The Allandale Reporter

Movie Review: Friends With Money

submitted by Susan Frank

Friends With Money isn't about friendship, but it is definitely about money. Of course, as I often say (usually in reference to geopolitical upheavals), it's ALWAYS about money. Especially in Los Angeles, as depicted by writer and director Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking, Lovely & Amazing) in what I found to be an oxymoron of a film: smartly written but with a shallow premise that left me wondering why anyone with Holofcener's obvious talent would bother writing about it, let alone make a whole movie about it. The movie virtually has no plot and no sense of purpose, almost like a cinematic shrug. As a result, it is left to a blessedly talented ensemble cast to steer the film toward its destination, as unsatisfying as it may be. (Continue reading Friends With Money...)

MoNAC Meeting, Tuesday, April 18, 2006, 6:30pm

submitted by Kay Newell

Call to Order 6:30pm
Joyce Basciano, President of MoNAC, called the meeting to order and had everyone in the room  introduce themselves and their affiliation.

Approval of the January 17, 2006 minutes
Frances Allen motioned to approve the minutes. Phyllis Brinkley seconded the motion. All voted in favor.

THE DEAD END OF 49TH STREET BLOCK PARTY

submitted by Joe Reynolds
Sunday Afternoon April 2, 2006 was the date for the 15^th neighborhood party on 49^th   Street adjacent to the Shoal Creek Dam. The party is a place to socialize with many of the people you meet while walking. You learn their names [they become Chris, not “the slow Shelty”] and where they live. There’s food, drinks, music, games. A contact list is distributed so you can remember those names and find that person you were talking to about compost. Kids get to know each other, not just adults. This was the 15^th year, with the largest attendance, 150 or more. Music was by DJ Jahkarma.

Meeting the 2006 AISD Candidates

Many thanks to the 5 School Board Candidates for participating in last night's AISD candidate Forum at Gullett. They are running for non-paid positions that oversee a school district with a budget of over $750 million and make decisions about complex issues affecting diverse interests with an impact on the future - our children. You have got to wonder why they do it and at the same time commend them for their willingness to serve.

Gullett WINS Neighborhood Beautification Grant

Congratulations to Gullett Elementary PTA who won  a $1,500 beautification grant  according to a report today on News8 Austin. The school was one of 8 recipients of the $10,000 grant program. The grants are designed to support neighborhood efforts to improve their community and take ownership of public spaces. Gullett will use the funds to create a new native-plant teaching garden, designed for entire classes to explore natural habitats and ecosystems. You can find more information about the program at the Keep Austin Beautiful website.

Notes from Neighborhood Planning Session

Here's the text of an email I received  from Tim Mahoney regarding last Saturday's meeting at City Hall, "Neighborhood Planning in Austin - Next Steps." Included is link to a document that contains a series of quotes regarding the neighborhood planning process from those who have been involved in it. They offer some very good insights and are timely as we get underway with our neighborhood plan.

from Tim Mahoney on behalf of neighboraustin@infohiwy.net

Attached are the first batch of quotes that were used at the beginning of the Neighborhood Planning Event last Saturday.  We'll send you the results that were presented at the workshop shortly.

The Neighborhood Planning Team
 

AISD School Board Candidate Forum

You are cordially invited to an AISD School Board Candidate Forum for places 4, 8, and 9. This event is sponsored by the Allandale Neighborhood Association and the Gullett PTA.

Date: Wednesday, April 26, (starts at 6 p.m., your questions start at 7 p.m.)

Location:   Gullett

Elementary   School, 6310 Treadwell   Blvd.

It begins at 6 p.m., with social time/mingling (food and beverages will be provided). Candidates will address us from 6:30-7, followed by questions from the audience, starting at 7 p.m.

Place 4 is a district with the neighborhoods of Anderson, McCallum, Lamar, Murchison, Brentwood, Davis, Doss, Gullett, Hill, Highland Park, Pillow, Rosedale. Only people in these neighborhoods can vote on Place 4. Places 8 and 9 are at-large, district-wide.

The candidates, all of whom have confirmed with us, are:

4) Vince Torres

8) Ed Leo and Annette LoVoi

9) Karen Dulaney Smith and Alberto C. Gonzalez

 We look forward to seeing you!

For more information, contact John Keohane
keohane@prodigy.net (512) 371-3853

Movie Review: Inside Man

submitted by Susan Frank

"Perfectly Planned Painting" is what the sign on the side of the panel truck reads, as it pulls up in front of the New York City bank about to be robbed by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and his band of robbers-disguised-as-painters in Spike Lee's Inside Man. That tongue-in-cheek bit of whimsy speaks volumes. It says: Spike Lee is here and this isn't going to be your typical heist/action movie. Rich in detail and teeming with irony, the story and script delivered by first-time screenwriter Russell Gewirtz provides Lee with the perfect vehicle to take him into the cinema mainstream, without leaving his old, familiar neighborhood. (Continue reading "Inside Man"...)

Last Call for Volunteers for It's My Park Day this Saturday

Allandale now has two projects sponsored by the Austin Parks Foundation to choose from:

Shoal Creek Greenbelt cleanup just south of Allandale Road/2222 (Project 13665) - meeting place is just south of that intersection on Shoal Creek Blvd.

or

Great Northern Boulevard cleanup ((Project 13649) - meet at Gullett Elementary School

Both projects run from 9 - 1 this Saturday. Sign up at www.austinparks.org/ItsMyParkDay.html Signing up gives the organizers a head count but if you want to skip the formality, just show up for a much time as you want. Kids are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Bring work gloves if you have them although latex will be provided. It's best to wear jeans, a long sleeve shirt and sturdy shoes (no sandals). If you're willing to go in the creek, wear shoes that you don't mind getting wet.

We look forward to having a little fun and hope to see you there!

Paul Nagy

"Park Host"

MOVIE REVIEW: LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN

submitted by Susan Frank

Lucky Number Slevin, from its dyslexic title to its film noir pretensions to its flashback/switchback plot sequence, is designed to distract the audience from the disappointing realities of the film. For all its star-studded cast and arty camera work, the film is a bag of well-worn tricks, used far more effectively in other movies by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and M. Night Shyamalan, to disguise a weak story of murder and revenge. (continue reading Lucky Number Slevin...)

Help cleanup the bike lanes along Great Northern Boulevard

Saturday, April 22 - It's My Park Day
Please  register to volunteer.
Location: Austin - Gullet Elementary School. 6310 Treadwell Blvd.
Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Contact: Marc Miller. 512-423-7262. <marcrm@austin.rr.com>
Registration: www.austinparks.org/ItsMyParkDay.html
Please register at the website if you wish to volunteer!!

Marc Miller
Allandale resident for 25 years

Reminder for This Saturday - It's My Park! Day 4/22/06 - Volunteers Needed for Allandale Shoal Creek Cleanup

It's not too late! Interested volunteers can still sign up. Here is the information again:

Neighborhood Planning Meeting

submitted by Tom Linehan and Kerry Kimbrough

Saturday's meeting at City Hall was entitled "Neighborhood Planning in Austin - Next Steps."  I attended and participated in the meeting but  I'm not sure what those next steps are other than the  discussion and input gathered from the  150 or so  people in attendance will be summarized and distributed. 

Nevertherless, for those like me who have not been involved in the neighborhood planning process, the meeting was a good primer for understanding the challenges of  neighborhood planning. The meeting began with Patricia Wilson, Professor of UT's Community and Regional Planning program reporting on the results of a semester-long study on neighborhood planning.

Amy's Ice Cream and Phil's Ice House

Hamburgers and ice cream close by. What else could you want? Not many neighborhoods can brag about such a convenience.

Allandale's fortune came partly out of luck. Locating Amy's Ice Cream and Phil's Ice House in Allandale along Burnet Road was not part of a grand plan, it was simple economics. Husband and wife Steve and Amy Simmons (see family photo above)  had outgrown the 1,800 SF building on Guadalupe and finding enough space at the right price took them north. Steve found the vacant building that now serves as their offices and productin facility and made an offer.

Public Meetings on the New Flood Plain Maps

According to an article in Thursday's Austin American-Statesman, the City will be holding meetings on the new FEMA flood plain maps. You'll want to review the maps to see if your property has been added or removed from the flood plain, and more importantly, what it means in terms of flood insurance and building on your property. The first meeting will be Tuesday, April 18th at 1:30 at the One Texas Center building at 505 Barton Springs Rd. To prepare for the meeting look up your property on the  interactive version of the flood plain maps on the City's website. Just type in your address and it will show where your property lies relative to the flood plain on the new maps.

Commanders Forum Report

submitted by John Keohane

Commanders Forum, last Monday night, in Hyde Park, was a good time to meet with police.

Allandale residents present included Phyllis Brinkley, Steven Zettner, Cynthia Keohane, and me. I'm getting to be something of a regular at these commanders forums. This was my third or fourth one.

It's My Park! Day 4/22/06 - Volunteers Needed for Allandale Shoal Creek Cleanup

It’s My Park! Day is on Saturday, April 22nd from 9 -1. Allandale has one of over 40 park projects being organized for this year's event by the Austin Parks Foundation. Our project for a second year is a general cleanup of a stretch of Shoal Creek and the greenbelt park area from Allandale/2222/Koenig south to Hancock (or as far as the number of volunteers allows!). We'll also be clearing the base around some of the bigger trees.

MOVIE REVIEW: THANK YOU FOR SMOKING

"If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." These are the words of Cardinal Richelieu, master political manipulator, religious oppressor, and all-around fun guy of 17th Century France. But they could easily have been the words of Nick Naylor, lobbyist and chief spinmeister for the fictional Academy of Tobacco Studies, in the biting satire Thank You For Smoking. Adapted from Christopher Buckley's 1994 novel, Thank You For Smoking is a satirical, and very funny, study of the soulless art of lobbying. (Continue reading Thank You For Smoking...)

Converting Lucy Read

submitted by Walter Brewer

AISD is proposing to convert Lucy Read into a magnet Pre-K in 2006. It looks like they’ll spend a lot of money upgrading the school. That could be good for the area. I’m wondering how significantly it will impact area traffic since parents from at least three other neighborhoods will descend on the area every morning and afternoon. I hope to have time to investigate further.  Click here for more information on the  proposed conversion.

Survey on Shoal Creek Blvd. Sidewalks in the Works

What follows is the text of an email I received from the City of Austin as a follow up to last month's meeting regarding sidewalks along Shoal Creek.
                                                                                                               

April 7, 2006

Survey on Shoal Creek Blvd. Sidewalks in the Works

Dear Shoal Creek Boulevard Property Owner and/or Interested Party:

Thank you for your attendance/participation at the March 20 meeting at Gullett Elementary   School regarding the installation of sidewalks along Shoal Creek Blvd. As a reminder, the Land Use and Transportation Subcommittee in February recommended the installation of sidewalk along both sides of Shoal   Creek Boulevard. The sidewalk will extend from 38th   Street to Foster Lane.

A Bit of Burnet Rd History

This is a photo of the Mobil Gas Station that used to be next to Home lumber and accross from where Amy's Ice Cream is now on Burnet Road. The picture was taken at the stations's grand opening in June 1956. It closed in 1985. I spoke with David C. Wallace, the owner. He said he bought the station from Magnolia Petroleum after moving here from Waco.

Food Fest and .2K Run Sunday April 9th

Choose Austin First’s Third Annual Food Fest and 0.2K Run (yep, Point 2K)

Come out Sunday April 9th, from 2 – 6PM for the third annual Choose Austin First’s Food Fest and 0.2K run (yes, “point” 2K!) benefiting the SIMS Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides access to low-cost mental health services for Austin musicians and their immediate families. The Festival includes food, music, games and an opportunity to meet with up to 50 local businesses. (Click here for the details  ).

Suspicious Package Reported in Allandale

A call to the City about a suspicious package delivered to a house on Bullard Drive brought out a small army of police, fire, and hazmat crews. They spent the better part of an hour sizing up the situation. The area was getting taped off and both entrances to the street closed to traffic before the investigation was halted. Turns out the suspicious package with a return address of Dubuque, Iowa was a small tube containing a Mazda key - part of  a promotion sent to households around Austin. The sigh of relief came after one of the neighbors talked to the owner, learned what the investigation was about, and made the connection. She received one of those tubes as well. An investigating officer on the scene remarked that the discovery saved the arrival of several more emergency crew members heading to the scene.

The resident's concern was not totally unwarranted. It has to do with the resident being associated with controverial remarks  made at  a recent science conference. None of the neighbors watching  the event unfold left disappointed with the outcome, except perhaps the City's emergency crew, or maybe not.

UPCOMING NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING MEETING

To any Allandale Residents interested in Neighborhood Planning:

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING IN AUSTIN-NEXT STEPS

Saturday, April 15, 9am - 1:30pm
City Hall, 301   W.2d St.

Please RSVP by April 8, 2006 to:  neighboraustin@infohiwy.net
If you have any questions, please contact Lori C-Renteria at 478-6770, or Tim Mahoney at 326-9944. We are limited to about the first 200 who contact us.