Northeast Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association (NEWCNA)

2008 Neighborhood Beautification Grant Recipient

The North East Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association (NEWCNA) has recently been annexed by the City of Austin and is bordered by three heavily traveled roads: IH 35, Braker, and Dessau. Neighbors noticed an increase of litter, transients, camping on private property and undesirable public drinking and litter in North Oaks Park, and stepped up to make a difference.

NEWCNA has an active “Citizens on Patrol” group of approximately 8 volunteers who walk the neighborhood looking for potential issues and to show a presence to deter undesirable behaviors.  They also hold bi-monthly litter clean up days scheduled every first Tuesday and third Saturday of each month, and have a new Recycling Garden Club that’s working to beautify North Oaks Park and neighborhood streets.

On November 8, 2008 sixteen volunteers gathered to plant five beautiful trees in North Oaks Park, 900 Plaza Drive: two Redbuds, two Monterey Oaks, and one Mexican White Oak.  The Texas Red Buds were planted near the entrance of the Park on Plaza Drive to provide colorful beauty and the oaks were planted in the field to provide shade, beauty, and a means to ward off erosion when it rains.  Also donated and installed by volunteers during the workday was a 4 foot yellow, hand painted, wood bench from The United Way of Austin. 

   Cleanup Promotion Sign         Partners: NEWCNA & PARD          installing a bench            

volunteers hard at work planting trees

In addition to support from Keep Austin Beautiful and Austin Energy NEWCNA would like to thank: The United Way of Austin for the park bench, Pablito’s Bakery at 1015 Braker Lane for delicious donuts and sweet rolls, Mary de la Garza for a case of water and ice, Austin Parks Department for donating mulch, and the North East Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association for top soil.

Special Volunteers who made this project possible were: Eleanor Coy, Mary de la Garza, Lorenzo Gaytan, Lynn Gibson, Marilyn Goodloe, Dave Howell, Grace Howell, Nathan Howell, Bill Hurley, Eddie Ibarra, Kay Lee, Tom Maxwell, Sally Nichols, Travis Riley, Lindsay Scaief, and Tierney Stetson.