Courtyard - July 2021 by Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller

July 2021

Volume 17, Number 07

We have a lot to celebrate this July, and it’s not all about the 4th! We are seeing a return to normalcy and a return to in-person meetings as the public health authorities have eased Covid restrictions. The Courtyard HOA Board has resumed in-person meetings at the Courtyard Atrium Office Building at the corner of North Scout Island Circle and Courtyard Drive. On July 3, the Courtyard will celebrate with the return of the parade and picnic in the Park!

Line-up for the parade begins at the corner of South Scout Island Circle and Courtyard Drive a little before 10AM. This year we will have our Master of Ceremonies Luis Suarez riding in John Darmanin’s classic Rolls Royce to kick off the day’s festivities. Meanwhile, we will be setting up a feast of burgers and hotdogs in the park, as well as the slip’n’slide, petting zoo, kayak rides, and lots of other fun activities! Hopefully our Station 31 firefighters will be here again this year with the big fire truck for the kids to explore. A million thanks to Joany (and Lewis) Price and all the volunteers who make this gathering possible!

**A reminder to all residents: the City of Austin does NOT permit fireworks to be used inside the City limits.** Enjoy the summer and please, drive slowly in the Courtyard!!!

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

Courtyard Caller COURTYARD BOOK CLUB Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021 5612 North Scout Island Circle A Pulitzer Prize winning work of fiction about the American Civil War is the focus of the August 3 meeting of the Courtyard Book Club. Michael Shaara won the Pulitzer for The Killer Angels, a work of historical fiction, in 1975. Three days of the Battle of Gettysburg and days leading up to it are the time frame for the story. Shaara’s book is character-driven and told from the perspectives of several of the participants from the Union and the Confederacy. Generals Lee, Longstreet, Chamberlain and Buford are some of the many voices in the story. He incorporates the human element along with maps and the troop movements that comprised the battle. The Courtyard Book Club will meet at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m. August 3. It is assumed that all attending have been vaccinated. The book club meets the first Tuesday of each month. To receive book club emails, contact Lou at LouBlemaster@gmail.com. Even those who haven’t read the monthly book are welcomed to join your neighbors for some stimulating discussion. At no time will any source be allowed to use The Courtyard Caller Newsletter contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in The Courtyard Caller Newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Peel, Inc.

DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/ correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

CHA BOARD OFCaller DIRECTORS Courtyard President Denise Hogan.......denise.1.hogan@gmail.com, 214.403.4454 Vice President Konavis Smith........................................... konavis@gmail.com Treasurer Jim Lloyd.........................jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Secretary Waneen Spirduso......................................spirduso@utexas.edu BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Janet Wright ........................ ..............mightywrights@me.com ..........................................................................469-387-5632 Meredith Massey-Kloetzer......................meremass@gmail.com Henry Mistrot....................................................512.459.7313 COMMITTEES Environmental Control (ECC) Diana Apgar ................................ ..............fd1966fd@aol.com Community Park Terry Edwards......t.edwards54321@gmail.com, 214.392.4627 Welcome Erik Maye ......................erikmaye@gmail.com, 512.626.2404 Social & Decorating Joany Price....................joanyprice@gmail.com, 512.775.8942 Landscape & Decorating Ed Ueckert.........................................................512.345.6137 Security Jim Lloyd.........................jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Communications, Editor – Courtyard Caller Jen Harold.......... harold.jennifer@gmail.com, 281.773.2880 Compliance Denise Hogan................................denise.1.hogan@gmail.com Kayak Jim Vence .......................jimvence@gmail.com, 512.436.5678 Fire Safety Richard Stelzner................................... arebeess42@gmail.com Area Development and Zoning Liaison Denise Hogan....... denise.1.hogan@gmail.com, 214.403.4454

SUB-HOA CONTACTS Center Court: Amanda Gilliland... mandagilliland@gmail.com, 512-927-7118 Travis County Courtyard (aka "Backcourt") Terry Edwards .............................. t.edwards54321@gmail.com Villas at Courtyard: Thomas Hoy..........Thomas.Hoy@freescale.com, 512.231.1270 Wolf Court: Susanne Doell.................... Drdoell@gmail.com, 512.454.3400

COURTYARD FIRE SAFETY COMMITTEE The Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division provides guidance to prepare for wildfire threats. The recommendations are based on research and experience and although constantly revised and updated, are consistent. The greatest community threat is embers. Dry brush, plants, bushes and trees provide the fuel and wind driven embers provide the ignition. The recent outreach from the AFD WFD offers some relatively modest advice for hardening your structures against the potential danger. What are the items that, for the most part, might only require a modest investment in tools rather than supplies? If you already have a ladder, some loppers, and trash bags, you might not need anything else. The most important area of concern for the Austin community is the Immediate Zone. If you live on a decent parcel of land, you might have trees or shrubs as a buffer from neighbors, but that might not be the case for the rest of us. So, let’s focus on what we can do. Starting at the ground level, take an inventory of what is flammable within that zero to five feet zone. (TIP: If you don't want to pull out a tape measure, you can use your body to easily estimate. From fingertip to fingertip when your arms are fully stretched apart is approximately equal to your height, +/- an inch or two.) In many cases, plants that were too close to a house were killed off by the hard freeze in February. If you haven’t already done so, that dead fuel needs to come out. As you’re replanting, keep the new growth away from the house itself, but you can install native plants right outside of the Immediate Zone (HIZ) that are still pretty ignition resistant as well as water thrifty. However, this is the area of the HIZ where you can afford to go “cheap”, so we'll come back to landscaping later. We’re betting several of you reading this have a scrap/recycle pile of items you’re holding on to, those things that may still have some life left in them that you’re just waiting to reuse. If you can't bring them inside, or at least into the garage, those should go to the curb (in the blue recycling cart, if possible). Patio furniture, gas grills, and all the trappings of an outdoor living room/dining room are potentially problematic during a wildfire. If the patio furniture is metallic, bring in the cushions along with the patio umbrella, welcome mat, and pet bed. Turn off the propane at the tank; if there is a hard line to the grill, shut it off at the valve. If you're planning on using your outdoor living space during times of high wildfire danger, ensure you bring those items back in when you’re finished. If you have a grill cover, your best option is to do without it during wildfire season; if you can’t stomach that option, make certain it’s in good shape and buy a new one if not. Your gutters and roof need to be cleaned at least twice a year so there aren’t leaves clogging up the works. However, when we get into the hot and dry months, checking near the roof-line for a collection of kindling waiting to ignite your rafters is a good idea, too. The same goes for the roof itself: even if you have a metal roof, a collection of branches might be what causes the attached wooden braces under the roof to smolder or ignite, just through radiant heat. The same goes for flashing and skylights; these places are also notorious for accumulating fire-starting debris.

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Courtyard Caller - July 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

Courtyard Caller Continued from Page 4 Lastly, that new mulch you just purchased for the front yard? It may do a great job at holding in moisture underneath, but the surface usually gets dried in the sun. And that makes for a prime wildfire starter. Our advice: move the mulch to a compost pile or a small garden and celebrate never having to lay down mulch again next to your house. Ultimately, the recommendations have one goal: to help you avoid preventable losses. But as with anything, there is also a margin of risk each of us deems acceptable. And only you know what that margin is, what level of risk you are willing to accept when it comes to wildfires, and your level of risk may very well affect your community. It’s not possible to have a fire truck parked in front of every house when the next one happens. Our advice is just that…advice. It is intended as a starting point for you to begin thinking about what you would—and would not—like to do to prepare your home in the event of a wildfire. We hope that you to begin evaluating your living space to see what can be done. But regardless, Reach out anytime to the Fire Safety Committee’ find us on the Courtyard Website (www. courtyardhoa.org) and we can set up a free Home Ignition Zone evaluation with you.

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - July 2021

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Courtyard Caller - July 2021