January 24, 2010 by president.

Be advised that there has been a rash of car break-ins at the MoPac lot in Zilker.  Please use caution if parking there when using the Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake) trail.

Posted in Parks, In The News | No Comments »

March 28, 2009 by president.

People around the globe will be marking the second annual Earth Hour on Saturday by conserving energy in their communities for 60 minutes.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is encouraging people to shut off the lights, or at the very least dim them, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time.

This year, nearly 4,000 municipalities in 88 countries are expected to take part, the WWF says.

A number of key landmarks will fade to black, including New York’s Empire State Building, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Australia’s famed Opera House dimmed Saturday as Sydney became the first major city to plunge itself into darkness.

More than 250 municipalities across Canada have pledged support, and almost 70 public events are planned, World Wildlife Fund Canada says.

A recent survey showed 81 per cent of Canadians are expected to turn off their lights for the hour, the group says.

“Turning off our lights for an hour isn’t going to solve climate change, but what it does do is show individuals that they can make a difference in the fight against global warming and sends a really strong message to world leaders that action is needed now,” said Tara Wood of WWF Canada.

The drive to deliver that message appears to be catching on. Seven times more municipalities have signed on worldwide since last year’s Earth Hour, which drew participation from 400 cities.

Posted in Green Neighborhood, In The News | No Comments »

March 30, 2008 by president.

From 3/30 Austin-American Statesman:

Rollingwood comes of age — in a big way

New sewer system has gotten the ball rolling on Rollingwood redevelopments

By Alexandra Richmond
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sunday, March 30, 2008

It perhaps surprised no one when Gary Keller, the chairman of Keller Williams Realty, bought two lots in Rollingwood, razed the existing houses and built a 7,700-square-foot Italianate estate for his family in 2004.

He could have gone anywhere in the Austin area. But Rollingwood, with its safe, shaded streets and brief commute to downtown, is a hot spot for rebuilding.

…Read the whole article

Posted in In The News | No Comments »

January 20, 2008 by Lserface.

Join the fun! We’ve scheduled our ‘Clean the Creek’ event for Sunday, 2/17 from 2pm - 4pm.

Note: We’ve added a 12:30 group if you want to get an early start!

Meet at the creek bridge near the intersection of Bee Cave Road + Edgegrove. Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB)
will supply us with bags, gloves and other goodies to help get the job done.

Scout troops who join us will receive a ‘Clean the Creek’ badge AND one credit toward a ‘Patch Pals’ badge. And for more information about the ‘Patch Pals’ badge, visit
http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/page.php?p_page_child_id=178.

Please help spread the word to neighbors!

Posted in Green Neighborhood, Women's Club, In The News, Community, Events | No Comments »

October 17, 2007 by Sue Bryant.

As the chair of Planning and Zoning at the time the noise ordinance was amended in 2005, I am surprised to see latest interpretation of the Ordinance by the current city council.  The intent of the provisions is clearly related to noise, not construction.   First, this is readily evident in the April 27, 2005, city council’s “Agenda Item Information” in the first line – “On April 7, 2005, the Rollingwood Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend amending the City’s noise ordinance as it relates to construction noise.” [emphasis added] Second, it is also clear that the intent is to refer to noise in that there are no less than three references to these provisions as:      Specifically, the Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending the addition of a provision to the noise ordinance. . . [2nd paragraph]      In addition, the Commission is proposing to modify the noise ordinance. . . [3rd paragraph]      Attached are the proposed amendments to the noise ordinance. . . [4th paragraph] Third, the minutes of the city council during which council first considered the ordinance specifically indicated that then city manager Don Ferguson “outlined details of the proposal which prohibits commercial construction related NOISE [emphasis added] outdoors between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and on weekend and holidays.”   Fourth, the council’s “Agenda Item Information” of May 18, 2005, reaffirmed this understanding, and it was during this meeting that the council approved the current version of the ordinance. And fifth, by amendment, these provisions are specifically amending two items which were already within the list of those items incorporated within the noise ordinance.      This change was recommended and approved by P&Z because of complaints regarding very noisy building construction in the evening and on weekends.  However, in order to avoid unduly restricting a homeowner or tenant from doing routine or regular maintenance or lawn work, the two provisions were clearly separated such that one refers to professional contract or subcontract work and the other refers to work done by ”any homeowner or tenant.” Please note that there is a clause in the old provision (14) that is no longer in ordinance.  The omitted clause is “in such a manner that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance.”  The omission of this clause may have been inadvertent or, more likely, it wasn’t considered critical since the provision was already in the Noise Ordinance and, taken in context of Subsections (a) and (b), wasn’t needed.  Subsection (b), which includes (14) and (18), is specifically tied to Subsection (a) by language in the ordinance, and Subsection (a) states that “It is unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued, any noise disturbance.” Provision (14) is not a stand alone provision related to construction per se, but rather a provision under Subsection (b) which is specifically tied to Subsection (a) and therefore cannot be interpreted correctly outside the context of Subsections (a) and (b) within the noise ordinance.    

Therefore, the current ordinance was not designed to restrict construction but to prevent the irritation of noise that may be caused by construction.  

Posted in In The News, Government | No Comments »

September 13, 2007 by president.

Skip the multi-vitamins!  Based on this report by the Chicago Tribune on 9/9/2007, neighborhood renovation and construction improves our health.

Property values signal obesity

Neighborhood property values predict obesity rates better than education or incomes, according to a study from the University of Washington published online by the journal Social Science and Medicine.

For each additional $100,000 in the median price of homes, researchers found, obesity rates in a given ZIP code dropped by 2 percent.

The study, based on analysis of responses to a telephone survey conducted in King County by the local health department and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found sixfold disparities in obesity rates across the Seattle area. Obesity rates reached 30 percent in the most deprived areas but were only around 5 percent in the most affluent Seattle-area ZIP codes.

“Obesity is an economic issue,” said Dr. Adam Drewnowski, director of the university’s Center for Obesity Research and leader of the study.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in In The News | No Comments »

September 12, 2007 by president.

From the Austin Business Journal:

HEB is buying stores in Austin and Round Rock, on Gattis School Road in Round Rock, Research Boulevard, South Pleasant Valley Road and Highway 290 West in Austin and Capital of Texas Highway in West Lake. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in In The News, Community | No Comments »

August 21, 2007 by president.

Monday’s Austin-American Statesman carried a story about the Morford family:

One family copes with addiction

After decades of drug abuse, Travis Morford died from a drug overdose just as he was starting to show signs of sobriety, family says. … They are still searching for definitive answers to what caused Travis’ death and are starting to raise funds to donate to Austin Recovery, a nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment center.

Posted in In The News | No Comments »

July 9, 2007 by president.

From Statesman’s Ben Wear: Getting There on 7/9/07:

Q: They widened Bee Cave Road from MoPac up to Eanes Creek about three years ago, and I heard they were to continue west with that. Then nothing happened. What’s up with that?

A: Nothing, unfortunately. The cities of West Lake Hills and Rollingwood were supposed to get right of way for further widening, Daigh said, but were depending on donated land and never got all that was necessary.

Now, with sharply increased construction costs and diversion of some money to other Transportation Department projects, the agency has on hand less than a third of the $34 million construction cost, even if the right of way becomes available.

Posted in In The News | No Comments »

July 8, 2007 by president.

From 7/8/07 Statesman: “Time rolls right past the small city of Rollingwood”

Nestled just three miles from the Capitol dome — as the red-tailed hawk soars — the cozy bedroom community of Rollingwood is a time capsule of sorts, a delightful reminder of the days before suburbs became showplaces for buffed-up homes that loom over tiny strips of green.

Read the rest including their mention of Shanti Jayakumar.

Posted in Women's Club, In The News | No Comments »