City of Balcones Heights

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1 August 2008 City of Balcones Heights Serving the residents and businesses of Balcones Heights Administrative Corner City Administrator Sean Pate Things have certainly picked up here at the Justice Center this past month. The city staff and council have been working hard on the proposed budget. It s certainly been a challenge given the state our economy has been in the past several months, but rest assured the council and their staff has always made the right choices. We have completed one of our budget workshops in July and we are eagerly anticipating working towards adoption of this next year s budget in September. The city has been working with an Architectural design group in anticipation for a landscape plan for VIA s Bus Rapid Transit program. We held several workshops and even a town hall meeting and we were able to gather useful input from the public, staff, and professionals on key design criteria. Expect a special city council meeting in August where the unveiling of the design will be presented. I d like to thank the Balcones Heights CVB for sponsoring the event and the city, staff and citizens for their participation in the project. You will notice in this month s edition of the newsletter three (3) new employees. Each new employee has a spotlight complete with a picture and biography to help you get more acquainted with who they are. Judge Frank Dixon joins our staff and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge having served as a prosecutor for the District Attorney s office before entering private practice. Yolanda Martinez joins our staff as Deputy Municipal Court Clerk after serving the City of Castle Hills in the same capacity. Jeanna Murphy joins our staff as Finance Clerk after working with current Finance Director Yvonne Griffin in Cibolo. Look forward to seeing you at an upcoming council meeting! From the Fire Department Fire Chief Philip C. Prince As you drive throughout this city, you will notice two new building projects underway. One on Gentleman Road and one located at Crossroads and IH-10. The construction project on Gentleman Road is a new thirty-five unit apartment complex, and the project on IH-10 is a new Office Depot. Although not quite as evident or obvious to the public eye, the Tex-San Heart Hospital has begun the final stages of completing their own expansion, the completion of the third floor of the hospital. After months of planning and obtaining the pertinent building permits, these businesses are well into their endeavors. As with all new construction and changes of occupancies and ownership, these structures are all built and conform to today s codes, regulations and ordinances to make them safer for their occupants and the general public. It is always good to see new businesses and expansions of existing businesses in our City, as this exemplifies that a community is not only growing, but is also being prosperous. As always, in case of an emergency dial 911, or for information or non-emergency assistance dial or Until next month, take care of yourself and your loved ones, and stay safe.

2 Page 2 BALCONES HEIGHTS JAZZ FESTIVAL JULY 11 City council at Jazz opening Left to right: City Councilman Charlie Matthies, Mayor Suzanne DeLeon, City Councilman Miguel Valverde, and City Administrator Sean Pate at the opening night of the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival. Slim Man Left to right: Jazz Icon Slim Man and Sax Player Kevin Levy, headlined the July 11th concert. Joseph Vincelli Preannual favorite Joseph Vincelli opened the 15th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival. This was his 13th appearance at the festival. Jazz Crowd A record breaking opening night crowd enjoyed the start of the 15th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival. Balcones Heights Newsletter Mailing List If you know of anyone who lives in Balcones Heights that is not receiving the newsletter, please report their address to City Secretary, Delia Flores at (210) ext. 236.

3 Page 3 BALCONES HEIGHTS CODE ENFORCEMENT MISSION STATEMENT & POLICY Our Code Enforcement department has been established in order to maintain and improve the quality of our neighborhoods by administering an unbiased program to correct violations of zoning, property maintenance, health hazards, and building codes. Working side-by-side with our residents, neighborhoods, public service agencies and other City offices, we are here to prioritize citizen relations and the needs of the community by pledging unsurpassed support in order to promote the cooperation between residents and to provide assistance in gaining compliance within governing standards. CODE ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT Code Enforcement Officer Ron Meyers Our Code Enforcement department is also responsible for preserving the quality and value of public and private property by maintaining a decent standard of living, eliminating conditions that threaten life, safety, and general welfare of the public. For these reasons, it is our general policy to protect and promote the existence of sound and wholesome surroundings by enforcing such standards, regulations and procedures to the fullest extent of the law. A NEW CERTIFICATION When the City of Balcones Heights acquired their new Code Enforcement Officer last year, they truly received a bargain package. Together with a state mandated code enforcement license to perform the basic tasks of the position, his educational background includes a BA in business management and graduation from one of the most commonly-attended high schools in San Antonio; Louis Fox Technical High. Throughout the past twenty-five years, he has been able to gain multi-cultural experience while working for the United States Air Force as a Code Enforcement Assistant Director, a world-wide petroleum refinery corporation as a Security Specialist and First Responder, and our landlocked neighbors; the City of San Antonio as a Code Enforcement Officer. (continued on page 4)

4 Page 4 (continued from page 3) Of course, combined with these previous positions came necessary licensing requirements which have included a Texas Commission Security endorsement, a state Code Enforcement Inspector s license, a nationally-recognized First Responder certificate, and last but not least, a Department of Defense Inspector s authorization. And just within the past three months, he has been able to achieve two new official accreditations that will add to our great City s service cache. First and foremost, he is now a certified Building Official, which will allow him to perform complex structural examinations regarding new construction and project renovation management. And just this past month, he has proudly obtained one of his longsought after certifications; his Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Inspector s license. So, when you need someone to assist with answering civil-law code questions, or to perform a building inspection, or maybe help with erecting a new high-rise, even if you need to know how much the city s sewer system can convey during a rainstorm, contact him. That s why he works so hard. He loves to serve our citizens in every aspect. He s even one of them. SLAY WINS CHAMBER AWARD Balcones Heights own Madeline Anz Slay Architecture was awarded the Community Service Award at the 2008 Small Business Leaders Awards. The awards, presented by the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, were presented on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at a special luncheon at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel. Slay Architecture is housed in the former Balcones Heights City Hall building at 123 Altgelt Ave. The building also houses Slay Engineering Company, headed by Madeline s husband Michael Slay. Madeline is Chairman of the City s Planning and Zoning Committee and is a member of the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Advisors. Recently she was also honored with North Chamber s Athena Young Leadership Award for business and community service. GOOD NEWS: BALCONES HEIGHTS BEAUTIFICATION & BRANDING INITIATIVE SHOWCASED ON WOAI-TV On Thursday, July 10, 2008 Balcones Heights basked in the spotlight of positive media coverage. WOAI-TV, Channel 4, at the request of Mayor Suzanne de Leon spotlighted Balcones Heights How Do We Get There From Here initiative. The story reported on that evening s public forum on the redevelopment and beautification of Fredericksburg Road in conjunction with the VIA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The public forum, lead by consultants from Terra Design Group, solicited input from residents and businesses on how Fredericksburg could be improved. This concept phase of How Do We Get There From Here? will be completed in August, and a concept will be presented to City Council. Stay tuned for more news on this exciting project.

5 Page 5 Free Smoke Detector Program EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Councilman Place 1 Miguel C. Valverde I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Wayne Wright, an outstanding citizen and well-respected attorney, for his generous donation of free smoke detectors for Balcones Heights homeowners. He has donated thousands of free smoke detectors to the City of San Antonio and various surrounding communities as well, to insure the safety of people. I am pleased to announce the free battery operated smoke detector program is now in effect and our professional Fire Department personnel will install them at your request. To obtain this free service, call or to make arrangements. I am so proud of our firefighters; they go above and beyond their duties. A big Thank You to all firefighters who were out clearing debris around the drainage ditch, on that hot sunny afternoon, July 10, Our firefighters are eagerly willing to support our police department at crime scenes and alleviate some of the workload on our one-man maintenance department. This type of attitude and service is commendable and shows the excellent leadership we have in the BHFD. Poison Control Animal Poison Control Municipal Court Judge Dickson, Jr. Frank L. Frank Dickson graduated with honors from Texas Tech University Law School and has previously worked at the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals and as a prosecutor for Bexar and Travis Counties. He s had a solo law practice since Deputy Court Clerk Yolanda Martinez Yolanda Martinez began working in Municipal Court on June 16, 2008 as Deputy Court Clerk. Ms. Martinez comes from the City of Castle Hills where she worked in Municipal Court for two years. Finance Clerk Jeanna Murphy Jeanna Murphy began on July 8, 2008, as the new Finance Clerk. Mrs. Murphy comes from the Computer Link in Sequin where she is the co-owner. Previously, she was with the City of Cibolo for over six years, as a certified court clerk along with several other duties.

6 Page 6 DPS Warns Residents Message from our Police Department Check out alarm salespersons, installers and companies. The Texas Department of Public Safety is urging Texas residents to make sure that any alarm salesperson, company or alarm installer that they hire, is licensed by the State of Texas. We urge anyone who is considering hiring an alarm company or installer to check whether they are actually licensed in Texas, as required by state law, said Capt. RenEarl Bowie of the DPS Private Security Bureau. Alarm installers and salespersons are required to undergo a criminal background check before being licensed, to help ensure the safety of the public. The Private Security Bureau has initiated investigations in Houston and San Antonio following reports that numerous unlicensed salespersons, installers and companies have been aggressively marketing their services to residents in those cities. Other cities may also have experienced an influx of these salespeople. DPS is working with the alarm industry trade associations to investigate these claims. To check whether an alarm company is licensed in Texas, please visit the following web site: To check whether an installer is licensed in Texas, please visit the following web site:

7 Page 7 WASTE/BRUSH PICK-UP: Monday, August 4, 2008 No household hazardous waste No appliances with freon All discarded items such as old furniture, appliances, brush, etc. must be placed at curbside in front of the residence to be serviced. Items should NOT be put to the curb earlier that ten days prior to the pick-up. You can place waste/brush beginning Friday, July 25, 2008, but not later than 7:00 a.m. on Monday, August 4, Collection vehicles will pass down each street one time only. City Officials Suzanne de Leon, Mayor sdeleon@balconesheights.org Bill Johnson, Mayor Pro Tem - Councilman, Place 5 Lamar Gillian - Councilman, Place 4 lgillian@balconesheights.org Charles W. Matthies Councilman, Place 3 cmatthies@balconesheights.org Linda Pohl Councilwoman, Place 2 lpohl@balconesheights.org Miguel C. Valverde Councilman, Place 1 mvalverde@balconesheights.org Sean Pate City Administrator spate@balconesheights.org City Staff Roster, Balcones Heights Justice Center, (210) Mayor Suzanne de Leon x235 City Administrator Sean Pate x227 Finance Officer Yvonne Smith-Griffin x243 City Treasurer Roy Miller x244 City Secretary Delia Flores x236 Municipal Court Clerk Yvonne Baez x223 Deputy Court Clerk Yolanda Martinez x224 Building Code Enforcement Officer Ron M. Meyers x246 Police Chief Bill Stannard x242 Asst. Police Chief Robert de la Garza x238 Police Secretary VACANT x222 Investigator/Sergeant Joyce Pena x239 Dispatcher x232 Fire Chief Philip C. Prince (210) Director of Tourism Lorenzo Nastasi (210) Assistant to Director of Tourism Maiya Vincent (210)

8 City of Balcones Heights 3300 Hillcrest Drive Balcones Heights, TX Time Dated PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOERNE, TX PERMIT NO. 204 Balcones Heights Calendar August 2008 SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT 1 Jazz Fest Crossroads Mall Jeff Kashiwa, Zamar 7:00 p.m BRUSH PICK-UP Jazz Fest Crossroads Mall Nils, Fingerprints 7:00 p.m City Council Meeting 6:00 p.m. Justice Center CVB Board Meeting Norris Conference Center 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m Articles that appear in the Balcones Heights newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official position of Neighbors Choice, Inc. and their publication does not constitute an endorsement therein. The appearance of any advertisement in the Balcones Heights newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by Neighbors Choice, Inc of the goods or services advertised. Neighbors Choice, Inc. is not responsible for errors beyond the cost of the actual ad space. Any publication of Neighbors Choice, Inc., whether draft or final is the sole property of Neighborhood News, Inc. and cannot be reproduced or distributed in any way, whether in print or electronically, without the express written consent of Neighbors Choice, Inc. Neighbors Choice, Inc.