oakhillgazette.com
April 2, 2015 Volume 20, No. 7 Southwest Austin’s Community Newspaper Since 1995
Fire displaces dozens by Ann Fowler OAK HILL - A fire at the Lantana Ridge apartments on Friday caused $300,000 in damage and temporarily displaced 33 residents. According to Michelle Tanzola, Public Information and Marketing Manager for the Austin Fire
Department, the fire at 6636 West William Cannon Drive was accidental, starting in a water heater closet. The fire reached two-alarm status when it spread to the attic, but sprinklers in the building kept it from spreading beyond a single unit. There were no injuries.
New ‘Y’ workshop by Ann Fowler OAK HILL - A second workshop to find a “context sensitive” solution to traffic gridlock at the ‘Y’ is scheduled for April 7 at the Oak Hill United Methodist Church on Highway 290 West. With no formal presentation planned, stakeholders are invited to come and go between 6 and 8 p.m.
A major headache during rushhour traffic, the ‘Y’—where Highway 290 West and State Highway 71 merge in Oak Hill—represents a gateway to the hill country and is one of Texas’ 50 most congested highway corridors. Transportation officials say they want to improve
See NEW on p. 3
New group forms with mission to:
Save Oak Hill by Leah Gernetzke
Gazette: Alan Watts
A beautiful stretch of Williamson Creek is mostly undiscovered by Oak Hill residents, obscured by nearby highway development.
OAK HILL - As Williamson Creek winds its curving path through groves of ancient oak trees, rare wildflowers, and un-manicured hills, it’s easy to envision the early settlers and Native Americans who once stood along these banks in admiration of their beauty and natural resources. Today the creek is, in places, still the natural jewel that captivated Comanches and pioneers—most people today just don’t know about it. It hides just out of sight, with no marked parking or access, behind historic oaks along the highway near the ‘Y’. That’s why a pioneering group of Oak Hill residents recently formed
See SAVE on p. 13