“There are Developers with at least half a billion dollars in assets that are trying to destory our very beautiful small neighborhood of OLD MANOR. Our City Council and Staff don’t have the ability or courage to stand up to this onslaught. Our city’s Development Staff and their bogus $318,000 “Comprehensive Plan” are instead leading them down the WRONG PATH.
It may take Legal Injunctions to halt these efforts. None of these buildings fits within any reasonable definition of “historic.” OLD MANOR is an historic district per our Codes 14.02.031.
OLD MANOR is also community neighborhood defined clearly as a “residential revitalization” area in Code 14.02.034 with guidelines for specific style and period construction designs.
In tandem with our Legal Efforts; we need a plan to engage the community and get them activated. It needs to be a multi-pronged approach, but mainly direct mail, yard signs, and ads in the community “newspaper.” Only minimal “social media.”
Even our 1841 Cemetery is under seige. These people are fierce in their attacks against me and our community. They will accelerate their efforts.
1889 was quite a year. Compare frontier Texas to the bocce players in sophisticated Europe. My original oil painting to the right is circa 1889.
ROBERT’S PAINTING NEEDS A TEMPORARY HOME...
It was great to learn about Moody’s more recent gifts to RICE U. The Student Center. The Art Center. I miraculously am the owner of the above original oil painting from the 19th century that is about bocce. It’s by Austrian artist, Carl Schleicher. I got it for a song. I talked the seller down on price, bought it on layaway and charged every payment... I couldn’t let it disappear from history. I want to put it in the “MOODY Bocce Pavilion” next to my “Gulliver’s Golf and Gocce” course at Walter E. Long Park; in a spot already approved for “sports fields” next to the Exposition Center. bit.ly/boccefutures
It’s 7.5” x 9” - with incredible detail. People are incapable of painting this way anymore. I have it in the box still because I don’t want to damage it; AND I don’t want to sit there all day looking at it.
The lower part of the Moody Bocce Pavilion is a mini-museum of bocce history and also to tell the world who Walter E. Long was. He’s considered Austin’s father of Urban Planning; responsible for the Highland Lakes and LCRA.
In the meantime though, maybe there is a Moody Art Gallery; or the Art Center at RICE that I could loan it to? It needs to be secured behind glass and insured. One of my best art projects ever was in a student art show at RICE and it got stolen. I can’t risk that happening to this piece.
OLD MANOR is a protected “HISTORIC DISTRICT.” It’s modest, mostly single-family homes... The “Comprehensive Plan” and our City Council have mistakenly decided to “destroy” our beautiful community because they call it “downtown” and want to turn it into 6th Street Austin... No thank you. We don’t want them to destroy the Cemetery either.
This is what “planners” want to “double down” on (per pg 80 -->>> of their Comprehensive Plan). This is not progress. Train Station should be at FM 973... not Lexington St.
This is the “heart” of OLD MANOR, Parsons Street. I’ve added my proposed Harriet Tubman; and LBJ and Lady Bird Murals (see bit.ly/ManorParks pg 46-49 for more info.)
These are old-timers’ homes. Many of the mortgages are almost paid off.
Some of these are mobile homes. Guess what? They have people in them.
We need a “REAL DOWNTOWN” with a Rec Center, Pool, Museum, City Hall, Library, etc. It needs to be in the center of the ETJ north of 290 where all the action will be.
OLD MANOR needs to remain quaint and with a small town feel.
THERE ARE FIVE PROJECTS THAT WE NEED to immediately STOP AND ALTER.
109 LEXINGTON STREET
3-story box destroying the historic Barber Shop. Manor only has a few “twigs” of history. This iconic building is just as historic as the grand Bloor Mansion. In some ways, just as unique. The encroachment is insidious and irreversible.
101-107 BOYCE STREET ~ 66 PARKING PLACES.
Korean Dev worth $250 million that uses AI to find their R.E. investments. This is offices and apts for their employees. It’s not cute shops. Think they care about Manor?
95 TOWNHOMES NEXT TO THE CEMETERY!?!
Good Trouble: Ruth Biscoe and Robert Battaile. She’s also Director of Manor Heritage Society and organized recent Black History Month Luncheon.
Carrie Manor is the first black woman buried She was first black person on City Council. She named after her. Most people in Manor think named after the white daughter of James Manor. she descended from “his” black Slaves. They “Manor” for their surnames.
Maude Taylor is here also. 2nd black to here. Also Council Member. Has an engraved City Hall. Their two daughters (Ruth Biscoe; were thanking me so much for my efforts (inc the Confederate Monument), that I was almost Western view will be destroyed by townhomes.-->>>
buried here.-->>> She has a street think that street is Manor. Actually took the name be buried engraved bench at and Fey) (inc to remove almost in tears.
The next two pictures are among the most powerful images that I’ve ever created.
I “photoshopped” the people by cutting them from a different photo. And, pasting them beside the huge 14’ Confederate monument from 1913.
They’ve known about this for nearly a month and have done nothing about it... even though the Mayor made a “Black History Month” Proclamation. (gee whiz)
Irony of ironies is that when I pointed this out to the black council... they dragged me (the “white” guy) from the room. (figuratively)
I was escorted out politely by the local gendarmes.
https://youtu.be/OXRaIDwgOXk
Right to left is Mayor Harvey, CM Aaron Moreno, CM Sonia Wallace, Manor ISD Board Member Ana Cortez, and County Commissioner for our District, Jeff Travillion. Note the proposed townhomes in back. 59 in total.
The townhomes in back are what is getting crammed down our throats in the name of “progress.” Council is selling us out for $213,000 which the Developer is paying to buy the alleys and culverts to put in 95 two- and three-story townhouses!
A gross abomination in our “historic” small neighborhood community. (Per City Code 14.02.031) AND... they will go right up to the fence of the cemetery as shown. Half of these 13 will be three-story without gaps between them.
There’s reason that James B. Manor chose and gave this spot for the City he founded. It’s a promontory. A hilltop. A vista. A view of space for serenity. And peace. Est. 1841. He died in 1881.
This specific headstone is for Roy Torn. He used to live in my Manor Manor house. His name is carved into the cement of my back stairs. His wife is still alive.
Do we want to lose the western vista; and have spectators at all of our funerals? These buildings are not historical and not allowed.
Basic Overview of the Past Four Years...
I have been disenfranchised and punished by each and every Manor City Council member. Each one of them is supposed to represent ME.
Per their own “Council Procedures,” they are supposed to answer a constituents’ emails within 3 days. They are supposed to answer phone calls within 24 hours. They haven’t answered any of my emails in over THREE YEARS. I asked them tough questions like “Do you really think one picnic table per five acres is sufficient?” I don’t know if there legally is such a thing as “Reverse Discrimination” but how else can I explain such mean-spirited treatment towards me.
https://youtu.be/ruSfKd7jfog
Argentina
I am the single biggest personal donor to the Parks. In fact, I’ve given more than ALL 30,000 Manorites PUT TOGETHER! And they treat me terribly. I think it’s their own low self-esteem and self-loathing “transferred” onto me. I pointed out that there were no soap dispensers in our $100,000 restrooms at Timmermann Park. I told them and nothing happened.
So, I sent them a LARGE TYPE letter suggesting that if they bought two soap dispensers; that would be the best gift they gave us for our 150th Sesquicentennial Birthday... and they got mad at ME? Horrible news is... I was right!They have gave us NOTHING... except those two soap dispensers. When I tell them “that’s your legacy” from 2022 ~ they get madder at me. My Legacy dwarfs their achievements.
Manor is a charicature of the worst in Small Town Texas politics. Unpaid unskilled volunteers that are lazy and cliquey. Jealous, petty, spiteful and vindictive. They don’t
mind hurting their entire community just to “teach me a lesson.” It’s a lesson they want everyone to notice. The lesson is: Don’t speak up. Don’t criticize us. Don’t do better than us. Don’t have more ideas than we have.
They were “hired” for this job by the former Mayor (who is still partly running the show) because they are “docile.” The Mayor will tell all the council members how to vote and what to vote on. Two of our council members ran unopposed. The third was elected in a run-off and won with a TOTAL of 39 votes. The “Development Services” Director is kissing the “dairy air” of the Developers; some of whom are international real estate platforms that couldn’t care less about Manor’s quality of life.
The City population was 1,200 in year 2,000. Today, it’s arguably 30,000. There are 22 good sized subdivisions in-process right now. Unlike our consultants, staff or Council... I was able to somehow add these numbers up (I went to RICE University) and figured out that it represented 60,000 new residents. Meaning our growth rate was 14-16%... and NOT the 7% of wishful thinking. In other words, our infrastructure would always be behind the curve.
Council doesn’t value intelligent thinking. They are jealous that I was able to raise the money for a disc golf course to be put exactly where it was approved in 2016! They can’t do it in 7 years or maybe NEVER. bit.ly/ManorDisc What really chaps their hide is the fact that I’m a “poor person” yet I can put in a “dog run” in 3 WEEKS. They can’t do it in TEN YEARS. The “Comprehensive Planners” want to take another 3 years. “Priorities” they said. And “they” have half a million dollars, staff of 100, $20 million annual revenue and “Board” of 7 Council members.
These “Planners” didn’t know that we have $478,700 of Park Funds now. The City didn’t know either until I “found it” for them. I ran for Council to fill the remaining six months of a term. While I didn’t win, I did the unthinkable and started learning the job. I read the Codes. I know them better than the Staff does. Council can’t read them. After seeing “Dedicated Park Funds” of only $8,700 ~ I asked the Interim City Manager, Scott Dunlop, “aren’t you collecting the in-lieu Park Fund fees?”
He said, “oh yeah, we are. We have $850,000 in there.” I nearly fell over. I asked “why isn’t it here in the dedicate Park Funds?” He said, “oh it’s in there. Just in different places.” Lydia Collins, the Finance Director lectured me about 20 minutes during a City Council Executive Session. She was trying to explain a difference between “dedicated” funds and “restricted” funds.
I guess she solved her own mystery, since the next FY22-23 budget came out shortly thereafter and now it had $487,800 in there. Go figure. Through FOIA Requests, I’ve seen receipts of $963,000. Guess how much our “Park Committee” (two Council Members) budgeted for our Parks for next year? ZERO, zilch, nil, nada... yet they pretend they love their kids and their Seniors. To me, that makes them stingy misers that want
to hoard their money.
At this point I thought, “Well, maybe they don’t know what a park is supposed to look like.” So I created a Master Parks Plan that turned out quite nicely. It would have cost the City $200,000+. I did it to save the City the money, but mostly to save the FIVE+ YEARS it takes them to do anything. bit.ly/ManorParks
Again thru FOIA Requests, I discovered that we already have $63,000 (of an eventual $131,000) for lights at Timmermann Park. We likely have another $40,000 due or collected. They haven’t put ONE LIGHT IN IN THREE YEARS! When I asked Scott why directly, he said “we’re waiting til we get all the money.” ?!? Why. That’s a false economy, deprives the community and is basically all about his “laziness.” They feel NO URGENCY. The Staff doesn’t live here. They don’t play in the parks. Our Council doesn’t understand that “The KIDS aren’t waiting to grow up. The SENIORS aren’t waiting to die.”
These are but a few examples of the “dynamic” between me and the Council and some Dept Heads. I think I’ve done more for this City in 18 months; than the Council has done in 18 YEARS! http://calexas.com/Roberts-Achievments-vs-Councils.pdf I’ve added another 10 since I prepared this. They’ve added zero. In some ways, this began at the first Council meeting when the Austin Bocce League requested a fee waiver in order to start a Bocce League. The League I had started in 2009 in Santa Rosa CA now has 600+ players playing five nights a week on five courts. This could be replicated here in Manor if these idiots had half a brain. I had prepared a fairly extensive introduction to the sport bit.ly/boccefutures~ too bad none of them read it. The meeting became 3 alpha dogs sparring. Previous Mayor, Larry Wallace and his hand-picked protegé Christopher Harvey, the current Mayor. One council member apologized in writing to me because there “was no reason that I should have been treated that way.” (see attached)
It got worse when I called out the Mayor for his “Vision Statement” which is on the front page of our website. It’s a total LIE. “Manor is a Regional Leader with Exceptional Services...” It’s just pompous nonsense. He can’t tell me what we’re a Leader in, what the Region is, or name any Exceptional Services. The Council thinks their job is to be the “cheerleader for the City.” They did a promotional video and said over and over... “Manor’s a great city because of its great people.” I asked them at a Council meeting. “Who are these great people? Where are they? And when are they going to do something great?” He said a couple of goofy things and then said “and we’ve got great stores.” He just can’t ever seem to name any.
By the way, the only Regional Leader (and the ONLY ACTIVITY in any park in the entire City) is the bocce courts that I got put in. They are the best in Texas and the most innovative in the entire world. Thanks, to my inventions. To put in my new scoreboards, wheelchair access doors and movable back walls ~ I signed a 10-page Licensing Agreement with the City as Director of the Austin Bocce League - a 501(c)(3). I had
Below is from “Launching Austin Bocce”
to get $600,000 worth of insurance to put in these FREE items. I had to buy a $1,500 cnc router to make these items costing another $1,200. (see attached)
Thru a FOIA request, I learned that the Mayor had been trying to take out the courts since June of 2023. (see attached letter) After I complained that the nearby restroom was getting nice concrete sidewalks while the bocce courts were still crappy washed out gravel paths... “they” thought they be cute, and lock out the very person that complained.
We’ve been LOCKED OUT OF THE COURTS FOR EIGHT MONTHS NOW. They not only punish me... they punish the entire community while claiming there’s some “safety hazard.” We’d have 12-20 Seniors playing on Weds and Sat morns for over a year. Great comraderie and fun. We also had Special Ed kids, Special Olympics Bocce Players from Elgin and Manor that were enjoying the courts. The Mayor is just plain mean, petty and vindictive. They deprive their own children. How low can you go?
I’ve read that “willful harm” of this nature is highly penalized. I’ve seen notes that each incident of harm to a Senior (over 65) can be $1,500 per occurence. We’ve been playing in the grass, on the mud, and lately on sloped gravel by the picnic tables. We’re down to 4-6 players. They have effectively “stunted the growth” of a beautiful potential as a result of their vanity and ego and arrogance. Now the Mayor has caused the City Manager to tell an outright lie in order to keep his
job by claiming that there is a “Public Health and Safety” issue and that my “improvements” will need to be removed. The adjacent swing set is more dangerous! The slide has a disclaimer warning to remove necklaces for fear of strangulation... but that’s ok. No barrier there... even during construction. https://youtu.be/C2KYN2StaP8
I told the County Commissioners in emails and at a virtual meetings about the supposed “public safety” hazards... they did nothing. To me, that reaffirms that there is NO HAZARD. I have many pictures of the barricades not even functioning. Wide open and laying on the ground, right next to children and families playing on the swingset. Thus obviously, the City Staff doesn’t think it’s a hazard AT ALL.
The Mayor is incapable of backing down, even from an indefensible position. He can’t admit he’s wrong. He can’t say I’m sorry. And he will never say thank you. Thus, he can never take the lying slogan off our website; and he can’t just “open the courts.”
As I told him at a recent council meeting “We should be starting our SPRING BOCCE LEAGUE NOW!” But, I guess I haven’t learned my lesson yet.
In fact, I’ve discovered so much other things in disarray that he is actively trying to crush me. He just changed the Public Comments procedures to limit my time speaking at Council Meetings. Of course, this again punishes everyone in the community.
He cancelled FIVE of the Comprehensive Plan’s Public live-streamed townhalls be-
cause I embarrassed him at the first one. He said “Manor’s doing a lot for our Seniors.” We I corrected him, I guess it was so painful that he cancelled the meetings. To me, that’s a theft of $50,000 worth of consulting that was critical to the Public understanding this 605-page piece of dog meat that’s being forced down our throats.
Council paid Freese and Nichols $318,000 for this 18-month Plan. They gave them all the money up front. Midway through, a couple of City staffers said they weren’t get much results from their “Manor2050 Survey” and asked me to help. So I posted to get people to go take the Survey but oops... it wasn’t working. Now, I looked like an idiot too. So I tracked down the consultants. It turned out that they’d made some changes and linked it to the wrong city. The number of respondents was so meager that they gave back $138,000 of their fees to include the aforementioned public town halls. When the Mayor cancelled those meetings... he gave them all the rest of the money anyway?!
Ironically, in the discovery process - I went and saw a trails map and discovered our SECRET 200-acre park that City of Manor has owned since 2003. It also has a very nice one-mile Nature Trail... that no one knew about. The park is called “Woodlands Park” - I told the planners about my discovery... but I guess they forgot. When the plan came out; now, it’s called “ShadowGlen Open Space” but they claim there’s “parking problems.”
The parking problem is that it’s right next to ShadowGlen - a planned community with an HOA that doesn’t allow street parking. Thus, the City (Scott Dunlop) has claimed there’s “acceptable” parking at the Elementary School ONE-HALF MILE AWAY...?! Seriously. I didn’t buy that for a second. Finally, the Police Chief convinced me that it’s PUBLIC ROADS. Anyone can park anywhere they want to. But... the City still hasn’t put this park on its website. They’ve been kissing ShadowGlen’s tush for 12+ years. The even more DIRE problem is that these rookie planners have convinced themselves and City Council that our tiny little community of OLD MANOR has somehow got to be a big, vibrant downtown for the entire future 100,000 residents. No thank you. This is gentrification at its worst. But they are using this “high density” “multi-use” delusion to allow encremental “growth” at a frightening pace. It’s Greed. And more greed. “Quality of life” is something they don’t understand. Old Manor is protected in our city codes 14.02.031 ~ it’s reinforced with a “residential revitalization” code 14.02.034 which details the architecture allowed and provides discounts on permit fees. They have FIVE grotesque projects already happening. The absolute worst one is 95 two- and three-story TOWNHOMES right NEXT to our Historic Manor Cemetery that was establish in 1841. (see photo illustration attached)
We have an all-black and brown Council. This used to be an all-white cemetery. No longer. But I noticed that it had a 14’ Confederate Army monument towering over everything and visible from half a mile away. The monument was from 1913. Founder, James B Manor was buried there in 1871. When I told our Council about this... they
The League that never happened. City wanted to charge too much.
dragged ME out?!? The “white guy.” https://youtu.be/OXRaIDwgOXk
A few days later, at a Black History Luncheon ~ he read a “Proclamation”... no mention of the monument. He’s a complete coward. And, he wouldn’t want to upset any rich white developers.
We desperately need a “NEW DOWNTOWN” with a Rec Center, Community Pool, Performing Arts Center, Library, Museums, Town Square/Plaza, etc. I guess we can’t have one though “because Robert suggested it.” That’s seems to be their “go to” line on about a dozen really great suggestions I’ve been giving them (for our community’s benefit).
They’ve got their minions in the community. I’ve been banned on Nextdoor app for a year. And that’s without a single lie or word of misinformtion. Facebook Groups have similarly banned me. I decided to start my own group “Manor Community Coalition.”
I’m trying to find funds to mount a strong and successful community campaign to SAVE OLD MANOR... from our own City Council. Perhaps: OLD MANOR PROUD
Herein, I’m only sharing one-third of the horror. I could talk for 6-8 hours about their meanness and incompetence.
I think our Licensing Agreement has many aspects that work in our favor. They should have acted in good faith. They never even completed the courts. They never even leveled the ground around the courts. We were told we’d have two picnic tables over a year ago. It never happened. They can’t even put in any benches - even tho they have half a million dollars. The Special Olympics kids from Down Home Ranch in Elgin had to sit ON THE GROUND. I was hoping there were no fire ants.
It’s a shameful way for a city to treat its ONLY ACTIVITY. Yet they call themselves a “regional leader.” This park and these courts are ALSO NOT ON OUR WEBSITE. They have three full-time I.T. staffers and they can’t even do a webpage.
If there were “issues” ~ they are supposed to fix them. Not abandon the courts. They should be putting in lights. They have the money. We should get a schedule and sustainable (or no cost) fee to have the league. That was the implied end game for all of my work; and others that helped to organize our community efforts. They called themselves “Regional Leaders” didn’t they? Was that all a lie too?
The Contract also says that the Bocce League is considered “an equal” to the city in any actions. I’ve done my part. We have kept the insurance in effect. That and maintenace is ALL we are required to do in order to keep this agreement going in perpetuity.
I’ve paid $600 for insurance for two years so that we could have a Bocce League. The City once said there were ADA issues at the courts. I did a FOIA request and there was nothing to show. No agencies were ever involved and no complaints ever made. City wanted to pretend the courts should be removed due to improper installation and permits... but they just did the same exact thing with their Memorial Wall at Jennie Lane Park. The restroom there is an actual ADA violation without an adequate sidewalk... they’ve done nothing about that even though it’s known by their city engineers.
Part of my questions would be:
1. Is this two separate cases?
2. Or are the discrimination issues and Contract Default presented as one ?
3. Is there any advantage to this being a “class action” procedure?
4. I’d like to get the bocce courts finished as part of a settlement.
5. I’d like Park Rental fees waived for a few years.
6. Can we get them to spend some of their Parks money that they are hoarding?
7. The disc golf course for instance.
8. Can we get the lights put in?
I’d like an INJUNCTION to slow down the destruction of OLD MANOR.
MORE ROBERT “teaching” City Council SHORT VIDEOS:
https://youtu.be/jacJEHfnL_4 Parkland vs Park Land. Monarch Ranch dev steaing $220,000 in Park Fees
https://youtu.be/tycI6v1ZOEc Manor’s a Great City? And no. You don’t deserve a Gold Award from ScenicTexas
I won this tree on Arbor Day and donated it. The City still won’t correct my plaque. I’ve been bringing water from my home to keep it alive. They couldn’t even run a water line which we need to properly groom the world-class court Originally, it was 4 courts. When I said “they’re not LEVEL or FLAT.” They just took two out... they had a 16” slope from north to south ends.
I have some fun stuff for RICE.
city.
The “requestor” is me. Mayor thinks I’m “baiting” him. It’s a
“major safety liability?” His ego is bruised...BOCCE is the ONLY ACTIVITY in ”his” entire
May 24, 2022 Southeast ramp.
Aug 22, 2022 Nice concrete sidewalk for ADA access.
Chronology of a LOCKOUT... the Southwest ramp didn’t fare so well.
Aug 25, a good dust mixed
I thanked many
Sept 27, 2022
Oct 18, 2022
25, 2022 Fixed with good amount of cement mixed into the gravel. thanked the City on Social Media sites.
After I complained, the City fixed the ramp on the SE and put up the barricade. I think they ran out of cement dust and were too lazy to go back to the shop a quarter mile away to get another bag or two to fix the SW one.
So, they thought a 1/4” layer of cement dust was going to fix anything? Yeah, until the first Texas rain storm...
[Our crews can build roads when they want to.]
Prior to the nightime “Halloween in the Park” ~ I pointed out the hole to the Police Chief and suggested it should be fixed before his event. I didn’t want any broken ankles in the dark.
Instead of just fixing it... the crews moved the barricades out another ten feet on all sides! Again, I’m watering the tree I donated. And, the fence is down on all sides. What about the big PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY HAZARD?
March 24, 2023
https://youtu.be/C2KYN2StaP8 (short video link)
Mayor takes revenge on Bocce Courts
I sent 2 emails and talked at Travis County Commissioners Court about this “Public Health and Safety” issue. They did NOTHING about it... because there is NO ISSUE.
Look at the “fence.” It’s been that way for at least 3 wks. They had no fence while they were constructing the playground. The swingset and slide are more dangerous. Its WARNING LABEL cautions against “strangulation!!”
County offered us two bocce courts at Ben E. Fisher Park.
This is “willful harm” ~ every one of these players deserves compensation for having to put up with this nonsense.
The best courts in Texas are locked for NO GOOD REASON whatsoever! For people over 65, this can be $1,500 per incident. We had 10-15 people on Weds and Sat mornings for over a year. We should be having league play NOW with over a hundred each week. Easily.
...
So, a couple of years ago while playing bocce I looked at the floodplain area and recalled the “approved” Master Plan map from 2016. It had an 18-hole Disc Golf Course on the site plan... and I thought “what’s so hard about putting a disc golf course in? It’s little wire baskets on poles with a 5x8 concrete pad to throw from.”
This is the kind of projects I like because they’re already 85% done. The rest is easy. Since we had nothing in any of our Parks, I figured they just didn’t have any money. So, I got a couple of local disc golf business owners and we re-designed the course to 9-holes for safety and space reasons, shot a video and told the City that we’d like to put it FOR FREE!
bit.ly/ManorDisc ...they couldn’t even say “yes” to a free disc golf course right where they said they wanted it six years earlier?!? They thought I was “baiting” them. Who cares? Put it in for your kids. For your community. For eternity..
Around the same time, I thought it would fun to show the community what disc golf was all about. (Austin has 25+ courses.)
So, I conceived of the “Manor March for Disc Golf.” We would get some baskets and set up the course and invite the community to play for free on every Saturday in March from 10-2. I ran an ad in the paper. The “Heritage and Tourism” Director (also the President of the Manor Chamber of Commerce) decided I was “having an event” and wanted me to pay $75 each day to rent the park; and that I would need to get insurance, too. She copied the Mayor on the email. I wrote the Mayor suggesting we make this an Annual happening with the City as a Co-sponsor. He wrote back a threatening letter accusing me of setting up a mobile disc golf course without a permit ~ and sent a copy to the Police Chief.
I designed a scorecard. A local printer donated the printing and 30 kids and a few of our bocce players had some fun. Kids came out with their parents and grandparents and siblings. I published the winners pictures online and the families were beaming. A young player named Jor-el tied for 2nd. (same as Superman’s father.)
After I discovered that the City had some money in their park funds, their Fiscal Year 22-23 Budget mysteriously grew. Now, the “Dedicated Park Funds” has grown from $8,700 to $487,700. (I’ve seen receipts of $962,000 as a result of my FOIA resquests.)
So I thought to myself, “maybe they just don’t know what a real park is supposed to look like.”
And I created a 49-page Master Parks Plan (for free). I called it the Manor Country Club. I’m not sure anyone “gets it.” To me, it’s ultimate “equity.” Something everyone talks about; but noone ever knows how to achieve it. This is it:
It’s just US filling our Parks with cool stuff to do. We go play whenever we want. And it’s FREE. And it’s much better than rich folks’ ShadowGlen Country Club which is one sport and expensive.
After I pointed out that they had half a million dollars in the Park Funds (that can ONLY be spent in our Parks)... guess how much they budgeted for FY 22-23... nothing. nada. zip. zilch.
One Council member had said she “didn’t have the expertise to read my Master Parks Plan.” (it’s a picture book) I asked if any of them felt they had the expertise to re-arrange the furniture in their living room?
Manority Rules! Bocce courts
The FIGHT for PARKLAND (one acre per 66 homes) VS. “IN-LIEU FEES” ($550 per home)
AT NEW HAVEN: I’ve been successful in getting public parking here (10-20 spaces); and also TWO ping pong tables. Still working on some lights and more amenities. (“Corn hole” is not an “active teen” sport.)
I also want to add more public parking at the Water Storage Tank. The Trail can connect to Monarch Ranch’s “trail” through the Floodplain (i.e. along the creek). Pflugerville ETJ is at west side of the creek there.
Monarch ranch wants to evade $220,000 of in-lieu fees... we’d rather have the six acres of parkland!
