River Road Neighborhood Association

Thanks to an idea brought forth by River Road resident Hector Gonzalez, RRNA Board member Bill Sibley has asked City Archaeologist, Kay Hindes and Bill Pennell of the City Parks Dept. to address the next RRNA Board Meeting (on Thursday, July 24 - new date!) about the possibilty of identifying and restoring portions of the original 18th century Spanish Acqueduct (Acequia) that exists today in River Road. (Part of the Acequia can be viewed in the southwest corner of Allison Park, crossing Allison Drive and proceeding west, bordering Bob Price’s property.) At one point there were over 50 miles of Acequias constructed in San Antonio. Come learn how we can (hopefully) preserve this important historic legacy still “hiding” in our midst. 7:00 PM - Lions Meeting House - 7/24/08).

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Time is running out to get flood insurance based on current flood zones.

If you would like to see where your home stands in relation to the new proposed flood zone you may find out here:

SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY GIS MAPPING SITE

After clicking “I Agree” and allowing the map viewer to load, you may enter your address at the bottom and click “Locate.”

Click here to download

Click here to download

Click here to download

The highlight of the May 15, 2008 RRNA board meeting was a Q&A session with Maged Al-Ghafry, the new CoSA Public Works director, who was accompanied by Erwin Burden, Public Works engineer, and John Wolters, of the CoSA Capital Improvements Management Services.  Board members and neighbors focused in particular on flooding issues, including: 

• The importance of effective Public Works communication between Olmos Dam, our neighborhood, and the Josephine St. tunnel during heavy rain events, and a request for even more vigilance given the increase in impervious cover in the watershed
• Assurance that drainage will also occur through the Catalpa-Pershing ditch in addition to the San Antonio River
• Poor drainage on E. Magnolia and other streets due to having gutters only, instead of drains, and run-off from Hwy. 281 affecting the neighborhood during heavy rain events
• A request that Public Works look into changing the regulations for developers, and especially to consider point source of flooding vs. mitigation only.

Other concerns brought up by neighbors included the need for traffic control at neighborhood entrances during events in Brackenridge Park, and the disconnect between Public Works, the Planning Commission, and the City Council with regard to owners’ plans for the property at 157 Magnolia Drive.

Business meeting highlights:

Mulberry St. sidewalk — RRNA board members attended a recent CoSA Parks Board meeting to discuss our concerns about the Municipal Golf Association-SA’s apparent failure to allow room for a sidewalk on the northern edge of the golf course along Mulberry.  A sidewalk was included in the Brackenridge Park Improvements plans several years ago, but construction was delayed due to funding issues.

Letter of support for postal workers – Mail carriers Joe Blancarte and Pete Velasquez came to the meeting to request RRNA’s support in protesting mismanagement at the Laurel Heights P.O., which is affecting mail delivery efficiency and employee morale.  The board voted unanimously to write a letter to the USPS supporting their concerns.

The next RRNA meeting will take place on June 19, 7 PM, at Lions Field – all are welcome!

On two consecutive days last week the triangular property bordered by Ostrom, E. Magnolia & Lindell was burglarized. Among other various items, the thieves stole a large china cabinet and so must have had a truck with which to haul it away. They also painted gang graffiti on the walls of the house.

Click the link to go to the article: Where the sidewalk ends …

Larry Clark reports that a follow-up article is coming soon.

The River Road Neighbors Google Group (river-road-neighbors) is an informal venue for discussion of River Road-related issues.You should have already received an invitation to join the group. Please email me if you did not and would like to join.

Note: Some have expressed concerns about the excess mail they are likely to receive if they join. This need not be the case: you may elect to receive a single email digest, once per day, and then only if there is activity that day. The digest would contain all of the traffic for that day, so even if there are 100 messages, you would still receive only one. Contact me directly if you would like me to enable this option for you.

UPDATE: Another benefit of having Google handle this mailing list is the fact that they will scan and clean any viruses or other potentially malicious programs from the mail before it ever reaches your mailbox.

This service is provided free by Google and is not affiliated with the RRNA.

Best Regards,

Michael Sullivan (sullivan.m)

Have you noticed a decline in the quality of service you are receiving? If so, you may want to join your local postal carriers and clerks for an informational picket this Thursday, May 22 at the:

Laurel Heights Post Office
(2400 McCullough Ave.)
Thursday May 22, 2008
4:30 to 7:30PM

The picket does not involve any work stoppage but is intended to highlight the problems that exist with management and working conditions. The RRNA board voted Thursday to draft a letter of support for the postal carriers and clerks, and all are encouraged to show their support at the picket.

The RRNA board and interested neighbors met on April 17 at Lions Field.  The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing the urgent concern of the golf course renovation and its effects on drainage in the River Road neighborhood.  Due to RRNA members’ efforts, the Municipal Golf Association-San Antonio (MGA-SA) has agreed to submit their plans for review, and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) will do an unbiased before-after topographic analysis. 

• The board approved the following motion:  That the RRNA request that the City of San Antonio require their contractor on the Brackenridge Golf Course to produce a digital flood analysis of drainages to the San Antonio River flood plain, based on a topographic analysis of conditions prior to construction, and on proposed topography for the golf course area.  The RRNA will also send a thank you letter to SARA for their support in this matter.

Another concern discussed was that, although plans for a sidewalk along the south side of Mulberry Ave. have been in existence for several years and are awaiting funding, the MGA-SA is already constructing a cement golf cart path that may interfere with these plans.  Several board members and neighbors agreed to meet to strategize how to address this concern with MGA-SA, the Parks Board, the City of San Antonio, and SARA.

Our April agenda included defining RRNA committees and interest groups, but we ran out of time to complete the discussion.  Stay tuned for a finalized list with chairs/contact persons, and start thinking about how you can get involved in your neighborhood.  Volunteers welcome! 

• Existing and proposed committees/interest groups include: River Care, Traffic/Neighborhood Plan, Drainage, Brackenridge Park Garage, Events, Communications, Golf Course Renovation, Museum Reach Subcommittee, Bike Path/Sidewalk along Mulberry, Flood Lines and Maps, Bylaws, Membership, Hike and Bike Trails, Animal Control, and Neighborhood History.  RRNA also has affiliative representatives with Neighborhood Conservation District efforts, Kings Court, and the San Antonio River Oversight Committee.

All are welcome to attend the May 15 RRNA meeting at Lions Field — see you then!