Welcome to the Milwood Neighborhood Association - Austin, Texas 78727

The City of Austin is currently conducting a survery to get residents’ feedback regarding its Zero Waste plan.  To learn more about the plan and take the survey, click here:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/default.htm

One of our neighbors has lost a set of keys recently during a walk. If anyone has found any keys in the area of Antoinette Place, Cabana (between Antoinette and Dauphine), or Dauphine, please contact the board at mnaboard At milwoodna d0t coM with a description of the key chain so that we can return them to their rightful owner.

On Friday a City of Austin representative working on the rail siding proposal issue indicated that the proposed rail siding for the Dorsett to McNeil project would be sent back to the applicant for additional information with reference to the “retaining wall and other request for clarity on the proposal. Note that there is a normal give and take process, we will post information on the report when it is released.

Here is a little update on how the city review process works:

Staff is going to issue a report on the UP proposal on January 27. This includes items they want to see adjusted to conform to land development regulations, provide a complete site plan, describe limits of construction, that sort of thing. UP has up to 180 days to respond, although in practice they will probably respond in two to four weeks. That cycle of clarification request/response can happen multiple times.

Note -this is an administrative filing – so it will be approved as long as they are compliant with land development regulations, without a public hearing process. But the process can iterate based on comments, so I believe there is time regardless to have some dialogue before things are set in stone.

Our neighborhood engineering expert is on a well deserved vacation to Disneyworld, and the city doesn’t have the filing on line. So I’ve registered the neighborhood as an interested party, and will ask our vacationer if he can go down to the development review office on Monday. I’ll also figure out if UP would come give a presentation and take some questions.

We’ve gotten several emails on notifications that the Union Pacific application to construct an additional siding tract to parallel the existing rail tract. The purpose of the tract is to allow slower trains to stop and faster trains to pass.

To summarize, from Dorsett at Everest to Howard Lane, Union Pacific will raise the track a bit in our neighborhood, building up the “retaining wall” for the track on both sides, and building the access driveway off Dorsett Road. (note folks: this is a layman read. This is not an engineering analysis. we’re asking our resident expert to come off vacation and look at the plan on our behalf)

Other maintenance work on the track looks like it will be on the part of the track that is further north from our neighborhood and up to Howard Lane.

An important item to note is that the private driveway across the railroad by Enchanted Forest is slated to be closed, which should eliminate the need for trains to blow their horn at that part of our neighborhood.

The City’s Case No. is SP-2008-0564D and should be referenced along with “UPRR -McNeil Siding Improvements”. Letters are to be sent to City of Austin, Watershed Protection & Development Review, Dept. P. O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767-1088 attN: Nikki Hoelter. Nikki’s phone is 974-2863

As said above, we have a call into our neighborhood railroad expert – we’ll post a followup.

The staff at Summit Elementary asked if we could post the following information concerning the parking situation at Summitt Elementary School.

It has been brought to our attention by the Austin Police Department (APD) that they have received a directive from the Austin City Council to begin issuing tickets for illelegal parking on city streets around Summitt Elementary School campus.

• Read posted signs and follow directives.
• Do not park within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.
• Do not park within 20 feet of an entrance or exit to a driveway.
• Do not park in the parking spaces at Brigadoon Town Homes.
• Do not block private driveways in front of homes.
• Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
• Do not park on the fire lane behind the school.  This is for emergency vehicles.
  • Exceptions will be made for district personnel who need access, but they will park on the grass.
• Do not bring alcoholic beverages, firearms, smoking materials, or motorized vehicles on the school grounds at any time.
• Gates will be locked unless opened by district personnel.

The following was forwarded to me by a friend who lives in the Walnut Creek Neighborhood and thought this information would be good for us to be aware of as well.

A friend of mine over in Gracy Farms told me about a string of
robberies in his neighborhood.  Two guys park a large moving truck in
front of a house, break-in and then load up the moving truck.  All of
this is being done in broad daylight.  Apparently they case the
neighborhood first distributing door hangers, cards, or something else
that gives them a chance to check the door knobs and get closer to the
house.  Apparently the thieves have also been checking mailboxes.

I’m writing to tell you this because today an unmarked white box truck
was driving erratically and two guys jumped out and started puting
business cards on doors.  The cards were for a painting
service.  I’ve never known painters to show up in a moving truck, so I
am more than a little suspicious.  The guys weren’t dressed like
painters either.  When I saw the truck I called my friend to get some
more information.  He in turn called his policeman neighbor.  These
men and the truck match the description of the robbers in Gracy
Farms.  Because of the recent break-ins, Gracy Farms is on heavy
patrol right now and there are cops in the neighborhood 24 hours a
day.  It would make sense, to me, that the robbers would be looking
for new territory.

Anyway,  if you see any suspicious activity or see movers at someones
house who you didn’t think were moving, please report it to the
police.

In preparation of Capital MetroRail service beginning March 30, 2009, we are making many improvements to the rail line and surrounding areas. Due to construction at the railroad crossing near Kramer Station, Kramer Lane will be closed to traffic beginning Friday, January 16, at 4 p.m. The road will reopen on Monday, January 19 at 4 p.m.

Drivers will need to detour to Braker Lane or Burnet Road.