Northside Neighborhoods for Organized Development, an umbrella group for several North San Antonio neighborhood organizations, plans to focus on parks, recreational and code compliance issues during its monthly gatherings in 2023.
Meeting Jan. 9 at the Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center, a consensus of NNOD members said they want to to explore subjects such as shoring up safety for people and wildlife around Hardberger Park as part of its monthly sessions.
NNOD member David Simon expressed concern about deer attempting to cross Blanco Road in the Wurzbach Parkway area and suggested more fencing around the park properties on either side of Wurzbach Parkway.
“There’s a lot of deer trying to cross Blanco Road. In the last few weeks, we have seen at least three deer on Blanco,” Simon said.
Simon, who forwarded his worries about wildlife crossing roadways in the Hardberger Park area to District 9 City Council Member John Courage’s office, recommended signs and maybe flashing lights on Blanco to alert oncoming drivers to watch out for deer.
Fellow group members said they would like to do what is possible to reduce risks for wildlife and humans alike, but some said they do not want to see the park properties fully fenced out of fear that it could aesthetically deter visitors or further disrupt wildlife roaming patterns.
“I don’t think it’s a wise idea to fully fence the park,” NNOD President Colleen Waguespack said.
Courage’s zoning director, Charles Mazuca, who attended the NNOD meeting, said the city has few options.
According to Mazuca, the Texas Department of Transportation, which maintains the Wurzbach Parkway, Blanco Road and nearby Northwest Military Highway, has previously denied the city’s request for flashing beacons to warn motorists of the potential for wildlife crossing roads around the park.
Mazuca said, however, community members could apply pressure to TxDOT via their elected representatives to see if safety can be enhanced around the park.
Mazuca also suggested years of road construction encircling Hardberger Park are finally ending, and the result is more vehicular traffic, meaning a greater possibility of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
“We weren’t dealing with any other issues or things until their convergency and their opening,” Mazuca said of the end of road construction around the immediate park area.
NNOD member Chuck Saxer said speeding motorists on Blanco and Wurzbach Parkway are another matter and asked if TxDOT could review speed limits on those roadways.
Fellow NNOD members offered other subjects for future group discussion, including bicyclist and pedestrian traffic on shared-use trail paths, short-term rentals, permitting for solar energy panels and water harvesting systems, carport code compliance and the city’s efforts to develop updated flood plain maps.
Additionally, Waguespack, Simon and other NNOD members said they plan to update the organization’s website.
NNOD typically meets at 7 p.m. every second Monday except for July and possibly December at the Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center, 8400 NW Military Hwy.
