Steiner Ranch Information Blog

I have seen it four or five times now always in the same spot near the entrance at Country Trails and Quinlan Park. I know U-Verse is in Bella Mar and the newer parts of Steiner, is Rio Mesa next?

Mark your calenders now…

On Saturday, August 22^nd local businesses and organizations will host the 2^nd annual Steiner Summer Concert in the Park. The event will be held at Towne Square from 5:30 to 9 and feature the band Lost in Austin. There will be activities and entertainment for the entire family as well as food and beverage for sale from area restaurants, with the exception of alcohol. You may also bring your own refreshments but please no glass containers. Lawn chairs, blankets, umbrellas and anything else to provide shelter from the summer sun are encouraged.

Have your child’s safety seat checked by a certified technician
If your seat is too old, or does not meet child safety seat standards it may need to be replaced.
Children should be with the parent or other adult caregiver during the inspection.
PLEASE CLEAR ITEMS FROM VECHICLES TO ALLOW TECHNICIANS ACCESS TO THE CHILD SAFETY SEATS
Sponsored by:
Austin-Travis County EMS
Lake Travis Fire Rescue Station 605
Wag-A-Bag
and
Texans In Motion-Kids In Safety Seats Project

Funded in part by the Texas Department of Transportation
Monday, June 22, 2009
FROM
10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
By Appointment Only
(Last Appointment is 12:30pm) Call Shelly at 512-694-4586 to make an appointment.

Fire Station #605
3048 Steiner Ranch Blvd.
Austin, TX 78732

Link here.

I still have not been, yet… when we do go out we go by ourselves to Hudson’s or someplace more infant friendly. What do people think after more than half a year of the steakhouse being in business?

Update: Check the comments… it was kind of a false alarm, but still tell your kids to be wary of strangers.

Got this post from an email:

I am a Girl Scout Leader, a mother to 3 children, a substitute teacher and volunteer with LWBE, and a friend to many residents here in Steiner Ranch.  I received a disturbing phone call this afternoon and I need to pass along this warning to ALL of my friends.  I hope you will pass it along as well.  As we enter the summer break from school, the children will be spending more time outdoors, and at times will be unattended by an adult.  It is important that we remind them to stay alert to STRANGERS and make sure the children know what to do in case someone does approach them.  The more people we alert, the safer our children will be.

Two siblings from LWBE were walking home from school today where Grandma was waiting for them.  The boy just finished 5th grade and arrived about a minute before his 3rd grade sister, who is in my Brownie troop.  The family happens to live behind the gates on Country Trails Road, and have a security camera installed on their home facing the driveway.  A newer model maroon Chevy pickup truck with either an extra door or an extended cab, and grey running boards,  pulled up to the home just a few seconds after the boy arrived home and had entered the house through the front door.  The driver of the truck was a white man, in his 40s, with a medium build and dark hair with a bald spot in the back.  He exited the truck and walked around the home, seeming to look for the boy.  He got back into the truck and was pulling out when the 9 year old girl arrived home.

He asked, “Do you need a ride anywhere?”

She shook her head and replied “No!” and kept walking.

The girl reports that she thought he was just a maintenence worker leaving her house so she wasn’t immediately alarmed, however he didn’t leave so she got spooked and ran into her home.  It is unclear to me whether he exited the car again at this time or not, but she was smart to run away.  It appears that he was interested in these children, and I am so thankful they were able to safely get into their home.   The police were informed and have viewed the video.

We live in a nice *bubble* here in Steiner, but this is a very frightening reminder that we cannot fool ourselves into thinking an abduction can’t happen here.  I am so thankful that the children knew what to do and were able to get home safely.  Please remind your children to stay vigilant and be alert to anyone in their neighborhoods that they do not know.  They should NEVER approach a strange car, they do NOT have to answer to a stranger, and its generally best if they are with a buddy and not alone.

Please forward this to anyone here in Steiner that you can so we can all be on the lookout for this maroon Chevy pickup truck with an adult white male driver in his 40s with black balding hair.  The truck bed did NOT contain a lock box or tool box.  If you happen to see anyone meeting this description call 911 and alert the police.  I hope you all have a safe and fun summer break — keep your children (and your neighbor’s children) aware of stranger danger and remind them of what they should do if approached by someone they do not know.

Petition link here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SRfacilityuse

Can you imagine our community without some of the groups that make it so desirable?  For example,  what would Steiner Ranch be like if there were no soccer or football teams using our fields, no tennis leagues using our courts, no swim team using our pool?  The result might be that it is easier for individuals to use certain facilities.  But we would also lose a big part of what makes our community a great place to live.  There are certain procedures in place within our Home Owners Associations (SRMA and SRROA) to make sure that when a group is approved to  use a facility, that group will be a positive enhancement to our community.  This ensures that there is a balance between the benefits of allowing teams  a level of exclusive access to certain facilities versus the inconvenience to individual homeowners when those facilities are unavailable.  We understand that it can be frustrating when a certain tennis court or athletic field is not available, or the Bella Mar pool is crowded/closed due to swim team.  It is important that our HOAs have the ability to evaluate and make decisions that is best for our community as a whole by designating certain facilities for team sports.

The SRMA board is currently faced with the dilemma of a few individuals complaining because a group is using one of our facilities.  This group is made up of Steiner Ranch residents who have followed all existing procedures and rules to determine use of the facility.   The SRMA is thinking about rescinding or amending the agreement made to that group about the use of the facility based on an individual complaint where the individual feels inconvenienced because the group is being allowed to use the facility.

We would like to express our support for designating certain facilities for team use.  For example, the courts at Town Center are better suited for team tennis due to the number of courts (4) and their proximity to one another. There are two other sets of tennis courts that would be open to use.  The pool at Bella Mar was designed to be a competition swim pool and therefore would be the preferred choice for neighborhood swim teams.  There are three other neighborhood pools available for the homeowners.  If you would like to show your support, click on the following link to sign a petition which will be sent to the HOA so that they understand that the general community supports their ability to uphold contracts they have put in place for the overall good of the neighborhood.  We do not support breaking of a contract solely based on a few homeowners when there has been no violation of the contract.

Got this from Bonnie Martin the Education Co-Chair of the Travis County Master Gardeners Association

Rainwater Harvesting for Your Garden

Saturday, June 13, 2009
10am-Noon
Riverplace Country Club
4207 River Place Blvd
Austin TX 78730

Come enjoy a free seminar concentrating on capturing rainwater and lowering water usage in your landscape.  This session will teach you all the basics on building a non-potable rainwater harvesting system.

In addition, learn about rain gardens which capture valuable rainwater in your landscape. Vendors representing tank and gutter companies will be available to answer specific questions.  City of Austin representatives will be available to answer permit and rebate questions.  This seminar is free and open to the public and does not require reservations.

Becoming A Garden Detective:  Diagnosing Plant Problems

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
7-9pm
Steiner Ranch Towne Square Community Center
12550 Country Trails Lane
Austin 78732

Just when you think you’ve done everything right by your plants, one of them starts to go downhill.  One of the biggest challenges for gardeners is correctly diagnosing plant problems and finding effective, safe solutions.  Is your plant dying because of an insect, environmental or disease problem?  Join us to learn the causes of plant problems, the process for diagnosing plant problems, and preventive garden management techniques.  This class is free and open to the public.  A plant clinic will run during the seminar to help you diagnose current problems so please bring samples of problem plants.

These seminars are free, open ot the public, and require no reservations.  They are presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. For more details, see http://www.tcmastergardeners.org or call the Travis County Master Gardener’s help desk at (512) 854-9600.

Got this from Kelly Peel.

The Steiner Ranch HOA, in Austin Texas has chosen Peel, Incorporated to produce their monthly newsletter the Ranch Record.

Since 2006 Peel, Inc. has published The Star, a newsletter for the Steiner Ranch community, while the HOA has produced the Ranch Record through another publisher. The Steiner Ranch HOA and Peel, Inc. have decided to combine their efforts and provide one single newsletter for the community.

Peel, Inc. will take over publication of the Ranch Record, the official newsletter for the Steiner Ranch HOA, effective with the July 2009 issue.

All pre-paid advertising contracts with Peel, Inc. will carry over from The Star into the Ranch Record.

For advertising information please call 1-888-687-6444 or visit www.PEELinc.com.

The deadline to reserve ad space for the July issue will be June 10th.

This came to me from a fellow Steiner Rancher… I’m glad she mentioned this because it’s very important!!

It is getting to be that time of year where the extreme heats sets in and the Texas summer is in full swing. Please, please, please be *very* conscious about the time of day you are walking your dog and the common signs for heat related illnesses in animals. We all love our pooches and want to give them the exercise they need but it is just simply too hot during most normal hours (9am – 7pm) during the months of June – September. I see many dogs on Quinlan Park showing many of the common signs of heat exhaustion. Just because your beloved pet survived the recent run or walk does not mean they will again. We have outstanding trails which are much cooler not to mention access to a beautiful and quite refreshing lake. Please think about these options as your consider how you will exercise your pet for the day. Here are some helpful links that outline common warning signs:

Heatstroke

SPCA Tips

Got this from Donny:

Steiner Ranch HOA is currently looking for bands and musicians from within the community who are interested in performing at a fun music event later this summer.  This will be our own little SXSW or Austin City Limits festival, featuring the talent of Steiner Ranch residents.  We have scheduled a date of Saturday Sept. 26th for our first annual “Steiner-Palooza”, which we will be staging at the Bella Mar community center.  This will be a family-friendly event where residents can kick back by the pool, and enjoy live music performed by our local community talents.  Musicians should be residents of Steiner Ranch, (at least one member, for bands), and capable of performing anywhere from 20-40 mins of material in front of an audience.  All styles of music are welcome.  To reserve a spot on the bill, please contact Donny Payjack by e-mail at devildog66(insert “at” sign”)austin.rr.com.