Northcliffe

Articles from the March Newsletter

Mar 05, 2006

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT:

January 31st at the Schertz City Council Chambers, State Representatives Edmund Kuempel and Carter Casteel held a meeting between TxDot officials, City officials, and several residents of Northcliffe, Scenic Hills and The Fairways at Scenic Hills. The purpose of the meeting was to identify solutions to traffic problems that have occurred as a result of increased building in the area and TxDot?’s decision to make the I-35 access road one-way. This meeting was the follow-up that was promised during the community meeting held at the Cibolo Valley Baptist Church in September. As a result, TxDot has committed to the following:
1. They will do a new traffic study to determine the necessity of a traffic light at Chelsea and FM1103. IF the study warrants, we could have a light there by the end of the year.
2. They will access the feasibility of moving up the date to widen FM1103 to four (4) lanes. Although adding shoulders and turn lanes to FM1103 is currently being done widening to 4 lanes is not scheduled until 2020.
3. They will look into building a ?“Texas Turnaround?” under the bridge at Schwab Road to ease access to I-35 South. This could be done in 1-2 years if the underpass does not require widening.
4. They will do a traffic analysis for extending the ?“dead ended?” Country Club Blvd. out behind Whisper Meadow to meet up with FM1103 at Green Valley Road. They will coordinate this possibility with Cibolo since it will require access through Cibolo city limits. This solution should ease a lot of traffic now flowing along Mayfair, Cherrytree and
Chelsea as it will allow an alternate route for all persons needing to go east on FM1103 to schools, Randolph AFB, FM78 and the southern part of Schertz.

Representative Kuempel; Jim Beebe, Scenic Hills HOA President; David Scagliola, Northcliffe resident. Picture taken at the TxDot meeting.

TxDot representatives also gave us the following final answers to our alternative solutions:
1. The I-35 access road will NOT ever be made two-way again. The potential for serious, head-on accidents are too great. 2. No new bridge or fly-over will be built over I-35 to accommodate our residents. The volume of traffic does not support a $15-$20 million dollar project.
3. No parallel road will be built along the access road to go north from our front entrance to FM1103. This would only be a ?“Band-Aid?”, and would eventually cause increased traffic congestion when trying to enter FM1103 so close to the bridge.

I would like to apologize to our Comal county residents as I neglected to mention them in my voter registration piece last month. The only thing different is that they should go to the Comal County offices in New Braunfels. In review, to register you can do the following at least 30 days prior to elections:

?• Go to a local drivers?’ license office (DPS)
?• Go to the Guadalupe or Comal County Offices
?• Get a form at any U.S. Post Office
?• Go On-Line to www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter

Primary elections are March 7th, and Schertz City elections are May 13th .


Debbie Bell

BAPTIST CHURCH INVITES YOUTH TO USE HOOPS

Pastor Gene Tomes of the Cibolo Valley Baptist Church on FM1103 has invited our neighborhood youth to use their outdoor basketball hoops located at the rear of the church. The hoops are not available on Wednesday evenings. He also requests that skate boards not be used in the parking lot which slopes toward FM1103 due to the extreme danger of running out onto a very busy FM1103.

NORTHCLIFFE VOLUNTEER FIRE STATION NOW RETIRED

The City of Schertz has officially taken possession of the Volunteer Fire Station on Morning Drive and has plans to turn it into a Community Center. It will be known as the Northern Schertz Community Center. They must first take care of several safety issues before opening it to the public. Renovation will be ongoing for awhile. We do not yet have details on what activities will be available, but will try to keep you informed as we find out. Organizations wishing to reserve it should contact Schertz Community Services at (210) 658-7477, Ext. 1601.

CITY TO LOOK FOR PARK LAND

Mrs. Gayle Douglas, Community Services Director for Schertz recently briefed the City Council on the new Master Parks and Open Space Plan that is being developed. She stated that there are adequate parks in the center of the city (175 acres), and that the new Sedona development in the south will have 77 acres of parks. That leaves the northern part of the city (us) with inadequate park space at only 2.5 acres. She stated that the city will be looking for land to develop a larger park in our area. Councilman Tony Wilenchik said, ?“There has to be enough space out there for at least two softball fields and other amenities?”.


GOLF COURSE VANDALIZED!

The Northcliffe Golf Course was heavily vandalized Saturday night January 30th. Extensive damage was done to several Greens and one bathroom. Some of the perpetrators were on bicycles as determined by the tire tracks across the greens. The Golf Course is offering a $250.00 reward to the person who provides management with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the guilty party(s). Call (830) 606-7351 or go to the Pro Shop and ask for Todd.

NEIGHBOR NOTES:

CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY- Classes are one night per week from March 30th - June 8th; 6:30-9:30 pm at the Schertz Police Department (1404 Schertz Parkway). Applicants must be 21 years of age and complete an application. There is no charge but space is limited to 30 students, so sign up soon. Contact Officer Lewis Kreutler at (210) 658-5321 for more information.


RELAY FOR LIFE- For the Greater Randolph Area on May 12th & 13th at Pickrell Park. Teams, survivors and volunteers are needed. Sign up today to participate. Call Kim (210) 846-3891 or visit www.cancer.org/relayonline.


COMMUNITY YARD SALE- We are trying to organize our annual spring community garage sale at your own residence and need all interested persons to contact the number below for further information. The Homeowners Association will pay for the community permit and advertising. There will be a minimal fee to compensate the HOA. Let's make this the best community garage sale ever!! Target date is April 22, 2006 with a rain date of April 29, 2006.
Call Dorothy at (830) 606-0501 by March 31, 2006.

2006 GRADUATING SENIORS - Would you like to submit a special message for your graduating senior? In the May newsletter we will place your sentiment for $2.00 for 2 lines. Please contact a board member with details.


POSTAL NEEDS - Have you ever missed the mailman and the Post Office was already closed? Acres of Diamonds Boutique in Garden Ridge offers postal services. They are located at 18820 FM 2252 (210) 651-4515 (on the way to Rolling Oaks Mall). The hours are Mon-Fri 10-6 (postman picks up at 5:30) & Sat 9-4 (postman picks up at 3).

Cibolo Post Office hours: Mon-Fri 8-4 Sat. 8-11 (210) 658-2631
Schertz Post Office hours: Mon-Fri 8-4:30 Sat 9-12 (210) 658-3072.


WELCOME NEIGHBORS- Susan from ?“Welcome Neighbor?” has agreed to greet new neighbors with a basket of goodies. She has lots of information about the area and coupons from various businesses for FREE. Please contact Duane at (830)609-0906 or Maria (830)606-1130 with addresses of new neighbors.

AARP DRIVER SAFETY PROGRAM- Do you want to update your driving skills and knowledge and get an insurance discount at the same time? If the answer is ?“yes?”, here?’s your opportunity. A course for drivers age 50 and over will be held on Thursday and Friday, April 6th & 7th from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at the Scenic Hills Lodge. Attendance at both sessions is required to obtain a certificate. You do not have to be an AARP member to participate. Class materials are supplied by AARP. Developed by AARP for the 50 and over age group, the course is designed to sharpen our driving skills, prevent accidents and keep older drivers on the road longer and more safely. Since Texas law requires all auto insurance carriers to offer a discount on premiums to qualified graduates of this and similar courses, most people are able to save on their insurance premiums. Attendance at this course will not remove a traffic citation from a driver?’s records. Cost for the course is $10 per person. If you are interested, call John Connolly and reserve a place. His telephone number is (830) 620-5065.

Schertz Police Department calls for service in Northcliffe- Here are some statistics that we receive from the Police Department. The calls range from alarms to thefts. Please help keep an eye on our neighborhood and report all suspicious activity to the police department. In January there were 49 calls.

City of Schertz
☺Website - http://www.schertz.com/

ADVERTISING RATES- The newsletter advertising rates are:
One liners- $3.00 per line
Business card size $15.00
Quarter page (3?½?” X 4?½?” ) $20.00
Half page (7?” X 4?½?” or 3?½ ?“X 9?”) $35.00
Full page (7?” X 9?”) $65.00; Flyer insert $30.00
All prices are for each newsletter published every month. If you would like to advertise in our next newsletter please call Maria 830-606-1130 weeknights before 9 pm. We reach 675+ households located throughout Northcliffe. No guarantee we will run your ad if the ad and money are not received by the deadline. All ads must be print ready in exact size. Deadline is March 10th.