September 1999 | Austin, Texas
Contents:
Neighborhood Plan "Outreach"
by David N. Smith
You may be wondering "What's a Neighborhood Plan?" or "What do they mean by "Outreach?" or even "Who are 'They,' anyway?" You may also be wondering, "How can I get the City of Austin to listen to my concerns about the problems in my neighborhood?"If any of this rings a bell, read on. The Neighborhood Plan for Old West Austin is a document that does not exist yet, but will be drafted soon based on the responses received from people who live or own property or have businesses located in the Old West Austin area (Between Lamar Blvd. and Mopac, from Town Lake to Enfield Road).
"Responses to what?" you may be wondering. Responses to a questionnaire that will be drafted and distributed by a committee (the "Outreach" committee) of volunteers who attended a meeting held at Mathews School in May given by representatives of the City of Austin Neighborhood Planning Program, which is a division of the COA Planning, Environmental and Conservation Services Department.
The concept is for the City to gather information from all of the various neighborhoods in Austin about the concerns that the residents, businesses, and property owners in each neighborhood think the City should address, and how.
In old, centrally located neighborhoods like ours, intense pressures of various origins are to be expected as the city grows. This process gives us a way to tell city government what we want to happen in our area. Some observers are skeptical that the City can digest and use such a mountain (or collection of mountains)of information; others think that this is how participatory democracy can work best.
Heading up the optimists in Old West Austin is Mark Stine (472-4113, mjstine@realtime.net), who is the Neighborhood resident coordinating the overall planning project.
The members of the Outreach committee are:
Chairperson Clemmie Cummins, Patricia Bauer-Slate, Rebecca Donnelly, and David N. Smith.The neighborhood representatives are coordinating with Steve Barney of the Neighborhood Planning Program at the City. The substantive topic areas have been defined as Transportation, Land Use/Zoning, Greenspace/Historic Preservation, and Public Safety/Quality of Life. In reality, according to an excellent article by Mike Clark-Madison in the August 20, 1999 issue of the Austin Chronicle, other neighborhoods have gone far beyond traditional planning and land use issues in their Neighborhood Plans (three have been completed to date), addressing even such issues as day-care.
The scope of issues to be addressed in OWANA's Plan is one of the things that will be determined by the Outreach process.
Anyone wishing to contribute time and/or ideas to this effort should contact Clemmie Cummins at 499-3282 (w)or 472-4113 (h) or by email at Clemmie.Cummins@ci.austin.tx.us. Once the committee has drafted a set of questions, the questionnaire will be distributed either by hand or by mail, or both,(this is the "outreach"), and the responses will be collected and tabulated for communication to the city staff and policy-makers.
Topics that might be expected to show up in the responses could include: traffic calming, parking, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, safety, crime, emergency services, mass transit, commercial development, zoning, land use, historic building preservation, environmental protection, parks, oak wilt, etc. Obviously, the issues and proposed ways of addressing them will be determined by the people who respond.
Our goal is to get as many people as possible to respond so as to have a consensus, coming from the bottom up, not imposed from the top down. However the Plan is put together, there is a very real possibility, even probability, that it will profoundly influence the character of our neighborhood for the foreseeable future.
Sidewalks-Improvement Grant Sought
By Karen AkinsNew sidewalks may be in the works for Old West Austin. The sidewalks, which would complete major gaps which exist in the neighborhood sidewalk system, would be funded through a federal grant program designed to enhance the transportation environment. The city of Austin, which committed to provide 20% of the $600,000 requested, submitted an application for the grant program on August 9, 1999. The "Historic Neighborhood Sidewalks" Project was developed by a group of volunteers from both Hyde Park and Old West Austin. Special thanks to Bruce Banner of Hyde Park who worked diligently to complete the application by the deadline and who went the extra mile to get numerous letters of community support.
The sidewalk project will compete statewide for $128 million in transportation enhancement funds. The Texas Department of Transportation, which administers the federal program, will select projects for funding by December 1999. Even if we are not selected for funding, the proposal can be used to go after other funding sources, such as sidewalk funds approved in the last bond election or the city's ADA program. For more information, contact Karen Akins at 478-7060 or transtexas@compuserve.com.
Walk Our Children to School Day Set for October 6th
Mark your calendars! On October 6, 1999, adults from all over the country will be walking groups of children to school to learn more about the pedestrian environment and to focus on ways to make their communities more walkable. Please join Mathews students on their way to school that morning or join a group near your office. This is a national effort sponsored by the National Safety Council and the Partnership for Make America Walkable. Participants' kits are available online at www.nsc.org/walkable.htm.
One of the methods of getting more kids walking to school is already being used here in the neighborhood. A group of Mathews students has formed a "walking school bus." A volunteer parent "drives the school bus” along a designated route each day, picking up children along the way. These kids are doing their part to cut down on neighborhood traffic. Look for them each morning traveling down West 9th street!
Mathews Elementary School recently was named an Historic Landmark by the Austin City Council. Karen Akins, OWANA member, worked with a group of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to conduct the historical research necessary to obtain the designation. Plans are being made for a special celebration ceremony on Friday, October 22. We would like to include as many neighborhood residents and former students as possible. If you can furnish alumna information, or would like to participate, please contact Ruthann Rushing at the school, 236-1102.
Please join us on Saturday, October 23, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., for OCTOBERAMA '99, Mathews' fun-filled fall festival. It's a day of exciting games of chance, delicious international food, an outstanding silent auction featuring items from many local businesses, and some of the best live entertainment Austin has to offer. All money raised will be used for various projects at the school. Help your neighborhood school and have a great time in the process!
If you have questions or suggestions about the OWANA newsletter, contact Red Wassenich at (512) 482-8992 or at redwass@austin.cc.tx.us.