BrykerWoods Neighborhood

Public Input Sought for Parks Dept Long Range Plan

Monday April 14, 2008
6:00 – 8:30 pm

O. Henry Middle School School Cafeteria
2610 West 10th Street
512.414.3229

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department will be conducting a series of public meetings to discuss the future planning for updating the Parks and Recreation Long Range Plan for Land and Facilities. Park advocates who live or recreate in Central Austin should strongly consider attending this meeting to express their priorities for parks!

Parks included in this meeting include Bailey Park, Seiders Springs, the Shoal Creek Greenbelt, Town Lake, Zilker, and many others. Please refer to the full Central Austin Park Map for the other parks included.

More info about this meeting is also at http://www.austinparks.org. Questions relating to this meeting should be directed to Ricardo Soliz, PARD Planning Division Manager, 974-6765.

Download Central-zoom-8x11.pdf

Shoal Creek Greenbelt Update

Shoal Creek Channel Stabilization Project Mini Tour-June 27, 10 a.m. You are invited to attend a mini tour of a stretch of Shoal Creek between Gaston and West 29th Streets on Tuesday, June 27, at 10 a.m. The purpose of the tour is to view an area of the creek where old sewer lines and concrete casings will be removed as part of the Austin Clean Water Program (ACWP). These Shoal Creek banks are being fitted with $1 million worth of limestone fillings and native plants to overcome erosion. The hike and bike trail has also been rebuilt at this location. Representatives of neighborhood associations, residents and businesses will be invited to meet at Shoal Creek Park, which is just off Lamar at the Shoal Creek Bridge, to participate in the tour and hear an explanation of the project from the project manager, Stan Evans. Light refreshments will be served. The contractor is scheduled to begin the project in late June. Call 684-3204 to RSVP.

Dedication and Naming of the new Shoal Creek Pedestrian Bridge in Honor of Janet Fish - July 25, 11:30 a.m. In the 1950s, Janet Fish and her family spent many personal hours and thousands of dollars of their own money to create the Shoal Creek hike and bike trail from Pease Park north past 34th Street. Now in her mid-80s, Ms. Fish - the daughter of the late civic patriarch Walter E. Long - still lives in the family home on Shoal Creek. She and her family chopped down weeds and brush, planted trees and wild flowers, hauled in water, picked up trash and formed the Junior Deputies to help maintain and patrol the trail. Her dedication to the Austin community will be recognized in a ceremony which will name the newly-completed Shoal Creek Pedestrian Bridge just south of West 29th Street in her honor. The bridge dedication will be held Tuesday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m., at the bridge. Light refreshments will be served. Ms. Fish will be joined by her two sons, Andrew and John Fish. The bridge construction was made possible by the Austin Water Utility's Austin Clean Water Program in concert with the departments of Public Works, Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation. Please call 684-3204 to RSVP.

Bailey Park Clean-up & Picnic Saturday, April 23 (archived content)

This year the BrykerWoods Neighborhood Association has volunteered to do a clean-up of Bailey Park. It's My Park! Day is an annual community service day focused on improvements to Austin's park system. Bailey Park is located east of Shoal creek within the vicinity of the Seton Medical Center & St. Andrews Episcopal School. It is a small urban park with beautiful trees and quaint facilities (including bathrooms). The Bailey Park clean-up event begins at 11am followed by a volunteer picnic. If you have never visited Bailey Park, make this opportunity to discover a small, convenient and wonderful park! Contact Edward Tasch edward@brykerwoods.org for more info. Should the weather be questionable, revisit this website for updates ect. So on Saturday April 23rd, bring your gloves to Bailey Park along with a lunch for a post-cleanup picnic!

Illegal dumping in neighborhood parks

Illegal dumping has been observed in neighborhood parks. Suspect are University of Texas fraternity members dumping left over materials used to construct massive party sets. Items frequently dumped are bamboo, cedar trees and lumber. Should you witness any dumping, please call 911 immediately and report the abuse to our central austin parks!

Construction has started on the 29th to 34th Street Tunnel (archived content)

Construction will begin soon on the Shoal Creek Wastewater Improvements - 29th Street to 34th Street Tunnel. Construction will begin in August 2004 and is schduled to conclude in Summer 2006 (see invitation and project map - pdf file) . Bryker woods neighbors are invited to meet the contractor Thursday, August 5, 2004 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. Bryker Woods Elementary Cafeteria 3309 Kerbey Lane. Please RSVP to the ACWP Hotline 684-3204 (refreshments will be served). Click hear to learn more on the project! (pdf file)

Some deatils outilned for the Shoal Creek WW Improvements 29th Street, 32nd Street, 33rd Street/Churchill Drive/Seton

Install a new 12-inch wastewater line in 34th Street that will accommodate the expansion at Seton Hospital. Work will begin in spring 2004 at West 34th Street.
Replace existing sewers on 32nd Street, Churchill, 33rd Street. This includes creekbank improvements and reconstruction of the west trail pavement, and at the request of Parks and Recreation Department (PARD), it features construction of a new pedestrian creek crossing south of West 34th Street. Work will begin in summer 2004 and conclude in spring 2005.
Install an 8-inch wastewater line that serves the area west of Shoal Creek, south of 29th St. This improvement will enable the City to take the existing line out of the creek. The installation of this line will impact the existing creek-side trail, so the trail will be rebuilt with an improved long-life surface. At the request of PARD, the project will include construction of a new pedestrian creek crossing south of 29th Street. Work will begin in summer 2004 and conclude in spring 2005.
New manholes will be designed using new city guidance for creek manholes.
Old manholes to remain will be rehabilitated.
(for more information see official notice (PDF 252k) and latest project plan (PDF 150k)

Visit the ACWP website for the latest information and a complete overview!

Shoal Creek Greenbelt Improvements (archived content)

Several improvements are scheduled for the northern part of the Shoal Creek Greenbelt. Contact the City of Austin Watershed Protection and Development Review department for more information (974-6045).

Erosion control on the Greenbelt sidewalk west of the creek and south of 34th Street
An improved low-water crossing in the park behind Bryker Woods Elementary
A new bridge crossing south of the 29th Street (currently a dangerous low-water crossing)
For more information see official notice - PDF 292k and latest project plan (PDF 150k).

"Bandit Signs" in the neighborhood

What are bandit signs? Section 25-10-103 of the City's Land Development Code states that signs are prohibited in public right of way (ROW). This means that a person may not install or use a sign maintained on a structure located on or over public property or public right of way. This ordinance has been on the City's books for almost 20 years.

Concern has been expressed over the removal of neighborhood garage and yard sale signs possibly viewed as "Bandit Signs" in the BrykerWoods neighborhood. Commercial signage placed in public property and public right of way are the "Bandit Signs" that have created recent outcry within the city. Garage sale and yard sale signs (although technically bandit signs *if* located in public property) are not considered a nuisance to the neighborhood. Rather, these signs should be left in place for service and benefit to local neighborhood residents. Please respect the interest's of neighborhood residents and leave these signs in place.

The problem "Bandit Signs" are the commercial signs placed at the Mopac exit ramps and the island at the intersection of 34th Street and Jefferson (two prominent public spaces within the BrykerWoods neighborhood). If you find such COMMERCIAL signs an eyesore to the neighborhood, take them down and send a message to the commercial enterprises polluting Austin neighborhoods! It is ILLEGAL for businesses to use our neighborhood's public green spaces for advertising.

Report illegal Commercial signage in the neighborhood at 974-6576. First offenders will receive education, but repeat violators will have charges filed. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $500 per violation.