Balcones Woods Homepage | Newsletter Home
E-mail Edition Web site: www.balconeswoods.org.
April 2002 E-mail: newsletter@balconeswoods.org
Balcones Woods Club, Inc.
11204 Alhambra Drive
Austin, TX 78759
April 10; May 8
Operating Committee Meetings
April 13
BWC Work Day- Pizza and drinks will be provided (story below)
April 18
Women’s Club Meeting (story below)
April 20
Swim Team Neighborhood Garage Sale; Call Kathy Reynolds at 343-7235 for information.
April 23
Davis Elementary Kindergarten Round Up (story below)
May 4
Splash Day (opening day) at the pool (story below)
May 13
Quarries meeting (story below)
May 14
BWC Board Meeting (story below)
May 25; June 8
Home Swim Team Meet (pool closed until after meet)
Slow Down, Please!
Summer’s coming and that means more children in their yards and crossing streets. Before you hit the gas and go past the speed limit, please think about it. Are the few seconds (and it’s only mere seconds!) you gain by speeding up to leave the neighborhood worth hurting someone?
We have a new web site address at www.balconeswoods.org. It’s updated often; please e-mail us with your suggestions, news, and comments at webmaster@balconeswoods.org.
Join the BWC Group Email list -- Go directly to the Balcones Woods Group Page.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/balconeswoods. Once you get to the BWC’s group page, you can sign-in or subscribe.
Work Day=Free Pizza, Drinks
The Balcones Woods Annual Work Day is right around the corner. Please help us out (or con someone in your house to) by coming down to the commons area on April 13 around 10 a.m. to clean, scrub, move, carry, or paint. The Social Committee will be on hand to insure that we all keep up our strength by providing all the necessary encouragement (lots of free beer, soda, and pizza). We’re really hoping for a great turnout, so if you use the pool, sports courts, or the playground, please consider donating a few hours. Thank you, and we hope to see you there!
Easter Egg Hunt- What a Turnout!
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to make the annual Balcones Woods Egg Hunt a great success: Marcia Kinsey, David Kinsey, Jodi and Dan “Cottontail” Schrobilgen, Colleen and Paul Enos, Sandra and Kaitlyn and Kristen Marshall, Kim and Laura and Steven Zeiler, Cheryl Zerbe, Nikki Zern, Ruth and Ryan Rivette, and Linda and Todd Shell. It couldn’t have happened without you!
And a special Women’s Club and neighborhood “thanks” to Maria Holzmueller of RE/MAX Heart of Texas, Realtors (and a long-time Women’s Club member) for funding the entire event!
The City of Austin cannot recycle pizza boxes or boxboard, ie: cereal boxes, beer and soda cartons, shoe boxes. These items must be placed with your trash.
The city will pick up and recycle corrugated cardboard, with a wavy middle--it must be flattened into less than three feet on any side and bundled with a string or twine and placed next to your blue recycling bin.
POOL OPENING
By Cindy Gilmer
It’s summer time again! Time for everyone to come out and enjoy our neighborhood pool! We have several returning neighborhood lifeguards and several new faces. Come welcome our staff!!! The pool will open for the season on Saturday, May 4. The pool will be open weekends only, 12 noon-9 PM for general swim and 9 PM-10 PM for adult swim. Only adults may be in the pool and the pool area during this time. Beginning May 25, the pool will be open full-time. Remember – neighborhood dues must be current in order to use the pool facility.
Children under the age of nine must be accompanied by an adult. Also, the lifeguards are NOT responsible for swimmers in the baby pool. Parents MUST supervise anyone in the baby pool. Our lifeguards cannot be babysitters.
All concerns, suggestions, compliments, etc. should be directed to the pool manager. Only then will any situation be handled at a higher level. We expect our staff to be courteous and respectful of our neighbors and request the same of the neighbors toward our pool staff. The number one priority of the pool staff is the safety of the swimmers. All homeowners are responsible for knowing the rules and regulations of the Common Area. Please review Section 6 of your Balcones Woods Club Directory. In order to ensure an enjoyable summer we need the cooperation of all neighbors in being polite, conscientious and helpful to each other.
· All parties must make a reservation at least one week in advance. Reservations will be recorded in a notebook in the guard shack.
· A deposit of $10.00 will be collected when the reservation is made. If proper cleanup is completed by the persons having the party, the deposit will be refunded. The resident is responsible for picking up the deposit check from the guard shack. If the check is not picked up within two weeks, it will be destroyed. Parties of 10 or more will be limited to two hours with the use of all picnic tables. Only one party will be scheduled for each 2-hour period. (Please note – this is a change from prior years)
· Parties with only residents or only 1-10 swimmers will not be charged. A $25.00 fee will be charged to parties with 11-31 non-resident swimmers and a $50.00 fee will be charged to parties with 31-52 non-resident swimmers. All parties with more than 52 swimmers must clear their reservation with the pool manager at least 2 weeks prior to date of party.
· Parties will not be scheduled on holidays.
· The lifeguards will be selling ice cream treats from Schwanns so if you would like something in particular, please let them know.
· Remember – NO GLASS CONTAINERS!! Snacks for the lifeguards are always appreciated!!
I would like to thank Ellen Abernathy for the great job she did last year and thank her for being so organized. Everything from last year has been neatly filed away in binders. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
To Swim, You’ll Need a Key
Contact: Terry Nygaard at 346-7512 or tnygaard@flash.net. Please do NOT prop open a gate - doing so automatically de-activates the last electronic key that was used and totally compromises the security system. If you have guests, meet them at the common area and go in together.
Missing at the Pool—does anyone know the whereabouts of the two wrought iron tables and matching chairs that belong at the pool? Please contact us at: poolmaintenance @balconeswoods.org.
You are Welcome to the Board & Operating Committee Meetings
The BWC Board of Directors meets next on May 14. The Operating Committee is scheduled to meet April 10 and May 8.
These open meetings are held 7:00 P. M. at Seton NW Hospital on the Third Floor, Conference Room A. Please feel free to attend, and check www.balconeswoods.org for updates.
Kindergarten Round Up at Davis Elementary
April 23, April 30, and May 7 Call 414-2580 to make a reservation for your child.
Your child can enjoy the Western “Round Up” theme and learn more about Davis.
Nancy Reed has handed off the Welcoming Committee “torch” this year. We want to thank her for her tireless work over the years – it is much appreciated!
Just Moved in?- We have BWC care packages for new neighbors. But we don’t always know when someone new moves in. Please call Nikki, 502-8726.
The BWC neighborhood association has received multiple reports of individuals entering Balcones Woods residents’ backyards uninvited. Reportedly when challenged, they say they are "measuring the height of your shed" or inspecting some backyard feature to see if you are in compliance with the restrictive deeds and covenants. The Board of Directors and Operating Committee of Balcones Woods know nothing of this activity and request that should this occur to you or your neighbors, you should contact the police immediately and report the event as trespassing on your property. It is possible these events are connected to a rash of property thefts in the Great Hills neighborhood.
The Hyde Park Baptist Church-Five Neighborhoods Coordinating Committee (HPBC) met on March 25. The next meeting will be May 13, 2002.
Construction on the infrastructure for Phase I of the Quarries development is scheduled to start the first week in May. Infrastructure includes the railroad right-of-way driveway from Mopac to the Quarries, fencing, gates, and utilities. The only building construction in this phase will be a storage building located in the vicinity of the softball field. Construction time is estimated to be 6-8 months. Per the agreement between parties, construction will be limited to 7AM to 6 PM, Monday-Friday and 7AM to 1 PM, Saturday. There have been no contracts let nor start dates estimated for the next phase of construction, which will include parking lots and the first building, the Christian Life Center.
Don’t Go there…The Quarries area has been closed to access by neighborhood residents and other non-members. The limited access is due to insurance and liability issues while construction is underway. The park will continue to be used by the Church and other approved organizations, as they are self-insured. Please remember the Quarries is private property. Please respect the owner's rights.
Other Issues - Quarries garbage pickup hours will start complying with our agreement by the start of construction.
After completion of the Mopac-Quarries driveway, all construction traffic will use the driveway. Until then, construction traffic is supposed to use the Santa Cruz-Mesa Woods route in and out of the Quarries. HPBC is unaware of construction vehicles using other streets and are trying to identify any that do. HPBC will do everything possible to enforce the route limits.
Uses of the Quarries facilities-- HPBC has listened to complaints by neighbors regarding some of the organizations using the Quarries facilities in the past and has taken steps to correct problems. HPBC will comply with agreed hours of operation, light use and access limitations, and will police situations of improper noise levels, use of profanity, and other issues.
Contact: Tom Terry (tomkterry@hotmail.com), daytime phone 459-6820, for information about the Quarries or input regarding complaints. If you believe your issues are not being addressed, please contact a Balcones Woods board member.
Swim Team News
Sat. April 20: Neighborhood Garage Sale
Sat. May 4: Splash Day at the pool (opening day)
Sat. May 25: Home Meet (pool closed until after meet)
Sat. June 8: Home Meet (pool closed until after meet)
Splash Day, opening day for the pool, is Saturday, May 5 at noon. We will be selling food and refreshments. So come have some lunch and some fun and support our team!
Swim team practice begins May 1, and it's not too late to join. There are registration packets in the Blue Wave box on Karol Korte's front porch at 4414 Malaga. You can fill in the forms and return them to the box. Call Karol at 346-3372 for more information.
Special Alert: Most swimmers have not turned in their Medical Release Forms. These are required before you can get in the pool for practice. Be sure to bring them to the pool on the first day of practice or drop them in the Blue Wave box on Karol's front porch at 4414 Malaga. There are blank Medical Release Forms in the same box for those of you who need them.
Finally, we have the swimsuits ordered at registration. You can get yours at the first practice or call Karol at 346-3372 to arrange to pick it up earlier. GO BLUE WAVE!
The Neighborhood Garage Sale is Saturday, April 20. Call Kathy Reynolds at 343-7235 for garage sale information.
Women’s Club Meeting – Thursday, April 18, 7:30 PM.
Kim Zeiler’s house -- 4203 Las Palmas Drive (343-1239)
A Dessert Recipe Exchange
Bring your favorite dessert along with 20 copies* of the recipe to share. You’ll leave with a sugar high and a cookbook! See you there!
Email webmaster@balconeswoods.org with the recipe by April 17 and don’t worry about making any copies.
A group of neighborhoods around the city are supporting a new city ordinance to prohibit parking on front and side yards. The parking ordinance will have three public hearings before the City Council. The dates are April 11 and April 18; voting will take place on April 25. The meetings will be held at LCRA Complex, 3700 Lake Austin Blvd. in the Hancock Building. For more information, see www.main.org/parking, including the latest drafts of the ordinance and maps of all the neighborhoods that support this ordinance.
Doug Huyck, of Balcones Woods, is asking for volunteers to speak at any or all of the meetings. He can supply you with information or background data. Doug can be reached at drhuyck@austin.rr.com or at home, 345-3135.
$25 off Coupon
Get a spaying/neutering pet coupon at: www.austin360.com/services/pets/pets_maddie_voucher.html
Yard trimmings are grass clippings, leaves and branches that are no more than 5 feet long and 3 inches in diameter. Larger branches must wait for specially scheduled brush collections. The City composts yard trimmings into Dillo Dirt, a natural soil nutrient used in landscaping city parks. It is sold to the public through local nurseries.
The following items cannot be collected with your yard trimmings. They are either too large or interfere with the composting process.
Plastic Bags, Lumber, Logs, Large Tree Limbs, Old Garden Hoses, Broken Flower Pots, Wire, Dirt, Rocks or Stones
Yard trimmings are collected the same day your trash and recycling are collected. Place your garbage, recycling and yard trimmings FIVE FEET APART on the curb by 7:30 a.m. Make sure all your set outs are in plain sight and are not obstructed by parked cars.
If you do not know your collection day, call our Customer Information Line at 494-9400 or look at a map of the collection schedule online.