By attending, you will help feed the community for Thanksgiving! Please bring a two item donation per person to the Harvest Fest. The Gateway food pantry provided nearly 100 turkeys with fixings to families last year through help from neighbors like you.

The most needed food items are:

• Frozen Turkey’s
• Boxed Stuffing
• Rice
• Dry Beans
• Canned hearty soups
• Canned Chili
• Canned Stew
• Canned Meats
• Canned Beans
• Oatmeal
• Boxed Cereal

Next up is our bi-annual Neighborhood Garage Sale on Saturday, October 15, 2011. If you plan to participate, please send us your address so that we can add you to the list we will publish prior to the sale day.

Also on Saturday, October 15, 2011 the local branch of the Raindrop Foundation, at 12400 Amherst Drive will be holding a Turkish Food and Crafts Fair from noon until 6 pm. All proceeds will benefit the Bastrop restoration efforts.

We also need a Pre-Kindergarten monitor to stay with children from 7:45-8:30 a.m. We also need at least one lunchroom monitor from 10:30 a.m.-1p.m. This can be a volunteer position or you can be paid at $7.25 an hour. Thank you for considering this opportunity to stay with children and keep them safe during the PK teachers’ planning time in the morning or during lunch time for all grades. One person could serve in both positions if that would make this opportunity more appealing. If you are interested in this position, please complete an online application with AISD, http://archive.austinisd.org/inside/hr/apply.phtml. Thank you for helping our students stay safe.

The Parks and Recreation Department may close eight public pools in an effort to cut costs in its 2012 fiscal year budget. The move would save the department approximately $340,000, said Tom Nelson, aquatics division manager with the department.
The closures would effect the 2012 summer season, which typically runs from June through August. Pools in Northwest Austin facing closure include Balcones Neighborhood Pool and Kennemer Pool.

Balcones, a year-round facility, would be operated only during the summer.

Community members may voice their concerns or provide suggestions at www.austintexas.icanmakeitbetter.com.

The department will hold budget hearings on Aug. 25 and Sept. 1.

10:00 am – Parade participants assemble at the Milwood Baptist Church Parking Lot

10:30 am – Parade begins (goes from Cabana to Eton)

11:00 am – Picnic lunch at Balcones District Park

11:30 am – Performance by the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble

As always, we will have plenty of cold drinks, hot dogs, and hamburgers thanks to the generous sponsorships of neighborhood businesses and groups. You can purchase raffle tickets for great prizes. Be sure to renew your neighborhood association dues at the picnic or here.

The City is now in the process of revising the plans and rebidding the project. The first priority is to ensure that the federal funding for this project has been preserved and to that end the City has worked with TXDOT and has ensured that the funding is available for rebidding.

The plans will be revised for bidding over the next 5 months and after bidding, we anticipate the successful contractor to be on site approximately 9 months from now or March of 2012. The project is expected to take approximately 10 months to complete or January of 2013.

In the interim, the current contractor is demobilizing and cleaning the site. Any issues with the site not completed by the contractor will be cleaned by City forces as soon as possible.

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department cordially invites the public to the upcoming community information and input meeting on a proposed off-leash trail for Yett Creek Park.  The meeting will be held on Monday, June 13, 2011, 6:00-7:30 pm, at Davis Elementary School Cafeteria, 5214 Duval Rd.

This meeting will provide information on the project proposal and possible design of the trail.  Stakeholders, community members and interested citizens will have the opportunity to provide their input regarding the project.

Questions regarding the meeting may be emailed to the project manager, D’Anne Williams at YettCreekParkTrail@ci.austin.tx.us

Victor Ovalle
Program Manager; Public Information and Marketing
Austin Parks and Recreation
work 512-974-6745
cell 512- 567-4746

Commercial and Multi-Family customers can continue to water on Tuesdays and Fridays

Single family homes have 2 watering days a week:

• Odd addresses: Wednesdays and/or Saturdays
• Even addresses: Thursdays and/or Sundays

Watering by sprinkler or irrigation system is allowed on your assigned day only before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Hand watering is allowed anytime.