Courtyard - October 2021 by Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller

October 2021

Traffic Safety in the Courtyard

Volume 17, Number 10

COURTYARD BOOK CLUB Tuesday, November 2, 2021 5612 North Scout Island Circle

According to data collected by TXDOT, most accidents occur between the hours of 4PM – 8PM. As part of Vision Zero, the City of Austin has lowered the speed limit on most residential streets to 25 mph. This includes all streets in the Courtyard with the exception of Courtyard Drive. Speed is a contributing factor in one quarter of all traffic fatality crashes. Reductions in speed limits and traffic calming devices such as speed cushions are tools the City utilizes to reduce speeding. However, the most effective control is for drivers to abide by posted speed limits and be aware of their surroundings. Please refrain from distracting driving and be mindful of your speed and the blind areas in the neighborhood where pedestrians and children may be present. Areas of concern in the Courtyard include • Courtyard Drive • N Scout Island Cir • S Scout Island Cir If you have a concern about speed you may contact Austin 3-1-1. Austin Transportation staff will receive and evaluate your request. You may also contact your Austin Police Department district representatives for questions or comments regarding speeding enforcement. Thank you for making our community a safe and wonderful place to call home. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

The Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell is a work of historical fiction about the hardscrabble life of miners and their families in Michgian’s Upper Peninsula in the early 1900s during the first unionized mining strike in the region. It is the focus of discussion for the Nov. 2 Courtyard Book Club meeting. The central character of the book is “Big Annie” Clements, based on Annie Clemenc, “America’s Joan of Arc,” who founded the Women’s Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners. Big Annie is instrumental in the limited success of the strike and support effort for the miners. Several historical figures are featured in the book, including Mother Jones. Big Annie’s union efforts and her survival of a tragic incident that devastated the community led to some fame in the trade union movement of the era. However, the real Annie died in relative obscurity in Chicago in 1956. She was only recognized in recent years as an important historical figure in Michigan’s union movement. The Courtyard Book Club normally meets at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m. Given fluctuating numbers on the Covid-19 front, the meeting might shift to Zoom if it is considered too high-risk to meet in person. Notification on the setting for the meeting will be emailed closer to the time of the Nov. 2 meeting. The 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 interesting discussion. Courtyard Caller - October 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - October 2021

CHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Courtyard Caller From the Austin Fire Department • Make sure costumes are visible and can be seen by drivers. For greater visibility in dusk or darkness, costumes should be decorated or trimmed with reflective tape. • Use cosmetics instead of face masks. If a mask is used, make sure it fits securely and does not block vision. • Carry either a flashlight or a "glow-stick." Do not carry candles, torches, or other actual flaming devices. • Costumes should be flame retardant. • Do not drive in a costume that restricts movement or vision. • Children should always have an adult with them. • An adult should inspect all candy before children are allowed to eat it. • Throw away any candy that is not individually wrapped or purchased at a store. • Children should stay on the sidewalk when trick-or-treating. • Stay in small groups (we suggest six or fewer to a group). Stay near home in a familiar neighborhood and surroundings. • Cross streets only at intersections. • Candle-lit jack-o-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame. • Indoor jack-o-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, or other furnishings that could be ignited. • Jack-o-lanterns should be treated like all other candles. Extinguish them before leaving them unattended and before going to sleep.

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 Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller - October 2021

Courtyard Caller So far 2021 has certainly been an unusual year, but it may return to the usual as the big freeze and heavy rains of spring and early summer fade into the past and leave the vegetative overgrowth to wither, die and dry. Expected near triple digit temperatures and lower humidity in late September and October may produce a high rate of drying in vegetation and trees, which will increase the risk of wildfire activity. Dry fuels are expected to expand in the Hill Country and other regions of Texas. Although California, Oregon and Washington seem to be the center of wildfires, it is important to remember that Texas, including the Hill Country, is NOT immune to wildfires. Although Wildfire activity across the state continues to trend below normal, the late summer and fall are usually when an increase in wildfire activity is expected. While our community is mainly residential in nature, with streets, houses and landscaped yards, we are also located adjacent to undeveloped land and preserves that are heavily vegetated and in a wildland state. We are the WUI (Wildland Urban Interface), actually a better description is the Wildland Urban

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Courtyard Caller - October 2021

Intermix with forest-like areas running around and through our neighborhoods. Volunteers clear the Community Park in the Spring, and during August and in early September members of the Board and Committees tour the HOA common areas to identify and schedule fuel mitigation activities. This decreases some of the risk of wildfire, but the other component is the homeowner. As a homeowner, you can interrupt or change a fire’s path to your home by clearing your home’s ignition zone (HIZ). This is nothing more than pruning, maintaining and consistently doing vegetation management in your yard to create a defensible space. To accomplish this, flammable items such as dead vegetation must be removed from the area immediately around the structure to prevent flames from contacting it. Also, reducing the volume of live vegetation will affect the intensity of the wildfire as it enters the home ignition zone. Fires radiate heat that can dry even live vegetation. The good news is that residents can substantially reduce exposure to loss during a wildfire by taking preventive actions within their HIZ to reduce wildfire vulnerabilities. Relatively small investments of time and effort reap great wildfire safety rewards. Studies and firefighting experience have highlighted the three defensible zones: 1. From the house out to five feet – keep plants and shrubs well trimmed and healthy and/or use non-combustible ground cover, such as, stone or pavers; clean gutters and roofs. 2. Five to 30 feet, the area out to the street, decks and patios and toward the neighbors home – keep grasses mowed; bushes pruned and tree branches 6 to 10 feet above the roof and above the ground and bushes; remove plant and leaf debris and combustible material. 3. 30 to 100 feet, backyard and side yard spaces – trees overhanging streets and cooperation between neighbors to maintain vegetation where properties meet. It protects both homes. Individual home risks are a function of everything in its surrounding “ignition zone” - the house and its immediate surroundings. For resources from risk evaluations to how to prepare in case there is a wildfire go to the Austin Area Wildfire Hub at https:// wildfire-austin.hub.arcgis.com/ For an excellent tutorial on how the community homeowners can respond to the risk, see How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfires https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Firewise/Factsheets/FirewiseHowToPrepareYourHomeForWildfires.pdf The Courtyard Evacuation Essentials can be viewed on the Courtyard Website www.courtyardhoa.org under Fire Safety. To sign up for a home wildfire risk evaluation by one of our trained teams, email fire-safety@courtyardhoa.org. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

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Courtyard Caller - October 2021

Courtyard Caller

Utility Relocation Continues for Loop 360 at Westlake Drive/Cedar Street Project Overhead and underground utilities continue to be relocated

to prepare for future construction of the Loop 360 at Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project. Utility relocation includes tree trimming/removal and moving overhead/underground utility lines. You may see Google crews within the next few weeks alongside the corridor as they are the latest company to begin this process. This project has completed the necessary environmental study and received environmental clearance, which allows the project to move forward into the utility relocation phase. Utility adjustments began in May 2020. Roadway construction for this project is expected to begin in early 2022. Occasional lane closures may be required for utility relocation. Service interruptions are not anticipated. However, if you

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.

experience any service interruptions, please contact Google at 855-867-5861. The Loop 360 at Westlake Drive/Cedar Street project will improve safety and mobility by replacing the traffic signals on the Loop 360 mainlanes at Westlake Drive and Cedar Street with an underpass (where the mainlanes go under the cross street). Non-signalized U-turns will be added in either direction at Westlake Drive, and shared-use paths and sidewalks will also be added in the project limits to improve bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

Courtyard Caller - October 2021

Courtyard Caller

Fall can bring yellowjackets into areas that are more closely associated with humans. These small wasps usually feed on protein but seek out sources of sugar in late summer and early fall. This can lead the wasps to areas of human habitation or parks to find garbage cans, recycling areas, or even sporting events or picnics for a sugar source. Yellowjackets are small, about ½ an inch long, with yellow bodies with black markings. They create a paper-like nest out of chewed wood fiber. The nest is completely enclosed except for a single opening for the wasps to enter. Nests can become fairly large in size and may contain up to 20,000 adult wasps. Hornets are a type of yellowjackets and often create nests in aerial locations whereas yellowjackets are cavity or ground nesters. Nests are typically abandoned in October or November as next year’s queens fly off to locate suitable overwintering locations. Abandoned nests typically decompose and are not used the following year. Yellowjackets may be confused with honey bees or paper wasps. While yellowjackets are approximately the same size and color as honey bees, they do not have hairy bodies. Paper wasps are colored differently than yellowjackets and make a open-faced paper nest. Yellowjackets are beneficial insects because they feed on other insects within the landscape and can help to keep pest populations under control. If nests are not near human activity, they should be left alone. If treatment is necessary, it is best, and safer, for nests to be treated by a pest management professional. Underground and cavity nests are best treated with an insecticidal dust sprinkled around the opening. Aerosol sprays may also be used but tend not to be as effective as dusts. If wasps are foraging around garbage or recycling cans, make sure cans have tightly fitting lids and are emptied on a regular basis. Garbage and recycling cans should be cleaned with soap and water periodically to remove buildup of debris. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller - October 2021

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Courtyard Caller - October 2021