Tiger LAX ends in super regional
Tigers roar in bi-district playoff
Don’t think lesser of the goldfinch
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 31
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢ Thursday, May 10, 2018
returns $132M BOND PASSES EP Houston firm renews BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Dripping Springs ISD’s proposed $132 million bond measure passed by a slim 31 vote margin May 5, marking a victory in the district’s initiative to accommodate for growing classroom populations. The measure was approved by 50.47 percent of the 3,293 total voters who participated in the bond referendum. However, 49.53 percent of vot-
ers did not approve of the district’s bond package. Part of the bond package includes additions to Dripping Spring High that would allow for an increase to 2,500 students, as the campus has reached capacity. The bond came to fruition after the district’s projections showed the population of the campuses to double within
ELECTION RESULTS, 6
DSISD Bond Proposition: FOR AGAINST
1,662 1,631
50.47% 49.53%
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Board of Trustees: Carrie Fontana Kroll Mary Jane Hetrick Shannon O’Connor James Meeks Sharon Armke
1,652 1,598 1,564 897 882
25.06% 24.24% 23.72% 13.61% 13.38%
The new Silicon Valley?
PHOTO COURTESY OF RICK MILLER
Above, Rick Miller, CEO and owner of Rick Miller and Associates, a company that develops hardware and software for products and apps, works on a circuit board in his shop in Dripping Springs.
Tech industry slowly making its way to Dripping Springs BY KATERINA BARTON
The tech industry could slowly be creeping its way down Highway 290 toward Dripping Springs as some companies look for quieter communities where employees can raise their families. Austin has already claimed start-ups, but
Dripping Springs could be home for another type of tech company. Two CEOs of technology companies said they moved their companies to Dripping Springs for the community-feel of the small city. Although their companies have been established in Dripping Springs for some time,
they hope that tech could be a new trend in Dripping Springs in the future. Barry Boes, CEO of Accio Data, which creates employment screening software, is a high-tech solution to background checks and consumer reporting. Boes has been operating his tech company out of Dripping Springs
request for water
since 2005. Boes lived in a corner of Hays County until eight years ago when he moved to Dripping Springs. “I think that if tech companies or any companies of any kind are going to move to Dripping Springs, people are going
TECH INDUSTRY, 4
A Houston-based firm at the center of controversy in 2015 is now looking to draw roughly one billion gallons of water per year from the Trinity Aquifer. EP’s application was submitted on July 13, 2017 to the BSEACD for the purposes of wholesale water supply. The request for 915.5 million gallons annually amounts to pumping 2.5 million gallons of water from the Trinity Aquifer per day. The BSEACD holds authority over that portion of the Trinity Aquifer as a result of the 2015 Save our Wells bill. The bill was crafted, and later signed into law, after EP attempted in 2015 to pump close to 1.8 billion gallons of water annually from the Cow Creek formation of the Trinity Aquifer, which at the time was unregulated. The request led to a months-long fight between EP and concerned residents. “This doesn’t necessarily mean they will be issued their permit as is,” said Vanessa
Electro Purification (EP), which had failed in its attempt to secure water in 2015, submitted a request to the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) to pump water from wells on land located between Kyle and Wimberley. Escobar, regulatory compliance coordinator for the BSEACD. “We are currently reviewing the permit package and aquifer data and analysis and forming a staff recommendation.” On April 13, EP submitted a proposed Compliance Monitoring Plan created by Wet Rock Groundwater Services
ELECTRO PURIFICATION, 2
Motorcyclist killed in wreck on RR 12 BY MOSES LEOS III
The operator of a 2017 Ducati Multistrada A Dripping Springs 1200s, later identified as man has been identified Tamayo, was traveling as the victim in a fatal north on RR 12 at an single-vehicle wreck unsafe speed and was along Ranch Road 12 unable to negotiate a just outside of Dripping curve, according to the Springs. report. Ernest Tamayo, 58, The motorcycle then of Dripping Springs, entered a side skid and was killed in the wreck, struck a mailbox, then according to a Texas hit a concrete culvert, Department of Public causing the operator to Safety spokesperson. vault. According to a DPS The Ducati and the report, the incident driver came to rest in occurred around 7 p.m. the east barrow ditch of May 6 on RR 12 south of RR 12. Hays County Pct. Deer Creek Circle, which 4 Judge Terry Kyle prois roughly five miles nounced Tamayo dead from Dripping Springs. at the scene.
Former Dripping Springs $7.5M treatment water GM denied retirement plant greenlighted in Wimberley BY ESXAR ARGUELLO
the $731,417.40 awarded to him by the jury during his After seven years through trial, which accounts for his civil and criminal court, a retirement contract that was former Dripping Springs terminated when he was Water Supply Corporation hired by the corporation. (DSWSC) general man“It’s a disappointing deager is being denied over cision, but Cones has to fo$700,000 in retirement. cus on living his life now,” Doug Cones’ name was said Joe Pool, the attorney cleared in December 2017 representing Cones. “It’s after he was accused of steal- not perfect justice. I don’t ing up to $20,000 in propbelieve the final judgment erty, costing him his job at is made with good constiDSWSC and the termination tutionalism. A good repubof his retirement contract. lican or democrat enforces The criminal charges were the decision of the jury.” dropped in March 2018. Cones will have the opIn his final judgment portunity to appeal, but on the case filed April 30, the process could take any428th District Judge Bill where between 18 months Henry awarded Cones to two years. If deferred to $1,438,454.20 in damages the Texas Supreme Court, including attorney fees. Cones would not receive However, the district a final decision for at least judge did not award Cones four years.
At the time of publication of this article, Cones has not decided if he will appeal. He has 30 days to make a decision. Before the DSWSC board fired Cones in 2011, he signed a retirement contract that would grant him an annual salary of $46,761.16 a year for 20 years. Once he was terminated at the company on the false criminal charges, the retirement contract was revoked. “I’m not happy with the decision, but I have some time to decide what my next step is,” Cones said. “At this time I am not ready to comment what we will do.” The News-Dispatch reached out to Henry for comment on the ruling. Henry did not respond for comment before press time.
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO With funding now accounted for, Wimberley is moving forward with the addition of sewer lines in downtown, as well as its proposed $7.5 million wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The joint project marks the city’s initiative to accommodate a growing population and downtown tourist presence that drives Wimberley’s sales tax revenue. Located near the Blue Hole Regional Park,
the wastewater plant will have the capacity to store up to 500,000 gallons of treated wastewater which will be used for irrigation throughout Blue Hole Park and surrounding areas. The plant will be able to treat up to 75,000 gallons of wastewater per day. Currently, the city only has the capacity to treat up to 15,000 gallons of wastewater a day, 60,000 gallons less than the new plant will provide. “We currently do not
TREATMENT PLANT, 4
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News-Dispatch
Opinion
News -Dispatch PHONE: 512-268-7862 FAX: 512-268-0262
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EDITOR Moses Leos III moses@haysfreepress.com
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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.
I
don’t know anybody who gets summoned for jury duty more than me. Over the past decade or so, I think I’ve been summoned seven or eight times, and I have been selected to sit in the jury box four of those times. I’ve asked friends and family how many times they’ve had jury duty, and no one has been summoned more than me. I figure there are pert near 200,000 folks in Hays County, so the odds of one guy getting called for jury duty is kinda high, wouldn’t you think? I have tried several techniques to keep from being selected as a juror. I’ve tried guessing what the lawyers are looking for during the voir dire and answering accordingly, but no one seems to want to use one of their strikes against me. They’d rather use their strikes on that fellow in the third row who looks like Charles Manson and that gal with two tear drops tattooed on her cheek. Every time I get a summons in the mail, I carefully read the list of qualifications and exemp-
From the Crow’s Nest
by Clint Younts
tions to see if I can lawfully get out of jury duty for once. So when I found my latest summons lying in my mailbox along with a brochure from Peaceful Pastures Retirement Community and a flyer for discount hearing aids, I hurried home to grab my reading glasses to see if there is some new exemption that I can claim. The first qualification is that I must be at least 18 years old. Heck, I have liver spots older than that. Then it asks if I reside in Hays County and the State of Texas. Geography was never my strong suit, but I don’t reckon I can live in Hays County without also residing in the state of Texas. Correct me if I am wrong. Qualification #3 asks if I am eligible to vote. I don’t see how this is pertinent because if my vote mat-
ters, I would’ve voted not to attend jury duty. So I continued to read the list and #4 caught my attention. It inquired if I was “of sound mind and good moral character.” Eureka! I might’ve found a way out of jury duty. I wonder how many of y’all out there who regularly read my column might agree that I’m about three pickles short of a quart. Some of y’all might’ve quipped, “If brains were leather, he wouldn’t have enough to make boots for a June bug.” Hey, I admit that my mind is as warped as a plywood birdbath. I have written about Bigfoot, chupacabras, and countless other inane topics, but the judicial system still considers me eligible for jury duty. I reckon the folks at the courthouse don’t subscribe to this paper, or there are folks out there even crazier than me. I don’t qualify for any exemptions either. I’m not over 70 years of age, and I’m not in the military. I’m not a college student or a government official.
F
or the better part of three hours Saturday, most of us who work in the News-Dispatch newsroom sat around and twiddled our thumbs. Occasionally, those thumbs were spent rapidly typing on phone keyboards, trying to text our contacts for the information we so desperately desired. What we had all been waiting for, what we had planned to receive in moderate updates Saturday, took some time to develop. If you listened closely Saturday, one could have heard the plethora of exasperated sighs from reporters, who like many of you in the county, waited for officials to post election information on the county’s website. And, like most of you, we were a bit disappointed at the slow response from the county to make election results public. For the record, Hays County officials’ first post for election results came at
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Continued from pg. 1 LLC, outlining test wells for monitoring of the aquifer. According to the report, EP currently has seven test wells located near FM 3237 between Ranch Road 12 and FM 150. Escobar said BSEACD’s goal is to assess the long-term impact this much pumping would have on the aquifer and nearby well owners. “If passed as is, it would be the largest groundwater pumping from both the Trinity and Edwards Aquifer,” Escobar said. “For the Trinity Aquifer in particular, this magnitude of pumping really doesn’t come close with other permits.” At the end of May, the BSEACD will hold a 20-day period when residents and community members in Hays County can submit comments in regard to the permit. If there is no contested case hearing for the permit, EP could potentially be granted the permit, if approved by BSEACD, within a couple of months from the end of May. Vanessa Puig-Williams, executive director and counsel to the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA), said there are many unknowns with regard to the long-term impacts to the Aquifer. “TESPA does not believe that anyone should be producing groundwater for large-scale commercial projects from the Trinity Aquifer in Hays County,” Puig-Williams said. “The aquifer is already declining and recharges extremely slow.” Puig-Williams said there is community concern but comfort knowing BSEACD has jurisdiction over the proposed area. “I think the community also recognizes the pressure that BSEACD is under,” she said. “We hope this will result in BSEACD substantially reducing the permit request.”
When I asked my wife why she rarely receives a jury summons, she stopped making my sandwich and pointed to the exemption printed on my summons that excuses those who “are the primary caretaker of a person who is unable to care for himself.” Huh? I don’t understand. Well, since I have another decade left before I am exempt, and since the State of Texas has deemed me intellectually and morally fit for jury duty, I reckon I will continue getting these summons in the mail every year. I don’t think the judges or attorneys really care who sits on the jury, but if you are the plaintiff or the defendant, and you see this cantankerous old redneck smiling at you from the jury box, you might want to do a plea bargain.
Guilty or not, Clint Younts manages to write something crazy every couple of weeks. Now, if the attorneys knew how much he like Lone Star beer, they might think twice ... crowsnest78610@gmail.com
A wish for faster election reporting From the Sidelines by Moses Leos III
9:30 p.m. It was a full two hours after polls had already closed for the night. By that time, however, most other counties and entities in Central Texas had already made, at the very least, early voting results public. It was troublesome to see how Hays County, which has been under fire for its elections process, continues to struggle. All of this could have been avoided if Hays County, as they had advertised, placed early voting information on its website at immediately after the 7 p.m. polling closure. The unfortunate part here is this wasn’t just some low-key May election that had no bearing on taxpayers pocketbooks. Dripping Springs ISD
had a $132 million bond that was to be decided. Wimberley had a $40-plus million bond measure also on the ballot. Emergency Service Districts No. 1 and 6 both had sales tax elections for voters to decide on. No one really knew what the outcome was until very late that night. There’s something to be said about getting it right and making sure all the votes are not only counted, but are also accurate. Jennifer Anderson, Hays County Elections Administrator, said there were no election issues May 5. She said the county had “several elections to tabulate” and that it took “ a little longer” to tabulate early voting results. But after the snafu in the 2016 election, one has to believe Hays County should be working to better prepare for days like Saturday. With the March primaries going fairly smoothly, it’s puzzling how the county had some issues
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getting results out in a timely manner. The worry is if this kind of issue exists in a May election, what could be the end result when the all-important November mid-term elections come up in a few months? Quite frankly, Hays County residents should expect better when it comes to elections. Residents should ask their officials to strive to get information out there as soon as possible, and to the best of their ability. For the media to push school district and city officials for information which Hays County itself controls shouldn’t be the case. Let’s improve this process. Let’s figure out a way to make Hays County elections go a little smoother. After all, our taxpayer dollars are paying for it.
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Page 3
Sports
COURTESY PHOTO
Tiger lacrosse ends season in super regional SUBMITTED REPORT The Dripping Spring High boys lacrosse team earned the team’s first Division Super Regional play-off berth and traveled to Allen over the
weekend. Saturday, the Tigers played Houston Strake Jesuit Sweet Sixteen round. The Tigers defeated Strake 11-10 to move on to the Elite Eight, advancing farther than any team in
Dripping Springs lacrosse program history. FOGO Alex Schlab went 18 of 22 in the center circle. Defensively, Jakob Joy, Brayden Glass, and Ethan Hooks had defensive stick checks. Positive
turnover contributors for the defense were Jakob Joy, Ethan Hooks, Brayden Glass, Alex Schlab, Connor Jamail, Nic Austin, and goalie Connor Mogen who also had six saves between the pipes. Offensive
points were scored by Gabe Reno, Cristian Reno, Logan Heinchon, Ryan Thomas, Nic Austin, Connor Jamail, and Charles Pouland. The Tigers faced top-seeded Episcopal
School of Dallas on Sunday. ESD proved to be a tough challenger, and the Tigers fell 20-3, ending their season. The Tigers finish the 2018 season with an overall 16-7 record.
Foster sweeps Tiger softball in area playoff runs. Foster’s first WEIMAR – Revenge was run in Game a dish served in two games 2 came in for the Richmond Foster the top of the Falcons as they swept the third inning Dripping Springs Tigers after Dripping softball team from playoff Springs comcontention. mitted three The best-of-three series, infield errors. played at Weimar High, The Falcons was a rematch of the extended their 2017 Region IV title game, lead to 2-0 in which Dripping Springs the fifth inning won. with a blooper While Foster got the to center field upper hand Thursday and that was just Friday, head coach Wade out of reach Womack lauded the play of of Corona’s his upperclassmen. outstretched “I just told them they glove. had a great three year run, “She (Hulon) especially our seniors and pitched well,” our juniors,” Womack Womack said. said. “You know regional “You know semi-finals in 2016, state we’ve had good semi-finals last year, pitching all bi-district championship year. Logan and area this year, against stepped up what I think in this area these two the two best teams in the PHOTO BY WAYLAND CLARK, WFOTOS.COM games and gave area, it’s a shame we had to us a chance. Dripping Springs High senior Paige Leschmatch up so early, a good ber unfurls a pitch toward the plate in a It’s unfortuteam had to go home. It’s game played at Tiger Stadium earlier this nate that we unfortunate it’s us.” year. Despite a hard-fought effort, Lesch- just couldn’t The pitching duel beber and the senior class of Tigers had their produce some season’s end at the hands of Richmond runs. We just tween Dripping Springs’ Foster this past weekend. Logan Hulon and Foster’s couldn’t get the Kacie Pryor lived up to job done in clutch second baseman Camille the hype as both only situations.” Corona as she doubled to allowed a few hits in each Friday was the final game played. For Dripping right field in the top of the game for Tiger seniors RiSprings the lack of offense first inning. ley Dunn, Emily Barefield, “Today the girls made is what ultimately ended Paige Leschber, Shelbye the adjustments they its season, as it was shutHartman and Danielle needed to,” said Womout in both games. Northrup. ack. “We gave ourselves a In game one, Pryor However, Womack was chance, we just couldn’t struck out 14 Lady Tiger optimistic for next season, push a run across.” batters while walking one based on the number of After being down 2-0 and only allowing two hits. juniors and sophomores “We just didn’t make the in the bottom of the sixth expected to return. inning in Game 1, junior necessary adjustments at “They are just a fun pinch hitter Izzy Bermuthe plate,” Womack said group,” Womack said about dez gave the Tigers life about Game 1 struggles. his senior class. “They are after a line drive single “We didn’t put enough a good group. They are a to right field. Dripping balls in play and when talented group. They are you don’t do that you don’t Springs had a bases loaded an athletic group. They opportunity later in the give yourself a chance to work hard. We’ve had a inning, but came away produce some runs.” tremendous three years of Game two had a similar empty as Pryor kept them offseason with that senior result as Dripping Springs’ off balance at the plate. group. They have fun and Hulon got the starting offense struggled to get enjoy each other’s compathe ball into play in clutch pitch nod again for game ny. So I will miss that with situations. The Tigers only two, and she recorded a our seniors, but fortunately stat line of nine strikeouts, we have a good core of our recorded three hits in the three hits, and one walk game, with the cleanest juniors and sophomores while surrendering two hit coming from junior coming back.
BY SHANE SCHOLWINSKI
PHOTO BY WAYLAND CLARK, WFOTOS.CO Reed Beverly (R) is congratulated by Dripping Springs’ teammates Price Siemering (L) and Pete D’Alessandro after hitting a home run in the top of the seventh inning in the second game of a best of three series against LBJ. D’Alessandro and JD Dunlap also homered in the game.
Tigers dominate Jaguars in bidistrict playoff sweep BY REED GRAFF Steady pitching helped the Dripping Springs Tiger baseball team sweep the LBJ Jaguars and advance to the second round of the playoffs. Dripping Springs (248-1) opened the series with a dominant 4-0 win May 3, followed by a 12-6 win over LBJ on May 5. The Tigers advance to play the Richmond Foster Falcons in a bestof-three game series. Game 1 is scheduled for May 10 at 7 p.m., with Game 2 Friday at 7 p.m. An if-necessary third game would be played May 12 at 1 p.m. Neither team got much in the way of offense throughout the first two innings. The Tigers looked like they may be falling behind early when LBJ got runners on first and second
with only one out in the first, but a double play turned by Johnny Hoyle ended the threat. In the bottom half of the third, Brittain Howeth and Nathan Koch both reached base, and then pulled off a successful double steal to put themselves at second and third with only one out. Tiger Justin Dunlap then brought them home on a deep fly ball to right-center field that the LBJ centerfielder lost in the lights, resulting in a unique two RBI triple for Dunlap. On the very next pitch, Dunlap scored on a wild pitch, giving Dripping Springs a 3-0 lead. Tiger junior pitcher Nick Gullo continued to dominate over the next few innings, reaching double-digit strikeouts in the fifth frame. The Jaguars got men on the base-paths, but Gullo
and the defense did not allow any runs to cross the board. Meanwhile, the Tigers extended its lead in the fourth frame, when Zach Young came in to score on an RBI single from Nico Ramirez. Neither team got anything going in the fifth and sixth, leaving only the seventh inning for the LBJ Jaguars to come back and tie. AG Yowell pitched the seventh and kept LBJ off the board in the final frame. Gullo struck out 11 Jaguars over the course of six innings and only allowing 4 hits, while walking only one batter. Offensively, the Tigers outhit the Jaguars. Koch finished 3 for 3 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Justin Dunlap delivered the big blow, going 1 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs.
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News-Dispatch
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Tech Industry Continued from pg. 1
to be doing it for the lifestyle. Which has a lot to do with the community atmosphere, the schools close by, minimal traffic, the kinds of things that attract a person to Dripping Springs and then their business comes with it,” Boes said. Despite the lifestyle perks, Boes says there are also challenges to moving a tech company to Dripping Springs. “The biggest challenge they are going to face and a reason they might overlook the city is office space. There’s just not much by
way of bigger office space available,” Boes said. “I’d love to see a commercial office space built.” Another challenge is a lack of telecommunications infrastructure. “Those are the negatives people have to deal with. But the attraction is for people who are rising in their careers, are young middle-aged, are starting a family, and they want to move somewhere like Dripping Springs, and then they have to commute to Austin and it’s awful,” Boes said. It’s the young, mid-
dle-aged demographic moving to Dripping Springs that could become excellent employees, Boes said. Out of about 20 employees, Boes says a third of them live in either Dripping Springs or the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Roughly half of them live along the U.S. 290 corridor on the way to Austin, while the rest live in southwest Austin and commute. It was those positive quality of life attributes that led Rick Miller, CEO and owner of Rick Miller and Associates, a company
that develops hardware and software for products and apps, to move his business to the Dripping Springs area roughly 20 years ago. Miller, originally from Chicago, said “something” told him Austin was an ideal place to relocate. Miller lived in Austin working in the tech industry for a short time, but eventually moved out to Dripping Springs because he liked the environment and he wanted to find a good place to raise his kids. Although technology is
still a growing industry in Dripping Springs, there are still a handful of already established companies in the area. Although the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce has not seen too much tech growth, Director of Membership Susan Kimball said she could see why people might find it attractive. “A lot of people move here because of the school district and the school district is growing and Dripping Springs is growing,” Kimball said. “I only know of a handful of tech
businesses in this area, but I think it might just be a natural progression for this type of industry to spread from Austin.” Boes agrees the growth Dripping Springs is experiencing could be a factor for bringing more tech companies to the area. “When people come [to Dripping Springs] they bring business with them. So certainly the growth in Dripping Springs is going to result in growth in business. It will happen faster if we get better infrastructure, but it’s going to happen either way,” Boes said.
Treatment Plant Continued from pg. 1
have an irrigation system going to Blue Hole beside nature,” said Shawn Cox, city administrator for the city of Wimberley. “This will help green-up our parks and store large amounts of water for when we need it.” The project, which will cost the city just shy of $7.5 million, is primarily funded through loans. The city has received a $5.5 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) calling for the issuance of system revenue bonds, which pledges the city will use utility revenues to repay the debt. The city was required to obtain a discharge permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the wastewater plant. The discharge point would be at Cypress Creek. Cox said discharge will only be used as a last
resort and the city doesn’t plan to see any foreseeable issues with discharge into the creek. In addition to the (WWTP), the city will be adding sewage lines to the Wimberley Square to help alleviate concerns over water and restroom usage downtown. The downtown area is currently on septic lines. There are portable bathrooms available and a permanent facility located in downtown, but the shops and merchants do not have their own restroom facilities for employees or customers. For Michele Woods, owner of local coffee shop Sip! On the Square, the lack of sewage lines in downtown has hindered her ability to grow as a business. “We have restrictions on how much water we can use, and as a coffee shop, you can see how that
NEWS-DISPATCH FILE PHOTO
Wimberley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Moreman (left) and April Anderson, of Hill Country Premier Lodging, pose for a photo in the Wimberley Square.
would be difficult,” Woods said. “If you’re here on any given morning and you count the heads that pop in asking for a restroom and it’s hard to say we can’t meet those needs.” Woods compared the Wimberley septic woes to Austin’s traffic concerns. For years, Austin pushed
off its traffic needs and ignored the problem, causing daily gridlocks and a constant battle for public transportation needs, she said. Wimberley is no different. “This isn’t about Wimberley growing,” Woods said. “It’s about a fight to provide a service for our
tourists and employees. Not having that sewer infrastructure hurts our businesses every day.” As the city approaches the renovation process for downtown and the surrounding areas, construction will predominantly occur during the late hours of the night to
help keep businesses open by day. “We understand how important downtown is for our sales tax revenue and the city’s economy,” Cox said. “We are coordinating with our merchants and business owners to keep our downtown open during the process.”
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Painting TEXAS STAR PAINTING • Interior/Exterior painting • Siding & rot wood replacement • Sheet rock repairs • Wallpaper removal & wall texture • Pressure washer Insured & References Available
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HTC Fence & More WOOD FENCES BUILT RIGHT Repairs, Gates, Post Replacement, Fully Insured. Mowing $45 for standard yard (mow, edge, cleanup) Free Estimates • Veteran Owned 830-556-7445
Plumbing
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John Johnson Manager
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Only $25 a week to run in the News-Dispatch and Hays County Echo. Call Tracy at (512) 268-7862 or email tracy@haysfreepress.com to join. (13 week minimum)
Signs & Banners • Boot Experts • Purse Repair • Belt Repair • Luggage Repair • Shoe Care Products
Loam • Topsoil • Sand • Gravel • Roadbase • Asphalt Millings • Granite • Compost Mix
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Shoe Repair
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Tree Service
Lees Trees 30+ years in the Hill Country
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See puzzle, page 3
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DEADLINE: NOON MONDAY FOR THURSDAY’S PAPER
www.HaysNewsDispatch.com
Page 5
Employment REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 18-003 Dripping Springs ISD Facilities Maintenance Contracted Services Dripping Springs ISD is requesting proposals for RFP 18-003 Facilities Maintenance Contracted Services. Proposals will be received in the Business Office of the Dripping Springs Independent School District, 510 West Mercer Street P.O. 479, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620. Proposals shall be addressed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist - CTSBO, Dripping Springs Independent School District, 510 W. Mercer Street, P.O. Box 479, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620, and must be received by 2:00 P.M. (CST) on June 5, 2018. The CSP package may be obtained at the at the District’s website at www.dsisdtx.us. Dripping Springs Independent School District reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, to waive any formalities and irregularities in the proposals received, and will accept the response(s) determined to be in the best interests of the District.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS CBD No. 4640 Sealed proposals for the construction of Highpointe Phase 1, Section 3A, Street Excavation, Drainage, Water, Wastewater, Ero-
sion Control and Grading Improvements should be addressed to HM HIGHPOINTE DEVELOMENT, INC., care of Hanna/Magee LP #1, Project Manager, on behalf of the Hays County M.U.D. No. 5. Proposals will be received at the office of Carlson, Brigance & Doering, Inc. (CBD, Inc.), 5501 West William Drive, Austin, Texas 78749 until 2:00 P.M., Thursday, June 7, 2018 at which time the proposals will be publicly opened. Any proposal received after the closing will be returned unopened. Bid documents for this project will be available for purchase from the office of the Project Engineer-CBD, Inc. A non-refundable purchase fee of $125.00 will be charged per CD. The CD will contain CAD files, pdf set of plans and bid documents. Make checks payable to Carlson, Brigance and Doering, Inc. Bid documents may be viewed at the office of CBD by scheduling a time with Cynthia Litton cynthia@cbdeng.com. A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at CBD, Inc. located at 5501 West William Drive, Austin, Texas 78749. Bidders shall be required to complete and submit the Qualification Statement with Bid. All questions, clarifications and requests regarding the project must be received in writing via email to Rob Hesley at rob@cbdeng.com and received no later than 12:00 p.m., June 4, 2018. Any requests
received after said time and date will not be addressed. A cashier’s check, certified check, or bid bond, payable to HM HIGHPOINTE DEVELOMENT, INC., care of Hanna/Magee LP #1, Project Manager, in an amount not less than 5% of the bid must accompany each bid proposal as a guarantee that, if awarded the contract, the bidder will, within 10 days of the award of the contract, enter into a contract and furnish an acceptable Performance and Payment Bond. The cashier’s check, certified check, or bid bond will be returned to unsuccessful bidders no later than 90 days after received. The bidder’s check will be forfeited to and become the property of BHM HIGHPOINTE, LTD, care of Hanna/Magee LP #1, Project Manager, should the bidder fail to enter into a contract. Performance and Payment Bond in the amount of 100% of the contract price. The contractor shall furnish bonds acceptable to HM HIGHPOINTE DEVELOMENT, INC., care of Hanna/Magee LP #1, Project Manager, within 10 days after being awarded the contract. A Maintenance Bond will be required in the amount of 10% of the contract and is to remain in force for a period of one year from the date of the letter of final acceptance from the Hays County M.U.D. No. 5, City of Dripping Springs, Hays County, and West Travis County Public
Utilities. HM HIGHPOINTE DEVELOMENT, INC., care of Hanna/Magee LP #1, Project Manager, reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any and all technicalities or formalities in the bidding process, to determine which bid is lowest and the best, and to award the contract on this basis. It should be noted that time is of the essence in fulfilling this contract with agreed-upon Completion Schedule. No proposal shall be withdrawn for a period of 90 days after the opening of the bids. Prevailing Wage Rates, in accordance with Government Code 2258 are applicable to this project.
PUBLIC NOTICE Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless proposes to modify a 250-foot Self-Support. Anticipated lighting application is medium intensity dual red/white strobes. The Site location is Pump Station Road, Wimberley, Hays County, TX 78676, N 30° 2' 57.55" W 98° 11' 57.29". The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR, Form 854) filing number is A1102268. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS – Interested persons may review the application (www.fcc.gov/asr/applications) by entering the filing number. Environmental concerns may be raised by
filing a Request for Environmental Review (www.fcc.gov/asr/environmentalrequest) and online filings are strongly encouraged. The mailing address to file a paper copy is: FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn: Ramon Williams, 445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CSP 18-002 Dripping Springs ISD Job Order Contract (JOC) for Minor Construction Trades: Dripping Springs ISD is requesting competitive sealed proposals for the Dripping Springs ISD Job Order Contract (JOC) for Minor Construction Trades (CSP 18-002). Proposals shall be addressed to Michelle Lyons, Purchasing Specialist, Dripping Springs Independent School District, 510 W. Mercer Street, P.O. Box 479, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620, and must be received by 2:00 P.M. (CST) on June 4, 2018. The CSP package may be obtained at the at the District’s website at www.dsisdtx.us. Dripping Springs Independent School District reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals, to waive any formalities and irregularities in the proposals received, and will accept the response(s) determined to be in the best interests of the District.
Employment WAREHOUSE/OFFICE HELPER
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Tulsa, OK – City of Tulsa Auction, Sat., May 19, Starts at 9:32 a.m., 108 N. Trenton. Vehicles, service & dump trucks, skid steers, lift cranes, buses, brass water meters, guitars, POS stations and much more. Register and preview on Fri., May 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. www. chuppsauction.com, 918-638-1157.
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Texas Press Statewide Classified Network 283 Participating Texas Newspapers • Regional Ads Start At $250 • Email ads@texaspress.com NOTICE: While most advertisers are reputable, we cannot guarantee products or services advertised. We urge readers to use caution and when in doubt, contact the Texas Attorney General at 800-621-0508 or the Federal Trade Commission at 877-FTC-HELP. The FTC web site is www.ftc.gov/bizop.
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breeding ground, he will be bright yellow with I have become so used a jet black cap, a real to having American transformation. goldfinches at my The female goldfinch feeders, I almost forget is a great nest builder. they are basically winter She builds a nest that visitors and will soon is woven so tight it will move on north to their actually hold water. breeding territory. Unfortunately, this I will miss the little means her baby birds rascals. They love can get well soaked in a thistle seeds, but heavy rain. have consented to eat The goldfinch is in no black oil sunflower danger of extinction, seeds at my place, with an estimated global and I appreciate their population of some 42 forbearance. million birds. Thank While here, the male goodness they are doing will begin to change just well, because I would a bit from his brown and really miss this beautiful gray feathers with a hint little bird. As it is, they of yellow. By the time he will be around until May is back to his northern when they head north.
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date would be able to work Tuesday and Wednesdays. Knowledge of Adobe Indesign and Photoshop a must. Wordpress knowledge is a plus. E-mail david@haysfreepress.com
Page 6
News-Dispatch
Election Results
YOU ARE INVITED
Continued from pg. 1
the next decade. However, based on these projections, another bond would need to be issued by 2021 to accommodate new students in the district. “I wish to personally thank all those who exercised their civic right and responsibility to vote. We understand there are differing opinions about the bond package,” said Bruce Gearing, superintendent for DSISD. “Our responsibility moving forward is to continue listening carefully to all stakeholders in order to shape the outcome of this community decision to serve the best interests of all our students, staff, parents, and taxpayers.” Gearing said some of the smaller projects will likely start summer 2018. The high school expan-
Thursday, May 10, 2018
sion and renovation of Walnut Springs Elementary are expected to be completed by Fall 2020 and Fall 2021, respectively. However, The Citizens for Successful Education in Dripping Springs, an organization that fought against DSISD’s bond measure, is looking to raise $1,500 to pay for a recount of the bond, in accordance with Texas election laws. Meanwhile, a trio of DSISD board of trustee incumbents who supported the district’s bond were all reelected to dais. Current Board President Carrie Kroll was reelected for another twoyear term by taking 25.06 percent of the 6,593 voters who cast a ballot in the trustee election. Kroll is the only member of the board who
attended and graduated through the Dripping Springs education program. Kroll said her reelection will come with a commitment to represent current Dripping Springs students while working towards fiscal responsibility for the students of the future, an initiative represented in the bond she supported. “The bond encompasses a vision to help the students of the future in our district,” Kroll said. “Bonds in this day are highly discussed and the district needs to be transparent as we always are. The challenge is to bring our community together.” Also claiming victory Saturday were incumbents Mary Jane Hetrick and Shannon O’Connor, who both took home 24 percent of the vote.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A PUBLIC HEARING Traffic congestion in Oak Hill is a serious problem and negatively impacts mobility, safety, and quality of life. TxDOT and the Mobility Authority have been working closely with the community to identify a transportation solution to provide meaningful congestion relief for Oak Hill. Pending the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s approval, the project will move forward as a non-tolled roadway.
WHAT: PUBLIC HEARING WHEN: Thursday, May 24, 2018 Display viewing: 6:15 p.m. Formal hearing: 7 p.m. Public comment session to follow WHERE: Bowie High School (cafeteria) 4103 W. Slaughter Lane Austin, TX 78749 WHAT WILL BE AT THE PUBLIC HEARING? •
The draft schematic design of Alternative A, the recommended build alternative
•
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement; a comprehensive full disclosure document comprised of all the environmental studies performed since 2012
•
Your chance to comment on the proposed project
Virtual Open House available May 24 - June 18, 2018 Winifred E.
Congrats 2018 Grads! Future grads apply now.
www.OakHillParkway.com If you plan to attend the open house and have special communication or accommodation needs, please contact Jon Geiselbrecht at 512-832-7218. The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.
austincc.edu
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