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Zoom Until Further Notice June 28, 2021 July 26, 2021 August 23, 2021 September 27, 2021 October 25, 2021 November 22, 2021 Annual Meeting TBD, between Labor Day (September 6, 2021) and Thanksgiving (November 25, 2021) 4
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021
Highland Park West Balcones Area
by Dena Houston
RECYCLE & RESUSE DROP-OFF CENTER (RRDOC) *AN AUSTIN GEM* When the RRDOC was closed during the pandemic, Austinites really came to appreciate the center and were anxious for it to open again. I received emails daily from my readers saying things like “I am overrun with Styrofoam! Can’t wait for the center to open again.” and “I have spent weeks in isolation passing the time by cleaning out my garage – can’t wait to be able to take all the stuff to the RRDOC.” I had the privilege to interview Donald Hardee, the Division Manager of the RRDOC, to learn more about the center’s history and to get Mr. Hardee’s personal perspective on the this “gem’s” operations. Here is a summary of my interview. HISTORY The RRDOC began as a hazardous materials collection center. When the City purchased the property where Ecology Action (EA) was located, EA decided to close and go in a different direction – environmental education. The City wanted to continue the work of EA, so it expanded the Household Hazardous Waste Center to collect the same items EA had been collecting (including Styrofoam). That’s when the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center was created. CHALLENGES When asked what the biggest challenges of the center are currently, Mr. Hardee said “space and convenience of location.” • Space – The facility was not designed to handle the current amount of traffic from the public dropping off material or the large trucks hauling the recycling material away. The “by appointment only” system has helped control drop-off traffic and allowed more time and space for the hauling trucks. The RRDOC will continue to use this system for the foreseeable future. Go to http://www.austintexas.gov/department/recycle-reuse-dropcenter to make an appointment. • Location – Far south Austin is not convenient for a large part of Austin. The City hopes to eventually have another facility in north or west Austin, but there are no definite plans or locations at this time. FUTURE PROJECTS There are some exciting Styrofoam repurposing projects being developed at the RRDOC. Some of the densified Styrofoam is being formed into polyethylene blocks to create wheel chocks (blocks of sturdy material placed closely behind wheels of large trucks to prevent accidental movement). RRDOC is also investigating the use of the Styrofoam for curb stops in parking lots. STORY TO SHARE I asked Mr. Hardee for an interesting story from his experiences at the RRDOC. Here is the story he shared: One day, a woman brought in a vial of something she had found in her basement after her husband had passed away. He had been a pharmacist and this substance had been used in cardiac medication. She didn’t know what to do with it or exactly what it was. It was labeled “Tetrodotoxin,” which is Pufferfish toxin. Tetrodotoxin is deadly to humans – up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide, and there is no known antidote. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans. The center accepted it and disposed of it properly. They were so grateful she brought it in rather than throw into her trash or, worse yet, her compost bin. IN CONCLUSION I am very grateful that Mr. Hardee took time out of his busy day to share his RRDOC knowledge with me and my Lettuce Recycle readers. We are very fortunate in Austin to have the Recycle and Reuse Drop-Off Center to help Austin reach its Zero Waste commitment. Here is a very informative City of Austin recycling website: http://www. austintexas.gov/what-do-i-do. Stay tuned for future tips that will include creative ways to recycle or reuse. If you have any questions, please send them to recycling@hpwbana.org.
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spratlin pending
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021
Highland Park West Balcones Area
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Highland Park West Balcones Area 1405 Brandi Ln Round Rock, TX 78681
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - JUNE 2021