The Allandale Reporter

Allandale General Meeting: September 27, 2007 Minutes

Executive committee members in attendance: Brent Sjolseth, Tom Linehan, Katie Hansen, Allan McMurtry, Joe Reynolds, Laura Slaughter, Cathy Yang, Dan Jones, Donna Beth McCormick.

Minutes from the March general meeting were read and approved.

Joe Reynolds presented the Treasurer’s report.
Deposit accounts $18,849.24
Starting balance Dec 6 2006: $31,614.09 Current fundraising: $17,000
- Masquerade ball $10,000
- NSCNA $2,000
- Appeal $5,000
Further Legal expenses: $4,000
Expected ending balance: $31,849.24
George Roman makes a motion to approve the financial statements. Katie Hansen seconds. Passes.

McCallum Fine Arts Dance - Benefit Show

McCallum Fine Arts Dance - Benefit Show
Friday Oct. 5 & Saturday Oct. 6, at 7pm
McCallum Theatre at 5600 Sunshine Dr, Austin, TX 78756
Tickets $5 adults, $3 students - available at the show

Support the student-led dance benefit show from the McCallum Fine Arts Dance program. This show is entirely student produced, choreographed and costumed, featuring highlights from studies in ballet, jazz, modern, tap & hip-hop. All proceeds raised provide funding for the Fall & Spring dance shows.   Questions?  Please email Shelly Van Dyke at shellykvd@yahoo.com

 

Agenda for this Thursday's ANA General Meeting

submitted by Tom Linehan

Allandale Neighborhood Association General Meeting Agenda
Thursday, 6:30, Ralph Yarborough Library, 2200 Hancock

ANA welcomes all Allandale residents and property owners

- Call meeting to order – 6:30
- Review and approval of agenda
- Approval of Minutes
- Treasurer’s report
- Proposed increase in membership dues
- White Rock flooding project update
- Bike Lanes for Steck   Ave

ANA Meeting of the Executive Committee 9/18/07

In attendance: Tom Linehan, Katie Hansen, Joe Reynolds, Paulette Kern, Michael Bomba, Donna Beth McKormick, Allan McMurtry, Laura Slaughter.

Agenda: Zoning Issues: Paulette Kern

Legal Expenses: Treasures report by Joe Reynolds and Legal expenses by the North Cross Committee

Katie Hansen motions that we postponed reading of the minutes until next time. Paulette Kern seconds. Passes

Zoning: Paulette Kern.
Kerry Howell on Lawnmont and Montview who lives by the Antique mall property that is being redeveloped by Ardent, came to the meeting to speak on behalf of the neighbors. Ardent is pursuing the VMU designation to increase density above the 88 units that was already approved. The 88 units required a variance to have that many units at 4 stories.

THIS SATURDAY: RG4N BAZAAR & THRIFT SALE FUNDRAISER!

Saturday, Sept. 29th
8:00 AM to NOON
Encore Records Parking Lot
1745 West Anderson Lane

*Donate items and support RG4N.*
Check in your closets. Look in your garage. You know you have something you can give to RG4N to sell at the bazaar.

HELP CRESTVIEW “STOP THE SWAP”

The City Council will vote this Thursday, September 27, on a “land swap” which could amount to a $1.3 million corporate giveaway that undermines the Crestview/Wooten neighborhood plan and is opposed by the neighborhood association. Crestview Neighborhood Association asks neighbors throughout the Northcross area to call City Council members today and Wednesday to oppose the land swap.

WHAT IS THE LAND SWAP?
The proposal before Council would give Stratus, owner of the land where the Crestview Station development will be built, and Trammel Crow, the Crestview Station developer, 5.5 acres on Ryan Street next to the location of the planned commuter rail station. In exchange, the City would receive 2 acres near the southwest corner of Lamar and Morrow.

Keeping up with progress on the White Rock Flooding Project

At the August EC meeting, representatives from the City's public works department provided a presentation on the White Rock Flooding project. White Rock Dr is the rated as the 3^rd worst flooding area in the city and $8.3 million has been set aside to address it. There were a lot of unanswered questions about the project that surfaced in the meeting. Subsequently, a committee headed up by Allandale resident Mark Price was formed to follow up on and work with the city on the project. Thanks to Mark and the committee members for their involvement. Mark has put together a blog to keep us current on where things stand with the project. You can see headlines of the latest postings on the right side of this website under the heading "ANA Drainage Committee."

McCallum Fine Arts Dance - Benefit Show

Come out & support the student-led dance benefit show from the McCallum Fine Arts Dance program on Friday Oct. 5th and Saturday Oct. 6th at 7:00pm. This show is entirely student produced, choreographed and costumed, featuring highlights from studies in ballet, jazz, modern, tap & hip-hop. The show is under one hour, starting at 7:00pm in the McCallum Theatre. Tickets are $3 students/ $5 adults, at the door. All proceeds raised provide funding for the Fall & Spring dance shows. 

Questions? Email Shelly Van Dyke at shellykvd@yahoo.com. 

Stay after the dance show for McCallum Theatre's first performance of the season, "Metamorphoses" at 8pm in the Lab Theatre (next to the main Theatre).

 Tickets & show times online at www.mactheatre.com - including student priced tickets online, new this year!

Union Pacific - Idling Trains and More

What follows is information provided by ASA Rail to correct things that have been inferred on the Allandale listserve about the Union Pacific (UP) line along Mopac.

Kay Newell, Allandale, MoNAC Secretary

The State Rail Plan came out a couple of years ago. It is really for the purpose of quantifying what the rail needs in the State are. It was useful in passing the Rail Relocation Fund bill and constitutional amendment and illustrates the amount of money needed throughout the state for rail projects.

McCallum Continues Winning Ways

submitted by Tom Davis

The McCallum Knights took on the Johnston Rams last Thursday night at House Park in their second district game, and when the dust had settled the Knights came home with a 60 to 7 win.

McCallum’s defense again set the pace for the game holding the Rams to just 24 yards rushing on 20 carries and 132 yards passing, most of which was gained on a 74 yard touchdown pass in the 4^th quarter for Johnston’s lone score.

The Light Bulb Shop

Tom Linehan

The Light Bulb Shop is right here in Allandale and they can supply you with a bulb for just about anything you have that needs one – lamps, recessed lights, microscopes, or simple energy saving bulbs for your entire house. It’s probably the latter they sell most. Energy saver compact fluorescent have gone from taking up 2 shelves space in the store 2 years ago to a occupying an entire wall today. The Light Bulb shop also sells bulbs for stage and studio lighting, photo lamps for projectors, and bulbs for medical and scientific equipment purchased by places like Seton Hospital and the J.J. Pickle Research Center. Needless to say it’s the place to go to find bulbs that you’re not able to find anywhere else.

McCallum Turns It Around With Win Over Lanier

submitted by Tom Davis

The Knights set the pace for the defense, holding Lanier scoreless in the first three quarters of play. Defensively, the Knights were led with strong plays by linebackers Hudson Stancliff and Sam Richter. Defensive end Clete Donovan and defensive tackle Marshall Giddings helped keep the Vikings at bay for the first three periods.

The McCallum Knights opened their district play last Friday night at House Park with a convincing 42 to 14 win over long time foe, the Lanier Vikings.

Allandale is having a Ball!

Rock and Roll in disguise! It’s not too early to start assembling your costume for Allandale's  first Masquerade Ball. The Ball will be on Saturday, October 27, 2007, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight at the Caswell House and catered by our own Allandale resident, Russell Millner, owner of Russell's Bakery and Coffee Bar on Hancock. Russell's,  known for there delectable bakery goods, will prepare a variety of savory and sweet appetizers and hors d’ oeuvres for the Ball. There will be live music - Austin's own saloon rockers, the Leroi Brothers, a silent auction, and prizes for best costume.  The event is open to all of Allandale and friends of Allandale.

Purchase your tickets here or at Russell's Bakery located at the corner of Hancock and Balcones. Tickets are $50.00 each with all proceeds going towards the Allandale legal fund. Since this event will be serving alcohol, minimum age requirement is 21 years of age. Come party with your friends and neighbors! For more information about this event send an email to: allandalemasqueradeball@yahoo.com.

About the Allandale Neighborhood Association

Allandale is bounded by Anderson Lane on the north, by Shoal Creek at 45th Street (from MoPac to the Shoal Creek waterway, and following the waterway to Hancock Drive) to the south, with Burnet Road as its eastern boundary and MoPac as the western boundary. (See map)

To learn more about the Allandale Neighborhood Association read our bylaws here.

Allandale Neighborhood Associaton is a non-profit organization that endeavors to promote and protect the quality of life, safety, residential characteristics, and property values of the neighborhood. For more information about our Neighborhood read the neighborhood profile on Allandale from the Austin American-Statesman.

Allandale Neighborhood Association
Executive Committee
President  - Tom Linehan
Vice President -
Treasurer  - Joe Reynolds
Secretary - Allan McMurtry
Members:

• George Roman
• Mary Jean Matus
• Donna Beth McCormick
  
• Paulette Kern
• Dan Jones
• Laura Slaughter
• Margie Gordon

webmaster: Tom Linehan

The Allandale Neighborhood Association Executive Committee meets the fourth Thursday of the month at the Ralph Yarborough Library (map)at 6:30 PM. Meetings are open to the public.

To submit a post to this website send it to allandalereporter@yahoo.com

Our mailing address is:
Allandale Neighborhood Association
P.O. Box 10886
Austin, Texas 78766-1886

Meet the Board Members

What follows are brief profiles of some of our current Allandale Neighborhood Association Board members. It's in a Q&A format. I asked them to submit a photo because it helps put a face to the names that keep showing up in the newsletter and on the website. Some did. I'm still working on the others. Check back. The profiles are not listed in any particular order.   (Continue Reading "Meet the Board Members.")

ANA Committees

submitted by Katie Hansen

We are working to maintain and improve the quality of life, sense of community and beauty of our neighborhood. No matter what your interest or available time, we have a place for you! Committees are described below and typically meet once per month. It is a great way to meet your neighbors! No prior experience is needed.

Executive Committee: The Executive Committee meets once per month. This is the governing body of the Allandale Neighborhood Association and endeavors to build our sense of community and guide future development in a way that protects the integrity of the Allandale Neighborhood. Executive Committee members also participate on one or more of the committees listed below. Elections for the Executive Committee are held in September of every year. President: Tom Linehan tlinehan@austin.rr.com

Downtown Austin Plan - Tell Them What you think

Take the downtown community survey and let the Downtown Austin Plan team know your ideas and priorities for downtown’s development. The online survey takes about 15 minutes. They will hold it open until they receive 10,0000 responses. They will be posting the results at www.downtownaustinplan.org when completed.

Call for a growth management policy

submitted by Tom Linehan

Central city neighborhoods like Allandale are pushing for a city growth management policy that gives neighborhood s equal influence when it comes to deciding how to accommodate densification. Some of the underlying issues with the city's current densification trajectory were outlined in Saturday's Austin American-Statesman article, "Neighborhoods and city interests collide over density," by Suzannah Gonzales. It talks about neighborhood reactions to the city's neighborhood planning process, why some neighborhoods feel they've been betrayed by it, and examples of where the city's push for densification and the neighborhoods interest in preserving the character of their neighborhoods collide.

McCallum Runs Head-on Into Buzz Saw Called the Austin High Maroons

submitted by Tom Davis

The McCallum Knights ran head-on into a buzz saw when they took on the 5A Austin High Maroons last Friday night at House Park, ending up on the short end of the score 55 to 14.

The Maroons came out in the first quarter looking to avenge last week’s loss to Westwood at the expense of the Knights. Austin jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, plus adding McCallum’s two turnovers proved too much for the Knights for the rest of the night.

McCallum tried to mount a comeback in the 2^nd quarter, when Kevin Lusson ran for 59 yards, then threw to Vincent Ellis for the touchdown. Austin High answered by adding three more scores on their side of the scoreboard, bringing the halftime score to 41-7 Maroons.

Austin High came out in the second half protecting their lead, mustering two more scores in the last two quarters, which brought the score to 55-7. McCallum completed the scoring for both teams when Lusson completed a pass to Van Franks for the Knights second score, which brought the final score to 55 to 14.

Next week McCallum starts district play when they host the Lanier Vikings on Friday at 7:30 at Houste Park. Austin High takes on Stoney Point, Thursday night at  House Park.

Celebrate Commute Solutions Month

"Celebrate Commute Solutions Month this September in Central Texas. Try riding the bus, carpooling, vanpooling, walking, biking or teleworking; you'll save money, help keep our air clean, and have a chance to win great prizes through the Commuter Challenge^R .  Anyone commuting in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis or Williamson counties is eligible to enter. To participate in the challenge set-up an online commute diary and log your daily trip to work.

You may be eligible for the following prizes:

Allandale Mixer at Brentwood Tavern this Sunday!

submitted by Michael Bomba

If you're curious about getting involved with your neighborhood - Allandale Neighborhood Association (ANA), want to meet members of the ANA Executive Committee, or just want to hang out with neighbors, come to our Open House at Brentwood Tavern, this Sunday, September 9, 4-6 p.m. Light appetizers will be provided. Children are welcome. This is great opportunity to learn about ANA's activities and how you can contribute. 

Local Athlete in the news

submitted by Tom Linehan

Allandale is home to this year's winner of the Danskin triathalon. Fourteen-year-old Avery Visser was the subject of this week's Fit City column  by Pam LeBlanc in Monday's Austin American-Statesman,  "Triple-threat teen, She can swim, bike, and run, and she's barely started high school." It's quite a story. She started this year's Danskin with her age group a few minutes behind the elite group and ended up coming in first out of 3,000 women. Congratulations Avery! The Visser family lives on Shoal Creek. Avery and her brother are students at McCallum.  Parents Will and Barbara are former triatheletes who remain very active in cycling and swimming.

McCallum Opens Season On a Down Note

submitted by Tom Davis

The sixth annual Taco Shack Bowl opened the season with the McCallum Knights taking on their long time rival Anderson Trojans. At the end of the night, McCallum posted a season opening loss to the Anderson Trojans, 44 to 20.

McCallum took the opening kickoff and began their initial march down the field, only to be stopped by the Trojans recovering a Mac fumble. Anderson took their opening series and capped it off with a touchdown. McCallum answered the call and went down the field behind the passing of Kevin Lusson and the receiving of Van Franks and Jordan Cole. The Knights tied up the scoreboard 7 all. Anderson returned the favor when they coughed up the football after Jamal Herring sacked the Trojan quarterback. Vance Robinson recovered the fumble for the Knights. (continue "McCallum Opents...)

Austin Energy to clear around electric lines

Austin Energy sent the following note (page 1 of 2 ) mid-August to let us know they will be in the neighborhood pruning and removing trees around the electric lines. Before they start their work they will attempt to contact the property owner. You may have already received a notification. The purpose of the notification is to make property owners aware of the work and give them an opportunity for input if they desire.