HPNA General Meeting April 4th Agenda Short Presentation on work currently underway in the neighborhood by Crispin Ruiz of the Austin Clean Water Program. Updates on graffiti removal, zoning developments, and related issues. Hope to see you there.

Goodwill and Obsolete Electronics

Dear Neighbors,

Re the piece in last month's issue about disposing of obsolete electronics:

Another way to dispose of electronics, of course, is Goodwill Industries. You are charged nothing for dropping an item off, get a tax write off if you want to document it, and the disabled are able to use whatever you give them for parts. Goodwill makes a point of letting everyone know that anything they can't use is disposed of properly. They run a used computer and peripheral store on Research Blvd. I bought my current keyboard there for $4.

April, 2005   National Register District Neighborhood   Vol. 31, No. 4

"Miracle Product" Slated For Hyde Park Alleys

A fter a heated late-night round of negotiations, the city and HPNA reached an agreement on a "final solution" to the alley problem. Before now, the neighborhood had the choice between alleys surfaced with caliche, giving them a country road appearance, and a crumbled asphalt topping, which slowed erosion but added no structural strength.

A third option was created by the sudden availability of a new product at substantial savings to the city. Lkwid-Krust, a mixture of recycled motor oil, asphalt and depleted uranium, is applied as a molten mixture and hardens into something like concrete. This gives the surface virtually the same structural strength of regular asphalt paving at about a third of the cost.     A major order for for Lywid-Krust by another Texas city, believed to be San Angelo, was canceled at the last minute. The mixture apparently does not keep very well and Austin was able to buy a large quantity at a steep discount.     Arnold Dewees of Austin Street and Bridge had high praise for Lkwid-Krust. "This is a miracle product," he said. "You're going to start seeing it everywhere."     "It solves so many problems so inexpensively. For example, Hyde Park has a perennial problem of grass growing down the middle of the alleys and weeds along the side. The mild toxicity of Lkwid-Krust ensures this will be a thing

of the past."     Dewees also addressed neighborhood concerns about the depleted uranium. "Uranium gives Lkwid-Krust its density. But the hysteria on the issue of radioactivity has been incredible. One guy accused us of trying to turn Hyde Park into `a little Chernobyl.' Taking out the trash, or trimming trees in the alley would expose you to about the same amount of radiation as wearing a wrist watch," he said. "You just have to use common sense about this. Obviously Lkwid-Krust surfaces should be avoided by pregnant women and nursing mothers. It would probably be prudent to keep children under the age of four away from it too."     Ironically, the city has set Mother's Day as the deadline for getting the new surface installed. Because of radiation issues it will be applied between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Asked whether this would pose noise problems for the neighbors, Dewees chuckled, "Let's just say it will take their minds off Stubbs' music for a while." -- Rollo Treadway Continued on page 3