Board Members present: President, Jared Noble; Vice-President, Treasurer, Brian LaCour; Secretary, Missy Haworth; Randy Teich, Co-President

Attendees: 26 attended in person, 4 via Zoom 

Guests: John Fletcher of the City of Austin Capital Delivery Services and Angela Harris, Office of Congressman Lloyd Dogget.

Treasurer’s Report: Brian LaCour reported that, as of the end of August 2023, we had $2,424.96 in the General Fund, $13,084.70 in the Beautification Fund (of which $3,461.11 is available for spending), and 147 members.  (Aug ’21 we had 74, and August ’20 we had 105.)

Minutes:The Draft Minutes for June and August were presented by Jared and accepted by unanimous approval and will be posted on the NACA website.

Announcements–

1. Jared Noble NACA President and Davi, Marketing Coordinator, announced that the new Logos for T-shirts and written communications were available to view and to vote upon during the meeting. The new design is a Blue 100% Cotton T-Shirt with a Shield Logo. 
2. Mark Grayson, Newsletter Editor and Publisher, announced that he had the capability to offer Newsletter electronically, in place of mailing. 
3. Kamil from Public Citizen brought a written Newsletter and reported that his organization is advocating for the delayed closing of the Fayette Coal Plant.

Redfield 34 Update- Jared Noble and Keith Hetz provided an overview of the past 14 months of the impact of the conversion of Raintree apartments to the Redfield 34 facility. More importantly, they shared the news that the property is in receivership, the receiver is experienced with rehabilitating distressed properties and getting them rented and ready for sale.He has been good with communications and security since accepting this role. As for future use, the property is expected to remain a Federal Low Income property for the next 9 years, but the City of Austin’s “covenant of use” will be rescinded very soon, to reduce barriers to residential requirements and property use. Jared and Keith shared the opinion that these are all positive developments that will result in fair housing in alignment with residential use and neighborhood norms. Questions can be addressed to Keith or Jared. No vote requested nor taken.

Code Enforcement – Wants to target “Top 5” problem Areas in NACA

Last month Assistant Director, Elaine Garrett, asked the NACA Secretary to identify the “Top 5” places where code enforcement should focus in NACA. Several nominations were placed on a list, with a 6th idea added during the meeting. The list is attached to these Minutes. The Secretary will forward the list to the Beautification Committee so that each place will have goals and steps  assigned so that progress will be measurable. The Newsletter and other Committees agreed to look at ways to support and feature the progress at each of these locations.  The Secretary will follow up with City Staff and report to the NACA Board. Residents are encouraged to continue to call in any Code concern to 311. Resident Monica Guzman added that calling back to check on the report number gives it higher priority in enforcement. No vote requested nor taken.

Recreation on school property-Keeping an eye on threats to access

Monica Guzman, NACA resident and CEO of GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin) lent her expertise in public access to green space, outdoor recreation and community resources.

NACA has the highest density of residents and the fewest acres of public green space in the City (That is also true of the entire 4th District). She reports that there may be interest in limiting access to public recreation areas on school grounds, even if the areas were built/funded/used by non-school community members. She will continue to monitor the situation and asks that any NACA residents who would like to sign a petition to fight any encroachment on these partnership assets should stay tuned. No vote requested nor taken. 

Open Discussion-Hosted by Jared. 

1. One resident asked who is in charge of litter control at these spaces, the answer is the City of Austin Parks Department, not the Schools. So call 311 with any concerns.
2. One resident mentioned that she was unsure of the rules for many things in her residential area and wished she knew more
3. John Fletcher of the City of Austin recommended that the neighborhood Association might need to host events to inform residents of rules, norms, and codes to improve stewardship in the neighborhood. 
4. Mark Grayson, an AISD Public Safety committee member reported that the AISD Bond will fund improvements at Navarro H.S. for security, fencing and an astroturf field.
5. Resident Gus, volunteered to organize the playground project at Ron Rigsby Park and asked for a co-organizer. Jared volunteered to co-chair.
6. Monica Guzman volunteered to teach residents how to attend and give a report at the City Council meetings.