Oakmont Heights Neighborhood Association

Welcome to the annual newsletter of the Oakmont Heights Neighborhood Association (OHNA). The OHNA's purpose is to preserve and improve the quality of life in the neighborhood regarding land use, environmental protection, crime prevention, traffic control, and other neighborhood concerns. A neighborhood association (NA) provides neighbors with a strengthened voice in matters affecting the neighborhood. The OHNA is your NA, made up of Oakmont Heights neighbors, with a core executive committee that monitors developments in the neighborhood, responds to inquiries, and represents the neighborhood. You can view the association By-Laws on the Oakmont Heights Web site (see below). Normally things are pretty quiet, but from time to time, things do come up requiring action. This is the time of the year we produce our annual newsletter, and have our annual meeting. If you have time and interest to serve as an officer or executive committee member at large, please contact association president Arten Avakian at 452-6188 or at ajavakian@aol.com (or come to the annual meeting).

Association Dues $5.00 for 2011

Annual neighborhood association dues for 2011 will continue to be $5.00 per household. Payment of dues allows you to vote at association meetings, although everyone is welcome to attend. Even if you are not able to attend meetings or help with association activities, your dues payment allows your neighborhood association to remain active.

Join the Oakmont E-Mail List

Join the Oakmont E-mail list, a forum for neighborhood news, events, and other information. To join, send a message to oakmont-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . Note: The list is not moderated; for security, it is configured to remove attachments and non-text items. If you have an attachment that needs posting, contact oakmont-owner@yahoogroups.com .

View Past Newsletters and Other Information on the Oakmont Web Site

Visit our Web site at www.main.org/oakmont. E-mail comments and suggestions for content using the contact link on the site.

Annual Neighborhood Meeting Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The OHNA annual meeting is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 30, in Harris Bell Hall at Westminster Manor.
Agenda:
1.Introduction
2.Update on Westminster Manor expansion
3.Minutes from 2009 Annual Meeting
4.By-Laws Amendment to Add W 44th St to OHNA
5.Elect officers and fill at-large executive committee positions for 2011
6.Items affecting our neighborhood

Directions to Harris Bell Hall:

Harris Bell Hall is on the third floor above the parking garage at Westminster Manor. Enter the building from the ground floor of the garage, via the driveway from Jackson Avenue. Walk up the drive into the garage and look to the left for an elevator. Take the elevator to the second floor. The receptionist in the Health Care Center will provide access to the third floor. The hall is across from the elevator.

By-Laws Amendment to Add North Side 44th Street to NA

The folks on the north side of W 44th St, across from the new apartments, currently are in a "no man's land" between association boundaries. The closest, Highland Park West/Balcones and Allandale, stop at W 45th St. The W 44th St residences have less in common with those areas than with us. Oakmont Heights has informally adopted them by including them in our neighborhood meetings, and recently helped them in their final interaction with the City to obtain a residential parking permit program. The OHNA executive committee proposes to amend our neighborhood association By-Laws ( www.main.org/oakmont/documents) to add the residences on the north side of W 44th St as eligible members of the OHNA. The by-laws amendment simply would formalize what we've been doing for years. The text of the proposed amendment follows:

Amend the Oakmont Heights Neighborhood Association Bylaws,
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP, Section 1 a) to read as follows (added text underlined):
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 - Eligibility
a) Membership in the Association shall be open to all adult (18 years and older) residents and owners of residential property within the following boundaries: West 35th Street (south), Jefferson Street (east), Bull Creek Road (north), and Jackson Avenue (west); and also the single-family residences on the north side of West 44th Street between Bull Creek Road and Loop 1 (MoPac Blvd.), connected by the city right-of-way along the west side of Bull Creek Road.

Westminster Manor

As everyone can see, the Westminster Manor expansion project is well underway. The current Phase I is on schedule for completion in January of 2012. Once the Phase I facilities are open, Phase II will begin and last about one year.

Safety and Security

You may know from the neighborhood e-mail list or talking with neighbors that Oakmont Heights has experienced several home burglaries and care break-ins in the past few months. Neighborhoods can organize a neighborhood watch in a whole neighborhood, or by block. There are conditions that need to be met, and it takes someone to organize and maintain. If anyone does wish to lead the effort to organize a watch, the Austin Police Department has a handbook available on its web site at www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/watch_03.htm. Please contact a member of the OHNA executive committee for help with promotion and coordinating with the City.

MoPac Improvement Project

The long-stalled MoPac Improvement Project (MIP) has come back to life. TxDOT and the Central Texas Mobility Authority held a round of open-house meetings in October, and will be holding a second round December 1 and 2. Key elements of the project are to increase capacity by adding managed lanes (with a toll), and adding sound barriers along certain segments (if neighbors approve). Because the residences in our neighborhood do not immediately abut MoPac (TxDOT and Westminster facilities lie between), Oakmont Heights is not presently on the candidate list for sound walls. These open houses are an opportunity to provide comments. For more about the MIP, and open-house locations and times, go to www.mopacexpress.com/news/upcoming-events.php.

State Cemetery Property on Bull Creek Road

It is likely that sooner or later the State will sell the State Cemetery property at Bull Creek Rd and 45th St, extending down to Shoal Creek, for private development. Last summer, representatives from the Ridgelea, Rosedale, and Oakmont Heights neighborhoods met with representatives of the State Cemetery, and agreed to work together on the concept of applying conditions to the property or the sale to assure standards of development compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods. There has been no further development of this initiative; however, neighborhoods may need to become active on the matter if there is movement during the legislative session to sell the land. If you have expertise in this type of work and can spare a little time, please contact the OHNA.

1600 W 38th Street - Medical Offices

The owners of the property at the northeast corner of Jefferson and 38th St/Bull Creek Rd have been pursuing plans for further development. Our Ridgelea neighbors on the front line have continued to keep watch on the matter to help ensure that whatever development is finally approved does not adversely impact neighborhoods and traffic. The OHNA will keep you posted of any news.

1904 W 35th St

The applicant proposing to construct an office building at 1904 W 35th St has not met all City requirements, and has been granted an extension to mid-April 2011.

Austin Marathon, February 20, 2011

The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, February 20, 2011. The following streets in our neighborhood will be closed from 6 a.m. until about 11 a.m.: Jackson between 35th and 40th, and 40th between Jackson and Bull Creek. 35th and Bull Creek will be down to one lane in each direction. More info: www.youraustinmarathon.com/course.

Handy Links

A Note of Thanks to Westminster Manor

The OHNA thanks the folks at Westminster Manor for providing the space to hold our meetings.

Remember to visit the Oakmont Heights web site Please E-mail any comments and suggestions for content and links to Web Site or by using the contact link on the site.

Oakmont Heights Neighborhood

Annual Neighborhood Meeting Thursday, November 30, 2010, 7:00 pm, at Harris Bell Hall

The Oakmont Heights Neighborhood Association