President's Letter - Summer 2010
7/1/2010 - From the PresidentUpcoming Construction Activity
As we prepare for the lazy days of summer, a flurry of construction activity adjacent to Monte Vista is expected to begin on the Trinity University campus. In a meeting with new Trinity University President Dennis Ahlburg, plans were announced to Monte Vista Historical Association representatives and neighbors on the streets near campus for the construction of a new 60,000 square foot Life Sciences Building on the western edge of the campus. The new building, expected to break ground in July, will be located immediately south of the Chapman Center (which located at the east end of Rosewood Avenue) and west of the Cowles Life Sciences Building. The project is expected to run through the end of 2011. Dr. Ahlburg explained the steps that were being taken to avoid any adverse impact from the construction on the surround neighborhood.
During the construction, contractors and construction traffic will be advised to use the entrance to campus located on Stadium Drive, just north of Laurie Auditorium and parking for construction personnel will use the parking lot north of Laurie Auditorium. No explanation was given for where the traffic that currently uses the Stadium Drive entrance will go when that entrance becomes congested with construction traffic. Presumably, the people that currently use the parking lot north of Laurie Auditorium will use the Alamo Stadium parking lot for the duration of the construction.
Discussion at the meeting also included the topic of a possible entrance to the Trinity campus on Hildebrand. Dr. Ahlburg indicated that Trinity is having discussions with Sunshine Cottage, which has recently created an entrance to and exit from their new campus on Hildebrand. Obviously, the City will have input into this topic, particularly if it is determined that a traffic light would be necessary. Dr. Ahlburg committed that Trinity would seriously pursue the creation of an entrance on Hildebrand, since Trinity does not have a major entrance to the north portion of its campus since it closed the former main entrance located on Stadium Drive across from Alamo Stadium and created a pedestrian concourse.
Dr. Ahlburg conveyed his sincere interest in establishing a better working relationship with Monte Vista. The Monte Vista Historical Association is anxiously awaiting that change and will continue to keep you appraised on any new developments.
Other Activities
MVHA recently hosted its Annual Easter Egg Hunt and experienced record attendance for the event. MVHA also teamed up with Landa Gardens Conservancy to host the annual Kid’s Rock the Block event featuring face painting, a balloon artist, refreshments, and a movie. As this letter is being written, plans for the MVHA Annual Fourth of July Parade and Picnic are under way; the event promises to be one of the best ever in the history of the organization. Third Thursdays are not held during the summer months but will begin again in September.
MVHA is working to keep the web site up to date with useful information of interest to members and residents. Our reformatted blast e-mails include timely information with links to the MVHA web site. Thanks to the sponsorship of the John and Florence Newman Foundation, VISTAs continues to be the cornerstone of our communications effort within our community.
The annual membership drive is continuing to draw new members to MVHA. In September, work will begin on an updated membership directory. In the meantime, we are working to collect the most accurate information available for inclusion in the directory. The directory will include only active MVHA members and the directory will only be distributed on to active MVHA members. So, if you are reading this and have not renewed your MVHA membership, now is the ideal time to do so.
Please feel free to share any feedback on MVHA activities by sending an e-mail to MVHA. We are constantly striving to make the organization better.
Sincerely yours,
Jeff Blanchard
MVHA President Jeff Blanchard