Two Tigers take state titles
March 1 voting locations
page 4
page 10
Wimberley Players to get a facelift page 6
News-Dispatch Volume XXXVI No. 20
LAGNIAPPE Habitat for Humanity build
On Saturday, Feb. 27, join community volunteers in Woodcreek as they take part in the Wimberley Valley Habitat for Humanity’s “Big Build.”The project will take place at a site at 1 Lomas Verde Trail in Woodcreek. Volunteers aged 16 years and over are welcome to help with the build.
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Hands-free fails in Dripping Springs BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
Dripping Springs will continue to be the only major city in Hays County without a hands-free driving ordinance. The decision came after the Dripping Springs City Council voted 3-2 against looking into drafting an ordinance. Coun-
cil members Charles Busbey, John Kroll and Wade King voted against drafting an ordinance, while Bill Foulds and Santos Alba voted for it. The ordinance would have banned the use of any hand-held device while driving with an exception to emergency vehicle operators and law enforcement. Many cities across Texas have adopted similar ordinances since
San Antonio and Austin began their own bans on Jan. 1, 2015. The ordinance presented to the Dripping Springs city council would be similar to an ordinance in West Lake Hill. “ANY behavior which is distracting to a driver has potentially dangerous consequences, whether it be eating or shaving, or applying makeup, etc.,” Busbey said in an email. “It isn’t prac-
tical to single out one particular distraction to address.” He also said in the email that the ordinance would be difficult to enforce since the city would have to rely on the Hays County Sheriff’s Office to enforce it. If the ordinance was approved, Sheriff’s deputies would have been the only law enforcement
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Wimberley Valley Art League exhibit
Wimberley Valley Art League invites you to its Juried Exhibit reception at the Wimberley Community Center on Friday, Feb. 26, 5-7 p.m. Visit www.WimberleyArtLeague.com for more information.
Java with Jargon
Yours Interiorly will host Hill Country “Women in Business - Java with Jargon” at Maui Wowi every first Tuesday at 9 a.m. Call (512) 667-4332 for more information.
LBJ lecture series
A preview of an original opera based on the life of Lady Bird Johnson will be featured at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos spring lecture by Dr. Samuel Mungo, Director of Opera Studies at Texas State University on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the museum (131 N. Guadalupe Street, San Marcos). The public is invited to attend this free event. The work will focus on Lady Bird as a national figure during a tumultuous time in America, featuring her train trip through the Deep South when she defended the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
STEAM Fair
On Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. join Wimberley ISD for a free community event at Wimberley High School. STEAM programs include science, technology, engineering, agriculture/arts, and mathematics/mechanics. Anyone interested in STEAM is invited to come out for a fun and educational time.
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PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
Tigers take state swim, wrestling titles
Tiger swimmer Micah Slaton takes off at the start of the 100-yard backstroke at the UIL State Meet. Slaton finished second place with a silver medal in the event with a time of 51.47. Peter Simmons of College Station A&M Consolidated took the gold with a 50.58. Tiger wrestler Luke Hogsden also claimed his second state championship in the 182 pound weight class. See the story on page 4.
Wimberley may earn Zoning change Dark-Sky designation BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
The city of Wimberley could soon join Dripping Springs as one of the few of Dark-Sky Communities in Texas. The city council unanimously voted Feb. 18 for the planning and zoning commission to discover if the designation could be obtainable in Wimberley. Consideration for the designation was sparked by Dripping Spring’s Texas Night Sky Festival, councilmember Pam Showalter said. Dripping Springs received the Dark-Sky Community designation from the International Dark-Sky Association in 2014. “As I read that announcement more thoroughly and started thinking about its implications for our community, from education to family activities,” Showalter said. “I thought we need to have a deeper discussion about this.” Wimberley Chamber of Commerce executive director Cathy Moreman said the designation could put Wimberley on more tourism lists and maps as a destination location. The internationally recognized designation could translate into more tourists spending money at local businesses and lodging. Moreman said she has received calls in the past about places to stay for stargazing. “As a chamber person, it is exciting to give attention to our businesses,” she said. “We can tell people to enjoy the night here and enjoy the night sky.” The designation would also curb the amount of light that can be seen past a certain height. Lights would have to be dimmed or at a low level to decrease the amount of light
Requirements to be a Dark Sky Community: • A comprehensive lighting code with specific standards for permanent lighting installations • Community commitment to dark skies and quality lighting • Broad support for dark skies from a wide range of community organizations, such as the chamber of commerce, local electrical utility, etc. • Community commitment to dark skies and education, as shown by dark sky events, documents and school curriculum • Demonstrated commitment to light pollution control • A sky brightness measurement program Designation is permanent, but is subject to regular review. Periodic checks are performed by the International Dark-Sky Association.
pollution. “As a resident, it touches on what I came here for,” Moreman said. “I came here for the natural beauty and I would hate to see that go away.” The designation could lead to stargazing and educational events at locations such as Old Baldy or the Corral Theater, Moreman said. “This is a chance for kids
to get excited about science, astronomy, or art projects,” Moreman said. “There are tentacles that could be stretched out everywhere if we can make this part of our culture here.” While the application process is easier said than done, Moreman said many areas of Wimberley are probably already in compliance. She cited the Wimberley HEB and Blue Hole Regional Park. Councilmember Bob Dussler said the Blue Hole Regional Park’s lighting system was actually created with stargazing in mind. Moreman said local Master Naturalists would fulfill the application’s requirement for local support. She said the Master Naturalists was the main group that helped Dripping Springs receive its designation. “Once you get the designation it needs to be self-sustaining,” Moreman said. “They don’t just give it out willy-nilly.” The attention grabbing designation may attract tourists and photographers to the whole region, she said. Moreman said city officials in Dripping Springs want Central Texas to become a night sky preserve. “There’s been a conversation starting about being focused on the environment in general,” she said. “Maybe the festival could be moved from place to place in the future.” Three other cities and two state parks in Texas currently have the designation. “It’s a movement that is burgeoning and I want us to be a part of it,” Moreman said. “We are a community that recognized the natural beauty of our area, and what better way to appreciate it that to protect our night sky.”
allows cottage housing BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
The need for more affordable housing will finally be met will the addition of 35 cottages at the Gardens of Howard Ranch subdivision. The Dripping Springs city council unanimously approved a zoning change for Lot 1 from agricultural to single family residential / town center. The cottages, as well as a future town center/ business development, will be located at the corner of Ranch Road 12 and FM 150. Developer Eric Howard said he plans to break ground in the next 30 to 60 days. “It’s been a long process to get to this point and we have had it in the plans since the beginning,” Howard said. “It’s time to move this portion along.” Ginger Faught, deputy city administrator, said the new single family/town center zoning was created in November. The zoning, which allows 3,500 square foot lots, is the result of Dripping Spring’s partnership in the Sustainable Places Project, she said. According to the project’s documents, city officials used the partnership to develop a
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