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Cleanup & Beautification
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Dear Council Member Will Wynn: This letter is written on behalf of Cherrywood Neighborhood Association (CNA) in general, and CNA members Deborah Carter and Joel Dworin in particular, who live across Randolph Street from Value Sky Park on Manor Road. We would like to enlist your help in softening the appearance of this public facility in our neighborhood. Those of us who reside beside, walk past, and generally live nearby, want Value Sky Park to be a temporary, appropriately screened, remote parking facility for Seton Employees at Brakenridge Hospital. Right now, it is unnecessarily obtrusive, appearing more like a prison in the middle of our neighborhood. CNA thought that it had a clear agreement with the developer at the time it was constructed, in hopes of avoiding what has now happened. We had feared it would have the appearance of an industrial use in a residential neighborhood that would both negatively affect neighborhood character and lower residential property values along Randolph. So, as a condition of our support for the zoning change or variances they were requesting, we obtained a commitment from the developer that its facade along Randolph would be an architectural masonry wall, high enough to screen the facility beyond, that any lighting sources would be screened from view from Randolph, and that there would be enhanced trees and other landscaping. As you can see from the attached photographs, the prison reference is no exaggeration. The appalling coiled razor wire, previously removed, has recently been replaced in preparation for its new tenant (Brackenridge). Trees were cut down and the awful orange sodium lighting powered up, directing an eerie glare into the yards of the houses along Randolph. We have contacted the City Manager, spoken and corresponded with various City officials, as well as with Seton personnel, all to no apparent avail. Folks seem sympathetic and to want to help, but the City says it is a Seton problem, Seton says it is a Landlord problem and the out-of-state Landlord is, at least to this point, silent. In addition to the recent photos, I have attached our letter to the City Manager, which has subsequently circulated among city departments, Seton personnel and others. Deborah Carter and I have signed up to speak at Citizens' Communications at the 08 May Council Meeting to publicly discuss the blight that this facility, leased to a City-owned Hospital, represents in our neighborhood. Rather than being there to criticize the process that allowed this to happen, we would far prefer to come thank the Council and Staff for having helped us get rid of the razor wire, shield or replace the lighting and restore the landscaping. We are optimistic that a satisfactory solution is within reach and appreciate your attention to this matter. Thank you. Sincerely,
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| Libby and Ida--
I'm sincerely disappointed that the outcome of last night's meeting was so futile. Girard Kinney and I came there with an open mind and a willingness to work with you guys, but you know, you just can't work with someone else if they don't want to work with you! All the way home, all I could think of was how much money ya'll must be spending on advertising in order to create a positive image of your company, and yet how easily that image can be ruined by an attitude of the kind exhibited by Tim Burns and Rick Marion. As I told you, the reason that I left SWBell had less to do with cost, than it did with their service and the fact that I didn't want to contribute to a company with an attitude as bad as SWBell's. In all honesty, you guys are focusing a whole lot on your technology, but letting the battle for good PR slip right through your fingers. How much of a price would you put on good relations with your potential customers? I suggest that it may be worth alot more than a few hundred dollars. I've also been looking closely at the photographs of your RDT cabinet, and I'm hard pressed to see a lot of vents or louvers that would require the kind of unabated ventilation requirements that Tim insisted were necessary. All I see are some narrow slits at the top of the doors which presumably allow heat to rise and escape. It seems to me, that Tim's insistence upon maximum ventilation is perhaps overstated; could it be that he really approached this meeting with a bad attitude and that he simply hated the idea of screening the RDT with vines to begin with? I seriously doubt that vines would cover any greater a percentage of open area than the wood slat fence that was proposed. In fact, there would probably be a benefit from the amount of shade that our proposed structure would provide-- shade which would perhaps offset the degree of ventilation that might reasonably be required-- but of course, this kind of discussion presumes the sort of open-minded conversation that would be required to weigh the pros and cons of any potential solution, and we weren't even close to achieving that! All in all, it's clear that your two construction representatives were determined not to work with us from the start. That, frankly, was *more* than evident! I'm proud to say that folks in the City and on the Council have taken note of Cherrywood's efforts to work with various governmental agencies, utilities, and companies such as yours. We've worked hard to do what's right for our community while being sensitive to the needs of the agencies we've been dealing with. It's a real shame that we weren't given the opportunity to work out a successful solution with Grande on this issue. Maybe, in time, you all can come to see this unfortunate event as a missed opportunity for some rather low-cost PR, rather than just as an expensive fence .... |
| From: jack@jackjoseynewman.com
Date: 6 Nov 2001 13:15:25 -0800 If draining the offending standing pools of water is not feasible, pour some vegetable oil (environmentally friendly) into the water. It will prevent the mosquitos from breeding. |
| Attending: Mike Damal, Catherine Wilson, Jules Vieau,
Roger Renwick...
Catherine and Roger attended for the specific purpose of noise concerns from the Calabash restaurant on Saturday nights. Roger talked in detail about the times he has called the manager there and also the police, and also the various responses obtained when calling the police. Catherine also mentioned the same, and indirectly knows the owners of the Calabash, and has talked to one of the owners. Mike mentioned he heard alot of noise the first time Calabash had live music and called both Calabash management and the police, but has not heard any music since the first time in late August. Roger lives on Lafayette near Manor, Catherine on Dancy near 32nd, and Mike on Cherrywood between Manor and 32nd. Mike mentioned that noise patterns are often unusual and people may have a noise problem on one side of the street and not the other, or even from the back of the house to the front noise levels can vary dramatically. A considerable part of the meeting was devoted to the noise ordinance. This ordinance can be reviewed from the city’s website www.review.ci.autstin.tx.us in Title X--Offenses Against Persons or Property, Chapter 10-5: Noise. The ordinance states that a noise amplification permit is not required for any set business (these are normally just given for special events), however the law states that from the hours of 10:30pm to 7:00am "it shall be unlawful...in either a public or private place or house in the city, to create, make or cause to be made upon musical instruments, horns, or bugles, or by any other means, any loud noise which is reasonably calculated to disturb others in the vicinity of such public or private place or house. The law also states that "the use or operation of an amplification device at a permanent business location or private residence to produce a sound in excess of 85dB between 10am and 10pm, and 80dB between 10pm and 2am as measured at the boundary line of the permanent business location or private residence shall be deemed reasonably calculated to disturb the peace and unreasonably offensive to the public. Roger has bought a sound measuring device and has measured the Calabash to be at 90dB (realize the this is a logrithmic scale--90bB is ten times as loud as 80dB). Catherine and Roger have said they will continue to monitor the situation. Mike suggested that Roger and Catherine start to document all noise complaints to the police and canvass their immediate areas to find out if any others are impacted by the noise. At this time the P&Z committee plans to take no formal action/investigation into this matter, however if documentation is brought forward from a group of residents, Mike said CNA would consider acting as a mediator between the groups or possibly developing a formalized noise policy. Mike also said that even if CNA does not have a formal statement on this policy, this should not prevent concerned neighbors from organizing on their own and to take what action (dialogue, police inquiries, legal) that they see fit. |
| The City of Austin Landfill just south of ABI Airport (take 183 towards Lockhart to FM 812, go east on FM 812 for 1 mile – the entrance to the landfill will be on your left) takes appliances for freeIF you just have appliances in your pickup. If you have other garbage along with it, they charge you the normal fee. This dump does not take household trash, only construction debris and garden waste (tree limbs, stumps, grass, leaves, etc). There are two dumps on 812, this is the second one, run by the City. I've dumped an old fridge and stove there a few months ago, unless their policy has changed its a great place to use, about 15 minutes from Cherrywood when traffic is light. It is open Mon - Fri 8 - 4:30. < (Michael Damal) mdamal@peoplepc.com > |
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