Summer 2017 Volume 6, Issue 2 WNA News biannual quarterly

Summer 2017 Volume 6, Issue 2

WNA News WNANews

biannual

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THANK YOU TO OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS

AND PARTNERS:

LEAF Landscape Supply Klingemann Car Care

Flores Mexican Restaurant D'Lites Ice Cream Shop Ranger Press Double Dave's

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: P_A__G_E_2_:____________

Update on Oak Hill Parkway It's my Park Day!

PAGE 3: Code Compliance/Safety Oak Wilt in Westcreek Call for Volunteers

PAGE 4: Fourth of July Parade Trailhead Progress

PAGE 5: Yard of the Month

PAGE 6: Annual Picnic Update on Google Fiber

quarterly

A Going Greenway: Westcreek Neighborhood

Improvement

Austin Neighborhood Partnering Program staff

and Westcreek residents are working together

Special thanks must go to the above-and-

to finalize the plan details for structures and trail beyond efforts of volunteer landscape and

improvements that are to be sent out for bids

architect professionals, neighborhood

this summer.

volunteers, and the Westcreek

After a great deal of planning and neighborhood resident input, the Westcreek Greenway

Neighborhood Association Greenway Committee.

proposal was approved by the City of Austin's

Small Middle School students began fine

Neighborhood Partnering Program as

work on trail stabilization during the spring

announced this spring, and the project is gaining semester and will continue to participate in

momentum through the summer.

improvement activities. You may recall that

Volunteer work hours in the Greenway that now count as sweat equity applied to project costs have already begun. Our first project was

the Westcreek Greenway emblem used for entrance signs is a winning design by a Small MS student.

removal of remnant barbed-wire fencing. (See

As the weather cools, be on the lookout for

pictures and story Page 3)

announcements of upcoming workday

Recall, the Greenway concept includes the roughly triangular wooded area between Small Middle School, the west end of Westcreek Drive

volunteer opportunities for construction of the bridge, erosion control projects, invasive plant removal, and native species planting.

and the end of Brush Country.

(Contact board@ for more

Plans in the works are for gateways at the Small Middle School and Westcreek entrances and a bridge over the drainage "arroyo" behind the. Brush Country entrance. Coarse gravel will be

information or visit the WNA website at . Also, "like" our Greenway Facebook page ? just search for @westcreekgreenway)

brought into selected areas for erosion control.

WNA Executive Board

President: Chuck McClenon

Vice President: Karen Sperry

Secretary: Ryan Kelly

Treasurer: Rita Berry

At Large, Pos.1: John Mendenhall

At Large, Pos. 2: Mindy Sutton

At Large, Pos. 3: Barbara Huffman

Join the WNA Today

The WNA Board works hard to provide Westcreek with as many benefits as possible without incurring costs.

Your annual $20 dues ($10 after July) go a long way to help with benefits that do cost & will help keep the WNA

going for years to come!

Visit and Join Today!

Page 2 of 6

Update on Oak Hill Parkway: Timeline and Proposed Design Changes

As we reported in the Spring 2017 Newsletter, the Westcreek neighborhood is in close proximity to two major freeway projects. Volunteer Board members are working to closely follow project plans and timelines by attending Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Open Houses, Oak Hill Neighborhood Association (OHAN) meetings and other meetings to stay abreast of new developments and to keep our residents informed and engaged, as appropriate.

This update is specific to the Oak Hill Parkway project which is reaching the final stages of the review process with the long-awaited environmental study scheduled for release in late fall, to be quickly followed by a public hearing, also in late 2017. A Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the selection of an option to move forward, or not, is scheduled for mid-2018. The decision options are three-fold; Option A, Option C or a No-Build Option. If the freeway project clears the environmental hurdles, final design of the proposed alternative will begin with an expected timeline of approximately eighteen months. The actual construction process will take at least 3.5 years to complete.

At the latest OHAN meeting, CTRMA representatives shared information related to changes that have been made to the proposed designs for Alternatives A and C based on community input and traffic projections

stemming from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) (published in 2015) and the federal model for traffic counts. Significant and proposed changes include the following:

? The addition of one lane in each direction of the freeway, from the "Y" at Oak Hill and westward to RM 1826.

? Design modifications to separate through traffic from local traffic

? Reduction of the proposed elevation of the freeway at the "Y" intersection of US 290 and SH 71.

? Improved access to Old Bee Cave Road, Community College and businesses along SH 71 in the area north of the "Y."

? Reduction of potential flooding with upstream detention ponds and minimizing the impacts to Williamson Creek.

It is of utmost importance that Westcreek residents who are concerned about flooding in the neighborhood, take the time to understand the implications of the proposed six-lane freeway, with four lanes of frontage road, extending from Joe Tanner Road (where Williamson Creek crosses under 290) to the west. The majority of this project is upstream of our area so the environmental study findings will be important, especially those pertaining to additional impervious cover, water quality and flood mitigation elements of the project for both design options.

Questions regarding the final cost of the project, the specific funding sources and whether or not the freeway will be tolled, remain unanswered at this point in time.

For more information regarding the project, visit the Oak Hill Parkway website.

The WNA Board will keep residents informed of new developments and the opportunity for input at the public hearing currently anticipated to occur in late November or December, shortly after the release of the environmental report.

Westcreek neighbors once again answered the call to volunteer and made the Spring 2017 It's My Park Day a big success. On March 4th, a group of dedicated nature lovers met at the Westcreek Pocket Park to sow wildflower seeds, remove invasive plants, thin out some cedars, and clean up debris.

The weather was uncooperative but did not dampen spirits! This event, hosted by Austin Parks Foundation, is now held twice a year, so be sure to sign up this Fall and enjoy time outside doing good work with your neighbors.

Page 3 of 6

Keep Austin Weird...and keep Westcreek Clean and Safe

Are there times that you're driving or walking through the neighborhood and you see or hear something that concerns you, but you're not sure what to do about it? Posting on Nextdoor can be helpful, except that you run the risk of offending someone OR receiving negative feedback on your post. Residents are welcome to contact the board with questions, but as a Neighborhood Association, NOT a Homeowners Association, the Board does not play a role in code compliance issues and can only provide the same information already provided by the City.

Westcreek is one of the best neighborhoods in the city and we all play a role in keeping it an enjoyable and safe place to live. In order to answer some of the concerns that pop up here and there, we are including the following links to the City of Austin's Code of Ordinances that are specific to animals and structures:

General Restrictions on Animals -Running at large prohibited -Noisy Animals -Proper Care of animals

Livestock

Birds and Fowl

Regulation of Cats and Dogs

Bee Keeping

Traffic or Sidewalk Obstructions

Not interested in reading through all of the code ordinances to find what you're looking for? You can call 3-1-1 any time you have a concern with something in the neighborhood or city and a customer service agent will assist you.

Better yet, download the Austin 311 app! It is not used by many residents at this time and requests are checked fairly quickly.

Oak Wilt Outbreak in Westcreek!

Sadly, we report that there is new Oak Wilt in Westcreek that has taken some lovely trees in our neighborhood! Most noticeable are the very large trees in the back yard at the corner of Sun Vista and Summerset, but there are others on Morning Dew and Porsche Lane that have apparently succumbed to the dreaded disease. Certified arborists have been called in to assess the trees and have confirmed the diagnosis of Oak Wilt.

To curb the spread of the disease, it is so very important that trees are not trimmed between February 1 and July 1, and that the fresh cuts are immediately sealed with a tree sealer or latex paint. Only certified arborists or tree specialists should be used to perform this task. They must sterilize their tools between cutting each tree! Spring is NOT the time to trim our oak trees! It is no longer recommended to prune in the "coldest months" in Texas.

For more information, Texas A&M Frequently Asked Questions about oak wilt.

Volunteers

We can always use more volunteers. Even if you only have a few hours to give, one day a year, a few times a year, or more. There are so many opportunities to give back to Westcreek.

o For more information, email board@ or go to and click o on Quick Link: Committees & Volunteer

Page 4 of 6

First Annual Westcreek 4th of July Parade

Our first annual Westcreek 4th of July Parade was a huge success! An estimated 150 neighbors and kids came out to show off their patriotic spirit! Participants demonstrated their creativity with colorful attire and various decorated modes of transportation, from bikes and strollers, to go carts, and even pets!

Westcreek enjoyed a special visit from the firefighters of Fire Station #27 on McCarty lane. They participated in the parade with their shiny big fire truck! Festivities kicked off with photos in front of the fire truck, followed by the pledge of allegiance and singing of the national anthem.

The official parade then commenced with a 1.5 mile march through the neighborhood, with many neighbors coming out to wave and cheer!

Following the parade, participants were treated to refreshments and watermelon at the finish line, with awards handed out for "Best Decorated" and "Best Patriotic Spirit." Additional pictures can be viewed in slideshow format on our Westcreek

Neighborhood Association Facebook page.

Mark your calendars, the second annual Westcreek 4th of July Parade is already in the works!

Brush Country Trailhead Progress: The "Devil Strip"

What the developer left at the end of Brush Country

What the City of Austin did at the urging of the WNA Board

John w/ ATX Landscaping donated xeriscaping of the

"devil strip" and a doggy station.

Page 5 of 6

Yard of the Month (YOM)

April

May

June July/ August

WNA Members win YOM 2017

Selection of Yard of the Month began with the month of April and many lovely yards have been awarded for April, May, June, and July/August. Each awardee receives gift cards from our loyal sponsors: Klingemann Car Care for a free oil change valued at $35, Flores Mexican Restaurant for a $15 gift card, D'Lites Ice Cream Shop for a $15 gift card, and longtime sponsor LEAF Landscape Supply for a $50 gift certificate.

In order to be awarded Yard of the Month, the resident must be a paid member of the Westcreek Neighborhood Association. Membership is only $20 for the year and with the year half over, families can join at this time for only $10! The WNA Board appreciates the support of these fine sponsors and hopes that our neighbors will thank them when doing business with them. April YOM went to Joan Lazarus at 6209 Morning Dew. A resident of Westcreek for 15 years, Joan, with the help of her son and friends has transformed her formal traditional lawn and Photinia hedged yard into a beautiful landscape. Blooming Cone flowers, Jerusalem Sage, irises, canna lilies, Rose of Sharon, Bulbine and others colorful plants bring her landscape to life. Congratulations to Joan!

The award for May YOM went to Anne & Mark Spacht at 5400 Honey Dew, just off Smith Oak. They have been residents of Westcreek since 1985 and are big fans of our neighborhood! They created the xeriscape portion of their yard in celebration of Anne successfully overcoming her cancer! Planting heat and drought tolerant plants and spreading river rock to cover a large area of their corner lot has helped with the water bill over the years! Congratulations to the Spacht's! June YOM went to Rob & Helenanne Busa at 6101 Sun Vista. The family celebrates 25 years of living in Westcreek. The harsh hot dry summers of 2010-11 prompted them to take out their St Augustine lawn, replacing it with Zoysia grass which requires far less water. Additionally, they planted a majority of the front yard with heat tolerant blooming native plants which have do very well over the years.

We combine the months of July and August for the award due to most yards being in "survival mode" during these hot, dry months. We resume in September and October making the award for each of those months, hoping that some cooler weather and fall rain may bring some fall color to the yards in the neighborhood!

July/Aug YOM was awarded to Bill & Alice Wiley at 6012 Morning Dew where they have developed a heat and drought tolerant yard that the YOM committee has been admiring all season. Still during this very hot and dry summer, their yard is attractive and inviting! Turks Caps and Verbena and Texas natives are used throughout the yard. Congratulations to the Wiley family.

It is not too late to pay your $10 dues to join the WNA for the remainder of the year. We will be awarding YOM in Sept. and Oct. and again in December for the best holiday lighting display.

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