Hancock herald Hancock Neighborhood Association May 2016 INSIDE Hot Topics Proposition 1 Vote Bus Stories Bluebonnet contest The Talent It's My Park Day 2 3 5 8 10 2016 Spring Hancock Native Plant Swap By Carleen Edgar The Spring Plant Swap went off without a hitch on Saturday. Thankfully, this time, there was no rain until we were done. We are enjoying bigger crowds throughout the entire event now which, I hope, is because more and more people are appreciating the benefits of native plants, but could also be due to a plug by Linda Lehmusvirta of the Central Texas Gardener on PBS. Among the attendees were very active NPSOT members Jackie O'Keefe, Ed Travis and Sue Anderson, they were great resources both in the plants they brought and in their vast knowledge of plants. Neighbor, and Master Gardener, Rosemary Vaughn and several other plant experts were there as usual, lending a hand to "newbies" who walk up, curious about the event. We were able to set up a new Hyde Park neighbor who happened by on his bike with his young son. He recently relocated here and was in need of help with his yard. Many others stopped by and were immediately welcomed and taken care of by the attendees, who made sure they got the appropriate plants for their specific needs. The crowd was pretty loud, always talking, it really is hard to get a word in edge-wise into a conversation. You must politely interrupt, though, to get an ID on a plant. So many plants, so little time! HOT topics What Does a "Yes" Vote for Proposition 1 Really Mean? Editorial by Carleen Edgar The onslaught of ads by Uber and Lyft's political action committee has reached its zenith. This morning, in addition to the myriad of ads aired seemingly every 5 minutes on television, my Yahoo mail ad is now blaring, "COMMIT TO VOTE FOR PROP 1 TO KEEP AUSTIN MOVING SAFELY". The all-caps format of the message matches the intensity and scale of the PAC's campaign in recent weeks. To say I'm annoyed would be an understatement. Perhaps I am painfully aware of every single ad because many statements the ads make are like fingernails on a chalkboard, stating just the opposite of what a "Yes" vote means. Voting "Yes" does not mean we will be safer, voting "No" does not mean we will be voting Uber and Lyft out of Austin. So I change the channel. My digits have really gotten a workout. Then, they found me this morning, a captive audience via Yahoo (whose mail client isn't good enough to pay for or perhaps I'm cheap). My dismay with the misleading content has morphed into sadness as I realize that this campaign may actually work. The opposing side doesn't have the voice (via megaphone). But, what we do have is the ability to clear the waters and spread the word. KUT has clarified what it actually means to vote "Yes". Below is the url to the KUT piece and graphics that make it plain and simple. http://kut.org/post/explaining-exactly-what-yes-and-no-vote-prop-1-means However you vote, make sure your voice is heard on May 7th! 2 Bus Stories...this one by Caitlin Moore. Everybody has a bus story, send yours to editor@HancockNA.org The chapters of my life in Austin can be marked by bus routes. I've worked downtown for the past few years, and during that time have moved several times. When I lived on Blanco I took the 4 to work, when I lived on Mary, I took the 10, when I lived on Avenue A, I took the 101 (fancy), and now I'm in Hancock and I take the 7. The 7 captures the ebb and flow of UT students and office workers, and the ride downtown is just long enough to let me catch up on Twitter or read a few pages of a book. Sometimes I just zone out or people watch (let's be honest), but either way, I'm glad I have the option to ride instead of drive. I'll certainly move again someday -- not for a while, if I can help it -and when I do I hope I'm still on one bus route or another so that I can keep tracking my movements through the city. 3 Carolyn Palaima Tony Beckwith Caitlin Moore Kathleen Strong (great ideas!) Alison Young Anonymous poet HNA Meeting Minutes January 20,2016 Meeting Minutes https://www.hancockna.org/www/content/hna-meeting-minutes-january-20-2016 Agenda 1. Election of officers. The following officers were elected unanimously: Mark Harkrider, President Kelly Ramsey, Vice President Mary Sanger, Secretary Bruce Fairchild, Treasurer 2. Vote on Occupancy Limit Ordinance With no nay votes, the HNA voted to send a resolution to the Mayor and City Council asking that the occupancy ordinance expiration date of March 31, 2016 be eliminated and to permanently extend the Occupancy Ordinance limiting the number of unrelated adults to four for all single family properties. 3. Report from Committees Carolyn Palaima reported she is discussing with Hancock Recreation Center the funding for the completion of the north portion of the trail around the Golf Course and for erosion control. Linda Guerrero asked for HNA President to invite Hancock Recreation supervisor to a meeting for discussion of 2010 Bond funds which were dedicated to the Golf Course and Recreation Center. Kathleen Strong of the Newsletter Committee urged members to submit articles for the newsletter. The zoning committee met with Council member Tovo to discuss what tools/incentives to encourage builders/developers to build single family/family friendly residences. If you have suggestions, please contact Linda Guerrero at lhguerrero9@gmail.com. . Continued on page 6 4 Pets-in-Bluebonnets at Huffstickler Green contest WINNERS! To increase awareness of the beauty and encourage use of Huffstickler Green, a contest was announced to find the most beautiful pet amongst the bluebonnets. 1. Molly Ray Moczygemba-Hirsch, a poodle/pointer. Her owners are HNA members Carol Moczygemba and Mike Hirsch. 2. Rennie Strong, a mix, owned by Kathleen Strong. If you have never seen this energetic dog and owner in the neighborhood, you need to get out more. These two pets are so doggone cute in the bluebonnets, they both won! Congratulations to these lucky dogs and their proud owners! Next year, we'll do it again. Be sure and enter your cute pet! Save the Date ­ Mother's Day Bazaar May 7th 25 local artists and artisans offer unique handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, scarves, crafts, paintings and plants. Refreshments will also be available. Sat. May 7, 12:30 ­ 4:30 p.m., Hancock Recreation Center, 811 E. 41 Street and Red River, 512-660-1845. Free and open to the public. 5 Minutes Continued from page 4 4. Permits, Demolitions and Notification to HNA residents. The HNA President and the Executive Committee will discuss the best process for notifying residents about building permits and demolitions and how the Association will handle concerns raised by residents. The City does not send building permits or demolition permits (with the exception of a property the Landmark Commission deems historical) to neighborhood associations. The City sends the following notices to Neighborhood Associations: zoning change, site plans, amendments to the Landuse Code, request for amendments to neighborhood plan, street closures. The Executive Committee will provide a guidance memo as soon as possible. In the meantime, if questions arise about a property, residents should contact HNA President Mark Harkrider at harkrider@westcapitol.com and also call the City's Code Enforcement Department at 311. Thank you HNA Officers: President: Mark Harkrider Vice President: Kelly Ramsey Treasurer: Bruce Fairchild Secretary: Mary Sanger Historian: Tiffany Scolnic Webmaster: George Wilson webmaster@hancockna.org Newsletter Editor: Carleen Edgar editor@hancockna.org Newsletter Ads: Kathleen Strong ads@hancockna.org 6 Shipe Pool Improvement Workshop On March 23rd, Austin Parks and Recreation Department held a community workshop at the Griffin School to engage the public in the design process for the Shipe Pool renovation. This was the first of three planned community meetings. In 2014, an Aquatic Assessment identified Shipe Pool as a Critical Pool meaning it had the potential to functionally fail within the next five (5) swim seasons. In 2014, City of Austin City Council awarded a onetime allocation to PARD's Aquatic Division for refurbishment of Shipe Pool in the amount of $3,100,000.00. This money cannot be used for any other purpose except Shipe Pool. Members of the selected architecture firm, Limbacher & Godfrey attended the March meeting with staff from PARD to explain the status of the renovation schedule and get feedback on the type of pool that would best serve our community. They were open to all ideas on the footprint of a new pool, wading pool and possibly new bathrooms and acknowledged the many constraints which include the electrical lines, the location of the Log Cabin, the mural and the heritage trees. The expected schedule is to keep the pool open for the next two summers and then immediately close it for repairs. The expected opening will be in Summer 2018. Please visit the PARD website's Shipe Pool Renovation page for the next meeting date or visit the HNA or HPNA listserves, or the Friends of Shipe Park facebook page for updates. Alison Young Friends of Shipe Park 7 THE talent All submissions from neighbors welcome! Please send to editor@hancockna.org No Strings Attached My favorite gifts come with no strings attached No favors expected no backs to be scratched And this, I believe, is what love is For otherwise what have we done but substituted one for one? And there is little room to grow when bound by rules of quid pro quo One day perhaps I'll live to see mysterious doors at last unlatched And I will learn to give myself without a single string attached For that, I believe, is what love is tony beckwith 2012 Important Dates Vote Proposition 1! May 7th Mother's Day Bazaar May 7th 12:30-4:30pm Hancock Rec Center HNA regular meeting May 18th 7pm ­ 8:30pm Hancock Rec Center Shipe Pool Opening Party June 18th Save the Date! The quarterly newsletter could use some help in the form of articles and/or editing. Please contact editor@hancockna.org if you are interested in taking any of these duties on. 8 Stupid Bees The fruit is falling from the tree Birds assist with the mess The morning sun highlights fuzzy golden busy bodies at my door, entering and exiting the caverns of open sweetness. Too much to drink, some are listing to one side If they could fly, they couldn't find their way home in their drunken state. Tiptoeing around them down the steps, I think, silly bees! An undulating buzzing carpet hovers over the grass with a quiet hum. I work gingerly around them on overgrown shrubbery. Stung! Ha. I win. It didn't even hurt. Stupid bees! Anonymous Thank you and Congratulations to Kelly Ramsey for being elected our new Vice President. Thanks to all of the HNA Officers for donating your time to look out for Hancock's interests. 9 On March 5 , Hancock neighbors gathered together to work on our "park", specifically, the walking trail at Hancock Golf Course. It was a beautiful day to work and much progress was made to protect the trail from erosion. 4x4 boards were strategically placed to direct water from the path and provide stability. Check out next year's "It's My Park Day" to see what project Hancock neighborhood will be doing and be part of it! th Above From Left to Right: Shaun Cassells, Heidi Anhalt with Audrey, Linda Guerrero, Carolyn Palaima, Caleb Freund, D'Anne Williams, Carleen Edgar, Hugh Bender, Megan Meyer, Bart Whatley, Robert Haynes At left, one section before and after. Just beginning work 10 Done!