Over 50 residents attended November’s meeting of the Hillcrest Town Council last night to review past work and share ideas to improve the community in the upcoming year. Topics and issues of interest were: a vintage streetcar project connecting downtown & uptown; parking; traffic, pedestrian & bicycle safety; social activities; public restrooms; homelessness & panhandling; noise (from both sirens & businesses); residents & businesses working together; maintaining Hillcrest’s character while making the neighborhood better.
2010 updates from committees included Tim Gahagan, chair of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee (NIC) reported on the clean ups after Pride and Mardi Gras in addition to efforts to remove graffiti. This year the NIC group coordinated the printing of a sign to encourage residents to pick up after their pets. Tim presented Ranger Carole Rukstelis with a L.I.O.N. (Let’s Improve Our Neighborhood) Award for her commitment to nurturing Cypress Canyon (shown). AnnD Canavan, founder of the Hillcrest Goes Greener committee, talked about bringing green solutions to the town council in addition to surveys on parking and green issues. Rich Gorin reported on the achievements of the Development Committee. The group created a set of design guideline principles shared at the community plan update meetings. Luke Terpstra told the audience about the HTC responding to neighbor Filbert Vigil’s concern that a 100-year-old tree on his street would be cut down for city improvements. (It looks as if the tree will now be saved.) Luke then shared that a committee of HTC members tackled the bothersome off ramp at 163 north & Robinson Avenue. Two city traffic engineers met with the committee last week and came up with some possible solutions.
Bruce Bielaski finished the evening with a recap of 2010 HTC topics then presented three motions including support for the HTC’s participation in the reform of the Uptown Partnership and having the HTC write a letter of support to the city regarding the HBA’s Farmers Market (both motions received unanimous support). The final action item was to support Uptown Planner Leo Wilson’s filing of a complaint for an alleged code violation by Burger Lounge. It passed with a vote of 19-4. The HTC meeting in December will be dark. (Everyone is welcome to join the HHG’s holiday potluck that night.)
