HPNA General Meeting May 5th Agenda Speaker from the Clean Air Force (postponed from last month) Homes Tour Update HPBC: lawsuit against City of Austin Update - Status of 3810 Speedway Report on Texas Legislature bills impacting Hyde Park Display of proposed plan for building to replace former Rowell's Shoe Shop Superduplex ordinance update

N eighbors gathered to exchange news and catch up on events that affect the quality of life in the City at the May meeting of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. These fun and informative meetings take place on the first Monday of each month at the Hyde Park Methodist Church at 40th and Speedway at seven in the evening.

    Presiding Co-President Gary Penn related a meeting with city staffer Laura Huffman concerning the reduction of services at our beloved Fire Station # 9. Huffman reiterated the city's alternative to closing the fire station and gave assurances that there was no "secret plan" to close the station in the fiscal year following this one. She frankly restated the city's position that with a $77 Million operating deficit, the city was committed to the alleged half a

June, 2003   National Register District Neighborhood   Vol. 29, No. 6

N ow is the time for all good men and women and teenagers too to come to the aid of their Neighborhood Association by volunteering to spend part of a fun-filled day working on the Historic Hyde Park Homes Tour June 14 and 15th.

People are needed to sell tickets at the Start Point at the Austin State HospitalŐs Old Main Building at 41st and Guadalupe, to work as docents (guides) at the seven Tour Houses and act as conductors on the buses carrying Tour-goers around the neighborhood. The Tour is the HPNA's principal fund raising Activity, and some people think it is the most important thing the Association does, by promoting the neighborhood as a good place to live, to buy a home and raise a family. The Tour has provided a living workshop on how to restore and rehabilitate old houses for more than 25 years, inspiring many people to choose the central city over the suburbs, and helping to keep Austin dynamic and vital.

Since the Tour runs from 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, June 14, and from 12 Noon to 6 PM on Sunday, June 15 and most houses will need at least 3-4 people at all times and there are seven houses, we will need at least 105-140 people.    If you would like to volunteer to help with the Homes Tour, please contact the Tour Chairman, Bob Breeze at 452-3850 or breeze99@texas.net or Co-President Gary Penn at 452-3103 or garypenn@swbell.net. If you would Continued on page 4