These articles are due by the middle
of the month before the issue in which you read them,
so there is a two-week delay built in, accompanied by
the possibility that intervening events may have
rendered the subject of the column irrelevant. That
said, the last two weeks have been rather eventful.
I met with Deputy City Manager Laura Huffman,
at her request, to discuss the City's plans for Fire
Station # 9. Ms. Huffman, who supervises all the public
safety services (Fire, Police, EMS), repeated Fire
Chief Gary Warren's assurances that downsizing
the staffing and equipment at Station 9 from a 1200
gallon per minute pumper with four firefighters to a
500 gallon per
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Pecan Press
The Pecan Press is published monthly by the Hyde Park
Neighborhood Association in Austin, Texas.
Editor
Grant Thomas 454-7284 <hgthomas@palnet.org>
Associate Editor
Sarah Sitton 459-4530 307 E. 39th St.
Poetry Editor
Nancy Taylor Day 892-0127 <NancyLTD@aol.com>
Crime Reporter
Bruce Nadig 323-0779 <motorbruce@hotmail.com>
Advertising Director
Mike Capochiano 4904 Avenue H 467-9198
Production Manager
Robert M. Farr 731-0617 <bobfarr@austin.rr.com>
Mail Ads to:
Print Deluxe
7500 Chelmsford Dr. Austin, TX 78736
Note: Each month's ad and editorial deadline is
the 15th of month preceding publication.
Distribution Coordinator
Herb Dickson 4401 Avenue D 458-4335
Area Coordinators
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North of 45th/West of Duval - Pam Dozler
| 458-8927 |
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North of 45th/East of Duval - Sarah Heather
| 452-8486 |
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South of 45th/West of Speedway - The Gossetts
| 452-3654 |
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South of 45th/East of Speedway - Martha Campbell
| 452-2815 |
Contributors
Bruce Banner,Candy Gray Becker,Cynthia Beeman,Laurence Becker,
Mary Collins Blackmon,George Bristol,Lewis Brownlow,Katherine Bryn,Mark
Burkhardt,Amon Burtoe,Martha Campbell,Inga Maric Carmel,Josephine Casey,
Nicole Caspers,Kitty Clark,Carol Cohen Burton,Mike Capochiano,Susan
Crites-Krumm,Celeste Cromack,Rob D'Amico,Herb Dickson,Avis Davis,Don
Davis,Lynn Denton,Pam Dozler,Cathy Echols,Jordan Erdos,Jack Evins,Patricia
Florence,Merle Franke,Gregory Free,Larry Frelich,Robert Garrett,Mary
Carolyn George,Larry Gilg,Susan Gilg,Ann S. Graham,Carolyn E. Grimes,Ben
Heimsath,John Kerr,Susan Kerr,Bo
Kersey,Deanna King,Susan Kirk,Anna Kotecki,Karen McGraw,Sharon
Majors,Barbara Manson,Alan Marburger,Peter Maxon,Brook Meggs,Fred
Meredith,Susan Moffat,Catherine Moore,Jill Nokes,Wanda Penn,Cecil
Pennington,Linda Pennington,Peter Pfeiffer,Dorothy Richter,Walter
Richter,Margie Sanford,Sheree Scarborough,Cathy Short,Sarah
Sitton,Thad Sitton,Julie Strong,Kathleen Strong,Lao Tzu,Jennifer
Vickers,Katie Vignery,Sandra Villalaz-Dickson,Lorre Weidlich,Joe Wiseman
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minute minipumper with two firefighters would not
reduce the level of protection enjoyed by the
neighborhood, due to the proximity of other
stations and the Austin Fire Department's practice
of dispatching three engines (pumpers) and two
ladder trucks to each and every structure fire. If
the local station's downsizing is approved by the
City Council, this task force would continue to be
dispatched in addition to the minipumper, for a net
increase in equipment and personnel at the fire
scene. The time interval between the arrival of
the limited capacity minipumper and the second unit
on the scene is, of course, the source of some
neighbors' continuing concern. Ms Huffman strongly
denied the rumor heard by some that the Fire
Department would not dispatch the minipumper to
structure fires. She also denied that there is a
hidden two-part strategy to reduce the station's
equipment and staff now and to close it entirely
at some future point. The way she put it was that
there was "not the political will to close the
station."
Ms. Huffman made some additional
points of potential interest:
- The City budget shortfall is $77 million.
If the City Council votes a 3.5 cent per $100
valuation tax increase, which Ms. Huffman seemed
to think the largest increase likely to be enacted,
that would bring in only $17 million. The Station
9 cuts would save $500,000.
- The cost of all the public safety
departments is roughly equal to all property tax
and sales tax revenue. Everything else, street
maintenance, libraries, health, parks and recreation
and social services all operate on "fees, fines and
franchise" income. This excludes the "enterprise
fund" operations such as electric power, water and
wastewater and solid waste services.
- Of the latter, only electric power earns a
substantial profit and, due to the push for
deregulation of electric rates coming from the
Legislature, it is no longer possible to transfer as
much money from Austin Energy to general government.
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- All the public safety services, including
police and EMS, will have budget cuts this year,
not just the fire service.
- Structure fires are only about 2% of all
Fire Department runs. First response medical
assistance calls account for most of the rest,
along with car fires, dumpster fires, brush fires
and others, such as rescues.
The budget will go to City Council at
the end of July, to be followed by public hearings
during August. If the Fire Department restructuring
is approved it will be implemented in October,
perhaps about the time of our Fire Station Festival.
On a different but no less important
front, the City Council has passed an ordinance
intended to curb the spread of Superduplexes. This
measure puts some height and size limits on duplexes
in SF3 zoning (nearly all of Hyde Park is zoned SF3)
and it imposes a limit of no more
Continued on page 5
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Hyde Park Neighborhood Association
P.O.Box 49427 - Austin, TX 78765
http://www.hydepark-na.org
--- HPNA Officers ---
|
Co-Pres. -Gary Penn 3913 Ave G |
452-3103 |
|
Co-Pres. -Bruce Nadig 615 E 48th |
323-0779 |
|
Sec. -Glenn Coleman 207B E. 43rd |
407-9357 |
|
Trea. -Mike Capochiano 4904 Ave H |
467-9198 |
|
Trea. Emerita - Josephine Casey |
HPNA Committee/Task Forces
AISD
Ann Graham 3815 Ave H |
458-8096
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Alley Coordinator -Volunteer needed |
Beautification
Margot Thomas 4106 Ave F |
454-7284
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Merle Franke 4102 Ave D |
452-0414
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Children's Programs
Anne Graham 3815 Ave H |
458-8096
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Church Liasion
Niyanta Spelman 3802 Ave F |
459-8349
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Communications/Web
Mark Fishman 3905 Ave G |
371-7920
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Crime and Safety
Bruce Nadig 615 E 48th |
323-0779
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Development Review
Stan Kozinsky 4604 Ave G |
451-4455
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Homes Tour 2003 -Volunteer needed |
Membership
Wanda Penn 3913 Ave G |
452-3103
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Neighborhood Planning
Karen McGraw 4315 Ave C |
459-2261
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Mueller Task Force
John Kerr 4209 Ave F |
451-3931
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Shipe Park
Suzee Brooks 4900 Ave H |
459-5115
|
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Sidewalks -Volunteer needed |
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38th Street Taskforce -Volunteer needed |
Triangle Development
Cathy Echols 4002 Ave C |
206-0726
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Zoning
Dorothy Richter 3901 Ave G |
452-5117
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Austin Neighborhoods Council Rep.
Volunteer needed |
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