beautification committee

Perry Park: We continue to care for the new trees at Perry Park. Those that are unreachable by the PARD water truck will be hand watered. We are also trying to get a toddler swing set added to the playscape area. Friends of Perry Park was awarded a significant grant from for bench shelters for the tennis courts. HPWBANA will work with APF and PARD to have these installed hopefully early fall.

Project Ideas

Project ideas from the 2002 neighborhood survey:

Ridge Oak/Lake View Dr Median (complete)

Balcones/Parkcrest median (complete)

Entryway Projects (Highland Terrace complete)

Valley Oak Easement

Perry Park - trees along Balcones Dr (complete)

Reservoir area - (complete)

Hancock/MoPac public land area - (complete on the east side)

45^th /MoPac public land area - trees, bushes

Examples of some of our activities involve trash pickup and making calls to the appropriate city department for action, such as removing dead trees in medians and downed street signs. Our larger projects involve groups of people cleaning up an area, for example Perry Park, or landscaping a green space. If you are aware of a public area within our neighborhood that could benefit from our activity please contact us. Note: we don't take on personal property cleanup projects.

We welcome special donations to beautification activities by our Beautification Committee. If you would like to make a donation dedicated to a specific project or area please specify this with your donation and send it to the HPWBANA address listed on the membership page. Funds for beautification also come from the the Randall's Good Neighbor Program. Link our number (#10586) with your Remarkable Card and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to HPWBANA. The funds will be dedicated for beautification projects in our neighborhood.

Balcones Dr/Parkcrest Dr Median: Landscaping the median at this intersection was the first beautification project for our committee in the spring of 2003. The project involved working with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Keep Austin Beautiful Organization to replace the grass with native Texas landscaping. With the help of our volunteers to provide the planning, design and labor and the local businesses to provide materials, the project was a success.

The Balcones Exxon Automation station volunteered to help maintain the area so they are helping water. They also provide the water used to keep the median alive during dry periods. The committee helps as needed. Due to city codes and safety the salvia needs to be kept trimmed to 2 feet and the lantana needs to be trimmed to the curb.

Balcones Dr/Parkcrest Dr Median Plant List: trailing lantana (purple), red and pink salvia greggii, gulf muhly grass, red and yellow yucca

Hancock Bridge: The corner of Hancock and W Frances Pl was landscaped by the beautification committee in the fall of 2004. It includes a native Texas landscape on the corner along with two trees. This project took several months of planning and is now available for all to enjoy. A sidewalk request was submitted to the city and approved as a low priority installation. Due to city codes and safety the plant height is restricted to 2 feet.

Hancock Bridge Plant List: trailing lantana (purple), rock rose, purple coneflower, pink skullcap, zexmenia, Mexican feathergrass, twistleaf yucca, basket grass (nolina), cedar elm tree, bur oak tree

Ridge Oak Triangle: An ongoing project involves the median at the intersection of Ridge Oak Dr/Lakeview Dr. We surveyed residents in that area in early 2003 and are working with them and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department to see what improvements we can make. We received a grant from Austin Parks Foundation in 2003 to help with providing a water source.

In the fall of 2003 a Life Scout planted a grove of trees in one end of the median as his Eagle Scout project. The center of the green space remains open at the request of neighbors. Neighbors and committee members help water the trees. Four native Texas landscape beds were designed by our committee to add beauty to the area. Native plants were placed to soften the overall appearance. A few large rocks were positioned along the edge as a barrier to keep people from driving on the median. We received a donation from Cheer Up Productions to help restore the area because hey used the median as a camp for filming one weekend.

In the winter of 2005 vandalism of the median was a focus for neighbors. Neighbors and HPWBANA pitched in for a large load of boulders to be positioned along the entire median. More plants were added to soften the appearance. No vandalism has occurred since.

The sticker grass problem was the top irritation for the area. In the fall of 2005 sticker bur plants were weeded out in huge quantities and in the spring of 2006 corn gluten was spread over the area to prevent seed growth. We will see how or plan works this summer. Many thanks to the following supporters of the project:

Ridge Oak/Lake View Dr median plant list: Cedar Elm trees, Bur Oak trees, existing Live Oak trees, Texas sage, soft leaf yucca (2 are doing well, two types of agaves, Texas lantanas, Lindheimer muhly, basket grass (nolina), fragrant mimosa, kidneywood, bluebonnets. salvia greggii

Foothill Terrace Median: This median has been maintained many years by neighbors in that area. In early 2003 the HPWBANA Beautification Committee began assisting the neighborhood in the median maintenance and created a native Texas landscape design to complement and complete the existing design, and to minimize some of the yearly maintenance. A Life Scout took on the this median as a project to give it a good cleanup and new plantings. Donations were collected from neighbors and businesses for materials.

In the summer of 2004 this median saw a significant change that involved moving a very large oak tree to the median center. Two years later (2006) the median was professional landscaped and irrigation added. A resident in the area funded this project and will maintain the area. The median is quite beautiful.

Perry Park: We held our first Perry Park Workday/Cleanup in early 2005 with a great turnout from the community. We removed huge quantities of dead wood, dead brush, vines, ragweed, trash. The bamboo grove that was taking over one side of the park was cut down and hauled off. (This bamboo will be cut frequently until it dies out.) We even removed the large couch that was somehow deposited there. The City of Austin PARD was present with a chipper to speed the removal process.

The second Perry Park Workday was held in the spring of 2005. We signed up with Austin Park Foundation It's My Park! day to celebrate Earth Day and tackled the ligustrum that was taking over the park. We cleared dead brush and vines, cut down a huge amount of ligustrum, removed a rotting wood structure, removed some tree stakes and picked up trash. We did another pass at ligustrum removal again in early summer of 2005. It is not our intent to remove all the ligustrum in the park, just remove ligustrum in areas where they are choking out trees and plants.

2006 brought benches to park, more non-native plant removal, major grooming of the nature trail in the woods and a major repair of the running track.

Ridge Oak Reservoir summary: Friends of Bright Leaf contacted the beautification committee for assistance in getting the non-native plants removed along the fence that borders Bright Leaf. The non-native plants are a problem for Bright Leaf because they reseed the preserve and the organization spends many volunteer workdays removing them. Five different groups gathered to help solve the problem and in June, 2005, most of the work was done. Many thanks to the five groups involved: Bright Leaf State Natural Area, Friends of Bright Leaf, City of Austin Water Utility Department, Keep Austin Beautiful and HPWBANA. And thanks to the volunteers who helped out! Another pass occurred in September 2005 to finish the task with the city applying herbicide and volunteers cutting the remaining non-native trees.

This area is used as a little local park by the neighborhood. People gather to exercise pets, view the sunset, perform yoga, etc.

Highland Terrace Median: Neighbors in the Highland Terrance area have worked hard to change this once concrete median into a green landscape. With a Keep Austin Beautiful Neighborhood Grant and donations from neighbors and the HPWBANA the project was well supported. It took over two years for neighbors to get the necessary city approvals. About 20 families in the neighborhood take turns caring for this green space.

It may seem like a small thing but the trash that accumulates at Mt Bonnell is significant. Beautification Members have been going to Mt Bonnell twice a month since the spring of 2006 to pick up trash. And it is making a difference. Other people are helping keep the area clean also. Thanks go out to everyone helping with this scenic park!