Courtyard Caller - April 2022 by Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller

April 2022

Volume 18, Number 04

Board Message

We are so lucky in the Courtyard to have all of the gorgeous trees among us and surrounding us. With heavy tree cover also comes the need to be proactive about wildfire. As we have been taught through our Fire Wise training, creating a defensible zone in the area immediately surrounding your home is the best protection you can have. To schedule a free 30-minute Home Ignition Zone evaluation, which will give you specific recommendations for creating a defensible zone, please contact Richard Stelzner, Fire Safety Chair, at arebeess42@gmail.com. Recently, the Courtyard was asked by AFD’s Wildfire Division whether we would volunteer our community to be considered as a one-time training site this spring for RTI training (Responding to the Interface). After careful consideration, the Board voted to approve submittal of our neighborhood into the running as a possible training site. If selected, the training dates could be on one or more of the following dates: April 18, April 25, or May 2. If that happens, more information will be distributed to the community regarding what to expect. It’s possible that training dates will be delayed due to the formation of a new AFD Wildfire Battalion. The overview of the RTI training has been described as occurring during the day, after the morning rush hour and completed before the evening rush hour. The exercise is estimated to take about four hours. The Park has been suggested as the likely gathering point for fire trucks and equipment; however, it is possible that residents will see fire trucks or equipment on some streets. AFD will distribute door hangars and knock on doors of any affected residents. Why would we want to volunteer? There are many reasons, including that if we were ever to actually experience wildfire, the Wildfire Battalion will have direct knowledge of our homes and surrounding areas so they will be extremely well prepared to give the most efficient and effective help where needed. Of course, another obvious reason is to help our fabulous Fire Department appropriately train and prepare the brave men and women who battle wildfires on behalf of everyone.

2022 COURTYARD EASTER EGG HUNT and SPRING FLING Saturday, April 16, STARTING AT 11:00am Plan now to attend the 2022 Courtyard Easter Egg Hunt in the Park! Bunnies of all ages bring your baskets and hop on down for some Easter fun. Hunt for eggs, play games and meet neighbors! Hope to see you there! Please call or email to let us know how many egg hunters will be in your group. Joany Price (Social Chairperson) 512-775-8942, joanyprice@gmail.com EGG STUFFERS & VOLUNTEERS NEEDED CONTACT JOANY PRICE IF YOU HAVE TIME OR IDEAS TO SHARE!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Richard Stelzner, or any Board member. A reminder to all residents: it’s OAK WILT season! The oak wilt beetle is active from February until the end of June. NO OAKS should be trimmed until July 1. Always DRIVE SLOWLY in the Courtyard!! Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

CHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 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 4

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

COURTYARD BOOK CLUB Tuesday, May 3, 2022

The plot twists and turns of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy read like a legal thriller. Yet this work of nonfiction is the story of a man who dedicates his life to seeking justice for those often wrongly accused and incarcerated in the criminal justice system. Just Mercy is the Courtyard Book Club’s selection for discussion at its May 3 meeting at 1 p.m. As a Harvard law school graduate, Stevenson chose to found the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to defending the poor, incarcerated and wrongly condemned. In an early case, Stevenson represented a young Black man sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit. While much of the book focuses on this single case, many issues surrounding the criminal justice system are surfaced. The book was named one of the best books of the year by numerous publications and was the winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The Courtyard Book Club meets at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. To receive monthly 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. And if you have friends in other areas of Austin who would like to join a book club, feel free to include them.

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

COMPLIANCE REMINDERS

FIRE SAFETY COMMITTEE

We have started issuing compliance letters, long overdue, for holiday lights which are still remaining on homes and trees this late after the holiday season. Folks, it holiday lights should be removed within a few weeks past the end of the holiday.

Now that we’ve sprung forward for 2022 and there’s an hour less of daylight, we shouldn’t avoid looking around our homes and yards to see what winter has left in its wake. Spring is arriving and as we remove dead bushes, tree limbs and plants from the areas around the house it’s the time to make the areas 0 to 5 feet and 5 to 30 feet from the house as non-combustible as possible.

Lights…

…and more Lights… If you have string lights in your backyard, please be aware that they should not remain on all night. This may be affecting your neighbors’ ability to sleep. Please be courteous about what time you turn off your backyard lights at night. Also, string lights permanently installed in front yards are not in alignment with the caliber of homes in the neighborhood. If you would like additional lighting, please consider a professional installation and make sure to get ECC approval. …And, as always, Trash/Recycling/Compost Bins & Bags! Neighbors, it is actually a DEED restriction here in the Courtyard that ALL BINS (yes, this includes recycling bins, and compost bins) may NOT be stored in sight of the street or a neighbor’s view. Compliance letters that have been sent and ignored will soon be fine letters. PLEASE do not let it come to this! Store your bins in your garage or behind an acceptable screen. Please contact Diana Apgar, ECC Chair, as she is an expert at helping folks create solutions that fit the look of the neighborhood and meet our guidelines. Compliance Letters A reminder that the Compliance Letters will soon be coming from Goodwin Management and there will likely be regular compliance checks from Goodwin’s Compliance department. If you have questions about the rules, please check out the website at www. courtyardhoa.org, or ask any Board member. To report a Compliance issue, please contact Marilyn Childress at Marilyn.childress@ goodwinTX.com

Although February this year was not as brutal as 2021, there is always some vegetation die-off. Thinking forward to springtime and the expected rains, there will undoubtedly be new growth to obscure winter’s debris. Cleaning up now between the end of winter and the beginning of spring is a great time to avoid the mess later especially when the full bloom of spring tempts us to seek fun and adventure…elsewhere. This checklist of activities will help as a guide for the cleanup: • Clear leaves and other debris from gutters, eaves, porches and decks. This prevents embers from igniting your home. • Remove dead vegetation and other items from under your deck or porch, and within 10 feet of the house. • Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire mesh to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating. • Remove flammable materials (firewood stacks, propane tanks) within 30 feet of your home’s foundation and outbuildings, including garages and sheds. If it can catch fire, don’t let it touch your house, deck or porch. • Wildfire can spread to tree tops. Prune trees so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet from the ground. • Keep your lawn and shrubs hydrated and maintained. If it is brown, cut it down to reduce fire intensity. Dry grass and shrubs are fuel for wildfire. • Don’t let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of these items quickly to reduce fuel for fire. • Inspect shingles or roof tiles. Replace or repair those that are loose or missing to prevent ember penetration. • Cover exterior attic vents with metal wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch to prevent sparks from entering the your home. • Enclose under-eave and soffit vents or screens with metal mesh to prevent ember entry. For additional help the AFD WildFire Division will hold the 9th Annual Wildfire Preparedness Symposium this year on Thursday, April 28th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. It is open to anyone that is interested. Register at https://bit. ly/3rnqmQo for access. For free hands-on help, schedule a Home Ignition Zone Evaluation by emailing fire-safety@courtyardhoa.org.

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller LADIES’ BUNCO NIGHT AND MEN’S POKER NIGHTS HAVE RESUMED! FOR BUNCO Contact Joany Price 512-775-8942 joanyprice@gmail.com FOR POKER Contact Terry Edwards 214-392-4627 t.edwards54321@gmail.com

SPEEDING, RACING, AND NOISE ON RM2222

Many residents have complained about this troubling issue over the past year or so. The issue became a very hot topic on local social media. As a result, Board President Denise Hogan reached out to our District 10 Council representative Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter and her staff. On March 1, MPT Alter’s Chief of Staff Kurt CadenaMitchell held a meeting with APD and representatives from many area neighborhoods, including Courtyard. At one time, there were in excess of sixty people on the virtual meeting. To hear the topics and issues discussed, you can view the entire meeting on the link below. (See Courtyard’s questions at approximately the 12:30 minute mark) https://youtu.be/WP4EX9DKcWI Mr. Cadena-Mitchell said there are plans for an April meeting with APD and the neighborhoods to learn short-term steps that have been taken and long-term solutions that are planned by APD. In the meantime, we should see more directed patrols when officers are available. Please report any racing vehicles or motorcycles to 311, or to 911 if there appears to be imminent danger. If you haven’t yet, please download the 311 app on your smartphone. It makes sending a complaint really quick and easy.

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Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

FOREST TENT CATERPILLARS

Forest tent caterpillars cause damage in the larval, or caterpillar, stage. Caterpillars are a greyish- brown color with bright blue and yellow stripes running down the sides of their body. The back of the caterpillar has white shoeprint/ keyhole markings. Larvae also have fine white hairs over their body but are not a stinging caterpillar. These caterpillars, although called tent caterpillars, do not make an actual tent like others in their group. Other tent caterpillars make a web between two branches where they join or split from each other. Forest tent caterpillars make a silken mat on the tree trunk or large branches where caterpillars gather in groups between feedings. Forest tent caterpillars appear once a year, typically in April. In some years outbreak populations can occur and numerous caterpillars can be seen in certain areas. They chew foliage of trees, usually deciduous hardwoods. Even though the caterpillars eat foliage, many trees can withstand 20% loss of foliage without being harmed. Concern should be when other stressors are apparent along with the caterpillars, such as drought or disease. If the need to manage forest tent caterpillars occurs, less toxic active ingredients that can be used to treat foliage are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) kurstaki or spinosad. Another option would be to treat the silken mat with a pyrethroid product when the caterpillars are resting there.

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Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - March 2022

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Courtyard Caller - March 2022