February, 2003   National Register District Neighborhood   Vol. 29, No. 2

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association started its first meeting of the year on the evening of Jan. 6th with a presentation from Judy Fowler from the City of Austin. Ms. Fowler presented an update on several electrical projects the city is undertaking in our area.

First was an update of a new electrical substation that will be located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Guadalupe and 45th Streets (on the grounds of the State Hospital). The project planners have taken the final appearance of the facility into consideration. Ms. Fowler showed some architectural renderings of what the finished site should look like. She added that the rose bushes that surround the State Hospital grounds would remain in place.     Ms. Fowler also spoke about the Grooms Station (at the corner of Grooms and 38th Streets), as well as the consolidation and raising of some power lines in the neighborhood. The Grooms Station might be turned into a park once the utility vacates the site. She said that the line consolidation and raising should be finished during the winter of 2003 (a year or so from now). Yard Parking: Yea or Nay?     After Ms. Fowler's presentation, our HPNA Co-Presidents announced that at the February HPNA general meeting (Monday, February 3, 2003, 7:00pm at Hyde Park United Methodist Church) we will be discussing the city's yard parking ordinance. At the end of this discussion a vote will be taken to "opt

in" or "opt out" of participation in this ordinance. If an "opt in" vote is made, parking in front and side yards (off driveway) would be banned in the area covered by the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. Many people have strong feelings on this issue. If you would like to participate in this decision, please plan on attending the February meeting. Crime/Safety Issues     Several crime issues were addressed. While there were specific complaints about speeding and the running of stop signs on Avenue G, it was agreed that this is a problem throughout the neighborhood. Surprisingly, according to a brief, survey of the license plates of those violating traffic laws, it was found that about 75% of the violators live in the immediate Hyde Park area. The Austin Police Department has been made aware of the situation. APD has initiated directed patrols to monitor the situation and issue citations where necessary. In the interest of safety, everyone is reminded that we all need to drive carefully in our neighborhood. This is especially true because of the large number of children and pedestrians we have enjoying themselves outside. Continued on page 4