Volente Voice
The Newsletter of the Volente Neighborhood Association
March 2000

Annual VNA General Membership Meeting to be Tuesday, April 25, 2000
The meeting will be held at the Volente Fire Department / Community Center. It begins 7:00 PM, but please come at 6:30 PM for refreshments and socializing before the meeting.
All residents and property owners in the Volente area should attend this very important meeting.
Guest Speaker Will Be Joe Beal
Joe Beal is the new General Manager of LCRA. Mr. Beal will give a brief talk, followed by questions from the Volente audience. Topics include lake levels, marinas, boating regulations, etc. Don't miss this opportunity to hear and be heard!
Why Come to the Meeting?
1) Hear updates on issues concerning Volente;
2) Pay your 2000 VNA dues ($10/household);
3) Vote for VNA board members for this year;
4) Meet the new General Manager of LCRA.

Lake Levels Dropping
According to LCRA, even with normal rainfall levels during 2000, the lake may drop to 641' by 12/31/2000.
Currently, of 11 public boat ramps on Lake Travis, only 5 are now useable.  That could drop to only 3 ramps by June 1st.

Help Oppose the Hose
Cole Rowland, Executive Director of Highland Lakes Group, reports that San Antonio has apparently not given up the idea of obtaining water from the Highland Lakes. Read the latest copy of Water Matters, the HLG newsletter, online at www.volente.org

VNA Candidates Sought
Volente Neighborhood Association operates with nine (9) board members, each elected to a one-year term during the April annual meeting. From within the board, officers are selected for President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. To be a candidate, one must be current on dues and live or own property in the Volente area. These are also the qualifications for voting at the meeting.
VNA is seeking qualified candidates to fill expected vacancies. If you are interested in helping to inform and to represent your neighbors, please contact Lonnie Moore at 258-0892

Dues Are Due
VNA dues are currently only $10 per household per calendar year but will increase to $15 on May 1, 2000. Please mail your dues to Anne Steichen (address on form). Remember, you must be a current member to vote for or to be elected to the VNA board of directors.

EMS Volunteers Needed
John Fetzko, EMS Coordinator for VVFD, tells VNA  "In reviewing the growth pattern of Volente, it is apparent that we need to recruit more EMS First Responders that live in strategic locations. Although our current First Responders are very qualified, most of them live within 1 mile of the Fire Department. Response times to addresses on Lime Creek Road or FM 2769 towards 620 can run up to 18 minutes!  Obviously, having First Responders living closer to these locations would cut our response times closer to our 6 minute goal."
To be certified by the Texas Department of Health as a basic emergency medical technician (EMT-B), you must successfully complete the following tasks:
· An 8-credit (120 hours) classroom course
· 8 hours of vehicle extrication
· 24 hours of duty in a hospital emergency department
· 24 hours of duty with an Austin ambulance crew
· Pass a 3-hour state exam
· Pass a 1-hour Standards of Care county exam
If interested, regardless of your location, please contact John Fetzko at 258-0630 or JOHNPFET@aol.com

Help VVFD With A Brush
The VVFD Ladies' Auxiliary is coordinating a much needed paint job for our fire hall / community center. VNA has donated $250 toward paint and supplies, but volunteers are needed to help paint on Saturday, April 1st, beginning at 8:00 AM. Please contact Lois Fryler at 258-9583 or Erika Mott at 258-6901.

Postal Service Will Not Change to Cedar Park
In case you missed the mail-out from USPS, Volente's mail service will NOT move to Cedar Park. Survey respondents rejected the proposal - approximately 54% were opposed.

Postal Drop Box Added
In response to requests from Volente residents, the Leander Post Office will install a drop box in Volente in front of VJs. The box will allow residents to deposit mail and packages instead of leaving them in their own mailbox for pickup. Maurice Dunn, Leander Postmaster, tells VNA the box should be installed within the next 60 days. Pickup will be done during the regular rounds of the mail carrier, and pickup time is expected to be around noon, Monday through Saturday. Residents who made the request feel the drop box will provide more security for outgoing mail.

Address Changes Needed
Volente residents were reminded to no longer use their old Route 3, Box number addresses. All homes should have a street address which matches the 911 system.
If you are not sure of your 911 address, please call the 911 coordinator in Travis County at 974-5072. Residents are responsible for notifying senders of their correct street address.

Kindergarten Info
Kindergarten Registration    Steiner Ranch Elementary
4001 N. Quinlan Park Rd.    Austin, TX   78732
434-7100
Registration for 2000-01 kindergarten will be held on April 19th between the hours of 9:00 - 11:30, 1:00 - 3:00 and evening 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
A student must be five on or before September 1, 2000 to be eligible for next year's kindergarten class.  In order to register you will need to bring the following documents: Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Immunization Records, and Proof of Residency.

Feline Leukemia Reported
A concerned neighbor tells VNA that two of her cats came down with feline leukemia, which is spread by feral, non-vaccinated cats. Ask your vet about this!

E-Mail Needed
VNA can use your e-mail address to keep you informed - in between newsletters - of important happenings.
If you have an e-mail address and have not been getting distributions, please send a message to and you will be added to the list.

Volente.org a "Hit"
Statistics for www.volente.org now show an average of over 1,000 hits (or accesses) each month. Check it out, and if you have an idea for some useful information to add, contact .
Catfish Are Coming!

Saturday, May 6th at VVFD!
Volente Sidewalk Built
After more than three years and dozens of phone calls, Travis County has finally completed the promised sidewalk along Lime Creek Road from FM 2769 to Dodd Street. The sidewalk, along with the flashing light already installed, were committed to by the County during discussions between Volente Beach and other parties, including VNA and VVFD. The sidewalk will hopefully be used by Volente Beach patrons instead of walking down the middle of the street.

WWW.VOLENTE.ORG
IMPORTANT MEETING NOTICE!
VNA ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
GUEST SPEAKER: JOE BEAL, GENERAL MANAGER LCRA

TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2000 7:00 PM AT THE FIRE HALL
(COME AT 6:30 PM FOR REFRESHMENTS AND SOCIALIZING)

TELL LCRA YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT LAKE LEVELS, BOATING AND MARINA REGULATIONS, THE SAN ANTONIO HOSE, ETC.
PAY YOUR VNA DUES ($10)
VOTE FOR VNA BOARD MEMBERS
VISIT WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS

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