21st Street Block Party

A few pics from the 21st Block Party held on August 14th. A great time for neighbors to meet and greet.

Invitation To Roscoe Wilson Families

Movies In the Park

Thursday August 20th Dusk (roughly 8:45) in Wagner Park Original Mary Poppins Musical (rated G) Hosted by Tech Terrace/UNIT neighborhood Free...bring a blanket and snacks All RW families and their friends are invited!

Neighbors Invited to Stargazing Event in Tech Terrace Park

St. John's United Methodist Church (15th and University) invites all residents of the Tech Terrace/UNIT neighborhood for a Hot Dog Cook-Out and Star Gazing Party on Friday, August 21st beginning at 7:30 p.m. Meet at the Wagner Park Pavillion House for hot dogs, chips and drinks. Play volleyball and basketball, or sit and visit with friends and neighbors.

At 8:30 gather at Tech Terrace Park for a discussion about star gazing with Tom Heisey beginning at 9:00. At 9:30 the star gazing will begin! Bring lawn chairs, blankets, flashlights and binoculars. Friends at St. John's United Methodist hope that you will join the neighborhood event for a fun evening under the stars! submitted by Kathryn Quilliam Reeves

Summary from Thursday's Meeting hosted by Todd Klein

Mary Vines submits the following summary of the meeting hosted by District 3 City Coucilman Todd Klein at Roscoe Wilson Elementary to discuss Flint Avenue traffic concerns on Thursday August 6th. Thursday evening, August 6, at a meeting in the Roscoe Wilson Library chaired by Councilman Todd Klein , the discussion was devoted to the Flint Avenue traffic issue. City Engineer Marsha Reed and Traffic Engineer Sharmon Owens were introduced by Mr. Klein. The discussion started with the question about the ordinance passed at the last City Council meeting deactivating the 20 mph speed limit and flashing school zone light at 26th and Flint . As explained by Sharmon Owens, a deactivation request to the City of Lubbock for that intersection was initiated by Tom Nichols, the LISD administrator in charge of school safety issues. The request resulted in a City of Lubbock Traffic Engineering study this past May regarding the usage of the school crosswalk at 26th and Flint . The criteria for having the protected school zone crosswalk is for ten persons to use the crosswalk during the one hour during which the flashing light is activated. The average for 26th Street and Flint Avenue was less than three persons during the six different hours (three in morning and three in afternoon) that the count was made while the light was flashing. With this information that the intersection did not meet the necessary criteria, the City proceeded with the ordinance to follow through on the request by LISD. Numerous opinions were expressed about the need for the protection of the light and the lowered speed on Flint Avenue , and questions were asked about how to reverse the decision of the Council. City Engineer Marsha Reed said the quickest way would be to appeal the school zone flashing light decision to the Citizens Traffic Commission at their August 18 meeting. That would need to be followed by having the issue placed on the City Council agenda, which Todd Klein said that he would try to facilitate. The Roscoe Wilson Elementary principal, Paula Finney, will make the courtesy call to Tom Nichols to inform him that the neighborhood residents and Roscoe Wilson PTA are making the request to rescind the Council action. Since it is unlikely that additional studies and research will show that the criteria of 10 students crossing has been met, the appeal to the Council will be made on the uniqueness of our Central Lubbock neighborhood situation as a gateway bearing an inordinate amount of pedestrian, bicycle, and fast-moving vehicular traffic carrying students, faculty, and staff to Texas Tech. If the City Council decides to reactivate the school zone on Flint , it will not be done before the beginning of school. The overall issue of speed on Flint Avenue was a topic of discussion and was addressed by both Ms Owens and Ms Reed, as well as by neighborhood residents, Roscoe Wilson parents from outside the neighborhood, and by Bill Lowell, Laurin Prather, and James Mahan, neighborhood association leaders who’ve been working with the city traffic engineering department on this challenge for three years. Sharmon Owens, traffic engineer, explained that reflective yellow disks have been placed at the center of the intersection of 23rd Street and Flint Avenue and white disks at the bike lanes. The purpose of these disks is to create a perception of narrower lanes, which should have the effect of causing motorists to go slower. After the fall semester starts at Texas Tech, another study will be run at this intersection to see whether speeds are decreasing. If the disks prove successful in reducing speeds, others may be placed at various locations on Flint Avenue . Another possibility for slowing traffic mentioned by Ms Owens is the use of rumble strips (several strips resembling “petrified water hoses”) though one resident who has experience with rumble strips cautioned that those might be excessively noisy. Those who’ve worked with the City Traffic Engineering Department on the problem reemphasized a point previously made by Ms Owens that the traffic on Flint has been calmed from above 40 mph to around 35 mph, with hopes that further action will bring it within the 30 mph speed limit. James Mahan, president of the UNIT/Tech Terrace Neighborhood Association, recommended that since they already have a working relationship with Traffic Engineering, Bill Lowell and Laurin Prather should be contacted by anyone else who would like to volunteer to work on the challenge of calming traffic on Flint Avenue and Boston Avenue . As the meeting was being adjourned, Cyd Seideman, neighborhood association treasurer and property owner on 25th Street , made an announcement that at a Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting later this month, Lowe’s Grocery will request a variance to change their loading/unloading dock area from Boston Avenue to the Canton Avenue side of the store, already narrowed by recycling bins. Although Lowe’s has not yet filed a license request for package alcoholic beverage sales, the variance is thought to be a preparatory move for the alcoholic beverage request. With the possibility of eighteen-wheelers using 25th Street and Canton , concerns were expressed for the safety of school children and for the intrusion of heavy truck traffic into the neighborhood. On the City of Lubbock website, the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting is listed as Thursday, August 20, at 8:15 a.m. Any interested citizen may attend and register to speak.

Tech Terrace/UNIT Update

Traffic Safety and Zoning Meeting TONIGHT Recently and after study of traffic flow and usage Lubbock City Council voted to remove the flashing lights and school zone designation near Wagner Park at 26th and Flint. District III Councilman Todd Klein has been interested and responsive to UNIT and PTA concerns and has scheduled a meeting to hear more and discuss this issue with constituents. The meeting is TONIGHT, August 6th at 6:30pm in the Roscoe Wilson Elementary Library. submitted by Laura Vinson Saturday Night Movie In the Park This Saturday, August 8th @ WAGNER PARK Feature: THE MUPPET MOVIE (rated G) FREE OF CHARGE! (Sponsored by TT/UNIT Neighborhood Association) BRING A BLANKET, A SNACK AND A FRIEND CONSIDER WALKING OR BIKING TO THE PARK submitted by Laura and Justin Anderson Neighbor-to-Neighbor From Nicole Martens: In late June our kitten escaped from our yard just after we had left town for extended summer travels. He was wearing a collar & tags (or so we thought), so when our housesitter didn't receive a call within a week, we assumed the worst. Having just returned home, however, we found his collar stuck under a fence where he evidently squeezed out, and our hopes are renewed that someone in the neighborhood took him in, a friendly, collar-less kitty. You can see him in the picture below/attached - a mostly gray tiger-patterned fellow who is undoubtedly a good bit bigger now than in this picture. His name is Cherubino, but I doubt he knows that. Any information would be GREATLY appreciated (especially by our girls!). 788-1220 martens@pmartens.net From Michael T. Martin: I will be at the meeting Thursday evening. I wanted to let you know, you may already be aware that the more than two unrelated students living next to me (3122-21st) moved-out. They had received 16 tickets from Dian Taylor, the Codes Inspector, prior to doing so. They had filed an Appeal of those fines but ended up dropping the appeal and paid the $ 3,200. I wish that we could get students more informed of the consequences of violating this ordinance, prior to them signing a lease or being caught in a position of few alternatives. Out-of-town Owners in particular are unaware of the rules. I suspect the Neighborhood Organization would be happy to fund the printing of a brochure to give to prospective tenants and to mail them to those Owners outside the City. Perhaps, you could speak to this at the upcoming meeting. Also, I would still like to encourage the Council to consider having the fines applied to the real culprits- the Owner’s and Leasing Agents who benefit the most by renting to an excessive number of tenants. Please let me know how I can help, Michael T. Martin

CONGRATULATIONS SUMMER YARD OF THE MONTH WINNERS UNIT Yard of the Month (July) submitted by Sheryl Gonzales: 3201 27th

3119 30th

2712 20th

UNIT Yard of the Month (August) submitted by Robin Parks: 3106 21st David and Jackie Driscoll

3201 21st Judy Mayfield and Jack Thompson

2516 22nd Diane Perl

Alert: Garage break-in across from Tech Terrace Park this weekend with several items of consequence taken in the 3100 block of 23rd street. submitted by Melanie Ragain July 4th Tech Terrace/UNIT Lawn Mower Brigade Triumphs on Broadway