VOLUME 81 | March 1, 2018
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Today marks Erik Walsh’s first day as the new City Manager. I’m confident he’ll excel in the new job just as he did as Deputy City Manager. In fact, he's already hit the ground running. Additionally, I want to say thank you to Sheryl Sculley for her 13 years of service to our city and for developing such an excellent executive leadership team. You can read more about Erik
here.
On a different note, the 2017-2022 City bond includes funding for public art projects. The City is currently gathering input to decide what kind of public art to create with the Seeling Channel Flood Relief project. If you live in a flood plain, you definitely want your home to be safe from flooding. But chances are that you want a beautiful neighborhood to live in, too. The questions the City has for residents now are: What kind of art do you want to see in the Seeling Channel area? Where do you want it to go? The City held its first community meeting this past Monday and launched a survey
here. Share it with your neighbors!
Also, I wanted to make sure you know that the City has extended the time for public comment on the
Climate Action & Adaptation Plan until March 26. You can complete the survey
here.
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Office Note: Our office at the Maverick Library will be
closed for Early Voting from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8. It will also be closed on Election Day on Tuesday, March 12.
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Councilwoman Sandoval visited Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School to read to schoolchildren as part of the National Read Across America program. The program began in 1997 and aims to get kids excited about reading so that they will perform well in school.
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Univision welcomed Councilwoman Sandoval to their Edición Digital, where she provided an update on the City's transition to a new manager. Sheryl Sculley made her final report to City Council last Thursday and Erik Walsh officially took over the job today, March 1. Edición Digital premieres on weekdays between 11:00 a.m. and noon. Tune in!
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The City Council's Public Safety Committee met this week to hear updates on the City's new NXT Level Youth Connect Center, housed at the Frank Garrett Community Center. NXT Level works to ensure that youths’ educational, social and emotional needs are being addressed comprehensively, including working with parents/guardians, non-profits providing additional support, adult education programs and school districts. You can watch our Facebook Live of the meeting
here.
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Residents provided input for how the City can develop public art for the Seeling Channel Bond Project in the Jefferson and Woodlawn Lake communities. You can submit your own feedback
here.
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City and County officials announced their commitment to work together on joint-use of the County's new Justice Intake and Assessment Center. The City and County will work in collaboration with each other going forward to ensure that the San Antonio Police Department can quickly and effectively use the intake center so that cops can spend more time on the streets.
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One of the ways Councilwoman Sandoval wants to give you the answers you need about city government is through "Ask Ana Anything", a recurring part of the weekly District 7 newsletter. Have a question for Ana? Email it to
district7@sanantonio.gov with the subject "Ask Ana Anything".
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Hi Ana,
What’s going on at Bandera & 1604? One of my neighbors said your staff had shared a TxDOT video showing how it works. Can you share that with me?
Thanks,
Befuddled on Braun
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Dear Befuddled,
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) calls it a “displaced left turn interchange,” which means that drivers turning left off of Bandera onto the access road will now have a separate left turn lane and separate traffic signal. The interchange is one of the first of its kind in Texas and will both help improve the flow of traffic and make the intersection safer for pedestrians and bikers.
You can view the video showing how the traffic will flow
here.
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TxDOT is hosting an informational meeting on the intersection this Tuesday, March 5. It’ll be at the John Igo Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. I'm going to try and make it myself--maybe I'll see you there!
Thank you for the question.
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Yours in public service,
Ana
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Connect with Your Councilmember
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Spots are available for upcoming Coffees with Ana! This is an opportunity for District 7 residents to schedule a twenty minute, one-on-one meeting with the Councilwoman.
Coffees are held on the first Saturday of the month. The next Coffee will be held on March 2 at our field office at the Maverick Library.
It is booked to capacity. The next Coffee will be held on April 6.
To make an appointment, call 210-207-0870 or send an email to district7@sanantonio.gov.
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"'That's what you do. You make things happen,' District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval told [Sheryl] Sculley."
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Neighbor of the Week:
Ruth McMahon
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Rosie the Riveter is an iconic symbol of WW II, but in D7 we have our own symbol: Ruth the Machinist! During World War II, barely out-of-high-school Ruth became a state (WS) certified machinist and was made the supervisor of an entirely male shop. As with most things in her life, Ruth says she fell into this vocation when Roosevelt’s National Recovery Act offered certain high school students a work-study program making $9 a month. Ruth says being a machinist was great. Perhaps her adaptability was due to her upbringing in a hard-working, but poor, family with eight children. One of her first jobs was bartending at the age of 13 at the family business. Then her mother decided to offer meals in the tavern, so she became a waitress serving a homemade meal of a fried cod, French fries, and rye bread for 15 cents (the deluxe holiday turkey offering was 35 cents).
Thankfully the war ended and more adventures ensued. Ruth met a man, who told her the day after their first date that he was the man she was going to marry (even though she wasn’t looking to get married). Later he requested that on her next visit home she ask her parents’ permission on his behalf. Ruth said she would, but paused and then inquired, “Just what is your last name?” She still has the piece of paper on which he wrote his full name and military serial number. They, of course, married and then moved to San Antonio in 1949.
Ruth never learned to drive due to vision problems and took the bus to and from work every day of her forty-five year career (1949-1994) at Riata Cadillac. She became the Parts Manager because, as she says with a laugh, “I was the right man for the job!” And, as seems to be her fate, she was the only female in the department and the sole female manager. Ruth admires the Cavender family immensely, and one would suspect it is mutual as Bobby Cavender calls her every year on her birthday. Her department entered a GM competition for parts divisions and for all nineteen years she won resulting in numerous trips to fabulous places including Paris, London, Australia, and the Great Wall of China. She was quick to say that winning was not based on most sales because “Cadillacs don’t need that much repair.”
Ruth's life hit a turning point in 1966, when she took a thirteen week Dale Carnegie course. In her words, “It allowed me to know myself and to like myself and once I liked myself, I could share myself with others.” She had so much success in the course that she even appearing in commercials for the course.
At almost 94, Ruth seems to be as busy and spunky as ever. Some of her delights include swimming at Gold’s Gym three days a week, doing needlework, and getting her hair done at J.C. Penney’s. She mentioned that she has memory books that she hopes to organize when she has time, but for now at least she keeps them dusted!
A D7 resident for over sixty years, we are fortunate to have Ruth as our neighbor!
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City Manager Walsh announces executive appointments
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In his first official order of business as San Antonio’s 20th city manager, Erik Walsh announced several executive leadership changes to the City of San Antonio’s organizational structure, including the appointment of Maria Villagómez as deputy city manager.
“These changes will accomplish our goal of being effective, efficient and responsive to our residents,” City Manager Walsh said. “I’m excited about today’s appointments. It’s critical to have the right team in place to carry out our responsibility to the Mayor and City Council and the San Antonio community. Together, we will continue the City’s legacy of providing critical, professional services to our residents and improving their quality of life.”
Effective today, Villagómez will oversee the San Antonio Police and Fire departments, Animal Care Services and the Office of Management and Budget. Villagómez was appointed Assistant City Manager in October 2015. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she has overseen the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Innovation, Parks and Recreation, Animal Care Services, the Department of Human Services and the Office of Equity. Villagómez has spent 20 years in municipal government with the City of San Antonio.
Additionally, City Manager Walsh announced the appointment of Dr. Colleen Bridger as interim assistant city manager overseeing the Health, Parks and Recreation and Human Services departments and the Office of Equity. Dr. Bridger was appointed director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in March 2017, where she spearheaded the passage of the Tobacco 21 ordinance and oversaw the process to secure San Antonio’s selection as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health prize winner.
In her stead, Jennifer Herriott has been named interim director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Herriott has worked with the City for more than 16 years and has 23 years of experience working in the public health sector improving community health through policy, environmental and systems change. For the past five years, she served as assistant director of community health for Metro Health and provided oversight and leadership to the chronic disease prevention section, the Project WORTH teen pregnancy prevention program, maternal and child health case management program, oral health services and the City’s new asthma program.
Also effective today, Brian Dillard has been appointed Chief Innovation Officer, where he will lead the organization’s efforts on Smart Cities, SmartSA Innovation Zones and the CivTechSA program. Dillard served as the Interim Chief Innovation Officer since 2018. He previously worked on technology efforts for Delta Risk and Lockheed Martin, Shell and CSC.
Zan Gibbs has been appointed Chief Equity Officer and will oversee the creation, implementation and measuring of equity assessments and equity strategic plans in every City department. Gibbs has more than 20 years of public service experience, most recently as the Equity Manager for the Office of Equity since 2018. Gibbs previously managed equity and inclusion efforts for the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Center for Diversity in the Environment.
Finally, Alex Lopez has been appointed deputy director of the Economic Development Department. Lopez most recently served as interim chief equity officer. As an assistant economic development director, Lopez led the development and management of the City’s Small/Minority/Woman/Business Enterprise Advocacy (SBEDA) program.
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SA Climate Ready collecting community input on draft of
Climate Action & Adaptation Plan
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SA Climate Ready, an initiative led by the City of San Antonio, CPS Energy, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Navigant, has released the draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). With a focus on equity, the plan includes strategies for reducing San Antonio’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and adapting the city to the effects of climate change. The CAAP is a data-driven plan that outlines the policies and steps that serve as a pathway to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement, which City Council supported with a resolution on June 22, 2017.
A city’s response to climate change can be framed around two separate pathways for action: mitigation and adaptation. San Antonio’s CAAP identifies strategies for both, presents a detailed discussion of these strategies and includes efforts to support planning and funding discussions. The CAAP also includes a community GHG inventory, climate projections and a path to carbon neutrality.
The CAAP is the result of an intensive community process that brought together a diverse coalition of 91 community leaders as part of a Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups and solicited significant input from the community-at-large.
The public is invited to provide their feedback on the draft plan, as well as share their visions and priorities for a climate-ready San Antonio by visiting saspeakup.com or e-mailing
sustainability@sanantonio.gov.
To view the draft CAAP, visit
saclimateready.org. Printed copies are also available in City of San Antonio public libraries.
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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
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The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program provides free income tax return preparation to hard-working taxpayers earning up to $55,000 annually. District 7 has the following VITA locations:
- Forest Hills Library, 5245 Ingram Road
- St. Mary's University's Center for Legal and Social Justice, 2507 NW 36th St.
- The Neighborhood Place, 3014 Rivas St.
- Westfall Library, 6111 Rosedale Ct.
Don't forget to take with you your:
- Driver's license or photo ID
- Social Security card or ITIN for all family members
- All W-2 forms
- 1099 forms
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This Weekend at San Antonio Public Library
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Writer's Group - Maverick Library
Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Road
Saturday, March 9
10 - 11:30 a.m.
Each month, the Writer's Group will present a new topic about the craft or the business of writing. This will be very informal and can even be an article or video one would like to share. Then, we will discuss!
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The Piggie & Gerald Show
Maverick Library, 8700 Mystic Road
Saturday, March 9
Noon
Kids and grown-ups of all ages can join us for another wonderful Piggie & Gerald puppet show and craft!
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Women's History Month
Forest Hills Library, 5245 Ingram Road
Sunday, March 10
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
The book selection is called
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of American's Shining Women. The book author is Kate Moore.
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March 5: TxDOT Meeting on Construction at 1604/Bandera
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The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) San Antonio is hosting an informational meeting to inform and educate the public on upcoming construction of a Displaced Left Turn (DLT) intersection at SH 16 (Bandera Road) and Loop 1604. There will be a brief presentation followed by questions and answers.
This DLT innovative interchange is the first in San Antonio and will improve traffic flow and reduce delays in the vicinity of the interchange.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 5, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the John Igo Public Library, 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway. For more information, please contact Hernan Rozemberg (TxDOT) at 210-615-5932 or Hernan.Rozemberg@txdot.gov.
For project information, visit
txdot.gov and use the keywords "SH 16 at Loop 1604."
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March 2 - May 30: 2019 Summer Youth Program Information Sessions
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The Parks & Recreation Department will host information sessions on their Summer Youth Program between March 2 and May 30. The Gilbert Garza Community Center will host the info sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and on the second and fourth Saturday's from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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January 25th-March 12th: Recycling Expo for Parents and Students
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The City of San Antonio's Solid Waste Management Department is hosting a recycling expo. Curby and Friends will be in attendance and they hope to see you and your family for one (or more) of the six dates!
Education, activities, games, prizes and presentations are designed for grades Pre-K to 12th.
Meet Curby and learn how we can protect our City and the greater environment by recycling!
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March 11-15: 2019 Spring Break Camp
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We all like to be efficient and save on energy costs. Whether it's winter heating or summer cooling, CPS Energy has programs and rebates to help you save.
Come visit with CPS Energy at their
People First! Community Fair to learn about simple things you can do now to save on your energy bill. Programs like Casa Verde offer free weatherization improvements for qualifying home owners and renters and their Affordability Discount Program helps qualifying customers pay their bill.
The event will be on
March 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Crown Jewel Ballroom at 1416 Callaghan Road.
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March 11-15: 2019 Spring Break Camp
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Parks and Recreation will be hosting their annual Spring Break Camp from
March 11-15.
Parents can register their kids ages 6-14 online or go to any designated location to register. For more information please click
here.
Registration is $3 per child per day activities will include sports, fitness and many fun activities!
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March 2: Community Meeting on French Creek Trailway Project
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Please join the City of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation Department for an open discussion on the new greenway trail project and potential neighborhood connections. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 21, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Stevenson Middle School, 8403 Tezel Road. For more information, please contact Lisa Reese at 210-207-3005 or lisa.reese@sanantonio.gov.
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POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: New City Park
Date: TBA
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: District 7's Newest Park, 224 W Quill
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Donaldson Terrace Neighborhood Conversation: Drainage & Flood Control
Date: March 4
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Grace Presbyterian Church, 950 Donaldson Ave
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Braun Oaks HOA Board Meeting
Date: March 4
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Braun Oaks Clubhouse, 10555 Tezel Road
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Ingram Hills Neighborhood Meeting
Date: March 4
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: International Bible School, 2369 Benrus
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Thunderbird Hills Neighborhood Meeting
Date: March 5
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Powell Elementary, 6003 Thunder Dr
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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TxDOT Open House & Public Hearing on 410 Project
Date: March 5
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Northside Activity Center, 7001 Culebra Road
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NW Alliance Neighborhood Meeting
Date: March 6
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Braun Station West Clubhouse, 8630 Tezel Road
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Guilbeau Park Neighborhood Meeting
Date: March 7
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Guilbeau Park Community Center, 9214 Caen
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Jefferson Neighborhood Meeting
Date: March 11
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson United Methodist Church, 758 Donaldson Ave
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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French Creek Village HOA Meeting
Date: March 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location:
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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Braun Station West HOA Board Meeting
Date: March 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Braun Station West Clubhouse, 8630 Tezel Road
*District 7 staff will be in attendance.*
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- Joseph Bravo
- Chief of Staff
- 210.207.2727
- Lexi Bachran
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- 210.207.0875
- Charlie Mazuca
- Neighborhood Engagement Officer
- 210.207.0870
- Debbie Dehlinger
- Super Volunteer
- 210.207.0870
- Julio Arroyo
- Executive Secretary
- 210.207.7044
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- Bianca Maldonado
- Chief of Policy & Communications
- 210.207.0873
- Matteo Trevino
- Communications Coordinator
- 210.207.0872
- Frank Ramirez IV
- Zoning & Case Manager
- 210.207.0874
- Josh Jaeschke
- Policy & Case Manager
- 210.207.0858
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Brass Professional Center
4414 Centerview Dr #160
Monday - Friday:
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Maury Maverick Library
8700 Mystic Park
Monday - Friday:
12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
CLOSED for Early Voting from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8.
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