Board members attending:

Bryan Chester, Gail Morriss, Charles Johanson, Tom Daniel, Susan Pascoe, Drew Miller, Greg Hybl, Elizabeth Cash

Board members absent:

Candace Volz, Matthew Wheeler, Pat Tate, Charles Heimsath

The meeting was called to order at approximately 7pm and adjourned at approximately 9:20 pm.  A quorum was present.

Agenda Item #1: Austin Clean Water Program (ACWP) update

*Note:  for a map of this project, see the April 2007 Pemberton Journal, page 6, archived at www.peelinc.com.

This project will impact all Pemberton residents as certain streets are  torn up temporarily and traffic is slowed or redirected.  Two segments of the project will affect some Pemberton residents more significantly because the waste water lines coming from their homes will be reoriented and/or the street directly in front of their homes will be trenched.

Mr. Guthikonda provided background for this project.  In 1999, the EPA required waste water systems be updated to eliminate overflow problems.  Waste water is sewage, not street run-off.  The EPA’s deadline for completing the work is August 2009.  The wastewater group has been performing investigations to pinpoint where leakage has been occurring.  The investigations are almost complete and most improvements are needed in the older parts of Austin.  The pipes were originally intended to last 30 years but have been in use for 100 years in some places.  We saw photos taken by cameras that were sent into the waste water system; they showed cracks, off-set joints, collapsed pipes, and tree roots growing into pipes. 

In preparation for the projects affecting Pemberton, the collection pipe that ran under Shoal Creek from 34th Street to 29th Street has been replaced and moved under the bank.  There is now a 66 inch diameter collection tunnel running alongside Shoal Creek.  It eventually meets an east-west line that is about 85 inches in diameter.

Mr. Hoepken described the projects that will affect Pemberton.  In the neighborhood, most wastewater pipes run under the streets.  Some are in backyards and some have structures or pools on top of them now.  In addition, in some places the easement granted was only 10 feet and 25 feet is required for the work ACWP is doing.  Portions of the waste water pipe system that cannot be accessed will be moved instead.  In some instances, waste water “laterals” running from the back of homes will be rerouted to the front. 

One project affecting Pemberton will take place on portions of Windsor, Hartford, Jarratt, Harris Boulevard, Hardouin, and Wooldridge.  The far north lane of Windsor will be worked on only during the summer and during University breaks.  Traffic along Hartford will also be disrupted and several private laterals along Hartford will be moved.  A plumber will be hired to do the work.  The work will be coordinated with the homeowners and will be performed at no cost to them.  The streets will be patched when the project is completed.  This portion of the project is set to begin in mid-September and will last about a year. 

The second project in Pemberton will affect Wooldridge, McCallum, Claire, Preston, and Gaston.  Some homes along Gaston will have their laterals moved to the front.  This project will begin in mid-October and end in the summer of 2008. 

The third project is located at W. 29th Street and Mohle.  Work will begin in late June.

Any property affected can expect about one week of disruption.  However, service to homes will not be interrupted except to have water turned off for a period of a few hours.  Work will progress one block at a time.  No work will be done from 7pm to 7am.  Preparations will be made to allow emergency vehicles to pass during work time and the street will be passable during non-work hours.  Homeowners will always be able to access their homes.

A full-time construction supervisor will be assigned to the project.  This person will be introduced to the neighborhood before work begins and will be available for questions.  Neighbors with questions or concerns are invited to call the ACWP hotline at 684-3204.  A construction awareness website is located at www.ci.austin.tx.us/ca/ and will post project details once the work is underway.

Agenda Item #2: MoPac Update

John Kelly provided an update on the MoPac project.  There was an open house last fall and another in March.  The plan that has evolved from input received calls for four lanes in each direction.  There are currently three, plus an auxiliary lane along some stretches.  There will be no elevation of lanes and no widening of the current MoPac footprint.  Furthermore, efforts to acquire land from the railroad proved burdensome.  TxDOT cannot condemn railroad land because the railroad pre-dates TxDOT.  Noise testing has been performed along MoPac and the federal formula to determine appropriate sound walls has been done.  The current plan is for 8 foot concrete sound walls that are 6 inches thick to run from Allandale to the lake.  Whether the walls would have acoustic surfacing has not been determined.  The walls will address traffic noise only and not train noise.

The extra lane in each direction will be a managed lane separated from regular traffic by a series of plastic posts.  Buses and van pools would be able to use the lane for free.  Cars would pay a fee that would vary according to the amount of congestion present.  Managed lanes are not considered to be toll lanes and it has been found that they move more drivers along that HOV lanes do.  They are intended to serve through-traffic.  Entry and exit opportunities would exist at Parmer Lane, 35th Street, Enfield, and the river.  No current MoPac exits will be changed.  The managed lanes will be 12 feet wide and regular lanes will be 11 feet wide.  Shoulders will be narrow but bridges will be widened.

The next required public meeting will take place in February 2008.  After that, all the documentation will go to the Federal Highway Administration, who will distribute it to various agencies for review.  Environmental clearance is expected in late summer 2008.  After this occurs, the plans would be finalized.  Construction may begin as early as late 2008.  It will be a two-year project.  Costs is estimated to be $110M.

The board asked what PHNA should do if it is interested in:  1) assuring acoustic surfacing for the sound walls, and 2) getting the sound wall height raised to ten feet.  Mr. Kelly recommended attending the next open house.  He also suggested sending letters to TxDOT as more effective than email.  Project contact information is:

Phone:  498-7700
Mail:   MoPac 1 Project Office, 400 W. 15th Street, Suite 1500, Austin, TX  78701

Much more detail about the MoPac project may be found at the official web site at www.MoPac1.org.

Agenda Item #3: Development project at 2520 Jarratt

This was a follow-up of the Michael Deane new construction about which some neighbors had expressed concern regarding drainage and set-backs.  Charles Johanson performed deed restriction research on this property and discovered that the situation is confusing because the lots that make up this property have been divided and recombined several times with the accompanying deed restrictions poorly drafted.  Due to the lack of clear information, it was determined that the board is unable to take or recommend any action regarding this project.

Agenda Item #4: Neighborhood Planning update

The official kick-off meeting will take place June 21st from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the Lion’s Club House, 2901 Enfield Road.  Neighbors should receive their notices from the City shortly.  [Post meeting note:  Notices went out the last week of May.]  Susan and Elizabeth received a PDF of the notice and the board decided to send it to the PHNA email distribution list.

The City’s notice includes a link to the web site where neighbors may fill out the City’s survey and indicate whether they would like to receive notice of meetings to follow the Kick-Off.  If you prefer to have a survey mailed to you, please contact 974-2865 or 974-6355.  The survey due date is June 15th.

The Central West Austin Neighborhood Planning Area (CWANPA) website is located at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zoning/central_west_austin.htm.

Tom Daniel is getting a quote for insurance for the board.  Once the quote is received, he will circulate it for an email vote.

The date of the next fundraiser will probably coincide with the date of the annual picnic.  The location will be changed to the Hartford/Ethridge triangle.  We will apply to the City for permission to close off the street during the picnic/fundraiser.  This will allow us to highlight the potential of this location for a neighborhood park.

There was a hurdle finalizing a contractor to do the triangle irrigation, however this has been overcome.  The Harris/Windsor triangle is under construction, as is the Hardouin/Wooldridge triangle.  Next priority is the small triangle at Harris/Windsor, then the Jarratt triangle. 
The Jarratt triangle is not yet fully funded.  The play area is retained in the center of this triangle.

The potential for a roundabout at Claire/Wooldridge was discussed.  Historically, this area had a triangle.  A recent traffic study on Wooldridge showed the highest speed clocked was 78 mph and it was felt a roundabout might provide traffic calming.

The difficulty of meeting the submission deadline of the 10th of each month was discussed.  There is no option for quarterly publishing using Peel Inc.  It is also challenging to come up with content.  Various ideas for newsletter content are:  the PHNA bylaws, selections from the handouts provided to us by tonight’s speakers, reviews of restaurants in the immediate area, and information on parks in the area.

Minutes prepared by Elizabeth Cash, Secretary.

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