City to purchase security cameras for Founders Memorial Pool

By Megan Wehring

SPRINGS –

DRIPPING

After increased vandalism and trespassing, the city of Dripping Springs is looking to install security cameras at Founders Memorial Pool.

On Jan. 17, Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the FY2023 Parks and Community Services budget for the purchase and installation of video cameras at Founders Memorial Pool. The total cost of the two ADT 8MP cameras is $5,059.34, which will be taken out of the Founders Memorial Pool Supplies expense line. “We had an unauthorized visitor at the pool in the fall,” said Andrew Binz, Parks and Community Services director. “We decided to get cameras to monitor that area. I think it was just one person but they came several times and apparently, we have had in the past other instances of people being in the pool area out of season.” bringing antiques back began around 2007-08, Whit believes that Ian’s death is at the heart of everything they do, even naming the first structure on the property, the chapel, after him. Now, Ian’s Chapel is a beloved staple and host to weddings and more. reassembled the structure piece-by-piece using an intricate mapping system. lodging options

— from the floor and roof tiles to the friendly alpacas next to the check-in center.

The story of Camp Lucy, in Whit’s eyes, weaves his interest in antiques and architecture with his family.

Years ago, his son Ian was an East Asian studies major and Princeton scholar, working with Princeton graduates in Shanghai, China. Whit would travel to visit him frequently, and one trip led them to the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, a city known for its French Colonial history.

Mayor Bill Foulds said the city has continued to see numerous instances of unwanted activity at the pool throughout the year, leading to the need for security cameras.

But for Whit, persevering is half the fun.

• An on-site restaurant called Tillie’s with food crafted by renowned chef Andy Knudson, along with a variety of amenities and activities.

Whit mainly dealt in French and Spanish antiques, so Hanoi opened up a whole new world of antiques from this era. Whit began buying and sending back Vietnamese French Colonial pieces he found to Texas before stumbling upon some that would eventually become cornerstones of Camp Lucy, including thousands of handmade orange tiles bearing a heart-shaped symbol that inspired the property’s logo and pieces of 19th-century churches that were set to be destroyed.

Whit’s second son Roger lived in China with Ian for a period of time. Through his children and finding antiques in Vietnam, he became “intertwined” with Asia, calling it a “really rich experience.”

In 2011, Ian died from a brain tumor. While the process of

“This whole kind of surreal world that my life entered — when you lose a son, you’re so mixed up,” Whit said. “You don’t even know anything. You’re so confused. So I really went on a whole different bizarre life path that’s resulted from his death, that I think is the reason we’re here.”

Transporting antiques of this size to Texas over several trips and years was no easy feat. Whit had to navigate cultural differences and language barriers with customs agents, as well as coordinate help with local villages to get the antiques onto massive shipping containers and to the port.

He also faced other unprecedented challenges, like some pieces being wrapped in contaminated rice straw that caused them to be sent back to Vietnam and re-packed after they arrived in the U.S. with unknowingly forged fumigation papers.

The process of constructing Ian’s Chapel wasn't easy either. Built from iron wood, one of the strongest and heaviest woods, Whit and his team

“You really have to think of it as, ‘What’s the end goal here?’ We’re just pressing on until we get to where we need to go,” Whit said with a smile. “You just have to roll with it. It’s part of the joy of it.”

The property that Camp Lucy sits on belonged to Whit’s parents Roger and Lucy as their weekend place. While he did not intend for the antiques he was sending back to be turned into anything significant but be a “folly,” that changed when Kim entered the picture in 2008.

After meeting at a Christmas party and being invited out to visit Camp Lucy, Kim was able to see some of the process of rebuilding the chapel. Eventually, she convinced Whit that it could be used as a wedding venue and their life together blossomed from there.

The first wedding was held at Ian’s Chapel in 2010. Since then, the property has expanded to include:

• A second wedding venue (Sacred Oaks) and reception halls

• A permanent tent structure for weddings and other events at the on-site vineyard

• Three different familyfriendly and corporate-friendly

The Hanks are also in the process of building a spa on the property, aiming for completion by February 2024. Of course, this building will incorporate many of their signature Vietnamese antiques, including iron wood timbers seen in Ian’s Chapel and Tillie’s and ceiling arches with handcarved Hindu folktales.

The history found on Camp Lucy doesn’t end with the Vietnam antiques. A repurposed 1800s Amish barn from Ohio, repurposed roof tiles from the Bexar County Courthouse, a variety of pieces picked up at Austin antique shows and more can all be found on the property, bringing unique charm and character for guests that bear personal connections to the Hanks.

The Hankses’ infatuation with history and hospitality has even led them overseas to Malmesbury, England, where they were regular visitors before becoming owners of the Old Bell Hotel, which is said to be the oldest hotel in England. Serendipitously enough, the hotel was previously owned by some of Whit’s relatives hundreds of years ago.

Through this venture, Kim and Whit’s drive to be challenged and create a cohesive hospitality experience is evident and is at the core of their being both as employers and a couple.

“I don’t even know if we’re interested in doing things that are easy,” Kim said. “I think if it’s too easy, we’re like, ‘Pass.’ We want to do something unique and something we can put our own stamp on. I think there has to be an element that piques our curiosity. It has to be something that we haven’t done before. … I think that’s the challenge of life.”

“I think we both like to stretch ourselves and we like to create opportunities that we can share,” she added.

From bringing in people from all walks of life to help cultivate their creative ideas and nurturing the company culture for their employees, the Hanks have set themselves apart from others in the hospitality business — and are always planning their next adventure while never passing up an opportunity to find a story and celebrate it.

Camp Lucy is located at 3509 Creek Road in Dripping Springs. For more information on booking the venue for a wedding, corporate or personal event or to take a tour of the property, visit www.camplucy. com.

By Natalie Frels natalie@haysfreepress.com

HAYS COUNTY — There was a drizzle in the cold morning air as local teens of the community gathered at Dripping Springs Ranch Park on Saturday, Jan. 21 for the Hays County Livestock Show.

A nervous energy radiated as the queen’s court and ambassadors waited for their names to be announced.

When the emcee called her name, Hays County Livestock Show Queen Lizee McMillan had a grin from ear to ear to the sound of applause as she straightened her sash and took her place among the court.

McMillan didn’t seem to have an ounce of nerves in her. She knew this day was coming. In 2022, she submitted a cover letter, resume, headshot and reference letters, vying for the top spot. It wasn’t until December that she knew she’d been named queen.

“We did our interview in October; I was pretty nervous, but it went really well. We were actually able to connect with the judges because we were in person, not on Zoom or anything. So then in it would be beneficial for the city, then they would come up with a recommendation of what that rate would be and present that to the council.”

Hotel owners, operators or managers are required to collect state HOT from guests who rent a room or space in a hotel, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The state’s HOT rate is 6% of the cost of a room. Bed and breakfasts, condominiums, apartments and houses are also applied to this tax.

If the city were to pass a HOT, hotel operators would be required to pay both the state and city rates.

“When they file their quarterly or monthly reports, they would file one to the state for the 6% and they would file one to the city for whatever the percentage that would be,” Rule said. “It is the overnight guest that is paying the HOT and it is the operator of that facility that takes that money and gives it to the state and/or the city as well.” early December, they started announcing [the court] and I started getting nervous because I saw there was princess and queen left and they announced princess and I knew,” McMillan said. “In my pictures, I wasn’t even smiling; I was just so nervous because I wanted it for like four years and I finally made it.”

But for McMillan, it’s not just about the pomp and circumstance and the parades, it’s about being a role model for the community.

“The main thing for me is being a role model for young kids. I love when little girls come up to us and ask, ‘Oh my god, are you a princess?’ And they always ask to wear the crown,” the queen said. “So that’s my biggest thing is being a role model for the younger kids.”

Duchess Haley Ronshausen agreed, saying, “It’s all about leadership. Being on it, you can’t do whatever you want. We have to definitely be a role model and a leader for Hays County. When we do parades, we’re very noticeable. You have to be able to be a role model. It’s setting a good example.”

“One caveat on that is that we can allow the lodging group to keep 1% of the HOT for their own administrative purposes,” Rasco said. “If they want to do marketing for their venue, they can come to the city for a grant for marketing funds or if they want to do an event, we can assist with that.”

A 2016 survey by the Texas Comptroller’s office found that most cities may impose a HOT rate of up to 7% and certain cities that fund a convention center may collect an additional 2%. Depending on the committee’s recommendation, the city of Woodcreek could consider imposing a rate of 7% to match neighboring Wimberley.

On Jan. 11, Wimberley City Council approved the first set of committee members: Lynnsey Hastie, Ann-Tyler Konradi, Cherri Maley, Tomas Palm, Danny Ross and Mike Schneider. Additional appointments will be made at the upcoming city council meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.

While the city has not approved a HOT, some residents are still skeptical.

“We are all familyowned businesses; we are mom-and-pops,” said Albert Valera, owner of Cypress Creek Cottages. “Our livelihoods are tied to this. A 7% increase by the city of our rates will drive less occupancy for us.”

Valera and Hunter Jones, general managers of the Lodge at Cypress Falls, have been in business in Woodcreek’s extraterritorial jurisdiction for about 15 years.

“[Woodcreek] is 600 rooftops in a retirement community where the 55 and older population represents 80.4% of the total population that they have. Do you think that retirees want Airbnbs running through their little city streets?” Valera said. “These people just want to be left alone. They really want traffic control [and] streets that don’t have all of the potholes that they have. They want the city to basically manage like an HOA.”

Living through Woodcreek’s previous implementation of a HOT that ran from 2008 to 2013, the business owners have concerns about the possibility of the city reenacting the rate.

“It was a disaster in the sense that well over $100,000 was spent and no additional overnight tourism was generated,” Valera said.

Mayor Jeff Rasco said that during the initial period of the HOT, between 2008 and 2013, the city did not do “a very good job” at finding ways to spend the funds collected from the tax that fit into the state guidelines.

In addition, Valera does not feel like there has been open communication between city officials and lodging owners.

“The lodging people are the only ones that pay that tax [and have] told the city that there are only three of us,” Valera said. “We are not interested in that tax. You haven’t sold us on why we would need it. … We have no outlet and no way to share what our problems are.”

Local HOT revenue may only be used to promote tourism and the convention/hotel industries, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts stated. The following projects may be funded with local HOT revenue:

• Constructing, improving, enlarging, equipping, repairing, operating and maintaining a convention center or visitor information center

• Furnishing of facilities, personnel and materials for the registration of convention delegates or registrants

• Advertising and conducting promotional programs to attract tourists and convention delegates or registrants

• The encouragement, promotion, improvement and application of the arts

• Historical restoration and preservation projects or advertising and conducting promotional programs to encourage tourists to visit preserved historic sites or museums

• Expenses related to a sporting event in which a majority of participants are tourists

• The enhancement and upgrade of existing sports facilities or fields

• Constructing, improving, enlarging, equipping, repairing, operating and maintaining a coliseum or multi-use facility

• Signage directing the public to sights and attractions that are visited by hotel guests The city of Woodcreek would not be the only one in the area to have a HOT if it were passed. Kyle, Buda, Dripping Springs and Wimberley are all set at 7% and San Marcos is set at 9%.

“It is not something new or outrageous,” Rule said. “The majority of the cities do have one.”

The HOT Committee is slated to have its first meeting in February.

The Hays Free Press/ News-Dispatch is monitoring the Hotel Occupancy Tax situation in the city of Woodcreek. We will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.