Courtyard - October 2022 by Peel, Inc.

An Unnecessary Wildfire Risk in the Courtyard!

As I take morning walks through the Courtyard Community my Fire Safety alter ego reflexively causes me to scan the homes I pass. It is impressive how the properties are cared for demonstrating the pride the Courtyard owners have about their homes and the diligent work done by the HOA Board and Committees.

That said, some properties could do with some “tweaking.” Some homes have unnecessary wildfire risk from tree limbs touching or laying on roofs, gutters and roof valleys containing leaves and needles and bushes against the house some touching or over the roof. These circumstances are an unnecessary exposure. If ignited, a fire could go into the attic through radiant heat damaged roofing material and wooden soffits. These home wildfire ignition risks are not only a danger to our own homes and families, but to our neighbors’ as well. Wind driven embers from wildfires miles away and fire engulfed adjacent houses pose an equal danger. Creating defensible space around a house may help to limit a wildfire event to damage rather than loss.

Rains in late August and early September have certainly dampened the wildfire potential (pun intended…sorry). But, many grasses, bushes and trees suffered heat stress damage and may not fully recover. In addition, as trees shed leaves and trigs during autumn, fire fuel can build up in those places that need “tweaking.”

Hopefully lower temperatures, rains and moderate relative humidity will continue into autumn and early winter to further diminish wildfire risks. But if the weather returns to heat and drought, the risks increase and pro-active efforts become more important. If unsure how to proceed check out the resources below:

See the Fire Safety page at http://www.courtyardhoa.org for details on Courtyard Firewise and the range of information, Continued on page 4

COURTYARD BOOK CLUB Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Girl with the Louding Voice is a courageous, coming-of-age story of a 14-year-old girl set in a rural Nigerian village. It is the Courtyard Book Club’s selection for discussion at its November 1 meeting at 1 p.m.

This is the debut novel of Nigerian author Abi Dare. It was nominated for several book awards in 2020.

The main character, Adunni, lives in an impoverished Nigerian village with her alcoholic father and two brothers. Her father informs her that she is to be the third wife of the local taxi driver to support the family. But Adunni has other ideas. Her late mother advised her to pursue an education at all costs. Adunni follows her mother’s advice and the pursuit of that education puts her at odds with her village, where girls’ lives are defined by marriage.

The Courtyard Book Club meets at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. To receive monthly book club emails, contact Lou at LouBlemaster@gmail.com. Even those who haven’t read the monthly book are welcomed to join your neighbors for some interesting discussion. And if you have friends in other areas of Austin who would like to join a book club, feel free to include them.

Courtyard Caller

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CHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Vice President Konavis Smith..................

........................ konavis@gmail.com

Treasurer Jim Lloyd ........................ jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855

Secretary Waneen Spirduso ....spirduso@utexas.edu

BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Janet Wright ..............mightywrights@me.com

..........................................................................469-387-5632

Meredith Massey-Kloetzer......................meremass@gmail.com

Henry Mistrot ................................................... 512.459.7313

COMMITTEES

Environmental Control (ECC)

Diana Apgar ..............fd1966fd@aol.com

Community Park Terry Edwards t.edwards54321@gmail.com, 214.392.4627

Welcome Erik Maye erikmaye@gmail.com, 512.626.2404

Social & Decorating

Joany Price ................... joanyprice@gmail.com, 512.775.8942

Landscape & Decorating

Ed Ueckert

........................................................ 512.345.6137

Security Jim Lloyd jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855

Communications, Editor – Courtyard Caller

Jen Harold.......... harold.jennifer@gmail.com, 281.773.2880

Compliance Goodwin & Company, 512.502.2115

Kayak

Jim Vence ...................... jimvence@gmail.com, 512.436.5678

Fire Safety

Richard Stelzner

.................................. arebeess42@gmail.com

Area Development and Zoning Liaison

Denise Hogan 214.403.4454

SUB-HOA CONTACTS

Center Court:

Amanda Gilliland mandagilliland@gmail.com, 512-927-7118

Travis County Courtyard (aka "Backcourt")

Terry Edwards

............................. t.edwards54321@gmail.com

Villas at Courtyard: Thomas Hoy Thomas.Hoy@freescale.com, 512.231.1270

Wolf Court: Susanne Doell Drdoell@gmail.com, 512.454.3400

Courtyard Caller

Continued from Cover

recommendations and directions.

For excellent information and tutorials on how the community homeowners can determine, prepare and respond to the wildfire risk go to https://wildfire-austin. hub.arcgis.com

Register with WarnCentralTexas at https:// warncentraltexas.org to allow emergency personnel in our local area to directly contact you by phone, text or email during a wildfire alert or evacuation, or other disaster or public safety event.

Sign up with the Courtyard Fire Safety Committee at email fire-safety@ courtyardhoa.org to schedule a home wildfire risk evaluation for recommendations on creating defensible space around your home.

The Courtyard Community is a member of the Austin Firewise Alliance under the National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA) with guidance through the Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division, Texas A&M Forest Service, Travis County Fire Marshall and contact with the Fire Adapted Communities Organization.

TIME TO TRIM OAKS

Oak wilt season has passed, and it is now okay to trim oaks up until January 31, 2021. If you need to do regular maintenance or trim branches away from your house or roof, NOW is the time. This protects your home from many potential issues, including transfer of embers during wildfire season. If you are planning significant oak limb removal, check the City of Austin website for rules regarding heritage trees AND please communicate with any neighbors who will be affected by your tree limb removal project. ECC approval is required for ANY complete tree removal, but is not required for regular pruning of non-heritage trees. If you have questions, contact Janet Wright at mightywrights@me.com.

Halloween Safety

From the Austin Fire Department

Courtyard Caller

• Make sure costumes are visible and can be seen by drivers. For greater visibility in dusk or darkness, costumes should be decorated or trimmed with reflective tape.

• Use cosmetics instead of face masks. If a mask is used, make sure it fits securely and does not block vision.

• Carry either a flashlight or a "glow-stick." Do not carry candles, torches, or other actual flaming devices.

• Costumes should be flame retardant.

• Do not drive in a costume that restricts movement or vision.

• Children should always have an adult with them.

• An adult should inspect all candy before children are allowed to eat it.

• Throw away any candy that is not individually wrapped or purchased at a store.

• Children should stay on the sidewalk when trick-or-treating.

• Stay in small groups (we suggest six or fewer to a group). Stay near home in a familiar neighborhood and surroundings.

• Cross streets only at intersections.

• Candle-lit jack-o-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.

• Indoor jack-o-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, or other furnishings that could be ignited.

• Jack-o-lanterns should be treated like all other candles. Extinguish them before leaving them unattended and before going to sleep.

Volunteer with the City of Austin

Courtyard Caller

Help make our community a better place to live by volunteering. These volunteer opportunities are sponsored by the City of Austin and support City services and programs, and Austin's quality of life.

Visit https://www.austintexas.gov/department/volunteer-city-austin for more information

Leadership

• Volunteer on a City Board or Commission

• Citizen Participation at Council Meetings

Service

• Volunteer with the Austin Public Library

• Volunteer to review grant applications

• Participate in an Austin Parks and Recreation volunteer program

• Volunteer to greet visitors at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport

• Volunteer with the Austin Animal Center Environmental

• Mark storm drains to protect water quality in our creeks and Lady Bird Lake

• Donate to Austin's Clean Air Force

• Are you a recycle champion? Become a Zero Waste Block Leader!

• Register for an activity or sign up to volunteer on Austin's beautiful wildlands

• Find out about volunteer events with the Watershed Protection Department

Public Safety

• Ride along with an Austin police officer

• Find opportunities with the Office of the Community Liaison

• Join the Citizens Police Academy

• Volunteer with or donate to Blue Santa

• Make a difference with the Victim Services Volunteer program

• Donate to Amigos en Azul

• Participate in National Night Out

• Be a Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS)

• Start a Neighborhood Watch

GivePulse

You can also browse GivePulse.com for volunteer opportunities with lots of Central Texas agencies. Our volunteer portal on Givepulse is a great way to review and sign up for upcoming opportunities. Peruse opportunities below or visit the full Givepulse portal here.

Meet the Austin Mayor Candidates!

Join West & Northwest Austin neighborhoods for a non-partisan informational Zoom forum about the November 8 election

Wednesday, October 19 @ 6:30-8:00 PM

Moderated by award-winning journalist Tony Plohetski

Mayor candidates will respond to pre-submitted questions (only).

Submit questions by October 1: https://tinyurl.com/Nov8questions

Inviting neighbors from Northwest Austin Civic Association, Highland Park West / Balcones Area Neighborhood Association, West Austin Neighborhood Group, Pemberton Heights, Bryker Woods, Shepherd Mountain, Montevista Condo, Greenshores, Courtyard, Glenlake, Jester, Canyon Creek, River Place, Lake Austin Collective, and more

For information from the candidates for Austin Mayor: Anthony Bradshaw - https://www.facebook.com/ BradshawCampaign22 Phil Brual - https://www.philforaustin.com/ Celia Israel - https://www.celiaforaustin.com/ Gary Spellman - https://spellmanformayor.org/ Jennifer Virden - https://www.jenniferforaustin.com/ Kirk Watson - https://www.kirkwatson.com/

Early Voting Dates: October 24 – November 4

Election Day: Tuesday, November 8

See www.votetravis.com for information on where to vote, etc.

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