LH Independent 9-17-10

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Volume 33, Issue 43

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September 17, 2020 | 50 Cents

(ABOVE LEFT) Property owner Stephanie Morris took this photo downstream from the Liberty Hill wastewater stream in December 2019 to show the amount of algae she and other residents claim is choking the South San Gabriel River. (ABOVE RIGHT) Algae blooms about a quarter mile downstream from the Liberty Hill wastewater plant outfall in August. (Courtesy Photos)

City may face federal lawsuit over wastewater treatment plant

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor It has been a nearly threeyear standoff between property owners downriver from the Liberty Hill wastewater treatment plant and the City, but the stakes may soon be raised with a potential federal lawsuit on the way.

The City Council spent nearly an hour in executive session Monday discussing the notice of intent to file suit, but did not speak on it in open session. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Rick Hall said the City would not be making any comment.

If filed, the lawsuit would be brought in federal court by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA), representing resident Stephanie Morris who owns property along the South San Gabriel River downstream from the plant.

The item for executive session on the Monday agenda

was the notice of intent chemicals making -- a requirement for their way into the “You have to take a certain number of samples per week those planning to sue in and a certain number per month, and so when you calculate river as the culprit. federal court.

The City has also what’s called the daily average – which is really the monthly stood behind its “When you file a Clean Water Act lawsuit you average of all the samples in the month – you should only be stance that it is ophave to give the entity erating according to averaging together the numbers you have. Basically, what 60 days notice and so its permit from the (the City) did for several months is they put zeros in all the we’ve just given them Texas Commission notice of our intent to on Environmental days they didn’t take a sample and then averaged in all of sue them,” said AtQuality. those zeros, which as you can imagine really skews the torney Amy Johnson.

Not only is there average quite low. The average is much much lower than “Conceivably it could concern among resbe settled in 60 days any of the measurements that were actually taken and that’s idents about the curbut it’s a federal law rent situation, but what happens if you average in 20 to 25 zeros along and you’re required unthere is worry that with the actual measurements.” der federal law to give the current plant Loraine Hoane, Attorney expansion plan will them notice. Right now Texas RioGrande Legal Aid create even bigger the clock is ticking.”

She added that there is issues if the permit tions, but the future problems downstream from the plant, the possibility a settlerenewal is granted ment could be reached prior to they are going to continue to but do not typically appear and the City continues to operthe 60 days passing, but such a cause,” Johnson said. “It’s not upstream, leading residents to ate as it is now while increassettlement, according to what like they did a bad thing and argue that the plant’s effluent ing the amount of effluent put is being sought, will demand it’s over. What Mrs. Morris is causing the algae. into the river.

The City has argued in the past considerable change in how wants is for it to stop.”

“The City approach seems to The primary issue is regu- that the effluent is not causing be to go full-steam ahead on the plant is operated.

“The biggest issue in the suit lar algae blooms that choke the algae – often pointing to growing and expanding and is not just their past viola- the South San Gabriel River development runoff or lawn putting more effluent out into

COUNTY CONSTABLE - PCT. 2

Hobbs sets sights on third term

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Williamson County Attorney Dee Hobbs, the Republican incumbent, is facing off against Democrat and veteran attorney Stan Springerley.

Hobbs has been a citizen of Williamson County his entire life, attending school in Hutto. The University of Texas graduate began his career in the County Attorney’s office in 2001. He says a common mistake many citizens make is confusing the County Attorney’s office with the District Attorney’s office.

“When I talk to citizens, police academies or different groups nobody knows what ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent

DEE HOBBS the office does, and that’s okay because Texas is fiercely independent and has over 250 counties,” said Hobbs. “There are over 250 versions of what the office can be. That’s where you have to start when you talk to folks. A lot of people don’t know what we do. As we’ve grown, there are lots of different things that we do.”

The County Attorney’s office handles a wide range of things, including both adult

See HOBBS, Page 8

Springerley aims for balance, transparency

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Democratic candidate for Williamson County Attorney Stan Springerley is looking to unseat incumbent Dee Hobbs and flip the first countywide position in 27 years.

A lifelong resident of Texas, Springerley has more than 30 years of experience working in the legal field, as a paralegal and practicing attorney. Springerley was chosen by and serves the Williamson County Commissioners Court as their legal representative.

“I started doing low-level stuff, starting with simple assault complaints, thefts under $20,” said Springerley. “It’s the stuff police didn’t even want to deal with, and wouldn’t even send it to the county attorney. They’d send it to the

STAN SPRINGERLEY city attorney to go to municipal court. I drafted those complaints when I was 18 years old.”

While earning his political science degree and preparing for the jump to law school, Springerley supported his endeavors by working three jobs.

“I studied political science as one of the recommendations to prepare me for law school,” he said. “So, I went

See SPRINGERLEY, Page 8

that river,” Johnson said. “And not at the levels that are protective of it.”

The City has, in the past, touted the strictness of its permit and the new technology being used in the plant, but Johnson argues both the permit renewal and its strictness are issues.

“There are two different actions going on right now,” she said. “One is the City is trying to renew its permit at TCEQ, and in that case what we are saying to the state is the permit is not strict enough. In front of the federal court what we are saying is the City is violating the permit as it is. The City has violated the permit that is not strict enough.”

According to the lawyers from TRLA, the Clean Water Act allowed the state to take over regulation of state water quality if the state took certain measures, including

See LAWSUIT, Page 4

Council approves budget, tax rate

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The City Council unanimously approved the fiscal 2020-21 budget and tax rate Monday -- lowering the tax rate while increasing the General Fund budget by 33 percent.

There were two people who spoke on the budget during the public hearing, both questioning the budget increase.

“I have no problem with the tax rate, I do with the budget,” said Liberty Hill business owner Bob Balzen. “I probably pay more property taxes than most of the people in this room, but I can’t vote. I think the budget increase is way too much.

Adding a bunch of positions, I don’t think they’re necessary.

I don’t know what positions they are, but if we didn’t have them before how were we getting everything done? Seems to me everything has been getting done as far as I know. I would vote against increasing

the budget this much. I’m for small government and I think big government gets to be bad government.”

Also speaking was former Liberty Hill Planning Director Sally McFeron, who identified herself as being with the Better Together Project, a recently formed political action committee in Liberty Hill.

“This is no doubt a very robust budget for the City of Liberty Hill,” she said. “It is a tremendous increase in terms of salaried positions.”

She went on to ask the Council if the fiscal and budgetary policy adopted in 2018 was followed, specifically in regard to the use of non-recurring revenue. Previous councils and City administration emphasized not using non-recurring revenues such as fees to fund new positions or recurring operational costs.

See COUNCIL, Page 5

Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, September 17, 2020

OBITUARIES

Robert Donald McCullough

Robert Donald McCullough December 31, 1937 September 12, 2020 KERRVILLE – Robert “Bob” Donald McCullough, 82, died peacefully on September 12, 2020. He was born December 31, 1937 in Bonham, Texas the son of William Robert and Gladys Leona (Sonntag) McCullough.

Bob graduated from North Dallas High School, Class of 1955. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1960.

Upon graduation, he served two years in the Navy and was stationed in Aruba. After graduating from UT, he married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Ann Prewitt. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

Bob enjoyed music, art, traveling, dancing, a drive on a country road in his convertible, and a great meal. He was a proud

John Arthur Ware, Sr., of Bertram, TX, passed away on September 9, 2020, with his son, John Ware, Jr. He was predeceased by his parents, Barbara and Joe Ware; and his grandparents.

John is survived by his wife, Stephanie Ware, and two sons, Jessie and Kaleb; along with many other family members, friends, and co-workers.

A memorial service will be

Texan, avid reader, stock trader, and great source for the next best show to stream online.

Most importantly, Bob was a loving, proud, and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He considered his family one of his greatest accomplishments.

Bob is survived by his loving wife, Peggy Ann McCullough (Prewitt); his oldest son, William “Bill” Randolph McCullough, and wife Meredith of Austin; his daughter, Laurie (McCullough) Tuttle, her husband, Kirk and their sons, Kohl and John of San Antonio; his youngest son, John Eric McCullough, wife Denise, and children, Hannah, Cooper, and Clive of Kerrville; and his sister, Anne Pfeiffer (nee McCullough) of Louisville, KY. Due to current concerns about public gatherings, the family will have a small private ceremony.

Memorials may be made to

Symphony of the Hills, PO Box 294703, Kerrville, Texas 78029-4703.

The family invites you to send condolences at www. grimesfuneralchapels.com by selecting the “Send Condolences” link.

Arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Funeral Chapels of Kerrville, 728 Jefferson, Kerrville, Texas 78028.

John Ware

held on Saturday, September 19, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Bertram.

Private donations and flowers will be accepted by First United Methodist Church in Bertram.

John Ware, Jr.

John Ware Jr., of Bertram, TX, passed away on September 9, 2020, with his father, John Ware, Sr. He was preceded in death by his grandparents and great-grandparents.

John is survived by his mother, Candice White; sister, Anna White; stepmother, Stephanie Ware; and brothers, Jessie and Kaleb; along with many other family members, friends, and co-workers.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., at First United Methodist Church in Bertram.

Private donations and flowers will be accepted by First United Methodist Church in Bertram

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Louine Noble

Louine Noble was born July 22, 1940, in Bishop, Texas to Brunos Earl Noble and Rachel Ruth Davis Noble. She passed away on September 2, 2020.

In 1949, the family moved to Lockhart and in 1958 she graduated from Lockhart High School. She graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music, voice performance, from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. During the summers of 1968 and 1969 she was awarded a musical internship to work with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts. During 1969-1970, Louine lived in Zurich, Switzerland, where she was a member of the Zurich Opera Studio.

Returning to the United States in 1970 she began her teaching career in Pearsall, Texas, where she taught second grade.

For a brief time she taught on a federally funded music project in the state of Maine.

Returning to Texas she continued her teaching career in Liberty Hill where she remained until 1991. During this time she taught sixth grade, was elementary principal, and superintendent of schools. She continued her education career at Education Service Center, Region XIII, where she served

as a field service agent and later coordinator of administrative services. Following retirement from the service center in August 1995, she established a consulting business that provided much joy from continuing to work with her many friends in education. This included a relationship with Texas State University in which she mentored and coordinated activities for individuals working toward certification as public school administrators.

Throughout her life Louine loved to travel, and was active and vocal until the end in her support of public schools (particularly those in Liberty Hill!), as well as community activities such as Operation Liberty Hill and Over the Hill Gang.

Louine will be particularly missed at Cross Tracks Church, on which she left incredible and indelible marks.

She founded the church choir in the 1990s and was its director until the COVID-19 hiatus. She was also impetus for starting the Grandies, a fellowship/mission group for senior citizens. She served many years as Director of Music and as chair of the Worship Committee, plus being involved with other church committees

and activities too numerous to mention. Her church activities were entirely voluntary, never paid; she set a high standard for service to our Lord.

Louine was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Ruth Noble, a brother and his wife, Earl Joe and Charlene Noble, and a sister, Rachel Moore.

She is survived by a very dear friend, Donna Precht, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, and many dear friends.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, in the Liberty Hill High School Performing Arts Center.

Memorials may be made to Cross Tracks Church, Liberty Hill, or to the charity of your choice.

Pablo L. Montes

On Thursday, September 10, 2020, Pablo L. Montes was called home at the age of 86, surrounded by family.

Pablo was born on April 28, 1935. On December 26, 1955 Pablo married his wife, Maria Rosas. They were blessed with 64 years of marriage and during this time raised five sons, Paul, Richard, Aurelio, Edward and Johnny Montes.

He loved the simple things in life -- hunting, fishing, ranching, listening to music and drinking. Pablo enjoyed his jobs on the ranch and construction until he retired. In his later years he enjoyed riding around on his scooter with his greatgrandchildren and tending to his goats with his dogs by his side.

Williamson County Walk to End Alzheimer’s

GEORGETOWN -- The Williamson County Walk to End Alzheimer’s event for Saturday, Oct. 10, will take place as scheduled this year but will look different due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus.

“Past walks have always been a gathering of a large group of participants who then traverse a set course. Due to COVID concerns, that’s not possible in 2020,” says Christine Casebeer, Williamson County Walk Manager. “Instead, this year’s Walk participants can walk almost anywhere - in their neighborhoods, on walking trails, wherever they can keep safe social distancing and always wear a mask.”

Wendy Vizek, vice president, constituent events at the Alzheimer’s Association, says this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be everywhere.

“The pandemic is changing how we walk, but it doesn’t change the need to walk. This year, more than ever, we need to come together to support all

those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. With the dollars raised, the Alzheimer’s Association can continue to provide care and support to families during these difficult times while also advancing critical research toward methods of treatment and prevention.”

Participants ranging from families to teams to individuals will all be able to connect through a new Walk phone app. This mobile app will let users not only access information and resources from the Association, but also participate in the Walk opening ceremony as well as follow a virtual walk path, track steps and distance, and manage Facebook fundraisers.

The new app can be down-

loaded now. You can get links to Apple or Google downloads here: act.alz.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=walk_app.

Because the 2020 Walk is tied together online, participants will see the opening ceremony with local speakers and emcees, as well as the Promise Flowers presentation.

Also in the mix is the Promise Garden, where participants in the past have written a loved one or friend’s name on a flower and set it into a mass of flowers left by other walkers.

This year, the Garden will be set up by Alzheimer’s Association staff and volunteers and will be available in a view-only component.

To sign up, visit act.alz.org/ walk or call the 24/7 helpline, 800-272-3900.

Correction

In a story featuring the Higginbotham Brothers hardware store, which was published in the Sept. 10, 2020, edition of The Independent, a brand of power tools -- EGO -- was reported incorrectly. The Independent apologizes for the error.

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Thursday, September 17, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

EDITORIAL:

Throwback Thursday

Beloved educator remembered

By JAMES WEAR Columnist Fifty years ago Louine Noble decided to pursue the teaching profession and give up a promising career as an opera singer. It was a decision that would eventually lead her to Liberty Hill schools, where she influenced thousands of students, parents and teachers during her career.

Ms. Noble, 80, passed away a few days ago while a patient at an Austin hospital. Her parents grew up in the Leander area, but Louine was born in Bishop. The family later moved to Lockhart. She graduated from Lockhart High School in 1958 and went on to attend Washington University in St. Louis as she prepared to become a singer. During the summers of 1967 and 1968 she sang with the Boston Symphony, and in 1969 performed at the opera house in Zurich, Switzerland.

In 1972 she taught music at a rural school in Maine before landing at Pearsall where she taught through 1973. She joined Liberty Hill elementary staff as a sixth grade teacher before being named principal in 1976. Louine took graduate courses at Texas State University in San Marcos where she earned a Master’s Degree in educational administration in 1978. She continued in her role as elementary principal until 1987, when she was selected to serve as superintendent following the resignation of J.D. Cox. She held that position until 1991.

She continued to teach music while a principal, and there’s probably not a student who attended one of her music classes that cannot tell you the words to the children’s song “Bingo.”

JAMES WEAR PHOTO

Louine Noble, here pictured in 1987 shortly after being named Liberty Hill’s first female superintendent of schools, inspired hundreds of students during her tenure at Liberty Hill Elementary.

In an interview that appeared in the Jan. 27, 1977, issue of The Libertarian, Louine was asked about Liberty Hill and she responded, “I love it! It offers a lot of things that to me are typical of my vision of America. A little place offers things that a big community can’t: it has closeness, sincerity and honesty.”

My first encounter with Louine came shortly after she had been named superintendent and I dropped by her office to take a picture of her behind her new desk. After introducing myself, she told me, “If you’re just half the guy your brother is you are all right,” as she recognized the close friendship she and my oldest brother, who served several years on the Liberty Hill school board,

had developed.

Louine, although among the sweetest, kindest, petite women I’ve ever known, also had a firm side. I recall once, prior to a Panther basketball playoff in 1988, she took two men aside (who shall remain nameless) who were widely known as being, well, perhaps a bit rowdy when it came to cheering the team on and sharing their opinions of the officiating with the referees. Louine politely but firmly informed them they would not do anything that night to embarrass the players or the school.

Indeed, they behaved themselves that night.

Louine, after leaving the school district, remained an active member of the community. She was a charter mem-

ber of the Liberty Hill Lions Club and joined Cross Tracks Church in 1981 where she directed and sang with the choir.

Notification of her passing drew several comments on social media, with some suggesting that a Liberty Hill school campus be named after her.

Perhaps Pam Turner summed it up best by noting, “Yesterday our Cross Tracks Church family lost a true leader, the purest heart and a woman who lived for the community, children, God and all that was good in the world. Louine left her love with all she knew and will be forever in our hearts…

Thanks a million Louine Noble for touching so many lives and making us all better people for knowing you! Sing with the Angels!”

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The smell of double standards

They stink.

And recently the stench of double standard has become unbearable as the current City Council steps over the messes it creates while appearing to dutifully “clean up” everywhere else in the City they claim to catch a whiff of something unsavory.

The most recent double standard comes in the casual dismissal that it is even reasonable to question the potential conflict of interest posed by thousands of dollars in donations to Mayor Rick Hall’s reelection campaign by developers currently moving projects through the City process.

Hall denies any issue, and perhaps that is true, but to shrug off the question like it is not reasonable is ridiculous.

Hall is involved in everything that happens in Liberty Hill government. He has created that scenario, and to say City departments handle projects, and council approves them as though he is unaware or distant from any of it is a hard pill to swallow.

But more than the casual dismissal of the issue is the history of this Council’s love of slinging ethical arrows around.

To understand the most recent rewrite of right and wrong we should look back all the way to Spring 2019, when three Council candidates – Steve McIntosh, Gram Lankford and Liz Rundzieher – spent much of their campaign implying some sort of unethical behavior by unnamed individuals affiliated with the City on certain planned projects.

Each were willing to say they had heard about such problems, but were not willing to elaborate, simply saying change was needed. Hall, who endorsed the trio of candidates reluctantly addressed the issue in April 2019 as it became louder.

“The only thing we can do, is either have the newspaper or somebody look into it,” Hall said. “That’s one of the problems any growing community faces is as small as we are, rumors get started and it doesn’t take long for that rumor to go clear across the

community. Then sometimes, if they say it enough it appears to be a reality when it’s really not.”

But no one was willing to share more details of the rumor they readily spread, but were also not willing to disavow it as illegitimate.

The Independent was encouraged to investigate the issue, and even wrote a pair of stories on the matter with whatever information could be found that might shed light on the rumors, but nothing ever materialized.

Once the election passed and the win was in, there was a momentary flash of action when it became apparent that local resident and developer Chris Pezold was the target of their accusations. But in moments that effort fizzled and the Council lost interest. The response to the newspaper’s inquiry on their follow up met with angry response that the paper was trying to make something of it. Clearly there was no real unethical behavior to seize on, and once the election was over the rumor lost its luster. But it was useful while it lasted, right?

So how do we determine when there is a conflict of interest and when there is not one? It was a critically important issue once. Was it important when the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce got to negotiate in secret for free office space in a City building, even with Hall’s spouse being employed by the Chamber?

Was it important when Council member Kathy Canady falsified a loan document and chose to live in a business she was not supposed to according to City ordinance, all the while being the first in line to cry out for accountability from former City employees terminated at the first sign of any mistake?

Is it important now as donations roll in for a Mayor seeking reelection as those donors work their development projects through city approvals?

Tell us when to be concerned or outraged, because when this Council was formed, there certainly seemed to be a real focus on public accountability and setting a higher ethical standard.

Page 4

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Hall calls campaign contributions from developers a ‘coincidence’

To give back to the Liberty Hill community, Ahmir and Zaib Husain donated funds to LHISD to help cover the lunch debt. The couple uses their background in robotics and AI technology to provide students unique learning opportunities. (Courtesy Photo)

Local family’s act of kindness eliminates LHISD lunch debt

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer To relieve some stress for families in LHISD during trying times, Liberty Hill residents Ahmir and Zaib Husain made a donation to alleviate a small burden.

The couple donated funds to cover the district’s existing lunch debt.

“LHISD is grateful for the generous donation of Mr. and Mrs. Ahmir Husain in paying off the district’s school lunch debt,” said Director of Communications & Community Relations Kristy Kercheville.

“We were so touched by their act of kindness for their fellow Panther families as we all weather these uncertain times.

The Liberty Hill community is the place to be because of families like the Husains.”

The decision to donate came from a desire to give back to the community they’ve grown to appreciate over their three years living in Liberty Hill.

The Husains have three boys

in the district, LHHS senior Asas, LHHS junior Murtaza, and Hyder in second grade.

“It’s been three years since we’ve been in the district, and we’ve gotten to know it and appreciate all the great kids, teachers, and staff,” said Zaib Husain. “It’s been such a difficult year for everybody, and we realize the stresses that families have faced and students have faced. We just wanted to make a small contribution to maybe take one of the stresses out of the equation. It is a gesture that we hope helps families and students, and we were happy to do it.”

With the current climate placing more pressure on administrators, teachers, students, and parents, the couple hopes their efforts help show how grateful they are.

“We appreciate what the teachers and the school staff are doing,” she said. “It certainly hasn’t been easy to galvanize the effort around online learning that’s come about. Having

to teach kids in school and online is a gargantuan effort, and we appreciate the teachers and staff for making it happen. We wanted to do our bit to show our support.”

Aside from this one-time contribution to the district, the Husains are active in other ways, working to enrich the students.

Zaib sits on two school committees, and Ahmir uses his artificial intelligence company to provide learning opportunities to students.

“Everybody is very receptive to new ideas that may help propel students. To make life better and easier, or give them better prospects at life,” she said. “My husband has an artificial intelligence company in Austin that hosts an annual AI conference, and we’ve invited the Liberty Hill robotics team to attend for two years. It’s important to expose children to what’s new and important to learn for the future. It’s one of the things that give us joy.

Seeing them participate and be actively involved.”

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Beyond her roles with school committees, Zaib ran a robotics company and uses her background to aid the high school robotics club.

“I’m happy to be partnered with Mr. Pascal, who runs the robotics program,” she said.

“We’ve been able to do other small things like helping them out with equipment that they can use not only for the tournament but to get a general idea of how things work.”

The Husains believe it is crucial to begin to encourage and enrich students’ minds in new avenues of technology early to help them prepare for the future. The couple hopes to continue their efforts.

“It’s so important to be exposed to all of these technologies, machines, and equipment while they’re in high school because it may inform their decisions around careers and opportunities out in the world upon graduation. Over the years, we hope to reach even more students.”

Continued from Page 1

classifying all the streams, determining the baseline water quality of Texas streams.

“For this stream it is high quality and it is called fishable/swimmable,” Johnson said. “You’re supposed to be able to swim in it but nobody would want to swim in it now, at least downstream of where the discharge is because it’s full of algae. You are supposed to protect it aesthetically.”

When discussing aesthetics, Johnson said some might think it is an ambiguous term, but she said the evidence is clear.

“You can look at this river upstream of the discharge and downstream from it and you can see what the City is doing to this river is ruining it aesthetically,” Johnson said.

If the lawsuit is filed, the first order of business will be to seek an injunction.

“Part of what we will ask for in a lawsuit is an injunction. And in an injunction the court will order the City to

comply and if the City violates that order, if they continue to discharge in such a way that harms the aesthetics of the river, then that will then be a violation of a federal court order, not just TCEQ. We hope that the City, and trust the City, will take a federal court order very seriously. Whether we’ll win that or not I can’t tell you, but I can tell you that stream is in pretty bad shape.”

The lawsuit is not only about past violations or issues with the algae, but also about taking actions to prevent the same in the future.

“We have to tell them what they’ve done wrong and there’s a time period that we can tell them that,” Johnson said. “So far as future violations go, when we ask the court to enjoin and to stop them from doing certain things we will show to the court – unless something changes – that the aesthetic problems and the fishable/swimmable problems

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor In his campaign for reelection, Liberty Hill Mayor Rick Hall has raised over $10,000, nearly all of those funds coming from donors connected to development, and all connected in some way to property or projects in the vicinity of the SH 29/Ronald Reagan intersection.

Four of the donors – Wyatt Henderson, David Howell, John Marlin and Robert Wunsch – donated $500 each and are all affiliated with MA Partners, the developers for the Omega Ranch project, which has come before Council on two different issues in the last six months, including preliminary plat approval at Monday’s meeting.

But Hall denies any potential conflict of interest and has implied he has had minimal involvement in the project.

Hall’s original response to the question of why all of his donors had some connection to that specific area was that “campaign contributions come from all sorts of donors.” But in a follow up e-mail he responded that, “There is just a larger amount of property and potential growth in this area. I would say it is a coincidence.”

He said each of the donors to his campaign approached him with the donations and he did not seek them out.

In the case of Omega Ranch and MA Partners specifically, Hall denied there could be a perception of a conflict of interest involving the ongoing project and the contributions to his campaign.

“The development agreements are handled by the staff and legal counsel and are sent to me to present to City Council for approval,” he wrote.

“As I have no vote on any of these or any other items I am just providing the information to the council for them to make the decision on.”

But no vote does not mean Hall is not potentially heavily involved in the negotiations or planning, as well as the

and the violation of the narrative standards continues.”

Attorneys also argue that Liberty Hill has had many past issues with its reporting to TCEQ. “As far as I know, most of that is in the past, but for quite a while they had these repetitive ongoing issues with their reporting,” said Attorney Loraine Hoane.

One example was the alleged miscalculation of an average that measures the chemical content of the effluent produced by the plant.

“You have to take a certain number of samples, according to the effluent limit permit,” Hoane said. “You have to take a certain number of samples per week and a certain number per month and so when you calculate what’s called the daily average – which really the monthly average of all the samples in the month – you should only be averaging together the numbers you

steering of projects through the City in his expanded role as Mayor and city administrator.

He said he has “sat in on the first or second meeting with some of the development contracts and then the contracts are drawn up by staff and legal council for the city and then will be presented to the City Council for approval or denial.”

When asked how this potential conflict of interest is different than the one alleged in the spring of 2019 by three candidates for council he supported when claims were made of unethical dealings and involvement in projects

by Chris Pezold, he attempted to make the distinction about land ownership.

“These are all developers that own the land and are building projects on the land.

None of these developers are selling the land to the City,” he responded in his e-mail.

Campaign finance reports show 12 contributions were made to Hall’s campaign between Feb. 15 and mid-July.

Among them were business contributions, including $1,500 from Larkspur, which is a Milestone development, $1,000 from Coffin Investment, and $500 from 1941 LTD. The Coffin Investment company profile provides an address on Ronald Reagan Boulevard, and identifies Philip Coffin as a principal.

A group of siblings from the Kauffman family are identified as the partners in 1941 LTD, and is tied to 285 acres located between Liberty Hill and Georgetown at the intersection of Ronald Reagan and SH 29.

Steve Bamsch, a Realtor with Keller Williams in Georgetown, contributed $1,000 and Amy Renee Andrews contributed $500. A pair of attorneys – Joshua Kahn and Julianne Bremer Kugle – affiliated with SKLaw contributed $375 each. The top donor for Hall was developer James Jacobs at $2,500.

have. Basically what (the City) did for several months is they put zeros in all the days they didn’t take a sample and then averaged in all of those zeros, which as you can imagine really skews the average quite low.”

By averaging in the zero days, the levels were reported dramatically lower than TRLA attorneys say was the actual number to be reported.

“The average is much much lower than any of the measurements that were actually taken and that’s what happens if you average in 20 to 25 zeros along with the actual measurements,” Hoane said.

She said additionally there have been other calculations made incorrectly and over time the City has made “smaller calculating errors” as well.

When asked if they believed the miscalculations to be by mistake or intentional, the

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See PLANT, Page 8

Thursday, September 17, 2020

COUNCIL Continued from Page 1

“The increase for operations in the proposed budget I do believe requires non-recurring revenues, i.e. development fees,” she said.

No one on the Council responded to McFeron’s question on the revenues and expenses.

The approved budget includes nine new positions above what was approved last September.

That approved budget added 18 positions to a staff that previously totaled 37. The City now has 63 total positions, and a general fund budget of $5.68 million, compared to $4.24 million last year.

While the increase in expenses is dramatic, it does not include a tax rate increase. The proposed tax rate of $0.454559 per $100 valuation is a rate reduction.

While the City has touted the rate reduction, under new rules set by the Legislature, it is not a decision truly in the hands of the Council.

Due to changes mandated by Senate Bill 2, passed during the 2019 state legislative session, allowable revenue increases for Texas cities has been cut by more than 50 percent. The new proposed rate is the highest rate allowed without Liberty Hill voter approval.

Across all funds (general and enterprise funds), salaries are projected at $3.68 million, up $486,971 over current budgeted salaries.

Not only is that total considerably higher than the current budget, the actual salary expense for the City this year was much lower due to staff-

ing changes and unfilled positions.

The $100,000 in salaries approved last year for the Mayor and Council members was again included in the new budget. None of those costs were realized in the current budget due to the delay of the May election. After the November election, the $40,000 salary for the mayor’s position will take effect, and the monthly $1,000 salary for Council members Kathy Canady and Tony DeYoung will begin as neither were opposed in their bid for reelection.

Salaries for the administrative department increased more than $200,000, even after the planning department, City Council and property maintenance departments were separated out.

Salaries for the police department are up $103,560 over the current budget and are projected to increase $327,326 over actual expenditures this year.

Fifteen of the City’s employees fall under the wastewater and water funds, totaling $813,500 in salary expenses.

About a third of the property tax rate is for debt service.

The Interest and Sinking (I&S) – or debt service – portion of the total proposed tax rate of $0.454559 is $0.145096.

The debt service included in the proposed budget is $647,075, and that stems from two outstanding tax notes.

Cost increases The City Council approved change orders to a pair of projects, increasing their costs by a combined $51,757.

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

The first change includes an additional $42,157 for the current downtown street and utility project. The new funds will cover changes at the parking lot across from Wetzel Park including the additional disposal of an old water well, upgraded hand rails, additional tree removal, additional water service connections, additional electrical work, an ADA accessible ramp, and the removal of 90 feet of 8-foot-wide sidewalk.

The original contract price on the downtown street and utility project was $1.55 million and is now at $1.859 million.

The second is a change to a previous contract through the Community Development Block Grant Program for phase two of the sidewalk improvements program that adds $9,600 for parking work at the Stubblefield Building. The entire project was originally $178,241 and has now reached $201,336.

Plat approval The Council gave approval to the Omega Ranch preliminary plat, a 147-acre tract located just east of Kaufman Loop near the intersection of SH 29 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard. The land is part of 223 acres absorbed into the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction in March. A portion will be in Municipal Utility District 23 and will be residential, with the remaining 77 acres intended for future commercial development to remain in the ETJ and eventually be annexed into the City.

It is a MA Partners LLC de-

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PUBLIC NOTICES AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS, AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 20-O-O4 ORDERING AN ELECTION FOR NOVEMBER 3, 2020 FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING CERTAIN OFFICIALS AND FOR SUBMITTING TO THE VOTERS CERTAIN PROPOSED MEASURES RELATED TO TERMS LENGTH FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND THE MAYOR; DESIGNATING ELECTION PRECINCTS AND POLLING PLACES; PROVIDING FOR EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY VOTING; PROVIDING FOR PERFORMANCE OF REQUIRED ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES; MAKING PROVISIONS FOR THE CONDUCT OF SUCH ELECTION; CERTIFYING PROVISION OF REQUIRED ACCESSIBLE VOTING SYSTEMS AT EACH POLLING PLACE; AND PROVIDING FOR

OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO SUCH ELECTION. (9/24) CITY OF LIBERTY HILL, TEXAS CITY HALL RENOVATIONS ADVERTISEMENT AND INVITATION FOR BIDS Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the City of Liberty Hill, Texas for the LIBERTY HILL CITY HALL RENOVATIONS. SCOPE OF WORK: Demolition of existing walls where noted, removal of existing barn doors where noted and removal of existing water fountains where noted. New 2x4 wood walls shown with 5/8” sheetrock. Patch, repair, and paint existing ceiling due to walls that were removed, and new walls added. Tape, float, texture and paint new drywall and areas affected by demolition. Install base in affected areas. Re-use salvaged doors at proposed locations.

New French door where noted on plans. Re-use salvaged barn door at new location and add wood shelves to closet.

Patch carpet to match existing as best as possible. Modify electrical and HVAC systems for new layout.

Bids must be submitted on the complete project. Bids must be received by the City of Liberty Hill, Attention: Jay Holmes, P.O. Box 1920 (926 Loop 332), Liberty Hill, Texas 78642 until 2:00 PM local time on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at which time the bids received will be opened and read.

Plans will only be made available electronically. To obtain access at no charge, please contact Jay Holmes Project Manager, jholmes@ libertyhilltx.gov.

Bids received after the date and time of bid opening will be returned unopened. After receipt of bids, no bid may be withdrawn within ninety (90) days after the date of bid opening. The City of Liberty Hill reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informality in bids received.

The project site will be available for inspection by prospective bidders by appointment, contact Jay Holmes at 512745-1222. Representatives of the Owner will be present to discuss the project. Oral statements may not be relied upon and will not be binding or legally effective.

(9/24) ADVERTISEMENT

FOR BIDS City of Liberty Hill Separate sealed bids for City of Liberty Hill Downtown Bike & Ped Loop Project (CSJ: 0151-08-010) for City of Liberty Hill will be received by the City Project Manager at 926 Loop 332, Liberty Hill, TX 78642 until 3:00 PM, September, 30th, 2020 and then publicly opened and read aloud shortly thereafter at the same location, on the same day. Please include a flash drive of all bid documents in the submittal package.

The information for Bidders, Form of Bid, Form of Contract, Plans Specifications, and Forms of Bid Bond, Performance and Payment Bond, and other contract documents may be examined at the following: Bowman Consulting Group, Ltd. 1120 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Building 3, Suite 220, Austin, Texas 78746.

Copies of the bidding documents can be obtained electronically online from CivCast (www.civcastusa.com). Questions will be received only in writing at mhernandez@bowmanconsulting.com until September 23rd, 2020 and will be answered on September 25th, 2020.

There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid conference held at 9:00 AM CST on September 16th, 2020 online at https:// bowmanconsulting.zoom. us/j/91386218347.

There is railroad ROW work required for this project; therefore, the contractor is required to submit their Permit Application (RE3), Certificate of Insurance, Roadway Workerin-Charge (RWIC/RE3) Request and RWIC Fees for the actual construction of the path.

The contractor can access Capital Metropolitan “online application system” to submit and become familiar with their process. Please make the check payable to Cap Metro and send it along with a copy of the Permit Application to Cap Metro, Attn: Accounts Receivable, P. O. Box 6308, Austin, Texas 78762-6308.

Prior to any work, the contractors will need to contact Cap Metro’s Courtlin Boakes at 512.770.8663 to arrange for “Roadway Worker Protection Training”. The virtual training is offered the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.

The federally determined prevailing (Davis-Bacon and Related Acts) wage rate, as issued by the Texas Department of Transportation and contained in the contract documents,

Page 5

velopment by Wyatt Henderson.

MUD debate The Council chose not to approve a resolution to create a new Municipal Utility District (MUD) on 223 acres south of Liberty Hill, within the City’ ETJ, on the west side of CR 279.

Council members questioned the purpose of the proposed MUD and what its ultimate purpose would be, before deciding they would like to hear from the property owner on the issue before approval.

Andy Barrett, the lawyer representing property owner Winston Krause, said there is no current plan for development.

“In the future he may wish to subdivide and develop the property,” Barrett told the Council. “He has no plans to do that as of yet.”

Canady asked why the Council would create something on a “maybe”.

“Because it’s his property and he’s asking for it,” Barrett replied. “The other reason is because he’d like to get that done and get that entitlement ahead of time so if the decision is made in the future then it’s already in place, so he’s trying to plan ahead instead of coming in all at once.”

The creation of a MUD is a legislative matter, but Barrett said lawmakers prefer to have local approval as well in the creation of the new district.

The request is expected to be on the next agenda for consideration again.

must be paid on this project.

Each bidder must deposit with his bid, security in the minimum amount of 5% of the greatest amount of bid. The bid bond and surety’s power of attorney must both carry the date of the bid opening.

No bidder may withdraw his bid within 60 days after the actual date of the opening thereof.

The owner reserves the right to waive any informalities or to reject any or all bids.

(9/24p) 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.

(9/24)

LEGAL NOTICE

Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Mixed Beverage Permit (BG) and a Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) by An Thinh LLC dba An Thinh Restaurant to be located at 2082 US 183, Unit 150, Liberty Hill, Williamson, Texas. Owner of said Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) is Thu Thi Nguyen.

Wastewater plant construction costs continue to rise

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Regular change orders since the Liberty Hill City Council decided in April to switch vendors for the equipment and technology being used in the new wastewater treatment plant expansion have caused the project budget to grow well beyond its original $9.68 million.

On the Council agenda Monday was an additional change order, to the tune of $1.55 million, but details of that change were not included in the packet and the item was postponed to be brought back for future consideration.

If the additional cost is tacked on, it will mark the fourth time since changing direction in April that the Council will have signed off on a cost increase, and will bring the project total up over $13 million.

“This is part of the change order for changing from Microdyn to Suez and there was still some clarification in the bid cost and we had a meeting with the contractor today (Monday) and he’s supposed to get us some answers back because there was some clarification we needed before I was good to present that to Council,” said Mayor Rick Hall of the postponement on the change order vote.

The original change approved in April was for the City to use equipment from Suez Environment, rather than from Microdyn MBR which supplied the equipment for the most recent expansion. The wastewater plant opened in 2018 using Microdyn equipment and technology, and the extension was also going to use the same equipment and technology.

The equipment, which was set to cost the City $2.2 million through Microdyn, will cost $2.6 million from Suez, the new supplier, adding on $400,000 to the project cost at that time. The equipment cost is separate from the bid award approved for Cunningham Constructors & Associates, Inc., of Georgetown to build the plant.

Then in May, the change was with the construction company building the expansion, in the amount of $1.35 million.

That brought the construction contract to where it now stands at $11.35 million.

In August, a number of smaller change orders, adding $18,346 to the cost, were passed by the Council.

After the May change order, Hall said he did not believe there would be significant changes to the project going forward.

“There may be a couple of minor changes as we get into it, but I don’t really see a lot,” Hall said at the time. “One of the reasons we’ve made such drastic changes in this is just since the Microdyn plant has been operational we spent almost $800,000 over what was budgeted or explained to us we would need to spend the first year. We’re on track to be close to that amount this time.

Adding these automated processes would help us reduce that cost.”

Hall attributed the decision to switch companies to past issues with the Microdyn equipment.

“We just had a lot of concerns with that plant and its day-to-day operations,” Hall said of the plant, which opened in 2018. “It’s cost the city a lot more money in operating expense over what was anticipated, I would say something in the neighborhood of three quarters of a million dollars more annually than what was budgeted.”

In March 2019, Liberty Hill spent $270,000 to replace the 18 Microdyn membrane bioreactor modules at the wastewater treatment plant after they were damaged due to a failed screen intended to keep larger items out of the plant.

Due to the nature of the damage to the modules, they were not covered under warranty.

The screen failure allowed items through the system that clogged and damaged the membranes. In repairing the screen, gravel, some wire and even a piece of PVC pipe was found in the screen.

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SPORTS

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, September 17, 2020 Page 6

Girls finish 2nd, boys finish 4th in Cedar Park

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor CEDAR PARK -- When the starting gun went off at the Cedar Park Invitational Sept. 12, a new chapter in the history of Liberty Hill cross country began, as the Panthers were officially competing at the Class 5A level for the first time.

On the day, the Liberty Hill girls finished second, with 61 points, behind winners New Braunfels’ 31, while the boys managed a fourth-place result, with 84 points, trailing New Braunfels’ 39.

On the individual side of the competition, Ayanna Donwerth’s second-place result in the girls’ was tops for the Panthers, as the senior clocked a time of 20:07.7, which was good enough for a runner-up showing behind winner Kennedy Fontenot of New Braunfels, ALEX RUBIO PHOTO who crossed the finish line in Liberty Hill girls finished second in the team standings at the Cedar Park Invitational on Sept. 12, led by senior Ayanna Donw19:29.4. erth’s second-place result.

According to Panthers head coach Kim Holt, it was just Holt was pleased with how her points) and East View (fourth, race, but I know she’ll do bet- out the point-scoring positions for the Panthers. good to finally break up the charges handled the initial en- 82), both of whom will be dis- ter next time out.”

Junior Angela Mena finished “Daisy did very well for her monotony of training with an counter with the big girls and trict opponents this season. boys.

Holt singled out Donwerth 11th overall in 22:08.0 and first high school race,” said actual competition.

“A lot of our runners haven’t “We were racing against some for putting in a strong perfor- also garnered praise from Holt, Holt. “She usually gets really along with sophomore Natalie nervous before races. Angela raced since the spring,” said really good Class 6A teams,” mance in the season-opener.

“Ayanna was able to stay Roth (13th, 22:14.9), freshman and Natalie also did well.”

Holt. “So, we were just out she said. “Teams like New Braunfels are really good.” with the New Braunfels girl Daisy Anaya (14th, 22:16.8) Freshman Avery Holland there trying to do our best.”

As far as the uptick in com- However, Liberty Hill outdis- for some time,” she said. “She and junior Emma Hiebner (22nd, 23:14.0) and sophopetition level was concerned, tanced both Leander (third, 76 wasn’t too happy with her (21st, 23:05.2), who rounded more Amelia Clancy (23rd,

LAURA COLEMAN PHOTO

Abby Gates slides along the turf as the Liberty Hill senior tennis player and her teammates enjoyed a day of fun as a reward for their hard work over the summer.

Mixing up the monotony

Liberty Hill’s tennis team always takes time to have fun within the focus

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor On a recent midsummer afternoon, there was much activity on the baseball field at Liberty Hill High School.

However, the Panthers’ baseball squad was nowhere to be found on this day as bats were replaced by rackets and fuzzy, yellow balls were bandied about the diamond rather than the usual cowhide variety, as the Liberty Hill tennis squad took over the premises for a “fun day” of practice.

According to Panthers head coach Sherry Rhoden, the event was a surprise to her players and she had good rea-

sons behind the festivities.

“The goal was for the players to have fun on a hot day.

They had no idea what type of workout we were going to do that day, but I gave them very specific instructions on how to pack for this unusual practice,” said Rhoden, who is currently in her first season as Liberty Hill head coach following nearly two decades as a teaching professional. “On this particular day, we did our dynamic stretching on the turf baseball field, then we ran the foul lines and the diamond for our cardio workout.”

But, that wasn’t all.

“Our end goal was to do a

large slip and slide on the turf and reward the players for practicing nonstop from the last week of July on into August in the heat of the summer every day from 3:30-5:30 in the afternoon,” she said. “But, before the slip and slide, I thought why not play some baseball?”

Only problem was many of the Panthers stringers needed a quick block of instruction on the national pastime, said Rhoden. “(Junior varsity) Coach (Sue) Davidson and I were surprised at how many of our players

See TENNIS, Page 8

23:31.8) also finished for Liberty Hill.

On the boys’ side, the highest Liberty Hill finisher was sophomore Ryan McCarn, who was 12th in a time of 17:42.0 behind winner Luke Liechty of New Braunfels, who posted a 16:37.1.

Holt said it was good to see McCarn perform so well after a freshman season that was wracked by injuries.

“Last year, Ryan had shin splints and then a stress fracture, so he really didn’t get to race for us at all,” she said.

“But, he’s come all the way back.”

Holt attributed McCarn’s comeback to the fact he has physically improved his stature and become better through hard work and determination.

“He’s grown since last year,” said Holt. “But, Ryan’s also gotten stronger doing his rehab and worked very hard on his running form – he just really loves to run.”

Following up for the Panthers were junior Jacob Russell (16th, 18:06.7) and a pair of freshman in Caden Glenn (17th, 18:12.7) and Anthony Barreras (19th, 18:18.8), while junior Greg Miller was 20th in

See RUNNERS, Page 8

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

Lady Panthers head coach Gretchen Peterson needs to be a psychologist in getting to know her players inside and out for maximum performance.

Coaching minds on the court

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor When Gretchen Peterson calls a timeout during a tense match and stands at the center of a huddle, it’s not always to talk Xs and Os with her Lady Panthers volleyball squad.

Sometimes she simply needs to look them in the eye and decipher exactly what might be going on in the minds of the players as they fight their collective way through any adversity that may be gripping them in the moment.

“At times, I’ll recognize there’s something going on out there where I need to assess the situation,” said Peterson, currently in her 17th season as Liberty Hill head coach. “Volleyball is such a game of rhythm and momen-

tum, sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and chill out. In fact, I probably do a little bit of that during every time-out.”

However, in order to have the ability to conduct a quick mental and emotional evaluation in the heat of battle, one must invest time and energy in building bonds between coach and player, she said.

“I believe if you’re able to build relationships, you’ll be able to go a lot further in that way,” said Peterson. “When someone feels safe and knows you’re still going to love them regardless of what happens on the court, it makes a big difference.”

Of course, much more time is spent on the practice court than in competition, which is

when Peterson does some of her best psychological sleuthing.

“I can tell when a kid is having a bad day,” she said. “As coaches, we know that kind of stuff.”

But, it’s not only about being a coach as far as being able to gauge emotions.

“All of us coaches are also teachers, so we need to be good at being able to read people,” said Peterson. “It goes way beyond ABCs and Xs and Os.” Peterson said after so many years of being in classrooms and on courts, she’s developed a bit more patience with petulance – along with the fact she has a pair of

See VOLLEYBALL, Page 9

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 7

TENNIS BRIEFS Panthers pound Taylor in home opener

Liberty Hill’s tennis team opened the home portion of its schedule Sept. 14 with an impressive 14-5 victory against Taylor.

The Panthers swept all six girls’ singles matches, as No. 1 Ellis Young handily defeated her opponent by a score of 6-3, 6-0, while No. 2 Sophie Sherman also won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

Also winning were No. 3 No. 3 Jennifer Merrill (6-2, 6-1), No. 4 Peyton Buckley (6-1, 6-0), No. 5 Ava Ortega (6-1, 6-3) and No. 6 Madison Sudekum (6-0, 6-0).

In boys’ singles, No. 1 Patrick Fay was defeated, 1-6, 3-6 and No. 2 Colin Garner also lost, 6-2, 2-6, (13-15). No. 3 Joseph Sherman won 6-1, 6-1, No. 4 Will Snell was downed 6-1, 6-6 (8-6), 2-10, No. 5 Ethan Wukasch prevailed 6-2, 6-2, No. 6 Will Gray won 6-1, 6-1 and Zach Kizer also won 6-1, 6-0.

Girls’ doubles saw the No. 1 duo of Young and Sherman triumph by a score of 6-0, 6-1, while No. 2 Ortega/Mackenzie Coleman (6-1, 6-1) and No. 3 Abby Gates/Merrill (6-0, 6-0) also won.

Boys’ doubles No. 1 tandem Fay/Sherman won their match, 7-5, 5-7, (10-6), No. 2 Gray/Snell lost, 6-1, 4-6, (6-10) and No. 3 Tyler Williams/Wukasch won, 8-6, 6-2.

In mixed doubles, No. 1 Buckley/Garner won by a score of 6-3, 5-7, (14-12).

Road victory

The team hit the road Sept. 8 for the season opener at Copperas Cove and came away with a 14-5 team victory.

The Panthers swept all six of the girls’ singles matches on the day, led by No. 1 Ellis Young, who prevailed in straight sets by a score of 6-0, 6-1.

Also among the victorious were No. 2 Sophie Sherman (8-0), No. 3 Jennifer Merrill (6-0, 6-0), No. 4 Ava Ortega (6-4, 6-0), No. 5 Peyton Buckley (6-2, 6-4) and No. 6 Madison Sudekum (score?)

In boys’ singles, No. 1 Patrick Fay was defeated, (2-6, 1-6), while No. 2 Colin Garner won (6-2, 6-2). No. 3 Will Snell lost (3-6, 1-6), No. 4 Joseph Sherman won (6-0, 6-1), No. 5 Will Gray lost (3-8) and No. 6 Ethan Wukasch won (8-3).

Liberty Hill also swept the girls’ doubles as the No. 1 duo of Young and Sherman won 6-0, 6-0, with No. 2 Ortega/Buckley (6-1, 6-2) and No. 3 Abby Gates/Merrill (6-0, 6-0) also winning.

In boys’ doubles, No. 1 Fay/Sherman won 6-1, 6-1, while No. 2 Will Gray/Garner (6-3, 6-1) also triumphed, while No. 3 Zach Kizer/Wukasch lost in a tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-0, 4-10).

Mixed doubles saw Mackenzie Coleman and Snell defeated by a score of 3-6, 4-6.

Liberty Hill will next open district play at home against Rouse on Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m.

BREAKING NEWS

LHINDEPENDENT.COM

Liberty Hill runs a defensive drill on the first day of full-contact practice at Panther Stadium on Sept. 12.

LHHS to host Canyon in scrimmage

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor The lights will be turned on at Panther Stadium Sept. 18 for the first time this season as Liberty Hill will host Class 6A New Braunfels Canyon in its one and only scrimmage of the fall.

Only seven nights later, the Panthers will raise the curtain on the regular season as they welcome another 6A squad, Killeen Ellison, to kick off the 2020 campaign.

Which means the scrimmage against Canyon is of the utmost importance – even more so than usual, said Liberty Hill defensive coordinator Kent Walker.

“It’ll be good to be able to go live against an opponent,” said Walker, of his side’s clash with the Cougars. “Canyon’s going to bring a lot of kids over.”

Although much can be simulated in practice, there is one aspect of the game that simply can’t be accounted for

Half a century later, here we are

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Last Saturday marked the 50th birthday.

Half a hundy, half a c-note, half a century.

Way back in 1970, it was certainly a different world – and not only from a sports perspective.

The Vietnam War was still raging on the other side of the world, while right here at home a Black man was standing up for civil rights.

You may have heard of him.

Muhammad Ali. Maybe things weren’t so different, after all.

For me, though, I’m a sports writer, so I don’t give a single care in the world what someone’s politics are, what color their skin is or by what name they call God. But, before we get up on a soapbox, let’s step right off it with both feet firmly on the ground.

Baseball was my first love, so let’s go there first.

In 1970, the average salary in Major League Baseball was $29,303 and the minimum was $12,000.

Back then, professional athletes weren’t the ultra-wealthy demigods they are these days – in fact, they weren’t a whole lot different from the average person – only difference was they went to work at a ballpark, stadium or arena to earn a living.

Fast-forward 50 years and now a backup outfielder can expect to average $4.43 million per season.

Did we write that right?

Yes, we did.

Along with the huge salary windfall – which by the way we don’t mind because the players are the ones who make the game – a continental-sized divide was created between pro athletes and the millions of fans who so religiously follow them.

Athletes were now more like movie stars or rock musicians with a status so lofty, most

people simply couldn’t relate to them anymore.

In other words, Tom Brady might as well be Tom Cruise.

As a lad, I was a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan during the Steel Curtain days.

One had the feeling guys like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Jack Lambert would head out to the local pub after practice every day and enjoy a couple cold ones just like the steel worker who had just emerged from a fiery mill down the road from the stadium or the coal miner who was still caked with black soot from another subterranean shift.

Normal, everyday guys who were really fun to root for – especially for a kid out on the West Coast who pretended to be the Steelers’ No. 12 – complete with jersey and helmet – out in the front yard.

“Bradshaw back to pass, looking for Swann in the end zone – touchdown, Pittsburgh!”

Can’t tell you how many times that imaginary scene played out.

However, once we reached our teenage years, things began to change – if ever so slowly.

By the mid-80s, free agency had gotten a firm grip on the games and teams constantly changed faces from one year to the next.

Eventually, it got to the point of haves and have-nots.

If your favorite team was a have, great.

If not, God help you.

Suddenly we were faced with a landscape that provided the very real prospect of one losing his or her favorite player to another team strictly for money reasons, which really – and still does – completely suck.

Once we reached the turn of the 21st Century, this practice had gotten completely out of hand, with salary caps and the like creating a so-called level playing field and sports in general just weren’t the same anymore.

Which is the exact reason I love covering high school sports so much.

SCOTT AKANEWICH PHOTO

We’re talking about grassroots level where with the risk of sounding quite cliché, people play for the love of the game.

Nobody’s going pro or to the Olympics.

Everybody realizes this.

Coaches, players and most parents.

So, why are we here, doing what we do?

Because we get something out of it.

A sense of satisfaction, gratification and fulfillment.

Whether it’s Trey Seward busting off an 80-yard touchdown run for the Purple-andGold, the coaches on the sideline egging him on, the people in the stands cheering wildly or the humble sports scribe writing about it in the paper.

Kind of like the feeling one used to get all those years ago – count ‘em, 50 – when we would turn on our 12inch black-and-white TV and have to adjust the rabbit ears for better reception to watch NBC’s Major League Baseball Game of the Week on a Saturday afternoon or pick up the local paper in the morning before heading off to school to check the previous night’s scores.

No ESPN, no internet, no smart phones.

Nothing.

Just a passion that drove us to devour any bit of information we could get our hands on about our heroes and their latest exploits.

Somehow, it was so much better.

But, that was a very long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

In 2020, we still have troops in Afghanistan, new, young Black faces standing up for racial equality and our country is in the kind of turmoil we haven’t seen for a very, long time.

Say about 50 years?

Maybe things don’t change all that much after all.

But, sports sure has.

For better and worse.

when going up against one’s teammates – something which Walker believes his squad needs more of before the Ellison game, he said.

“Just the physical nature of the game – we want to stress physicality,” said Walker. “We need to get people a lot of reps, but we also want to keep everyone healthy.”

Speaking of contact, Sept. 12 marked the first day the Panthers were permitted under UIL rules to practice in full pads – less than two weeks before the season opener – but for the most part, Walker liked what he saw.

“Overall, I was pleased,” he said. “But, we still have a lot of work to do.”

However, despite the quick run-up to the season, Walker said he isn’t necessarily concerned about the reduced amount of time to get ready.

“I think there’s a little sense of urgency,” he said. “But, the UIL has let us do some things

we normally wouldn’t and we have great kids here – it’s what Liberty Hill is all about, so it makes it okay.”

Following the home opener against Ellison, the Panthers will hit the road for the first time this fall to face Class 6A Del Valle on Oct. 2 before returning home to begin the district schedule against Crockett on Oct. 9, so there isn’t much time before the games quickly become very important and Liberty Hill will certainly be looking to avoid the kind of rough start that plagued them last season, when they struggled out of the gate to a 2-5 start.

Senior quarterback Charlie Calabretta will lead an offense powered primarily by senior running backs Trey Seward and Blake Simpson, who combined for 3,748 yards and 40 touchdowns last season and the defense will be lead by junior linebacker Andon Thomas, who led the Panthers in

tackles last year with 121 on the season.

In the past, the Panthers have relied on intelligence and quickness to outwit larger, more athletic opponents such as Class 5A schools Hutto and Manor, but now that Liberty Hill has joined the ranks of 5A themselves, playing up means taking on the big boys of Class 6A to provide a proper warmup for district competition.

Although the regular season will only consist of eight games due to the pandemic, Walker said he’s just glad to finally be back out on the gridiron after all the uncertainty of the past summer.

“Liberty Hill’s just a great place to coach football,” he said. “But, we still have plenty of questions to answer and we hope we can start doing that on Friday. We’re getting closer to finding out who our best 22 players are.”

PANTHER OF THE WEEK

Exciting in a boring kind of way

Unassuming Patrick Fay lets his game do the talking

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Don’t let the look fool you.

Neither the colorful, bright, flashy shoes, the shades, nor the headband tell the true story of Patrick Fay. “I actually think I’m a pretty boring guy,” said the Liberty Hill sophomore tennis player, after splitting a pair of matches on a fall afternoon. “In tennis, there’s a lot of pressure, so when I’m not playing, I just like to relax and decompress.”

So, there.

No bravado, overconfidence or arrogance one might expect from a young athlete who is already so advanced in his chosen sport, having risen to the lofty status of his team’s number one player – last year as a freshman, no less.

Just a humble, young man who goes about his business in workmanlike fashion, without any showing off or grandstanding.

However, despite the fact Fay’s ego remains firmly in check, his game continues to blossom.

After growing three inches from his freshman season to his sophomore campaign, Fay’s physical form is slowly, but surely beginning to catch up to his mental acumen for the game, said Liberty Hill head coach Sherry Rhoden.

“Patrick’s very focused, determined and is a quiet leader,” said Rhoden. “But, right now, his brain is still further ahead of his body as far as what it wants to do as far as the game is concerned.”

So, when one finally does catch up to the other, what will the result be?

“I don’t think there’s a limit if I work hard,” said Fay. Along with his added physical stature and ever-improving game, one aspect which is missing this year is the presence of Fay’s older sister, Lorelei, who was a teammate and mixed doubles partner during her senior season last year.

“Everything seems a lot different without my sister around,” said Fay. “She was a familiar

LAURA COLEMAN PHOTO

Patrick Fay may have the appearance of a flashy tennis player, but looks can be deceiving, as the Liberty Hill sophomore is a humble, hard-working athlete under the exterior. face who was always around and when we played doubles, we didn’t lose very often.”

Having a sibling in his court during doubles play provided a comfort zone that was suddenly absent when he would take to the court alone, he said.

“I was always ready to play doubles because of her,” said Fay. “But, in singles, I didn’t know quite what to expect.”

There is, though, one thing he doesn’t miss about having Lorelei around, he said.

“She’s not around to yell at me anymore when I make a bad shot,” joked Fay. One thing that is certainly no joke is Fay’s game and with the added few inches on his frame this year, he can now get up and over the ball on serves and overhead shots even more than before, generating that much more power.

But, as the Panthers’ No. 1 singles player, Fay constantly faces the opposition’s top gun, which means there is usually just as much firepower across the net aimed back at him –

meaning he must also continue to hone his finesse skills, said Rhoden.

“I’m always telling him, ‘We already know you have the power – so just play your game, but show them something different, too,’” she said.

“So, we’re always trying to get him to use more strategy in beating his opponents.”

Fay could rack up more victories if he played further down in the Liberty Hill order against inferior opposition, but he wants no part of it, he said.

“I always want to play against the best so I can improve myself,” said Fay. “I need to do better.”

This season, Fay is matched up with freshman Joseph Sherman as the Panthers’ No. 1 boys’ doubles duo – a combination that is already paying dividends in the form of a pair of victories in the opening two events of the season.

Fay typically doesn’t get very emotional during

See FAY, Page 8

Page 8

Tennis

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 6

didn’t know the rules of baseball,” she said.

After that, though, it was game on.

“We played JV against varsity,” said Rhoden. “We used our rackets for a bat and the pitch was a one-hop before the plate.”

Despite the fun, there were

Runners

Continued from Page 6

18:02.6.

Also finishing for Liberty Hill were sophomore Cayden Branch (24th, 18:30.6) and senior Isaiah Delagarza (28th, 18:48.8).

Holt said her team got just about the right results the first time out of the gate in the new season.

“I think this is about where I thought we’d be,” she said.

“But, I thought the boys would be a little faster and it’s going to be a process for the girls.”

Holt added she and her team

Hobbs

have only begun to scratch the surface in not only finding out what their potential is as the season moves forward, but in bringing it to fruition.

“At this point in the season, you’re just trying to figure out who you are as a team,” she said. “I thought our first race of the season was a good effort and we still have work to do, but the kids want to improve and get better.”

Liberty Hill will next compete at the Waco Invitational on Sept. 17.

Continued from Page 1

misdemeanors, juvenile offenses, and handing out protection orders and advising elected officials when asked for a legal opinion. For Hobbs, one of the significant focuses since his arrival in 2001 has been mental health and how to handle people suffering from mental health issues.

“Years ago, when I started in the office, we sent our mental health cases down to Travis County,” Hobbs said. “A few years back, Williamson County got two mental health hospitals in our jurisdiction. When we got the hospitals, we took over and started handling our cases in the house, so my office does that. Mid-year when the hospitals opened up, we had eight commitments that year, now we’re pushing 600.”

As the county has grown, Hobbs believes the most significant aspect of handling the growth is keeping a certain quality of service.

“The challenge is not necessarily the growth but the quality you want to keep as you grow. I started in the office just as a rank and file prosecutor in 2001. Between 2000 and 2010, this county has gone through almost 67 percent growth,” he said. “In one decade, we became something completely different than we had been before that. It’s not just turning out a product, it’s turning out a quality product. If you have a complaint or you’re a victim, we want to make sure you get the same service today that you would get when we were a county at half the size.”

One of the most important focuses for Hobbs is the use of technology to create a more streamlined and efficient office

Plant

still productive tennis lessons to be learned, she said.

“The players were asked to hit the tennis ball in the gaps in the field and they were asked to hit topspin and backspin at various times,” said Rhoden, whose son Ryan is a senior pitcher on the Panthers’ baseball team. “Three strikes and

that doesn’t impact the taxpayers heavily.

“The use of technology is what has kept our office’s overall tax burden at about one percent. Now we’re automating our lobby. If I can use technology to a successful extent without adding more personnel, that’s great,” he said.

Part of Hobbs’ streamlining includes having staff work remotely. With this arrangement in place, the office adjusted well when the COVID pandemic hit.

“My prosecutors were ready to work remotely. I was already working with that and had several of my divisions working remotely just as a business practice already,” said Hobbs. “So, when COVID hit, we were already equipped, and we could do it. The reason for that is as we grow, my footprint gets smaller and smaller.

I have prosecutors that live all over the Central Texas area, and working remotely, is part of work-life balance.”

The idea to implement working remotely came after Hobbs toured the Dell complex in Round Rock and saw what they were doing.

“Remote working came to me after I took a tour with the County Judge of the Dell complex, and they talked about how they were doing it and how they accomplished it,” said Hobbs. “For the government, it’s always a scary thing.

The government usually runs about a decade behind the private industry.”

During his tenure, Hobbs has helped establish the DWI drug court. The drug court focuses on combining “local criminal justice resources, case

Continued from Page 4

attorneys could not say.

“I don’t think we have a way to know, but I would say that it should have been obvious it was incorrect,” Hoane said.

The repeated miscalculations raised more concerns.

“If it was just one time you’d think ‘oh, they messed up’, but if you do it a lot it makes you wonder why wasn’t somebody looking at it carefully?” Johnson said. “Did they not take it seriously enough? Those kind of questions.”

Johnson and Hoane said their only contact has been through the City’s legal counsel, but there wasn’t a clear sign the City was eager to date to work out a solution.

“I mean if by responsive you mean does the City respond to things, the answer is sometimes,” Hoane said. “Their position seems to be that they are following their permit – which is not necessarily true – and they don’t have to do more than the state tells them they have to do.”

“So far, what we have seen is that their position is digging in,” Johnson added. “I’m hoping they are going to be more creative and open to listening to things, but I’m not sure that they are.”

The solution to the problem according to TRLA attorneys is simple but dramatic.

“You don’t have to discharge into the river,” Johnson said.

“There are all kinds of parts of the hill country where the standard is what you call reuse. Yes, you need to treat your wastewater, but you don’t

have to put it into the stream, so the more responsible answer for this kind of low-flow hill country stream is not to put your effluent into it, and that’s the right answer. That’s what they need to be doing.”

The strictness of the permit is not an excuse to lean on in the minds of those pursuing the lawsuit.

“They’re going to tell you that they have the strictest permit and have the best engineering out there, and I will tell you the strictest doesn’t mean it’s good enough,” Johnson said.

“We will tell you it is clearly not going to be protective of this stream.”

In the letter of intent addressed to Mayor Hall as representative of the City, TRLA outlines the reasons for the intent to sue on behalf of Morris, detailing concerns over the City’s permit, past alleged violations, reporting violations and a brief history of TCEQ investigations and inquiries.

“In the last five years, TCEQ has investigated Liberty Hill and the South Fork San Gabriel River several times, including multiple times in the last few years. This includes compliance investigations in May 2018, December 2018, January/February 2019, March 2019, August 2019,” the letter states. “These investigations have led to alleged violations based on a large variety of issues, including discharge of wastewater solids, algae growth, discharge of chlorine, high levels of foam, impairment of the aesthetic condition

Thursday, September 17, 2020

the other team went to bat. We learned so much about baseball that day, but most importantly, we were building our team in the preseason with lots of smiles and laughter.”

Plenty of smiles and laughter were also on display a few weeks later on Labor Day, when the Panthers hosted another event designed to build camaraderie between themselves and the local tennis community, as parents were invited to an early-morning practice and provided the opportunity to play alongside their sons and daughters.

What this provided her players with was a window into the future and how the game can be interwoven with their lives as they move forward, said Rhoden.

“Tennis is a sport for life and I want my players to know it and see it in action. I want them to feel great about the sport they’ve chosen to play and I want them to see there

are others in the community that are enthusiasts and play for various reasons,” she said. “Many times, high school and college level players get too serious about playing. The game can become too much about the win-loss record and their local, state, or national ranking. The players from the community come in and share their love of the sport through laughter, fun sass talk and just bring their overall joy. I love all of the smiles.”

Rhoden said it’s absolutely essential for the Panthers’ parents to be heavily involved in order to create the kind of synergy required to build a strong, lasting program.

“Parents are proud of their players and the connection from home to school is an important bridge because it extends the fundamental teachings with the away-fromhome learning -- that bridge transports the love and support every program needs to

flourish,” she said. “I believe every person has a gift to share that will benefit those around them. Our tennis parents are awesome and they each have a talent they can share with the program to help it grow. We need help and want their help because we’re in the beginning phases. When players see their parents involved and excited about their activities, it shows them what the home-toschool connection should look like and this can be a generational legacy.”

Events such as this can also help raise awareness and build a higher profile for the program, said Rhoden.

“I want the tennis community to know the players -- I want them to know their names and support them throughout the season and I want the tennis community to use these awesome, purple courts to stay healthy and reduce stress,” she said. “I want our community to feel connected and

involved. My hope is the players see generational players having fun and I hope it helps the Liberty Hill tennis team feel relaxed. I also love the fact bringing in outside players gives our Panthers team a chance to play different styles of players, so we think differently and react well. But, it’s really all about creating fun memories around the game of tennis.”

In conclusion, Rhoden pointed out the fact in order for young student-athletes to grow and fulfill their potential, they must be given the occasional opportunity to break out of the usual everyday monotony.

“It’s so important to do different things,” she said. “I think that’s what I love most about teaching -- every day brings something new and exciting. A routine is great to focus on the fundamentals, but growth happens when the mind is engaged.”

management, and substance abuse treatment to rehabilitate targeted repeat DWI and misdemeanor drug possession offenders in lieu of incarceration.”

“I was on the ground floor when the DWI drug court started. Addiction is an illness, and we have been a model for handing it,” said Hobbs.

“We’ve had other counties come to observe our drug court as they start theirs. It’s well-settled now, but back when we tried to start it, this was not well accepted in the county. We can still be tough, but we can be fair. Watching those graduation ceremonies and seeing them start their help groups and their support groups, it’s great.”

Along with the drug court, Hobbs also helped establish the Veteran’s Treatment court.

The goal of the veteran’s court is, “to promote public safety and assist veterans or current members of the U.S. armed forces through a collaborative, coordinated system of Court supervised treatment that ensures accountability while empowering veterans to become integral and productive members of our community.”

“Veteran’s court, I helped get that started here. We have a very large veteran population in our county,” said Hobbs.

“Seeing what they’ve gone through for our country and what they suffer through now, traumatic brain injury and PTSD. A lot of them aren’t willing to ask for help, and they don’t realize they might need help until something puts them in contact with the criminal justice system.”

The focus for Hobbs’ office

in the future is continuing to work on mental health issues, dealing with domestic violence and juvenile offenders.

“As we come out of this COVID problem, my focus is going to be on our mental health caseload and our domestic violence offenders, and our juvenile offenders. We haven’t had our normal lives, and with people cooped up, we’ve seen those numbers start to increase. I’m worried that there are people in harm’s way.

That’s the focus for the immediate future.”

Hobbs’ opponent claims that he has never faced opposition when running. As a rebuttal, Hobbs pointed out that in his first term, he faced opponents at the primary level. He ran un-

opposed for his second term.

“What my opponent fails to realize is I’m running for my third term. In my first term, there were three people in the primary race,” said Hobbs.

“It’s not that I haven’t been in battle in the trenches. Yes, on my second term I didn’t have an opponent on either side of the fence, so yes, it’s different from this one. One of my first two opponents definitely threw a lot of fireballs at me, and even untested at that point, I won without a runoff. With a shorter period, this is more of a sprint than a marathon.”

Springerly also tied Hobbs to County Sheriff Robert Chody.

The incumbent said that he is bound by his oath to give legal opinion to any elected official

if they ask for it.

“His whole background has to do with the commissioners court, so he wants all the focus to be on that. The interaction I have with them is maybe one percent of what the office does, and it’s the one percent he wants to talk about,” said Hobbs. “In a lot of counties, the county attorney does give legal advice to the commissioners court, but the commissioners court decided to have their counsel to represent them. As far as representing the sheriff, if any elected official in the county who doesn’t have representation asks me for a legal opinion then I am obligated under my oath of office to give that.”

of the river, and more. However, TCEQ has acted slowly in its enforcement, and, even when it has gone through with an agreed order, has failed to deal with many of the relevant violations.”

TRLA is a legal aid provider that was founded in 1970 to represent Texas farmworkers, and today, one of its many arms includes an environmental justice team.

“This is the sort of thing where we often represent community groups so we represent multiple people on an issue that helps a lot of people, but this is the kind of case where you can represent one person and have a large impact,” Hoane said.

And while this potential lawsuit is being considered on behalf of Morris, Johnson cautions the community against believing this is an attempt to get a payday.

“People will see the amount of money the City could be fined and they will think Stephanie (Morris) is going after millions of dollars,” Johnson said. “It’s very important for the community to understand that money does not go to the person who brings the suit. She doesn’t get anything. The money would go to the federal government.

She has no economic motivation in this.”

As far as penalties the City could face, there is a potential fine of up to $55,800 for each violation.

“Since there are more than 3,000 violations the potential is a lot,” Johnson said.

Springerley to the University of Texas at Tyler and worked three jobs to fund my education. I eventually went to Southern Methodist School of Law and became a lawyer.”

With a long career in law at various levels, Springerley believes he has the tools necessary to improve the office of the county attorney.

“I’ve been licensed as a lawyer for 20 years and as a paralegal for 10 years,” said Springerley.

“So, I’ve got the experience, private and public. I’ve spent 13 years in the government sector. I have the temperament to do the job. In counties, the structure of government is splintered power, it’s checks and balances, and you have to have the ability to work with other elected officials to get anything done.”

Springerley says that to best represent residents in Williamson County, there needs to be a balance among the ideologies of its countywide officials.

“It is imperative that someone puts a spotlight on issues, and you don’t have decision making that is driven by partisan politics. Certain jobs, should not be driven by politics,” he said. “They should be driven by the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and following the law. It shouldn’t be about what is best for the party, it should be about what is good for the community. That’s why I decided, along with my wife, that I should run for county attorney.”

Springerley believes that voters deserve to have varied options when they go to the polls that better reflect the state.

“What I’d like to communicate is that I’m a lifelong Texan and I think that a lot of Texans

Fay

Continued from Page 7

matches, choosing instead to play it close to the vest, although there are tomes when excitement gets the better of him.

“Sometimes, if it’s a super-close match,” he said.

“But, I think it’s better if I just lead by example.”

At the moment, that example is one of pinpoint forehands, powerful backhands and winning points.

Gotta be the shoes. Or the shades. Or the headband.

Or perhaps none of the above.

“I think this year I’m just being more of myself,” said Fay. “We’ll see how the next couple of years go.”

Continued from Page 1

hold these different points of view. They haven’t had options at the ballot box,” said Springerley. “There’s only been one game in town. We forget that Texas has a long tradition of strong Democratic, progressive ideals. You’ve got LBJ (President Lyndon B. Johnson), Ann Richards, and other strong iconic figures that came from Texas. It needs to be more reflective of the population.”

Springerley said that just because he leans more to the progressive side that he wants every side to have a seat at the table. While working in Tyler, Springerley served as an appointed attorney, doing many of the same things that a county attorney does.

“That doesn’t mean I’m an ideologue. I’m not an extremist, I believe in the rule of law,” he said. “I believe you should have all stakeholders at the table. I have worked with officials from both major parties.

I’ve essentially already done this job. I have handled everything the county attorney does.

It includes mental health commitments, juvenile law, family violence, protective orders, CPS cases, bond forfeitures, and misdemeanor criminal cases.”

A primary focus for Springerley is the emphasis on mental health. The democratic candidate believes helping those struggling with mental health issues can help relieve pressure on the county jail.

“With increasing urbanization, it’s a challenging problem because sometimes you have hybrid situations where someone has mental health issues, and they also have drug issues. They’re depressed and getting on the wrong things,” said Springerley. “There are individuals that need to be monitored and kept on the radar because they’ll become repeat offenders and end up back in the county jail. They don’t need incarceration. What they need is someone checking in on them, social workers to help them stay right.”

Springerley sees an opportunity to create long-lasting change in the county now more than ever but believes it requires all sides to play ball.

“I think we have a situation where we can mitigate some of this stuff and make reform.

We can try to get more return on the investment if we do it wisely and bring in all stakeholders,” he said. “Don’t just talk with one side, talk with

the defense lawyers, the civil rights activists, community leaders, and religious leaders.

All the people that have input should be involved.”

Springerley hopes to implement a committee dedicated to creating more discussion between county departments and create more transparency for the community.

“One of the things that I’ve indicated that I want to do to make the office more accessible is creating a criminal justice coordinating committee,” he said. “This was something done in Tyler that I sat on, and it brings in all the different stakeholders to present issues.

It addresses issues, whether it’s the medical care at the jail or how the dockets get administered. We can give recommendations to the judges and the probation departments. We can talk through all these issues in an open and public forum. Not behind closed doors.”

Springerley believes the combination of his experience and temperament make him the right person for the office. He says his opponent lacks the right approach to bring two sides together.

“As a resident and a taxpayer and as a lawyer, what I’ve observed in the current county attorney is this inability to work with others,” he said. “It’s my way or the highway, and over time become increasingly political. It’s making more political decisions, getting a result, and then coming up with some legal reasoning to justify it.”

Springerley believes that if he takes the reins of the office that it can bring about much-needed change and a balance missing from the county for more than 25 years.

“By all accounts, my opponent Dee Hobbs is a good lawyer. He comes from a criminal specialty, but I don’t think he prepared for management,” said Springerley. “The other thing that’s going on in Williamson County is that it’s been 27 years since you’ve had an opposition party official that was countywide. You’ve had some precinct folks like Commissioner Cook, but you haven’t had anyone countywide.

You end up with a one-sided rule for a quarter of a century, and that’s not healthy. I think that the county government works better when both sides are at the table, and there is critical thinking and a devil’s advocate.”

Thursday, September 17, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Page 9

PANDEMIC PASTIMES

Creating new connections in quarantine

By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer Humans tend to be naturally curious creatures, and for many, there is a thrill in solving a mystery, connecting each dot until the full picture comes into view.

During COVID-19 quarantine, Liberty Hill resident Julie Dupree has committed a large part of her time to solve her own family mysteries through genealogy. “The cool thing about genealogy is that it hits all these different things,� Dupree said. “I like mysteries, I can go solve a mystery. I like history, I can read about history, or it can simply be that you have an interest in where you came from.

The cool thing to me is that I get to put my history into context and how we came to be as

a culture and a family.�

Genealogy is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Dupree’s hobby ďŹ nds its

roots in her interest in history, birthed by her family’s similar interest and tracking of their history. “My grandparents -- both sets

history, telling tales of ancestors much to the delight of a young Dupree. “I would ask her questions speciďŹ c to the portraits she had hanging in the hallway of her house, and it ranged from pictures of my grandparents in the 1830s all the way up to pictures from the 1960s,â€? she said. “She wove these stories of who they were as people. As I got older, I asked more and more. So, it was just a natural extension to get into the docu-

mentation of the family tree.�

With the advent of the internet and the ease created by websites like Ancestry.com, newspaper.com, and various indexes, becoming an amateur sleuth is easier than ever. The combination of accessibility, free time COVID opens up, and interest in history make this the perfect pastime for Dupree. “Between being online and

See DUPREE, Page 10

VOLLEYBALL BRIEFS

Lady Panthers win season opener

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Julie Dupree is expanding the branches of her family tree and learning new information through genealogy.

Liberty Hill Youth Soccer calling all players

Liberty Hill Youth Soccer Association is currently seeking an additional two or three players for its under-19 Select team, which is currently carrying only 11 players on the roster.

VOLLEYBALL youngsters of her own at home to deal with. “Yeah, I think I’m a little more tolerant now than earlier in my career after having kids of my own,� she said. “Sometimes you just have a bad day, whether it’s because you have a ton of homework or because we push them so hard.�

So what does she do when the stress alarm goes off when one of her players arrives at practice? “I always tell them, ‘Look, we all have sucky days, but don’t let volleyball suck today,’� she said. “You can’t always control other things, which happen over the course of the day, but you can control volleyball.�

With as many as 15 players on the varsity roster at any given time, Peterson needs an able lieutenant who can diagnose potential problems and perhaps even deal with them before they get to her, she said. “For us, Maddi Rowley is that person,� said Peterson,

of my grandparents -- were big into antiques and history.

My parents were involved in Civil War reenactments so, I was really immersed in the whole history of life and U.S. History,� she said. “My grandmother in Cape Cod was very much the genealogist and the family storyteller, and I was asking her questions because I was already interested in history.�

The amateur sleuth grandmother stoked her interest in

Anyone interested in possibly ďŹ lling these spots can contact the league at info@libertyhillsoccer.org for more information.

Continued from Page 6

of the junior outside hitter. “She’s a really good leader with a level head.�

Peterson added when Rowley senses trouble in the air, she has a knack for getting to the heart of the matter without hurting feelings in the process. “Maddi has a way of being very tactful in that kind of situation,� she said. “She’s able to address things without being mean, but also honest at the same time. Maddi’s kind of like our team mom who has that innate leadership ability to be able to hold people accountable with no time for pouting or whining about anything, but does it in a way where the other players know she cares, so they listen.�

But, at the end of the day, each and every member of her squad has a responsibility to step up at various times over the course of a long, grueling season – whether it be in words or actions, said Peterson. “I think everybody has the

ability to lead by example,� she said. “Which is what we need to do as a team.�

As for this season – the Lady Panthers’ maiden voyage across the seas of Class 5A competition – Peterson said she believes the prospects for her club might not be as daunting as they may seem on the surface. “Central Texas has a lot of really good volleyball,� she said. “But, I really believe this group of girls has what it takes to battle through.�

In fact, some aspects of more rugged competition may be helpful in keeping the compass pointed in the right direction. “I think in years past it was more of a challenge to keep the players motivated and focused with the district schedule we played,â€? said Peterson. “This year, we know every match will be a dogďŹ ght. We’re going to need our lights-out game at all times.â€?

Emma Becker had 12 kills and senior Lilli Wilkins added eight in Liberty Hill’s season-opening volleyball match at Class 6A Copperas Cove on Sept. 15, winning by a score of 3-1 (2125, 25-19, 25-11, 25-14).

Junior setter Becker – last season’s District Most Valuable Player – also added 14 assists and four blocks, while freshman Kaileigh Truslow served up eight aces in her varsity debut. Ailie Hair led Liberty Hill with ďŹ ve blocks and Haley Kuhlmann contributed a squad-leading 17 digs on the match and Emma Parsons had 22 assists.

Wilkins also added an ace and Maddi Rowley had 11 digs on the day in a match which marked the Lady Panthers’ debut in Class 5A competition.

Liberty Hill (1-0) will next travel to San Antonio to play a pair of matches against two more Class 6A opponents in Antonian and Samuel Clemens on Sept. 18 before returning to host yet another in Cedar Ridge on Sept. 19 at 12 p.m. In the home opener.

Flex The Lady Panthers newly-created ex squad defeated Copperas Cove, 2-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-15), as Paris Hunter led with four kills, while other leaders included Brooke Constantino (seven aces, three assists) and Sydney Ballew (two blocks).

Junior Varsity Liberty Hill’s junior varsity team also prevailed over the Lady Bulldawgs by a score of

ALEX RUBIO PHOTO

Emma Becker (5) led the Lady Panthers with 12 kills in Liberty Hill’s season-opening 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-11, 25-14) victory at Class 6A Copperas Cove on Sept. 15.

2-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-11), as Lauren Fletcher led the way with ďŹ ve kills, while Macy Land served ďŹ ve aces and added seven assists and Mackenzie Bamsch had four digs on the match.

Freshman The freshman side swept Copperas Cove in straight sets, 2-0 (25-11, 25-22), as Gigi

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Mason recorded seven kills, while Kealy Dirner added ďŹ ve.

Carson Glenn led Liberty Hill with 19 assists and also had a block and Kylie Hutchinson had seven digs, while Dirner had four in the victory.

Dirner, Glenn, Merrill Madison, Hutchinson and McKinley Grimes each served an ace.

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DUPREE

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

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Ancestry indexing all the census records since like the beginning of time. They have so many different indexes and databases that are connected to the state level and federal level,” she said. “Newspapers from throughout the country going back to the mid-1700s are now posted on Newspapers.com. You can spend hours on there and search by name and region.”

On top of the deep indexes and databases available, over the last two decades, another scientific side of the research has come a long way.

“Recently with DNA, that has added a whole other level,”

Dupree said. “Now I’m able to meet cousins, second and third cousins that I never even knew existed. We were able to combine our life stories together.”

This summer, she connected with family that she was not aware of. Somewhere over the years, two sides of Dupree’s family had a falling out, leading to the big disconnect.

Dupree believes the disconnect is ignited by a difference in political ideology.

“It was so cool to actually talk with my cousin on the other side of this and ask what they think happened,” she said. “We’re starting to swap pictures, and I’m like, ‘Hey I

think this is your dad, but I’m not sure. He’s holding a little girl,’ and she was like, ‘Oh, that’s me.’ It’s crazy.”

While working to track down her ex-husband’s father to fill out her daughter’s family tree, Dupree connected with her ex-husband’s half-sister. She was also searching for his identity. After solving this mystery, Dupree began a back and forth and was able to learn about and attempt to understand someone who held vastly different beliefs from her own.

“I got to talk to her, and she’s a truck driver and very conservative,” she said. “The

Thursday, September 17, 2020

interesting thing, because we weren’t really tight and don’t share a long history, I was able to ask how did she wind up with this mindset. I count this as one of the best gifts I’ve gotten throughout all of the quarantine, being able to share these hour-long conversations with her. Seeing how someone can be from the same biological family and how you wind up so completely polar opposite.”

Being able to have a civil conversation where both sides are open to new ideas is the most satisfying thing about Dupree’s endeavor over the last few months. Dupree, who

leans toward being more liberal, is learning more about the beliefs on the other end of the spectrum.

“She was open to the conversation and explained her beliefs, and my response was, ‘Okay, well, here is another spin on it.’ She was actually listening, and we were having a civil conversation,” she said. “I’ve learned some stuff from her. It’s not that she’s against Black Lives Matter, it’s that she grew up in that same neighborhood. When she hears someone say Black lives matter, she thinks about how she had to suffer through the same thing, but nobody cared

about that.”

For Dupree, this hobby isn’t just something to do during this time where so many are stuck at home. This is a way to remind herself of the importance of not losing connections with family, with friends, with her fellow man. Whether it be political or for some other reason.

“Right now, we are living in a politically polarizing time, and this is keeping me in touch with my uncle that is very conservative,” she said. “It keeps the context of regardless of anything we’re still blood, and we still have to talk, but we don’t have to agree.”

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