Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc. The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 1
The Pemberton Journal
Official PublicatiOn Of PembertOn HeigHts neigHbOrHOOd assOciatiOn June 2013, VOl iV, issue Vi
The Pemberton JournalNeighbors open their gardens
for the first annual “behind the Garden Gate” garden open house!
Betty Trent, AIA LEED APOn April 28th, Pemberton residents Sarah Anderson, Linda Benge, Jenny
Johnson, Nancy Robinson and Betty Trent opened their gates to their gardens for neighbors to see and enjoy. On a beautiful, sunny spring day, neighbors were also treated to refreshments by Teddy Kinney and Diane Umstead as they strolled through Pemberton enjoying the spring blossoms.
Roses, irises and columbine, along with numerous other native flowering shrubs were at their best against backgrounds of evergreens which included live oak, japanese yews, clumping bamboo, sweet olive and yaupon. Neighbors saw five different styles of gardens from tradition flower gardens to gardens utilizing mainly native, low water using plants. Neighbors exchanged information on what works well in the area and how much maintenance certain plants require.
Linda’s garden featured a pool surrounded by flowers and plantings and every golfer’s dream, a putting green! At Sarah’s garden, neighbors were awed by the lovely fountains and urns dripping with scented geraniums. At Jenny’s garden, metal work was featured along with succulent plantings. Jenny also graciously provided neighbors a list of plant names to keep. At Betty’s garden, neighbors were surprised to see a modern, minimalist garden featuring low maintenance artificial grass, sustainably made from recycled plastic. At Nancy’s garden, lush plantings of natives were beautifully mixed with an assortment of tropicals including ginger, palms and Japanese maples.
Many attendees have been inspired and already made treks to garden stores to find their new discoveries to add to their gardens. Hopefully those new plants will inspire others to be part of the “Behind the Garden Gate” open house next time.
Thanks to Loretta Fischer for organizing and doing so much work to make this first garden open house a success!
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PICTURESDo you have a picture of an event that you would like to run in this newsletter? Send it to us and we will publish it in the next issue. Email the picture to [email protected]. Be sure to include the text that you would like to have as the caption. Pictures will appear in color online at www.PEELinc.com.
NEWSLETTER INFO
NEWSLETTER EDITOR Editor, Betty Trent .............. [email protected] Fax ..................................................................... 478-0920
PHNA CONTACT LIST
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEETraffic, Utilities, MoPAC, Zoning and Permits, Governmental Liason
Vice PresidentDiane Umstead ........................... [email protected]
SECURITY COMMITTEESecurity Issues and Reporting, Patrol Officers, Fund Raising, Block Captains
TreasurerCorey Breed .......................treasurer@pembertonheights.orgAt-LargeSasha Edwards [email protected]
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEENeighborhood Alerts, Website, Pemberton Journal
SecretaryCarla Hatler ...................... [email protected] Breed [email protected]
BYLAWS AND POLICIESPHNA Bylaws and Policy Revisions
PresidentCraig Duewall [email protected]
FINANCE COMMITTEEAccounting, Financial Statements, Cash Management, Dues
TreasurerCorey Breed .......................treasurer@pembertonheights.orgAt-LargeSasha Edwards [email protected]
SOCIAL EVENTSNeighborhood Social Events, Triangle Fundraising and Improvements
SecretaryCarla Hatler ...................... [email protected] Edwards [email protected]
SPECIAL PROJECTSPresidentCraig Duewall [email protected]
PERSONAL CLASSIFIEDS (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Pemberton Heights residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail [email protected].
BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-263-9181 or [email protected].
PUBLISHER Peel, Inc. .....................www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 Advertising............................... [email protected]
Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc. The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 3
The Pemberton JournalSidewalks and Traffic Calming issues to be discussed at the Neighborhood
Lunch Meeting June 28
Come discuss various neighborhood and government issues in Pemberton. If you cannot attend, email Betty at the address below or any Board member about any neighborhood issues you may have. This month we will discuss options and requests for sidewalks and traffic calming elements.
The monthly lunches are an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with your neighbors on a casual basis and talk about issues of interest to Pemberton Heights.
WHERE AND WHEN:The June lunch will be Tuesday the 25th Time: 11:45. Place: Russell’s at Kerbey LaneCost: Each attendee pays for their own lunch by separate check.Contact: Betty Trent at [email protected] to rsvp. You are welcome to come without rsvp, just ask the hostess for the PHNA table.
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Get out and have some fun this month!
AUSTIN:Republic of Texas Biker Rally June 13-16
FREDERICKSBURGTrade Days June 14-16
GRUENE Market Days June 15-16
Come and Taste It! June 20MARFA
Film Fest June 26-30STONEWALL
Peach JAMboree and Rodeo June 20-22
4 The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc.
The Pemberton Journal
A fun standard for a walkable neighborhood is the “five-minute popsicle test” – is it a place where a child can safely walk or bike to a nearby store for a treat? City of Austin regulations can help to realize this goal -- by providing zoning and design standards, and “complete street” standards, that make our suburban neighborhoods as friendly to people (e.g. a tween skateboarding to a neighborhood park) as they are to cars. The rules and standards for how land is subdivided, and where and how streets are built, also are part of the basic “DNA building blocks” of cities. To help ensure that new subdivisions match the Imagine Austin vision, the City is concurrently revising its rules for how new neighborhoods will be designed and built (the Subdivision Regulations in the Land Development Code) and for how street networks will be designed and built (the Transportation Criteria Manual).
Based on a study of best practices from around the country, City planning and public works staffers are currently hard at work drafting coordinated revisions. Community stakeholders and a cross-departmental technical advisory group are providing input. Drafts of both updated documents will be ready for public review later this year.
Like other U.S. cities, Austin had adopted car-centric rules since the
1950’s. But now the pendulum is swinging back toward the wisdom of traditional neighborhood design -- which offers numerous health, safety, and quality-of-life benefits. For example, neighborhood streets built for slower traffic reduce injuries and deaths from car crashes; providing sidewalks and bike lanes encourages daily exercise.
The Transportation Criteria Manual governs all the elements that go into each street – such as the dimensions and locations of car lanes, bike infrastructure, sidewalks, and medians. (To learn more about its update, contact [email protected].) The Subdivision Regulations govern issues like block size and requirements for street network connections, and also contain rules for pedestrian and bicycle easements, lot access, and so forth; they can require land dedication for parks, schools and recreation, and have provisions for solar-power access as well. (For update information, contact [email protected], or visit the Subdivision Regulations page link at www.austintexas.gov/newLDC.)
Once updated, both sets of city rules will better support the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan -- which calls for a more compact and connected city to better serve people of all ages, incomes, and abilities. Copied from COA Imagine Austin website
Does Pemberton pass the “Popsicle Test”
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Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc. The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 5
The Pemberton JournalPemberton
Pet Of the Month: Veronica the Dachshund
nominated by Bob and Dana Wesson
Ready for a little more love in your life?
These are the little honeys you’ve been waiting for. Two sweet kittens
are looking for a “forever” home. Right now they’re in foster care with Sasha over on Wooldridge Drive.
“Holly” is the 8 month old tabby. She’s reserved (except when food is involved), soft and playful. A bit shy at first, she’s very clean, calm and quiet. Her manners are impeccable.
“Funny Girl” is a younger kitten. She’s about 4 months old, a classic “tuxedo” black & white. Out-going, curious, and playful, she enjoys curling up on your lap (or shoulders) to watch TV with you. Intrigued by computers, she particularly likes to follow the cursor when it moves around the screen! Definitely ready to be a real companion. No lonely days when she’s around.
Both of these kittens are house trained and both are spayed and up to date on shots.
Holly and Funny Girl are adoptable through Austin Pets Alive! David and Sasha would love to keep these kitties in our
neighborhood. They will even help kitty-sit anytime you’re traveling and they’re in town.• The adoption fee for both is $125. • That’s the fee for both cats. So, it’s a 2 for 1 deal.
Why not take these angels home for a trial run to see if they fit into your household?
Contact Sasha at [email protected] or call: 512-474-4112
If you know anyone who would be interested in these kitties, please forward them this information.
I’m Veronica, the lady Dachshund who lives on Wooldridge. Go ahead and laugh; I’ve heard it all: “Ooooh, look at that long, fat, funny dog!” “Look, it’s a stretch limo with feet!” “Hey, she’s built like a hotdog!” Some 17th-century hunter thought it would be clever to breed a dog low enough to crawl into burrows after baggers and rabbits, so here I am: a long-bodied and short-legged dynamo. But I’m also a woman, a woman with feelings. I may not be statuesque like a Greyhound—who, incidentally, couldn’t make it into a rabbit burrow if her life depended on it—but I’ve attracted my share of dogs.
Every once in a while a Bulldog or a Labrador steps paw on my territory and assumes that because I’m short that I have no real authority. I’ve got possession of every square inch of my yard, and I let them know it right off the bat. I’m not afraid to run right up to a Great Dane and give her a piece of my mind. When you’re a woman, and a short woman at that, you can’t afford to act delicate and diplomatic. You have to establish your dominance from the outset or those behemoths will take advantage. Fact is, they respect me for it.
I pride myself on my sense of discipline: I lay off the dog treats (it’s so easy to let yourself go and the next thing you know, you’re a knockwurst). Yet, much as I work to stay trim and attractive, people feel obliged to remark about my shape, my stature, and my stubby feet. Snicker if you must. I’m a tender and sensitive soul, and my family loves me to pieces. I love them even more.
“ Interpretation by Tina Weinberger “
6 The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc.
The Pemberton Journal
Do the stars shine bright in your yard?
Do your neighbor’s night light fixtures shine into your windows? Or worse, do yours shine into theirs? Is your house a Night Sky Polluter?
Night sky pollution is the term for having night lighting that shines up and out away from the fixture. Such fixtures keep us from seeing those bright stars of song. Glare and reflection are the most obvious culprits and new methods of lighting will control the beam of a fixture so that the light goes only down and onto the ground, thus allowing more stars to be seen in the night sky.
If you are considering adding to or replacing your exterior light fixtures, consider using ones that only shine down or have a shield to keep the light bulb from being seen.
Look for fixtures labeled as fully shielded and “dark sky” compliant.
Every light polluting fixture that gets replaced with a shielded fixture will help to allow the stars to shine bright again in Austin!
SudokuThe challenge is to fill every row across, every column down, and every3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9. Each 1 through 9 digit must appearonly once in each row across, each column down, and each 3x3 box.
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every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Each digit mayappear only once in each row, each column, and each 3x3 box.
© 2006. Feature Exchange
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8 The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc.
The Pemberton JournalTina’s Tips . . .
How to Fight Your 2012 Tax AppraisalWhen Austin homeowners receive their annual “Notice of
Appraised Value” from the Travis County Appraisal District, sixty-thousand of them will file protests in an effort to lower
their property valuation and consequently their tax bill. Some hire agents and consultants to take their case before the
Appraisal Review Board, but with sufficient preparation and an understanding of which arguments carry the most weight, anyone
can present a persuasive argument. Protesters should start by requesting two items from the County
Appraisal District (CAD): a Field Card, which is a data sheet for their property, and an Evidence Packet, which tells them how CAD arrived at the assessed value. Value is determined by examining either sales of comparable properties, or equity among houses that said to be comparable.
Assess the rationale CAD used to arrive at your home’s value. District appraisers choose four homes in the area, look up what they sold for, and extrapolate to other homes in the same neighborhood. Mistakes are common in an area like central west Austin, where houses differ markedly in age, size, and quality of construction. In today’s market, a house purchased in October of 2012 should be
appraised lower than one purchased the following February. Are the houses CAD used to place a value on your home truly comparable? A Neighborhood Detail Value Report, available at TCAD, will help you to select “comps” that are more favorable to your position than those selected by the appraiser. Houses of similar age in the same subdivision with the same square footage may differ significantly in value if one is on a busier street, has fewer shade trees, or no view.
Rather than asking, “What is valuable about my property?” ask “What flaws does it have that an appraiser observing it only on Google-Map wouldn’t notice?” District appraisers know far less about your house, your street, and your neighborhood than you do, and it is your goal to educate them about every factor that reduces your home’s value. Do you have a cracked slab? A choppy floor plan? Old-fashioned bathrooms? Take pictures—they don’t have to be fancy, just clear—and collect data: if your wiring is from the 1940s, get an estimate on how much it would cost to replace it.
For more detailed information on how to successfully present your case before the Appraisal Board, see the blog on the PHNA website on How to Fight a Tax Appraisal.
Make an impact.
Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc. The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 9
The Pemberton Journal
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Be a Water Guardian and help prevent children from drowning.Ongoing: Volunteers needed to stu� and distribute water safey packets [email protected]: Colin's Hope Athlete Ambassadors needed! http://www.tinych.org/signupNow-June 18: Discount Schlitterbahn Tickets for sale. http://www.tinych.org/ticketsJune 18: World’s Largest Swim Lesson at Schlitterbahn Waterpark New BraunfelsJuly 1: Colin’s Hope Got2Swim Lake Austin 4 Miler (solo or relay) http://www.tinych.org/got2swim4July 21: Colin’s Hope Kids Got2Swim Pure Austin Quarry Lake http://www.tinych.org/got2swimkids
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10 The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc.
The Pemberton Journal
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
View answers online at www.peelinc.com
ACROSS1. Unrefined metal 4. Young pigeons 10. Gender 11. Australian 12. Alternative (abbr.) 13. Climbing 14. China stone 16. Hoopla 17. Shaft 18. Teacher's assistant, for short 20. Doctor 22. Believe 26. Terminal abbr. 29. Skin problem 31. Infamous Nazi concentration
camp 33. Tear 34. Wring 35. Sick 36. Work fussily 37. Hurricane center
DOWN1. City 2. Mellow 3. Worship 4. Japanese dress 5. Fivesome 6. Ship initials 7. Continent 8. Tie 9. Sego lily’s bulb 15. Limb 19. Wood tool 21. Sea jewel 23. Spooky 24. Author Dickinson 25. Tree 26. Eve's garden 27. Cab 28. Acting (abbr.) 30. Nice looking 32. Pig
Crossword Puzzle
© 2007. Feature Exchange
ACROSS1. Unrefined metal 4. Young pigeons 10. Gender 11. Australian 12. Alternative (abbr.) 13. Climbing 14. China stone 16. Hoopla 17. Shaft 18. Teacher's assistant, for short 20. Doctor 22. Believe 26. Terminal abbr. 29. Skin problem 31. Infamous Nazi concentration
camp 33. Tear 34. Wring 35. Sick 36. Work fussily 37. Hurricane center
DOWN1. City 2. Mellow 3. Worship 4. Japanese dress 5. Fivesome 6. Ship initials 7. Continent 8. Tie 9. Sego lily’s bulb 15. Limb 19. Wood tool 21. Sea jewel 23. Spooky 24. Author Dickinson 25. Tree 26. Eve's garden 27. Cab 28. Acting (abbr.) 30. Nice looking 32. Pig
Crossword Puzzle
© 2007. Feature Exchange
ACROSS1. Charge 5. Syrian bishop 9. Against 10. Landing 11. Leaves 12. Boom box 13. Allure 15. African antelope 16. Polite 18. Leafy green 21. Marry 22. Esophagus 26. Woken 28. Goad 29. Type of tooth 30. Refer 31. Posttraumatic stress
disorder 32. Sieve
DOWN1. Nativity scene piece 2. Competition at the Greek
games 3. Capital of the Ukraine 4. Symbol 5. Expression of surprise 6. Emblem 7. Pickle juice 8. A ball out of bounds (2 wds.) 10. Twist violently 14. Ripper 17. Strums 18. Slough 19. Ross ___, philanthropist 20. Gods 23. Brand of sandwich cookie 24. Seaweed substance 25. Cabana 27. Blue
Crossword Puzzle
© 2006. Feature Exchange
Advertising Information Please support the businesses that advertise in The Pemberton Journal. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Pemberton Heights residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales office at 512-263-9181 or [email protected]. The advertising deadline is the 8th of each month for the following month's newsletter.
PHNA December 2012FINANCIAL REPORT
Newsletter Article Submissions
Interested in submitting an article? You can do so by emailing [email protected]. All news must be received by the 7th of the month prior to the issue. So if you are involved with a school group, scouts, sports etc – please submit your articles for The Pemberton Journal. Personal news for the Stork Report, Teenage Job Seekers, special celebrations and military service are also welcome.
Copyright © 2013 Peel, Inc. The Pemberton Journal - June 2013 11
The Pemberton JournalAt no time will any source be allowed to use The Pemberton Journal's contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in the Pemberton Journal is exclusively for the private use of the Pemberton Heights HOA and Peel, Inc.
DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.
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