SKYVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2001 (7:30PM)
SKYVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH, 211 W. KOENIG
Fellowship Hall
In attendance: Chris Fowler, Rene Tello, Grey and Margaret Kellogg, Barrie Cogburn, Eric Vormelker, Lisa Schneider
I. Welcome/Introductions/ Thank-yous
Much thanks was expressed to the following people for all their efforts and generosity:
Fred Daughtry & Skyview Baptist Church -- meeting space
Margaret Kellogg--Calls to the city to replace the wood on the Skyview bridge... success!
Carol Olewin--posting fliers on sign by the creek
II. Miscellaneous Announcements--Lisa Schneider
Crime reports on web: You can now find the crime reports for the Skyview Neighborhood posted on the APD web page. We have linked it to our web page (http://www.main.org/skyview). Currently, all the crimes for 2000 are listed.
Chicken info: We have had some questions regarding the City's policies on chickens within the city limits. Eric spoke with a representative from the Dept. of Health and learned the following: Up to two chickens are allowed in clean cages with no restrictions, as long as there is no disturbing odor. For more than two chickens, a 50 foot set-back from the property line is required. There is no noise ordinance.
Stolen car found: The APD recovered the Kellogg's car at Springdale and Loyola Lane, but it was mostly stripped down. The city towed it to the impound lot. (FYI, now THEY are required to pay the city for towing fees and for keeping it at the impound lot!)
E-list on Yahoo now: E-groups was purchased by Yahoo, so now our email discussion group is housed at a different address. If you'd like to join, we've updated the button on our website which will take you directly there. (http://www.main.org/skyview)
Penguin report: At last report, the penguin in the red cap was seen raking the leaves in the yard at a house on Chesterfield. Any new updates would be appreciated;-)
III. Old Business: Koenig/CAMPO update (Eric and Lisa)
The CAMPO hearing went well last night, but we have been presented with a definite time frame in which to resolve all issues. After public input, and not a word from TxDOT, Mayor Bridgefarmer of Pflugerville made a motion and the board passed it. The motion was as follows:
At the April 9th meeting of CAMPO one of two things will happen. One of three things will happen. One: the city and TxDOT will have reached an agreement for the city to take over Koenig AND resolved the design issues/determined who's going to do what. Two: TxDot will just develop the project as is without the design changes. Or three: the money currently budgeted for Koenig Lane will be reassigned to other projects and nothing will be done to Koenig.
As most of you already know, TxDOT will not allow the city to take over the portion of Koenig from the railroad tracks to Sunshine and leave TxDOT with the section from Sunshine to MOPAC. TxDOT has, however, floated a plan whereby the city would enter into agreements to take over the full length one section at a time. Under this agreement, TxDOT would reconstruct the portion in our neighborhood as we want it (if the city approves) and resurface and stripe the other sections before turning them over to the city. In other words, the city would take over new roads that should require only minor maintenance for twenty years.
And now to deal with the city....
IV. New Business
1) Brainstorming on a Vision for the Skyview Neighborhood/ Neighborhood Association:
Lisa Schneider led a series of exercises designed to begin the process of defining what we want this organization to be and how it will impact our neighborhood. First, she led a warm-up exercise for everyone to learn more about each other and get to know each other better. Then, we did a brainstorming exercise to answer the following questions: What do you like about our neighborhood and want to preserve? What would you like to enhance, improve, or change? What don't you like about it? What would you like from a neighborhood association? And from our meetings?
Here is what we came up with as a result:
-quiet/noise-free/my neighbors always do something at 11pm/quiet after 10pm
-clean
-traffic calming/sidewalks/speed bumps
-friendly, nice neighbors/social/get to know my neighbors better/groups
-focused discussions/productive/problem-solving orientation/low key/put cold water with the hot cocoa
-missing neighborhood watch/personal security/by knowing neighbors, we can help keep the area safe
-concert/music
-passeggiata
-group yard sale
-stray dog ID & return service
-tool share
-I like that the association keeps me informed about issues
Overall, everyone was pleased with the shared vision and the creative, positive ideas that came out. They also said it was fun. Lisa suggested that it might be a nice idea to bring in a volunteer facilitator to do something like this in a longer (2-4 hour workshop) sometime in the next few months to work toward more long-term planning/community-building.
2) Neighborhood Academy survey results: where to go from here?
We quickly discussed the results of the survey from our last meeting. The following list has the topic with the most interest listed first...
1- Neighborhood Traffic Calming
2- Smart Growth
3- Community Policing
4- Developing a Sense of Community
5- Neighborhood Planning
6- Zoning 101
7- Reducing Your Electric Bills
8- Representing My Neighborhood Before Council and Commissions
9- Smart Housing
10- Using the Census for Grants, etc.
The next step is for the Skyview Neighborhood Association to decide on the classes that we would like to take, select a location, choose dates and times, then arrange a meeting with the academy in order to finalize details:
They suggest holding a coordinating meeting with the Academy team to create a calendar and marketing plan and then publicize the results.
If anyone would like to be on a "committee" to oversee this project, please let us know. There is obviously interest in this. Now we just need to make it happen:-)
Mark your calendars next meetings of the Skyview Neighborhood Association which are scheduled for:
March 13, 2001
April 10, 2001
May 8, 2001