2006 COVNA BOARD
Floyd Clark Greg Estes Helen Lightfoot Hal Ferguson Doug Tabony Doug DuBois Doug DuBois	President (282-8245) Vice President (282-2782) Secretary (282-2256) Treasurer (282-0601) Newsletter (280-4080) ANC Delegate (292-9323) Past President (292-9323)

2006 COVNA CALENDAR Monthly meetings are held on the third Monday of the month.
January 16th February 20th March 20th April 17th May 15th	June Picnic TBA September 18th October 16th November 20th Dec Party 18th

COVNA needs a secretary. Helen Lightfoot has been kind enough to fill this position through this month but is unable to continue. If you are interested and/or willing to step in and make a valuable contribution to your neighborhood association, please contact Floyd Clark at 282-8245 or come to the May meeting.

There have been newsletter delivery problems on Shelby Oak and Castledale. New volunteers have stepped forward to cover these routes and delivery problems should now be resolved. If you have a problem receiving your COVNA newsletter, call Doug at 280-4080.

Art Cory, Chief Appraiser for Travis County, spoke about tax appraisals (and many other things) last meeting. If my memory serves me correctly, Mr. Cory said he believed tax liability will not increase in our neighborhood this year. He also gave pointers on how to keep your tax bill as low as possible and how to protest your appraisal if you believe it is incorrect. A more detailed report will be posted at covna.org and, room permitting, in next month’s newsletter.

I hope you voted in the primary runoffs and our local election. As has been shown by statistics in a previous newsletter, your vote, though always important, counts even more in the “smaller” elections. If you are reading this before 7 pm this Saturday and have not yet voted, you still have time to cast your ballot for candidates for local government and AISD and propositions, several of which hold significant consequences for our city and area.

Doug Tabony, Editor

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Only $10.00/month. Reaches over 400 homes & Online at COVNA.org
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Taken from the city’s newsletter:

The art that adorns Austin City Hall is one of the most compelling features the unique building offers. Every year, local artists contribute their crafts – from paintings and photographs to sculpture and pottery – for a year-long exhibit that’s enjoyed by anyone doing business at City Hall. This February, the first exhibit was returned to the artists (with one special exception), and a new exhibit of artwork took its place. The second annual exhibit will be displayed until Feb. 2, 2007.

Hank Waddell’s “West Texas Beach Ball,” a globe of polished mesquite, was purchased by the City for permanent display. City Hall visitors voted to keep this sculpture at City Hall, and will have the opportunity again to vote for their favorite piece in this year’s exhibition. The winning piece also will be purchased for the City Hall permanent collection when the exhibition closes.

The success of this program belongs to the City of Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office’s Cultural Arts Division and the generosity of Austin artists, galleries and museums that loan their pieces to the exhibition. More than 100 works were selected for this year’s exhibition from more than 1,000 pieces of art submitted for consideration.

A listing of the artworks and artists for a self-guided tour is in the second floor lobby.

The eagerly anticipated new Blanton Museum of Art, named for Jack S Blanton, former CEO of Scurlock Oil and former Chairman of the UT Board of Regents, opened the doors of its grand new building April 29th. Located at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Congress Avenue, the Blanton's new home is an impressive 180,000 sq.-ft. two-building museum complex.

The Blanton is the largest university art museum in the country and the third largest art museum in Texas. The Blanton has a notable permanent collection of more than 17,000 works and is recognized for its Old Master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and an encyclopedic collection of prints and drawings.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Tues, Wed, and Fri hours are 10 am-5 pm, Thurs 10 am-8 pm and Sun 1-5 pm. Admission is free for UT students and free for everyone all day Thursday. Adults are normally $5; seniors, $4; youth (13-25), $3; and children (12 & under), free.

For much more information and previews of a few works, go to blantonmuseum.org

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino Personification of Astrology circa 1650-1655

 

Incidents in COVNA 1/1/2006-4/30/2006

Just in time to lessen the burgeoning mosquito population, Chimney Swifts return to our neighborhood. Our chimney cap has been off a number of years and, true to their name, the swifts nest in our chimney each year. Our fireplace is in a room that currently doubles as our den and bedroom. Thus I hear them through the evening as we watch the basketball playoffs or movies or The Match Game and their twittering greets me each time I wake during the night and in the morning. My son hates them and they could be creating a mess or a fire hazard but I look forward to sharing my house with them each year. Along with the frequent bursts of clicks the whirring of their wings creates a powerful resonance, not quite a booming sound, but subtly powerful. My parents, both serious amateur naturalists, taught me to appreciate the plants, animals, rocks, and natural forces of the world beyond our urban cocoons. It’s harder for me to venture out into the wild so I appreciate the Chimney Swifts bringing a bit of the wild into my home.