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The APD Central West District Commander’s Forum happened tonight (Feb. 2) at McCallum High School. The school cafeteria was crowded with neighbors from all around Austin, attending to hear about local crime news.Commander John Romoser (pictured at right) indicated that burglary of residences continues to be a general problem for the area in 2010. We are currently at 51 burglaries so far this year for the “Baker Sector” district, as compared to 43 last year. Note that Baker Sector is huge — running from The University of Texas to 183, and from I-35 to far out west — so those 51 burglaries are spread over a large area.
So far, APD has been unable to identify patterns to the crimes or locations. What they do know is that most occur during the daylight hours, while people are at work, and often involve kicking in a front or back door.
Some Good News
There is a bit of good news in all this. After the forum, I talked with our district representative Officer Rolando Gutierrez. He mentioned that while burglaries are up overall in the district, we’ve actually seen a drop-off in North Shoal Creek this past month. So please do keep alert, and coordinate with your neighbors.
APD requested that if you see any suspicious people or vehicles in the neighborhood, please go ahead and call 911. When you do observe suspicious activity, it will be important that you provide the best description you can of the people and the vehicles.
It was great to see so many NSC residents at the event, including Mary Arnett, Tom Byrne, Tomas Rodriguez and Roger Wines. (Please email president@nscna.org if I missed anybody.)
— Chip Rosenthal, NSCNA President
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Candy Ellard, a longtime resident of North Shoal Creek, was honored Jan. 6 at the White House with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Ms. Ellard teaches math and science at Pillow Elementary. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2008, an award given annually to the best pre-college-level science and math teachers from across the country. (You can see her receiving her award in the photo at right.) One of 87 teachers honored, Ms. Ellard received a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation and was invited to Washington, D.C. to meet President Obama.The Austin American-Statesman interviewed Ms. Ellard recently about her success and thoughts on teaching. You can read the full article here.
[Photo credit: “Candy Ellard, 2009 Outstanding Texas Educator” by Lynn McCutchen. Found on Flickr, used with permission.]
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The NSCNA membership year begins today, February 1.
If you’ve been a past member — thank you! — please consider renewing today. If you’ve never been a member, here is a great opportunity to get involved.
We’re hoping to have a great 2010, with strong programs to protect our neighborhood, and fun events to meet our neighbors. But we’ll need your support to make that happen. Dues are just $15 per household.
Good news! It’s now easier than ever to become an NSCNA member.
You can pay online using PayPal. Simply go to the Membership Information page and click the Pay Now button. That’s the quickest and easiest way to join.
You also can pay by check through the mail. Simply go to the Membership Information page, and print out the “membership flyer” linked near the bottom. Mail that printout with your payment. You also can find printed membership forms on the backs of past NSCNA newsletters.
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Three years after Lincoln Property Co. proposed a two-story Wal-Mart Superstore at the Northcross Mall location, renderings of the new store have been released to the public. The new Wal-Mart will be a one-story building, approximately 99,000 square feet, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010. The proposed Wal-Mart is less than half the size of the building originally proposed in 2006, and does not include a parking garage.The Austin-American Statesman has more information about the site plans and construction schedule.
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The staff at Pillow Elementary told me the school had an unfortunate dog-related incident recently, and they — and the kids — are concerned. I was asked to pass along some reminders and requests.Scoop the Poop
Please clean up after your pet. It will help keep the kids safe, and it’s the law. Bags are available for easy pet cleanup by the park sign at the Rockwood driveway.
More info here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/wq_scoop.htm
Control Your Pet
The City requires that you keep your dog under control and on a leash of 6 feet or shorter while in a park (except for a few designated “off leash” areas). If you don’t, you could be fined as much as $500.
More info here: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/offleashareas.htm
Although leashes have not been strongly enforced at Pillow, it’s still the law and we could see stricter enforcement if problems continue. So please control your pet, especially when children are present.
Consider Leaving Pets at Home During School Hours
While pets are allowed all times during park hours, please keep the schoolkids and their safety in mind. If you can, please consider shifting your dog walking time in the park to a time outside of school hours.
The Pillow Park area is a shared facility, used both by the school and the neighborhood. A little extra attention will ensure that everybody is safe and comfortable using the park.
That would be appreciated especially now, while the staff and kids are still a bit on edge with respect to loose running dogs.
Thanks!
— Chip Rosenthal, NSCNA President
