On Monday, September 26^th, APD, Code Compliance, and Easter Seals put together a joint effort to clean up the area behind Hoop Zone.  This area was infested with transients. The transients in this area are creating potential fire and bio hazards with their activities.  All of the trash, some of the debris, and overgrown bush has been cleared out.  I have included a few pictures of the clean up efforts.  I want to thank all parties who showed concern for this area.

Please take note of the stakeholder meeting on October 18 (specifics below).

City of Austin Transportation Dept. is holding the meeting, and among other things, the Burnet Road and N. Lamar transportation corridors will be discussed. See notes from Mary Rudig, NACN president, below the meeting announcement for background information.

It would be very helpful if NACA were represented at this meeting, and the neighborhood views re the development of N. Lamar expressed.
Ann

Important Community Meeting
Tuesday, October 18, 6:45-8:45 p.m
North Village Branch Public Library
2505 Steck Avenue

The City of Austin Transportation Department is hosting a series of stakeholder meetings, to gather input on its corridor study. The study only looks at 5 corridors, and one of those is the North Lamar.

Three things you need to know:

1. They want to hear from the community. This is your chance to say what you love or hate about North Lamar, and what needs to be fixed.

2. In February, the recommendations from this study will be taken to City Council. There will then be a bond put forth for a 2012 election. In the past, North Austin has been short-changed on these bonds – but this time the bond will be on 5 corridors and two of those are Burnet and North Lamar. Hopefully THIS time we will get a more equal share of the money.

3. Many of the issues we have with North Lamar stem from the fact that the road does not belong to the City. It is a Texas highway, run by TxDot. They gave South Lamar to the city years ago, and recently relinquished Airport to the city as well. We are hoping that through this study, North Lamar will get the same treatment. TxDot has no idea how to effectively manage a road in a residential area – and it shows.

All of this depends on one thing – our community deciding to be involved. As you can imagine, having good attendance at this meeting is crucial to insisting the City takes this study seriously. Please try to be there – and please pass the word along to others.

http://www.austinstrategicmobility.com/

Because neither the Mayor nor most of the City Council will be in town on Monday, Sept. 26, the YMCA groundbreaking has been postponed until a time when some key elected official can be present. We are hoping to find a date between Oct. 3 and Oct. 14 but it may ultimately hinge on the Mayor’s schedule.

We are hoping to get this rescheduled as quickly as possible and updated information will be posted as it is available.

For more information, contact:

Sean P. Doles
Marketing & Communications Director
YMCA of Austin – Corporate Office
Phone: (512) 322-9622 ext. 135

HUD’s Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP) provides mortgage assistance to eligible homeowners experiencing a drop in income of at least 15 percent, directly resulting from involuntary unemployment or underemployment due to the economy and/or a medical condition. The mortgage assistance covers past-due mortgage payments, as well as a portion of the homeowner’s mortgage payment for up to 24 months or $50,000, whichever comes first.

As a reminder, the EHLP deadline is September 15, 2011. HUD is accepting applications from persons living in Texas, among other states.

Homeowners can find a participating EHLP housing counseling agency and download an Applicant Screening Worksheet and the Required Documents for All Applicants Checklist at www.FindEHLP.org. Homeowners can also call toll free 855-FIND-EHLP (346-3345), or email ehlp@nw.org for more information.

Other resources for mortgage assistance:

Distressed borrowers who are in immediate need of mortgage assistance are encouraged to contact their local HUD-approved housing counseling agency
(http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm?&webListAction=search&searchstate=TX) for information about other forms of available assistance, including foreclosure prevention and loss mitigation programs. You may also look up local foreclosure prevention counseling agency contact information (http://www.findaforeclosurecounselor.org/network/nfmc_lookup/findaforeclosurecounselorForeclosure.asp) that is available through the NeighborWorks America (http://nw.org/network/index.asp) National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program (NFMC) network. For more information about the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, log onto the program web site. Homeowners can also call (202) 220-6314 or email nfmc@nw.org for more information.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/federal_housing_administration) can provide information about foreclosure prevention assistance for FHA-insured borrowers (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/nsc/lossmit). FHA-insured borrowers can contact HUD’s National Servicing Center (NSC) toll-free at (877) 622-8525. FHA-insured borrowers with a hearing impairment can contact the FHA Outreach Center at: 877-TDD-2HUD (877-833-2483). The FHA Outreach Center (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/fharesourcectr) can also be contacted by email: info@fhaoutreach.com