Rosedale Neighborhood Association Meeting Minutes–October 24, 2016
Call to Order
Co-President Jeff Archer called the meeting to order at 6:45 PM.
ACC Trustee Election
Nora de Hoyos Comstock was introduced. Ms. Comstock is running for ACC Trustee Place 6. She spoke the need for ACC to provide career pathways and hopes to increase the current 9% completion rate. The school district has 12 campuses in six counties and is over seven thousand square miles in size. She wishes to increase the tax base for the district and also make better use of the buildings which are mostly empty after 2 PM. The position she seeks is for a six-year term. She has one opponent named Douglas Gibbons.
Grove
The subject of The Grove was discussed. The general consensus is that of confusion. A passing of a 2nd reading is desired and it is rumored that ARG and BCRC are in mediation. There is pressure on the council to move the blockade. They are looking at amendments provided by CM Leslie Pool but still unresolved. CM Sherri Gallo’s transportation amendment was voted down. A lot of unknowns remain and there are no dates to determine the apparent impasse.
City Council Election
CM candidates Sherri Gallo and Alison Alter addressed the audience. Gallo, council member for District 10, handed out her latest newsletter and spoke of the need for transparency in government, hiring a new city manager, working on land development codes among other subjects. She took questions from the group concerning the Proposition 1 bond election. She supports it. When asked about specific items in the proposition, she emphasized that the council will have veto power over any engineering plans.
Ms. Alter spoke giving her educational credentials from Harvard and Stanford plus she is a former university professor. Her emphasis is to manage the growth Austin is experiencing through tax codes plus a balance between NIMBY and dense growth advocates. She also wants to control land use and special interest groups. A new city manager needs to be hired and more emphasis is needed toward neighborhood representation. The Grove should be considered superior to receive special PUD privileges but she gives the project a D grade. She wants more focus on traffic, park access and drainage. She supports Proposition 1.
Bus Route
Heidi Ross spoke to the group about possibly obtaining a letter from the RNA recommending not eliminating the bus route 21/22 that runs west of MO-PAC to SE Austin. She and other parents rely on the route to get their kids to schools. Without this route, there would be no ASID/city bus service west of MO-PAC. The route has low ridership which apparently is s determining factor in the city’s decision to eliminate the route. Jeff Archer said he would draw up a draft for the steering committee members to consider signing on behalf of the RNA.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM.