Father Pat Needs Your Help!

AS OUR JANUARY 28^TH DATE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL DRAWS NEAR --- WE NEED YOUR HELP!
During the last few weeks, Michelle Lynch of Metcalfe Wolff Stuart & Williams, LLP and I met with all of the members of the City Council and their staff to encourage their support for approval of our proposed SOS Amendment and Flood Plain Variance. While we believe that we were well received, we think it is now time for our community to speak. We are asking our community to send the Council emails asking for their unanimous approval of our SOS Amendment and Flood Plain Variance. Emails may be sent by all members of a household, including children who are email capable, as long as each person sends a message from a different email address. Everyone should take a little time to explain what this new building will mean to them personally as well as the impact it will have on the entire community.
Although it’s quite understandable to want to vent a little about the delay we have endured, please remember today’s mission is to work to obtain Council approval. So, please don’t let any frustration keep you off-point. We suggest keeping your emails brief and drafting emails that get quickly to the point (in a true Christian spirit). The City Council website does not list individual email addresses for its members. Instead, the City has created the following general address for the Council: http://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members . Also, general information about Council members can be found at: http://www.austintexas.gov/government. You can also direct emails to each Council Member individually via the email links found on this web page. We are of the opinion that every email will make a difference. Let’s take this opportunity to show the City Council that our proposal is a good one that the community strongly desires. A summary of facts pertinent to the SOS Amendment and Flood Plain Variance that you may find useful for your emails follows. I appreciate being copied on all emails so I can measure our efforts. My email address is [email protected].
Summary of SOS Amendment and Flood Plain Variance
Our SOS Amendment will allow the rebuilding of Johnson Hall on its original site which is wholly situated in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone (the “ EARZ”). As we have explained in earlier publications, building within the EARZ is governed by stringent code requirements most of which were enacted long after St. Catherine was created and its campus developed. There are, unfortunately, no grandfather options or other exceptions. Therefore, we have devoted all of 2015 to negotiating the terms and conditions of an SOS Amendment with the City Staff that actually improves the environmental quality of our site. We have agreed to install a rain garden on the south east corner of the campus that will lie beside the east entrance to the Church. This rain garden will capture the runoff from the Sanctuary which has not been treated to date. We have also agreed to install a 25,000 gallon rain barrel that will be placed on the northeast corner of the new parish center between the center and the administration building. The water that is captured in the barrel will be dispersed on the north side of the campus. Approval of our SOS Amendment requires the positive vote of a supermajority of the Council membership which means that at least 9 of the 11 member of the City Council must cast a positive vote.
We had hoped to avoid a request for a Flood Plain Variance by obtaining the approval of the Board of Directors of the Western Oaks Home Owners Association for the placement of a sidewalk running from the northwest corner of our parking lot through a green belt behind our garage and ending at Woodcreek Drive. Unfortunately, the Board decided not to grant our request. So we were forced to seek a variance with the City. Our experience has shown us that not all flood plains give rise to a threat for flash flooding. Flooding concerns at our campus are more of an inconvenience to us when the waters rise over Convict Hill and commonly block egress from the west side of our campus. We diligently monitor weather threats and cancel Masses and other events when assembly and travel would be unwise. I think we drove that point home when we told of a Friday afternoon move of a Saturday afternoon wedding to St. Austin’s because all weather sources were forecasting a Saturday deluge which, of course, didn’t happen. Nonetheless, we think it made our case. The Flood Plain Variance requires only a simple majority which means we only need 6 approvals.
Again, this is truly an instance where every effort will make a difference and persistence will triumph. So let’s make it loud and please keep praying!

Sue LeFevre, Business Manager
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
Austin, TX