Come out and support the McNeil High School Choir on October 18th, 19th and 20th!
This year’s Choir Follies Performance is titled “Reel Music, Defining Moments in Movie Music”. Performances will be at 7 p.m. at the Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center (PAC). Tickets are $8 at the door. Refreshments and gifts for the performers will be available for sale.
Many of you have probably noticed by now that Duval at the railroad tracks had some lane changes. (I personally had not noticed, because I don’t drive that way out of the neighborhood, but News 8 Austin called me asking about it.)
Basically instead of the road going from four to two-and-a-turn-lane after the railroad tracks and the S curve, it now goes to two-and-a-turn-lane several hundred yards further east on Duval.
I called the city to ask the course of events. I was told that there had been traffic incidents of cars turning into the office complex and the apartments, and with the street resurfacing they were going to repaint the lines anyways so they were seeking to address the concerns.
Speaking only for myself, I have no problem with the change itself, because:
1) For all intents and purposes, Duval was already one lane westbound at that point anyways because you had to move over to avoid the Whispering Valley cutoff.
2) it was in fact a dangerous transition to go from four to two and a turn lane in the middle of an S curve – putting the transition on a straightaway is obviously safer.
3) the bike lane disappeared at that point previously and Duval is an important bike corridor and that was a dangerous transition point for bikes; finally;
4) the three most involved neighborhoods off of Duval (Milwood, Angus Valley, Mesa Park) have a long standing support for Duval as two-and-a-turn-lane, as opposed to Duval being a fast cutthrough from Cedar Park to the Domain.
It is ironic, however, that I can list off multiple reasons I agree with the rationale and and yet be frustrated by the approach, wherein we have another example of substantial change to local roadways without informing the neighborhoods. They manage the roads, but we use them every day and fund them, at a minimum we expect to be informed, in reality we should be partners in decisions.
What is the most frustrating is how truly simple it is to do community liaison work. All you have to do is value it and make it part of the process. How does Public Works expect people to react when the roads they use daily change from one night to the next morning? As I said before during turn lane situation, surprising people never creates advocates.
CapMetro recently sent out an update on various and sundry things, including a one page update on commuter rail. It includes some milestones and an updated map, showing stations across from the domain and north of parmer, still listed as tentative. The update is available here.
A new club is starting up in the neighborhood. The Milwood Garden Club will have its first meeting on October 12th at the Milwood Library, and follow-on meetings will be monthly. For more information or to lend a hand, contact Marie O. Martin at 785-2843.
We received a note from Jayne Allen who says:
“I place foreign exchange students and I currently have an exchange student in a “welcome home” in Milwood going to Anderson High and I need a permanent placement for him. I am hoping to keep him in the same neighborhood at the same High School.
Can you help me get that word out to residence in the area to help find him a good host family?”
if you are interested in learning more, contact Jayne at: info@hostastudent.info
Tuesday night is back to school night at Summitt. For those of you with kiddos, the hours are:
PreK – 2nd grade
6:00 – 7:00 PM
3rd – 5th grade
7:00 – 8:00 PM
New Interactive map of North Travis Neighborhoods Link
Nearby Neighborhood Associations
Walnut Crossing
Balcones Woods
Mesa Park
Angus Valley
Champion’s Forest
Northwood Neighborhood Association
Preston Oaks
McNeil Estates
North Austin Civic Association
General City and County Information
Travis County Web Page
City Of Austin Web Page
City Boards and Commissions – index
City Council contact page
State Information
Your State Representative, Mark Strama
Your State Senator, Kirk Watson
Your US Representative, Michael McCaul
Key Meeting Calendars
CAMPO Meeting Calendar
Cap Metro Meeting Calendar
City Boards and Commissions – Agendas and Schedules
Austin-San Antonio Rail meetings
Charter Revision Committee Calendar
Specific Interest Items
Environment
City Oak Wilt Program
Transportation
CapMetro Schedules and Maps
MoPac 1 Project
Cap Metro All Systems Go Plan
Austin Street Smarts Task Force
Planning
VMU information
Envision Central Texas
Elections
Travis County Election Information
The Charter Revision Committee is taking another cut at the issue of whether Austin should continue to elect its council at large, or if there is a different version that could pass a vote after six failed attempts. I find this issue interesting, simply due to the fact that in a Northwest Austin neighborhood, we have some anecdotal evidence about being forgotten (although I’m equally sure other parts of the city feel that way too). The next meeting is Tuesday September 13th at 5 pm in the boards and commissions room. The committee info can be found here.