TOWN & COUNTRY
OPIFEX GLOBAL: Astronaut Training in Georgetown Barton Bollfrass, like many
of us, grew up on the thrills of space travel, moon landings, and shuttle landings. More recently, he has enjoyed the successes of SpaceX, including the Tesla convertible now orbiting the sun at 7 miles per second with a Starman mannequin at the wheel. Bollfrass, who just may be Texas' answer to Elon Musk, is as much a philosopher about space flight as he is a business man. Thanks to Bollfrass' common sense approach— and some important folks in Washington DC—what has previously been the purview of billion-dollar government contractors may be within reach for his Opifex Global astronaut training program here in little ol' Georgetown. At a recent meeting, Opifex demonstrated to the National Space Council and the White House, that training one astronaut does not have to cost taxpayers $50 million. The impact of that number becomes even greater when you realize not every person who goes through that training— with that price tag—even makes it to space. Having proven his model, and partnered with the appropriate EVA suit manufacturer, Bollfrass got the 'GO' decision from the NSC allowing him to respond to an RFP that will provide labor (astronauts) to future spaceflights.
But outerspace is expensive, isn't it?
Using the photos at right, Bollfrass explains the physical and physiological similarities between working on the moon and working underwater. As a former Navy diver, he began applying the same training principles and equipment to both. "The astronaut helmet was literally designed as a bubble to copy Flash Gordon. The diver has a small faceplate so he can focus on the work in front of him. Both suits are pressurized to keep the occupant alive. Oh, and the spacesuit costs $13M for a few extra layers of fabric." So, Opifex can prepare an astronaut for flight for $50,000. That's 1/10th of one percent of what the government spends. "There is no reason for space flight to be so expensive. Opifex is changing the paradigm on astronaut training and we're enjoying being disruptive in what has traditionally been a 'spend more for better' program," he says. "If you think about it, space travel is the only technology that has not gotten any smaller or cheaper. Sadly, there are many individuals and vendors who have made a lot of money for decades on space equipment and machinery. Taxpayers deserve better." With Opifex’s more-reasonable plans and programs, money could be spent elsewhere in the space program; building a station on the moon that can be a starting point for Mars and beyond. "It takes 17,000 miles worth of fuel just to get off the Earth," Bollfrass adds. "Imagine how far
we could go if we had a gas station on the moon to start from. Too often we hear about a company that invents a 'spaceflight rotary boring auger'... it's a drill! They just charge a million dollars and call it a spaaaace drill." Bollfrass uses his own pool design to train astronauts for zero gravity work and insists space travel is not just for pilots. "We only need two pilots. We need many more specialists who can focus on the work to be done on the moon. We built a neutral buoyancy tank and filled it with water. It's not special space water and we put on the same harness and suit the government does. We found a company to make the suits and, like diving, it's just a personal life support system with a coverall made of heavy fabric that is airtight. We pressurize it so you can just get to work. Then we train specialists to 1. not take off the helmet, 2. don't touch the dials, and 3. just get to work. "There's nothing else you need to know. When you ride
a roller coaster, you don't need to understand engineering. Just don't let go. Ironically, it's not rocket science at all." Bollfrass hopes his and other companies that are helping privatize space exploration will allow NASA, and mankind, to arrive at the moon to collaborate as benign entities and eventually share in the benefits to be had from reaching other planets, rather than just building space stations merely to give the rockets a place to go. Visit OpifexGlobal.com for more on these and other future endeavors.
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MAYOR'S UPDATE • BY DALE ROSS
Recovering Recyclable and Green Materials
There was a time a few decades ago when everything we “threw away” went into a trashcan that was emptied into a truck and dumped into a landfill. Now with technology for sorting and processing materials, most of our “trash” is actually a variety of recoverable materials that can be sorted, processed, and made into new products. Georgetown is part of this shift. We are now diverting much of our solid waste stream out of the landfill with programs for recycling, yard trimmings, household hazardous waste, and unwanted medications. Sorting and reusing more materials, combined with our growing population, have led to plans for a new transfer station.
New transfer station
After a collection truck leaves your house, the first stop for solid waste, recyclables, and yard trimmings is the City’s transfer and collection station on W.L. Walden Drive. There the materials are transferred from collection trucks to larger semi-trucks for the trip to the Texas Disposal Systems landfill, recycling, and composting facility south of Austin. The current
transfer and collection station in Georgetown opened in 1984 when the city’s population was about 12,000. Thirty-five years later, with a population of more than 70,000, the transfer station demand is exceeding its capacity. As part of an overall Solid Waste Master Plan, the City is now designing a new transfer station. The facility will increase capacity and efficiency with drive-through truck bays for three material streams: recyclables, compost/green material, and landfill material. Construction on the new $9.5 million transfer station is set to begin next summer with completion in the spring of 2021. While the new transfer station will help to more efficiently process the solid waste steam, we still need help from every resident to put items in the right cart.
What can I recycle?
Knowing what is and is not recyclable and putting items in the right cart will ensure that we reduce problems with contamination for recyclables or yard trimmings. That will help us to divert more material from the landfill. Recyclable items are
sorted and baled at the TDS materials recovery facility. These materials like mixed paper, cardboard, metal cans, and plastic containers are sold to buyers who use these materials to make new products. Items that are recyclable include aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles, corrugated cardboard, paperboard boxes, newspapers, magazines, telephone books, office paper, plastics #1 - #7, and plastic bags that have been put into a yellow Bag-the-Bag stuffer bag (available at Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave. or Sun City Social Center, 2 Texas Drive). Items that are not recyclable include aerosol cans, used paper towels or tissues, loose plastic bags,
Styrofoam, snack bags (like chip bags), and paper coffee cups (paper sleeves and plastic lids are OK). Quick tips: Leave recyclable items loose in the cart and do not place in a bag. And be sure to separate boxes from plastic wrapping as these cannot be readily separated during sorting and processing. For a complete list of recyclables, go to recycle.georgetown.org/ single-stream-recycling.
Yard trimmings
Monthly collection of “green waste” or yard trimmings for City of Georgetown residents is on your first recycle pickup of the month. Leaves, branches, weeds, and other yard trimmings can be put in paper kraft bags, in a container marked “yard trimmings,” or in bundles (35 pounds, fourfoot max.). The organic material collected is turned into mulch available at the Collection Station or turned into a variety of compost products at the TDS facility.
Household hazardous waste vouchers The City is initiating a new program this month
for collection of household hazardous wastes such as antifreeze, fertilizer, motor oil, paint, pesticides, pool chemicals, or solvents. Georgetown city residents will be able to receive a voucher from the City of Georgetown to take household hazardous waste items to a facility in Round Rock. Find out more about the new household hazardous waste vouchers at recycle. georgtown.org. Email Georgetown Customer Care at customercare@georgetown.
org to request information or a voucher. Visit Round Rock’s household hazardous waste site to learn about collection events and acceptable materials: roundrocktexas.gov/departments/utilities-and-environmental-services/ solid-waste-recycling/ household-hazardous-waste-disposal. To learn more about recycling, yard trimmings, or other solid waste programs, or to look up your pickup schedule, go to recycle. georgetown.org.
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CITY INSIDER
REMEMBERING JOHN GLOVER WARDEN 1955-2014 pastor of Grace for 14 years In Honor and in Memory of where he saw Pastor John G. Warden God’s tremendous work in selected as the 2014 Jarrell Citizen of the Year growing the by Fidelis Publishing Group, LLC church. This was a special time in his life, and he loved his congregation deeply. Feeling the call to plant a church in his and spiritual needs of others. hometown of Jarrell, John started New Hope Baptist Church (lovingly known in the community as “The Barn Church”) where he served for six years. by Mike Payne John touched many lives throughout Williamson and Bell Counties with his minisHow many times have you heard someone try, which included volunteer chaplaincy say, “He (or she) was a rock?” Did the at St. David’s Georgetown Hospital. John comment make you wonder exactly what enjoyed working with his hands, which was they meant? To me, ‘a rock’ is someone evident in his participation in the building who is immovable, steadfast and resolute; of two churches and maintaining the church and I don’t think we run into too many of property. Most of all, he had a passion to them in life. share his love for his Lord and Savior to The rock I had the privilege of knowing anyone who would listen (and lovingly went home to be with the Lord five years prayed for those who wouldn’t). ago after a tragic accident at the Cedar Park John led our Tuesday morning Bible Gun Show. His name was John Warden and study. I came to rely on the simple text he everyone who knew him would concur that faithfully sent every Monday night remindhe was, indeed, a rock in his faith. He is ing us what passage we would be studying. missed by thousands who called him friend. On Tuesday mornings, he came into the John Glover Warden, 59, went to be office at 6:30 am, ready to share what God with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, June had placed on his heart for our group. At 28, 2014. He was born May 14, 1955 in the end of our time together each week, his Burnet. In 1994 John was called into the teaching always left us a little better than ministry and started Grace Baptist Church it found us! Some in the group had known of Salado with 18 members. He served as John for years; some for months; some for
Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
Pastor John Warden was recognized as Jarrell Citizen of the Year for 2014. The Warden family accepts the Citizen of the Year plaque in his honor on behalf of New Hope Baptist Church. just a few weeks; yet everyone said that he death, Jesus paid the price on the cross for made a profound impact on their lives. us, dying for all our sins; and that through John, whom I was blessed to call teacher, his death and resurrection, when we call mentor and friend, would surely admonish on his name, in belief, he responds with the me for honoring him on this difficult anpromise of eternal life! niversary. He was not interested in talking To the Warden family: My family conabout himself unless it was to share with tinues to pray for you in the power of the us that he thought he needed to be more Holy Spirit. We are asking that God will faithful, or that he needed to do more to act wrap his arms around you and comfort upon the tenets of the his faith. John had you with His presence. To John’s friends: a clear calling. It was to share the love of I challenge you - be more like John. Love Christ. If John was standing over my shoul- more; do more for others; engage those in der as I write this, he would most certainly need. Most of all, though, John would say say, Tell them about Jesus! Tell them that to everyone, Seek Jesus; accept him; love God loves them! Tell them that while we him; be obedient to him. Your life and the were yet sinners, Christ Jesus died for us! lives of those you love will never be the Tell them that even though we all deserve same, here on earth, and eternally!
The Rev. Dr. Bill Pederson, Pastor
Members of the New Hope congregation and Jarrell community members constructed a prayer garden outside the church in memory of their pastor, mentor and friend.
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NEED A RIDE? Call (512) 966-0971 Dr. Max Johnson, Pastor
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CITY INSIDER
Big Mouth
JULY 2019
NEWS FOR PAWS & CLAWS AND HOOVES & SNOUTS
by Dr. Nathan Carlton
A couple months ago I was called out to a ranch to help figure out why the cattle owner had lost several calves this year. The rancher had exceptional records; every calf was accounted for on an excel spreadsheet, along with its mother, vaccination dates, the antibiotics and de-wormer used. Very impressive! After some discussion, I decided our best bet was to test for leptospirosis. If you’ve been following these articles, you know all about lepto. For those who haven’t, leptospirosis is a bacterial disease passed in the urine of wild animals to other animals. It is pretty common in central Texas; cows, pigs, dogs, and people can get this bacterial disease. Signs of infection are non-specific and include fever, headache, belly pain, and jaundice. The infection can cause abortions in cows, and liver failure in several species. There are vaccines against lepto licensed for dogs, cows and pigs, and
I highly encourage everyone to get pets or livestock vaccinated. I went to my pickup and collected a few syringes and serum separator tubes, put on my muck boots, and headed out to start collecting blood. Like most of us who own cows, my client had a fulltime job and had not yet had time to sort the cows. He had them penned them up in the working facility he built. He beamed with pride as he told me about how he and his daddy had built their pens out of salvaged material from an auction barn’s old working pens. Clad in overalls and well over six feet tall, my client is an imposing figure who obviously relished his cattle handling experience. He set to work with a sorting stick, tapping cattle on the rump, gesturing and talking to the cows and bulls he had penned up. The whole time he told me stories about his life growing up alongside his father raising cattle and working the land. In no time he had the cows sorted out. Like every rancher I’ve ever met, this man was
a master at ingenuity. To keep costs down, he had created a gate system he used with a rachet strap to trap each cow we needed to work in an impromptu squeeze. The easiest way to draw blood from a cow is to lift the tail and stick the tail vein. I collected blood from a couple cows, and was in the process of explaining something to my client when the cow I was working on, whose tail was well coated in urine and stool, decided to flick said tail right into my gaping mouth. I gagged and spat, trying to get rid of the foul material while my client snorted and chuckled. Feeling sheepish I returned to my clinic and filled out the paperwork to send the samples in for testing. I found out a few days later the cows were positive for lepto and was able to help him treat the cattle so he didn’t suffer further loses. I’ve just finished my last round of antibiotics to try and prevent myself from getting leptospirosis, and so-far, so-good. My client is in his 50s, and his love for
the farming and ranching lifestyle started with the experiences he had with his father raising livestock. I hope I can be as inspirational to my son as his father was to him; I hope more fathers share their passion for agriculture with their children; and I hope that I learn to keep my mouth shut once in a while. After graduating from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Carlton served four years in the United States Army as a Veterinary Corps Officer. He honed his clinical skill set working on these unique animal populations, and now brings that special knowledge to the community at Jarrell Animal Hospital. Dr. Carlton is a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Equine Practitioners, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and he continues to serve in the United States Army Reserve. Jarrell Animal Hospital 191 Town Center Blvd. JarrellAnimalHospital.com and Facebook
CITY INSIDER
JULY 2019
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CITY INSIDER
JULY 2019
The Georgetown Fire Department and The Caring Place are teaming up with Family Eldercare for the Summer Fan Drive. The goal of this event is to collect new fans for low-income residents including seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. The fan drive continues through Aug 31. The goal is to deliver more than 6,000 fans to households in 11 counties in Central Texas.
Donations
New fans can be donated at all five Georgetown fire stations: • Fire Station 1, 301 Industrial Avenue • Fire Station 2, 1603 Williams Drive • Fire Station 3, 5 Texas Drive • Fire Station 4, 4200 Airport Road • Fire Station 5, 3600 DB Wood Road Other fan donation locations can be found and
monetary donations are accepted on the Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive website at www.SummerFanDrive.org.
Eligibility
Those eligible to receive a fan are low-income residents. In addition, they must be seniors who are over age 55, or persons who are disabled, or families with children under 18. To apply to receive a fan at a location other than The
Caring Place, go to the Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive website at www. SummerFanDrive.org. For more locations to apply, go to www.SummerFanDrive. org. To request a fan or get more information, you may call the Fan Drive phone number at (512) 459-4326.
Georgetown Pickup
In Georgetown, people who are eligible may apply at The Caring Place Annex and pick up a fan at the
same time. Bring documentation of low-income status to The Caring Place Annex, 2001 Railroad Avenue, Georgetown, TX, 78626. At The Caring Place, Fan Drive distribution continues every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am-2pm. In addition, this location will be open from 4:30-6pm on July 28. Distribution at The Caring Place ends on July 28. For details, or to donate to the Summer Fan Drive online, go to www.SummerFanDrive.org.
Sponsored by...
Family Eldercare has been helping seniors, adults with disabilities and their caregivers live safely and as independently as possible, regardless of their income level or ability to pay since 1982. They provide care and comfort to those who have neither. In addition to the summer fan drive, they provide inhome care, money manage-
ment, guardianship services, counseling, Lifetime Connections Without Walls, and a beautiful Lyons Gardens senior community. The fan drive has been an annual summer event since 1990. Fan Drive recipients receive outreach “kits” including basic needs resource information (nutrition, utilities, transportation, etc.), heat relief tips and other help. Volunteers delivering to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities are trained to watch out for signs of neglect, abuse or other dangerous conditions. In 2018, they distributed more than 7,600 fans across 14 counties. The Austin-Round Rock metro area has the fastest population growth for pre-seniors (55-64) in the nation, and the second-fastest growth rate for seniors 65 and older so this kind of local support tour support has never been more important.
TEXAS BACH FESTIVAL
• Visit the Quarry Splash Pad at Southwest Regional Park. $2 per person. • Get exercise on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. Free. • Go fishing at Southwest Regional Park, Berry Springs Park or Twin Lakes Park. Free, but note: Anglers 17 years old and over will need a fishing license. • Visit the donkeys at Berry Springs Park. Free. • Go camping at Berry Springs Park. $6 per site per night for primitive camping, $15 per site per night for improved camping. • Visit the playgrounds at Berry Springs Park, Southwest Regional Park or Twin Lakes Park. Free. • Ride the Cedar Rock Railroad at Southwest Regional Park. $2.50-$3 per person. • Enjoy the sports fields at Southwest Regional Park. Free. • Visit the Williamson Museum in Georgetown on Austin Ave. or in Round Rock on Chisholm Trail. Free. • Go on a tour of the Historic Courthouse every Friday & Saturday at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm. Free. • Enjoy live music in front of the Historic Courthouse with the Summer Music on the Square series on select Fridays. Free.
• Brushy Creek Regional Trail Lake Creek Trail. The trail winds along Brushy Creek from east to Great Oaks Drive, west to US 183 in Cedar Park. Approx. 1.16 miles through southwest Williamson County along Lake Creek connecting Parmer Lane to Broadmeade Avenue.
Williamson Museum
716 S. Austin Ave. Georgetown 8 Chisholm Trail, Round Rock Visit the Historic Courthouse on the square in Georgetown during regular business hours and complete our Courthouse Scavenger Hunt!
Parks & Trails in Williamson County
www.wilco.org/parks For questions and to make reservations, call the Parks office: (512) 943-1920 • Berry Springs Park and Preserve • Champion Park Southwest Williamson Co Regional Park • Twin Lakes Park - 1801 C.R. 152 Georgetown - 3830 Brushy Creek Road Cedar Park - 3005 C.R. 175 Leander - 2300 S Bell Blvd. Cedar Park
Bob Brownfield was "Partying Like 1876" at the Williamson Museum on the Chisholm Trail July 4th Celebration. Bob is holding the first official weapon of the U.S. military, among many he displays at the museum's Cowboy Camp. He has been conducting tours and docent activities every weekend for the museum for the past two years.
Top: Clarinet Quintet performs at St Helen's Catholic Church July 7; Patrice Calixte, Richard Kilmer, Steve Girko, Bruce Williams, Christopher Flores • Right: Soprano Meredith Ruduski sings Andantio by Schubert. The 3rd Annual Texas Bach Festival (TBF) held a series of concerts and events July 5-8 across Georgetown and Austin with great success. Founder Barry Williamson has been working hard to bring worldclass professional instrumentalists and singers to Georgetown for this inaugural event and joked, “Life and concertizing takes me far and wide so I have only committed to the Texas Bach Festival for at least the next 25 years.” Williamson founded the non-profit organization, the only one in Central Texas devoted to the life of and music of Johann Sebastian Bach, to engage and enrich the people and arts community in Georgetown. The festival comprised four days of performances July 5-8, ranging from sumptuous chamber music of Mozart, Schubert and Brahms to challenging Bach cantatas with orchestra plus his famous St. John Passion, the latter was introduced in 1724 and continually revised to perfection over 25 years.
TBF also held four free concerts across Georgetown for youth groups and Sun City residents to expand their reach and encourage participation in the full festival. Classical music festivals are held worldwide and feature western secular and liturgical music from the 11th century to today. Williamson is a renowned expert on music of the 18th century, and is particularly passionate about Bach. Music from previous festivals is available online on CD at TexasBachFestival. org. Recordings from the 2019 festival will be available soon.
CITY INSIDER
JULY 2019