Highland Park - December 2021

Highland Park West Balcones Area

HIGHLAND PARK WEST BALCONES AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION VOLUME 17, NUMBER 12 • DECEMBER 2021 • WWW.HPWBANA.ORG

ANNUAL MEETING SUMMARY

The HPWBANA Board's Annual Meeting was held on November 16th via zoom. An in-person meeting with guest speakers Bruce Elfant, Travis County Tax Assessor and Marya Crigler, Chief Tax Appraiser had been planned to be held at La Mancha. Due to Covid-19 transmission concerns and anticipated low attendance, the decision was made to move the meeting to zoom and re-schedule the speakers until an in-person event can be held. Stay tuned on HPWBANA social media accounts for the new date.

The meeting started with an overview of the board’s 2021 projects.

Highlights were the beautification of the Ridge Oak Triangle (see p. 3), The Books & Beer event held in July at the newly renovated Yarbrough library and La Mancha, installation of a Pet Station at the end of Valley Oak Drive, addition of two new board members and installation of Drive Like Your Kids Live Here signs throughout the neighborhood. The board then reviewed some input from neighbors regarding what they love about our neighborhood, areas for improvement and initiatives and priorities they would like the board to focus on moving forward. A great deal of focus was given to how the board can best serve the neighborhood and ways they can improve communication and plan events people would like to attend. The meeting concluded with a budget review and officer and committee reports.

HPWBANA has some great ideas and hopes to engage more neighbors in the upcoming year.

The HPWBANA Board asked residents What do you love about our neighborhood?

Here are some of the responses: I love the neighbors and our beautiful, large lots.

Friendliness of our neighbors in the neighborhood at large. And how immensely helpful our immediate neighbors have been when we needed them. Also really enjoy walking on our beautiful streets. I like the well-kept front yards.

Since I have lived here since 1978, I obviously love it all! Highland Park Elem. is a treasure.

We love the neighborhood. It's a beautiful place to live and for the most part, the neighbors are all very kind.

The people, the trees, sense of community and the peace and quiet (most of the time). love the walkability of our neighborhood, and especially our street. The people are generally great too.

Our neighborhood is quiet, centrally located and is close to all kinds of shopping and restaurants.

Visit @HPWBANA on Facebook or Instagram and share what YOU love about our neighborhood!

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

PROPOSED 2022 HIGHLAND PARK WEST BALCONES AREA NEIGHBORHOOD Highland Park West Balcones Area Austin Citywide Information Center... 974-2000 or 311 ASSOCIATION MEETING SCHEDULE.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

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

Fourth Monday of each Month (except December).

Meetings begin at 6:30 pm and are open to the public.

Meetings in January-March will be held at the Church at Highland Park.

January 24th, 2022 February 28th, 2022 March 28th, 2022 April 25th, 2022 May 23rd, 2022 June 27th, 2022

July 25th, 2022 August 22nd, 2022 September 26th, 2022 October 24th, 2022 November 28th, 2022 December – No meeting

PHASE II OF RIDGE OAK TRIANGLE BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT. HPWBANA and neighbors are working on beautification of the Ridge Oak Triangle. Phase II, completed at the end of October, involved various neighbors living near and around the Ridge Oak Triangle.

Neighbors donated their time, money and labor toward the project.

The City of Austin provided guidance and recommendations as well as the 2 truckloads of mulch. The Ridge Oak Triangle is maintained by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

Future phases are planned over the next several months which may include edging, new picnic tables and a natural, organic treatment to mitigate the burrs.

Bill Hyland...................................... 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 - December 2021

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

Highland Park West Balcones Area WASTEWATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The Highland Park Water & Wastewater Improvement Project is adding a second water line to the area. The water line project will run about three miles from Far West Blvd. to Crestway Dr. with much of the work being done along Balcones Drive.

The total duration of the project is 3 years. A new water line is needed because water line breaks are well documented in this area, and the existing 12-inch line is a dead-end and not connected or looped with other water lines. The new 16-inch line will improve water service in the area and allow for the decommissioning of an antiquated pump station and reservoir located on Ridge Oak Drive. Given the risk of wildfire in our neighborhood, a more reliable water supply is welcome.

The project is broken into in two phases: Phase 1: From Far West Blvd. to Northland Dr. (RM 2222). Construction started in April 2020 with much of this work happening along Balcones drive, north of 2222.

Phase 2: From RM 2222 to Crestway/Mount Barker Dr. Work on this will run down Balcones Drive southbound from 2222, impacting HPWBANA residents directly. Typical work hours are 9am-4pm weekdays and 7a-7p on Saturdays. Traffic flow in both directions will be maintained, but there will be lane closures to accommodate the work areas. Use caution when driving through the construction areas.

Ongoing project updates are available from the City of Austin at: http:// austintexas.gov/department/highland-park-water-improvement-project Sign up at austintexas.gov/highlandpark to receive project updates by email.

DECEMBER HAPPENINGS Laguna Gloria at Night, 6 pm Thursdays in December; 7:30 Guided lantern tour Illuminated sculptures, gently lighted pathways, soundtrack of hooting owls and gentle waves lapping against the shores of Lake Austin. All ages.

Free advance ticket reservations encouraged. thecontemporaryaustin.org Operation Blue Santa Toy Drive Drop off location: Austin Fire Station, 5211 Balcones Drive Donate toys and food for families in need during the holiday season.

Visit bluesanta.org to volunteer or adopt a family.

Downtown Holiday Stroll Dec. 4 through Dec. 24 Congress Avenue, between Ninth Street & 11th Street Explore downtown during the holiday season with free, sociallydistanced family-friendly activities like the holiday shopping passport, pop-ups, appearances by Mr. & Mrs. Claus, holiday window and light displays and the signature 45-foot downtown tree. downtownholidaystroll.com

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

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Highland Park West Balcones Area

Lettuce Recycle

by Dena Houston

FALL RECYCLING Fall is a great time in Austin! The temperature is no longer 100o+ each day and there’s an energizing coolness in the air. That coolness gets us back outside and away from our air-conditioned homes, working in the yard, visiting with neighbors, or just enjoying the change of season.

What does fall have to do with recycling? In November, the leaves begin to fall. It is a great time to recycle those leaves rather than send them to the landfill.

Here are some ideas for leaf recycling.

USE SHREDDED LEAVES AS MULCH Shredded leaves make the best garden mulch! Many home lawnmowers and yard service mowers have a grass and leaf shredder. As the leaves break down, they add compost to the beds without having to buy bags of compost. GREAT FALL REUSE! START A COMPOST PILE Even though we all have curbside composting, a backyard compost pile can provide nutrient-enriched soil to our own garden beds. Composting can be easy and fun. See the following link for a home composting fact sheet. https://www. austintexas.gov/homecompostguide WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LEAVES WE SET OUT AT THE CURB? • Plastic bags of leaves, left at the curb, are collected as trash and the customer is charged $9.60, + tax, per bag.

• Leaves placed in the green curbside compost collection bin, paper leaf bags, and our own garbage cans are collected by the City at no charge and the contents become compost.

• Leaves that lawn services collect are often put into plastic bags and carted off to the landfill. So much for Zero Waste!

Are there things we can do if we use a lawn service and they use the plastic bags that are sent to the landfill? YES! Ask your lawn service to use the paper bags and leave them at your curb for pickup. The argument can be made that this saves the lawn service the drive to the landfill and the cost to dump the leaves.

QUESTION FROM A READER (AND THE ANSWER): HOW DO I RECYCLE BOTTLES OF LOTION AND CREAMS THAT I CANNOT CLEAN OUT? Bottles and tubes of lotions, shampoo, conditioner, etc. can go to the Recycle & Reuse Drop Off Center. These items (even if partially full) will go into their FREE reuse store. Many homeless people come to this store to get items they need. Any items that are not used are sent to their hazardous materials area and disposed of properly. If going to the RRDOC isn’t an option, these bottles must go into your trash can.

Here is a very informative City of Austin recycling website: 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 or recycling ideas, please send them to: recycling@ hpwbana.org

PLEASE REMEMBER – WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

Highland Park West Balcones Area

While Austin has changed, A-Plus Air Conditioning & Home Solutions has remained the same. Celebrating 45 years of A+ quality service in 2022, A-Plus is one of the few remaining truly local family-owned and operated Air Conditioning (AC) & Heating companies in the Austin area. Greg & Sharon Yamin, along with their son Josh and daughter Stephanie, have committed to delivering exceptional indoor comfort and expertise. They are from Austin and they know how to keep Austin comfortable in the summer and winter.

Living and working in the central Austin area, Greg & Sharon have always enjoyed helping and educating their neighbors to help improve their energy savings and making sure their homes have efficient working AC & Heating systems. In the early 1980s when Austin Energy founded their energy program, A-Plus became one of the pioneer contractors to start the Home Performance (Energy Star) program. This program helps provide rebates to Austin Energy customers who replace their HVAC system with more efficient models, as well as sealing ducts or duct replacements, solar screen and window replacements, adding attic insulation and other money-saving energy efficient home improvements. Presently, they are the last original contractor who began the program with Austin Energy.

Being local and family owned/operated is the heart and soul of A-Plus. Not only are there two generations working at A-Plus (3 if you count the Grand-Dogs), but they also treat their employees and customers like family as well. They have numerous customers that they have serviced for over 20, 30, even 40 years. The A-Plus office is also centrally located near the heart of the Highland Park West/Balcones neighborhood behind Lamar Middle School. In fact, the Yamin kids attended Highland Park Elementary and McCallum High School, and took classes at Crenshaw Gymnasium when they were younger. Josh, Jackie & Stephanie grew up assisting with A-Plus duties and are planning to continue the family owned legacy.

Over the years A-Plus has seen the Austin economy continue to grow, though there have been set backs over the years including the real estate set back in the 80s to early 90s, and the financial crisis in 2008. Mostly recently, like many local businesses, they had to find new and safer ways to conduct business due to the Covid pandemic.

They found that they had a business that customers needed even more than ever as we were all stuck inside our homes. As this pandemic is seemingly winding down, there are new struggles they never knew they would have to face. Obtaining repair parts and new HVAC equipment across all brands including Lennox, Carrier, Trane, have been a challenge since there are manufacturing and trucking delays across all sectors of our country. One piece of advice they wanted to share is that just like a car, a well maintained HVAC unit will last long. Be proactive as your unit gets older. Don’t wait until your heater or air conditioner breaks to replace. It will almost always break in the heat of the season. Consider calling A-Plus for your AC & Heating repair or replacement needs. www.AplusAC.com www.facebook.com/aplusairconditioning

The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021

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Highland Park West Balcones Area PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680

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PEEL, INC.

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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - December 2021