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Volume 34, Issue 17

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School planners work around increasing construction costs

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and when a school district makes regular calls for more taxpayer dollars to fund new construction, it is easy for voters to recall less costly times in school construction. Of Liberty Hill ISD’s proposed $491 million bond package on the May 1 ballot, $301 million of that is for new campus construction that would build two new elementary schools, another middle school and a second high school. Only 10 years ago voters approved a bond for a new high school with a construction cost of $62.2 million, and six years later Rancho Sienna El-

ementary School at a cost of $24.8 million. Fast forward four years and the guaranteed maximum construction cost for Santa Rita Elementary – opened in August – came in at $27.2 million, but is likely to wrap up slightly lower than budgeted. While these numbers don’t include many of the soft costs of the projects such as land acquisition and design, they were all less expensive than the new campuses on the table. The simplest explanation for this is inﬂation, but having numbers to work with – even if they are high – gives the

See COSTS, Page 8

News@LHIndependent.com

March 18, 2021 | 50 Cents

Family, community grieving after loss

Bye suffered from severe head injury following October crash

By SHELLY WILKISON Publisher What was best for his family was at the heart of every decision made by Mario Bye. Even in his ﬁnal moments Sunday, it seemed as though he was trying to make the ending of his ﬁve-month struggle for life easier on his wife. Although unable to communicate with her, Deanna Bye says she believes her husband heard her conversations with medical professionals about what it would take to move him from the Houston hospital to the Austin area for hospice care. “Even then, he wanted to take care of us,” she said, adding that the move would have been

risky, complicated and costly. From her phone, she played their wedding song, and then his favorite Rolling Stones tune, and noticed that the one eye that could open got a little wider. “His breathing slowed, I hugged him and held him. I know he heard I wanted to move him closer to home. He waited until the doctors were there,” she said through her tears. “It was the last thing he could do to take care of us, and it was the most perfect way for him to go.” Mario was 52. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, Mario left Jane Long The funeral mass for Mario Bye will be at 11 a.m. March 19 at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Bellville. See BYE, Page 9 (Courtesy Photo)

fore the district called the May election, her place was added to the ballot.

The Place 6 term has one year remaining, meaning the winning candidate will be up for

Six seeking one-year unexpired LHISD term

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor When former Liberty Hill

ROBERT BAUGHN

ISD Board member Vickie Peterson announced her resignation from the board just be-

LOCKIE EALY

KRISTI HARGROVE

CORY MILAM

re-election in May 2022. In spite of that shortened term, six candidates ﬁled to ﬁll

AURORA TRAHAN

the vacancy.

JENNIFER WILLIAMS

A resident in Liberty Hill ISD for four and a half years, Robert Baughn chose this area after 25 years of military service in the U.S. Army because of the schools. “I’ve been involved in the school district for a couple of years now,” he said. “Like many other people, we moved here when I got out of the army from Killeen, speciﬁcally for the school district. My kids were just entering kindergarten.” He has two elementary-age children, and the West Point graduate now works in construction management. “I work through development, design all the way through construction management, and

The mother of a sixth grader and a ﬁfth grader and a real estate professional, Lockie Ealy knew when she came to Liberty Hill just under two years ago she wanted to get more involved. “This is exciting for Liberty Hill,” Ealy said of the changes facing the school district. “I am running for the betterment of the school system and for the children. I see the need because there is going to be so much growth coming into Liberty Hill. I just want to be a part of it. My kids are going to be in the schools and I just want to be a part of it.” Working in real estate in

Grandkids brought retired educator Kristi Hargrove to Liberty Hill, and with a 25-year career working as a teacher, coach and administrator at districts large and small, continuing to serve -this time on the school board -- made sense to her. She taught for nine years in the Austin area before moving into administration. “I felt like I could positively affect more kids as an administrator than I could as a teacher and a coach,” Hargrove said. “I was brieﬂy in the Dallas area and working with a school experiencing the same kind of growth as

Cory Milam has a fourth, ﬁfth and seventh grader in LHISD, and sees his family in the center of many of the changes going on right now in the district. He is a longtime volunteer who now serves on the board of the Liberty Hill Youth League. He has decided that if he wants to help make sure the school district stays true to what residents value that he has to get more involved. “What really drove me on it, now more than ever with the growth we have in Liberty Hill and what’s coming, my biggest deal is I want to make sure we do our best to

Aurora Trahan and her family moved into Liberty Hill ISD in time for her now ﬁrst-grader to begin kindergarten in the district last year. At the same time that schooling began, she dove into being involved in the district as a parent and volunteer. “We’re getting started on our academic journey and we’re here for the long haul,” she said. “From go I really got involved locally. I am currently the president of our PTO at Santa Rita Elementary and last year when we were at Rancho Sienna I led the education connection literacy program. I participat-

After a recent move to Liberty Hill – having lived in the district for just over six months – Jennifer Williams decided to make a run for the LHISD Board of Trustees. She began her career as a classroom teacher, and has spent time since doing education consulting work. “I left the classroom a few years back now, and after leaving the classroom, within a year or so, I knew I wanted to pursue school board or just ﬁnd a way to be more involved in local school policy,” Williams said. In her two years in the classroom she taught high school

See BAUGHN, Page 8

See EALY, Page 8

See HARGROVE, Page 10

See MILAM, Page 10

See TRAHAN, Page 10

See WILLIAMS, Page 10

BUSINESS

O’Reilly Auto Parts to open this summer

By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer A new auto parts store is making its way to Liberty Hill this summer. O’Reilly Auto Parts, which is headquartered in Springﬁeld, Mo., and was founded in 1957, is a dominant supplier of auto ©2021 The Liberty Hill Independent

parts across the United States and Mexico. Michael Jurgensmeyer, the project administrator for the Liberty Hill store, said construction began this week, and as long as all goes well with the construction timeline, the store should have its grand opening in August. Site prep is currently underway. “This store will be number 6,120—we have a presence in all 50 states,” he added. “This store will have everything O’Reilly’s typically offers,

like battery testing, car parts and accessories, and things like that.” The new store will be considered part of the Highway 29 Business Plaza, and will speciﬁcally be located at 80 Independence Drive, at the northeast corner of Independence Drive and West SH 29. The size of the store will be approximately 7,400 square feet and it will have 35 parking spaces. The site is approximately two acres in size. According to the City of Liberty

Hill, the property was platted in 2006 and is currently zoned general commercial/retail. The development application for O’Reilly Auto Parts was formally submitted in November 2018. Jurgensmeyer said O’Reilly Auto Parts decided to open a store in Liberty Hill because corporate saw an opportunity to serve a great market. “We wanted to bring out our brand of professional parts and people to Liberty Hill,” he said. “I don’t pick the sites—I come

in after the sites are picked and get them going—but deﬁnitely being in a growing area is taken into account when looking at new store sites.” Jurgensmeyer added that O’Reilly Auto Parts is excited to come to Liberty Hill so that it can offer its customers professional installations, high quality service and good prices on auto parts. “Our brand is all about being helpful, friendly and doing whatever we can to get people back on the road,” he said. “We

have knowledgeable employees who get trained beforehand to understand problems customers are facing and then take that back to figure out what could be wrong. Whether it’s the radiator leaking fluid or your starter going bad, we can help you figure that out and get you back on the road.” For more information on O’Reilly Auto Parts, visit www.oreillyauto.com.

Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Liberty Hill Police Blotter

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Weekly Highlights: - On March 8 at approximately 8:46 AM, officers responded to the 12000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard. - On March 8 at approximately 11:42 AM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On March 8 at approximately 7:29 PM, officers responded to the 10000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On March 8 at approximately 11:33 PM, officers responded to Charlie Circle for suspicious activity. - On March 9 at approximately 7:48 AM, officers responded to Agave Azul Way for a noise complaint.

- On March 9 at approximately 12:03 PM, officers responded to Deserti Road for a harassment complaint. - On March 9 at approximately 3:52 PM, officers responded to 106 Forrest Trail for a fraud complaint, referred to the Leander Police Department. - On March 9 at approximately 8:41 PM, officers responded to Stonewall Parkway to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On March 10 at approximately 10:30 AM, officers responded to Deserti Road for a welfare concern. - On March 10 at approximately 3:09 PM, officers responded to Hillcrest Lane for a harassment complaint. - On March 10 at approximately 11:25 PM, officers responded to Deserti Road for a disturbance. - On March 11 at approximately 1:01 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity.

- On March 11 at approximately 1:57 PM, officers responded to the intersection of US 183 and W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard. - On March 11 at approximately 8:13 PM, officers responded to the 12000 block of RM 1869 for a welfare concern. - On March 11 at approximately 11:07 PM, officers arrested a male adult with an outstanding felony warrant, as the result of a traffic stop. - On March 12 at approximately 12:11 AM, responded to Deserti Road for a disturbance. - On March 12 at approximately 4:56 AM, officers responded to Barton Ln. for an animal complaint. - On March 12 at approximately 11:06 AM, officers responded to Quarry Lake Estates to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On March 12 at approximately 2:13 PM, officers responded to the 14000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity.

- On March 12 at approximately 6:17PM, officers responded to Agave Azul Way for a 911 silent call. - On March 12 at approximately 8:58 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for suspicious activity. - On March 13 at approximately 1:25 PM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 for an accident. - On March 13 at approximately 5:24 PM, officers responded to Agave Azul Way for an alarm call. - On March 13 at approximately 10:05PM, officers responded to Syrah Ct. for suspicious activity. - On March 14 at approximately 6:11 AM, officers responded to Tequiliana Pass for an alarm call. - On March 14 at approximately 11:47 PM officers responded to the 18000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard.

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Week of March 8-14, 2021 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 640 incidents resulting in 11 cases, 36 citations, 97 warnings and one arrest.

ROUND ROCK – Williamson County’s vaccine provider Curative has opened up a vaccination site at Dell Diamond with the capacity to give 5,000 vaccine doses each day. With the increase in available appointments, residents who fall under the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) priority phases 1a, 1b

ter on the County’s centralized waitlist with the possibility to receive a vaccine appointment this week. To register, go to https://forms.wilco.org/ Forms/CV19VaccineWaitListRegistration The Texas Department of State Health Services priority list is:

workers and residents at longterm care facilities - 1b: People 65+ or people 16+ with a health condition that increases risk of severe COVID-19 illness People who work in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools, as well as Head Start and Early Head Start programs

licensed child care providers, including center-based and family care providers. - 1c: People age 50 to 64 years For more information on the County’s COVID-19 vaccination process, please visit www. wilco.org/coronavirus .

history of travel was discovered to have a variant in the beginning of February. Texas continues to see an increase in B.1.1.7 cases around the state. “It is not surprising to see the variant in our community given how rapidly it spreads,” said WCCHD Lead Epidemiologist Allison Stewart.

“Even though we see a light at the end of this long tunnel with the safe and effective vaccines that have been authorized, we must continue to remain vigilant with our infection prevention practices that we know work: wearing masks any time you’re around people you don’t live with, social distanc-

ing, and personal and environmental hygiene.” The variant was ﬁrst identiﬁed in the United Kingdom in the fall and appears to spread much more easily from person to person than most strains of the coronavirus.

First cases of UK variant conﬁrmed in Williamson County

GEORGETOWN – Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) has learned that the first three cases of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Williamson County. The variant was discovered and confirmed through lab testing by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in March. The residents have no history of travel and were infected with COVID-19 in early February. Variants have likely been in central Texas for weeks, after a Travis County resident with no

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OPINION

EDITORIAL:

No simple answer to questions unasked

What a difference 90 days make. In December, the City Council sent a loud and clear message to the new Mayor and voters in Liberty Hill – we don’t intend to talk about the budget, revenues and expenditures. But on March 8 the Council had questions on the progress of three different capital improvement projects, and by the discussion’s end a couple were quite dismayed about the lack of activity toward the completion of those projects. Well, you can’t refuse to talk about the budget and expect to discover that something you have prioritized is sitting in a ﬁle folder on someone’s desk and represents nothing more than another item on a future wish list. Yes, the Council itself proved March 8 that sticking its head in the sand over the budget or shouting from the highest rooftop that all is well, is a pretty silly way to manage the ﬁnances and the capital projects of a city. At issue March 8 were three intersection projects that various Council members have insisted were priorities over the last year. The three carry a combined price tag projected to be near $4 million in construction costs, but that cost will not be known until the projects are bid, and that does not include engineering. And there’s no money in the budget for it. Last summer, then-Mayor Rick Hall said there were no capital project funds in the budget, which was 33 percent higher than the previous year. Essentially the purse strings and project management duties remained in Hall’s hands, where the Council had so willingly placed them in early 2019. As questions have popped up about expenditures, projects and cost overruns over the last two years, the Council repeatedly stood behind Hall’s money and project management. But we now see the Council was not informed truly at all, and they seemed pretty comfortable with that. There was shock last summer when it was learned there was no money for a swimming pool or community center, despite previous assurances to the contrary. So instead, the Council issued bonds for those projects and said better planning for projects should be a future priority. Fast forward a couple of months and the reality set in March 8 that there was also no money for these intersection projects to be anything more than a good idea on paper. It seems it is time to talk bonds again. These issues could have come to light had new Mayor Liz Branigan’s request for a budget review not been shut down by Council in a unanimous vote on Dec. 14, 2020. To the Council, budget questions should have been asked during the budget process. That’s true, but apparently they didn’t do it then, they wouldn’t do it in December, and now they don’t know why projects are going nowhere. At least the answer to why that is appears to be a simple one.

staff notebook Our views and other news and musings from THE INDEPENDENT Staff

You’ve worn a mask for nearly a year (hopefully) and now it’s time to do something even easier than that to help ﬁght off the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, I got the ﬁrst dose of the vaccine, and many of you can now as well. It can’t be made much easier. I signed up on the Williamson County website and waited. A week later, I got an e-mail back telling me it was my turn. Three minutes on an online questionnaire was followed two days later with a drive-thru experience that totaled 50 minutes of my life, and never required me to get out of my car. It was me, some music, a coffee and a drive through a

parking lot before being stuck with a needle (they even asked which arm I preferred) only to be sent on my way 15 minutes later. Get the vaccine and we can get on with life. It’s the best mask protest you can participate in. ~ Mike Eddleman

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, March 18, 2021 Page 3

Throwback Thursday

The 1946-47 Liberty Hill eighth grade class were, front row from left, Doris Millard, Juanita Bonnett, Hazel Simpkins, Barbara Grifﬁth, George Landrum and Billy Schunek. In back, are M.R. Woods, teacher; Glen Duncan, S.D. Harris, Paul Ramsay and Marvin Brown. (Courtesy Photo)

Pictured is the 1946-47 Liberty Hill seventh grade class. Front row from left, are Clyde Ray, Juanita Roberts, Ina Jo Jennings, Virginia Ann Mears, Janis Carol Jennings, Beatrice Floyd, Geraldine Floyd and James Rollins. In second row are Charlotte Childers, Orvis Carpenter, Cecil Evans, Harry Whitt and Louise Bohanan. In back, are M.R. Woods and Billy Berryman. (Courtesy Photo)

Things were a bit less crowded in 1946-47

By JAMES WEAR Columnist Like so many others, I’ve been reading about the projected enrollments in Liberty Hill schools and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I began covering Liberty Hill schools back in the mid-1980s and gosh, at the time I could have darn-near named every student and teacher in the district…imagine the reaction of

those who were a part of the school district 40 some odd years earlier, back in 1946-47, back when my late father-inlaw was a student. It took only one page in the Panther yearbook of that school year to picture the entire staff of the district. Those pictured on the page labeled faculty included Ralph Hickman, superintendent; M.R. Woods, grade school principal who also taught seventh and eighth grade; M.M. Landrum, high school principal who also taught Spanish; Mrs. Ralph Hickman, who taught ﬁrst grade and typing; Mrs. Homer Phillips, English; Mrs. L.W.

Smith, third grade, Mrs. Louis Billington, fourth grade; Mrs. Frank Ford, second grade; Mrs. J.C. Bryson, fifth grade; and Miss Marie Lock, sixth grade. A total of 14 seniors were pictured, while 11 youngsters were identified as members of the junior class. The sophomore class totaled 14—among them D.W. Hays, who would later serve as mayor—while the ninth grade class had 20 students. Identified as high school favorites were Wynnona Newbury and Herschel Bonnett, while Hellen Jennings was named football queen.

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Senior class favorites pictured were Maudie Shufﬁeld and Henry Jennings, while the junior class favorites were Tommie Burress and Carlene Millard. Sophomore class favorites were Hellen Jennings and Charles Foust, and the freshman class favorites pictured were Dick Humphries and Gloria Watson. Among the schools the Liberty Hill football team played were Briggs, Florence, Bartlett, Leander, Marble Falls, Cherokee, Johnson City and Bertram. The Panther basketball team tangled with Round Rock, Granger, Comfort and Bertram.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, March 18, 2021 Page 4

Showing resolve

Lady Panthers softball squad fights to the end

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Hannah Kline (#6) has been solid at the plate and on the mound for the Lady Panthers this season.

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor The first five contests of the district season have been about what was expected for Liberty Hill’s softball squad. A few wins, a couple losses – but competitive in all with a relentlessness in never giving up hope until the final out has been recorded. Look no further for proof of this fighting spirit than the Lady Panthers’ 9-6 away defeat at the hands of Class 5A No. 1-ranked Leander. Liberty Hill quickly fell behind by scores of 4-0 and 6-0 after the first and second innings, respectively, before plating a pair of runs in the fifth and four more in the seventh to make the scoreline much more respectable. In the end, still a loss. But, Lady Panthers head

coach Kristen Brewer said the effort was one that epitomizes how her team conducts itself – regardless of its opponent. “Our players are never going to quit,” she said. “We know nothing is going to be given to us and we’re going to have to fight for everything we get.” Further resolve can be found in the 5-3 home win over Marble Falls in a game that saw the Lady Panthers lead the Mustangs, 2-0, after four innings before the visitors scored three runs in the fifth and sixth frames combined to take a 3-2 advantage into the bottom of the seventh, when Molly Cochran tripled home a pair of runs for a dramatic, walk-off 5-3 win. There hasn’t always been last-minute excitement, though. Witness the 16-6 road victory

over Cedar Park, for example. The Lady Panthers scored in every inning but one in a comprehensive dismantling of the Timberwolves, with senior Amber Williams connecting for a three-run homer in a sixrun fifth to lead the charge. Perhaps more notable here than the result was the fact the victory came on the heels of a three-game losing streak – one that included a 9-3 away loss to Georgetown after having been beaten by a 10-0 score in the district opener against East View. Hannah Kline and Kylie Kirk have also been at the heart of the Lady Panthers so far this season, putting in more-than-capable shifts both at the plate and on the mound. Both are batting .350 on the season, while Kline is

See RESOLVE, Page 7

Panthers ready to plunder district slate Baseball team opens new league schedule

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor This week begins a new chapter in the history of Liberty Hill baseball. After years of competing at the Class 4A level and the district competition, which came along with that mantle, the Panthers are now embarking on a league the likes of which they have never seen. For example, in the last district season they completed in 2019, Liberty Hill cruised to a 10-0 record and were crowned champions with very little resistance, often posting shutout victories and scoring double-digit runs in the process, all on the way to a 32-5-1 overall record and a lengthy playoff run that saw them advance all the way to the fifth round before its season finally ended. Knowing the daunting challenge that was in store for his club this year, Liberty Hill head coach Steve Hutcherson devised a plan that would properly ready his charges for the task ahead. Part of that master plan was to play in tournaments that featured elite Class 5A and 6A teams, so his squad could get a taste of the kind of competition they would face upon embarking on the district schedule. To say his team got off to a rough start to its baptism by fire would be an understatement, said Hutcherson. “We had a rough five first games for multiple reasons, but since we’ve played much better and started to figure out how the pieces of the puzzle will fit together,” he said, of the Panthers’ 1-3-1 showing at the Pflugerville ISD tournament. “For us to continue to be

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Freshman Blaze Milam (#14) has gone 2-0 with a 0.87 earned-run-average and 12 strikeouts in 16 innings this season. successful, we’ll need to make sure we don’t do things to hurt ourselves and force our opponents to earn everything they get.” Since then, the Purple-andGold have posted a sparkling 11-2 record – including appearances at the Round Rock ISD and Georgetown ISD tournaments in which they went 5-1 and 3-1, respectively. According to Hutcherson, the overall experience blended failure and success in a way which has galvanized his club moving forward. “I feel like it prepared us from the standpoint we should feel comfortable against any opponent and now we understand we can compete against most teams – especially if we play a complete game,” said

Hutcherson. “We also now understand the depth most teams have at this level and there are no innings off or even hitters off and there can never be a moment of relaxing or good teams will take advantage.” In other words, an error that might not have been costly against the likes of Salado, Burnet or Lampasas in the past will be severely punished by teams such as Cedar Park, Georgetown and Rouse. With all that being said, the Panthers’ defense has struggled a bit in the early going of the new season, committing 47 errors in the first 18 games of the current campaign, but as long as that trend doesn’t continue, Hutcherson will be able to rest easy, he said. “No concern at all as long as

it’s behind us,” said Hutcherson. “We’ve looked much better and it’s a daily process to continue to improve. As high as that number is, there have now been several games our defense has been the difference in a good way and helped carry us to a victory.” One bright spot for the Panthers so far has been more like a comet in the form of freshman hurler Blaze Milam, who has burst onto the scene and pitched like a veteran, in posting a 2-0 record along with a microscopic 0.87 earned-run-average to go with 12 strikeouts in 16 innings across three appearances – the highlight of which was a complete-game victory against Class 6A Cedar Ridge, in which the right-hander al-

lowed only one earned run over the course of an 89-pitch performance. Hutcherson attributed his young gun’s immediate success to a strong will and a determination that allows his natural ability to multiply. “Blaze’s mentality is very strong and he carries himself with a lot of confidence on the mound,” he said. “Obviously, he’s talented, but his fearlessness and competitiveness are what makes his talent amplify when he’s on the mound. It’s definitely not extremely common for a freshman to have success at the varsity level, but I do think it’s happening more and more around the state.” Offensively, the Liberty Hill bats have been quite lively thus far in scoring 7.3 runs per

game, with an emphasis on the running game. Leading the way has been senior shortstop Ryan Leary, who has been a one-man juggernaut in the leadoff spot for the Panthers, batting .474 with two home runs, 12 runs batted in, 25 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. Only Jackson Knox and Kash Durkin – who have each driven in 13 runs – have plated more than the Texas State-bound middle infielder. Durkin currenly leads the club with nine two-out RBIs, followed by Chase Maxwell and Logan Dyer, who each have four. Hitting with two strikes has also been a hallmark, as Knox has compiled a team-leading 11 at-bats in which the senior second baseman has seen at least three pitches after there have been two strikes, while Leary (38) Jack Stavinoha (37) and Knox (37) are the top three in quality at-bats – occurrences when a batter does one of the following – sees three pitches after two strikes, a six-plus pitch at-bat, extra-base hit, hard-hit ball, base-on-balls, or a sacrifice bunt or fly. However, the Liberty Hill offense has become more of a committee as the season has progressed, without a reliance on any one bat, said Hutcherson. “We’ve started to look like a solid nine with several guys that can come off of the bench and pitch in as well,” he said. “We’ve started cutting down strikeouts, but until we get that number close to zero per game, there’s always room for improvement. I’ve been extremely impressed with our two-out hitting and we’ve had some good innings start with two outs and nobody on base and that’s how you win ballgames.”

Gearing up for greatness

Lady Panthers prep for first 5A playoff run

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor When the Lady Panthers’ quest for a state soccer title was extinguished by the pandemic last spring, it was more than bitter disappointment for a team that had already come so close over the course of the previous two seasons. It was gut-wrenching. “This year, we definitely want what was ripped away from us last season,” said senior midfielder and team captain Abbey Janicek. “We’ve been so close.” Indeed, Liberty Hill advanced all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals before bowing out in defeat during Janicek’s freshman season in 2018, then returned a year later, only to lose in the 2019 state championship game. So, certainly the odds were in the Lady Panthers’ favor to continue their trend of getting one step further than the pre-

vious year’s campaign, which would’ve been a state title. However, on the eve of the postseason, the pandemic interfered with their championship designs and it was back to square one for a club that had compiled an overall record of 18-1-3, including a perfect 11-0 district mark – without the much-coveted and ever-elusive trophy. But, that’s the past and all that matters now is the future and the opportunity that now lies before them – a chance to accomplish what they were prevented from doing a year ago. Following a district-clinching, 3-1 road victory over Georgetown, the Lady Panthers returned home for their final game of the regular season – a 4-1 victory against Glenn – in what was little more than a dress rehearsal for when the curtain goes up on the playoffs once school is back in after spring break.

Speaking of the layoff – during which the team will have six days off before returning to practice, Bauer said he wasn’t necessarily happy about the week-long respite, but he believes he’s handling it correctly in giving his players some rest. “I’d rather just keep playing,” he said. “But, there’s no point in continuing to practice so much without playing any games because then you end up just kicking yourself. We’ll be fine when we come back.” One player Bauer hopes will be fine once the postseason begins is senior striker Piper Tabor, who came off with an ankle injury during the second half of the Glenn game after a rash challenge from behind by a Grizzlies defender during a run into the attacking half. Certainly a nightmare scenarALEX RUBIO PHOTO io for one of his leading ladies Lady Panthers Mykenna Russo (3), Piper Tabor (13), Carson Glenn (16), Abbey Janicek (5), Madi Fuller (7) and Alyssa Lee (15) celebrate a goal during Liberty Hill's 3-1 district-clinching See GREATNESS, Page 7 road victory against Georgetown.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 5

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Liberty Hill’s Trent Eller (#11) has helped spark the Panthers to a 12-5-1 start to the season entering district play.

BASEBALL BRIEFS

LHHS 7, Cedar Ridge 2 A four-run fifth inning helped propel Liberty Hill to a 7-2 win over Cedar Ridge last week at the Georgetown ISD tournament. Tyler Williams led the Panthers, going 2-for-4, with two runs batted in, as part of a 10hit Liberty Hill attack to back freshman Blaze Milam, who went the distance in allowing only one earned run on six hits over seven innings during an 89-pitch complete-game performance. Round Rock 7, LHHS 4 Five Round Rock runs in the first inning off Panthers starter Logan Bailey proved to be Liberty Hill's undoing in a 7-4 defeat to Round Rock. Taylor Gutierrez pitched

three scoreless inning in relief, as the Panthers mounted a comeback over the final six innings, but to no avail. Kash Durkin went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, while Ryan Leary was 2-for-3 with a double in helping lead the Liberty Hill offense. LHHS 4, Lake Belton 2 Cole Jefferson and Williams combined to allow two runs on seven hits in Liberty Hill's 4-2 win over Lake Belton. Jefferson was credited with the win after going four innings, while Williams got a save with three innings of work out of the Panthers' bullpen. Liberty Hill banged out eight hits in the victory, led by Leary, who went 3-for-3 with

TRACK BRIEFS Liberty Hill competed at the Eagle Relays in Georgetown last week, with Kenzy Wise winning the girls’ high jump with an effort of 5-2, as the only individual winner on either the girls or boys sides on the day. The quartet of Taylor Sims, Gabriella Pitre, Emma McAndrews and Marissa Ezzo was victorious in the thrower’s relay in a time of 1:01.60. Other top-six finishers for the Panthers girls included Natalie Roth (fifth, 800 meters, 2:35.48, fifth, 1600 meters, 5:57.86), Elise Eckford (sixth, 800 meters, 2:36.51), Emma Hiebner (sixth, 1600 meters, 6:01.07, sixth, 3200 meters, 13:28.22), Payton Hansen

(fourth, 100-meter hurdles, 16.32, fourth, 300-meter hurdles, 49.27), Lexi Whitmore (fifth, 300-meter hurdles, 50.20), Isabella Brethower (sixth, long jump, 15-1.75), Taylor Sims (fourth, discus, 90-11.5) and Greta Coker (pole vault, fourth, 9-6). In the relays, Megan Sims, Kylie Hutchinson, Hayden Harris and Brethower were sixth in the 4x100-meter relay in 53.32, while Megan Sims, Hansen, Kyndal Carpenter and Brethower finished sixth in the 4x200 in 1:53.42. In the 4x400, Whitmore, Eckford, Carpenter and Brethower finished third in 4:20.80. On the boys’ side, the Panthers scored a pair of sec-

a pair of doubles and two runs scored. LHHS 11, Lampasas 3 A seven-run fourth inning propelled the Panthers to an 11-3 win against Lampasas, as Brody Blay drove in three runs, including a two-run triple in the decisive frame, while Kade Neunschwander and Garrett Neeley each added a pair of hits. Conner Sherburn went the distance in getting the win on the mound, allowing three runs on five hits in a 75-pitch outing. Liberty Hill (12-5-1) will open district play at East View on March 17, then return home to host Rouse on March 18 before facing Cedar Park away on March 23.

ond-place finishes in Carter Mattvey, who was runner-up in the 100 meters in 11.19 and Kaden McMahan, who was second in the 200 meters in 23.33, constituting the best Liberty Hill individual efforts of the event. Other top-six finishers included Carlton Schrank (sixth, 100 meters, 11.50), Connor Bye (fifth, 400 meters, 53.66, fourth, triple jump, 41-7), Ryan McCarn (fifth, 1600 meters, 4:45.35), Isaiah Delagarza (third, 3200 meters, 10:34.50), Jackson Hope (fourth, 3200 meters, 1010:35.13), Colton Harbour (fourth, 110-meter hurdles, 16.97), Collin Lyons (third, long jump, 21-2.75, third, triple jump, 42-1), Austin Bourgeois (long jump, sixth, 20-4.5), Blake Wilson (third, discus, 117-0) and McMahan (fifth, triple jump, 406.5). The 4x100-meter relay squad of Bourgeois, Blake Simpson, Stephen Martin and Schrank was sixth in 44.85, while Mattvey, Ryan Achumuma, Schrank and McMahan were fourth in the 4x200 in 1:33.49 and Jack Philpott, Achumuma, Mattvey and McMahan were fourth in the 4x400 in 3:33.59. Liberty Hill will next compete in Burnet on March 25, leading up to the district meet at East View on March 31-April 1.

Ashleigh Heiderscheit (#7) has a variety of pitches to get hitters out – in particular a changeup which baffles batters and provided her with much gratification.

Mixing it up on the mound Pitcher gets outs with variety of pitches

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor When Ashleigh Heiderscheit stands on the mound and stares in for the sign from the catcher before each pitch, the sophomore hurler has a variety of options to choose from in her arsenal. Fastball, curveball, changeup, rise ball, screwball or drop ball. All of them are at her disposal, but there’s one which gives her extra satisfaction when an opposing batter walks sullenly back to the dugout after swinging and missing. “My change-up, definitely,” said Heiderscheit. “I love when they swing and completely miss it.” Make no mistake, Heiderscheit is a strikeout pitcher these days, but it wasn’t always like that, she said. “Really, it was last season playing for my select team when I began to focus more on strikeouts,” said Heiderscheit, who has already racked up a team-leading 30 punch outs in 31 innings this season. “But, I’m not the tallest pitcher, so I have to focus more on spin than speed.” The last part is a reference to her reliance on deception more than power to get hitters out – something which is an important part of any pitcher’s repertoire, said Liberty Hill head coach Kristen Brewer.

“As a pitcher, you have to be able to move the ball,” she said. “Slower pitchers can still get outs if they can change speeds effectively.” Heiderscheit happily goes about her business in the middle of the diamond for the Lady Panthers – a place she only decided to occupy after an early softball experience which inspired her to try her hand at hurling, she said. “Back when I was playing on my 8-and-under team, all the pitchers in my league were horrible,” said Heiderscheit. “So, I said to myself, ‘I can do better than that.’” So, she picked up a ball, threw her first pitch and the rest was history. “I ended up being pretty good after not very long,” she said. Heiderscheit made her varsity debut last season as a freshman and hasn’t looked back since and despite the fact she’s still only a sophomore, the attention and expectations of being Liberty Hill’s No. 1 pitcher doesn’t get to her, she said. “I’m used to the pressure from pitching for my select team,” said Heiderscheit. “So, it doesn’t bother me.” According to Brewer, Heiderscheit has proven her worth as a pitcher who can always be depended on to take the ball and eat up innings. “We’re trying to stretch all our pitchers out,” said Brew-

er. “Ashleigh’s already done that.” In fact, her 31 innings thus far this season were 11 more than any other Lady Panthers pitcher and comprised 36 percent of the 83 1/3 innings the staff has thrown on the current campaign. Against Cedar Park, Heiderscheit came on in relief of starter Kylie Kirk with only one out in the first inning and proceeded to pitch 6 2/3 innings in going the distance, while striking out eight in a 126-pitch performance which led to a 16-6 away district victory. In the classroom, Heiderscheit has a keen interest in history – especially concerning her home state, she said. “I really like Texas history,” said Heiderscheit. “When I look at a map, I can say I’ve been to that place.” Heiderscheit’s goal is to play college softball, but for the time being, she’s content to pitch in Purple-and-Gold, with a heavy reliance on her faith to help get her through the trials and tribulations of teenage life – including between the lines, she said. “I’m not going to lie,” said Heiderscheit. “There have been times on the mound when I’ve asked God for help. But, mostly I’m just concentrating on my pitching when I’m out there.”

Liberty Hill’s junior varsity tennis team, including Holt Avery, Josh Allaire, Caden Adams, Tavin Davis, Ewan Noval, Connor Ford, Nhu Nguyen, Truc Nguyen, Jesslyn Jackson, Adelay Acquard and Haley Pacheco recently competed in tournaments in Pflugerville and Kerville. (Courtesy Photo)

TENNIS BRIEFS Liberty Hill continued its spring season with a tournament at Tivy. The Panthers had the opportunity to compete against some of the strongest tennis schools in Texas, such as Tivy, Wimberley, San Angelo Central, Fredericksburg, Uvalde, Del Rio and Floresville, as 198 matches were played on 22 courts. All players played three matches and most players had the opportunity to play a fourth. Liberty Hill’s Ellis Young

came home with second place after a hard-fought journey in girls’ singles, while Sophie Sherman won the girls’ singles consolation. “We’re super-proud of the players and the grit they had to dig deep for to play so well,” said Liberty Hill head coach Sherry Rhoden. “Our players definitely play better against stronger competition and the learning was priceless to the entire team.” Also playing in the event for the Panthers were Joseph Sherman and Will Gray in

boys’ singles and Madi Sudekum in girls’ singles. Ava Ortega and Abby Gates played girls’ doubles in addition to Mackenzie Coleman and Jennifer Merrill, while Michael Evans and Jon Kiger played boys’ doubles, along with Patrick Fay and Ethan Wukasch. Cash Terry and Eliza Homordi played mixed doubles, as well as Peyton Buckley and Colin Garner. Liberty Hill will next play at Robinson on March 26.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Liberty Hill’s girls’ soccer team should be immensely proud of what they were able to accomplish this season under the most trying of conditions in winning a district championship in their first season of Class 5A.

Business as usual for Lady Panthers on pitch

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor After moving up to Class 5A this season, Liberty Hill hasn’t quite repeated its history of across the board success, which is understandable considering the caliber of competition the Panthers now face across the Purple-and-Gold sports landscape. We’ve seen things folk around these parts are quite unaccustomed to, indeed. Teams struggling to just make the playoffs or simply not

making it at all – not to mention opening-round ousters on occasions when a postseason berth was secured. Of course, the Panthers’ football team went about its usual business of dominance on the gridiron in winning its district and advancing all the way to the state semifinals where they were a single yard away from playing for a title. However, with all due respect, the district they played in was a stark contrast to the league in which all the other Liberty Hill teams find themselves in these days. For whatever reason, the UIL draws up its football districts in a different manner than all

the other sports, so instead of playing nearby Class 5A neighbors like the Georgetown and Leander schools and Cedar Park, the Panthers were up against what amounted to junior varsity-level competition against a quintet of Austin schools and Marble Falls. Again, take nothing away from their accomplishments because you can only play who is put in front of you. But, after seeing the struggles of other squads in Liberty Hill’s new “real” district, it was certainly inspiring to see the Lady Panthers’ soccer team claim yet another conference crown under the guidance of head coach Darren Bauer, who

has done a nice job over the course of his tenure in building one of the strongest programs in the entire state of Texas. Yes, it was much more difficult than in the past when all they had to do was show up, kick the ball around a bit and pick up 12-0 victories over the likes of Florence, Lampasas and Burnet. Sure, they were still some district blowouts this season, but in Georgetown, Rouse and Cedar Park, the Lady Panthers met their match and came through with flying colors, going 5-1 against the trio and avenging the only loss against the Eagles with a stirring 3-1 away victory against George-

town to clinch the title. Remember, this isn’t a knock on the other teams – not by a long shot. We knew going into this year how difficult it was going to be. However, with the caliber of program Bauer had already built, he and his team were able to make a seamless transition to the higher level of competition without suffering on the scoreboard and in the standings. Now, they will move on and look to finally win the state championship which has so far eluded them on the back of the chance to do so being taken from them last season when

the pandemic scuppered their dreams. Point here is they have that chance now due to the ability they showed in being able to step up and handle Class 5A with proper aplomb to make it happen. It was never going to be easy. But, Bauer and his players proved they were up to the challenge, so fair play to them. Perhaps other Panthers teams can learn a thing or two from the blueprint provided by Liberty Hill’s female footballers. Moving forward, that will be their challenge – one which this squad has already met head-on and vanquished.

GIRLS SOCCER BRIEFS

Stephens’ hat trick leads Lady Panthers past Glenn

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Emma Stephens hasn’t scored as many goals as she would’ve liked this season in her new role as a creative playmaker in the Liberty Hill midfield. But, that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t know how to put the ball into the back of the net with pace and precision. Stephens scored a natural hat trick in netting three consecutive second-half Liberty Hill goals in a 4-0 regular-season-closing district victory over Glenn at Panther Stadium. The trio of strikes gave Stephens a lucky 13 on the season a year after scoring 38 during her sophomore campaign last spring as her scores in the 57th, 69th and 79th minutes rescued the Lady Panthers from a sluggish start against the Grizzlies, who entered the contest with a 1-17-1 overall record on the season to go with an 0-12 league mark.

Liberty Hill head coach Darren Bauer credited Glenn with its approach to keeping the Lady Panthers’ high-flying attack grounded for much of the game. “Give Glenn respect for what they did tonight,” he said. “They pressed us and we couldn’t handle it early on – they played a good game.” At the heart of the Grizzlies’ resistance was senior goalkeeper Abby Alexander, who made several brave challenges against onrushing Liberty Hill attackers, going to ground to smother the ball before a shot could be delivered on several occasions, as time and again, the Lady Panthers were able to send through balls to the likes of Stephens, Piper Tabor and Kailey Fowler, but to no avail. However, in the 36th minute, the Glenn defense finally cracked long enough for Mykenna Russo to get on the end of a Madi Fuller cross to open the game’s scoring and

SOFTBALL BRIEFS Liberty Hill 4, Marble Falls 3 Molly Cochran’s two-out, two-run walk-off triple in the bottom of the seventh gave Liberty Hill a 4-3 home district victory over Marble Falls. The Lady Panthers led, 2-1, after five innings before the Mustangs plated a pair in the sixth to tie the game at 3-3 before the home side won it in the seventh. Nicole Smith led off with a bunt single and after Desiree Garza grounded into a fielder’s choice and Amber Williams struck out, Tannis Brewer walked to put runners on first and second for Cochran, who

establish a 1-0 Liberty Hill lead in the process. After the game went to halftime with that same margin, the home side came out for the second 40 minutes more determined and at the tip of the Lady Panthers’ spear was Stephens, who capped off her hat trick with a breakaway goal inside the final 60 seconds of play on a perfectly-placed shot past an outstretched Alexander before the Grizzlies keeper had a chance to thwart yet another opportunity. Alyssa Lee picked up an assist on the evening, while backup goalkeeper Keira Garcia got the shutout for the Lady Panthers. Liberty Hill (19-3-2, 13-1) will open the Class 5A state playoffs with a first-round game against Canyon at a yetto-be determined time, place and date. ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Emma Stephens (#8) led Liberty Hill with a hat trick in the Lady Panthers’ 4-0 home win over Glenn to close the regular season.

came though on a 2-1 pitch for the winner. Smith, Brewer and Brooke Armstrong all doubled in the game and Hannah Kline got the win on the mound with two scoreless innings of relief of starter starter Kylie Kirk, who pitched five innings while allowing one unearned run on three hits with six strikeouts.

seventh. Cochran went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Katelyn Castleberry hit a two-run homer for Liberty Hill in the loss. Starter Ashleigh Heiderscheit got the loss on the mound, allowing four runs on five hits in one inning of work, as the Lions homered three times in the contest.

Leander 9, Liberty Hill 6 Four runs in first inning and two more in the second doomed the Lady Panthers to a 9-6 away loss to No. 1 Leander, despite scoring six runs over the final three frames, including four in the top of the

(RIGHT) Amber Williams (#10) went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Liberty Hill’s 16-6 away win against Cedar Park. ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

BOYS SOCCER BRIEFS

Liberty Hill 3, Glenn 3 Cade Johnson, Jett Byars and Jessie Anaya each scored a goal in the Panthers’ 3-3 away draw against Glenn in the regular-season finale. Liberty Hill ended the season with an overall record of 5-12-3, including a 2-9-3 mark and a seventh-place district finish. (LEFT) Senior Enrique Esquivel (20) moves the ball during Liberty Hill’s 2-0 home loss to Georgetown.

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

County launches Phase 2 of WilCo Forward grants

Vaxmob works to get vaccine to rural areas

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As Williamson County works to get residents the COVID-19 vaccination, there are pockets of the population facing accessibility issues, making it difficult to receive the vaccine. “I think accessibility is a big deal,” said Williamson County EMS Community Health Paramedic Lead Amy Jarosek. “I think that there is a population of folks that rely on transportation services for their doctors’ appointments. Relying on a transportation service to get you to a vaccine clinic is not economical. It’s not convenient to sit in line for an hour waiting for a vaccine or if you’re in an Uber or a taxi and the meter keeps running. Accessibility is an issue.” Jarosek is leading Williamson County’s Vaxmob, the mobile vaccination team that identifies and goes into specific areas to help bring the vaccine

to people unable to get it any other way. “I have a heart for the rural communities, health equities zones, and vulnerable populations. So, I wanted to take the vaccine to them,” she said. “While a lot of them can get to vaccine locations, it’s not necessarily convenient. A lot of them are elderly, and getting out is not exactly safe. It’s important to me. I wanted that to morph into being able to target some of the homebound populations and work with partners like Opportunities for Burnet County and local housing authority groups.” Similar efforts in Corpus Christi inspired the mobile vaccination unit’s development. Jarosek learned of a partnership between the Corpus Christi fire department and the local health department. “I did research and contacted the local health authority down there about how they

Greatness

Resolve Continued from Page 4 Liberty Hill’s leading winner on the mound, with a 4-2 record to go with a 3.33 earned-run-average and 12 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings, while Kirk has picked up a pair of wins and a save with a 4.74 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings of work. The biggest innings-eater has been sophomore Ashleigh Heiderscheit, who leads the staff with 32 innings pitched, while going 3-3 with a 5.46 ERA and a team-leading 30 strikeouts. Dylan Lewis has driven home a squad-best 12 runs on the season, with Katelyn Castle-

were working their program,” said Jarosek. “They were very transparent with me. I then pitched it to the county and just needed to figure out who I was going to build my team with. I reached out to the local health district, and they supported it. They’re the ones supplying our vaccines and their nurses to go out with our teams and vaccinate.” Mobile vaccine teams are one nurse and one paramedic. Teams carry minimal equipment, limited to the vaccine, tools to administer the vaccine, and items to treat an allergic reaction. Nurses administer the vaccine with paramedics in tow as added oversight. “We don’t come in with a bunch of stuff,” said Jarosek. “We don’t disturb a bunch of things when we come in. We have to be very careful and respect these people’s spaces. We come in with minimal equipment and leave things we

berry and Cochran each with 10. So, with nearly half of the district schedule completed, the Lady Panthers will continue in their quest to qualify for the state playoffs in their first year as a Class 5A club – a task Brewer knows certainly won’t be easy and one in which there is little room for error, with four ranked teams also in the mix for the four postseason berths available. “We know we have to be ready every time we go out there,” she said. “But, out girls are very resilient.”

to suffer a knock in what was a meaningless contest for all intents and purposes, but Bauer said he approached the game with an all-business mentality despite the fact there was nothing to gain. “We treated this like any normal game,” he said. So did Glenn. In fact, the Lady Panthers led only 1-0 at halftime against a side they had defeated by a 5-1 scoreline earlier in the season in the first meeting between the clubs – a contest in which Liberty Hill held a 4-0 advantage after 40 minutes – something Janicek attributed to a lack of focus. “I think we didn’t go into

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found them and try not to disturb too much.” In its first week, the unit reached 25 individuals. With the small teams, the unit’s focus is on populations identified through partners. Jarosek suggests people who can’t get the vaccine easily reach out to organizations like Meals on Wheels to be identified. “What we’re telling folks right now is that we are trying to keep this strategic and identify populations through our partners,” she said. “It’s more controlled like that, rather than people contacting us individually just because our bandwidth is so limited right now. We hope to expand that, and Curative is also going to be providing mobile vaccines as well. We’ll help them by identifying folks that we can’t reach because of bandwidth.”

GEORGETOWN – Williamson County is launching Phase 2 of its WilCo Forward Small Business Grant Program for businesses financially impacted due the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting this week, small businesses such as food services, bars and hotels/motels can begin to apply for a small business grant to help keep them afloat during these trying times. This is the second round of Wilco Forward small business grants funded by CARES Act funds. The Williamson County Commissioners Court approved allocating $10 million to fund the program during the Commissioners Court meeting held on Tuesday. Each eligible business will receive up to $500 per employee with a maximum amount of $10,000.

Continued from Page 4

players in the aftermath of the win over Glenn. “We always have a target on our backs and other teams want to beat us because we’re Liberty Hill and they want to see us fail,” he said. “I think a lot of people thought we were going to come up to Class 5A this season and be shocked by the competition level. But, our girls proved they could handle it.” During the postgame gathering, Bauer handed out plaques to seniors Madi Fuller and Tabor for becoming the first two players in the eight-year history of the program to play 100 varsity games – a feat not easily accomplished, he said.

this game as serious as we needed to,” she said. “Which was why we started sluggish and slow. But, then we came out much harder in the second half.” Three goals later and it was job done for Bauer and his squad, who will now look forward to a first-round playoff meeting with Canyon, who is the fourth-place team in District 26. Other than the Panthers’ football team, the Lady Panthers are the only other Liberty Hill team to claim a district crown this season in the school’s first year of Class 5A competition, which certainly wasn’t lost on Bauer as he congratulated his

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to businesses in Williamson County and across the country. Through our original round of small business grants, we were able to help thousands of businesses in Williamson County stay afloat during some of the most challenging days of this ordeal,” said Williamson County Treasurer Scott Heselmeyer. “As our businesses finally return to fully-opened nearly a year later, our restaurant, bar, and hospitality businesses have continued to be significantly affected by government-mandated closures.” The following businesses will be eligible for the financial assistance. Food services, such as restaurants, food trucks and caterers. Bars Hotels, motels, including bed and breakfast.

“The only way you’re going to be able to do that is if you’re on the varsity as a freshman,” said Bauer. “It’s difficult to do – we’ve had a few players who have been close. Also keep in mind we didn’t even get a full season last year because of the pandemic.” However, personal milestones and other team accolades aside, there is only one goal left for Janicek and her teammates to now accomplish in order to vanquish the ghosts of last year’s lost opportunity. “We know what we need to do,” she said.

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EMPLOYMENT HELP WANTED! Truck Driver for Operation Liberty Hill Food Pantry - Pick Up/ Delivery. Requirements: 21 or older, able to lift 50 lbs, work 15-20 hr/week (combined time between pantry/driving), must pass background/driving record check. To Apply – email operationlh@att.net, call 512778-4175 or come to Operation Liberty Hill, 1401 N. US-183, Leander. (3/25) ALKUSARI STONE is seeking a part-time Admin Assistant. The hours we are looking for are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday through Friday. This position is for a range of duties to include office work, answering phones, mailing samples, some Quickbooks experience and learn the stone business. We are located at: 4121 E. State Hwy. 29, Bertram, TX 78605. Ph. 512-3392299. Compensation: Good Salary Job Type: Part-time (3/18p)

PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Sale of property to satisfy a landlord’s lien. Sale to be held at American Self Storage-Liberty Hill at 13740 Hwy 29, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 on Saturday, April 10th, 2021 at 11:00 am. Cleanup deposit required. Contents of storage units sold for cash to highest bidder. Property includes the unit contents of the following tenants: Thurmis brown: 1 unit containing furniture. Crystal Hamilton: 1 unit containing bags, boxes, and totes. Joe McIntosh: 2 units containing storage bins, treadmill, furniture, bicycle, and tools. (3/25p) NOTICE OF PUBLIC POSTING AND PUBLIC HEARING FOR WILLIAMSON COUNTY/ HUD CDBG GRANT CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT (CAPER) Williamson County was awarded a Community Devel-

opment Block Grant (CDBG) FY19 (October 2019-September 2020) funding allocation and reallocation of $1,467,836 to successfully support community development and affordable housing efforts for low and moderate income areas throughout the County. A public hearing will be held by the Williamson County CDBG office on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 5:00pm at the Williamson County Courthouse located at 710 Main Street, Georgetown, TX 78626. The purpose of the hearing is to receive public comments concerning the 2019 CAPER. Please use the 8th Street (south) entrance to the Courthouse. In accordance with HUD regulations, the County encourages public participation to review and comment on the CAPER. Direct written comments by March 22, 2021 to the following address: Honorable Bill Gravell, County Judge, 710 Main Street, Georgetown, TX 78626. The report will be available for review from March 18, 2021 – March 22, 2021 at www.wilco. org. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in an effort to avoid public gatherings, the public is encouraged to contact the Community Development Block Grant office to discuss and/or comment. Contact Sally Bardwell at 512-943-3757 or sbardwell@wilco.org. Comments received on or before the March 22, 2021 deadline will be considered for inclusion in the final report. Williamson County also offers, to all non-speaking English persons and upon written request, translated versions of all public documents and public hearing notices. Non-English speaking persons who desire translated public documents or public notices should formally request these items from the Williamson County CDBG Office during normal business hours. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and for non-English speaking populations will be made upon request and as appropriate. Call 512-943-3757 or write to the address below to request information, documents, records or accommodations. Williamson County is com-

mitted to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Please call 512-943-3757 (voice) or Relay Texas at 1-800-735-2989 (TDD) for assistance. Bill Gravell, County Judge AVISO DE LA FIJACIÓN PÚBLICA Y AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA WILLIAMSON COUNTY / HUD CDBG GRANT RENDIMIENTO ANUAL CONSOLIDADO Y INFORME DE EVALUACIÓN (CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORTCAPER) El Condado de Williamson recibió una Subvención del Bloque para el Desarrollo Comunitario (Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), FY19 (octubre 2019 a septiembre 2020) la asignación y reasignación de fondos de 1,467,836 dólares para sostener exitosamente el desarrollo de la comunidad y esfuerzos de vivienda razonable para áreas bajas y de ingresos moderados a través del Condado. Una audiencia pública se llevará a cabo por la oficina de CDBG del Condado de Williamson el lunes, 22 de marzo 2021 a las 5:00 pm en el Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Williamson ubicado en 710 Main Street, Georgetown, TX 78626 . El propósito de la audiencia es para recibir los comentarios del público acerca de CAPER 2019. Por favor, use la entrada Calle Ocho (8th Street) (al sur) del Palacio de Justicia. De conformidad con las regulaciones de HUD, el Condado fomenta la participación del público a revisar y comentar sobre el CAPER. Enviar los comentarios por escrito en o antes del 22 de marzo 2021 a la siguiente dirección: Honorable Bill Gravell, Juez del Condado 710 Main Street Georgetown , TX 78626. El informe estará disponible para la revisión del 18 marzo 2021 hasta 22 marzo 2021 en www.wilco.org. Debido a la pandemia de Covid-19 y en un esfuerzo por evitar las reuniones publicas,

se anima al publico a ponerse en contacto con la oficina de Community Development Block Grant para discutir y/o comentar. Contacte a Sally Bardwell al (512) 943-3757 o sbardwell@wilco.org. Los comentarios recibidos en o antes del 22 de marzo 2021 serán consideradas para su inclusión en el informe final. El Condado de Williamson también ofrece, a todas las personas que no hablen inglés y previa solicitud por escrito, versiones traducidas de todos los documentos públicos y avisos de audiencia pública. Las personas que no hablen inglés que deseen documentos públicos traducidos o avisos públicos deben solicitar estos artículos formalmente en la Oficina de CDBG del Condado de Williamson durante el horario comercial normal. Se realizarán adaptaciones razonables para personas con discapacidades y para poblaciones que no hablen inglés a pedido y según corresponda. Llame al 512-943-3757 o escriba a la dirección a continuación para solicitar información, documentos, registros o adaptaciones. El Condado de Williamson se compromete al cumplimiento de la Ley de Americanos con Discapacidades (ADA) y la Sección 504 del Acta de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmendada. Modificaciones razonables e igual acceso a comunicaciones se puede proporcionar a petición. Por favor llame a 512-943-3757 (voz) o Relay Texas al 1-800735-2989 (TDD) para obtener ayuda. Bill Gravell, Juez del Condado (3/18) NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bid proposals addressed to Meritage Homes of Texas, LLC. on behalf of Williamson County Municipal Utility District No. 23 (the “District”), c/o LandDev Consulting, LLC, Attn: Caylea Pogue, will be received from qualified bidders until 2:00 pm CST on April 1, 2021 at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735, for furnishing all labor, supplies, and supervision necessary for construc-

tion of Omega Ranch Phase 1 Subdivision (the “Project”). The Project involves construction of subdivisions and associated infrastructure including grading, roadway, water quality ponds, waterline, gravity wastewater line, force main, lift station, storm sewers, erosion controls, and associated appurtenances. Bids will be opened and publicly read aloud at 2:00 pm CST at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735, on April 1, 2021. No faxed bids will be accepted. Any proposal received after the closing time will be filed unopened. Bids must be submitted on the form included in the bid documents, in sealed envelopes marked “Bid for Omega Ranch Phase 2 Subdivision Project”. Plans and Specifications for the Project may be examined without charge at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735. Bidders must contact Caylea Pogue at LandDev Consulting, LLC in order to view and/or obtain electronic access to proposal forms, plans, specifications, and contract documents without charge (telephone: 512-872-6696 or email: caylea.pogue@landdevconsulting.com). A bid must include Bid Security in the form of a certified or cashier’s check or a bid bond issued by a surety legally authorized to do business in Texas, payable to the District, in an amount of at least 5% of the total amount of the bid, in accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.271(c), as a guaranty that, if awarded the contract, the bidder will promptly enter into a contract with MA Omega Ranch, LLC on behalf of the District and furnish bonds on the forms provided. If a Bid is Accepted, the contractor will be required to furnish, at the contractor’s expense, (i) payment and performance bonds in accordance with Texas Government Code Section 2253; (ii) a one year maintenance bond in the amount of 10% of the contract price, in a form and substance, and with a surety satisfactory to the District, upon final pay-

ment and acceptance under the contract; (iii) worker’s compensation insurance coverage in accordance with Texas Labor Code Section 406.096; and (iv) general liability insurance insuring against liability for bodily injury, personal injury, death, or property damage. No Bid may be withdrawn for at least 90 days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Award will be made on the basis of the lowest responsible bidder that is considered the most advantageous to the District and result in the best and most economical completion of the Project in accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.273(c). The right is reserved to waive any informality in the bidding and to reject any or all bids. The Project is being constructed by MA Omega Ranch, LLC on behalf of and in the name of the District. The contract will provide that the contractor will look solely to MA Omega Ranch, LLC for payment of all sums coming due thereunder. Minimum Wage Scale: The contract will require compliance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 2258, Subchapter B, pertaining to prevailing wage rates. In accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.279, the District specifies the prevailing wage rates for public works established by Williamson County, Texas as the District’s prevailing wage rates. The contractor for the Project must pay not less than the specified prevailing wage rates to workers employed by it in execution of the contract. (3/18) MISSING PROPERTY If you believe the police department may have a found item that belongs to you, you can call the Property Division directly at 512-548-5530 or email at ekrause@libertyhilltx.gov. When contacting the Property Division, describe the item(s) you are looking for, in detail, and we will let you know if we have it. If we do, we will make arrangements to get it back to you. (3/25)

Page 8

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, March 18, 2021

LHJH trumpet player earns national recognition

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer It’s still not a typical school day for Liberty Hill Junior High eighth-grader Raleigh Miller, who continues in remote learning today. But in spite of the unusual learning environment Miller has used music to accomplish something special. “I get up in the morning, get ready for the day, get on my computer, and do my assignments. Then I rest and hang out with my brother,” said Miller. “The most difficult part about it is not being able to see my friends, classmates, or teachers in person. I still e-mail them or text them.” Like many students in remote learning, Miller has had to adjust to his new normal. “I don’t get to participate with the other instruments in the band, and I miss participating with my classmates in the band,” he said. “I have to try and figure things out for myself, and if I don’t get it right, I can end up making more mistakes later.” But what sets Miller apart from other musicians in the band is he has earned special national recognition as one of only 16 in his age category to advance to the semifinals of the National Trumpet Competition. Miller reached the semifinals with a stirring performance of

COSTS

Bernard Fitzgerald’s “Ballad”. “To me, the song ﬁts my style well,” he said. “Me and my tutor Mr. Gorder started practicing a few weeks earlier and practiced the song I picked out. I practiced for 30 minutes each day. My parents helped by setting up a spot for me to record my ballad, and then they sent it to the national trumpet competition through YouTube. It was awesome. I didn’t know I could perform that well.” The dedication to his craft goes beyond the classroom setting. For three years, Miller has worked with his private tutor Kenken Gorder for 30 minutes, once a week. “He’s made a lot of progress and hit the mark for me. (The goal) was that this year he would compete in the NTC, and we met that goal,” said Gorder. “That was something he, his parents, and I really wanted him to do. He’s got the skills and tools to move further with more challenging music and technical skills.” Miller’s video submission sees the young trumpeter play opposite a piano track by Wen Chin Liu, a friend of Gorder’s. The video is simple, and Miller’s piece ﬂourishes against the piano backdrop. While most competitors choose a technical song to play, Miller chose one more musical and melodic.

Continued from Page 1

district a solid projection for how to price new future projects. “We worked really hard at looking at future projected costs,” said engineer Casey Sledge, who manages the district’s construction projects. “The biggest concern I have is always construction inflation.” The boom in Central Texas has meant strong economic growth, but also that construction costs have been rising quickly over the last decade. “It is great for the economy, but that means people doing construction are also busy and that means it costs more,” Sledge said. “It’s supply and demand. In the new bond there’s plenty of contingency for inflation and we feel pretty good about it.” He added that a few years ago that inflation rate was three or four percent, but today is trending closer to six percent in construction. “Years ago, construction inflation trended with regular inflation, but in our area construction inflation is much higher,” Sledge said. “It’s been harder for us to track and it is concerning.” Robert Baughn, a construction manager, and member of Liberty Hill ISD’s Long Range Planning Committee, also sees the benefits of the

local construction market, and the pitfalls. “There is the unfortunate reality with tremendous growth that we have experienced an astronomical boom in construction,” Baughn said. “With that comes higher wages, but you get into this economic chicken and egg scenario about which comes first. Do jobs and infrastructure come first or do wage increases come first so there is disposable income for people to pay taxes to pay for those things?” Labor might be the biggest issue in construction costs, generally representing 60 percent of project costs, but Baughn said materials costs have spiked as well, recalling costs on one recent project he was involved with. “Wood was $300 per unit, and it is sitting at $900-plus now, having tripled in the last year,” he said. “I’ve got steel costs going up between 15 and 20 percent depending on where you look right now.” With that kind of inflation on projects that costs tens of millions of dollars, the price tag can go up considerably in only two years between campus builds. The new campuses planned in the current bond proposal include two elementary schools – at $42 million and

BAUGHN Continued from Page 1 I think the district has a tremendous hurdle ahead of it,” he said. “If you’ve seen the projections the district has put together for student growth in the next decade, it’s staggering. There’s an almost unheard of amount of capital improvement that has to happen just to sustain the district. As I look at the school board and administration there aren’t a lot of people that have a lot of development and construction management experience. It’s something I’m good at and passionate about and I want to see the community and school district succeed.” Being involved in construction projects all over Central Texas, Baughn believes he is the right candidate to help the district move forward in that growth and the future management of projects. “I’m very concerned about the amount of money the district is going to have to put out there to get this done and I want to make sure it gets done right because with that number of schools and the dollar ﬁgures they’re already starting to look at, a couple of mistakes could be millions of dollars to the district. That’s lost revenue or taxpayer dollars just wasted.” He applauds the district on its handling of the planning, and has been a part of the two most recent bond committees in LHISD. “I was involved in the bond committee in 2018 that obvi-

ously was very successful and then I was in the Long Range Planning Committee that Superintendent (Steve) Snell set up last year,” he said. “For me it’s not just that it remains a great school district for my kids, but trying to ensure that it remains a great district for everyone.” As an infantry ofﬁcer who spent three tours in Iraq during his service, Baughn believes even that experience translates to critical skills needed in public service. “I’m used to dealing with complex situations,” he said. “I like to think I have a lot of experience in communication, organization and negotiation. It would seem from any organization’s standpoint that those are important skills to have. Sometimes I was a slow learner in some of those regards but in that time in the army I really did learn a lot in that regard.” Add in the construction experience and Baughn said he’s ready to see the successful school district he moved here for stay on that path. “I’m really worried about the amount of development the district needs to do,” he said. “It’s tremendous that this community is growing so much, but it does need to be managed in a cost-effective way. Not just to be cognizant of property utilization and taxpayer dollars, but because that’s the best outcome for our children in getting the best schools.”

“Most students who compete in the competition pick some difficult music that is technically demanding,” said Gorder. “He opted for something more lyrical and songlike. It’s not as technically demanding, but he got to show off his musical side instead of playing fast and loud.” At first glance, Miller is shy, quiet, well-mannered, and tends to keep to himself when he isn’t around friends. But underneath that layer of shyness is a kid full of curiosity and wonder, full of questions and searching for answers. “I like knowing about space and astronomy because there are all kinds of different wonders about it,” said Miller. “There’s just so much stuff out there I don’t know about.” The talented eighth grader’s interests flow from the celestial seas of space to the mythical seas of Greek mythology. “I love reading fiction in general, but Greek mythology catches my interest,” said Miller. “There are all kinds of stories and gods. I think Poseidon is my favorite. He controls the sea, and he’s just kind of cool.” Despite his other interests, there’s always music practice. The trumpet practice is demanding for Miller, but Gorder helps keep things fresh by combining another of Mill-

$44 million respectively – $70 million for a new middle school and $145 for a second high school. And the estimated cost of each was higher based on the projected time of construction. “It is a considerable factor in waiting,” Sledge said. “We never want to be rushed through a decision, but waiting – not that Liberty Hill has the luxury of considering waiting with their growth – a couple of years becomes a considerable financial risk.” Baughn knows when taking on a construction project for a customer – in this case school district taxpayers – there is tremendous pressure to keep costs down and be as efficient as possible, but he also cautions people he talks to about the bond proposal over just thinking in terms of how cheap the district could build schools. “One of the things that’s always difficult in construction with regard to government entities is the need to show transparency and proper custodianship of taxpayer dollars,” Baughn said. “What I mean is they tend to want competitive bids and lean toward the lowest price because that’s what people look at. Lowest bid is not always the best bid when you look at construction, es-

EALY

Liberty Hill Junior High eighth grader Raleigh Miller was one of 16 students nationwide in his age category to advance to the semiﬁnals of the National Trumpet Competition. (Courtesy Photo) er’s interests, video games, into practice. “There’s this game called Destiny 2, and I really loved it,” said Miller. “So, I decided to learn the song from it. My tutor looked into the song for me and gave me a copy of it to practice.” Fighting against an upheaval

of traditional learning, Miller says his motivation for pushing forward comes from his parents, teachers and tutor. It’s their unwavering support that drives him. Moving forward Gorder, and Miller’s mother, Candice Pedraza, feel it’s time to get outside the school environment.

It’s time to join a community orchestra and even attend band camp in the summer. “I’m excited to do these things,” said Miller. “I might want to be a professional trumpet player for an orchestra or something like that.”

pecially when you have a very competitive market like in Central Texas.” Lowest bid, or contractors that overpromise, can prove costly in the end. “What you find is you will find people that can promise you a low fee up front, but they change order the heck out of the process because it was things they didn’t take into account,” Baughn said. With projects awarded under the construction manager at risk system, much of the burden falls on the builder to make sure new schools stay in budget because it comes with a guaranteed maximum price. There is a contingency fund that, with an inefficient or over-promised project, can disappear quickly, or it can become a place to save money for the district in the overall bond program. Sledge believes that as the architects, contractors, engineer and district work together, there is a solid opportunity to find savings through the contingency funds, and that is already showing returns as they work through the 2018 bond projects. “After Santa Rita Elementary we’re having much fewer surprise (contingency) items on the middle school and high school,” Sledge said. “That’s

not to say there aren’t some issues, every project is unique and there are always some type of issue, but there aren’t many surprises.” There were 55 change orders on the Santa Rita Elementary School project, but five months from opening Santa Rita Middle School, there have only been six change orders so far there, and very few with the High School additions as well. “Having 10 or 20 makes me feel a lot better, so this shows we are becoming much more efficient,” Sledge said. “As we work with these teams and get together up front as we’ve been able to do on the middle school and high school we will find more and more efficiencies.” As new construction is estimated, there are ways planners are finding further efficiencies that will help mitigate the ever-rising price tag. “The real key to this is the core spaces – the kitchen, gymnasiums, athletic areas – the things that are hard to add on to,” Sledge said. “It is hard to make a kitchen a little bigger, both practically and financially.” The kitchen at Santa Rita Middle School will be slightly smaller due to data that showed fewer and fewer

students purchase lunch on campus. The cafeteria space is needed for lunch, but the kitchen can be more efﬁcient. And building school with higher capacity in core areas and plans to easily add on classrooms makes future growth less costly as well. “The addition (at Santa Rita Middle School) will only be a classroom wing, the cheapest part of that building,” Sledge said. “As opposed to unique spaces with a lot of plumbing like locker rooms, kitchens. Those are more expensive spaces. When this middle school expands there’s nothing in the way and it is essentially plug and play. We’ve already laid out the extension design and we know what it looks like.” But there are always costs that can’t be avoided when addressing issues such as safety, durability and even classroom capacity, where Texas schools are under speciﬁc state standards for how many students can be in each class depending on grade level. “If we could eliminate a third of the classrooms in the school I could dramatically reduce the size of construction, but do you want your kids in 30 to 35 student classrooms?” Baughn asked.

no agenda or focus in her campaign, and she applauds the district on how it has put together the current bond proposal on the May 1 ballot. “I think the current board has done an excellent job of putting together the current bond that will help with the growth over the years so we’re not just in for a shock,” she said. Last Christmas she put together a charitable program to gather gifts for those in need in Liberty Hill, and ended up connecting with the school district to provide some assistance. “I got involved with the schools to ﬁnd who was in need and it turned out we were able to contribute Christmas gifts toward two of the staff members at one of the schools,” Ealy said. “It

was just to make their Christmas a little brighter. I have a very big heart, I want to know what people need and I want to try and make it happen.” In the end, her message to voters is about wanting to be part of something in a place that reminds her of where she grew up. “I grew up in a small town, I understand the struggles of a small town growing into a larger city and I really just want to be a part of it,” Ealy said. “I want to bring my background as a mother and an entrepreneur, and I just want to be a part of our growth and think I can add a lot of value to where we’re going.”

Continued from Page 1

Austin, Ealy said she has a ﬁrm grasp on the growth that is coming to Liberty Hill and what it has meant for other communities in the area. “I’m a real estate broker in Austin and have been since 2004,” she said. “We’ve been moving as Austin grew, growing out of it. We moved to Leander and then we moved to Liberty Hill. I am aware of what’s coming, I’ve been aware for a while and I just think I have that little extra to try and contribute.” But seeing population and development growth through her career is not all she points to that has prepared her to serve on the school board. I’m not a stranger to serving on a board,” Ealy said. “I currently serve on the board of directors for Thrivent Fi-

nancial. I am aware of how a board needs to function and work as a team for the betterment of whatever you’re working toward.” And growing up, she had a front-row seat to watch others serve and model her efforts after. “My grandmother was an educator and I grew up in a small town in Northeast Texas and watched my grandmother run all the libraries throughout the schools,” Ealy said. “I watched my father serve on the school board, so I’m really comfortable with being in the public eye. My business is relationships and trying to come together and make the best decision for everyone involved.” When it comes to issues, Ealy steadfastly says she has

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 9

Seward Junction Loop ribbon cutting

Williamson County officials held a ribbon cutting Monday, officially opening the southern portion of the Seward Junction Loop. The Loop, which connects SH 29 and US 183 on both the western and eastern sides of US1 83 on its south side offers an alternate route for drivers to avoid traffic at the Seward Junction intersection. The project took 23 months to construct at a cost of $13.3 million to Williamson County. ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO

BYE

Continued from Page 1

Intermediate School in Bryan where he was a new Assistant Principal destined for a football game at Liberty Hill Junior High where his daughter was cheering and his son was on the team although not scheduled to play that night. He drove through Sonic to grab food for the road aiming to arrive by kickoff at 7 p.m. Bye, who served as principal of Liberty Hill High School from 2016-2018 resigned in 2018 to accept the principal’s position at Rudder High School in Bryan. But rather than uproot his four children from Liberty Hill schools, he rented an apartment there and came home as often as he could. In 2020, he chose an AP position because the time away from home had become more than he could bear. He gave up his apartment and decided to commute -- about two hours each way. He chose to travel the farm roads back and forth to Bryan, preferring the scenery over the traffic. It was about 5 p.m. when he arrived at the intersection of FM 908 and Hwy 77 just outside of Rockdale. He was half-way to Liberty Hill. He stopped at the Stop sign, but didn’t see the vehicle approaching him from the right as he entered the intersection. Officers say although the speed limit on Hwy 77 was 70mph, the vehicle that struck him wasn’t traveling that fast, and his vehicle didn’t flip. That probably saved his life at the scene. It was close to 7 p.m. and his wife hadn’t heard from him. As the game continued, she became worried, calling and texting, and using an app to track his phone. As she grew more frantic, she got a call from a neighbor who was in tears after being contacted by an officer that was looking for the family. Mario had been life-flighted to Bry-

an, was alive but in critical condition and she needed to get there right away. Immediately, co-workers, friends and family communicated with others in Liberty Hill, Bellville (where the Byes lived previously), and Bryan seeking prayers. When she arrived, she saw that his eyes and the right side of his body were severely bruised, but the head injury was the critical concern. Deanna remembers the trauma and the heartbreak of that night like it was yesterday. But the truth is that over the past ﬁve months there have been so many more painful days and nights that started with a glimmer of hope only to end in uncertainty and a feeling of helplessness. As her husband fought for his life the night of the crash, a neurosurgeon warned there was a slim chance of recovery. Later, the family was told that any recovery wouldn’t be “meaningful”, and it was just impossible to predict how long it might take before they saw any improvement. “I told him, ‘well, you don’t know how many people are praying for him, and we’re just going to go with that,’” she said. On Oct. 31, she got the ﬁrst call that the end could be near as the pressure on the brain had continued to increase and “there was nothing more they could do,” Deanna recalls. “We said our goodbyes and met with the organ donor people,” she said. “I didn’t even know he had signed up.” She said doctors discontinued the sedation medication. Deanna was on her way to meet with the funeral home in Bellville when she got a call that the organ donation had been put on hold because Mario had shown some signs of improvement. When she returned to the hospital, the change was remarkable.

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“He was moving his legs, yawning, they were huge movements,” she said. “We got our miracle.” As time passed, it became more clear of the challenges ahead, but the family continued to celebrate every victory. While he was unable to speak, his wife was encouraged by his ability to move on command and answering questions by squeezing hands. The right side of his body was severely impacted by the crash, but on admittance to TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston -- a premier treatment facility for brain injury rehabilitation -- an assessment showed great potential. He could read, was able to show he understood, he could see and hear, and he could remember things, including his family. Deanna said it was never known whether he could remember the crash itself, but she did tell him he was in the hospital because he was in a wreck. She said she chose not to look at photos of his vehicle. After multiple surgeries in various hospitals from Bryan to Austin to Houston, including adjustments to a shunt placed in his skull to drain brain ﬂuid, she could see signs of improvement. “I saw him doing leg lifts,” she said. “He was able to move his left arm and extend it forward. That might seem minimal, but to me, it was a lot.” But all of the victories had to be celebrated at a distance as COVID-19 policies prevented his wife and family from in-person visits. Mario used an iPad to see his wife and the kids, and his parents via Facetime. His family was also able to watch his physical therapy sessions. Being apart was heart-wrenching for everyone. “Every day, I get a call with a daily report on his condition and any progress,” Deanna said.

The Bye family at a Round Rock Express game in 2017. (Courtesy Photo) Deanna, who teaches science at Liberty Hill Junior High, said that just over a month ago, Mario’s occupational therapist sent a text with a photo of his ﬁrst handwriting. When asked his name and his wife’s name, he used his left hand to write Mario and Deanna -- a simple act that moved her to tears. She returned to work in January, which she said was a needed distraction from the overwhelming stress. And by then, medical bills were mounting and the income was critical. In February, she told The Independent that her children had good days and bad ones, but still had hope. School for them was also a good distraction from the worry for their dad. Throughout his journey, the kids were only able to see him in person a few times. Karlie, 19, is a freshman at Texas A&M University. Konnor, 18, is a senior at LHHS and was recently accepted into the US Merchant Marine Academy. Kennedy, 15, will be a varsity cheerleader in the fall;

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Mario and Deanna Bye with their son, Konnor, on Senior Night in September.

See FAMILY, Page 12

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Mario and Deanna Bye were married almost 22 years. They met teaching science across the hall from each other at Taylor High School in Katy. (Courtesy Photo)

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TRAHAN

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 1

ed in the district education improvement and then the long range planning committee at the district level. I’m someone who has jumped in and stayed connected.” Seeking a role with the school board was a logical next step in being involved and Trahan saw it as a way to impact what she sees as most important to LHISD. “I want to jump in, I want to preserve the Panther culture,” she said. “It’s not easy to do as we grow, but we have to embrace the growth and admit it is here to be successful.” The connections she’s made in her volunteer work in the district are something Trahan sees as an asset to serving on the board. “I’ve done a lot to build relationships and be someone that folks can trust and go to for information and updates and I think joining the board would allow me to do that on a wider scale, and of course have a hand in decision-making that impacts more than the ways I am with the school today,” she said. With a Master’s degree in healthcare management, she sees deﬁnite parallels between what she does professionally and the work the school board does. “In my work, and what I think would translate very well into being a member of the school board, I have de-

WILLIAMS

math, but moved on from that, hoping to have a larger impact on education. “My career has taken me into statewide school policy,” she said. “My husband and I moved down here to Liberty Hill and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to combine that desire to be back in local schools with our new home. “I didn’t anticipate going into teaching and leaving so quickly,” she said. “But I knew how much change I could make in my classroom and how much impact I was having in the lives of the students I was teaching, but I felt like I wanted to do more and branch out beyond my four walls of my classroom.” And those years in the classroom gave Williams what she said is a unique perspective to bring to the board. “I think my knowledge from the classroom would be an invaluable voice on the board,” she said. “Teaching is an invaluable experience for countless reasons, but speciﬁcally to school board it is such a different perspective on how schools run and operate, how policies affect the classroom and I think the

veloped strong communication skills, I am very comfortable with ambiguity and been able to make decisions and plan ahead whether that be logistically or ﬁnancially in the face of many variables,” she said. “You don’t always have all the answers, but you know you need to keep the train moving.” Driving others to get involved to bring more people to the table is always important. “I serve on the board of directors for a clinic in downtown Austin and I’m very involved and community driven,” Trahan said. “It is important for parents to be involved and there are certainly partnerships between community, board and school district that need to happen. Raising your hand and asking ‘how can I learn what’s going on?’ is just as important as a community member and parent as it is on the other side in a leadership role.” To build that interest and involvement, Trahan said board members should be visible and accessible. “There’s an element of accessibility for board members to have for the community partnership to really be in place and I’ve gotten to know a lot of the parents in the community,” she said. “I’ve taken my committee roles to heart, I’m always sharing and post-

ing and talking with folks in the neighborhood about what I’m learning and encouraging others to get involved. I think as a board member I would continue that.” While she has been involved in the planning for the continuing growth, Trahan also believes it is important to look beyond buildings to how the educational experience can be enhanced by the growth. “It’s not just preparing for the volume, but really thinking through as more folks choose and move to Liberty Hill we’re getting more students that can translate into more talent, more diverse interests, so how are we going to grow to not only make sure or district is strong and folks get a consistent excellent education, but how do we use that to propel forward what we can offer today versus what we can offer in the future?” Having just started her family’s journey in the district, Trahan believes she has a lot of opportunity to make a positive impact. “The town is growing and I think you need people that care, people who can look ahead and make logical, sound decisions along the way so that by the time we are in the middle school and high school we are continuing to have the great experience that brought us here.”

Continued from Page 1 voice of teachers is equally as important as students and parents and I think it’s a voice that needs to be heard on the school board.” Working now in education on a statewide level has also added to that perspective. “I have worked in a variety of roles – both consulting and research-based – and right now I’m a contractor with the Texas Education Agency,” Williams said. The questions surrounding education today are the things Williams wants to bring a focus to as a member of the board. “We’re obviously in a very unique situation with our growth and the timing of our growth,” she said. “With everything that’s happened in the last school year, how school policies have changed and the ﬂexibility needed from our parents, students and staff, it’s a whole big hurdle to overcome in itself and I think it is really going to change the conversation from how we’ve been discussing growth over the last few years.” She did not go into the bond proposal on the May ballot, saying only it was the “nature of the beast” and is unavoid-

able with the growth that’s coming, continuing to emphasize other issues. “My number one priority will be to really understand the new developing needs of our parents, students and staff,” she said. “We’re seeing so many exasperated needs and so many new needs cropping up ranging from technology to kids being anxious about coming back to school. These are all brand new topics for a lot of families. It will be about listening to those needs and seeing how the school can adapt to that and seeing what gaps we can ﬁll.” And she wants voters to see that her experiences are important in working through those questions. “I think my time spent researching and understanding education both on a local and state level can really help navigate this time we’re going through,” Williams said. “I think as somebody relatively new to the district, who came here and settled in Liberty Hill in large part because of the school district I can really represent and speak to a lot of the conversations that will be happening around the growth.”

MILAM

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Continued from Page 1

keep the values that have made Liberty Hill ISD so good for so long and try to keep them as close to the way they are as we grow,” he said. “We can forget what made us great.” Sitting back and complaining or second guessing was not something Milam saw as an option to help accomplish anything. “People complain about how things go in society these days and you can complain all you want, but do something about it,” he said. “I ﬁgured I could do something. I don’t have any experience when it comes to the school board, but I know what Liberty Hill stands for and what we have going for us. We’re such a great school district and that’s the reason we’re growing so fast. My biggest concern and what drove me to do this is I want to make sure that at the end of the day we’re still remembering where we came from, how we got here and why we’re so great.” One thing Milam hopes to focus on if elected is to make sure teachers always have a voice in the district. “For my kids and the kids coming up it is so important to me on what is being taught

HARGROVE

Liberty Hill and I was really able to be involved in some things to help with that growth.” Hargrove saw other growth issues firsthand, as a teacher and coach at Pflugerville’s Connally High School, the challenges caused when students are split up as well as teachers who have long been together, even when it is a positive experience overall. “My first experience with growth was in Pflugerville and it sort of exploded in the mid to late 90s,” Hargrove said. “I was able to be involved with the opening of that and I quickly saw that building fill up within two to three years. I’ve seen the need to stay ahead of that because we were shocked that the high school that was not even half full the first year we opened was already filling up within a couple of years. “It’s not just new buildings going up, it’s families going to new schools and teachers working with new people, which can be a great experience.” As an intermediate school principal when one district went through changes LHISD is about make, Hargrove saw how important changes to those schools impacted equity concerns.

and making sure we hear the teachers on what they have to say,” he said. “They’re experts in this ﬁeld, and in my opinion they get kind of lost in this and their opinion matters more than anything right now.” That focus doesn’t come from an assumption they are not an important part of the conversation, but with growth, the pandemic and other challenges, Milam wants to amplify that voice. “I feel like their voice is a critical voice, especially considering what we’ve gone through the last year,” he said. “I’m not saying they aren’t heard, I just want to emphasize that when decisions are being made that we listen to them.” He is also an outspoken supporter of the bond package voters will decide on May 1. “I know it is crucial to our school district, we have to have that bond pass,” Milam said. “Regardless of who wins this spot, that is a very important vote on May 1. Growth is inevitable for us and we have to be proactive with it and not reactive.” His volunteer and work experience has taught his two very valuable things he believes

have prepared him to serve on the school board. One is the importance of a diversity of perspectives and the other is the ability to listen to them all. “We have a lot of people with different perspectives in the youth league,” Milam said. “You have to listen to everyone’s opinion and take it to heart. I’ve learned so much just from the people there I have served with. Just hearing their perspective is such a refreshing take. We need that because we don’t want one perspective for the school board either.” He now works for a plumbing supplier after being in home building for 15 years and those same needs carry over into his professional life as well. “I obviously have to deal with a lot of different perspectives in the outside sales word, so it’s a constant thing for me to be listening,” he said. “I think I can take what I deal with on a daily basis and bring that to the table. There are people on this (school) board that come from all different walks and I feel like I can be an asset and listen to the parents, teachers and the kids.”

Continued from Page 1 “I was there when we did what Liberty Hill is about to do, closing our intermediate, making our junior highs middle schools then creating an elementary at that intermediate,” she said. “I was directly involved in that and helping teachers move, making sure all of your top-notch teachers didn’t all move to one place but that we were spreading that wealth of those master teachers going to different campuses to keep that equity.” After those 25 years in education, Hargrove returned to the area when her grandkids were born and now she has grandchildren in school in LHISD between kindergarten and seventh grade. “I retired so that I could be involved with my grandkids and tried to do that from afar, in Sun City, and the growth made it more and more difﬁcult to get to their events, and so I decided to move to Liberty Hill just about this time two years ago,” she said. She has continued to work part time in a variety of education-related opportunities since her retirement. “I decided because I had so much experience with school and growth and planning that I could be of some help here in Liberty Hill,” she said. “I

decided (running for school board) was a good way for me to give back and just help in any way I can.” Ready to bring her experience to the board, Hargrove is impressed with the educational opportunities LHISD is providing today. “The district has done a really great job,” Hargrove said, citing the career and technology education opportunities speciﬁcally. “I love that all (junior high) kids are able to take classes for high school credit.” At the core of her desire to sit on the school board is something she credits her career in education with teaching her. “One thing I’ve learned through education is to be a good listener,” Hargrove said. “I like to listen and I want to hear from the people in Liberty Hill. Their concerns are different than other people’s concerns because everyone’s perceptions are different. It’s about what the community feels and how their kids are experiencing school. I want kids to go to school and have positive experiences with their classmates and teachers and administrators. It is important for kids to want to be at school. I think we can make that experience better.”

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

‘Tom and Jerry’ - A delightful romp that slightly misses the mark

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Feuding since 1940, through over 140 animated shorts, television shows, and movies, Tom and Jerry are cemented as pop culture icons. The classic cat and mouse duo have now jumped out of their animated world and into the real world with their ﬁrst big-screen outing. As part of Warner Bros. deal

with HBO Max, the studio’s entire lineup of ﬁlms for 2021 is set to simultaneously release in theaters and on the streaming channel. Following in the footsteps of the Looney Tune’s 90s favorite ‘Space Jam’ and 2003’s ‘Looney Tune’s Back in Action’, Tom and Jerry is a blending of live-action with animation. Tom and Jerry stars Chloë Grace Moretz, SNL’s

Colin Jost, Michael Pena, Rob Delaney, and Ken Jeong. The ﬁlm follows the famous animated duo as they create chaos while trying to make it in New York City. Jerry Mouse is on the hunt for a new home in the Big Apple. Tom has aspirations to make it big on the music scene. Jerry decides to move into the Royal Gate Hotel. Trouble ensues as the hotel prepares to host

two high-proﬁle guests, and the staff determines it’s time to get rid of their new rodent problem. Moretz’s Kayla, through some less than honest means, earns a position at the hotel and volunteers to remove new resident Jerry. After several failed attempts, Kayla recruits Tom in her losing battle against the clever Jerry. While Tom and Jerry is far

from a bad movie, it slightly misses the mark. The biggest issue the ﬁlm has is it gets bogged down by the human element of the story. Often, the duo feels as though they are simply side characters to Moretz’s Kayla. The moments that focus on Tom and Jerry are loads of fun, and the tried-and-true antics make for a hilarious delight. Ideally, the ﬁlm would split its focus 60

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percent for Tom and Jerry and 40 percent towards the human issues. It feels like it’s the reverse and perhaps even less on the namesake duo. The cast is a delight. It’s easy to see that they’re game for the uber silliness of the movie. They know what this is supposed to be, and they embrace it fully through wild and overthe-top gesturing and outright zaniness.

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FAMILY

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 9

and Karson, 14, plays multiple sports in junior high. Mario and Deanna met at Taylor High School in Katy where they each taught science across the hall from each other. She said from the beginning, he was a jokester and the students loved him. She also laughed as she recalled that he would frequently “borrow” her lesson plans, adding that he was often able to execute them with greater success than she did. Mario was a popular teacher, well-loved by all of his students.

They were married almost 22 years. “Liberty Hill wasn’t what we hoped it was going to be,” she said of his decision to go to Bryan. “But we didn’t want to move the kids again.” She said Mario was willing to do whatever it took to keep the kids in Liberty Hill schools because the move from Bellville in 2016 had been difﬁcult for them. They had each found a niche here and they planned to stay until their youngest son graduated. It was Mario’s commitment to

his children and his unwillingness to miss a single moment of the school activities they enjoyed most that kept the road hot from Liberty Hill to Bryan -- especially during football season. Yet after all of the effort and the improvements he made working to overcome the brain injury, it was especially heartbreaking when kidney failure took his life this week. “His mind was healing, and the wreck had little impact on the rest of his body,” she said Tuesday. It started days earlier with swelling in his left leg and a low hemoglobin count. There was bruising in his leg and he had lost a lot of blood. A transfusion didn’t have the desired effect, and the blood loss resulted in dehydration and damage to the kidneys. Deanna said her husband’s 23-year career in public education left a mark on so many

Thursday, March 18, 2021

students and families, in addition to co-workers in various communities. Since news of his passing, she has received hundreds of messages from those whose lives were forever changed because of his inﬂuence and acts of kindness. As Deanna and her children ﬁnd ways to cope with the challenges ahead, she said a donation account had been created to help pay for Mario’s medical expenses and college expenses for her children. But the donations will also help fund a scholarship in her husband’s name. It was hard to accept the help, but family members reminded Deanna that her husband had such an impact on so many people who would want to help that she should let them. “He would be honored to be part of helping further someone’s education. He was just a good guy,” she said. Donations are accepted at any

Mario Bye with his daughter Kennedy, 15. (Courtesy Photo) Wells Fargo Bank - Mario Bye Donation Account. Visitation will be held at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Bellville on Thursday, March 18 from 5-7 p.m. A vig-

il service will follow visitation. The funeral mass will be Friday, March 19 at 11 a.m. followed by interment at Masonic Cemetery in Chappell Hill.

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