SRCC General Membership Meeting Minutes — June 2018

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Secretary

SRCC GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING (www.srccatx.org)–MINUTES
Monday, June 4, 2018 7:15 PM
LIFE IN THE CITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (formerly Grace UMC)
205 E. MONROE, AUSTIN, TEXAS


AGENDA
To be sure you get a vote, become a member. You can join or renew online www.srccatx.org. Not sure if you are current? Email membership@srccatx.org and we’ll let you know.

CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. 7:15 Meeting procedures, etiquette, welcome newcomers.  Verification of quorum. Reminder: state your name when presenting or seconding a motion. If an acronym is stated during the meeting and you don’t know what it means, please feel free to raise your hand and ask.*
Presenter throughout: Eric Cassady, SRCC Co-Vice President, covicepresident@srccatx.org, unless otherwise noted. (10 min)

Newcomers introduced themselves.
Reminders

  • Raise your hand if you wish to speak, wait to be recognized by the chair
  • Address comments to chair, not to other another member
  • Please stand when speaking, state your name when making or seconding motion
  • Keep to the agenda

2. 7:25 Membership and voting. Pay multiple years in advance and get a discount. Single membership: 1-yr $20; 2-yr $35; 3-yr $50 / Family membership: 1-yr $35; 2-yr $65; 3-yr $95 NOTE: In order to vote or make motions, dues must be paid a month in advance, with the exception that if a former member’s dues have lapsed no more than 2 years, they may renew at the meeting and be eligible to vote. (2 min)

3. 7:27 Approve minutes from May 7, 2018 monthly general meeting (available at www.srccatx.org). (3 min)

Motion: Dan Fredine/Cynthia Milne to approve the minutes from the May 7, 2018, monthly general meeting. 19 for, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining = PASSED

4. 7:30 Treasurer’s Report – All reports available by request to the Treasurer treasurer@srccatx.org
Presenter: Oliver Caruso, Treasurer (5 min)

Oliver shared information about this month’s expenses. For specific information, contact him at treasurer@srccatx.org. He also shared these specific SRCC FINANCE KEY DATES

  • May
    • Renew PO Box Subscription – Complete
    • Update bank signature cards as necessary – Complete
  • Aug
    • Finance Committee mid-year review

5. 7:35 Committee Chairs reports
1) Planning and Zoning; 2) Historic Preservation; 3) Finance – see item below; 4) Mobility (chair needed); 5) Public Safety; 6) Parks and Environment; 7) Schools; 8) Communications; 9) Executive Committee; 10) CodeNEXT ad hoc committee – see item below
Representatives: 11) ANC*; 12) SCC*; 13) South Central Waterfront; 14) St. Edward’s (10 min)

Planning and Zoning:  Construction on the parking lot for the Hotel Magdalena is progressing. Recently met with representatives for the State House to discuss the expansion (see item below).

Schools Committee: School is over, so no events to report. The name of the new principal is Michelle Navarro. She was the assistant principal at Oak Hill El.

Communication Committee:  Betty Weed is taking over as chair.  The summer newsletter is being laid out and that ACs should expect to need to deliver it the last couple of weeks of June.

  • Executive Committee Meeting:  Appointed Betty Weed as Communications Committee Chair, as previously mentioned.
    Motions passed at last EC meeting:

    • MOTION: Laura Gas Weaver/Gretchen Otto to approve a one-time donation of $500 to Travis Heights Elementary as recommended by the finance committee. 11 for, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining = Passed
    • MOTION: Elloa Matthews/Oliver Caruso to recommend approval of the $2500 donation to the general membership at the next meeting. 11 for, 0 opposed, o abstaining = Passed
      Discussed criteria for approving expenditures in EC or recommending to GM
    • MOTION: Sam Martin/Oliver Caruso to approve “SRCC shall have a minimum of three elected officers, including the treasurer, president, and vice-president (or co-vice presidents), who are authorized to make expenditures from SRCC financial account(s). The Executive Committee shall determine as often as necessary who is authorized to have expenditure authority on behalf of SRCC”. 11 for, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining = passed
    • MOTION: Gretchen Otto/Elloa Matthews approve the new cover letter on version 3 of CodeNEXT and supporting documentation, to be sent to appropriate…. 12 for, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining = PASSED

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
6. 7:45 Update on CodeNEXT. Draft 3 of CodeNEXT has been released, along with a 400 page addendum. The petition to place CodeNEXT on the October ballot (which SRCC voted to support) has not been accepted by Council, and will likely end up in court. There is also concern over late-breaking amendments that could further erode neighborhood protections.
(5 min)

Russell Fraser attended the CodeNEXT meeting at City Council on Saturday, June 2nd. He indicated that over 100 people signed up to speak, the vast majority speaking in opposition to the code as written.

NEW BUSINESS
7. 7:50 David Todd has requested on behalf of Blunn Creek Partnership for $2500 from a fund that SRCC has in the Austin Parks Foundation, in order to revegetate an area where invasive/non-native plants have been removed. The finance committee recommends funding this request, and the SRCC Executive Committee has voted unanimously to support the request. [VOTE EXPECTED]
Presenters: Sam Martin, SRCC Finance Committee Chair, finance@srccatx.org and David Todd, SRCC Parks and Environment Chair, dtodd@wt.org. (5 min)

  • Sam indicated that the requested funding would come from the specific SRCC Austin Parks Foundation balance, not from the SRCC General Fund.
  • David stated that over the last 10 years the Blunn Creek Partnership has cleared about 38 acres of invasive plants from the preserve; there are only about 2 acres left to clear. Over 1500 trees have been planted. With the removal of the invasives, there is more risk of erosion. Therefore the Partnership intends to plant ground cover – grasses, flowers, etc. to combat erosion. The SRCC contribution will be used primarily to purchase seeds, which will then be germinated by a 3rd party for 4-6 months. The plantings will then be done in-season.

Motion: Sam Martin / Marilyn Orton to approve the expenditure of $2500 from the SRCC Austin Parks Foundation Fund on behalf of the Blunn Creek Partnership. 19 for, 0 opposed, 1 abstaining = PASSED

8. 7:55 The State House Apartments on South Congress at Academy Dr is planning to construct an expansion, and have discussed the project with the SRCC Planning and Zoning Committee. A site plan was filed in April; the project does not require variances and will honor the NCCD.
Link to presentation about State House Development.
Presenter/Guest: Russell Fraser, SRCC Planning & Zoning Committee Chair, russell_fraser@msn.com and Michele Rogerson Lynch, Director of Land Use & Entitlements, Metcalfe Wolff Stuart & Williams, LLP, mlynch@mwswtexas.com (10 min + 10 min Q&A)

  • Russell indicated that the SRCC Planning and Zoning had good and open discussion with the developer about the project, and that they worked with SRCC to determine how to honor the NCCD, and answered the many questions that Russell and Marc Davis asked.
  • Ms Rogerson Lynch indicated that the site plan is currently on file but is not yet approved. The project will include the demolition of the front unit, near Congress and Academy. On the presentation, the buildings shown in blue would be redeveloped, and they would be reducing the quantity of residential units and providing more office/commercial/restaurant space. It is anticipated that a restaurant will be included, though no tenants have been identified at this point.
  • The project will include rebuilding the existing retaining wall, providing wider sidewalks, and relocating a 32” Live Oak from S. Congress to Academy. Some street parking will be reduced, as the wider sidewalks will require that back-in angle parking be replaced with parallel parking. The existing garage has sufficient parking to support the new businesses, and is open to the public; the businesses will validate garage parking.
  • Would expect groundbreaking in about 1 year, with about 15 months of construction. Concerns were raised about bicycle and pedestrian access along Academy during construction.

9. 8:15 Announcement of restart of SRCC Neighborhood Watch program. Tom will share information about the updated program.
Link to SRCC Neighborhood Watch Patrol Program description.
Link to When to Call 911 or 311.
Link to SRCC Neighborhood Watch Patrol Agreement.
Presenter: Tom Groce, SRCC Public Safety Committee Chair, tgroce71@gmail.com (5 min + 5 min Q&A)

  • Tom indicated that after consideration, the restart of the program will be set up similar to the previous version, as facilitated by Raymond Sinatra. It was suggested that if patrolling in a car, then you would want to use the magnetic door signs in order to increase visibility. Patrol sign ups will be coordinated via Google Calendar, and indicate the portion of the neighborhood that you will be patrolling.
  • About 12 people have expressed interest in participating so far. It was suggested that a post be made to the listserve to increase participation.
  • There was a question about possibly reporting crime statistics in the SRCC Newsletter.

10. 8:25 Cap Metro is rolling out their Cap Remap initiative, which goes into effect June 3rd. Cap Remap is intended to create a simpler bus system with more frequent routes. Enjoy Free Rides June 3 – 9.
Link to the Cap Remap website.
Link to review the new service maps. Select the “+” next to “Changes by region” then click on a map; Southeast Austin shows the SRCC area.
Guest: Lonny Stern, Coordinator Special Projects, Capital Metro, Lonny.Stern@capmetro.org (20 min + 5 min Q&A)

Mr. Stern discussed a major remap for Capitol Metro that is currently happening, called Cap Remap

  • Reducing Congestion: Surprise: Austin is one of the top 5 most congested cities in America. Austin adds 70 more cares each day. The reserved bus lanes: each bus eliminates approximately 20-30 cars.
  • Capital Metro Services: Local (blue), commuter (red: which we call metro rapid) and access (green). In addition, Capital Metro provides a Metro Rideshare program, in which 5 to 12 riders share a car. Local routes cost $2.50 a day or $40 a month; seniors 65 and over, Medicare card holders, active duty military, and riders with disabilities can get half-priced fares.
  • Overview of Cap Remap: System is switched from a radial system (where every route came downtown) to a system that travels mainly East-West, and a few main routes coming downtown. There is new signage on the street.
  • Cap Metro has an app that helps plan your trip and allows buying tickets online. Otherwise, tickets can be purchased on the bus (cash, no change) or in grocery stores.
  • Notable route change: Many routes are now every 15 minutes, including the 20, which is the new Airport Flyer, which can be caught on Riverside. These are the main lines running along Congress and S. 1stStreet. Along Oltrof is now the 300 line.
  • To learn more: capmetro.org/remap For complaints: email Feedback@capmetro.org or call (512) 474-1200

11. 8:50 Update on the Art in Public Places (AIPP) component of the Little Stacy Improvement Project; the process was described and input was solicited during the April SRCC meeting.
Presenter/Guest: Marjorie Flanagan, Art in Public Places Project Manager, marjorie.flanagan@austintexas.gov (5 min)

  • Ms. Flanagan, with Art in Public Places, gathered information about wants and goals for the Little Stacy program at the SRCC April meeting. She used a survey at that meeting and gathered words to describe how artwork should enhance Little Stacy. The words collected included: Inclusive, traditional, colorful, community, etc. She shared potential project goals for feedback from tonight’s group. A neighbor suggested mentioning Blunn Creek in the goals. As there was agreement within the meeting, Ms. Flanagan committed to adding the name of the creek into the goals.
  • Link to  AIPP Little Stacy Slideshow, which includes the goals for the project.
  • Update on Little Stacy Project: project has gone out to bid and a contractor will be selected. Anticipated beginning construction in October and conclusion by March.

8:55 GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need volunteers for several open positions including
    • PRESIDENT
    • MOBILITY CHAIR
    • AREA 7 COORDINATOR(S)
  • Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team members are stewards of our 2005 Neighborhood Plan.
  • Austin Monitor discount: SRCC16 for 20% off subscription

 

 

*Frequently used acronyms: ACF: Austin Community Fund; ANC: Austin Neighborhood Council; SF: Single Family zoning category; FLUM: Future Land Use Map; GSRC NPCT: Greater South River City Neighborhood Planning Contact Team, NCCD: Neighborhood Conservation Combining District; SCC: South Central Coalition of NAs
Agenda Prepared by Dan Fredine, vicepresident@srccatx.org
Agenda subject to change. Please check www.srccatx.org for most updated version.

Agenda Prepared by Dan Fredine, vicepresident@srccatx.org
Minutes Prepared by Mary Friedman, secretary@srccatx.org

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