The Greenbelt Report: Take a Walk With Me...

It isn't by accident that the name of this Blog bears the name of the neighborhood I live in and my particular Zip code. When you see the banner at the top with me sitting in a Texas tub on a wooden deck inviting you to learn more about my place, I really mean it - I love this place and I'm happy to tell you about it.

Partially through the people I have met via these occasional dispatches, and probably more so because my wife and I have become involved residents in our neighborhood, I have been encouraged to look beyond the street we live on and learn more about my surroundings and how they impact me, my family and my neighbors.

To this end, we have become more involved with things like the neighborhood watch, the A-Team, and attending the monthly meetings of our association board of directors. My feeling is, if you are going to pay the fees required by an HOA, you ought to at least be involved, if only in the slightest way, so you can be sure your input is heard and vote responsibly each year.

Our association is huge - we have roughly 5,000 homes in seven different sub-divisions and we are equipped with pools, a lodge, parks, athletic fields, tennis courts, basketball facilities and a a large Greenbelt.The first time I had any real exposure to the Greenbelt area in the Great Northwest, the 41 acres of dry creek bed, oaks and open field, was during a GNW Green Day celebration. I was conscious of the space between Timberwilde and Tezel that backs up to our community lodge and soccer fields and many homes in the Silver Creek subdivision, but I simply had never taken the time to walk in the area to see it for myself.

Following my GNW Green Day experience, seeing first hand just how much space we have, and sadly, seeing how much of it was being abused by a handful of residents, vandals and litterbugs, I was really encouraged when our Board of Directors and the staff took steps to begin a process of clearing the area.

I wish I could tell you I was writing from the perspective of some sort of nature conservationist or even that of an athlete who looks forward to an open space for running or other outdoor activities; the greenbelt could serve well for people wishing to enjoy a nice walk, a rugged mountain bike ride or even a run with different scenery. Instead, I write from the view of a homeowner seeking to maintain the facilities and amenities that increase the values of our property and as a person who feels that the greenbelt should not be a place to harbor a threat to security or become an avenue for escape by petty criminals on the run.

However you view it, I would hope that we can agree that the greenbelt is an amenity to the community and the residents, no different than the pools, parks or activity fields. And in the same way that some residents would push for stadium seating, AstroTurf, and a retractable roof over the soccer fields, and others are just happy to limit it to mowed fields and a few goals, we each may have differing views as to how much of an investment should be put into the greenbelt. One thing we do know is that the greenbelt will from time to time be flooded.

However you feel about the greenbelt, its impact on you as someone who may or may never walk the full length of the space, and how much effort should be expended to maintain it, I hope to at least give you an idea of the scope of the problem.On a recent Saturday morning, I put on hiking shoes, jeans, plenty of sunscreen and a cap, grabbed my camera and begin walking at the Tezel Road end of the greenbelt. At this point, the Tezel Road Bridge covers drainage infrastructure that is for the most part graffiti-free, thanks to repeated coats of paint. A convenience store is to the east of the greenbelt and on the southwest, homes from the Silver Creek street of Ridge Run.Remember, this area is primarily a dry creek bed that serves as drainage. But upon entering the area, it is clear that some residents have attempted to use the area to enhance the space and enjoyment of their property. I would do the same.

This northwest end of the green belt has not had the full benefit of the work the association maintenance department has underway, and so almost immediately my walk had me thinking some of the same thoughts I had on Earth Day – what a waste. You should know, as a person paying assessments and in a sense, an owner of this area, that a handful of your fellow residents are using this area as a dump. It is one thing to toss a small tree limb over your fence knowing that in time, it might be carried away (to someone else’s greenbelt?); it is wholly another thing to simply toss your trash, construction materials, and yes, motor oil in this space.

A common theme of many hikers and conservationists is to take a garbage bag with you to not only carry out any water bottles or granola wrappers you take in, but to be a good person and pick up trash you encounter during your walk. I think this is a great idea, but in all honesty, we’re going to need more than a few friendly hikers to fix this problem.Workers have piled up trash along the green belt, I assume with the intention of hauling it out at some point. That’s fine, but I have to assume that this is a problem that will continue to happen, over and over again until the place is made to be more open/available to constant use which in effect may deter some residents from using it as a dump, or we figure out who the violators are and take action.In the short term, crews have worked to remove some of the foliage that backs up to resident’s property facing the greenbelt. This does a number of things: clears out the space to make it easier for people to walk along the fence lines safely, cleans up the space to reduce fire hazard, and hopefully, lets residents know that the place is intended to be clean, not a dumping ground.You should know that not everyone is pleased. Some residents feel that at least with the overgrowth of weeds and brush, juveniles were less likely to hang out, tag fences and peer into people’s yards. Please understand, if this space is used as intended, it won’t be the haven for underage beer drinkers, taggers and thieves that it has been in the past. If I had my way, there would be a clear enough path to allow a security vehicle to make occasional patrols along the length of the space, if only to insure it is not a haven for overnight guests.I have written of many negative things because I want the people who live here to understand just what we are dealing with. Now, I’d like to focus on the positive attributes of this area in hopes that you will join me in pushing for more action to make this space what it could be.If you look at the greenbelt in small manageable sections, there are nice rock formations to climb on, wide open areas large enough to accommodate a football game or soccer match. With little effort even now, you can easily walk from one end by Tezel to the other by Timberwilde without fear of breaking an ankle or falling off a cliff. I'd like to think that once the current project is complete, you could easily take a dog for a walk or walk with elementary aged children here. Unless a graded path is made, I wouldn't attempt taking a stroller through the area.

I mentioned when I wrote about the GNW Green Day visit, that I could see the potential of this space being like Cathedral Rock Park, which is really just an extension of the same dry creek bed. In retrospect, anything is possible, I suppose, but in reality, the City of San Antonio had a far bigger budget to work with in creating that natural area.I guess what I am hoping for is that somehow, we can generate some interest in the residents who live near the greenbelt to help with the current problem. If they don't care about what is directly behind their homes, why should those of us who don't live near there or will never walk through it?If we can just get the residents to at very minimum, stop using the place as a dumpster, that alone would go a long way to making it a better place. Next, for the more motivated residents along the greenbelt, if they would only consider simply checking the space behind their homes on an occasional basis for trash, debris and such, and either picking it up or reporting it to the GNW staff so something can be done, that would help.I don't expect the GNW Maintenance crew to run out every time someone calls in to say that they have spotted a stray water bottle laying in the greenbelt, but I do know that there are a few avenues that can be worked to assist people who may see problems behind their homes but can't (or won't) take action.

Obviously, I am a supporter of The A-Team, a group of people who volunteer to help with projects around the Great Northwest. But also, the County and the City have programs where youth offenders can be put to work in neighborhoods to work off community service hours. We can use these programs to help with the greenbelt problem.

Beyond the residents who live directly behind the greenbelt, I'd ask other GNW folks to consider walking at least part of the area. By far, the most accessible spaces today are those directly behind the lodge and the soccer fields. We have a beautiful picnic area with grills that most people simply don't even know about.

If you are concerned about safety - encountering animals or people - I would point out that aside from the open space visible to people at the Silver Creek pool and the fields, most of the length of the greenbelt is within shouting distance of homes. As I walked through the area, it was easy to hear, and occasionally see people doing yard work, dogs barking, and kids playing in yards. I did not encounter a single snake, raccoon or opossum during my walk, but I will tell you that at least in the thicker areas near the creek bed, mosquitoes were present.

I don't believe the 2008 budget calls for any projects to be done in the greenbelt beyond standard maintenance issues. But enjoying the space and taking a garbage bag to help is free. I'd like to see people work with the staff to take on small sections for clean-up and debris removal. Perhaps a church, scouts or school club would like to come in for a morning to do some light clean-up and use the grills and picnic areas for lunch afterward. I'd like to see more use of "community serivce" assets, and of course, it would be nice if we could get more volunteers to join the A-Team to help with causes like this.

At the end of the day however, this greenbelt could just as easily go untouched and simply be a lost cause - a haven for undesirables, juvenile delinquents and people too lazy to haul their junk to a dumpster. When I think about it, I have no idea what my privacy fence looks like from my neighbor's yard, so it is easy for me to make suggestions about what other people should do with the other side of their fence. I don't have to deal with that issue. But I would submit that many people who purchased along the greenbelt area did so with the idea that their living space would be enhanced by having such a wide open and beautiful area. So what happened?If you can, take your own walk and see the potential. Let the board know if you feel as I do, that at some point in the budgets for the next few years, we should prepare to fund more clean-up and at least some slight amenities to this area. I think we should have numerous trash receptacles placed throughout the greenbelt and have them emptied at least weekly. I think we should have a path through this area that, perhaps not suitable for regular traffic, but certainly accessible by both maintenance and security.

I am eager to learn what people who live in the GNW think about this area as well as ideas from people who live elsewhere and have dealt with the same type of issues. Please, leave a comment or tell me about it here.

GNW Green Report: We Need to Take a Walk...

One of the fantastic things about living in a community with a Home Owners Association, or as ours is technically called, a Community Improvement Association, is that everyone is committed to the common good of the area, at least in the form of the yearly assessments due. Through these proceeds, things such as community pools, playgrounds and tennis courts are made available for common use, and we have a staff that can maintain them, run programs and manage the entire effort.

In some bigger associations, like the one we live in, The Great Northwest Community Improvement Association, we have a large greenbelts that can be used for the common benefit of the association residents. In what is commonly thought of as a water run-off area, we have installed picnic tables and grills. I'm sure some associations have running and biking trails carved through their greenbelts, and these are all little add-ons that can make life that much better in the community.At our current rate of yearly assessment, we simply don't have the resources to have the maintenance staff take 100 percent responsibility for keeping this space in pristine condition. When I first heard this, I was sort of surprised, I thought to myself, how bad could it be? To me, a big tractor to mow the grass, a few hours worth of weed whacker action, and it could look like a golf course, right? As one of the volunteers who went out on Saturday for the GNW Goes Green event, I found out it just isn't as easy as that, and why.
I should tell you up front that in my 10 years living here, I had never ventured down to the greenbelt, though as the crow flies, it is only about 1,000 feet from my home. I had always thought the small part from the street looked fairly nice, but never really saw myself taking the dog for a walk out there. I should have gone a long time ago.When it is dry - which is most of the time, the area shares many of the same features as Cathedral Rock Nature Park, just outside the neighborhood. Large boulders and trees that make for an interesting and peaceful walk; the winding creek bed created by years of flash flooding makes a navigable path when dry.

Wearing good shoes and gloves, I walked through with other volunteers, and several of us commented on how this same type of environment brought back enjoyable memories as kids, playing in similar spaces for hours on end. Back before cell phones and Nintendo and The Cartoon Network, it was not uncommon for a group of 12 year old boys to explore the outdoors, climb trees or even take their bikes into such an adventurous area to get what we now call exercise. And the thing is, I don't recall us ever leaving any trash behind.As Central South Texans, we know all about flash flooding and the power of water to move vast amounts of trash and debris miles down what is ordinarily a dry-creek bed. I figured there would be some tree limbs, lots of plastic shopping bags and the occasional piece of junk that had been discarded in some other neighborhood and found its way to our beautiful spaces. Yes, there was that, but it was worse.I was disgusted to find that there was a whole lot of outright littering by residents of our association and from my neighborhood. My neighbors simply tossing their discarded bottles and cans, roofing shingles and old fence boards directly over their back fence into the greenbelt, without an effort to even disguise their behavior by spreading it out as if it was the result of years of floods moving other people's junk.

I'm not trying to sound like someone's grandfather yelling, "Get off my grass, you kids", or to suggest that we go back to the good old days when people had some sort of respect for themselves and for each other. But I do wonder what happened in say the last 10 or 15 years to people and their simple lack of concern for doing the right thing?To this day, I still remember the Public Service Announcement from the 70's where some Indian chief (sorry, Native American) is paddling his canoe up a stream and it is just totally polluted. Then, he looks over and sees a car full of people driving by as they toss a bag full of garbage out of their window. Pan back to the chief and there is a tear coming out of his eye. That public service announcement had an impact on an entire generation of people and this nation cleaned its act up. And somehow it seems to have been lost.
There was one house in particular, that left a small group of us disgusted, and frankly, pissed-off. In what is a nice neighborhood not even 3 or 4 streets from my house, we came upon an area behind a house that has a pool and a back patio cover. Scattered all over the ground were emptied beer and wine bottles (if MD 20/20 is still considered wine), broken furniture pieces and trash. Oh, and these pillars of the community had thoughtfully picked up the dog crap in their yard, placed it in plastic bags, then tossed it right over the fence. You gotta be shittin' me. Toss your dog crap over the fence if that's what you think is right, but in a plastic bag? Thankfully we were all wearing gloves.There was some general discussion about simply throwing all the refuse right back into the yard and moving on, but I tried to reason that perhaps there was an explanation. I was reaching for anything to give these slobs the benefit of the doubt. Then one volunteer pointed out the roof of the patio in this yard. They had trash and old boards thrown on top of it as well.

In other words, these people simply couldn't care less about the community property or their own property. We simply cleaned up the trash and moved along to the next disaster.Lest you think the entire greenbelt was a lost cause, I'm here to tell you that with a little TLC, there is the potential for a really wonderful area. I'm a big fan of the A-Team concept that our association has - volunteers who try to get together for projects that can benefit the community. But we are just getting going again. And this greenbelt requires some assistance. If we could get several groups from churches or scouts or other organizations to help with several volunteer sessions taking a section at a time, I think we could clean up what we just couldn't get to during the Green Day event.

Then, when the flash floods bring brush and debris, between maintenance and other smaller volunteer efforts, we could keep the place clean.

Here is just an idea. If like me, you had never taken a walk through the area, I'd like to suggest that you give it a try. Take a single garbage bag with you and if along the course of your walk, you see an occasional beer can or plastic soda bottle, pick it up. I think you'll enjoy the walk and you'll feel better about the place.

Park Report: Cathedral Rock Nature Park...

It has been an especially ruff week for our big dog, Gracie, now that the little dog has gone to live in New Jersey. Right off the bat, doesn't that sound like a big lie? I mean, if your parents told you that your dog went to go live in the country, wouldn't you think there was some violence involved? Well, in this case, Panda did go to New Jersey and we have been dealing with an extra needy Gracie this week.To be honest, I think it has less to do with missing the little dog and a lot more of, wondering if we are going to let her come back.
Anyway, we took Gracie for a much needed walk just a minute or two from our house at Cathedral Rock Nature Park. In case you haven't been, this is where the city took a huge unused space that is up against a dry creek bed that floods quite often, and turned it into a wonderful series of natural walking trails. I am especially pleased that they made most of this place wheelchair accessible. No, I'm not a wheelchair user, but I figure if you can make your way through this place on one of those electric powered devices, I ought to be able to waddle my fat ass up and down the trails.Just a skateboarder minute away is Oscar Perez Memorial Park and sadly, some of the same disrespectful graffiti that plagues that well intended space has made its way to CRNP. Too bad. Regardless, it isn't a bad place for a walk or to take your dog for a little outing.If you are reading this from outside of San Antonio, don't worry, this dead, dry look in the trees is normal. Today was such an incredibly beautiful day with the weather a perfect mid 60's or so. The wind was so slight that when we heard some dry leaves on the trees rattle, my wife started searching for a snake or a gopher or anything that might attack, but it was nothing more than leaves easily blowing from time to time. If we were to be attacked, there would be plenty of clean-up ready for us.
After a nice walk along one of the easier trails (you could really spend an hour or two here if you wanted), we brought Gracie back and gave her a quick drink of water.Then, we violated all rules of common courtesy and decency and allowed her to take a few trips down the slide. Hey, there were no other kids using it.