Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:10 pm. The meeting was held at the lunch room in the Redeemer School. The meeting was called to order by the president.
Introductions
The attendees went around introducing themselves, including how long they have lived in the neighborhood and where they live. There were 22 Wooten neighbors attending the meeting.
Treasury Report
Wooten has three accounts with the following balances: Savings ($25), WNA General Fund ($1742.19), and Wooten Park Fund ($2068.29). A generous neighbor donated $200 towards the cost of the new yard signs and the balance of $298 will be paid through the General Fund and will be reflected in the next Treasurer’s Report.
Open Positions
Elections for the 2023-2024 term will be held at the September meeting. For the last year we have not had a VP in place. In addition, the current President has served about four years due to the COVID Pandemic even though the term is for two years. I counted how many people at the meeting had served in the past and it was half the people in attendance! Speaking from experience (I’ve served in all 4 positions), serving as a WNA officer is not difficult nor time consuming. We meet the second Monday of odd numbered months for approx. 1 hour. You can find what each position entails as outlined in the By-Laws on at Wooten NA Website.
The WNA Officers do hope that some people will volunteer to serve on the WNA Board as it is important for us to have an established and active Neighborhood Association, especially when issues arise.
Park Report
An overview regarding Austin Park’s Foundation (APF) bi-annual city-wide It’s My Park Day was discussed. These occur the first Saturday in November and March. APF provides grant money to help with cost of approved projects as well as free mulch through the City of Austin.
Joanne Garrett thanked Laura and Dave Tomlinson, who recently moved out-of-state to be closer to family, for all they have done for Wooten over the years. Laura and Joanne began serving as co-chairs of the Wooten Park Improvement Committee in January 2013. Without their help, the park would not be what it is now.
Park Events
There was discussion around what is required to have events in the park. Depending on the size etc. a permit and/or fee (approx $700) is normally required, however it was suggested that if we present a proposal Council Reps can normally get the charges waived for neighborhood events.
Planning Contact Team Report
Representatives of the Neighborhood planning contact team were in attendance to discuss when they meet and their role. The next WNPCT meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, August 14, 2023. Details will be posted on social media as well as at: wootenna.com
Anderson Square Change Request
There was continued discussion regarding the zoning change request for the property where Hobby Lobby, Planet Fitness etc. is located. There was an overview of the special meeting held on June 14th in order for neighbors to voice concerns and ask questions of the property owners’ representative regarding site plans etc. We then took a vote at the June meeting to give our support to the property owners to submit an application outside of the normal cycle and as a result the request is now under review with the COA.
This is going to be a long-term, on-going project as the owners allow for current tenants’ leases to expire, with the longest still having approx. 2 years left. HOWEVER, we need to continue to push to have a seat at the table in order to have input so the project will be a benefit to the area and the neighborhood. Some of the things already being discussed are greenspace including a dog park, positioning of the residential spaces as to be aesthetically pleasing as well as help with traffic flow, improvement to transit and a possible grocery store! Now is the time to share your ideas/wish list! (Side note: we are very fortunate to have several people in our neighborhood who have expertise and knowledge in this area and will be of great benefit as we continue to navigate the process)
You can find more details including maps etc. regarding the plan in the May meeting minutes.
Neighborhood Activities Report
- Google Fiber: Still no update. They have added boxes, but no date on when Google will have the rest of the neighborhood will get Google Fiber.
- Wooten NA Signs: As mentioned above, we have new signs! WNA Officers are looking for people to “host” a sign on their property. Ideally placement would be in high traffic areas for the most visibility. Please use this map to see where signs currently exist and where we need more coverage: Wooten NA Map Coverage. If you think you have a good spot, please reach out to one of the officers. Emails can be found at Wooten NA Website.
- Redeemer – They are adding additional surveillance and lighting to assist with keeping the neighborhood safer. They will also be hosting a self-defense class, open to Wooten residents. Details will be posted on socials and website once we have details.
- APD Representatives – The President is working with Council to try to get APD reps to start attending our meetings again.
- Block Party: The recent Villanova Block Party was discussed and people who attended raved about how fun it was! (Hopefully, we can have more of those if it ever cools down!)
New Items
- Vacant house on Putnam: The house caught fire due to fireworks on 12/31/2019. Nothing has been done in the way of demo and it has become an eyesore as well as a health and safety issue. Wooten NA member Phil offered to reach out to some of his contacts within the City of Austin to see if we can get some movement. In addition, Wooten President will reach out to Chito Vela’s office.
- City Signs and Lighting on Fairfield – It was reported the street lights and speed limit signs poles have been cut down/are gone. Residents would like the light and signs to be put back up. The officers will follow up with the City of this item.
- Purple Martin House at Wooten Park – It was mentioned it would be nice to have a Purple Martin house at the park. The Park Committee will reach out to PARD/APF for the process.
- Grackle and the Tennis Ball: Texas Monthly wrote a story about a grackle that developed a crush on a tennis ball. The original story was written by a Wooten resident and it made national news!
- Primitives Furniture Store site will be a Subaru Service Center in the near future
- Kids skipping school: Neighbor asked that we report issues with students skipping school. The more people call, the better the chances something will be done.
- Federal money for Wooten: Our Representative, Lloyd Doggett reached out, with the possibility of Federal funds that could be used to improve Wooten. Officers will look into this more closely to see what types of things could be used for these types of funds.