ASSOCIATION Fall picnic fun!Fall picnic fun! Fall picnic fun!… · Fall picnic fun! “FLUM VOTE” continued on page X “WHAT’S NEXT” continued on page X It has definitely

Copyright © 2008 Peel, Inc. WestcreekNeighborhoodAssociationNewsletter - December 2008 �

Westcreek Neighborhood

Volume 4, Issue 12

Westcreek NeighborhoodA S S O C I AT I O N

Westcreek NeighborhoodA S S O C I AT I O N

December, 2008 - Published Monthly for our Westcreek Neighbors Log on at westcreekna.org

Look what the Balloon Man

created! A Longhorn hat

for (we’re pretty sure on

this) an avid Longhorn fan

(and his friend in the background).

Hook ‘em, Horns!

For more picnic photos, see inside.

Also check on our website,

westcreekna.org for larger, down-loadable photos!

“PICNIC” continued on page 3

FLUM VOTE GOES IN FAVOR OF WESTCREEK ON FIRST READINGThe City Council voted 7-0 in favor of keeping the zoning designation at 6110 Hill Forest at Single Family low density. WNA’s Gary Bunevick outlined our case very well, and his wonderful speaking in front of the City Council helped lay out the neighborhood’s concerns on high-density develop-ment in Westcreek, especially so close to Patton Elementary. The City Council agreed with the Planning Committee’s July recommendation and voted unanimously in favor of

The day was sunny and beautiful — and this year, there were no bees! The Westcreek annual picnic was held on Sunday, Oct. 26, and although not as well attended as last year, there was still fun for all. There were plenty of contests to be won and food to be eaten. There was a giant inflatable slide for the kids, and a couple of piñatas as well (and the prizes and candy in the piñatas this year were AWESOME, thanks to the WNA Executive Committee’s Judy Jefferson’s and Alicia Ortiz’s shopping prowess!). The costume contest only had four participants this year, but almost everyone got a prize.

The biggest hit was the Balloon Man — he could make anything with balloons! Longhorn hats, swords (with belts around the waist to hold them), jester costumes…you name it, he made it happen.

During the picnic, a Lifetime Award was presented to Ben Coughran for his many years of

Fall picnic fun!

“FLUM VOTE” continued on page X “WHAT’S NEXT” continued on page X

It has definitely been an interesting and active year in Westcreek! Some of the usual business of course, but also some very important issues have arisen, been discussed and acted on. The most visible issue has been the re-zoning designation of lots at 4808 William Cannon and 6110 Hill Forest Drive. Westcreek has done an excellent job in vocalizing

Westcreek Update — ElectionsComing Up in JanuaryBy Chris SchexnayderPresident, WNA Executive Committee

WNA DEC 08 FRONT PAGE.indd 1 11/9/08 2:33:15 PM

(FLUM VOTE continued on page 7) (WESTCREEK UPDATE continued on page 6)

Fall picnic fun!Fall picnic fun!

Go Green, Go PaperlessSign up to receive the Westcreek Neighborhood Association Newsletterin your inbox. Visit PEELinc.com for details.

� WestcreekNeighborhoodAssociationNewsletter - December 2008 Copyright © 2008 Peel, Inc.


WNA CONTACTS

Peel, Inc. Printing & Publishing .......................... 512-263-9181Adver./Kelly Peel .. [email protected], 512-263-9181

Newsletter Publisher

City ContactCall 311 to report any City-related problem. It operates 24/7. Report a non-emergency crime, barking dogs, speeding problems, zoning violations, blocked sidewalks, etc.

Austin Police Department District RepresentativeZachary LaHood [email protected], 974-4415

Advertising Information Please support the businesses that advertise in the Westcreek Newsletter. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all residents to receive a newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office at 512-263-9181 or advertising @PEELinc.com for ad information and pricing.

WNA website ........................................www.westcreekna.orgWebmaster: Bob Shrader ............. [email protected] to us at: WNA; P.O. Box 91373, Austin, TX 78719-1373

For comments on this newsletter, or to submit ideas/articles:Newsletter EditorKaren Gregory [email protected], 899-1292

PresidentChris Schexnayder [email protected], 899-0087 Vice President[Vacant Position]TreasurerJan Boswell ............................... [email protected], 892-3786Secretary & Enhancement Committee Chair (YOM)Judy Jefferson ....... [email protected], 892-1105Member At Large, Place 1 Alicia Ortiz ............................ [email protected], 892-4733Member At Large, Place 2Lane Mears .. [email protected], 899-8505, cell 748-4649Member at Large, Place 3Gary Bunevick [email protected], 844-5400

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Westcreek Neighborhood"Fall Picnic Fun", continued from cover page

Ben CoughanLifetime award winner

Bernie Rosenblattwins the pumpkin.

First place, china girl &

consolation prize, maneating shark.

Little Batman wins.

Jim and Sue Harkin- Sue wins the candy pumpkins

Kathy and Mary Blanchard, winners of the big jar of candy

and the candy corns

Kathy wins the malted milk balls.

Alicia and Sue, assistant grillers.

service to Westcreek. He was presented with an engraved weather station plaque (Ben has been involved in predicting the weather for many years!). Ben also volunteered to be the Grillmaster this year and helped with a lot of the picnic preparation. He may be “retired” from the WNA, but he’s still going strong in participation! There was also plenty of participation in the guessing games: Guess the number of Candy Corns, Weight of the Pumpkin, Candy Pumpkins, Malted Milk Balls and lastly the GIANT JAR OF MIXED CANDY! Keeping in the theme of “trick or treat” for Halloween, it was tricky! The trick was to guess as close to the real number without going over. The winner of the Guess the Number of Candy Corns was Mary Blanchard from Morning Dew Drive. Her guess was 612—the actual number was 819. She not only got the jar of candy corn, she also got a $20 Toys ‘R Us Gift Certificate. The winner of Guess the Number of Candy Pumpkins was Sue Harkin from White Elm Drive (actual number 199—Sue’s guess was 150). She also walked away with a $25 gift card for Randalls.

Congratulations, Sue! Sue and her husband, Jim, have come to our Westcreek picnic every year. Malted Milk Balls Winner (YUM—thanks to Sandy Baldridge for putting that jar of treats together!): Kathy from Dry Oak. She also walked away with an Emerald Garden Gift Certificate. Her guess? 505. Actual number? 823. The winner of the GIANT JAR OF MIXED CANDY: Kathy Blanchard from Morning Dew Drive. She guessed 463, and the actual number of pieces of candy in the jar was 515. Kathy also garnered a $25 Randalls gift card! And the final winner — the winner of Guess the weight of the Pumpkin — was actually a tie. Both the Blanchard family from Morning Dew Drive and Bernie Rosenblatt from Smith Oak Trail guessed 24 lbs. (the pumpkin actually weighed 27.5 lbs.). The Blanchards were quite adamant on handing over the pumpkin and prizes to Bernie, as they had already won two of the guessing contests! Besides winning the pumpkin and a pumpkin carving kit, Bernie walked away with a $25 Randalls gift card.


Westcreek NeighborhoodLOG OFF. GAME ON.

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Register Online: www.i9sports.com or Call: 512-905-9900

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Court jesters in their other life.

Princess with a flower. King and his sword. The witch is going to get it.

BACK Gary Bunevick and Ben Coughran;FRONT Linda, Judy Jefferson and Alicia Ortiz.

Balloon Man.

We have to say the most interesting entry on the guessing games was from Hannah, who guessed “45 to 55” for the Candy Corns contest. Moving on to the costume contest: “Oriental Girl” won first, with a $15 Toys ‘R Us gift card, and little Batman won the 2nd prize, getting a $10 Toys ‘R Us gift card. “Man-eating Shark” won a consolation prize of an Emerald Garden Gift Certificate. Wow, those were a lot of winners and a lot of prizes! Thanks to the entire Westcreek Executive Committee and neighborhood volunteers who helped make this picnic a fun event for all! We implemented a few of the residents’ suggestions this year, and they were a hit. And thanks, as always, to Randalls for providing all the grub and prizes, and for Emerald Garden for providing prizes as well. Both Randalls and Emerald Garden have been supporting our neighborhood throughout the years with our Yard of the Month program, too. Make sure to let them know you appreciate their support! There are photos now posted on our website from both the National Night Out parties and the picnic. There are links for you to download higher resolutions, suitable for framing, if you’d like. Again, our website is http://www.westcreekna.org A big “thank you” to Bob Shrader for posting all of the photos. Enjoy!

"Fall Picnic Fun", continued from page 3 Stay in Touch with Westcreek by Email — It’s fast and it’s free!

Now all residents of Westcreek can join our neighborhood email group: YahooGroups. This is a great way to share information quickly in the neighborhood. To set up your YahooGroups Westcreek Neighborhood Association email account: Send an email to [email protected] with your name(s) and street address in Westcreek. You’ll get a notification email to verify with Yahoo that you want to join this email group. Respond to that email and the moderator will review your request and approve it. You will then get a message from Yahoo, welcoming you to this free service with some instructions on how to manage your account. Once you are signed up: To post an email to the group send an email message to [email protected]. Add this address to your email address book.

mailto:[email protected]






Southwest

Family Owned and OperatedMark and Jan Welp

Enter from William Cannon or from Brodie at the car wash sign.

Hours:8-6 Weekdays8-5 Saturday

512-891-7800

SUPERIOR SERVICE FOR YOU AND YOUR CAR

3416 W. William CannonAustin, TX 78745

Coffee Bar • Children’s Playroom

BRODIE

LN WILLIAM

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During this time of economic uncertainty: • Maintain the value of your car • Enhance its reliability • Increase it longevity • Maintain or improve its performanceby doing the manufacturer’s or industry recom-mended preventive maintenance (30K, 60K, 90K etc. services) including oil changes. We perform these services and mechanical repairs with the most advanced equipment, tools, and databases in the industry. All our services meet manufacturer warranty requirements. We are AAA approved. We provide services while you wait or you can drop it off. Courtesy shuttle service is available.

"Westcreek Update" - continued from cover pageits position and concerns about any zoning changes that will

impact the quality of life we enjoy in our neighborhood. We have stood our ground with success, but the fight is not over. It is tempting to throw in the towel, because eventually something will have to be done with these pieces of property that is viable for all parties involved. Finding that option will take a lot more time, patience and persistence. Thanks to everyone who has participated in keeping Westcreek a quiet, low density neighborhood. We hope we can continue to count on your support, as it is very important. Join us by becoming a member of the WNA or volunteering. We will be sending out membership reminders this month.

I want to remind everyone that we will be holding our Westcreek Annual Neighborhood Meeting on Monday, January 20. We have yet to pin down an exact location but we will have that information ready for the January newsletter. We will be holding elections for positions that will become vacant in the Executive Committee at this meeting. These positions are President, Secretary, Members at Large Positions 1 and 2. If you enjoy living in our community, please seriously consider getting involved and serving your neighborhood. You can learn more about these positions by viewing the WNA By-laws at www.westcreekna.org. Feel free to contact any of the current officers to learn more as well. Their contact information can be found at the neighborhood website and is also listed on page two of this newsletter. We hope to have our new District Representative from the Austin Police Dept., Officer Zachary LaHood, attend this meeting. ‘Zach’ (as he likes to be called), has shown a definite interest in the safety of Westcreek and its residents. I have seen him several times personally pulling over speeding drivers in the school zone in front of Patton Elementary.

Another issue, and one that I consider to be a major one, is the Oak Wilt center that has been identified in our neighborhood (the Oak Wilt outbreak area map is on our website). This is a serious problem, and if left untreated, will spread. Attempts have been made in the past to isolate the problem, without success. Treatment of trees is expensive and does not guarantee that a tree will be saved. There have been several articles in our newsletter on how to treat and deal with this disease, as well as information posted on the Westcreek Yahoo Group and no doubt more is just a “google” away. Unfortunately, the city does not have a program that assists homeowner’s with the problem of infected Live Oaks, but they will come out a remove Red Oak trees that have been infected. Contact Chris Dolan, City of

(contniued on page 7)



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DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints in this publication, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

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Flum Vote - continued from cover pagethe neighborhood. This was in spite of Mickey Bentley’s speech about on “saving the trees”, which was his reasoning for building condominiums up to three stories tall. There will be two more readings before the FLUM is passed. Mickey Bentley, the agent for the Hill Forest property, and the owner, Frank Bomar, will continue to fight for a higher density designation for the property. The next reading of the FLUM is tentatively scheduled for December 11. Watch for updates on your Yahoo eGroups and check our website, westcreekna.org, for more details.

Austin Arborist at [email protected] if you think you have an infected Red Oak (not Live Oak).

Lastly, thanks everyone for being involved and turning out for the annual Halloween Picnic. I myself was not able to attend due to illness. Although a strong turn out was not reported, I did hear all who attended had a good time. The story that touched my heart was the family that won a contest to guess how much candy was in the jar. Both parents in the family were out of work, and they commented that the children would now have candy for Halloween. To me, that made it all worthwhile. I know a lot of us are struggling in these tough times, and all I will say to that is to have faith and hope. Faith in yourselves, your government, your community and of course the higher power of your choosing. Hope for a brighter day. America has seen tougher times and not only survived but has come through stronger because of it. The Holidays are upon us and let us remember to keep the focus on what is most important – precious gifts such as family, friends and good health.

"Westcreek Update" - continued from page 6



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ASSOCIATION Fall picnic fun!Fall picnic fun! Fall picnic fun!… · Fall picnic fun! “FLUM VOTE” continued on page X “WHAT’S NEXT” continued on page X It has definitely