NorthStar Neighborhood Newsletter

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A quarterly publication Fall 2007 NorthStar News News for the NorthStar neighborhood Tomanet/Blalock/Limerick/Thornwild Pass What’s wrong with our trees? A s you may have noticed, the fruitless mulberry trees in our neighborhood have looked, well, not that great this sum- mer. Time has also taken its toll on the other mainstay tree of our neighborhood, the Arizona Ash. Both of these trees make up a large majority of tree species in the area. If all the Arizona Ash and Mulberry trees in our neighborhood died at the same time (which they will as they were all planted at roughly the same time), we would lose about 50 percent of the trees in the area. These species are not the best trees for this area either; so visit some of the websites listed to the right for some better species. How do we keep our neighborhood from looking barren? Planting trees now, before the existing trees die off is the best option. Besides just looking nice, trees: • lower your utility bills by providing protection from sun and wind • help our air quality • improve your property value How to Plant a Containerized Tree If a tree is planted correctly, it will grow twice as fast and live at least twice as long as one that is incorrectly planted. Ideally, dig a hole deep enough so that when the tree is placed in it, it will be even with the ground level. You don’t want the tree sinking below ground level or making a “hill.” Digging the hole wider than the root ball is fine. In transplanting, be sure to keep soil around the roots. Always handle your tree by the ball, not by the trunk or branches. Don’t let the root ball dry out. Help prevent root girdling by vertically cutting any roots that show tendencies to circle the root ball. After placing the tree, pack soil firmly but not tightly around the root ball. Wa- ter the soil and place a protective 3-foot circle of mulch about 3 inches deep around the tree. The city of Austin helps citizens with tree-related problems and issues. You can reach them at: www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/ forestry.htm or through the City’s main number: 311. You can always let young trees get started under ex- isting trees, so get out there and get planting today! H i, Neighbor! This is the first edition of what I hope will be a quarter- ly newsletter. Several neigh- bors mentioned wanting a neighborhood association and newsletter, as a way to keep in touch with neighbors and discuss neighborhood issues. Some newsletter topics that have been suggested include police meetings, area events, gardening topics, recycling information, and programs offered by the City for homeowners, plus whatever topics you all re- quest. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by email, just send me a request at [email protected] and I will send you a PDF ver- sion of each issue. Likewise, if you don’t want receive the newsletter at all, let me know that too, and I will take you off the distribution list. The newsletter is free and serves as a bridge of communication between the neighborhood association and residents. For the differences between a neighborhood as- sociation and a homeowners association, see page 3 —Joan, your friendly editor Contact these groups for info about what trees to plant www.treefolks.org www.arbordayfoundation.org www.ci.austin.tx.us/trees/faq.htm p. 2 tree planting p. 2 p. 3 rebates p. 4 contact numbers Helpful Phone Numbers Emergency 9-1-1 Police Headquarters Main Switchboard 974-5000 Homicide tip line 477-3588 Robbery tip line 974-5092 Sex Crimes tip line 974-5095 Auto Theft tip line 974-5096 Abandoned Vehicle tip line 974-8119 Crime Stoppers 472-8477 Community Liaison Office 974-4700 Graffiti Removal 854-4125 Victims Services, Main Office 974-5037 Animal Cruelty 3-1-1 Office of the Community Liaison T he police department has di- vided the City into nine Area Commands. Liaisons work in each of these nine areas as requested by the officers or residents. Outreach efforts include: Safety Fairs where safety and health information is presented in a festive atmosphere, Town Hall Meetings called to address specific issues when the needs arises, Individual projects with officers and neighborhood associations to address long or short-term problems, Visits to area businesses to provide information about how to contact the officers assigned to the area, Presentations to youth groups regarding job readiness, how to ap- proach job interviews and complete applications, Finding meaningful ways to connect the officers and the residents and establish communication links and partnerships, and Coordinating special events and celebrations for the officers and those we serve in Austin. These are only a few of the specific ways that liaisons work. For more information, contact the Office of Community Liaison at 974-4700. The district representative for our neighborhood is Officer Joe Maciel, 974-4289. He will be working with us to set up a neighborhood watch. Make your voice heard! Have an issue on your mind? Want to request something for the neighborhood, like a park? Here is how to contact the City Council: Mayor Will Wynn Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2250 Fax: (512) 974-2337 Place 1 - Council Member Lee Leffingwell Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2260 Fax: (512) 974-3212 Place 2 - Council Member Mike Martinez Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2264 Fax: (512) 974-1887 Austin, Texas 78701 Place 3 - Council Member Jennifer Kim Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2255 Fax: (512) 974-1888 Austin, Texas 78701 Place 4 - Mayor Pro Tem Betty Dunkerley Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2258 Fax: (512) 974-1886 Austin, Texas 78701 Place 5 - Council Member Brewster McCracken Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2256 Fax: (512) 974-1884 Place 6 - Council Member Sheryl Cole Office: City Hall 301 W. 2nd St. 2nd Floor Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: (512) 974-2266 Fax: (512) 974-1890 Contact your Council Member To send an email to all the Council Members and the Mayor at one time go to this page: www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/ groupemail.htm freecycling 4 See the next page to learn where to plant your tree... t Thanks to Kinkos for reduced priced copying on our newsletter t Email nstareditor@sbcglobal to receive this newsletter via email

description

Newsletter for the NorthStar Neighborhood. North Austin.

Transcript of NorthStar Neighborhood Newsletter

Page 1: NorthStar Neighborhood Newsletter

A quarterly publication ■ Fall 2007

NorthStar NewsNews for the NorthStar neighborhood ■ Tomanet/Blalock/Limerick/Thornwild Pass

What’s wrong with our trees?

As you may have noticed, the fruitless mulberry trees in our neighborhood

have looked, well, not that great this sum-mer. Time has also taken its toll on the other mainstay tree of our neighborhood, the Arizona Ash. Both of these trees make up a large majority of tree species in the area. If all the Arizona Ash and Mulberry trees in our neighborhood died at the same time (which they will as they were all planted at roughly the same time), we would lose about 50 percent of the trees in the area. These species are not the best trees for this area either; so visit some of the websites listed to the right for some better species.

How do we keep our neighborhood from looking barren?Planting trees now, before the existing trees die off is the best option. Besides just looking nice, trees:• lower your utility bills by providing

protection from sun and wind• help our air quality• improve your property value

How to Plant a Containerized TreeIf a tree is planted correctly, it will grow twice as fast and live at least twice as long as one that is incorrectly planted.

Ideally, dig a hole deep enough so that when the tree is placed in it, it will be even with the ground level. You don’t want the tree sinking below ground level or making a “hill.” Digging the hole wider than the root ball is fi ne. In transplanting, be sure to keep soil around the roots. Always handle your tree by the ball, not by the trunk or branches. Don’t let the root ball dry out. Help prevent root girdling by vertically cutting any roots that show tendencies to circle the root ball.

After placing the tree, pack soil fi rmly but not tightly around the root ball. Wa-ter the soil and place a protective 3-foot circle of mulch about 3

inches deep around the tree. The city of Austin helps citizens with tree-related problems and issues. You can reach them at: www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/forestry.htm or through the City’s main number: 311. You can always let young trees get started under ex-isting trees, so get out there and get planting today!

Hi, Neighbor!This is the fi rst edition of

what I hope will be a quarter-ly newsletter. Several neigh-bors mentioned wanting a neighborhood association and newsletter, as a way to keep in touch with neighbors and discuss neighborhood issues. Some newsletter topics that have been suggested include police meetings, area events, gardening topics, recycling information, and programs offered by the City for homeowners, plus whatever topics you all re-quest. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by email, just send me a request at [email protected] and I will send you a PDF ver-sion of each issue. Likewise, if you don’t want receive the newsletter at all, let me know that too, and I will take you off the distribution list. The newsletter is free and serves as a bridge of communication between the neighborhood association and residents. For the differences between a neighborhood as-sociation and a homeowners association, see page 3 —Joan, your friendly editor

Contact these groups for info about what trees to plant

www.treefolks.orgwww.arbordayfoundation.orgwww.ci.austin.tx.us/trees/faq.htm

p. 2tree planting

p. 2

p. 3rebates

p. 4contact

numbers

Helpful Phone Numbers Emergency 9-1-1Police Headquarters Main Switchboard 974-5000 Homicide tip line 477-3588 Robbery tip line 974-5092 Sex Crimes tip line 974-5095 Auto Theft tip line 974-5096 Abandoned Vehicle tip line 974-8119 Crime Stoppers 472-8477 Community Liaison Offi ce 974-4700 Graffi ti Removal 854-4125 Victims Services, Main Offi ce 974-5037 Animal Cruelty 3-1-1

Office of the Community Liaison

The police department has di-vided the City into nine Area

Commands. Liaisons work in each of these nine areas as requested by the offi cers or residents. Outreach efforts include:

■ Safety Fairs where safety and health information is presented in a festive atmosphere, ■ Town Hall Meetings called to address specifi c issues when the needs arises,■ Individual projects with offi cers and neighborhood associations to address long or short-term problems,

■ Visits to area businesses to provide information about how to contact the offi cers assigned to the area,■ Presentations to youth groups regarding job readiness, how to ap-proach job interviews and complete applications, ■ Finding meaningful ways to connect the offi cers and the residents and establish communication links and partnerships, and ■ Coordinating special events and celebrations for the offi cers and those we serve in Austin. These are only a few of the specifi c ways that liaisons work. For more information, contact the Offi ce of Community Liaison at 974-4700.

The district representative for our neighborhood is Offi cer Joe Maciel, 974-4289. He will be working with us to set up a neighborhood watch.

Make your voice heard!Have an issue on your mind? Want to request something for the neighborhood, like a park? Here is how to contact the City Council:

Mayor Will WynnOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2250Fax: (512) 974-2337

Place 1 - Council Member Lee Leffi ngwellOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2260Fax: (512) 974-3212

Place 2 - Council Member Mike MartinezOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2264Fax: (512) 974-1887Austin, Texas 78701

Place 3 - Council Member Jennifer KimOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2255Fax: (512) 974-1888Austin, Texas 78701

Place 4 - Mayor Pro Tem Betty DunkerleyOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2258Fax: (512) 974-1886Austin, Texas 78701

Place 5 - Council Member Brewster McCrackenOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2256Fax: (512) 974-1884

Place 6 - Council Member Sheryl ColeOffi ce: City Hall301 W. 2nd St. 2nd FloorAustin, Texas 78701Phone: (512) 974-2266Fax: (512) 974-1890

Contact your Council MemberTo send an email to all the Council Members and the Mayor at one time go to this page:www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/groupemail.htm

freecycling

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See the next page to learn where to plant your tree...t Thanks to Kinkos for reduced priced copying on our newsletter t

■ Email nstareditor@sbcglobal to receive this newsletter via email ■

Page 2: NorthStar Neighborhood Newsletter

Call Before You Dig Call Before You Dig is a free service that locates your underground utilities. Use this service any time you plan to excavate at your home or business.

Marking Underground Utilities Is A Safety Issue Call toll-free (800) DIG-TESS (344-8377). Electric ca-ble, gas lines, water lines and wastewater lines could all be present under your property. Hitting these lines could result in injury, property damage or pollution of the environment.

Power Saver Program FREE Home Improvements

Austin Energy offers free home-energy improvements to custom-

ers with low to moderate incomes. Improvements reduce energy costs and enhance comfort and may provide: • Attic insulation • Minor duct repair and sealing • Caulking around plumbing

penetrations • Weather stripping around doors • Solar screens

General Qualifi cations • You must be an Austin Energy

electric customer • You must occupy the home you

want weatherized• If you rent, you must have lived in

the home for at least three months• The residence must be a single-

family home, mobile home, or duplex

Contact Austin Energy for more details on additional qualifi cations and income guidelines.

Renter Qualifi cations • You must have lived in the rental

home for at least three months • Household income must meet the

listed eligibility guidelines• The residence must be a single-fam-

ily home, mobile home, or duplex• The owner must agree to the

improvements and sign an Austin Energy Rental Release Form

• The renter must be prepared to provide a copy of the lease/rental agreement

Questions? Call (512) 974-7827 or look under “Residential Energy Ef-fi ciency” at www.austinenergy.com. Refrigerator RecyclingAustin Energy offers a cash incen-tive for your old 14- to 27-cubic foot refrigerator/freezer. They will even pick it up for free and dispose of it in an environmentally sound way. (Note: The unit must be in working condition.) Turn in your old refrig-erator/freezer to receive $50.

Save water, win a Car The City of Austin wants to raise par-ticipation in the Water Conservation Programs so that the per-capita use rate of water in Austin will go down. This saves taxpayers millions of dollars by avoiding or delaying the need for expanding water treatment capacity.

Want to know more? Call toll-free (800) 452-8685 or visit, www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/honda_contest.htm

Trash to Treasure—Austin Freecycle

Ever cleaned out that garage and wondered what to do with that old archery set you never use? Or how

about starting that yard project and realizing you need a truckload of rocks, but you’re already over budget? Fortunately, Austin Freecycle might be able to help with both problems. Austin Freecycle is a website community reducing waste by connecting people who are throwing away unwanted items with others who are seeking the same items. No item is too big or too small; and all items must be 100% free.

As their website explains: Freecycling lies somewhere between the garage sale and the dump, and is much cooler than either. It’s an innova-tive concept that harnesses the power of the Internet to do what the Internet does best — eliminate the middle-man and empower the individual. Unlike traditional charitable organizations that accept people’s castoffs

and sell them for low prices in unappealing shops (or end up taking them to the dump anyway), freecycling allows for personal contact between donor and recipi-ent—each gets exactly what they want, and nobody is considered a “charity case” (Indeed, many freecyclers both give and receive items on a regular basis.) It’s a per-fect consumer-friendly circle: no overhead, no intermedi-aries, no money changing hands, no waste and no catch, and everyone’s happy.

How does it work?If you’re looking for an item, post what you’re after, and try to be specifi c. You’re required to pick up the item from the person who responds.If you have an item to give, post it, along with its condi-tion (be honest), and what part of town you’re in. More detailed instructions are available at the Austin Freecycle website: http://austin-freecycle.tribe.net

Give it a try and save some treasure from the landfi ll!

Good Money May be Flying Out of Your House

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What is a Neighborhood Association?A neighborhood association is a vol-untary organization of residents who work together to improve and main-tain the quality of life in its neighbor-hood. It can serve as an avenue of com-munication between residents and City government. In a Neighborhood Association:■ Membership is open to all residents/property owners in the neighborhood, but participation is optional; boundar-ies are established by the association.■ Dues are voluntary■ There is no legal authority to en-act or enforce maintenance or design requirements beyond those established by City code.■ Formal or informal bylaws are voted on and offi cers are elected.

Unlike neighborhood associations, Homeowners associations are formal legal entities created to maintain com-mon areas and enforce private deed restrictions. In a Homeowner’s Association:■ Membership is mandatory for all property owners within the boundar-ies of the development.■ Members are usually charged man-datory dues.■ Homeowners associations have the legal authority to enact and enforce maintenance and design standards in addition to the City code.■ Homeowners associations are cor-porations with formal bylaws, with a governing board.

Tall trees

Want to start a Neighborhood Watch?

Participation in a neighborhood watch program can help reduce crime. To be eligible for a neigh-borhood watch sign, it is preferred that fi fty percent of your neighborhood or block must attend one to three meet-ings where the police department shares helpful informa-tion on personal and property crimes.

Email me at [email protected] if you’re interested in starting a watch for our area.

Most areas with neighborhood watches see crime go down.

Visit www.austinenergy.com