District of Innovation for HCISD?
Lady Tigers to build on success
page 3
Tigers fall to Boerne Champion
page 5
News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 17
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
page 5
75¢
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Dye test raises questions on discharge permit BY MOSES LEOS III Two weeks after a study showed connectivity between Onion Creek and the Trinity Aquifer, Dripping Springs’ top elected official is now weighing in on the matter. In an online statement, Dripping Springs Mayor Todd Purcell said connectivity between Onion Creek and the Trinity Aquifer and its impact on wells are “two separate and distinct issues when it comes to the subject of the city’s pending wastewater
discharge permit.” Purcell’s comments come after the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) provided the city its preliminary results from a dye trace test on Onion Creek. Joining the HTGCD in the test were the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer District (BSEACD), the Meadows Center at Texas State University and the city of Austin. According to initial results of the study, a hydrological connection was found between Onion
Creek and the Middle Trinity Aquifer. That conclusion was made after dye injected in several karsts was discovered in several area wells that obtain water from the middle Trinity aquifer. According to the report, dye was found in those wells roughly 24 hours after injection and roughly a mile from the injection point. Purcell said in his statement the affected wells were privately owned and that the public water sup-
DISCHARGE PERMIT, 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROTECT OUR WATER
All water in this Dripping Springs Area home ran pink multiple weeks confirming Onion Creek impact on its well.
Movie theater opens as Belterra Village anchor BY MOSES LEOS III
Dripping Springs-area residents no longer have to drive into Austin to get their film fix. Sky Cinema, a new 14-screen movie theater, officially opened its doors for a “soft-opening” last week. The theater is the anchor for Belterra Village, a 93-acre mixed-use development that holds roughly 200,000 squarefeet of retail space. Bill Banowsky, creator of Sky Cinema and the Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, said he had envisioned bringing a cinema to the Dripping Springs area for several years. It offered him a way to test a new suburban cinema concept, where it can anchor a retail pad. Banowsky said the cinema also fits a “robust and growing” market in the Dripping Springs area, which includes Wimberley, Henly and Johnson City. “People in this market have wanted a movie theater and that’s clear,” Banowsky said. Banowsky said the cinema is community-focused that “embraces and is guided by the area’s family-friendly, fun, local culture,” according to a press release. The cinema will feature 14 auditoriums with stadium seating and reclining seats. Banowsky said the idea was to change the scale of the
PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
A handfull of people crowd into Dripping Springs City Hall with protest signs in opposition to a proposed wedding venue in Driftwood.
PHOTOS BY MOSES LEOS III
Sky Cinema co-creators Bill Banowsky (left) and Robert Crane lounge in reclining seats in one of the 14 auditoriums at the first cinema in Dripping Springs.
“I’m hoping that other business investors will see that we have a large number of families out here and they need something to do ... I’m hoping our movie theater is our first step.” –Sherrie Parks, Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce executive director
cinema to offer a more unique experience for movie-goers. Ten of the 14 auditoriums have roughly 75 seats, Banowsky said. However, he said film streaming services such as Netflix has not affected “people like us.” The fo-
cus is to give movie-goers an experience they won’t be able to find on their couch, Banowsky said. “Most cinemas are built large and they’re busy on the weekends, but terribly underutilized during the week,” Banowsky said. “We
approach it with an idea that we should have 50 or 60 seat auditoriums, rather than 200 seats, because the efficiency is higher.” He added the cinema also aims to work with local breweries and businesses in the area. According to a press release, the cinema will practice a “keep it close” culture by locally sourcing ingredients for its menu. The economic benefit from the amount of traffic to the cinema could also be a boost for area businesses. Estimated annual attendance at Sky Cinema could range from 350,000 to 400,000 tickets
SKY CINEMAS, 6
LAGNIAPPE Hays County Master Gardeners
Master Gardener Marilyn Love will present an overview of the Hays County Master Gardeners Association at the Kyle Public Library on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 11:30 a.m. She is making this presentation in advance of the upcoming spring HCMG class which starts on Feb. 23.
DS Women’s Club
The Dripping Springs Women’s Club hosts its monthly meeting Wednesday,
Feb. 21 at the Terrace Club at 11:30 am - 1 pm. Epicure Restaurant presents a cooking demonstration and provides a gourmet lunch. For a reservation contact womenofds@gmail. com. $20 for program and lunch.
Firefighters Fitness Day
Work out with local firefighters through Healthy Parks, Healthy People – Dripping Springs. North Hays County Fire Rescue, along with the Dripping Springs Professional Firefighters Association, is partnering with the city to bring you Firefighters Fitness Day on Feb. 17,
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dripping Springs Ranch Park.
Voter registration
Time is running out for those who wish to cast their ballot in the 2018 March primaries. The deadline for registration is Monday, Feb. 5. Residents can pick up registration forms at libraries, government offices, high schools or online. Those who wish to register can submit their forms to Elections Administrator, 712 South Stagecoach Trail Set 1045, San Marcos, TX 78666. Early voting for the March 6 Primary is Feb. 20-March 2.
Controversial wedding venue moves forward BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A 5-1 recommendation to approve a controversial Driftwood wedding venue was handed down by the Dripping Springs Planning and Zoning Commission Jan. 23, but not without protest. More than 100 people packed into Dripping Springs City Hall for a public hearing on the site development permit, with many voicing opposition to the Mark Black Wedding venue, located on a 64 acre plot of land that can hold a capacity of 600 people in a residential area. Commissioner Erich Oswald cast the lone dissent-
ing vote on the proposed project. The Dripping Springs City Council will determine the fate of the permit on Feb. 13. Mark and Michael Black, who applied for the permit, attended the meeting, along with representatives from the project’s architecture and development groups. Black said Tuesday because the permit was approved as-is, his team didn’t anticipate making any architectural changes to the venue. On Jan. 23, the News-Dispatch reported Black as having a few clients already lined up for
WEDDING VENUE, 2
$132M May bond tabbed for DSISD BY KATERINA BARTON After four months of research, a recommendation of a bond totaling $132 million was proposed to the Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees to consider for a possible May bond election. The DSISD bond steering committee presented its recommendation during a special meeting Jan. 29. The bond money will go toward updating schools and accommodating growth in the district. The district is growing by 7.24 percent each year, according to officials. The current capacity of facilities is 7,350 students, and enrollment is expected to exceed that capacity by 2020. If the growth rate stays consistent, DSISD could reach 12,000 students by 2025, according to
district estimates. Eventually a larger bond package, in the ballpark of $400 million, will be needed in May 2021 in order to address the growth at Dripping Springs High, according to Superintendent Bruce Gearing. Of the recommendations, the relocation of Walnut Elementary to share a campus with Dripping Springs Middle School was the most contentious. Some board members were concerned with the design of the potential shared campus and with the existing water treatment plant facility. All designs for the school will be finalized only if there is a call for a bond election. The committee’s recommendation also included funding for replacement
DSISD, 6
Page 2
News-Dispatch
News -Dispatch
Letter to the Editor
PHONE: 512-268-7862 FAX: 512-268-0262
WATCH OUT, NEIGHBORS
after we moved here a wedding venue was quietly built right next to our property. We also heard the same kind of rhetoric from the owners about community concerns and operating the venue on a low-key basis with strict rules. Once they were
established, it became obvious there was very little concern for the residents. Their focus was to grow the business. Now, delivery and trash trucks are frequent, busses park near our property and continuously run through the event duration. Litter
REPORTERS Samantha Smith
Regarding the article: Protests grow as wedding venue sets to open in residential area My advice to Friendship Alliance is: stop them; stop them at all cost. We live in a residential area where several years
PRODUCTION David White Christine Thorpe
Discharge Permit: Dye test raises questions
PUBLISHER Cyndy Slovak-Barton
csb@haysfreepress.com
EDITOR Moses Leos III
moses@haysfreepress.com
news@haysfreepress.com
ADVERTISING/MARKETING Tracy Mack ads@haysnewsdispatch.com
Jim Darby
ads@haysfreepress.com
PHOTOGRAPHER Wayland Clark PROOFREADER Jane Kirkham CIRCULATION MANAGER/ LEGAL NOTICES David White
paper@haysnewsdispatch. com
News-Dispatch (USPS 011 - 401) is published weekly except for the weeks following July 4 and Christmas by Barton Publications, Inc., 113 W. Center St., Kyle, TX 78640. Subscription price: $42 local, $59 county, $62 out of state. Periodicals Postage paid at Driftwood, TX. Email paper@ haysnewsdispatch. com for subscriptions and address changes. POSTMASTER: send address changes to News-Dispatch, PO Box 339, Buda, TX 78610 LETTERS GUIDELINES We welcome locally written letters to the editor on timely topics of community interest. We ask that you keep them to about 350 words in length and that you not indulge in personal attacks on private individuals. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity. All letters should be signed by the author and include a daytime phone number where the author can be contacted for verification. Letter writers are limited to one letter per month. Letters can be emailed to csb@ haysfreepress.com.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
along the roads has increased. Noise levels are no longer monitored and “supposed” restrictions are not enforced. Most importantly, residential property values fell. No one wants to live next to or near a wedding/event venue!
Michael & Mark Black say they are giving “heavy” consideration to community concerns but the article in the NewsDispatch raises serious red flags about their intentions. S. Schouten Dripping Springs
time soon, and that we are committed to achieving 100% reuse, as we have been from the time we filed our permit application,” Purcell said. But Jeff Shaw, board member of Protect our Water (POW), a group opposed to Dripping Springs’ permit, said in a statement the “dye does not lie.” According to a press release, POW officials believe the dye test “confirms” the connectivity between Onion Creek and the aquifer. Officials with POW also hold concern if the city discharges treated effluent into Onion Creek, it could flow into poten-
tially “hundreds of local wells” Dr. Lauren Ross said in a statement there are more than 200 water supply wells near or downstream from the proposed sewage discharge point. She claims four of the wells are public supply wells. “The Mayor is putting my family’s drinking water at risk, and needs to withdraw the discharge permit application immediately or formally commit in writing to 100% beneficial reuse that avoids any creek discharge,” said POW Board Member Wes Pitts.
Continued from pg. 1
ply wells “do not appear to be affected.” If results are accurate, Purcell said it is a “concern to me” as the wells are currently being impacted by water in Onion Creek. However, Purcell said runoff water goes into the creek and “contains pesticides, petroleum products, fertilizers and animal waste.” “If there is a direct connection, I am concerned that those wells are not safe as they are currently being used,” Purcell said. But Purcell claims there is a difference between connectivity between Onion Creek and groundwa-
ter and the impact it could have on area wells. “Even if this study ends up definitively showing connectivity, we have no information that would suggest that any discharge of wastewater effluent would negatively affect wells or water that is currently suitable for drinking,” Purcell said. The city’s draft permit “includes some of the most stringent effluent limits of any discharge permit” in the state, Purcell said. He claims if a different conclusion is reached by the TCEQ, the city would address any new concerns.
Dripping Springs is also seeking a discharge permit from the TCEQ for the purpose of beneficial reuse, Purcell said. Dripping Springs is seeking the permit to expand its wastewater treatment plant to a capacity of 995,000 gallons per day. Roughly 600,000 of the 995,000 gallons per day have been accounted for beneficial reuse with the ultimate goal of 100% reuse, Purcell said. “I know that I speak for the Council when I say that we feel confident that we will not need to discharge into Onion Creek, certainly not any-
Wedding Venue: Residents protest but P&Z approves Continued from pg. 1
the venue, and none of them having a guest list that would be beyond 200 people. The 600-person guest list is a maximum number of potential people, and most weddings do not reach that capacity, Black said. Black said he and State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) are planning to talk with county officials for ways of alleviating some of the community’s concern, the News-Dispatch reported. The site of the Mark Black Wedding Venue is located in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), which made the process more difficult.
One of the main concerns from the surrounding communities was the lack of infrastructure in and out of the venue area. The venue will be located on West Concord Circle, which connects to Crystal Hill Drive, and has one main road in and out. Since Crystal Hills Drive is in the ETJ, P&Z has no power over the potential renovations or expansion of the road. Any decisions on roads would have to come from county officials. Despite community concern about the road and potential hazards, North Hays County Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Scott Collard reviewed and ap-
proved the plans and standards for the site. Carlos Torres-Verdin, president of the Friendship Alliance, a nonprofit homeowners association representing the affected neighborhoods around the venue’s site, outlined potential risks involved with the development in a presentation to P&Z. One issue extended to the number of vehicles on Crystal Hill Drive. In the case of an emergency evacuation, it could take more than an hour for venue attendees to evacuate the property, according to presentation slides. Cristian Granucci, a current Los Angeles, Cal-
ifornia, Fire Captain who resides in Driftwood, cited the potential fire hazards on Crystal Hill, which he said is surrounded by a dense fuel bed of cedar and other flammable vegetation. “I know we’re in the ETJ, but someone has to throw us a bone here,” Granucci said. “Fireworks, sky lanterns and cigarettes are all pose inherent risks to the safety of our community.” The News-Dispatch reported Black added two, 40,000-gallon water tanks that will be available for emergency services for not only the venue, but also the surrounding area. Oswald noted the
amount of deliberation and controversy from the community was substantial enough to cast a dissenting vote. Commissioner Michael Lavengco said the committee needs to make the community aware that there are certain restrictions P&Z has in respect to the ETJ. “I am disappointed with the committee’s decision tonight,” Torres-Verdin said. “When you have as much scientific data and analysis as we did, it’s extremely difficult to come to terms with the decision. This isn’t over. We still have council and we will continue to push on.”
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Thursday, February 1, 2018
www.HaysNewsDispatch.com
Page 3
Education
COURTESY PHOTO
DSISD honors teachers for going Above and Beyond
Above: Rooster Springs Elementary teacher Molly Handley receives an Above and Beyond award from Dripping Springs ISD Vice President Barbara Stroud at the Jan. 22 board of trustees meeting. DSISD employees receiving Above and Beyond awards for January were the Dripping Springs Elementary behavior support team of Angela Funderburgh, Margaret Dorsett Finn and Jennifer Stevens; Barbara Davis of Walnut Springs Elementary; Penny Gabrielsen of Dripping Springs Middle School; Molly Handley of Rooster Springs Elementary; Jen Havlin of Sycamore Springs Middle School; Michael Kryszak of Sycamore Springs Elementary; Kim Van Every of Dripping Springs High School.
Tigers earn honors at annual Hays County Livestock Show
Hundreds of competitors, including many who hail from Dripping Springs, hit Dripping Springs Ranch Park this week to compete in the Hays County Youth Livestock Show. At right, Dripping Springs ISD student Carly Norton poses for a photo with her pig during the Market Swine competition at the Hays County Youth Livestock Show. Norton claimed Reserve Grand Champion Market Swine honors.
COURTESY PHOTO
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Hays CISD to consider District of Innovation title BY SAMANTHA SMITH Hays CISD officials are currently exploring a designation that could potentially give the district more flexibility when it comes to certain state mandates. While discussion on becoming a District of Innovation (DOI) is in its infancy, Hays CISD aims to become the second Hays County district to earn that title. “We are in the very early stages of this, but we have moved from it being just an idea to actually looking at what it will take to become a district of innovation,” Tim Savoy, Hays CISD public information officer said. Since the passage of HB 1842 in 2015, which allowed for the creation of the DOI designation, many districts have reorganized in hopes of more increasing learning with flexibility to fulfill state standards. Dripping Springs Independent School District (DSISD) became a District of Innovation in the 2016-2017. Hays CISD took a closer look at what it would take to become a DOI earlier this month with the hiring of its new Superintendent Eric Wright, who had helped his previous school district, Fredericksburg ISD, achieve the designation. According to the Texas Education Agency website, “districts are eligible to become DOI
“The result of the strategic plan will be students who are inspired and equipped to be lifelong learners and positive contributors to the world.” –Bruce Gearing, DSISD superintendent
“if certain performance requirements are met and the district follows certain procedures for adoption.” The District of Innovation (DOI) designation allows districts to modify state requirements at a local level by allowing them exemption from certain sections of the Texas Education Code (TEC), such as educator certification, dates for the first and last day of school, class size and more. According to the TEA website, districts that receive the designation are only able to claim the exemptions allowed by state law. Exemptions do not cover district governance, curriculum, state assessment and accountability and other requirements. And although the
Worship in a church of your choice Call 512-268-7862 to join the church directory today.
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HAYS CISD, 5
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See solution, page 5
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St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church Mass Schedule
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Dripping Springs Independent School District is requesting proposals for Clothing Apparel under RFP # 15-005-5 Athletic Uniforms & Equipment Multiple Awarded Contract. Proposals will be received in the Business Office of the Dripping Springs Independent School District, 510 West Mercer Street P.O. Box 479, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620. Proposals shall be addressed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist. Any questions pertaining to the proposal specifications should be directed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist - CTSBS, michelle.lyons@ dsisdtx.us Proposals will be submitted and received by 2:00 P.M. (CST) on February 26, 2018. Dripping Springs Independent School District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to waive any formalities and irregularities in the bids received, and to accept the offer(s) most advantageous to the District.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Dripping Springs Independent School District is requesting proposals for Clothing Apparel under RFP # 15-004-4 Clothing Apparel Multiple Awarded Contract. Proposals will be received in the Business Office of the Dripping Springs Independent School District, 510 West Mercer Street P.O. Box 479, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620. Proposals shall be addressed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist. Any questions pertaining to the proposal specifications should be directed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist - CTSBS, michelle.lyons@ dsisdtx.us Proposals will be submitted and received by 2:00 P.M. (CST) on February 26, 2018. Dripping Springs Independent School District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to waive any
Wanted
TRUCK DRIVERS
formalities and irregularities in the bids received, and to accept the offer(s) most advantageous to the District.
In compliance with the Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 775.036. (f), the street address of the district's administrative office for North Hays County Emergency Service District #1 is 111 EMS Drive, Dripping Springs, TX 78620.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
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Hays CISD
Continued from pg. 3 TEA does not have the authority to approve or reject district-made plans, “the Agency retains the authority to engage in investigative, intervention and enforcement activities if the district is not in compliance with legal requirements.” Dale Whitaker, Dripping Springs ISD executive director of communications, said the process begins with a resolution by the school’s board of trustees to become a DOI. From there, a public hearing before an Innovation Plan Committee can be created to draft a formal Innovation Plan. “It took several months to go through those steps,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker referred to the DSISD Innovation Plan for the 2016-17 school year identifying the exemptions the district may enforce. Some of the changes included starting school earlier in August, changing the 90 percent attendance rule and amending requirements for teacher certifications. Whitaker said DSISD has already implemented a teacher appraisal system internally and that the beginning of the semester is scheduled to start on August 21, 2018 instead of the traditional fourth Monday in August.. DSISD Superintendant Bruce Gearing said the
“The challenges of developing the plan (Innovation Plan) would be making sure everyone understands what it means to be a district of innovation and being able to focus efforts on solving the problems we want to address.” –Tim Savoy, Hays CISD public information officer
designation “did not necessarily lead to sweeping changes” in the district but allows more flexibility in areas like teacher appraisals, teacher certifications and start of school dates. “The result of the strategic plan will be students who are inspired and equipped to be lifelong learners and positive con-
tributors to the world,” Gearing said. Savoy said Hays CISD has been interested in the concept of becoming a DOI since its inception. The district plans to possibly take more formal steps toward becoming a DOI late this semester or in the fall. Savoy said it’s still very early in the process that
includes collaboration with parents, teachers and the community to come up with an Innovation Plan that fits the learning goals for Hays CISD students. Savoy said there has been interest in starting school earlier than the fourth Monday of August and improving academic performance. Savoy said
it could offer a chance to balance the semesters more evenly. “The challenges of developing the plan (Innovation Plan) would be making sure everyone understands what it means to be a district of innovation and being able to focus efforts on solving the problems we want to address,” Savoy said. Savoy said parents and residents can expect to be able to share their opinions about what they think should be included in the innovation plan during public hearings. Residents and stakeholders will have a chance to view the final plan on the district’s website before it is adopted.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
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Page 5
Sports Lady Tigers to build on success in 2018 BY REED GRAFF With the mindset of building off of last season’s trip to the UIL Class 5A state semifinals, the Dripping Springs Tigers hope to go a few steps further in 2018. Last season, the Lady Tigers went 35-9 overall, 13-1 in district, and advanced all the way to the state tournament in Austin. Head Coach Wade Womack, who has led the Tiger softball program for five years, harbors plans on returning to the state tournament. “Our goal is to repeat what we did and go one round further. The girls have been working hard this off-season, and they want to duplicate what we did last year,” Womack said. The Tiger pitching staff was deep a season ago, and the majority of that staff is returning. Senior Paige Leschber looks to be the ace of the staff, as she was a crucial part of the staff a season ago. She finished last season 8-3 on the mound. Junior Kyndall Womack got some valuable experience last season in the circle by going 4-1. An exciting newcomer to Dripping Springs is junior pitcher Logan
NEXT UP
Dripping Springs opened the season Jan. 30 against Lake Travis. The Tigers host Lehman High Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.
Hulon, who is a transfer from Marble Falls High. Last season, Logan led all Austin Area pitchers in strikeouts with 300 and looks to be an exciting arm for the Tigers. Coach Womack held confidence in his pitching staff. “We’re going to be deep once again. They all bring something to the plate. Different velocities, different spins,” Womack said. Offensively, the Tigers aim to improve in 2018. Last season, the Tigers hit .324 as a team, which was down from the 2016 season. The Tigers will attempt to do so while replacing two of their most productive hitters who graduated last season. Coach Womack wants his team to be “more selective and hit our pitch instead of the pitcher’s pitch.” Womack also said his team’s greatest offensive strength was going to be
its “team speed.” Junior Camille Corona will be the tone setter for the Tigers, as she hit a whopping .447 a year ago and stole 57 bases. As a team, Dripping Springs stole a school record 170 bases in 2017. Third basemen Ryann Campbell will be a big source of power for the Tigers. A year ago, the junior hit .296 with 22 RBIs, 13 doubles, and 3 home runs. Seniors Riley Dunn, Annie Hudson, and Danielle Northrup also look to contribute. The three seniors will be key leadership figures on the team, and all add firepower to the Tigers line-up. Experience is something this Dripping Springs team has in bunches. The roster will be comprised of 13 upper class men and only 3 underclassmen. The Tigers have six seniors, seven juniors, and 3 sophomores. This group has played in the state tournament, and deep into the tourney at that. Womack expects his upperclassmen “to be role models, leaders.” “I’ve had them two or three years, and they know our system. They just need to go out, and execute the little things, and try to play perfect ball,” Womack said.
Dripping Springs Tiger pitcher Paige Leschber winds up in the circle during the team’s 2017 regional final game against the Richmond Foster Falcons. Leschber is one of a handful of returning players who aim for a return to state in 2018. (photo by Moses Leos III )
Tigers fall to Boerne Champion BY MOSES LEOS III
Dripping Springs Tiger head boys basketball coach Craig Swannack couldn’t help but crack a small smile while mulling his team’s 41-34 loss to the Boerne Champion Chargers. Having coached in the game for many years, Swannack realizes that sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s just not your night. Dripping Springs’ icecold 23-percent shooting from field exemplified Swannack’s logic. It also gave Champion the ammunition to escape with a win and sole possession of second place in 26-5A with five games left in the regular season. But Swannack’s smile wasn’t limited to just the struggles and failures. Rather, it extended to how his team, despite the bad shooting night, kept fighting and nearly pulled off a major upset. “It teaches them bad things are going to happen and it’s about how you respond to them,” Swannack said. “It’s not about what happened on the court, but how are we going to progress from here and continue to dig in and fight.” Dripping Springs (16-14, 6-3) kept pace with Champion in the early going. Champion only led 12-11 after the first quarter and then held a one-point lead at halftime. Guiding the Tiger offense was the duo of Bryce Kalsu and Mathew McKiddie, who accounted for 17 of the Tigers’ 19 first half
PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK, WFOTOS.COM
Senior Bryce Kalsu goes up for a jump shot in a District 26 game at Tiger Gym against Boerne Champion. The Tigers were within one point in the first and second periods but fell behind 28-22 at the end of the third period, and couldn’t catch up in the final frame losing 41-34.
points. Of those 17 points scored between them, 15 came from the three-point arc. Swannack said the team’s game plan centered
on its ability to shoot well from the perimeter. Strong ball movement against a sizeable Champion lineup also paid dividends as well. A three-pointer by
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McKiddie with roughly a minute to play in the first half pulled the Tigers to within a point at 20-19 at intermission. That bucket was the Tigers’ last for the next sixplus minutes. In between that time, Champion orchestrated a 6-0 run to take a 26-19 lead. Helping the Champion cause was 6-foot, 9-inch senior Tristain Green, who thrived in the paint against a smaller Tiger lineup. Green led the Chargers with 13 total points in the game, with six of those points coming from inside the three-point arc. While Swannack said his interior players battled with Champion’s lineup, they at times struggled to limit Champion’s presence in the paint. The Chargers out-rebounded Dripping Springs 27-22 in the game. “When you have an excellent player such as Tristain Green, it makes it difficult to manage them. As a team, it’s tough to manage for sure,” Swannack said. A three-pointer from Kalsu with 2:02 left in the third frame broke Dripping Springs’ scoring drought, but it wasn’t enough to shake the shooting woes of the Tigers. Swannack said getting the ball inside to his post players and getting a few more inside shots could have been a focus later in the ball game. “When we got cold, I think we got scared to shoot more,” Swannack said.
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Thursday, February 1, 2018
DSISD Bond: #$132 May election Continued from pg. 1
or expansion of a district-owned wastewater treatment facility located at Dripping Springs Middle School. The district created their own facility because the city does not run wastewater services near the middle school. But the current facility is not big enough to accommodate another 850 students that the elementary school would bring. The recommendation also allocates funds for the relocation of the DSISD administration building to the current Walnut Springs Elementary campus. According to officials, DSISD’s administration building is in need of updates and administrators are in need of more space. DSISD originally part-
nered with the city and library to work on a communal Town Center Project through the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). However, the option to move the administration building to Walnut Springs could offer an increase in space. With the TIRZ, the new administration building would be around 68,000 square feet, but would be outgrown in 10 years. Moving to Walnut Spring would give the administration 103,000 square feet and more time to grow. There is a difference of about $9 million between the projects. Moving to Walnut Springs is the more expensive option, but also could offer a longer-term solution, according to
Gearing. If the administration building were to move, DSISD would potentially still be involved with TIRZ. “We’re still a partner in the process because we own this land, and we would like to push that process forward. That does generate the possibility, at some point in time, for the district to earn revenue from some kind of private-public partnership because of the lease of the land.” Gearing said. “That process isn’t far enough along to stand to know what that looks like yet.” The board will vote on the final bond recommendation on Feb. 12, but the board could call special meetings to further discuss any issues.
Sky Cinema: To open Belterra anchor Continued from pg. 1
sold per year, Banowsky said. “That’s a lot of people getting into their car and having a night out and they would out and about in this area,” Banowsky said. Sherrie Parks, Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce executive director, said the cinema fulfills a need for more “family-friendly entertainment.” “They brought that
in a big way,” Parks said. “They gave us a facility that answers that need, plus more.” Working with local businesses is a huge part of the synergy between the cinema and the area, Parks said. Dripping Springs’ new cinema will also provide a balance to the city’s booming tourism industry. While Dripping Springs is
able to draw outside traffic with its designation as the Wedding Capital of Texas, Parks said the city needs “something for residents to do with our kids.” “I’m hoping that other business investors will see that we have a large number of families out here and they need something to do,” Parks said. “I’m hoping our movie theater is our first step.”
Tiger Hoops: Fall to Champion Continued from pg. 5
The Tigers didn’t back down, even when faced with a 33-23 deficit midway through the fourth frame. A seven-point effort from senior Spencer Johnson gave the Tigers enough momentum for a late rally. Dripping Springs fought to cut Champion’s lead to a small as five points with less than a minute to play,
but couldn’t get any closer. Working on scoring in the paint will be a focus for the Tigesr as they hit the home stretch of district play. For Swannack, taking things in stride will also be a point to mull. “It’s one approach at a time, one game at a time, one shot at a time, one moment at a time,” Swannack said. “Ultimatley, it’s
working on responding and how we respond after a tough loss like that.” Kalsu finished with a game-high 14 points, while McKiddie scored ten points. Johnson led the team with six rebounds. Dripping Springs hosts Medina Valley Feb. 2, then finishes the regular season at home against Seguin Feb. 13.
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