The Allandale Reporter

Curb Extensions - The Complete Story

Letter From the Allandale Neighbor Newsletter Editor

Ordinarily something like the May 11, 2005 Gullett meeting covering the Curb Extensions or Islands of the City of Austin Shoal Creek Blvd. Transportation Project would have had prominent space in our quarterly newsletter, however our layout person was expecting a baby near our print date so the newsletter was formatted earlier than usual and the Gullett meeting did not run. 

Austin Business Journal Article - Amy's

If you didn't catch it, the Austin Business Journal had an interesting article about the construction of Amy's Ice Cream and Phil's Ice House  in the August 15th issue. It includes quotes from Amy Simmons regarding her bullish outlook for business  growth in this area which is echoed by some of the other business owners setting up in the Rosedale Village (why isn't it called Allandale Village). Anyway, Amy said the new location will open by the end of this month. Judge for yourself.

Terry's Burnet Rd. Auto Inspection

Make your auto inspection an experience. If you're looking for a place to get your vehicle inspected around Allandale, no need to go any further than Burnet Rd., just south of North Loop. You've got to be looking for it but just across from Sue Patrick's  on Burnet Rd you'll find Terry's Auto Inspections. The building is not much bigger than a 2-door garage but the walls are  decorated with photos, bumper stickers,  posters and memorabilia to keep you entertained while  Terry or one of his inspectors take your car through the paces. (more)

It's My Park! Day - April 2005

Our neighborhood association hosted one of 30 cleanup projects around Austin on April 23rd for the Second Annual It's My Park! Day event sponsored by the Austin Parks Foundation. A couple of dozen neighborhood volunteers including Jene Ebest’s Brownie Troop and some UT students (see photos) helped clean up a stretch of Shoal Creek from Allandale/Northland down to Hancock Drive.

New HGTV series is coming to Austin

Here's  an email that came to us via the website:

i'm a producer on a new television series for HGTV, Look What I Did! our show chronicles great and innovative home projects by people without the help of professionals. we are in the process of finding stories in the Austin area for our first batch of shows and i wanted to contact the neighborhood associations in and around Austin to get the word out about our program.

Sign Up to Allandale Listserve

Join Allandale's newsgroup and receive information about neighborhood happenings via email. To subscribe, send a blank email to allandale-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Just  reply to the  subscription confirmation email that you'll receive in response and your set. This is the best way to learn about neighborhood happenings and follow discussions on matters of interest to Allandale residents. It's free and you can unsubscribe at any time. You can also set it up to receive a daily digest of postings to the listserve.

Here are a couple of features of the listserve worth noting. Rather than receiving the emails to the listserve separately, you can receive a digest version which comes to you as a single email containing the day's postings. Also,  here's a link to the listserve's archives which go back to 2001 and are searchable.

Allandale Newsgroup Posting Guidelines

The Allandale Newsgroup is a service of the Allandale Neighborhood Association. Please abide by these guidelines established by the Allandale Neighborhood Association.

The Allandale Newsgroup is for messages of a general interest to Allandale which may include discussions and opinions of issues affecting the neighborhood. The following types of messages are also acceptable:

1) Announcements of neighborhood events
2) Requests for information
3) Requests for advice on services, either commercial or volunteer
4) Requests for volunteers for activity within the neighborhood
5) Positive suggestions for improving the neighborhood
6) Service and trade recommendations, restaurant recommendations, items wanted, and garage sale notices.

Please do not post the following types of messages:
1) Insulting or inflammatory messages
2) One-on-one messages, messages to a specific individual, or "chat" between individuals
3) Messages which are intended to promote a business, unless the message is in response to a specific request for a service or product
4) A discussion of issues not related to our neighborhood

In general, follow these netiquette guidelines:
o Think before you post
o Answer critics with respect
o Postings should deal with issues not individuals
o Probing to find out more about an individual who is posting to the newsgroup or remarks about an individual is not acceptable.

Users who violate these guidelines are subject to a warning from the moderator and possible removal from the group.

Thanks,

ANA Newsgroup Administrators

Crime in Allandale

With all the recent posts to the listserv concerning criminal mischief in the neighborhood I went to APD's crime database to see if crime is up in Allandale. Officer David Crowder provided a link to the site a few weeks ago along with instructions on how to pull up our neighborhood stats. In looking at activity for the first six months of the year the report shows crime was up in July - 79 incidents vs. an average of 59 per month for the period as a whole. Here's a tip.

When to call 911 v. 311

From:  SPO David V. Crowder Jr.

Another question was raised. I mentioned calling 311 several times in my recent email referencing the vandalism. A neighbor wanted me to clarify when to call 911 v. 311.

If a crime or anything is "in progress" that means you seeing it unfold right in front of you, call 911. When I was on patrol and 311 just came on line, someone heard an argument in the apartment above them.

Setting up a Neighborhood Watch

From:  SPO David V. Crowder Jr.

I am writing this in response to an increase in vandalism in the Alandale Neighborhood Assoc.. This may not necessarily pertain to your area but it's good advise for everyone.

Someone on the list serve inquired about creating a neighborhood watch. I can assist with that, and they do work. Basically, a neighborhood watch is neighbors looking out for one another. It's leaving the confines of your house and mingling with the people around you.

Wine Tasting Intro a Hit!

Having a local wine expert willing to share her knowledge with neighbors  is one more reason living in Allandale is good. Sunday's late afternoon Introduction to Wine-Tasting conducted by Ellen Cartsonis at the Westover Hills Club was a very enjoyable way to learn wine basics. Twenty-two wine expert wannabes showed for the 2 1/2 hour class. The event was the 2nd time the class was offered. The first class took place July 24th.