Questionnaire regarding Matrix Report on Community Policing from Lt. Gaslin

From: Gaslin, Gizette <Gizette.Gaslin@austintexas.gov>
Date: Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 12:26 PM
Subject: Questionnaire regarding Matrix Report on Community Policing
To: 

Greetings,

In April of 2016, the City Council retained the Matrix Consulting Group to conduct a Community Policing study for the Austin Police Department. The Matrix Group made several recommendations to enhance the Department’s Community Policing program (found in the attached report). One of the recommendations was to assign a dedicated person as a Community Engagement Coordinator.  I was very excited to be selected for this position and have been working with the District Representatives and each of the area commands to assist them in strengthening our community policing efforts throughout the City of Austin. 

In order to hear from each neighborhood association/group we need your assistance in completing a short questionnaire (less than 5 minutes).  Your feedback and input are valuable to us, as APD moves its focus to community policing. 

Please return the questionnaire back to me no later than Monday, September 24, 2017 at noon. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me at (512) 974-5513. I look forward to building bridges between the department and our community, making it safer together.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/neighborhoodcommunity_policing

Thank you

Lt. Gaslin

Gizette Gaslin, Lieutenant

Austin Police Department

Executive Lieutenant – Community Engagement Coordinator

512-974-5513 (Office)

512-974-6611 (Fax)

Future Meeting dates Sept 2017 to Aug 2018

3rd Monday of the Month

September 18th

October 16th

November 20th

December 18th

January 15th

February 19th

March 19th

April 16th

May 21st

June 18th

July 16th

EMLK Contact Team Yearly Review

I took over as the president of the EMLK Planning Contact team about 1 year ago . At that time I created a mind map for myself which I have updated. I have documented most of our actions here (link) and all our documents can be found here - many of the google drive files and folders are public

•  Priority # 1: increase membership and make people aware of the contact team and its job
• Attached is the latest membership list (link). (need phone numbers from Dr. Murphy)
• I have also invited Susan Tingley and Jon Hagar to join the contact team - this will make our team 12 members representing almost the entire EMLK region.
• We have not been successful in the east of 183 region. It is still not represented so Jon's membership is very important (he is in Cavalier Park)
• I have also requested representative from Yellow Bike Project - Joel is our current representative.

• Priority #2: Identify few projects which will make the contact team more relevant.

• We have identified about 5 to 6 projects as a part of the East MLK - they are all very relevant to our region especially the parks and the trail through the hike and bike trail.
• In Hogpen area we are working sidewalks and connectivity to Springdale Park, community garden etc (link). I wish we can have more projects in other neighborhoods which we can support. 
• In SANA the La Loma trail work is progressing slowly. Here are the city documents of design 
• Little Walnut Creek park has opened up with signs - now we have to get funding to develop plans and improve it. (here is the city request for rezoning)
• We have had some success at least to make the city understand how underserved this entire EMLK region is. I am hopeful that in 2018 budget we will see some changes.

• Priority  #3: Identify the CIP projects for each of the planning regions
• Last year in 2016 we identified 15 projects - 5 from each region. It was rejected by the city because we were about 1 week late in submission. This is funny because city could not open a park in our region for 15 years. I brought it to the notice of the mayor and council member. If we pay taxes and get no benefits then things will have to change. 
• Please see the attached link to the CIPs - we need to update this list and send it out by october (link)

• Priority #4: Focus around the code next for the changes to East MLK region.
• The revised map is coming out in the next month (Sept 15) I believe then we have to together visit this issues with city to understand what happens to the existing overlays which is destroying much parts of EMLK region.

• Priority #5: Participate and mediate in development discussions in the EMLK region.
• Most developments have bypassed us because of the overlays which provides enormous development opportunities (with 65% or more impervious coverage) without building any or minimal infrastructure. As a planning contact team this is one of our primary duties. (I have requested our council member multiple times to address this issue (link)
• Flooding is a real problem from run-offs and 950 acres of land was converted to high density build-up without any infrastructure (link) . Please see the presentation from COA watershed department (link 1, link 2)
• The challenges with individual houses (like Mark Jackson's property) have not been addressed adequately.  

• Priority #6: Fix meeting dates and venue
• I have done a very poor job on this. I am now proposing the following future dates. I am sending another email on the dates and venue shortly.

• Priority #7: Improve Communication and provide multiple channels of communication
• We are communicating through email. (which is least efficient)
• I also have a blog (link) where we store all information regarding meetings.
• We have a shared google Drive (link)
• We have used www.change.org to get support for the EMLK Hike and Bike Trail (link)
• We are using next-door as often as possible
• The current google-group cannot be administered due to technical reason so I am trying to create a new google group.(link)
• Since now we have better representation from the neighborhood association so I am hoping our information will be distributed through the various NAs.

​Please sign the change.org (link) if you agree that we need the EMLK hike and Bike trail. ​

Work in Hogpen Area - east of Webberville Road - Susan Tingley

SIDEWALKS  We are requesting completion of sidewalks on one side of the street along Delano from Hudson to Fort Branch, Eleanor from Fort Branch to Hudson, new sidewalk on Hudson from Delano to Eleanor, and repair of sidewalk along Eleanor from Hudson to the end of Eleanor.  Please see 2 attachments, one showing existing sidewalks, and one showing proposed.  Charlie Duncan is making another map showing sidewalks plus the proposed Community Garden and connection trail/bridge.  Contact Susan Tingley 919 656-2576 or susantinglee@gmail.com.  I have taken some leadership on this, so please contact me regarding sidewalks.  We were hoping that existing funds are available for this project without it being a Partnership Project. 

COMMUNITY GARDEN    There is a very new group working on a proposed Partnership Project to create a Community Garden at the cul-de-sac on Eleanor.  There is city property there because of a 25 year flood plain.  It is a beautiful site!  Please see attached photos.  Larry Henson919 270-4691 larrywhenson@gmail.com and Hunter Feagin hfeagin03@gmail.com are the contacts for this project.  We have learned that the city is doing a feasibility study for a hike-bike bridge connection between neighborhoods that would allow an entirely different neighborhood (SANA) to participate in the garden, should it be done.  We are very excited and supportive of this project.    

SPRINGDALE PARK CONNECTION TO LINCOLN GARDENS / HOG PEN NEIGHBORHOOD     Springdale Park is now quite inaccessible to our neighborhood.  We see a strong need for a connective hike/bike bridge to be built to provide access to this park.  The City of Austin EMLK Combined Neighborhood Plan lists many improvements needed to this park, including this access.  There are two city owned properties that could connect from Fort Branch Blvd to the Park so there is a choice available.  Right now the Fort Branch Creek banks are steep and cliff-like making a bridge necessary.  Pinaki Ghosh pinaki@utexas.edu and Susan Tingley susantinglee@gmail.com are contacts for this project.  Please see the attachment entitled "InkedSidewalk Request Plan" that shows the two possible bridge connections in purple.

RED BLUFFS    Our brand new nature preserve, just voted upon by city council, will be wonderful access to nature, hiking, natural history, neighborhood connectivity, and needed open space in east Austin.  We are so proud to be a part of its development.  It currently needs trail development and ideally an connection to the Little Walnut Creek Bike Trail.  Contact people include Pete Riveraatxdrywallandpainting@yahoo.com and Ali Ronder alironder@gmail.com.

  

BIKE / HIKE CONNECTION BETWEEN LOTT AVE AND ELEANOR AT COMMUNITY GARDENS     While at an EMLK contact team meeting on June 20, we learned that the city was doing a study on a possible connection between two east Austin neighborhoods that now have no connectivity.  That is a hike-bike bridge connection between Lott Ave and the dead-end cul-de-sac at the south end of Eleanor St.  This was wonderful news.   Not only would it provide for neighborhood transportation and connectivity, it would provide strong access to a Community Garden now being planned at the cul-de-sac at Eleanor St.  We are extremely  supportive of this proposal and would welcome information on it and would like to champion it.  We do not have a leader on this yet, although you can communicate with myself or the Hog Pen Neighborhood Association or the SANA.    

Contact Team planning meeting for July 10th at 7.pm at St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

·                     What is a contact team?

·                     Contact/Distribution Lists:

• Build Contact Lists for specific items and/or general
• Best method?  I.e. Google contacts?
• Communication channel with NAs
• Input from NAs for CIPs
• Communication to broader community - Syndication of information
• Specific items
• EMLK Connectivity Project
• Red Bluff
• Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt
• Morris Williams Trail
• Springdale Park
• General

·                     Soliciting support from the attached neighborhoods associations and other active organizations - a plan of action

• identification of the neighborhoods and reachout
• get CIP and other inputs

·                     Review East MLK NPCT Bylaws w/Comments and Membership list

·                     Shared cloud based drive for collaborating on the EMLK Contact Teams various projects

Minutes of Meeting

Minutes

Combined Meeting on July 10, 2017 at the St. James Episcopal Church:  MLK Neighborhood Association with the MLK Contact Team

Attendees: Andrew Bucknall, Dianna Dean, John Nyfeler, Pete Riviera, Ursula A. Carter, Dorothy Alexander, Brenda Alexander, Tyson Brown, Julie Haush, Joel Bell, J.M. Meador, Melonie Dixon, Freddie Dixon, Annette, Seoanes, Pinaki Ghosh,

 

Discussion Items

1.     Role of the Contact Team

a.     Capitol Improvement Projects

b.     Can help to advocate on behalf of neighborhood associations for various causes/concerns

c.      Would like to enter into a collaborative effort with MLK Neighborhood Association and other neighborhood associations

2.     Future land use map

3.     Capitol Improvement Project (bond funded and budget allocation)

4.     Planning process

a.     Flood prone

b.     Zoning issues

5.     City comes up w/ CIPs

6.     Will Code Next do away with contact teams?  Is this what the City wants to do?

7.     Code Next

a.      lack of outreach to the affected communities

b.     failure to use language that is understandable by the average person

c.      increased density concerns, such as, the allowance of cottage lot designation (*See below letter sent by Mr. Pinaki Gnosh).

d.     flooding concerns

e.     need to push the finalization of Code Next past its current deadline  of April 2018, to allow for input by most affected communities

8.     90% impervious cover issue

9.     CIP needs to be changed

10. Developers heavy with campaign money that influences city council persons

11. Copy of neighborhood plans is online

12. Items that the contact team asked the MLK Neighborhood Association for its support on

a.     Walnut Creek Park closed----àWant to open up as parkland designation----àTHOSE IN ATTENDANCE WERE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS

b.     South – Red Bluff/Go Valle area---àOpen up as parkland designation---à THOSE IN ATTENDANCE WERE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS

c.      Springdale Park….near Sims…….---àMaintain as parkland designation --àTHOSE IN ATTENDANCE WERE IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS

d.     Run a hike/bike trail through the Morris Williams Golf Course-à THOSE IN ATTENDANCE WERE NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS

13. Those in attendance were for working with the MLK Contact Team on items a, b, and c BUT NOT ON RUNNING A HIKE/BIKE TRAIL THROUGH THE MORRIS WILLIAMS GOLF COURSE.

14. Discussion about the problems with running a hike/bike trail through the golf course ensued and whether or not a study had been done on how heavily trafficked such a trail through the golf course might be.  No study has been done.

15. Lengthy discussion about the history of East Austin, including past forced racial segregation East of IH35, plus the lack of majority political power will or caring to do anything about substandard quality of life (neglected peoples, properties, and living conditions) until present day gentrification and displacement of historical racial groups.  Also mentioned was the Mueller Division, its living properties, its overcrowded HEB, its swimming pools and other facilities, and their extremely limited access (socioeconomically and otherwise) to and relevance for the traditionally historical surrounding community and its members.

16. Next MLK/McKinley Heights Neighborhood Association meeting scheduled for August 7, 2017 at 7 pm.  Place to be announced. 

17. All invited to American Red Cross Bldg (2216 Pershing Dr.) on August 8^th at 7 pm arranged by the JJ Seabrook NA where there will be a short presentation on loans available to those who qualify for home repair. This can also include renters who may want to pass on this information to Landlords

EMLK Contact Team Meeting for June 20th at 7.pm at St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville Road

Hello Everybody,

We will EMLK Planning Contact Team meeting on June 20th at the St. James Episcopal Church at Webberville road at 7.00pm

topics

1. A presentation from public works department on La loma Trail Design - (30 min)
We are requesting Kevin Sweat from Public Works Department (we will request Kevin listen to #2 and #3 so that we can get some good suggestion from him)

Please bring your questions about sidewalks and other public works topics.

2. Status of Redbluff nature reserve - what's next step? - Pete Rivera (10 min)

3. Status of Little Walnut Creek - How we can help moving forward? Andrea Beleno/Tyson (10 min)

4. Update on trail through Morris Williams Golf course - Tyson Brown (10 min)

5. Patrick Russell on how to gather data for EMLK region for various projects (10 min)

6.EMLK strategies and requests to city council (pinaki will provide a list and we will have a discussion)

7. planning for CIPs (let's give it another try - last year inputs from 150 people were rejected because we were few days late.) - Pinaki Ghosh

Last time we had 4 people in the meeting - the city employees come to our meetings and it's a privilege for us. I will request more people to join the meetings. We can't complain if we don't participate.

thanks
Pinaki

Code next EMLK View

Like many of your I have tried to go through the Code-next document - here are some of my views based on my experience. I am posting it here in the blog - please feel free to add comments. I will also post it in next-door.

There is a presentation from Linda Bailey here 

in general you can find everything about code next here

Some city employees (and they are fellow Austin residents, like Greg, Jorge) are working very hard on this over and above their existing work duties so we will try to respect their ideas and views  and be cognizant of their hard work.

Goal: At the End of August we from EMLK Planning Contact team would like to provide city development a succinct advisory document from EMLK region providing our concerns in a factual basis to help them with developing a new code for the city of Austin, which it needs. So this write up is focused towards EMLK area and you can find the map here.

• A lot of the city will be up-zoned and they are up in arms about that (and rightly) but in east side we have been exposed to much worse condition through something called cottage lots and allows 65 to 70% impervious coverage without any  consideration for run-offs. (isn't that funny) 

• In 2011, 950 acres of land in EMLK area was converted to high-density property without any consideration to infrastructure (compare that with the infrastructure developed for Mueller) - this was done because anything goes in east Austin.

• EMLK also receives the run-off from Mueller free of charge.

• So the EMLK area has already been heavily affected by high density development which is code next will be dealing with in the next few years.

Separation of Concerns

There are 3 separate items which we are often combining as one.  My next set of statements will be based on these 3 separate concerns.

1. Rewriting the code to help planners and citizens navigate and make the development code usable
2. Rezoning various parts of the city with new zones/codes but under existing density model
3. Up zoning of various parts of the city

One of the primary challenge is that city management is trying to solve all the concerns together. This makes the job much more difficult

Concern #1 Rewriting code

Facts

1. This is "form" land development code (land under cities jurisdiction and not ETJ)
2. In-fact city is working on 3 different code structures to align to different parts of the city based on density and form.
3. This is mostly rearranging or all the building codes (under Chapter 25 now) to pervasively include all the ordinances passed by city in the last 20 years.
4. This also indexes the code in a way that uses (planners and citizens) do not  have to be a rocket scientist to read city code.
5. Removes a lot of  the conflicts that remains through various ordinances which creates thousands of overlays (density vs. neighborhood character preservation etc.)
6. We need this because the current code is so complicated and has so many loop-holes that you can virtually destroy your neighbor's house or flood your neighbor's house with immunity
7. We need to provide tools to city planners which is usable

Counter facts (which is different from "alternate facts")

1. With today's computing power the entire ordnance, zoning overlays can be brought to the fingertips of the planner by 10 ways. (in-fact most of it can become computer generated so human opinion becomes secondary and for review purposes only)
2. A form based code requires much more planning and development sophistication at approval level because you need to compare various 3D models - think about a code inspector going through form based code and making a judgement call on it - God have mercy on us)
3. A city which does not accept electronic submissions in most cases attaining such sophistication takes quite a bit of time
4. As old conflicts go away about a million new conflicts will arise on form based coding (like …)
5. Deed Restrictions are still valid and can be challenged in court - dragging the publication of the code for years.

Concern# 2 Rezoning of the city

Facts

1. When city creates the new set of zone then it needs to be applied to the city
2. This deployment of new zones has nothing to do with the up-zoning (now that you can build 4 houses instead of 2 houses)
3. We are moving to a form based code which takes into account the 3 dimensional forms of a house which calls for a complete new set of design concerns  - this will call for complete new set of building inspection and home inspection process.

Counter facts (which is different from "alternate facts")

1. With today's computing power the entire ordnance, zoning overlays can be brought to the fingertips of the planner by 10 ways. (in-fact most of it can become computer generated so human opinion becomes secondary and for review purposes only)

Concern# 3 Up-zoning of the city

Facts

1. This is completely up to city council to decide
2. The EMLK region has been up zoned without any input from the residents since 2011 when 950 acres of land was changed to high density development without any concern for infrastructure.
3. In 2002 most planning regions of east side was forced to opt into cottage lots which allows about 65% impervious coverage and has been one of the most

Counter-Facts

1. I have provided a set of questions which you may want to read but this is for district 1 in general. (link)
2. The phrase risk mitigation does not exist any where - which should be of concern

Missing

What is missing is "innovation" to empower the citizen and young entrepreneurs, like small builders. 

1. The word "Risk " does not exist in codenext - the great advantage is that is there is no risk there will be certainly no risk mitigation.
2. Infrastructure design has also been put off
3. Drainage and run-off plan - think about the development effort it took in Mueller to mitigate some of the drainage issues - now extrapolate it to the entire city. There will be flooding which will primarily destroy the existing pier and beam houses and older houses.
4. Use of software to create a more readable -code. In today's world with large computing power instead of rewriting the code we can cross-reference things and index codes properly to make it use friendly. We call this guided procedure in computer world and is almost used universally
5. This code puts the entry point in the market to a much cost - which means small builders with smaller capital will have less option. - There should be options like tiny houses, neighborhood RV parks so that people in the lower end of the financial spectrum can also join the game.