Finally, positive public investment flowing south

By Carlos Guerra

San Antonio Express-News, Web Posted: 06/04/2009 12:00 CDT

And now the Mission Reach: Shifting county flood-control money to the project, taking control of the work from the Army Corps of Engineers and giving it to the San Antonio River Authority, ensures the project will be delayed no longer.

...

Mission Reach improvements, [County Judge Nelson ] Wolff says, “will take a tragedy and turn it into something that means a great deal, environmentally, with jogging trails and biking paths, and grasses and trees that will bring life back to the river.

“We're creating a great environmental restoration that the citizens can enjoy.

Read the article by clicking HERE.

Household Hazardous Waste

Don’t let cleaning products go down the drain!

San Antonio’s HHW mobile event provides residents with safe venue to dispose of hazardous materials!

When you are finished using household cleaners, paint, lawn and garden products, or automotive fluids remember not to pour them down the drain, empty them in the trash, or dispose of them on the ground. Instead, bring them to the City's Solid Waste Management Department's mobile household hazardous waste event (HHW) on Saturday, June 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Dub Farris Athletic Complex, Loop 1604 at Hausman.

Items labeled "toxic", "corrosive" or "flammable" can be dangerous and should be properly disposed.  This HHW event provides residents with a convenient opportunity to properly dispose of these materials, such as paint, motor oil, antifreeze, pool chemicals, batteries, pesticides, aerosol cans and florescent light bulbs. If possible, these items should  be kept in their original containers. If containers are deteriorated or leaking, transfer materials to a safe container and label the new container to correctly identify the contents.  

This event is open to San Antonio residents who are customers of the Solid Waste Management Department. Please bring a picture ID and current CPS Energy bill showing “Environmental Fee” as proof of residency. At this event the following items will not be accepted: explosives, ammunition, fireworks, medical waste, industrial/commercial waste, radioactive materials, electronics, tires, trailer loads and large quantities of materials.

If you are unable to make it to the HHW mobile event, residents are encouraged to drop off their HHW items at the City's permanent facility  located at 7030 Culebra Road which is open Fridays 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

For more information on the HHW mobile events and the permanent facility visit, www.sanantonio.gov/swmd.

River Museum Reach Grand Opening

Saturday May 30th is the Grand Opening of the Museum Reach of the San Antonio River, extending the Riverwalk north.



Museum Reach Grand Opening: 10 AM
Mayor Phil Hardberger and other dignitaries will take the first ride through the new Lock and Dam - an engineering feat made possible by the project partners: San Antonio River Authority, Bexar County, City of San Antonio, San Antonio River Foundation and the River Oversight Committee.
The Lock and Dam will carry barges and their passengers to previously unnavigable portions of the river, past the San Antonio Museum of Art and all the way to the Pearl Complex.

Artist Talk: 1 – 3 PM
A lively and insightful panel discussion among the eight Museum Reach artists, hosted by the San Antonio Museum of Art. Museum admission is half price; seating is limited.

River Revel: 7 PM – Midnight
A glitteringly fun gala in support of the San Antonio River Foundation will be held at the Pearl Stable. Join us for a night of live music, entertainment, fine cuisine, and delightful libations! Limited seating available.

Vist the San Antonio River Foundation for more information.

Mission Road Power Plant

On April 4, CPS Energy officials met with property owners and community members to explain future activities at the Mission Road Power Plant, at 207 Mission Road, between the end of Yellowstone Road and the River.

Over the coming year, materials will be removed from interior of the two main buildings.  In addition, some of the minor structures will be removed.

Most of the work will be done in the daytime, with the exception of a few tasks that will require evening work.  Removal and hauling will originate on the riverside of the site to buffer any effect on the nearby neighborhood.  Every effort will be made to minimize noise, dust and traffic in the area.

Cleanup of the buildings will open way for a new use on the site.  CPS Energy hopes to finalize plans during the clean-up phase, using as a guide the data collected from neighborhood and community leaders during the past three years.

For more information, contact CPS representative, Michael Malone, at 210.353.3625

Roosevelt Reinvestment Plan

Roosevelt Avenue Metro Corridor Overlay

What is Roosevelt Avenue to you?

Everyone with a stake in the future of Roosevelt Avenue is being called upon by the City's Planning and Development Services Department to answer this question.

With the new multi-use public library development at the Mission Drive-In site as a catalyst, the Department, in cooperation with District 3 City Councilwoman Jennifer Ramos, is bringing community residents and business owners together and forming a planning committee to discuss infrastructure priorities, as well as short-term and long-term reinvestment strategies for the corridor, stretching from the first block of Roosevelt Avenue, near Roosevelt Park, south to Loop 410.

If there is enough community will and if good, practical ideas are brought to the table, zoning for the corridor can be addressed to help steer future development in directions we, the community, think are most appropriate. This includes infrastructure but also overall aesthetics, and the even the types of businesses allowed to locate on Roosevelt Avenue. This is a project with a long-term view, and new zoning rules will affect future development, not existing properties.

There are representatives from the area neighborhood associations on the planning committee, so if you have thoughts, ideas or concerns, please get ahold of your neighborhood association. If you would like to be a member of the planning committee, either contact your neighborhood association, or Michael Taylor at the Neighborhoods & Urban Design Section of the City's Planning & Development Services Department, at 1901 S. Alamo, phone number 210.207.0145.

Community Leadership Institute

Beginning in June, the Community Leadership Institute is offering free training sessions for grassroots people to get a better understanding of consensus building, communication and organizing within the community. This is an incredible opportunity, and we hope some folks in the neighborhood will apply.

CLI is an annual, tuition-free program for men and women who live, work or volunteer in low-income neighborhoods in the San Antonio area. The experiential, curriculum-based program promotes a transformational, servant-leader model that builds on individuals’ gifts and passion for improving conditions in their communities. From June through November, CLI participants meet one Saturday a month for classroom instruction. The diverse faculty of community leaders and professionals bring a wealth of resources and connections to the classroom that alumni are able to access after they graduate.

CLI participants practice shared leadership and teamwork by collectively planning and carrying out a project before graduation. They develop budgets and written requests for up to $1,000 in seed money. A significant amount of learning and personal growth occurs through this essential component of CLI. A certificate of completion is awarded at graduation only to those who attend a minimum of five (5) training sessions and participate in the class project.

If you would like the application, drop me a line and I'll email it directly to you.

More information is at www.communityleadershipinstitute.org

Public Meeting regarding improvements, to include a playground, to the Roosevelt Park

What: The City of San Antonio Capital Improvement Management Services Department (CIMS), in cooperation with the Parks & Recreation Department, and the Consultant CFZ Group will receive public input for improvements, to include a playground, to Roosevelt Park.

When: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 6:00 P.M.

Where: Roosevelt Park Community Center, 331 Roosevelt

Contact: J. Mark Wittlinger, City of San Antonio – CIMS/Vertical, 207-2874, P.O. Box 839966, San Antonio, Texas 78283-3966,
or Leticia Zavala, CFZ Group, 366-1911, 4242 Medical, San Antonio, Tx 78229

This meeting site is accessible to persons with disabilities. Parking is available. Auxiliary Aids and Services are available upon request (Interpreters for the Deaf must be requested forty-eight[48] hours prior to the meeting). For Assistance, Call (210) 207-7245 Voice/TTY.

Meetings to Discuss Transportation in San Antonio

from the San Antonio Express-News:

"San Antonio residents have two more chances to speak up about recent research that shows they'll end up paying more if the metropolitan area keeps crystallizing growth around driving habits rather than walking and transit.
Building sprawling subdivisions that force people into cars for most of their trips could strain public funds for highways and transit to the tune of $4.6 billion through 2035, according to Alliance Transportation Group, a nationwide planning and engineering firm.
But if much of the development was concentrated in higher densities along key corridors, making it easier for people to walk to transit stations and a variety of destinations, the cost might be trimmed to $4.1 billion, said the firm, which is doing work for the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The agency has since been holding public meetings to hear what commuters think. The task is to figure out how best to cram an estimated 600,000 additional people into Bexar County, swelling the population to 2.2 million, including 1.6 million motorists driving 60 million miles a day."

The last two meetings, with open houses starting at 6 p.m. and workshops from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be:
Tuesday at the St Philip's College Heritage Room at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive.
•Wednesday at the VIA Metropolitan Transit Metro Center at 1021 San Pedro Ave.

Read more here.