Please join us for the monthly Mueller Neighborhood Association General Meeting this Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. We’ll also be live on MNA Facebook
Date: Saturday, February 19th, 2020
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Due to Covid-19, our meetings are currently being held online using Zoom.
Special note: Survey provided for MNA Events. Please take a moment to fill it out. See below for link.
Join Zoom MeetingID: 960 7276 1148 Passcode: 766787
- Welcome and thank you by Koreena Malone (2 mins)
- Website – Zoom picture of members by Koreena Malone (2 mins)
- Equity Team Update (Book Club / Training) by Joy Butler (5 mins)
- PIAC Update by Michael Jones (5 mins)
- Front Porch Flyer update by Kathy Sokolic (10 mins)
- January Financial Reports and update for Internal Review Compliance by Jason Sears (10 mins)
- POA Update by Andrew Clements (5 mins)
- Black History Month – Story by Christine Langa, MNA Equity Team (5 mins)
- Earth Day Event, April 22nd, by Midge Kimble (3 mins)
- COVID 19 and MNA Events Presentation by Dr. Karen Swenson and Koreena Malone SURVEY FOR EVENTS – (20 mins)
- Quarterly POA Transition Chair update by Karen Sharp (10 mins)
- Bylaws Committee Update by Shelly Baldwin (5 mins)
- TUP Committee Update – Walk/Bike/Role Campaign https://www.austintexas.gov/department/atx-walk-bike-roll and Housing Notice (The Kensington Apartments) by Josh Rudrow (15 mins)
- Video about Lunar New Year, the Year of the Tiger, by Koreena Malone (4 mins) –
- Next Steering Committee Meeting is March 3rd, 2022 and General Meeting is Saturday, March 19th, Adjourn by Koreena Malone (2 mins)
Minutes of the Mueller Neighborhood Association (MNA)
February 19, 2022
The Zoom meeting was called to order at 10:01 am by Chair Koreena Malone.
Steering Committee (SC) Members present: Shelly Baldwin, Joy Butler, Brett Hall, Ann Hart, Koreena Malone, Mary Ellen Mondi, Josh Rudow, Jason Sears, Karen Swenson, and Marta White, ex officio
A quorum of neighbors was present.
Koreena welcomed everyone and took a photo.
Joy Butler shared an update from the Equity Team. The Book Club selection for March is How To Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal Marie Fleming. Cost is $25 per person plus the cost of the book for those who opt to buy it. Meetings will be held on three Monday evenings plus a Saturday and participants are expected to attend all four sessions. Contact Diana Jones at [email protected] for more information.
Regarding the “White People Working for Racial Justice” training, Joy will post information on the Mueller Neighborhood Facebook page and in the next Front Porch Flyer. Cost is $500 per person with a limited number of scholarships available.
Micheal Jones reported that the next meeting of the Mueller Commission/PIAC (Plan Implementation Advisory Committee) will be Tuesday, March 8th at 6pm at the Austin Energy Office. The meeting will use a hybrid model allowing some participants to attend in person and others to join electronically.
Kathy Sokolic gave an update on the Front Porch Flyer. Peel Inc. will no longer publish the monthly newsletter that has been delivered to all neighbors via US mail. Consequently, Kathy is in search of a new publisher as well as a co-editor. Her goal is a monthly digital newsletter. In the meantime, Kathy asks that neighbors continue to submit articles related to community-building activities to [email protected].
Treasurer Jason Sears presented the most recent Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet. Cash on hand is $23,625.82 plus about $2,000 in merchandise and in-kind donations. Jason will update neighbors on the Internal Compliance Review next month.
Andrew Clements of the POA Mixed Use Board reported that this group’s first meeting of 2022 will be in March. Transition is the most important issue facing this group. One short-term goal of the Mixed-Use Board is to secure a seat on the POA’s Master Board. Andrew also noted that Patricia Thoms, Mueller’s current Director of Management Services through Associa Hill Country, has announced her resignation. Her last day will be March 4, 2022.
In honor of Black History Month, Mueller resident Christine Langa shared a brief biography of Newton Isaac Collins a freed slave who became a landowner and person of influence in the Austin area. Part of his property is now the site of Rathgeber Village. (For more of Mr. Collins’ history, go to this link: https://www.eastonparkatx.com/blog/meet-newton-isaac-collins/).
Midge Kimble of the Landscaping Committee announced an Earth Day Celebration on Friday, April 22nd from 4-6pm at John Gaines Park. The event will be outside and will have activities for neighbors of all ages.
Karen Swenson shared a slide show about the future of events in Mueller with regards to COVID. As Karen noted, “COVID is a moving target.” The presentation included risk-based charts from Austin Public Health as well as “Small Gathering Guidelines” from the City of Austin. Compliance with these guidelines is voluntary. Koreena noted that Mueller hasn’t held a neighborhood-wide event since 2019. She directed attendees to an on-line survey about event preferences and led a brief discussion. Also related to event-planning, Koreena noted that she and Jason approached Catellus about the possibility of using the new pavilion at Branch Park for MNA events. She hopes that the developer will let the MNA use the pavilion at no charge at least a few times a year.
Karen Sharp shared a Power Point presentation on behalf of the Transition Committee. Catellus handles a number of community functions that property owners will be responsible for eventually. Likewise, as Mueller approaches completion, the City will reduce its involvement. Consequently, Mueller will require a tremendous amount of involvement on the part of neighbors and property owners. Monthly fees may go up in the future but it’s too early to speculate on that.
Shelly Baldwin reported that the Bylaws Committee had met once, so far. The group plans a line-by-line review of the MNA Bylaws and hopes to have a set of recommendations by June.
Josh Rudow shared an Affordable Housing Update focusing on the future of the Kensington Apartments on Manor Road. The complex is a “naturally occurring affordable housing” location and, because of that, the Kensington’s management company has applied for a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). They plan to use the federal tax credit to make improvements to the property with as little disruption to the current residents as possible. Historically, the MNA has supported projects like this one. Josh added that the project at 3515 Manor Road (near E.M. Franklin Ave.) will also include affordable units.
Regarding transportation and connectivity, Josh urged neighbors to offer input on the ATX Walk Bike Roll website. The City has money to spend to make Austin more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists, and this is our chance to influence how those funds are spent. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/atx-walk-bike-roll
Christine Langa closed the meeting a video on the Year of the Tiger.
The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Hart, MNA Secretary