HNA Spring Newsletter: Neighborhood Picnic and More
Happy spring everyone!
A bunch of things have been going on on the “official” HNA front lately. But first, I want to make sure everyone knows about the upcoming HNA neighborhood picnic potluck.
HNA Neighborhood Picnic Potluck: May 21, 12–2 PM
I’m really looking forward to meeting some of Highland’s new residents, as well as touching base with some I haven’t seen in person in a few years since we started doing our meetings online. We will also celebrate getting the big Austin Park’s Foundation grant!
When?
Saturday, May 21, 12–2 PM
Where?
Highland Park at 401 St. Johns, under the oaks next to the playground.
What to bring?
Bring your kids if you got ‘em, first of all. Second, bring a dish to share. HNA will provide beverages, plates, etc. And if you have any folding chairs, maybe bring one of two of those.
Austin Parks Foundation Awards $150,000 Community Impact Grant to Highland
Kate Garza, central sector VP of the HNA, applied for this grant at the last minute, and by golly we got it! This grant will specifically fund a bridge over Waller Creek to improve access to the park. We had been having a hard time getting the city to commit to building the bridge, which has been one of the top amenities requested by neighborhood residents. Ultimately the path along that side of the creek might connect up to the proposed path alongside the creek along Northcrest that has been discussed recently with the city Watershed department.
A special shoutout to our former council member Greg Casar is due. Our deadline for the application was on a Saturday and we needed a letter of support from Greg to give some oomph to our application. I texted Greg, who was at a wedding, who promptly responded and signed a letter of support while at the wedding.
Special Election, Saturday May 7
Yep, there’s another election. This time it’s for state and local ballot measures. There are a couple of measures dealing with property taxes (which sadly won’t have a huge impact on our ever-increasing property taxes), one measure decriminalizing marijuana in Austin, and a few other things I’m hazy on. The primary runoff election (which this one is not) is May 24, with a few weeks of early voting. Then of course there’s the general election in November…phew, that’s a lot of democracy!
The closest voting location for us is the City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr., opposite The Linc on Middle Fiskville Rd.
Highland’s New APD District Representative: Officer Angela D. Coleman
We have a new APD district representative for Highland. Officer Coleman is a 15-year veteran of APD. She’s helping us with St. Johns and I35 issues, as well as other concerns residents might have. Here’s her contact info:
512.974.5516 | angela.coleman@austintexas.gov
APD DR’s can help with issues that don’t require 911 calls, like nuisance properties and speeding issues. For example, our previous DR helped us convince the Mercedes dealership on Airport to stop test driving vehicles on residential streets. There’s been some backsliding on that front lately, but for the most part the agreement has held.