Alamo Alamo Heights Heights… · news for the residents of alamo heights Heights It’s Never We had some good friends over for dinner. Although I love their company, I’d put off

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Alamo Heights 09'ER

Issue 1, Volume 11November, 2010

Alamo

news for the residents of alamo heights

Heights

It’s Never We had some good friends over for dinner. Although I love their

company, I’d put off inviting them over because they are vegans. As you know vegans don’t eat meat or any animal products, no dairy, no eggs, no fish. All of which are big staples of my company cooking capabilities. And you just can’t throw a big plate of salad in front of people and call it a meal. What little I know about being vegan is that you have to get your complete protein from the simultaneous consumption of beans and rice.

Hmmm. The truth was, I was venturing into unfamiliar territory and I was scared.

Finally, I called them and we settled on the date, trusting on faith that somehow I could come up with a menu I could manage. I did. I made my best cabbage rolls using black beans instead of lamb or ground chuck. That along with some tabouli, hummus, baba ganoush and olives actually made a meal.

And it turned out pretty good, even if I do say so myself. My recipe is probably not going to make the vegan version of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it was edible. And the great conversation and pleasure of their company more than made up for any lack in my personal culinary skills.

As I was cleaning up I thought about how silly it had been for me to be so nervous. If my dinner had been totally inedible, we would have munched on bread and eaten olives. We would have all had a good laugh at my expense and that would be the worse.

But I guess the thing is, sometimes imagining the worst can just get completely out of hand. The worst takes on a stature that seems like a tremendous life changing armageddon. Terrible things do happen, but in truth they are so rare.

I have a dear young man in my life whom I love and admire deeply. He’s spent the last few years and more than a few dollars trying to bring to life a business that he really loves and believes in. Troubled times, tight credit, bad luck, it just hasn’t happened.

Now, disappointed and probably a little disgusted, he’s worried about supporting his wife and kids, anxious about paying the mortgage. Maybe even angry that hard work doesn’t always pay off. That sometimes despite careful planning and diligent efforts, the elements of success don’t readily come together. I guess it’s really a wonder that they ever do.

I think if he were to ask my advice, I’d suggest that he take a step backward. The way I see it, who you are is infinitely more important than what you do. Career is not the definition of life. Life is spouse and family, friends and community. It’s the human connections that you make in this world while you still can.

Not that work isn’t important. A smart guy with a quick mind will always have to be striving. But success is not the end all, it is the means to an end. We are obligated to use our skills and talents to provide for ourselves, our kids and those around us in need. As the bible puts it, (Luke 12:46) “to whom much is given, much is required.” Or as my Okie oilpatch dad would have said, “Do the best you can with the tools you’ve got.”

Setbacks and stumbling blocks are the fodder from which creativity and ingenuity are made. Giving into ear or cynicism is just a waste of time. Sooner or later we’ve all got to man-up, or woman-up, and face the necessity of altering the recipe. Keeping clear that dinner with friends is never about the food.

Submitted by Pamela Morsi . Morsi is a USAToday Bestselling novelist who lives in Alamo Heights

About The Food

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artIcle INfo The Alamo Heights 09'ER is mailed monthly to all Alamo Heights residents. Residents, community groups, churches, etc. are welcome to include information about their organizations in the newsletter. Personal news for the Stork Report, Teenage Job Seekers, recipes, special celebrations, and birthday announcements are also welcome. To submit an article for the Alamo Heights 09'ER please email it to [email protected]. The deadline is the 20th of the month prior to the issue.

EMERGENCY .................................................................911Fire/EMS (Non Emergency) .................................... 824-1281Police (Non-Emergency) ......................................... 822-3321Police Administration Office ................................... 822-6433Police Investigations ................................................ 822-2164 cItY HallAdministration ........................................................ 822-3331Taxes ....................................................................... 882-1502Water ...................................................................... 882-1507Court Clerk ............................................................. 882-1501Public Works ........................................................... 882-1518Community Development ...................................... 826-0516

caaH mission statmentCAAH is dedicated to maintaining and improving our

quality of life, sense of community, and pride in our urban neighborhoods by promoting goodwill and community spirit in an atmosphere of friendliness, cooperation, and fun; and to prepare our City for the future, while preserving and protecting our history.

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Over the past 6 months residents from Alamo Heights along with City Staff members have been planning a community garden. They have had presentations from Green Spaces Alliance and visited the River Road community garden to get ideas and learn how to plan a successful garden. We have had one Boy Scout build an irrigation system and bench for his Eagle Scout project, and another Boy Scout is planning his Eagle Scout project in support of the garden. The goals of the garden are to build a sense of community and develop new friendships. Additionally, it will serve as a source of education for both adults and children on how to grow healthy fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The location that is being proposed to City Council is at the corner of Acacia Street and Ogden Lane. It is about a ½ acre site that is perfect because it receives full sun most of the day. Upon approval, the costs for the initial start-up will be through a $5,000 grant received by the city; no additional funding from the city will be required. The plan for garden calls for raised vegetables beds, fruit trees, native flowers, composting, connection to the community trails and much more.

Participation is open to all Alamo Heights residents; if you are interested please contact Gregg Chislett at [email protected].

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response to anatomy of an electionAt the time of the May 2010 city council election, I was the

campaign treasurer for the Alamo Heights Neighborhood Committee (AHNC), which provided support in that election for candidates Weser, Prassel and Savage. In the October 2010 issue of the Alamo Heights 09’ER, former city council member Mr. Bill Kiel wrote an article about the May 8, 2010 council election entitled “Anatomy of an Election”. Anatomical accuracy is only as good as the dissection! The information on all personal and community campaign contributions is available as a matter of public record and is required of all candidates. The insinuation made in the prior article that there were dark and sinister forces somehow at work in the election can be seen as unfounded upon a review of the open record. The use of the word “outside” by Mr. Kiel, with respect to contributions, is misleading, and only means in reality that it is not the candidate’s personal funds, but in this case, campaign contributions to the candidates made by neighbors and local private citizens. The prior writer apparently feels it is much better to self-fund political campaigns than to accept donations from private citizens. I would strongly disagree, since where would American politics be today if it were only the rich, who can afford to underwrite the full costs of their own political ambitions, that were allowed to run for office? Another possibility that the author fails to consider is that the incumbents

and Ms. Bettac were forced to primarily self-fund due to a lack of donations from their own base of supporters. Contrary to the author’s unfounded assertion, broad-based, grass roots campaigns financed by interested citizens are far more preferable than those paid for by an elite few. Even taking that into account, the most interesting financial information resides in the amount spent by the candidates in their election campaigns. The combined expenditures of Bettac and incumbents Souter and Harwell were $15,612.00, compared with the combined expenditures (inclusive of the AHNC) of Prassel, Weser and Savage of $8,233.00. Thus the Souter, Harwell and Bettac campaigns outspent the three other, winning candidates by nearly two to one! Therefore, the money spent on the election can not account for the outcome, and one must look elsewhere for why citizens voted the way they did.

Without even discussing the merits of Prassel, Weser or Savage, certainly the issues associated with the Proposition 1 bond election 7 months previously, was of paramount importance. In November 2009, 70% of the voters defeated that bond issue in what was a high turnout election for Alamo Heights, drawing nearly one third of all eligible voters. Souter, Harwell and Bettac are on record for their respective support of Proposition 1 and the expense of building an

(Continued on Page 5)

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DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser.* The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising.* Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction.* Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

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entire new city hall complex. Prior to his sudden resignation from the city council just before the Proposition 1 election, Mr. Kiel was considered Proposition 1’s chief proponent on council. During their election campaigns, Prassel, Weser and Savage, speaking with hundreds of citizens on their block walking routes, noted that this issue was still in the minds of many citizens, continuing a divide in our community.

During the campaign, Souter, Harwell and Bettac declined to participate in the only public forum offered to all of the candidates in which they could respond to questions asked by an impartial moderator. Bettac and Harwell also declined to submit responses to questions asked of all six candidates which subsequently was to be published unedited and widely distributed in a neighborhood newsletter.

The above comments represent a few important additions to the “anatomy” of the election. The citizens of Alamo Heights undoubtedly will watch the current city council closely and judge how they oversee the management and well being of their city. Be assured that council election campaigns will continue to be more sophisticated, but should still nevertheless focus on records of performance and achievement.

Submitted by: Thomas S. HarmonCampaign Treasurer, Alamo Heights Neighborhood Committee

Response to Anatomy of an Election - (Continued from Page 4)

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provision on Height -Charter Amendment

Why do we need a height provision in the charter? How does this benefit Alamo Heights?

Alamo Heights has always been a city of residential neighborhoods. The commercial strip along Broadway and Austin Highway are bounded by homes, some nearly 100 years old. Large, tall buildings will threaten the existence of these neighborhoods and put stress on the City’s services, like water, police, fire and EMS. Adjacent neighborhoods will experience economic destabilization and the elimination of affordable housing from our city will likely occur. Over the last 25 years there have been numerous proposals to build high rise structures in Alamo Heights, including twin 25 story towers in the early 1990’s in the TMI area. This proposal was rejected but others have been approved. In all cases opposition was strong. Today, large buildings up to 20 stories, have been built at or near the boundaries of our city. Alamo Heights is an attractive target for developers of large buildings. The Provision On Height amendment provides the voters with the sole power to grant exceptions to heights above 40 feet on a case-by-case basis. The residents of Alamo Heights will benefit by maintaining control over the development of their city while protecting the City’s residential character, beauty and charm.

What does the Provision on Building Height amendment do?It provides for voters to approve all future building heights that would

exceed 40 feet to the mid point of the roof. Existing buildings are exempt

How is it different from today?Today, a vote of only three council members may grant a Special

Use Permit (SUP) for building heights that would exceed 40 feet to the midpoint of the roof.

How does the proposed amendment affect current zoning heights?

The amendment would not alter any zoning heights in effect today.

Is it possible to exceed 40 feet if the amendment is approved? An exception can be granted only if City Council submits

an applicant’s request to a charter referendum and the voters approve the project.

Could a developer force the city to have a charter referendum vote for a project?

No. The Council , of its own motion, must first approve a charter referendum to be placed before voters and only within the provisions of Texas State Law.

Are the voters approving zoning changes?No. The voters are defining provisions in the charter for the power

to allow specific exceptions to building height.

Are certain structures exempt, like steeples? Yes. Spires attached to a building for which no human occupancy is designed are exempt. Other exemptions include water towers, utility service structures and existing buildings that exceed 40 feet to the midpoint of the roof. For more information or requests to sign the petition please contact: [email protected]

fertilizer: Fact of Plant Life or Fiction?

Soon the advertisements will be in every form of media – newspaper, TV and radio. All will tout the same message. “Purchase fertiizer now!” But does the marketing accurately express the need?

Research demonstrates that all plants including grass, shrubs and trees, use nutrients applied in the fall more efficiently and to greater effect than those applied in spring and summer. This is especially relevant to nitrogen, the nutrient most critical to plant growth. So, our landscape plants need nitrogen, right?

Yes, but very little as long as you practice proper gardening techniques:

• Warm season grasses require 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually; clippings from properly cut grass produce about that much.

• Woody plants require about the same amount of nitrogen, but their larger root systems provide more opportunities to extract it from the soil. Leaves mulched and left on the ground provide about the same amount of nitrogen annually.

• Carbon is necessary for microbial energy. So add compost to the lawn once a year and mulch to beds in May and September.

Vegetables are another story and best left for a future article. If your life is now bland and gray because you’ve discovered fertilizers could be unnecessary, then use organic products with less than 8 percent nitrogen and enjoy life again.

By Mark A. Peterson. Peterson is a project coordinator for San Antonio Water System.

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