50
Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 3
INSIDE
Real County Earns Third Perfect Score for Financial Transparency ............................ Page 2
Burk Feed Saturday, Feb. 22nd from 9am to 1pm
www.hillcountryherald.net
editor@hillcountryherald.net
February 19, 2014
LEAKEY ISD PLANS FOR BOND ELECTION For the past several months, School Board Officials and school administrators have been working on plans for a construction bond for the Leakey ISD. After many planning meetings and discussions regarding the needs of the district, the Board took action in a regular meeting held Monday, February 17, calling for a bond election to take place on May 10, 2014. Leakey ISD has had to place building projects on the back burner for many years. The Board and community committees met in 2008 only to be deterred by one of the country’s worst economic downturns in years. In 2010, committees met as the district learned it faced its own financial challenges. They met again in 2012 and 2013 conducting needs assessments
and looking at the condition of existing facilities. The same conclusion as previous years was reached; the current facilities did not meet Texas Education Agency requirements and did not meet the needs of the students and staff of the district. Now, in 2014, with most of the challenges behind, Leakey ISD is declaring that it is ready to move forward and advance a well-thought out plan to replace aging classrooms with an energy efficient two-story classroom building to house 6th – 12th grade students. The new construction will be built alongside the district’s two historic buildings and will involve turning the covered play area into a competition gym. A cafetorium for meals and community events will
Frio Canyon Parks Association Receives LCRA Grant submitted by Clara Tuma
also be included. Frank Johnston, an engineer out of Kerrville, has led the School Board and administrators through multiple work sessions, building on previouslydefined priorities established in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Mr. Johnston has completed similar projects in Ingram, Kerrville, Sabinal, and Bandera school districts. He is one of only a handful of engineers approved by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers to do architectural work. The new facility will have 2 fully outfitted science labs, 12 classrooms, one computer lab, and a teacher work room. The gym will have two practice courts, or one competition court, and can be configured for both basketball
submitted by Leakey ISD
and volleyball. There will be plenty of seating on both sides of the facility. Plans also include a cafetorium -complete with a modular stage large enough for most school and community events such as plays, ballet performances, award banquets, and other events to be hosted in the facility. The classrooms that will be replaced are those located in “portable buildings” that became permanent, and the smaller, energy-inefficient buildings built out of concrete blocks. “These older buildings served an important purpose for many years and showed the community’s ingenuity to meet immediate needs,” says Interim Superintendent Dr. Barbara Skipper. continued page 2
Real County Commissioner’s Court Honors Willis Springfield By Julie Becker
Somewhere in the West Le�n��� M�N����, T�xa� R�n���
............................ Page 7
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
?
........................... Page 13
Hogan Speaks At Utopia Lions Club Meeting
............................ Page 7
INDEX
LCRA and Bandera Electric Cooperative Inc. (BEC) gave the Frio Canyon Parks Association a $25,000 grant to build a pavilion in the Leakey park. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are: LCRA Board Member Lori Berger, Frio Canyon Parks Association Vice President A.G. Hood and BEC General Manager Bill Hetherington. Pictured in the second row, from left to right, are: Frio Canyon Parks Association Secretary Joan Ernst, Leakey resident Helen Hubbard, BEC representative Javier Salazar and LCRA representative Karen Rankin. Pictured in the back row is Frio Canyon Parks Association Treasurer Lawrence Ernst. See Story page 2
Committee members Kathy Brooks and Dub Suttle, Real County Commissioners Joe Connell, Bryan Shackelford and Manuel Rubio. Springfield also received a framed photograph of his last swing of the gavel to end the wonderful year of celebration for the Real County citizens and many more who visited and truly enjoyed the year long festivities.
Leakey Wastewater Project Scheduled to Begin Construction in Summer of 2015 by Julie Becker
The City of Leakey held their regular monthly meeting on February 10, 2014 at 6pm at the Leakey City Hall. Following approval of minutes and payment of bills, City Council members approved the Contract for engineering services from Neptune-Wilkinson Associates and for administration services from Esser and Company. The Council also approved Esser and Company to act as their as Labor Standard Officer. The council Proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month. Council members also called for the order of election. Mayor Harry
Schneemann and councilmembers Carl Jensen and Bob Bowers. City secretary DeeDee Wally stated each of these have filed for the position again. The council approved a water rate increase of $5 across the board for each water customer. In a discussion later in the week with Mayor Harry Schneemann he stated “The funds generated by the water rate increase will be used to upgrade the pipeline system. Our current system was put in somewhere around 1951-1952 and it’s coming apart!” Schneemann went on to say our pipes in the entire
water line system really need to be replaced but with the projects the City has going on right now, they really can’t afford to change out the whole system, so they replace as they can. Just like a few weeks ago when many citizens of Leakey were without water when a water main burst. (the pipe is in city hall, it looks pretty bad) Schneemann said the infrastructures of the city will be a main focus over the next few years. Citizens are reminded to please continue to conserve water, though Wally said the wells are looking good right now, spring
is around the corner and conservation is a necessity. The other project the mayor spoke of is the Nueces River Authority/Leakey Wastewater project which is scheduled for 2015. The project is to provide first-time wastewater collection and treatment service to the City of Leakey and surrounding communities within a determined project boundary. Effluent from the wastewater treatment plant will be disposed of via land application on a 194 acre tract of land purchase by the Nueces River Authority. continued page 4
ROGERS SEEKS RE-ELECTION VALENTINE’S DAY ENGAGEMENT Clare Maffei got AS PCT. 1 & 2 JUSTICE OF THE Katelyn engaged over last weekend to Hatton Updike, in Leakey Texas. (both are USAF PEACE Academy graduates; Hatton by Julie Becker
State News .................... Page 2 Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 7 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
High:81° Low: 63°
Last week during the Regular meeting of the Real County Commissioner’s Court, Willis Springfield, Chairman of the Centennial Steering Committee was honored with a proclamation naming him an honorary citizen of Real County. Pictured above are LtoR: Real County Judge Garry Merritt, Willis Springfield,
Diane Rogers is running for re-election to hold the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1 and 2 for Real County. Diane is a hometown girl, having graduated from Leakey ISD. She raised her family here in Leakey . She has one son, Duane who lives in Pearland with his family.
Diane has always been active in the community. She is a longtime volunteer at the Frio Canyon EMS and was recently selected as Administrator of the organization. She said she can’t remember the year but she was selected as Citizen of the Year from the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce. Diane has held the position of Justice of the Peace for the past four years. She has attended all of the necessary training and continues with the mandatory training. She holds JP court when necessary and has presided over small claims court and civil court. Diane describes herself as Honest, Trustworthy and Dependable. She says if she is re-elected to the position she will continue with the current workload and serve the citizens of Real County to the best of her ability.
2011, Kate, 2012). Both of them are lieutenants in the USAF and stationed in Del Rio, Texas. Last Saturday Hatton got checked out in a Cessna and flew from New Braunfels to Leakey, Texas more specifically Rancho Real. Mary Maffei and husband, Michael Maffei, (retired USAF Colonel), and Hatton’s parents Leslie Saba Updike and Ted Updike both of Chandler Arizona were anxiously awaiting their children’s arrival. All the parents and friends Gary and Gwen Krause were waiting -- You see, the parents had meticulously placed the letters that were drawn out on drop cloths by Hatton-- “KCU?” in a meadow along side the Frio River along
Old Rocksprings Road. (K-- Katelyn C- Clare (middle name) U -- Updike (new last name)? While the air plane flew over the canyon wall and the letters became visible Hatton proposed to Kate. Parents on the ground were along side the letters and jumping up and down. Once the plane disappeared back over the canyon wall, all the parents went out to the Leakey airfield with champagne and dixie cups to congratulate the new couple.