WOOTEN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
Minutes of September 14, 2009
President Adam Turner called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.
Guest Speakers:
Cesar Martinez, the new Principal of Burnet Middle School, was introduced. He proudly announced that Burnet MS has met both state and federal academic standards. His vision is to prepare the students for high school. Two new programs initiated this year are the Positive Behavior System and the Advisory Class, which focuses on lessons on character building. If incidents take place in the neighborhood involving Burnet MS students, contact Mr. Martinez immediately at 414-3225. He left business cards for attendees. Betsy Thaggard asked how the neighborhood could help the school, and Mr. Martinez encouraged people to mentor or tutor students, anywhere from once a month to every day to build a relationship with the students. He also asked neighbors to speak at Career Day held in the Fall and Spring semesters.
John Lipscombe introduced himself as a candidate running for judge of the Criminal Court in District 3. He attended the meeting to hear what issues the residents of Wooten NA were concerned about.
General Meeting:
Carolyn Spock made a motion to approve the minutes of the July 13, 2009 WNA meeting as written. Linda Ritzen seconded the motion. The minutes were unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Adam Turner reported for Janie Riley stating that WNA had a balance of $1,803.78 as of September 1, 2009.
Marilyn Rogers announced that effective October 1, 2009, Compass Bank will have a service charge of $15/month for balances that fall below $1000.00. The Executive Committee will investigate other banks/ credit unions that may be more accommodating to non-profit organizations.
Chair/Liaison Summaries:
Community Relations – Marilyn Rogers.
September 15, 2009, 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Commanders Forum at McCallum High School, 5600 Sunshine Dr.,
September 24, 7:00 – 11:00 pm, Roaring 20s Casino Night and Silent Auction to benefit the Aging, Needy and Disabled, Inc., at the Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St., Tickets are $55 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Music by the Studebakers.
October 6, 2009, 6:00 – 8:00 pm National Night Out gathering at Janie Riley’s house, 1804 Teton.
Update on Walmart at Northcross Mall. From information reported by Responsible Growth for Northcross, Walmart will no longer be a Supercenter (square footage has been reduced from 225,000 to 97,915). It will not be open 24 hours, except during special seasons. The truck routes have been changed, too. Incoming trucks will approach via Burnet Road. Out-going trucks are being rerouted to the portion of Anderson Lane from Northcross over to Mopac frontage and turn north to 183. The date set for construction or opening is unclear.
Update on Tien Hong property at 8301 Burnet Rd. The building will become another restaurant and small retail center. The construction company plans to “clean up that corner”.
Finance – Janie Riley (See Treasurer’s Report)
Business/Community Development – Sarah Rheams. No report.
Community Improvement – Larry Soucier. No report.
Technology – Victor Engel. No report.
School Liaison –Steve Rogers volunteered to be the new School Liaison Committee Chair.
Crime and Code Enforcement – Steve Rogers.
o Steve promoted the next Commanders Forum on September 15, 2009. Attendance at this forum reinforces to the Austin Police that WNA is concerned about crime and code enforcement.
o Susan Ondrasek reported that she and her neighbors have been receiving anonymous postcards citing code violators specific to her neighborhood. Susan was advised to show a copy to our District Representative, Rolando Gutierrez.
o Police crime tape was reported around the property at 8311 Kromer without a known cause.
Wooten Park Update: Adam reported that the deluge of rain has damaged some of the newly formed trails. However, now the land will be resurveyed now that the planners know where the water pools up. Volunteers are needed for this Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 8:00 am to remove the silt fencing and replace it with a porous fabric/tubing.
Boo Fest 2009: The October event will not take place this year.
Newsletter: Adam will contact the people who signed the Newsletter Volunteer sheet in July. The second edition of the Wooten Newsletter should be completed by mid to late October.
New Business:
Mary Lou Gibson asked if anyone had called about the garbage piling up at 2301 Ohlen Rd. Marilyn Rogers did register a complaint to 311.
Questions and concerns were raised about the house and volleyball court behind Tien Hong, as possible code violations may exist.
Melissa Keilman is looking for a trustworthy babysitter.
Betsy Thaggard has agave plants to give away.
Election of Officers: The Nominating Committee presented a slate of officers to be considered for election to the Wooten Neighborhood Association. Those present at the meeting voiced no additional nominations. Jean Tallas made a motion to accept the slate of officers as presented. Mary Lou Gibson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously by acclamation.
Therefore, 2009-10 WNA Officers are:
President: Adam Turner
Vice President: Joy Roberts
Secretary: Carolyn Spock
Treasurer: Opie Gonzalez
Program: Margaret Valenti, with the City of Austin’s Neighborhood Plan Contact Team.
In 2004 the City adopted the Crestview-Wooten Combined Plan. For reasons unknown, a Contact Team was not formed at that time. A Contact Team is defined as a group of individuals designated to be the advocates of their adopted neighborhood pan. They work with city staff toward the implementation of their recommendations, review and initiate plan amendments and serve as community points of contact. The ordinance that creates a Contact Team can be combined or separate. Currently, Wooten NA is combined with Crestview NA. Wooten NA issues are developing the areas that surround our perimeter: six lanes of 183; five lanes on Burnet Rd; and, 5 lanes on Anderson. The school population also appears to differ from that of Crestview. Hence, the major commonality WNA has with CNA is sharing Anderson Lane. Two types of amendments can be made to the existing Combined Plan: text changes, and/or changes to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). Applicants/developers MUST meet with the Contact Team to propose changes to the neighborhood plan. Contact Teams must write their own Bylaws before the team is recognized by the City Council. A Bylaws Template Instruction Sheet, and FAQs re Contacts Teams was distributed to persons in attendance.
A combined Crestview-Wooten meeting will be held on Thursday October 8, 2009, at St. Louis Catholic Church’s Wozniak Hall, 7601 Burnet Rd. from 6:30 -8:00pm.
A motion was made by Steve Rogers to adjourn the meeting, and seconded by Jim Bedrich. The business meeting was adjourned at 8:32 pm.
Next meeting is scheduled for November 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm. Yearly dues of $5/person will be collected for the fiscal year of October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilyn Rogers
WNA Secretary