Northfield Neighborhood - Meeting Minutes - July 6, 2009 Northfield Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes for 7-6-09 7:00 P.M. Dayspring Chapel 54th and Avenue G Agenda
Call to order 7:08
pm. Introductions of the assembled group.
The president, Will Bown, announced that items 4 and 5 would be deferred
as the presenters could not attend. Treasurer’s Report:
Variance request: Sebastian Wren Sebastian and Annie plan to add a front porch to their house which requires a variance request. They request that NNA support their variance request. A motion was made to support the variance request and have the NNA write a letter in support of the variance request. Motion was seconded. A vote was taken. Nine members vote “ay”. Three abstentions from non-members. Sebastian will draft a letter for the president’s signature.
Repurposing of the 5335 Airport Bldg - Martha Ward Martha Ward, a member of the
Ridgetop NA and NLNP, reported that she had requested that the building
and parking lot at 5335 Airport Blvd, formerly known as the Chair King,
now owned by Travis County, be repurposed for community use until new
construction begins in two plus years. Roger El Khoury, Travis
County Facility Director gave his approval for use of the outside
area only. Martha said that meetings of various members
of the community have taken place and that there have been many suggestions
for use of that outdoor area around the property. (Report attached).
Martha introduced Tim Sweeney of Upstream Consulting, whose company
consults pro bono with community groups to assist in the formulation
of a vision for the community in an effort to bring the broader community
together. Tim is willing to work with our community to help
us identify who is our community, what do we want our community to look
like. Tim’s group is available for consulting on Fridays.
Martha said that an email will be sent to set up some meetings on a
Friday evening. Crime: May burglary One of our NNA neighbors described
the burglary which took place at her house in May. She reported
that several similar burglaries had taken place on her street.
She reported that the burglar had been apprehended during the
perpetration of the crime. The burglar has been indicted, is in
jail not having posted bail, and could face up to 20 years of prison
(prior convictions applicable). See below on how to voice your
concern about this crime. See her addendum below. Neighborhood Watch: Scott Johnson Scott reported that there had
been over 300 crimes in 78751 in June. 109 arrests. He emphasized
that vigilance in imperative. Scott suggested that
our NA plan a neighborhood meeting at a neighbor’s home, in
the near future, to get more neighbors involved, meet the neighbors,
etc. Meeting adjourned at 8:07pm Addenda: From our neighbor who reported
on the break-in at her house: “If you would like to send
a letter requesting a strong punishment for the kick-in burglar in our
neighborhood who was just recently apprehended and arrested, please
direct it to: Attn. Lynn Cragg Victim/Witness Division Travis County District Attorney’s Office P.O. Box 1748 Austin, Texas 78767 Be sure to include: State of Texas vs. Robert Garcia Cause Number: D02093059” From Lisa Wright: “It is equally important to
note that 78751 is not just Northfield--it includes Hyde Park and Ridgetop
as well. The crimes that were reported, while unfortunate, run
the gamut. They include public intoxication, domestic conflicts, DUI,
and pickups for other agencies, such as for probation and parole violations,
and unpaid library and parking fines. In addition, many of the people
arrested were charged with multiple offenses, so there are any number
of incidents that resulted in multiple charges for a single individual. I acknowledge that it is very
important to stay on top of crime and that burglaries and personal crimes
are of great concern, but we need to be equally vigilant about keeping
perspective and staying with the facts. The web site that has the data
Scott referenced is at http://www.krimelabb.com/_ Also from Lisa: On a different
note, I just found a fascinating and completely overwhelming web site
with a ton of data about 78751: http://www.city-data.com/zips/ From Angus, VP NNA “As long as we remain vigilant,
the neighborhood will continue to be a safe community to live and work
in, however I emphasize the importance of addressing crime because if
we become nonchalant, things will change quickly.”
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