Below is the text from the public statement I made at the public hearing on Austin Water Utility's rate hike held on Thursday, August 26th:

Attached is a copy of the July MNA Newsletter.  The main article discusses the impact of WTP4 and the associated transmission lines on our neighborhood.

You are invited to a house party with State Representative Mark Strama on Saturday July 17th 2:30pm at 9206 Brigadoon Cove on The Mountain.

Representative Strama has been communicating with the City of Austin concerning the proposed Water Treatment Plant transmission tunnel and related shaft site along Spicewood Springs.  He wants to hear more about your concerns or comments.

Please send this invitation to your neighbors too.

Just a little bit of your time could make a huge difference.

Host,

Sharon Blythe

Residents wishing to return paper MNA membership forms and vote in person are invited to join us at Mountainview Park from 5pm-8pm on Sunday, June 27th. Annual dues are $50, less than many associations charge per month.

Residents may join online at:

http://www.mountainneighborhood.com/online_membership.

Current MNA board members will be present to answer any questions you may have about the MNA or our neighborhood.  Paper forms should have been delivered by block captains or you can print your own.

For more information about membership, visit http://www.mountainneighborhood.com/membership.

Eric Deal

2009-2010 MNA President

http://www.mountainneighborhood.com/membership

http://www.mountainneighborhood.com/election2010

The meeting covered topics including the MNA picnic, the MNA election, Covenants enforcement initiatives, streetlights update, and maintenance of the entrance. See the meeting minutes below in the attached pdf file.

The first wave of streetlight survey results are now in (see http://www.mountainneighborhood.com/streetlight_survey_results for the latest).

To date, we have received 206 responses from the 433 lots in the Mountain -- just under half the lots. The current breakdown is:

• 24% Yes
• 76% No

If you have not returned your survey, please do so as soon as possible.

Your block captains will soon be hand delivering information about streetlights that will include a survey that is due back on May 16th. That information is also available below as attachments.

The Streetlight Committee will be hosting a gathering at the Mountain View Park on May 16th from 6-8pm should anyone have questions or want to discuss the streetlight process.

The results of the survey will be compiled and eventually posted on the MNA website so residents can verify their preference. Details about the specifics of streetlights and their installation can be found here. The streetlight plat indicating where the standard lights would be installed can be found here.

The City of Austin Water department held a community meeting on Tuesday, 4/20/2010 at Concordia University to inform the community of the project plans and to take questions and input. The charts from Austin Water's presentation are on the City's website. You can view the proposed layout of the shaft on Old Lampasas Trail here.

Here are summary notes from the meeting: