by Bobbie Jean Sawyer

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and TxDOT presented nine transportation concepts for the ongoing Oak Hill Parkway project last Thursday at the Oak Hill United Methodist Church. The meeting served as a preview for the design concepts, which will be presented at the next open house, to be held at Clint Small Middle School on Thursday, May 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wade Strong, a project planner with the Rodriguez Transportation Group, gave attendees an outline of each alternative and addressed questions and concerns.

Strong said the designs were in the beginning stages and will be altered as the process continues.

“These are concepts. They’re not fully engineered designs,” Strong said. “We used our best judgement based on experience.”

Strong said community feedback gathered from past workshops and open house meetings played an important role in designing and developing design alternatives.

“Comments that you all made have been very, very helpful to our team in determining what’s important to this community. We know you want a solution to the congestion but you want in done in a very sensible and responsible way,” Strong said. “As we develop the project further and develop alternatives we’ll keep these things in mind.”

No-Build Alternative

   The No-Build Alternative would depend on the in-progress continuous flow intersections to alleviate congestion, Strong said.

“It’s kind of a misnomer. It’s not really a no-build. It’s the condition that 290 and 71 would be in when we start our project. There’s already been improved plans to do intersection improvements along 290 and 71. So this construction has already started and adjustments have begun,” Strong said. “Part of the environmental process is we have to evaluate the No-Build condition against the other alternatives.”

Strong said while the interim improvements will provide much needed relief, further construction will likely be needed.

“It’s going to be better than what it is now but I think there’s still going to be congestion,” Strong said. “It’s not going to solve the entire problem.”

2007 Alternative

   The 2007 Alternative was a plan originally proposed by TxDOT. The design, which included a three-level interchange with direct connectors at a 50 feet elevation, was met with apprehension by many in the community, most notably Fix 290, a grassroots community organization supporting a solution with a less height and a lower concrete footprint.

What does it offer?

•  A conventional tollway with frontage roads and direct connectors at the ‘Y’

Concept A: U.S. 290 Depressed Mainlanes

What it offers:

• Conventional controlled access highway with frontage roads
• Westbound U.S. 290 frontage road west of William Cannon on the north side of Williamson Creek
• Depressed U.S. 290 mainlanes under highway 71
• direct connectors at the ‘Y’
• single-point flying-T intersection for the frontage roads at the Y

Strong said Concept A favors a lower level interchange.

“A lot of comments that we heard from the community was that you didn’t want a big flyover high facility from a visual standpoint,”  Strong said. “We really looked for ways to bring the elevation of this interchange down. I think this is a good way to do it.”

Limited environmental impact is a main factor in developing the concept, Strong said.

“We very much want to protect the creek and the trees that are around it and we look for ways to construct this frontage road and 290 mainlanes without disturbing that,” Strong said.

Concept B: U.S. 290 Mainlanes north of the creek without direct connectors

What it offers:

• Conventional controlled-access highway with frontage roads
• U.S. 290 mainlanes west of William Cannon on the north side of Williamson Creek
• U.S. 290 frontage roads between William Cannon and the ‘Y’ along existing U.S. 290
• Continuous flow intersection at William Cannon and U.S. 290 would remain
• No direct connectors at the ‘Y’
• Single-point flying-T intersection for the frontage roads at the Y

Concept C: U.S. 290 Mainlanes north of creek with direct connectors

What it offers:

• Same design as Concept B with the exception of direct connectors being added to the ‘Y’

“In effect what we have here is still a two level interchange. We have the ground level frontage roads, the mainlanes one level up—25 feet from the ground,” Strong said. “This is another way of keeping the interchange as low as possible but maximizing the use of direct connectors.”

Concept D: U.S. 290 Express lanes with frontage roads

What it offers:

• Two lanes each direction in the center of controlled-access facility
• Express lanes extend from Mopac to the west end of the project with access limited to each end and possibly one other location for special use, such as access for CapMetro’s new park-and-ride, ACC, and Seton Southwest Hospital in the vicinity of 1826 and Convict Hill Road.
• Grade separated express lanes
• Single-point flying-T intersection for the frontage roads at the ‘Y’

Strong said the distinguishing factor of Concept D is separating out-of-area commuters from local traffic.

“The concept here is to handle the traffic that’s coming from way out west,” Strong said.  ”We get them through the Oak Hill community as quickly as possible with very little or no opportunity to get off and go to the Starbucks or anything like that. They’re just going to zip through.”

Strong said the design would include few entrance and exit ramps to maximize efficiency and get traffic through quickly.

“The thought here is that this would have a smaller concrete footprint,” Strong said.

Concept E1: Minimum Improvements

What it offers:

• U.S. 290 grade separations at William Cannon Drive and 71

“This came from comments from you all,” Strong said. “What if you just made some improvements on William Cannon and the ‘Y’, without doing flyovers and overpasses?”

Concept E2: Minimum Improvements

   Similar to E1, the project would connect to 290 about halfway between William Cannon and the Y. The design is two lanes in each direction going underneath the William Cannon bridge.

Option 1: Extend west transition past Circle Drive

   This concept can be included with Concepts A through E. Mainlanes would go under Circle Drive and continue on. Frontage roads and mainlanes would tie together about a half mile west of Circle Drive.

Following the presentation, attendees voted on each concept. Concept C received overwhelming support. Out of 31 voters, 62 percent said they agreed that the concept is a good solution to traffic congestion.

The No-Build Alternative and 2007 TxDOT Plan were among the least supported plans. 45 percent said they strongly disagree that the No-Build concept is a good solution, while 58 percent strongly disagreed that the 2007 Alternative is a good solution.

Forty-five percent of voters strongly disagreed with Concept D’s express lane design, while 53 percent of voters disagreed with building U.S. 290 mainlanes north of the creek without direct connectors, as outlined in Concept B.

Concept A, featuring depressed 290 mainlanes, garnered more support; 45 percent said they agreed that the design would be a good solution to traffic congestion.

The E1 and E2 Concepts were the least supported, receiving 61 percent and 77 percent disapproval, respectively.

Half of the voters said that Option 1 was an efficient temporary solution.

Voters indicated support for the Oak Hill Parkway project overall. Eighty-seven percent of voters said they agreed that the project is going in the right direction.

Beki Halpin, a member of Fix 290, said though it wasn’t the most popular concept, she supports Concept B.

“It had more of a boulevard feel to it,” Halpin said. “I thought it would save money and it was only two levels tall at the Y. It doesn’t disturb traffic as much to build because a lot of the current roadway would stay on the ground.”

Halpin said the environmental impact of the project remains one of her greatest concerns.

“I really feel like the soul of Oak Hill is in the creek and the trees and the environment, not just aesthetically but also from the standpoint of water quality. Hopefully we’ll still have aesthetics and we’ll have better water quality,” Halpin said. “I would really like to see that beautiful creek environment maintained for people who come after us.”

Diana Goodloe, a seven-year resident of Oak Hill, said she preferred Concept C.

“It combines getting out-of-area traffic through with providing good access for local traffic,” Goodloe said.

Goodloe said she was grateful for the chance to view the designs, ask questions and listen to fellow residents.

“I think people are really coming together—a meeting of the minds so to speak,” Goodloe said. “People are able to come around and say this is what we support. It’s good to have the opportunity.”

Goodloe said she hopes to see a solution determined within the next five years.

“I would like to see a concept selected and acted upon,” Goodloe said.  ”It’s been a long time coming and in the mean time the traffic and problems associated with it have been building.”

Mobility Authority staff will continue gathering surveys and comment forms at Thursday’s open house. Comments can also be submitted at OakHillParkway.com.

by Bobbie Jean Sawyer

Neighbors filled Windmill Run Park on Sunday, May 5 to witness the unveiling of the Oak Hill Village Mosaic Wall, a community art project to commemorate the community spirit in the wake of the wildfires that devastated the South Windmill Run and Scenic Brook neighborhoods just over two years ago.

Titled “The Phoenix Rising,” the Keep Austin Beautiful-funded concrete wall is adorned with hand-painted ceramic tiles designed by community members, students, members of the local police and fire departments and even Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who attended the ceremony to dedicate the wall and to speak about the community’s perseverance.

“I remember being out here the first part of last year, watching the houses being reconstructed,” Leffingwell said. “There were several houses with folks that didn’t have insurance. Those houses were rebuilt faster than the houses that did have insurance. That’s kind of an indicator of how close this neighborhood is and how neighbors help neighbors out here in this neck of the woods.”

Leffingwell commended the city of Austin for taking necessary steps to prevent further damage and reduce the risk of fire.

“We suffered not as much as a lot of folks about six months later on Labor Day of that same year, when we had fires all around this city that were utterly devastating—from Bastrop to Spicewood to Steiner Ranch to Leander to Pflugerville—but almost none in Austin, and a lot of that is due to the proactive work that people in the city of Austin did.”

Constable Sally Hernandez also spoke, offering her support to the Oak Hill community.

“Two years ago the constable’s office played an important role in helping with the evacuation and the traffic control, and we want to continue to be a solution here in Precinct 3 by planning and preparing and working with all of you,” Hernandez said.

Carol Cespedes, who lost her home in the fire, said it was the immense support of the Oak Hill community that convinced her and her husband to rebuild their home and stay in the neighborhood.

“You never know the road you set out on until you’re well launched on it. But I’ll tell you, it’s been worth it,” Cespedes said. “We would not choose to do anything else and the reason is because we decided that this is a special place—natural beauty, wonderful vibrant Hill County flowers and wildlife, and an amazing neighborhood—a neighborhood that came together after a terrible disaster and helped each other and bonded with each other. At this point I think we feel like we’re just all one big family.”

Wanda Montemayor, art therapist and lead artist for the project, said the ‘Phoenix’ will stand as a reminder of the strength of the community and its people.

“This is much more than a mosaic. This is a visual landmark that tells the story of a community that is strong, that loves, that celebrates, that heals. Everyone that made a tile for this mural and everyone who comes and views this mural becomes a part of the community just by being a witness to everyone’s story,” Montemayor said. “This is something that will teach people who move to the neighborhood about what this neighborhood has gone through.”

Following the ceremony, attendees huddled around the wall to get a closer look at the tiles. Children eagerly sought out their hand and footprint tiles, while parents read the messages of love and support from locals and the surrounding community, including one tile from fire-ravaged Bastrop, reading “Bastrop Sends Love.”

Montemayor said taking part in the project has helped survivors come to terms with their grief.

“Talking about it no longer makes them want to just break down and cry,” Montemayor said. “They’re able to really get it out of their systems by putting it on clay and being able to talk about it.”

Kathy Morgan, an Oak Hill resident and lead artist, said she too has seen a bond created among neighbors.

“One of the silver linings was that it woke all of us up and we began to see each other beyond just the houses that were there,” Morgan said. “There were actually people that we could look at and make relationships with and carve out really cool connections. People began to talk to each other more. We smile more.”

Officer Jeffrey Binder, Region 4 district representative with the Austin Police Department, was one of the first on the scene on the day of the fire. Binder said he witnessed community members spring into action, offering evacuees a place to stay and bringing water and Gatorade to firefighters.

“As a community everybody sort of came together,” Binder said. “Look at all the people here—too often we don’t know our neighbors, we don’t talk to them; but this was something you see more and more nowadays, people coming together during tragedy.”

Lilly Henric lost her home in the fire, but with the help of neighbors she was able to move into her rebuilt home last year. Henric said the connections she made in the fire’s aftermath changed her perspective and helped her heal from the loss.

“You hear people say ‘We’re alive. That’s all that matters.’ That’s true. That’s something that I processed and came to believe,” Henric said. “Things cannot be replaced, but they’re not that important. They’re not what define your life. Look around and just enjoy the connections that you can make.”

by Ann Fowler

OAK HILL -   Concerns by parents about potentially converting Small Middle School into an in-district charter school serving grades 6 to 12 has caused the committee that proposed it to delay consideration for a year in order to gain community support.

The proposal, which would add a high school component to continue the middle school’s focus on Green-Tech classes, requires buy-in from 80 percent of parents and classroom teachers. Several parents contacted the Gazette expressing their concerns about the proposal.

At an April 30 meeting, Small principal Amy Taylor said a petition seeking signatures of parents and staff would be due by October 31, 2013. But “The Future of Small Middle School” committee met about a week later and felt that the current timeline was too aggressive.

Taylor told the Gazette: “The committee discussed community concerns with the process of providing input and feedback to the In-District Charter Proposal being developed by the committee. The committee reviewed the timeline and decided to gain community input during the 2013-14 school year.”

The revised in-district charter timeline shows that the Small community will have more than a year to consider and discuss the idea:

• May 22, 2013 – Community Meeting
• August 2013-June 2014 – Community Input
• August 31, 2014 – Deadline to request superintendent informational meeting
• August 31, 2014-October 31, 2014 – Obtain parent and classroom teacher signatures
• October 31, 2014 – Deadline for obtaining 80% petition signatures from parents and staff
• January 15, 2015 – Last day for a parent or classroom teacher to remove a signature
• February 20, 2015 – Last day for the AISD Board of Directors to consider the charter application
• Spring 2015 – Await TEA approval

Some of the concerns recently voiced by local parents include:

• What happens to existing programs like fine arts in charter school funding?
• Where will high school students park?
• How to safely combine middle schoolers with older high school students?

Some who attended the April 30 meeting were disappointed that their questions were not addressed at the meeting. Instead, questions were collected to be addressed by the proposal committee.

Diane Hogan has a daughter who graduated from Small and a son who will start at Small next year. She said, “I can tell you there was outrage after the meeting that so many parents made childcare arrangements and attended the meeting to get answers, and then basically sat through a marketing pitch about the existing school.”

Hogan wants to know where local children will go if there is no room at the new charter school. She said, “I do understand that the current Small Middle School charter proposal calls for taking all neighborhood students for grades 6-8 – but there is concern that it will not happen that way due to facility constraints, selective course offerings, campus size constrictions, etc., and one of the concerns is—what schools will those students attend?”

She said, “I think the parents out here could understand a charter school proposal if our school was underperforming or failing—or if this was an AISD magnet school proposal—but a charter company is an unknown entity, and as Eastside Elementary here in the district has shown this year, a charter can fail, and then there is no money to re-open the school, and the neighborhood children and their families are the ones that pay.”

Juliet Kirchner has children attending Small Middle School and Patton Elementary. She attended the April 30 informational meeting at Small, where Taylor said school athletics and fine arts would remain part of the middle school experience. But Kirchner said, “I worry about what is going to happen to the fine arts department.” She fears that the funding now spent on fine arts might instead go to the Green-Tech classes.

Kirchner also expressed concerns for the current teaching staff. She said, “Studies show when a school becomes a charter school, the school has a huge turnover in teachers. There are teachers at Small who have put their heart, soul and time into this school, and these students, and now their whole way of teaching is going to have to change due to her new programs, i.e PBL [problem-based learning].”

She added, “I don’t want my child learning and spending the majority of his day at school on a computer with headphones.”

Gina Vance has three daughters attending Patton Elementary. She attended the April 30 meeting and said, “It was nice to learn what ‘Middle School Philosophy’ actually meant, and I appreciated the detail on the In-District charter designation and on the process that would be required to achieve this.”

But Vance wonders how the new charter school will be funded. She asked, “How are we going to pay for all of this? The current facilities at Small are designed for a middle school population. There is not the classroom space, adequate lab facilities or adequate parking for the proposed increase in high school student and staff population.”

And Vance feels that a high school population could have a negative impact on middle schoolers who “are at an age of multiple changes in their physical, emotional and social development.”

Patton parent and PTA member Michelle Nathanson shares Vance’s concerns about adding a high school component. She was unable to attend the April 30 meeting but was filled in by friends. She said, “I am concerned about 6th graders being on the same campus as 9th-and-up-graders.”

She added, “Small Middle School is Patton Elementary’s home middle school, where my son will feed into when done at Patton Elementary. It is also one of the best middle schools in our area. Where are we going to have the option to send our kids if we don’t want them to go to this charter school with high school students?”

A letter sent to the Gazette signed by Gina and Tom Vance, Stacy and Craig Bennett, Vanessa and Josh Blinder, Juliet Kirchner and Michlle Nathanson said in part: “Many of us as parents of middle school aged children are not at all enamored of the prospect of fraternization between middle school and high school-aged students. Bullying, dating, and sexual encounters between high school and middle school-aged students can only get worse in this environment. There is a reason why dual-sex schools in these age groups are kept separate during these emotionally and physically developing years.”

Parents will now have a year to ask questions to determine whether Small should become an in-district charter school.

Benita Trevino, president of the Small Parent/Teacher Association, said the idea to explore an in-district charter school stemmed from parent disappointment with high school offerings. She told the Gazette, “I wanted to make sure that people were aware that [the charter school idea] stemmed from a real frustration that several parents who were on the Campus Advisory Council felt when they went to the high school choice sheet night earlier this year. They were so disappointed to see the limited number of elective classes that would interest their students. This coupled with the frustration we felt when our proposals to adopt more high school credit courses at the middle school level were denied were the kicking off point. At that time, we as parents and community members begin to ask Amy what our options were and that’s when we begun to explore the idea of an in-district charter.”

Trevino said she understands the concerns about combining middle schoolers with high schoolers: “I totally understand this concern and think it is valid to raise this question.” She added, “The committee is proposing placing the high school students in portables on the school grounds away from the main school. Additionally, because of the different start times, the different aged kids would have almost no opportunities to mingle before or after school or even during passing periods or lunch.”

She added that they are recommending a first-year high school class of 90 to 100, and accepting only those students with no disciplinary actions. She envisions a full 4-year high school of 320 or less. She said, “So we are talking about a small group of smart kids who will have no history of discipline issues, who are busy and highly motivated to learn, housed in portables not located in close proximity to the middle school. When I think about it, the 8th graders are still more of a concern in comparison!”

She said start-up funds are available from the Texas Education Agency and the federal government, plus state funding will be provided in a fashion similar to that of Bowie or Austin High. She said, “Funding is a concern, but of all the issues raised, this is the least of my concerns.”

The committee has several ideas on providing parking for the high school students, including renting spaces from nearby businesses.

And addressing concerns about special education students, Trevino said, “I do not see an in-district charter school with a Green Tech focus having a negative impact on special education students. If anything I think this program has great appeal.” She added that a Special Ed teacher on the committee said, “Behind a computer, no one knows these kids are in Special Ed.”

Trevino said the committee members are excited about the possibilities an in-district charter school brings: “This is a chance to build a new, cutting edge type of school. … I work in the technology sector and the types of elective classes that we are proposing are geared to the industries of the future. Coupled with a problem-based learning environment, you are educating students in the type of critical and creative thinking skills that these industries are looking for in job candidates.”

Trevino added that her son so enjoys his tech classes at Small that she worries if or how that interest will be fostered in high school. “I was so impressed with what they were doing with the 8th grade PBL model. The chance to go even further in this track with that type of model would have been such a draw to my son. And the opportunity to do it in a small, supportive environment with other like-minded kids in my own neighborhood? That would have been a dream for our whole family.”

But she realizes that dream is not for everyone. She said, “We totally get that most Small Middle School students/parents will not choose to attend this [high] school and will self-select to attend a more traditional comprehensive high school. But the middle school will still see some real benefits from having the in-district charter, and it is the chance to provide a real high school option for students who want to make the green and technical fields their future careers.”

by Ann Fowler

The Clint Small Middle School Parent-Teacher Association hosted a meeting on Tuesday night, April 30, to offer information on current discussions about transforming the school into an in-district charter school for grades 6 through 12. Principal Amy Taylor gave a presentation about the proposal.

Parents were told that all local students could continue to attend Small. The students would have a choice whether to continue their high school years there or switch to Bowie or Austin high school. And the proposal requires the support of 80 percent of Small parents and 80 percent of classroom teachers to move forward.

Small is a “Green-Tech” campus, offering classes in environmental studies and technology. Students have planted more than 300 native plant species around the campus. And in the 2009-2010 school year, through Small’s MS Tech-Know program, students refurbished more than 300 computers that went to needy families in the Austin area.

Taylor said students who thrive in the Green and/or Tech programs find few local high school electives to foster those interests.

The principal added that advanced planning with a quality master schedule—which combines qualified teachers with students’ elective choices—has been a challenge because a significant number of students enroll after schedules have been made.

Said Taylor: “When I know … as late as June, who my kids are coming in August, I can hire the best teachers, I can make sure there’s elective seats, I can make sure the class size is right and we’re ready to go in August. But [currently] as of August and even September 1, kids are still walking in my door—it overcrowds classrooms. Kids don’t get their elective choices. We’re not able to do academic teaming.”

Academic teaming groups students with a core team of teachers to meet the needs of the middle school student. The process is designed to promote belonging within the group and increase student enthusiasm.

The driving factors for exploring an in-district charter include the current lack of Green and Tech elective offerings in high school and the ability to have advance notice to build a quality master schedule. Other driving factors are:

•  Expansion of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)-Blended Learning (currently in 8th grade) at middle school and high school

•  Flexibility in sequencing of AISD Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) with creation of Interdisciplinary Units 6-8 and 9-12

•  Expansion of Small’s Innovation Lab (iLab) (Gifted and Talented services) for high school

Taylor said a campus-initiated in-district charter would support student choice, comply with all federal and state laws, and would be operated under the legal auspices of the school board.

AISD Trustee Robert Schneider attended the meeting. He said any change would require community support. He told the Gazette: “Personally, I like the idea of a 6-12 school with some specialized focus. Over a third of the kids that end up at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, which is housed at LBJ High School, come from ZIP codes in Southwest Austin. If there were a focused academy of some kind in South, or Southwest Austin, it might offer an opportunity for some of the kids that go to LASA to not have to trek to LBJ every school day or perhaps provide an opportunity for kids that do not want to make the trip to LBJ but would like to do something similar without traveling so far from home.”

Taylor told the group that as an in-district charter, Small would remain a comprehensive middle school, offering fine arts and athletics. She said, “Our arts here at Small are some of the strongest of the district. Our athletic programs, some of the strongest. None of that will change. Our proposal…maintains the middle school comprehensive model.”

As an in-district charter school, teachers will continue to receive AISD benefits. Neighborhood children will continue to be accepted. They do not have to take the Green or Tech electives.

Taylor said currently “kids are in and out of the tech [classes]. We have a certain group of kids who want to stick with that path because that’s their thing. The arts may not be their thing. Athletics may not be their thing. Green and/or Tech might be.”

Addressing concerns of combining middle school and high school populations, Taylor said high school students would likely have different start and end times, with separate learning environments from the younger students. In fact, with parent approval, high school students may serve as positive mentors to the middle school students.

No decisions have been made about enrollment sizes, high school course offerings, facility expansion or funding.

In December 2012, AISD cancelled an experimental partnership between AISD and IDEA charter at Allan Elementary. The program was designed to target and help students who would attend Eastside Memorial High School, which has struggled to meet state academic standards. However, community members did not support the experiment and voted in board members who then cancelled it.

At that same board meeting, an in-district charter school was approved for Travis Heights Elementary, an idea under consideration for three years. It had the support of the AISD employee association and more than 90 percent of parents and classroom teachers.

Taylor said advantages of becoming an in-district charter for middle school students who want to continue to a vertical team high school at Austin or Bowie include:

•  Autonomy in 6-8 curriculum sequencing with a focus on interdisciplinary units

•  PBL-Blended learning model expansion to 6th and 7th grade levels with a 1:1 technology initiative (with grant funding)

•  High school credits offered in middle school for advanced students (i.e. Foreign Language starting in 6th grade and Biology in 8th grade)

•  Reinstatement of Academic Teaming (MS Philosophy) with advanced notice of student enrollment

•  Alternative food services would allow for organic/healthier alternatives to the AISD Food Services currently offered. Food from the Small MS Gardens could be incorporated into the food offerings.

Another community meeting is scheduled for May 22. The deadline for the petition signed by 80 percent of both Small parents and classroom teachers is October 31. The AISD Board of Directors would then have to agree to the proposal by February 20, 2014, and then be approved by the Texas Education Agency in order to start the program for the 2014/2015 school year.

If the program is approved, a 9th grade class would be approved for the 2015-2016 school year, adding 10th grade in 2016, 11th in 2017 and 12th in 2018.

“The Future of Small MS” Committee meets every Wednesday at Small from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Room 112. The public is invited to attend.

The next Community Meeting will be on May 22 at 5:30 pm in the Clint Small Middle School library. The school is located at 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard.

by Tony Tucci

AUSTIN  -  A man who assaulted a truck driver in the parking lot of Jack Allen’s Kitchen on State Highway 71 was still being sought by police this week. Late Wednesday, Austin police released composite artist sketches of suspects involved in the incident.

The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. April 4, when the truck driver, driving a red Chevrolet Dually pulling a flatbed trailer, attempted to enter the parking lot at Jack Allen’s, 7720 West State Highway 71. Unable to negotiate the turn, the driver motioned to the car behind him, a white sports utility vehicle, to back up and give him room. Instead, according to the police report, a passenger in the SUV got out of the vehicle and “severely beat” the driver of the truck. The attacker then fled the scene, along with the SUV driver and a woman passenger in the back seat.

The truck driver was rushed to University Medical Center at Brackenridge Hospital with “life-threatening injuries.” Police declined to release his name, and his condition is not known.

Austin Police Detective James Kerby said the investigation has not progressed much. “I’m still working the case but we have no new leads.” Kerby said police are preparing a composite sketch of the assailant and will begin circulating it soon. Anyone who has information about the case should call Detective Kerby at (512) 974-5350.

The attacker is described as a white male in his late 20s, 5’10″ tall, 240 pounds, with a bald or shaved head. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black jacket with red and white lettering on it.

The driver of the SUV is described as an elderly white male. An older white female was a passenger in the front seat of the SUV and a blonde white female was in the backseat of the SUV.

by Lucia Benavides

Sitting on 17 acres of beautiful hill country landscape, Cedars Montessori School is hoping to turn an unexpected fire disaster into a constructive, learning opportunity.

Spring Break came early for the school’s students on Friday March 8th when a fire totally destroyed one of the lower elementary school buildings and burned a hole in the roof of its adjacent office. Fortunately, no one was inside the school at the time of the blaze.

Although the library inside the office was saved, many books and school supplies in the classroom were not. The cause of the fire was deemed “indeterminable” by the Oak Hill Fire Department, but an investigation by the school’s insurance company is still underway. Classes started back up on March 18th, giving the young students a chance to get involved in what teachers hope will be the exciting process of reconstructing.

Cedars Montessori School was founded in 1974 by Jill Young for what she says was a very simple reason: to change the world. Having been heavily involved in college with the self-actualization movement, Young was convinced that there had to be a better way to educate people. Inspired by the ideas of Dr. Maria Montessori, Young created an atmosphere emphasizing a determination to aid and accelerate the process of self-education and encourage kids’ independent efforts.

“When you give a child a learning environment that is in harmony with their developmental stages, the learning process is effortless,” Young said. “Kids are highly motivated towards their own development and are born with the psychology of world conquest, as Montessori put it.”

The goal of a Montessori school, Young said, is to build self-confidence and independence, develop concentration, and nourish the love of learning. Cedars has an enrollment of 170 students. There is a primary school for ages three to five; and first grade through six grade classes in two separate buildings.

Anne Mason, mother to one of the students at Cedars, took noticed of the school’s educational approach right away.

“I hadn’t heard much about Montessori schools, but as soon as we took the first tour, we were impressed by the organization of the classrooms and the way the children were disciplined,” Mason said.

Cedars is not just another Montessori school, it was specially designed by Young. The location was carefully chosen because of its beautiful gardens and outdoor space. Before her husband built the other nine buildings on the property, there stood just one stone house built in 1947 with a hand-made shuffleboard and fountains that really made the place whimsical and colorful, Young said. Not surprisingly, the rural school on Circle Drive has always been in very close contact with nature. In fact, an important part of its mission is to develop respect and responsibility to the natural world. It is because of this awareness, Young says, the fire has served as a dramatic demonstration of how to deal with an unexpected situation: instead of viewing it as a huge setback, the students are encouraged to see it as an opportunity to build something better. According to Young, “kids are getting this.”

As soon as she heard the news, Mason’s five year-old daughter Melody said that she wanted to be a firefighter so she could help the school. Young also said she heard many of her students asking for advice on how to help. Since Cedars is their school, the children want to feel that they are part of the community and are hungry to develop a connection with it, Young said.

“This whole venture is about creating meaning,” Young said about the kids’ enthusiastic responsiveness.

Overall, parents seem pleased with the school’s preparedness and reaction to the fire. Mason reported that the “school has been great dealing with the fire.” Even before the incident, Cedars Montessori performed regular fire drills with its students. The school’s administrators have been in constant contact with the parents, filling them in on important updates and “even inundating us with e-mails,” Mason joked. Teachers have also been checking in on the students and parents.

“I’m really happy with the way they’ve kept everyone informed,” Mason said. “They really have the children’s interest in mind.”

Young had only praise for the parents. She said many of them offered to load the furniture that had to be taken out of the office, due to the hole in the roof, into their storage units. Others donated books and school supplies.

The community is rallying to help the Montessori school in its time of need. People from all around town, including those not affiliated with the school, have donated plenty of items. There is a fundraising event being planned by Cedars and a group of parents, and a fund that the school put together to raise money for immediate needs of the classroom (you can find it here: http://www.gofundme.com/29w2fc). Although much help has been received, the school has much more to work on, and it couldn’t be done without the support of its community, Young said.

As Anne Mason and Melody drove away from the school the morning of the fire, it began to rain. Firemen later said the lucky timing of the rain, coupled with low winds, helped prevent the fire from spreading. “It’s as if the world were fixing things on its own,” Mason told her 5-year-old daughter that morning.  She said that’s when they realized, with a little help from their friends, everything really was going to be okay.

by Bobbie Jean Sawyer

Oak Hill cyclists and trail enthusiasts were front and center at the latest installment of the Oak Hill Parkway environmental workshops hosted by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA). The workshop, held Tuesday, March 19 at the ACC Pinnacle, focused on ways to improve bike and pedestrian mobility in Oak Hill.

Rick Perkins, vice president of the Oak Hill Trails Association, gave a presentation on in-progress trail projects, such as the ‘Y’ to Barton Creek (YBC) trail.

Perkins said the YBC would provide Oak Hill residents with an off-road route to downtown.

“This is going to be our major connection to the Barton Creek bridge,” Perkins said. “We hope to bring everybody in Oak Hill on a bicycle to downtown.”

Perkins, who said he uses trails at least once a week, said trails provide a unique view of Austin that many never see.

“The main thing is there’s a whole other world to the city that people don’t know about. If you only sit in your car or on a bicycle on a regular road, and you never walk a trail or just go somewhere that is off the road, you don’t know what really is around here in Austin. There are so many things to see,” Perkins said. “Williamson Creek is awesome. You can walk it all the way to I-35. There are some sections that are 200 feet wide and it’s just solid limestone.”

Trails are just one part of an effort to provide neighborhood connectivity, said Perkins, who described Oak Hill as ‘disconnected,’ due to a lack of sidewalks and limited bike lanes.

“We’re starting to get some bike lanes. The city is doing a good job at what they do. They take a regular road like William Cannon and put it on a road diet—that’s what they call it, a road diet—and then they squish in a bike lane,” Perkins said. “But those are all on-road and those are just on the major roads so we’re trying to develop off-road (lanes).”

Perkins said the YBC trail, which will run about 5 miles and cost an estimated $1.8 million per mile, is unique in that some of it will be located on private land, provided that current agreements with landowners are finalized.

“That’s where you want it—away from the roads, where it’s more healthy, more beautiful and will actually become something that people will want to ride on,” Perkins said. “It will become a destination.”

Chad Crager, a project manager with the neighborhood connectivity division of the pubic works department, manages and designs construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities for the city.

Crager presented on the Urban Trail Master Plan, which addresses trails within the city, including the Oak Hill Trails Association.

“An urban trail will generally be a hard surface, something you can use for both recreation and transportation,” Crager said. “We’re also going to start in the next 4 to 6 months, a design process for the YBC. All we have right now is funding for part of the design.”

Crager said increasing access to trails would help mobility issues in conjunction with the potential Oak Hill Parkway project.

“Our goals are really no different than (the Mobility Authority) and that’s to move as many people as we can. Forever this area has had no connectivity. You’ve got to get in your car to drive to another neighborhood. Now, all of a sudden, with this we open the door for this entire area to get downtown off-street as a family,” Crager said. “I talk to people two or three times a week that all say ‘If I could only ride my bike I would’ but right now it’s suicide to get from here to downtown without getting in your car or hopping on a bus, which also has a congestion issue.”

Crager said increasing bike mobility would require more than simply adding in bike lanes along streets and highways.

“Peoples’ number one concern about riding a bicycle is safety, so we need to build more facilities that are family-friendly,” Crager said. “A bicycle lane is great but more than likely people want something that’s separate from the road, whether it’s a buffered bicycle lane or an off-road trail.”

Steve Pustelnyk, communications director for the CTRMA, addressed attendees on project possibilities and financial limitations. Pustelnyk said depending on the outcome of the environmental study, it’s likely that the Mobility Authority will be involved in the financing and construction of the Oak Hill Parkway project.

“If it leads down the path that we are responsible, the chances are that it would be a tolled project in terms of the expressway portion,” Pustelnyk said. “Generally speaking, because it’s a tolled project it has to be financially feasible. We have to generate enough money from the users in order to finance everything we build, including whatever amenities, like trails, that we might add.”

Pustelnyk said the Mobility Authority would continue to gather community input while assessing and prioritizing suggested amenities.

“We do have some limitations on how much we can spend on those amenities,” said Pustelnyk. “I’d love to see a lot of this built but there will come a point where we have to pick our priorities about what are the most important elements that we can afford to do within the scope of the project.”

Tom Wald, executive director of Bike Austin, an organization devoted to bringing more people to biking in Austin through political advocacy and community outreach, said he’s pleased to see the CTRMA come to the biking community directly to gather input.

“In this case, I think (the CTRMA) did a great job with their outreach. A previous project we had spoken up on—the MoPac improvement project—we had spoken up to get bike and pedestrian facilities into that project,” Wald said. “In this case they’re really coming to the issue head-on and making sure they get input from the community on what would be the best way to prioritize bike and pedestrian facilities with a limited amount of resources.”

Wald said the benefits of biking extends to all road-users.

“For those who don’t bike, what’s kind of amazing is if you give people the environment, the bikeways to be able to bike for their local trips, you’ll actually reduce congestion on the highways and on the major arterials on the streets,” Wald said. “So the people who do need to drive to be able to get to where they need to go will have an easier time doing it because there’ll be less congestion.”

Wald said the lack of safe avenues for biking in Oak Hill places a significant limitation on cyclists.

According to Wald: “There’s perhaps two-thirds of the population that would like to bike, to be able to get around by bike—not necessarily every trip but a lot of the trips. What we’re seeing is that most of these people want a place to bike where they feel safe and comfortable, and where there’s high-speed traffic they want to have a physical barrier. It could either be a trail or some kind of bike lane that actually has a concrete barrier between the cars and them.”

Perhaps the biggest obstacle in Southwest Austin is the major roads that cut through potential bike routes, Wald said.

“There are some decent routes within Oak Hill, but then when you get to the major roads there’s no way to get to the grocery stores or whatever. It’s very difficult. To get from Oak Meadow over to Convict Hill you have to get on 290 for that section. That’s pretty frightening,” Wald said. “There’s no good and comfortable route between Oak Hill and the rest of Austin. There are a number of ways you could connect that, through the trail is one option—the YBC trail. That would connect into the MoPac trail that the city of Austin is building over Barton Creek along MoPac.”

Wald said Bike Austin’s contribution in Oak Hill would be assisting with funding.

“There’s already a pretty active community out here for getting the trails in and getting bike connectivity,” Wald said. “I think (the CTRMA) is going to be good about keeping to what they say they’re going to be doing, but beyond that it’s going to be getting funding or finding funding for it, whether it be through bond elections or some other source.”

Wald said the completion and improvement of trails would increase the number of cyclists in Oak Hill and connect the community with the rest of Austin in a way that’s never been possible.

“Oak Hill has a lot of potential because it does have a lot of good roads inside of it and has a lot of people who are interested in biking. It’s just that it’s disconnected,” Wald said. “I think you’ll see a lot more people biking when they can actually come from here and go all the way downtown.”

by Ann Fowler

AUSTIN –  Two months after Capital Metro announced that it would decrease bus service to the Scenic Brook area to one morning and one evening bus, officials agreed to add a second bus for the morning and evening commute.

James Gamez, principal planner with the agency, said in an email, “While our ridership reports indicate 12 daily riders, we learned that the figure consists of several regular riders and even more occasional riders. Furthermore, neighborhood riders also expressed a need for trip flexibility, particularly in the afternoon.”

The buses that will continue to serve the Scenic Brook area are those that reach the Park & Ride facility at William Cannon Drive and U.S. Highway 290 West at 7:20 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. Afternoon buses that will go through the neighborhood leave UT at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The bus returning to the neighborhood at 4:20 p.m. will no longer go into the Scenic Brook neighborhood. Usually two to four passengers are dropped off at the Oak Hill Post Office, with another two to four going to the Scenic Brook area. It is unclear whether those from the Westcreek neighborhood would still be dropped off at the post office. Tom Thayer lives in the Scenic Brook area, but said, “I always wondered why they can’t stop at the post office stop even if they don’t go to the Windmill Run and Scenic Brook neighborhoods.  They go right past that stop no matter where they are going after the Park & Ride.”

Thayer added, “Personally, they are keeping all the routes that I use. I have never ridden the 4:20 p.m. Flyer. I think it is good that they are keeping the later neighborhood trips so people won’t be stuck at the Park & Ride if they miss the one trip that had been proposed. I do appreciate that Cap Metro has worked with us about our concerns.”

Thayer said he knows a number of people who take the 7 a.m. bus into town, but take the 4:20 p.m. bus home. He said, “I have heard from a couple people that they may not take the bus with this change and from another person that he would still take the bus with the later afternoon trip.”

Capital Metro’s Erica Macioge told the Gazette, “Yes, some revisions were made to the proposal as a result of community feedback… Only one neighborhood trip is being eliminated, the 4:20 p.m. trip. The reasoning behind that trip is a combination of operational issues, time span and ridership.”

Capital Metro officials also revealed the proposed schedule of the new South Mopac Flyer, Route 111, and some of the proposed stops.

Inbound – Morning                                Outbound – Afternoon

Circle C         6:50 a.m.  7:30 a.m.                               5:45 p.m.            6:25 p.m.

Dick Nichols  7:00 a.m.  7:40 a.m.                            5:35 p.m.            6:15 p.m.

Arbor Trails   7:08 a.m.    7:48 a.m.                           5:28 p.m.            6:08 p.m.

Downtown     7:23 p.m.    8:03 a.m.                            5:12 p.m.            5:52 p.m.

UT                 7:41 a.m.       8:21 a.m.                             4:50 p.m.            5:30 p.m.

Proposed Route 111 bus stops include:

• Escarpment and South Bay
• Escarpment and La Crosse
• Slaughter and Escarpment
• Beckett and La Cresada
• Beckett and Davis
• Beckett and Dick Nichols Park
• Beckett and Kiva
• Convict Hill and Woodcreek
• Convict Hill and Flaming Oak
• Convict Hill and Brush Country
• Brush Country and One Oak
• Brush Country and William Cannon

On Capital Metro’s comment board, someone identified only as Josh said, “This is an excellent idea. Despite paying Cap Metro taxes, the Southwest region currently receives no transit service. This is a fast-growing region of the city, full of many people who work downtown or on campus who would much prefer to take the bus and read or work, rather than spend 45 minutes in their car in grinding traffic. My family would use the proposed Route 111 several times a week. I hope Cap Metro approves this route.”

Jeff Cohen commented, “I’m a Circle C resident. Currently we pay taxes for Cap Metro and yet have zero service. It’s about time we got something. Ideally I’d like to see some kind of rail service that would run from SW Austin to downtown and beyond—similar to the train service the other side of town has.”

“Brent” said, “If possible, please provide more bike space (not just two bikes[per bus]) as there are many cyclists in Circle C. If this bus ran more frequently (or tuned in to weekend tourism) and stopped at the La Crosse Avenue cul-de-sac, it would provide Austin (and tourists) access to the Veloway and Wildflower Center.”

Some comments expressed concern about getting home should they miss the last bus. Capital Metro does have a “Guaranteed Ride Home” program. According to the website, “Our Guaranteed Ride Home program offers reimbursement for MetroRail, MetroExpress and RideShare customers anywhere within our service area. The annual $5 membership fee entitles qualified customers reimbursement for up to four emergency taxi rides a year.”

Feedback can be given to Capital Metro online at Ideas.capmetro.org, or by email at feedback@capmetro.org.

If the proposal is approved by the Capital Metro board of directors on March 25, the changes will take effect on June 9.

by Ann Fowler

AUSTIN -    Former Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Duncan Sandys surprised the members and parents of Bowie’s marching band Thursday with an invitation to perform in the prestigious London New Year’s Day Parade (http://www.londonparade.co.uk/) in 2015.

Councillor Sandys is the great grandson of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Said Band Director Kim Shuttlesworth, “You cannot apply to attend the parade. A committee of members recommends you for this prestigious honor. James Bowie’s bands have worked diligently over the past years to create a high standard of excellence in music. This honor is in recognition of their hard work.”

The event features more than 10,000 performers from all over the world. According to the event’s Dan Kirkby, an international panel recommended Bowie’s participation. “It will be the time of their lives,” he told the Gazette.

Robert Bone, executive director of the parade, invited people to “like” the event on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lnydp?fref=ts.

Assistant Director Stephen Howard said one thing was sure: “We won’t be going there by bus.”

Shuttlesworth said the band’s instruments would be shipped in a huge container that will arrive in London before the band. “Once we get there via two flights, our instruments will be there waiting on us,” she said.

The band—and family members—have more than a year to raise funds for the trip.

Several of Bowie’s bands entertained the crowd before and after the announcement.

by Bobbie Jean Sawyer

Bowie High School students, parents and staff are one step closer to getting what many describe as much needed relief from overcrowding and poor conditions in the school’s fine arts and athletics departments.

In a board meeting on Feb. 25, AISD board of trustees voted to move forward with an $892 million bond package, which will go to ballot on May 11.

The bond is divided into four propositions:

• Proposition 1: $140.6 million for health, environment, equipment and technology

• Proposition 2: $233.9 million for safety and security and relief from overcrowding

• Proposition 3: $349.2 million for academic and building infrastructure renovations and repairs

• Proposition 4: $168.6 million for academic initiatives, fine arts and athletics

If the bond is approved by voters, Bowie stands to benefit from facility repairs and expansions to physical education and fine arts departments.

AISD board of trustees member Robert Schneider said while he had serious reservations about portions of the bond, he decided to send it out for the voters to decide.

“There were a couple of propositions that I did not agree with at all. There were fundamental issues with the bond that I think are deeply, deeply flawed, but I didn’t see much point in voting against it. It would have probably been an 8 to 1 vote,” Schneider said. “I ultimately came to a place where the voters are going to vote on this in the main election and I thought there was some merit in sending at least two of the propositions out for the voters to either vote up or down.”

Schneider said the amount of the bond, the largest in AISD history and larger than the last two bonds combined, is the result of prolonged mismanagement and inefficient use of facilities.

“AISD is not willing to manage its budget to the point where we can pay for at least some of our maintenance and operations expenses out of our regular maintenance and operation budget instead of having to go up for a bond,” Schneider said. “We have unfortunately got into a pattern where we routinely defer major maintenance like fixing a roof or replacing an AC and putting those kinds of things to bond issues.”

Cyndi Harrison, co-chair of the Athletic Bond Proposal Committee, toured Bowie as part of a parent task force consisting of about 16 parents, along with coaches, administrators, principals, teachers, maintenance professionals and engineers.

Harrison is the parent of four Bowie graduates, all of whom have been involved in either athletics or fine arts. She has also served as PTA president and co-booster president for the Bowie football team.

Harrison said one of the major problems facing Bowie athletics is on the field, adding that she hopes to see synthetic turf added to the football field.

“It really helps with kids when they fall. It helps with allergies,” Harrison said. “As a health and safety issue it would be great for our kids to have a turfed field.”

But Schneider said some outside renovations, such as outdoor restrooms and storage facilities, may not be a possibility for Bowie.

“The athletics stuff, especially for southwest Austin, is totally misleading. They’re talking about putting in synthetic turf fields, which Bowie can not do because synthetic turf fields are considered impervious cover by the city,” Schneider said.

Yesenia Garcia, AISD public relations coordinator, said outside improvements to Bowie would be assessed through a feasibility study.

“The designer conducting the feasibility study is charged with gathering the facts and working with the City of Austin to determine what improvements will be permitted,” Garcia told the Gazette.  “Austin ISD will be working with the City of Austin’s administration to request as much flexibility as possible as the implementation plans are developed.”

Garcia said whether or not Bowie will be able to install turfed fields is still to be determined.

But Harrison said the most pressing issue is inside the facilities.

“The biggest issue by far is the locker room situation,” Harrison said. “Each one of the football teams has exceeded locker space. It’s to the point where you’ve got two or three people to a locker.”

Harrison said extra-curricular program facilities should receive the same upkeep and care awarded to traditional classroom facilities.

“One coach from Crockett put it very well. He said ‘our playing fields are our classrooms.’ That is so true. The field and the weight rooms and the gyms, those are our classrooms,” Harrison said. “Parents would be mad and upset if their children were in classroom-type situations with those conditions. They would not stand for it. Because of that, our parents should not stand for, and our communities should not stand for our children being in those types of conditions where our classrooms are not where they should be, clean-wise, health-wise, safety-wise.”

Harrison said safety at Bowie is valued above high dollar renovations.

“It’s not like we want a big huge weight room with mirrors and loud music blaring and the whole shebang. We just want safe, healthy, clean conditions for our kids,” Harrison said. “Number one on all the coaches minds was always safety first.”

As a Bowie parent, Harrison said she’s also witnessed serious maintenance and overcrowding issues in the fine arts department. The roof leaks, many of the seats in the theater are broken and there’s no space for props. Parts of the theater are even blocked off due to unsafe conditions, Harrison said.

“There’s caution tape right now in certain sections where kids are not allowed to go into. That’s how desperate and dire our situation is,” Harrison said. “There’s always something happening inside that theater. It really is in disrepair from constant use. Everything has been completely warped.”

Harrison said the fact that the trustees voted in unanimous support of the bond propositions would resonate with voters.

“They’re showing a united front to the entire community of Austin saying ‘we are behind this bond.’”

Harrison, who launched an email campaign to bring Bowie stakeholders out in support of the bond, said she’s confident the community will vote in favor of schools in May.

“We want simple things where our kids can be safe in fine arts and athletics and where we don’t have to have AISD come close to condemning the theater and closing it down or our kids get injured or sick from conditions in the locker rooms. I really feel confident that we can bring out the votes. Our fine arts and athletics community is so big in the southwest area,” Harrison said.  “I think that we are done scraping the bottom of the barrel. If we want to have great kids and educate great kids, we’ve got to put kids at the top.”

Proposed Bowie renovations can be seen in detail at:

http://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dept/default/docs/Bowie.pdf