"Another slow news cycle this month, and as it turns out, the newsletter itself is our main story. We have been making a concerted effort to update the mailing list we use to address these."
"Congratulations to Health Careers, which has been chosen as the best High School in this area, followed by Clark and O'Connor High schools, which were recognized as some of the best schools around"
"Located in the Hill Country of Texas near Canyon Lake is a fun little campground called Yogi Bears Jellystone Park. It has become one of my kid's favorites because of the family friendly atmosphere and how the hosts go the extra mile for your children's entertainment"
"In its continuing effort to improve service to the community, decrease response time, and maximize its resources, the San Antonio Police Department has recently begun taking reports online via its web site (www.sanantonio.gov/sapd)."
"In September City Council is to receive a report from staff on the results of the public meetings. Scenic San Antonio and the American Institute of Architects, San Antonio Chapter, invite all interested citizens to meet to talk about the ban."
"Located along the Medina River on the very north end of Lake Medina is a very nice RV Resort that my family frequents. We usually stay there 2-3 times a year and rented a spot for months this past summer making the short drive every weekend or commuting to work from the campsite during the week."
"The most important, far reaching news in the neighborhood this summer has to be the election of Reed Williams as the new District 8 council representative"
"In last month's newsletter, Mr. Williams gave responsible, 'neighbor friendly' answers to our candidate questions"
"So why do I mention this sorry case now? As of this writing, the Calloway property has been physically cleared, but the Porsche dealership has not been built and the promised deed restrictions - the ones that Cibrian accepted by fiat and not the ones that the association requested - have not been finalized"
"Unfortunately, the City's public meetings will have been held before you receive this newsletter. That's the bad news. The good news is that the City is starting with a public comment period which will be open through July 31, 2009"
"Everybody is invited to participate in the Colonies House July 4th Parade. The parade starts at 9:00 am at Colonies House and follows a short route through the neighborhood. The number of participants continues to grow every year"
"I want to thank the 106 persons who sent in signatures opposed to the closure. Sorry we weren't able to make a stronger case in the matter, but honestly, it looks like we never had a chance. Mockingbird was a 'done deal'."
"We asked District 8 and the Mayoral Candidates to answer five questions that are of interest to the Association. The questions we asked are listed below. The responses we received are listed below in alphabetical order for District 8 and the Mayoral Election"
"When you read through the surveys returned by the candidates and make your decision about who should be your next mayor or District 8 representative, look at their responses to Question 2. Will you be 'at the table'?"
"There will be Toning and Conditioning activities on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:45 pm for 30 minutes. And then there will be Water Aerobics from 7:15 to 8:15pm"
"The park's camping sites are spacious and shaded. Tent camping is allowed. RV sites have full hookups and are loop pull-throughs so that all RVs are in a line along the road."
"We need you to fill out the enclosed petition stating your opposition to McCombs' petition to close and seize Mockingbird and send it to our association mailbox by March 15th. In this way, we can send a clear message to City Hall that people in the VJ area are overwhelmingly opposed to this unjust taking"
"We, the undersigned, are opposed to closing Mockingbird (Special Project 1402)"
UPDATE: On March 5th, which was after our newsletter went to the publisher, this issue went to City Council. Cibrian disregarded overwhelming opposition from District 8 residents, tenants and associations. See Zoning Cases Page.
"Mr. Mayo Galindo, a VJ resident and attorney, was our guest speaker and presented legal information on zoning and deed restrictions. Candidates for Mayor (Julian Castro and Trish DeBerry-Mejia) and District 8 (Jacob Dell, Jody Sherrill, and Reed Williams) spoke. CW Cibrian had a pre-scheduled campaign function that night"
"The Vance Jackson board received a list of candidate questions from Scenic San Antonio and decided to send this list to Mayoral and District city council candidates"
Ms. Dya Compos "told me there are no plans to remove the Family Friendly Lane (FFL) at the Wurzbach/I-10 HEB - it is there to stay! This fulfills the original goal of our campaign, which has been hosted through the Vance Jackson Neighborhood, Inc. (VJNI) association"
"What about having FFLs about other HEBs? I wrote Mr. Charles Butt to extend the program system-wide, but have received no response . . . "
"I am still looking for a scuba diver. If you are a scuba diver or know one that could help us, please send me an e-mail at president@colonieshouse.com"
"Hopefully all of you have received and read the Northside ISD Newsletter though the mail. It is called 'Lessons' and has a great deal of information about the school district"
We will host our annual association meeting in January. Colonies House, 3511 Colony Drive, 7:00 PM, Monday, January 26th. Colonies House is on the north side of Colony Drive between Tioga and Vance Jackson.
Attorney Mayo Galindo has accepted an invitation to speak to us about common property law issues.
"We have heard of no new movement to advance this petition so the 'item' appears to be dead"
UPDATE: After this article was written, Mr. Kuafman, who represents Red McCombs, approached Sugar Hill Apartments with a proposal: For access to I-10, use an alley in place of Mockingbird, a public street! See Zoning Page.
"The '90 day trial period' for the Family Friendly Lane (FFL) at the Wurzbach and I-10 HEB began in early September and is technically over."
"I have written Mr. Charles Butt and included copies of our signatures and pictures taken at the checkout stand. I have asked that he listen to our concerns to keep the FFL at the Wurzbach HEB and expand these lanes to other HEBs, as people have requested"
"In January 2009, City Council will receive a staff status report on the Digital Pilot Program. I understand the City staff report will include information on the number and location of new digital signs and data on traffic accidents"
"Mr. Wachtel advised staff that a meaningful study of the effect of digitals is extremely complicated and a simple listing of traffic accidents data does NOT constitute a reliable study."
"This proposed change probably won't get much air time in the regular media because many parts of it are technical in nature. But trust me; this is one nasty piece of legislation"
"(T)he park truly only has one major attraction and that is fishing. During my stay, nearly every site had a boat. The park provides a nice boat ramp and fish cleaning stations. To properly fish the local bays, you need a boat that doesn't draft very deep"
"The library's face lift consists of new carpet and paint, new air conditioning units, restroom upgrades, landscaping, a new flag pole, ground lighting, and resurfacing of the parking lot. In addition, the library now has two children's computer learning stations"
"There is a high probability that the two drain covers at the bottom of the deep end will have to be replaced. If you are a diver or know of someone that may be willing to help us out, please let me know"
"There is evidence of erosion and declining drainage conditions along this section of Rock Creek that threaten the safety of homes and businesses both in the area and further downstream"
"Bexar County will address these conditions through its Regional Flood Control Program"
The following aricles had to be cut from our mailed newsletter due to reduced page count
"The methodology described below I call the "punch out" method. In a nutshell what it does is to write every remaining possible value of each cell within that cell. These are determined by looking at the row, column and square of each cell to "punch out" the invalid values"
"In early September, we became aware of a proposal to rezone the old Calloway nursery property, on the IH-10 access road south of Wurzbach, from C-2 and O-2 to C-3."
"Red McCombs petitioned the city to close Mockingbird (a public street) in order to expand his car dealership. Step back and repeat this to yourself slowly. He wants to close a public street in order to expand his business! Incredible."
"As I write this, there are less than 3 weeks left before the election. If you did not registered to vote by October 6, you cannot vote. I will publish the numbers from the November election in the January newsletter."
"Voelcker Park master plan is moving along nicely. On October 4th, over one hundred visitors joined the San Antonio City Parks staff and other lovers of parks to enjoy "Wild Wacky Webs"."
"Special Project 1402 concerned a petition from McCombs Family, LTD. C/o Kaufman & Associates that requested the closure, vacation and abandonment of an improved portion of Mockingbird Lane Public Right of Way."
"This petition appears to be primarily motivated by commercial interest and should be rejected by the City of San Antonio."
"Our hope is that the Wurzbach/I-10 trial will be successful and then we can ask HEB to expand it to other stores near the association, i.e., the De Zavala/I-10 store and the new Military/Wurzbach one."
"I knew I-40 west of Albuquerque passed by some amazing sights - the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert, Meteor Crater and Grand Canyon to name just a few."
"One man in particular, gave us a tip to take Alt 89 out of Flagstaff to Sedona, AZ, which turned out to be a spectacularly beautiful drive through the mountains and valleys of the Coconino National Forest."
"To make this a main dish, separately microwave frozen Chicken Breasts (the ones from HEB) according to package instructions. Cube and add these at the end."
"On June 19, Neighborhood and civic groups, including Vance Jackson Neighborhood, Inc., addressed city council about the digital billboard pilot during 'Citizens to be Heard'"
"As of this writing, a zoning change request has been submitted for properties on Huebner and Sandstone. The request (Z2008225) seeks rezoning of three Huebner properties from O-2 (Office) to C-2 (Commercial) and rezoning of the two Sandstone properties from R-6 (Residential) to C-1 (Commercial)"
"Thank you to the all the new members from the community. Our membership is up this year but we still would like to increase our membership and we still need your participation"
Brandeis High School, Vale Middle School and Carnahan, Forester and Scarborough Elementary Schools were all finished on time and either at or under budget"
"Candelight Ranch is a 501(c) 3 organization and partners with other non-profit organizations that serve special needs kids by providing the Ranch for outdoor retreats and campouts"
"(O)ur last newsletter for May went to the publisher prior to the tragic death of Mrs. Viola B. Barrios on April 24, 2008. Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends. May all of us rededicate ourselves to making our neighborhood and city better and safer places"
"I am very pleased at the number of members who have work at the grounds to open the facility this season. We have made major improvements to the facility and we will continue to work on the many tasks to improve it"
"On Jun 10, the Electrical Supervisory Board considered the application for nine digital billboards by Clear Channel Outdoor. The Board denied four of the requests, one because of insufficient paper work and three because the cost of replacement exceeded 50%"
"(T)he federally-insured, variable Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) enables seniors to borrow against the equity in their home without repaying the debt for as long as they live in the house"
"We are an educational agency and part of the Texas A&M University System. We provide educational programs to the general public on integrated pest management, nutrition, food safety, horticulture and gardening, youth development, natural resources, and agriculture"
"I think Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan had the quote of the day at the council meeting when she thank Cibrian for "not only having a good idea but finding the pot of gold to pay for it"
"Scenic San Antonio is a member organization. VJ has joined as an association. If you would like to join as an individual, the dues are $30. Mail to: Scenic Texas, Inc./ 3015 Richmond, Suite 220/ Houston, Texas 77098."
"An ordinance to enhance the Citywide Tree Plan, establishes a Citywide Street Tree Planting Initiative and continues the Parks Tree Planting Program which will facilitate the planting of approximately 1,200 new trees, and amends the appropriate budget"
"Citizen opposition to this bar [B-Rock] is unmistakable; we received 90 signatures at the D8 picnic on Nov 3, and 212 signatures from our November newsletter"
"Councilwoman Cibrian voted on the wrong side of this issue [the Clear Channel Digital Billboard Ordinance], but promised on the record to make constituent inputs a deciding factor when the 1-year pilot program comes up for review."
"(O)n December 6, 2007, your City Council representative voted with 8 others to pass an ordinance to allow billboard companies to place 15 digital signs anywhere in San Antonio during 2008."
"NNODs Mission is to enhance and protect the quality of life of residents; inform residents of issues affecting them; and work with government, governmental agencies, and local businesses to represent neighborhood interests."
"On behalf of the citizens if District 8, I would like to take this opportunity to protest the issuance of any and all original, renewal, and/or transfer of any alcoholic beverage permit (s) for 'The [B-]Rock' and/or the address of 10855 W IH-10 in San Antonio, Texas."
Primary Ingredients - Boneless Chicken, cut as strips or small/medium chunks, and Pre-cut Coleslaw, which is available in bags from the Produce section
"Our association usually does not comment on City Council races, but the Board has decided to break with that tradition this year"
"In our opinion, the most important thing our association does is to represent individual and neighborhood concerns before the City Zoning Commission and City Council in zoning cases"
"the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released a few common-sense safety tips you should keep in mind when using gas or charcoal grills"
"Our guest speaker at the meeting was Mr. Rene Compose, Code Compliance Officer for the City. Rene gave an informative presentation about common compliance issues"
"The best way I know to lift your spirits from the harsh realities of our South Texas winter is . . . to attend our annual VJ neighborhood association meeting"
"Installation of non-flush-mounted antennason the extended telecommunications tower" - But we appeared to have no legal instrument to enforce verbal understandings and promises. This case presents a cautionary tale for the perils of negotiating with commercial interests.
"Side parking of vehicles and apparent operation of a business on a property zoned for residential use"
"Violation of Conditions for an Outdoor Art Gallery"
"The following case went before the Zoning Commission in October. The proposed change seemed non-threatening and our VJ Board did not oppose the submission. Hopefully, we were not naïve."
"We requested code compliance corrections at the Hair Salon (signage) on VJ at Orsinger, and the Outdoor Art Gallery (signage, temporary structures and equipment) on VJ near Cody"
"Last newsletter we gave details for a new conditional use permit (Zoning Case Z2006049C) for an Outdoor Art Gallery on residential properties on Vance Jackson. We now expand on the topic area"
"Since 2002, the VJ neighborhood association has found enforcement of the simple sign restriction to be problematic"
Post Script - A small number of VJ members have questioned me why the VJNI was so dogged on enforcing signage on this property. From my perspective, a deal is a deal and people need to be held accountable. Sorry. tct
"The Barrera family submitted a petition (Zoning Case Z2006049C) for conditional use of their properties as an Outdoor Art Gallery, for a limited period each year. Your VJ board was impressed with the quality of the events being staged, but sought formal language in the permit delineating restrictions."
"All hours of operation and external activities for the Outdoor Art Gallery (OAG) shall be limited to Saturdays and Sundays for the period that includes the second weekend of March to the third weekend of June of each year ('Period of Operation')."
Supporting Document: City Ordinance concerning Sculptors Dominion International, 11356 Vance Jackson
"The VJ board is also starting conversations with the Barrera family concerning their petition (Zoning Case Z2006049 C) for conditional use of residential properties on VJ as an Outdoor Art Gallery, for a limited period each year"
"In his 'State of the Association' report, Woody explained that the board of directors had agreed to a contract modification with the publisher of our newsletter, whereby the newsletter will be expanded in length but will cost the association substantially less to publish"
"We have invited Mr. Amezquita, Chief Appraiser of Bexar Appraisal District (BAD) to return. Mr. Amezquita spoke at our January 2004 annual meeting, and was warmly received - in a good way"
"This past summer I was working in the back room of my garage (garage doors were open). I heard a noise and stepped into the garage just in time to see a young fellow going across my yard with my two-tank compressor and hose in his hand"
"As promised in the September newsletter, we are publishing correspondence we have received for the association. I hope you will find these informative. We invite any new messages you might have."
"I received the VIEWS and was disappointed in the lack of substantial news." . . . "Sorry to say we (are) kind of a mom and pop organization. To enjoy articles with high impact and content, we need volunteers to write these"
"In 1998 a fair number of us participated with City planning personnel in setting goals for the neighborhood." . . . "Overall I think we've batted 500"
"In Zoning case 2004289, Verizon Wireless seeks a special use permit (SUP) for a 20-foot extension of the cell phone tower behind the Oak Ridge Baptist Church at Wurzbach and Vance Jackson, and addition of new antennas for their use"
"People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years - and even their hard-earned money - cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record"
