Greenbelt Fans,

We hope you will join us for our next workday on Saturday June 2, from 8-Noon, to do some important tasks on the Gus Fruh portion of the greenbelt. We will meet at 8:00 sharp at the Gus Fruh entry at 2642 Barton Hills Drive for sign-in, breakfast tacos, a group photo, and task orientation. We are planning some important trail repair and resurfacing work, retaining wall construction, and invasives removal and monitoring. We’ll also do some weeding, edging, and pruning in the front entry area. We will need lots of hands to help, and hope that you will be able to join us to assist.

There are lots of enticements: Maria’s tacos for breakfast, lush beauty on the trails due to the spring rains, camaraderie with other greenbelt lovers, AND a lunch party afterwards outside Barton Springs, sponsored by the Hill Country Conservancy. This work day celebrates National Trails Day, and numerous other volunteer groups will be working on other areas of the greenbelt. The Austin Parks Foundation is providing the overall organization and registration for the various volunteer groups.

To volunteer with us at Gus Fruh, please RSVP directly to this address so that we get an accurate count for our planning, and ALSO register on the Austin Parks Foundation web site so they can accurately plan for the overall event and after-party food and drinks. Thank you!

We’re looking forward to a great work day and hope to see you there!

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinator
(512) 441-3278

http://greenbeltguardians.org

A group of neighbors have combined efforts with BHE parents to formulate a park improvement plan for the park grounds adjacent to the elementary school. This plot of land is co-owned by the city and the district which makes for an interesting predicament of not much ownership by either entity. It’s been in decline and is now really suffering due to erosion issues caused by our recent drought.

We surveyed the community in June 2011 and held multiple focus group sessions in the fall of 2011 to get a bottoms-up list of ideas to improve the park. Many, many ideas have been tossed around and we are now ready to start the planning phase. This will be a very exciting project partnering with the city through the Public Works Neighborhood Partnering Program.

Let’s build a park that students can enjoy during the school day and that the community can enjoy after school hours. Gatherings in the park are just around the corner … Let’s make it happen!

Please see the attached PDF version of our presentation for details.

Contacts:
Cherylann Campbell - 
Kathleen Schneeman - 

The April 2012 edition of the Barton Hills News is now available right here on the web site. Printed versions will soon arrive in your mailbox.

In this edition, we wish the Greenbelt Guardians a happy 10th birthday, and discover what’s on the horizon for the park at Barton Hills Elementary. You’ll also learn how to prevent crime on your street, and more about St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, which has been a part of this neighborhood since 1959. Plus, find out how you can lend a helping hand for the upcoming July 4th Parade!

BARTON HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

April 24, 2012

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall

6:00 Pizza with our neighbors – Rockin’ Tomato Pizza

7:00 Call to order

7:05 Brief announcements

7:10 Approval of minutes of January 24, 2012 membership meeting

7:12 Treasurer’s report – Kerry Price

7:15 Committee Reports:

• Neighborhood Watch – John Luther
• Greenbelt Guardians – Glee Ingram
• Membership Outreach Committee – Sunny Luther
• Area Development – Peter Hess
• Emergency Preparedness Committee – Bob Bridge
• ANC Report – Tom Nuckols

8:00 Barton Hills Park/Playground

8:15 Presentation by PARD, Erin Cord, briefing regarding Neighborhood Wildlife Habitat Challenge

8:30 Presentation - City of Austin Watershed Protection Department briefing regarding a project to improve Robert E. Lee tributary in Zilker Park to receive ongoing habitat restoration in and around the creek.

8:45 Other business, as brought to the floor by the membership

9:00 Adjourn

Bernice and Harold Billings' garden, April 2011

All are invited and welcome to attend Tuesday, March 27. Our speaker will be Trisha Shirey, Director of Flora and Fauna at Lake Austin Spa Resort, who will stroll us just like a spa guest through the resort with images of the annual and perennial flowers, trees, and shrub displays. She will share her personal favorite plants for sun and shade and her secrets for growing them organically.

The meeting will be at the Zilker Botanical Center in Zilker Park on Barton Springs Road. The meet and greet will be at 9:30 am, the program starts at 10 am.

Hope to see you there.

Mary Ann Neely
Program Chair

BHNA Picnic In The Park

Plans are well under way for the exciting April 7th Picnic In The Park from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM and you are invited.  The festivities will take place in the northeast corner of the park area at the Barton Hills school/park.  We will be in the shade of beautiful trees and overlooking a part of our great neighborhood.  Round tables with colorful coverings and folding chairs will be set up when you arrive with your picnic supper.  There will be washer pitching, bocce and domino games for adults and bean bag toss and junior bocce games for the children. Fantastic music will be provided by Jennifer Ellen Cook and her awesome band. As an added bonus this year there will be a full moon just one evening before the event so we will be able to enjoy a terrific evening sky along with our picnic, weather permitting.

Parking for the Picnic will be along Barton Hills Drive and in the small school parking lots in front of and on the west side of the school.  Volunteers will be available to assist anyone needing a little extra help to get from the parking lot to the picnic site.  Please let us know in advance if you will be needing some assistance by contacting Sunny at or at 441-0748.

We look forward to seeing you at the Picnic.  So, bring your family and some neighbors.  Let’s make this a very special event for Barton Hills.

This year’s annual citywide It’s My Park Day event, sponsored by the Austin Parks Foundation, is scheduled for Saturday March 3, 2012. As usual, the BHNA Greenbelt Guardians will be participating, working at both the Gus Fruh and Homedale entries to the Barton Creek Greenbelt. You can participate at the site of your choice, and we will provide tasks, team leaders, tools, and refreshments at each site.

Work projects at both sites will include lots of invasive plant removal activities, some minor trail repairs and maintenance, possibly some rock work, and, as always, picking up cans, bottles, and other trash. There will be suitable tasks for all ages and skill levels. Kids with adult supervision are welcome.

Please RSVP by both replying to this message, and also registering online at the Austin Parks Foundation website at www.austinparks.org. Click on the link for It’s My Park Day volunteer registration, and then use the search tools on that page to find our events. They are listed as: Greenbelt Guardians: Homedale Entry at Barton Creek and Greenbelt Guardians: Gus Fruh Entry at Barton Creek. If you search by park name, they’re both under Barton Creek Greenbelt East. You can also just click on Show All and scroll through the list.

NOTE: be sure to register online if you want to receive a t-shirt!

The work day is from 9:00 – 1:00, and as usual we’ll start the morning off with breakfast tacos before getting to work. Snacks will be provided throughout the day. We’ll send out more details next week to everyone who registers. There’s plenty to do, so we’re hoping for a good turnout and are looking forward to seeing everyone, both veterans and newcomers!

Thanks,

and
Greenbelt Guardians Coordinators

By Melissa Hawthorne

The Greenbelt is truly one of the bright spots of living here in Austin. After the hustle of the week, I make time to go wander in the Greenbelt. I see some other folks wandering, as well, and wonder how many people here in the neighborhood take advantage of this respite. If it’s been awhile since you’ve enjoyed this gem in your backyard, now is a good time to go. The maps at the bottom of the page can give you a better idea of where the best access points are.

Depending on your skill level, there are several entrances you could choose to enter the Greenbelt. No matter which access point you use they all lead to the creek. If you are looking for a nice wide “main” trail — really wide and level — take the Greenbelt access through Zilker on the south side of Barton Springs Pool or the Spyglass entrance (from the Mopac side), which is actually across from the Homedale entrance.

The 360 access point is also fairly simple to navigate and, when you get down into the Greenbelt, you can go either south or north. Going south takes you toward the Wilderness Park, a developed trail not quite as large as the Zilker entrance. Going north toward Gus Fruh is stunning in its own way. The Gus Fruh entrance is definitely one of my favorites.

The Barton Hills access point, on Homedale, is a little more challenging, but once you’re there it’s absolutely exquisite. Staying on the neighborhood side on Homedale and Gus Fruh, the trail kind of dead ends; however, since the creek is not flowing now due to drought, you can easily cross to the other side of the creek to get to the “main” trail.

When the water is flowing, Homedale has the “rapids” and “falls” that kayakers love to navigate, as well as a small swimming “pool” beside the rapids, and Gus Fruh has the large swimming hole that families and dogs share. The 360 area has climbing walls just the other side of the creek. Climbing walls can also be found between Gus Fruh and Spyglass on the main trail across the creek from our neighborhood entry trail.

• Barton Creek Greenbelt
• Barton Creek Greenbelt (East)
• Barton Creek Greenbelt (West)

 BARTON HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

January 24, 2012

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall

AGENDA

6:00   Pizza with our neighbors – Rockin’ Tomato Pizza

7:00   Call to order

7:05   Brief announcements

7:10   Approval of minutes of October 18, 2011 membership meeting

7:15   Treasurer’s report – Kerry Price

Membership Update – Kay Killen

7:25   Committee Reports:

• Neighborhood Watch – John Luther
• Greenbelt Guardians – Glee Ingram
• Membership Outreach Committee – Sunny Luther
• Area Development – Peter Hess
• Emergency Preparedness Committee
• ANC Update – Tom Nuckols

8:15  Announcements related to a Spring Fling BHNA membership event – Sunny Luther

8:30   Briefing from City of Austin Neighborhood Connectivity – Mopac Bicycle Bridge Project and Robert E. Lee sidewalk project.

8:45   Request and briefing on Cyclo-Cross Event proposed in Zilker Park

8:55   Status of nominated neighborhood improvement projects:

• Water fountain at Barton Hills Elementary playground

9:00   Other business, as brought to the floor by the membership

9:15   Adjourn

Fresh off the digital press of Editor Leah Golden, the January 2012 edition of the Barton Hills News is now available for your reading pleasure. Printed versions will be distributed to your doorstep soon. Meanwhile, for those who can’t wait or whose eyes are more accustomed to a backlit surface, you can check out the PDF version now for the latest Barton Hills scoop.

This edition features an update from Amy Moore, President of the Barton Hills Elementary PTA, about events at BHE and details about the district’s recent Annual Academic and Facilities Recommendations and their effect on our neighborhood school. Susan Donaldson, chair of the Emergency Preparedness Committee, explains how to make your home “Firewise” and Leah Golden profiles the Cardio Coffee walkers who have been meeting each month for over 8 years! Plus, check out the latest news about Neighborhood Watch and Greenbelt Guardians and biographies of your new 2012 BHNA officers.