Highland Park West Balcones Area
HIGHLAND PARK WEST BALCONES AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION VOLUME 18, NUMBER 05 • MAY 2022 • WWW.HPWBANA.ORG
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - April 2022
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Highland Park West Balcones Area
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News April 2022
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 Carolyn Heath........................ newsletter@hpwbana.org WEBMASTER Henry Tang.............................webmaster@hpwbana.org BOARD MEMBERS Bill Hyland...................................... board@hpwbana.org Rebecca Spratlin............................. board@hpwbana.org Shannon McNeil............................. 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 - April 2022
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Highland Park West Balcones Area
LETTUCE RECYCLE by Dena Houston
INSIDE THE BALCONES RESOURCES RECYCLING FACILITY
• Black plastic bags (full or empty)
There are two recycling processing facilities in Austin where the City’s recyclables go after they are collected curbside. They are Balcones Resources and Texas Disposal Systems.
• Clothing
I recently attended a presentation by the Education and Outreach coordinator and the Director of Partnerships and Municipal Relations for Balcones Resources. I hope you enjoy this in depth look at this facility that is ranked as a “top 5” recycling processing facility in the nation.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE RECYCLING TRUCK ARRIVES AT BALCONES RESOURCES? When the truck arrives, it is weighed on their scales. This weight determines how much the City pays Balcones for the recyclables. The materials then go to the pre-sorting conveyor belt. It is here that many of the non-recyclable items are removed. These items are sent to the landfill. Here are some of the items removed in this first step:
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• Loose plastic bags • Most of the clear plastic bags full of recyclables (only a few bags are opened and emptied due to the speed of the conveyor belt) Here is a fabulous video link that shows what happens at this facility as our recyclables are being processed: https://vimeo.com/199912809
INTERESTING THINGS I LEARNED Do not flatten aluminum cans. Aluminum cans are sorted by their shape. If they are flattened or crushed, the optical scanner can’t identify them accurately. Do not put any plastic containers into your blue bin that don’t have the numbered recycling symbol. It cannot be recycled if the number is not picked up in the sorting process.
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News April 2022
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FREQUENT CONCERNS Many people have recycling concerns and some of these were addressed during this presentation. They are as follows: • Are the materials taken to Balcones really recycled or are they just thrown into the landfill? Balcones Resources is a for-profit company. It would not collect all this material just to throw it into the landfill. There are reliable markets for everything they collect. • Is glass really recycled? Glass is one of the more difficult and more expensive items to recycle, but Balcones has reliable markets for its glass. • How has China’s refusing to accept recyclables affected Austin’s recycling program? It hasn’t affected it. Years before China stopped accepting contaminated recyclables, Balcones Resources and Texas Disposal Systems secured strong, reliable markets.
Questions and Answers: IS DRYER LINT COMPOSTABLE? No, dryer lint is not compostable. Only cotton fibers are compostable. Dryer lint often includes non-cotton fibers. DO I NEED TO TAKE THE METAL CUTTING STRIP OFF MY ALUMINUM FOIL AND SIMILAR TYPE BOXES? No, you do not. The paper mill recyclers have the equipment to remove this metal from the cardboard.
SUMMER JOBS AT AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION
With summer just around the corner, hiring is in full swing at Austin Parks and Recreation. The Department operates 33 pools and offers affordable summer camp options to thousands of kids across Austin. In order to operate at full capacity, the City is hiring nearly one thousand temporary workers to fill these much-needed roles. Pay starts at $15/hour for entry level positions and it increases with experience. Job benefits include paid sick leave, a free bus pass, and flexible scheduling. In addition, Austin Parks and Recreation is offering a $500 Summer Completion Bonus for staff members that work from June through August. Learn more at AustinTexas.gov/ ParkJobs.
Here is a very informative City of Austin recycling website that offers help in finding out how to recycle specific items: www.austintexas. gov/what-do-i-do. If you have any recycling questions please send them to me at this address: recycling@hpwbana.org.
FREE LARGE BRUSH DROP OFF
Tree limbs, branches, shrubs and leaves can be dropped off at Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant (2210 FM 973, Austin, Texas) 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Saturday. The material will be composted and made into Dillo Dirt. Open to Austin and Travis County residents only. A government-issued photo ID is required for entry. Austin Resource Recovery has suspended large brush and bulk collection for residential curbside customers until further notice. These suspensions are due to staffing shortages and the goal is to re-establish all curbside collections as positions are filled.
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - April 2022
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News April 2022
Highland Park West Balcones Area
YOUR AD HERE LANDING YOUR BUSINESS IN HOMES EMAIL: ADVERTISING@PEELINC.COM 7
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - April 2022
Highland Park West Balcones Area
Local Spotlight PERSONALLY YOURS
was already a member of the Junior League and she thought this would be a great opportunity for her business and her customer base. The families in Highland Park West rock! For 43+ years, Personally Yours has been a part of its customers’ life events from baby gifts and birth announcements to camp items, gifts for high school grads, followed by sorority and debutante gifts, then comes marriage gifts, invitations, party supplies, etc…And then the cycle starts all over again. Shoppers, or they prefer to call them friends, have spread the word about Personally Yours throughout various Austin neighborhoods. Families who shop with them grow up and then continue to shop with them throughout the years. For example, moms come in to pick out decaling for their little camper’s trunk and say, “Oh my gosh, I remember when I got my trunk done here! Believe it or not, I still have it!” The store being able to be a part of the “circle of life” for their customers makes them absolutely love what they do. Customers connect with the store’s reputation for being a happy, friendly place to shop and that was much needed during the uncertainty of the pandemic. Deemed as a non-essential business during the pandemic, the store’s long-term customers showed support and ensured the store stayed in business. When the pandemic hit, customers shopped over FaceTime and Zoom, ordering Christmas gifts in March. Susan and her husband, Terry Parker, provided doorstop delivery to shoppers and well as curbside pick up. They were happy to provide a happy light for their customers!
Personally Yours is a boutique offering personalized gifts for every occasion, from custom monogramming to wedding and party invitations to that perfect gift for the hostess with the mostess. Since 1978, the boutique located at 5416 Parkcrest Drive, Suite C has been about creating an experience personally made for YOU! Ever changing with the season, owner Susan Parker and her staff pride themselves on providing a happy atmosphere and gifts for every occasion. It’s really special for them to see their customers go through important moments of life. It all started with Susan’s dream to own her own boutique that carried gifts and goodies made personally for friends, family and loved ones. Her dream first became a reality from her garage. Four years later, in 1982, Personally Yours became one of the first tenants in the Junior League of Austin retail space located in Highland Park West. Susan 8
Susan also loves to support the other businesses in the neighborhood such as Gauge Knits, PakMail, Zuzu Handmade Mexican Food, Chez Zee, Coutures by Laura, Parkcrest Floral, Jack Brown Cleaner’s and others. The store’s advice to shoppers is to shop with those you trust because they’re going to try and do their best for you no matter what. That’s what Personally Yours always aims to do - provide the best service they can for their shoppers, offer the best prices, and give recommendations and advice to help customers enjoy the best experience. Stay up to date on sales and special going on at: https://www.pyaustin.com/ Instagram: @personallyyours Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pyaustin/
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News April 2022
Highland Park West Balcones Area
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - April 2022
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Highland Park West Balcones Area
LIGHTS OUT TEXAS
STORYTIME AT YARBROUGH LIBRARY 2200 Hancock Dr. Tuesday May 10 and Tuesday May 17
Now through June 15 residents are encouraged not to turn on exterior home lights during migration! Billions of birds attempt to migrate through Texas twice a year. The journey is made more difficult by excessive light from our cities. As one scientist put it, for birds “…it’s like driving into high beam headlights,” blinding them to both the night sky navigational star map and terrestrial buildings. Even worse, some species are attracted to artificial lights. This light sensitivity leads to confusion, exhaustion, and deadly building collisions. To mitigate bird fatalities, the Austin City Council recently passed a resolution joining other Texas cities in the Lights Out Texas campaign. This means that lights in city buildings will be turned off, dimmed, or shielded during the spring and fall bird migration seasons: March 1 – June 15 and August 15 – November from 11 pm to 6 am. Travis County is also participating. For suggestions on how to keep your home secure while managing your lights, go to www.DarkSky.org. And, if you’d like to provide a little direct assistance to birds, put out a saucer of water.
Toddlers: 10:15 AM to 10:45 AM Preschool: 11 AM – 11:30 AM
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The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News April 2022
Highland Park West Balcones Area
The Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association News - April 2022
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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 April 2022