The Lower Colorado River Authority is accepting applications through July 2024 for community grants of up to $50,000. Eligible projects include improvements to fire stations, community centers, sports fields, libraries, and other facilities as well as the purchase of updated gear and equipment for emergency responders.
The LCRA awards Community Development Partnership Program grants twice a year to nonprofits such as volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, local governments, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums, and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Grants are not available to individuals, for-profit entities, professional associations, social service projects, or limited-use facilities.
Applications for the next round of grants are online at lcra.org/cdpp and must be submitted by midnight July 31. Most grants are for $25,000 or less, but several of up to $50,000 are awarded every grant cycle.
Applicants requesting more than $5,000 in grant funding must supply matching funds of at least 20 percent of the total project cost. The projects must benefit or be available to an entire community and improve the value of a capital asset through building, renovating, or purchasing equipment.
Local organizations in Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Lampasas, and Llano counties are eligible.
Visit lcra.org/cdpp for information on eligibility requirements and to submit an application. For more information, email grants@lcra.org or call 800-776-5272 ext. 3140 or ext. 1627.
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Granite Shoals now has a building officer on staff, taking the load off of the utilities department and saving the city money with a more streamlined inspection process.
The city hired Donny Carpenter on June 3 at an annual salary of $84,000, less than what it paid global inspection firm Bureau Veritas for contracted inspection services.
Granite Shoals had been without a full-time building inspector since contractor Mike Light was fired two years ago over unlicensed inspections, which led to a state investigation.
As the building official, Carpenter will conduct mandatory building, plumbing, and electrical inspections. He will manage building permit applications and work with builders to ensure local, state, and federal standards are met and the city is protected from legal liabilities.
Ultimately, Carpenter will guide homeowners, developers, and builders through the construction process in Granite Shoals.
“His expertise ensures that all construction projects are safe, legal, and aligned with our community’s standards and goals,” reads a written response from city administration to questions from DailyTrib.com about the new hire.
Utilities Superintendent Joshua Hisey offered his thoughts on the matter. Since October 2022, he has been handling the city’s permitting process on top of his duties running the water system.
“(Hiring Carpenter) is a big deal for us,” he told DailyTrib.com. “I was stretched pretty thin. Now, with Donnie here, we have someone who can do it all.”
Light, the previous building inspector, was fired by former City Manager Peggy Smith in October 2022 at the request of former Mayor Aaron Garcia after it was discovered that Light had been conducting unlicensed plumbing inspections, which could have put the city at legal risk.
Light’s dismissal temporarily destabilized building and permitting in Granite Shoals until Smith brought in Bureau Veritas for inspections and tasked Hisey as a permit coordinator.
The issue came up again in March 2023 when a resident filed an official complaint against Garcia, claiming the former mayor interfered with city staff by asking Smith to fire Light. The complaint was dismissed after a review by the city’s Ethics Review Commission later that year.
Garcia filed an official complaint with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners in April 2023 against Light for the unlicensed plumbing inspections and Smith for knowingly using his contracted services. That investigation was resolved in October 2023 when the state board reprimanded Light and noted that Smith had allowed the inspections to happen.
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The stretch of Texas 71 outside of Horseshoe Bay has been reduced to one lane in the morning for weeks due to paving work along the rural highway. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, that work should be wrapping up in July.
“We anticipate the work will complete July 2024,” reads a written TxDOT statement to DailyTrib.com in response to questions about the work. “This is regular preventative maintenance to repair and repave the roadway.”
The current repaving project extends along the highway from the intersection of RM 2233 in the west to the Burnet County line in the east.
Repaving began on May 20, and since then, portions of Texas 71 have been squeezed into one lane while crews carried out their business in the first half of the day, often causing 10- to 20-minute delays.
According to TxDOT, this portion of Texas 71 met certain traffic volume benchmarks that required using a hot mix overlay rather than a simple seal coat. Hot mix is more durable and will extend road life, while seal coats can be used on lower-traffic roads.
The TxDOT project tracker shows the job has currently used 44.44 percent of its allotted time and 11.17 percent of its $4.46 million budget.
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Agendas for government entities in the Highland Lakes are posted 72 hours before a meeting, so are not always ready by the time this list is published. Check links for more information.
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The steps and sidewalk along the north side of Third Street between Main Street and Avenue J in Marble Falls tops a six-project list of downtown improvement priorities for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board No. 1.
TIRZ No. 1 ranked six capital improvement projects and five “pay-as-you-go” projects to be presented to the Marble Falls City Council on July 9 for final approval. The board is also recommending the city hire a contracted project manager to oversee all 11 projects.
A $2 million general obligation bond would be sold to pay for the capital improvement projects with money made available by Oct. 2, when work can begin. Work on the pay-as-you-go projects, estimated to cost $75,000 or less each, can begin immediately.
All of the projects could be completed within two years, said TIRZ No. 1 board Chairman Kyle Stripling.
“It’s kind of exciting because, in 2013, we started doing this, and now, 11 years later, we have defined projects and we are setting up funding,” he said.
TIRZ No. 1, which oversees projects to the downtown district, gets its money from a portion of the increased value of property taxes collected above the appraised value in the zone’s base year, which is 2013. The money can only be used to improve the infrastructure within its district to help promote future growth.
Estimated costs for the six capital projects and five other projects are around $2.6 million. Pay for a contracted project manager was set to not exceed $200,000. The position would be temporary.
This is the first year that Marble Falls TIRZ No. 1 has enough guaranteed annual income to support a bond issue. In another year, the board is expected to consider an additional $2 million bond for other projects.
Capital project recommendation numbers one through six were presented to the board during its Tuesday, June 25, meeting by Erin Burks, downtown and marketing manager for the city of Marble Falls. After discussion, several projects were moved based on the impact each would have on the district and whether or not the work could begin immediately.
Board member Richard Westerman, who is also on the City Council, suggested moving up the last project, turning the old public works yard at the corner of Avenue J and Third Street into a parking lot, to at least No. 4 on the list. He cited the positive impact that adding around 60 parking spaces would have as they could serve both downtown and Johnson Park on Avenue J.
Burks said it’s at the bottom of the list because it is one of several vacant downtown spaces under consideration for a new City Hall.
“You don’t want to spend money paving and striping it and then have to tear it up for City Hall,” she said.
Westerman pointed out that the lot is in a flood plain.
“I don’t ever see that being the location for City Hall,” he said.
The TIRZ board also moved the No. 2 item, additional parking on both sides of Avenue H between Second and First streets, to the No. 6 position.
“Project No. 2 needs too many dominoes to fall to get there,” Stripling said.
The board agreed to put that project at the end of the line to give the owners of the China Kitchen building, which was destroyed by a fire on Oct. 5, 2023, time to decide what to do with the property.
The final projects were approved in this order:
Capital 1, $250,000—sidewalk improvements to the north side of Third Street
Capital 3, $500,000—sidewalk and on-street parking improvements to the north side of Yett Street
Capital 5, $150,000—drainage and pedestrian improvements to the southwest corner of Main and Third streets
Capital 4, $500,000—sidewalk and parking improvements to the north side of Fourth Street
Capital 6, $500,000—paving the old public works yard for parking
Capital 2—parking on both sides of Avenue H between Second and First streets.
Pay-as-you-go projects were approved as presented and are:
No. 1, $25,000—sidewalk improvements to the west side of the 100 block of Main Street
No. 2, $75,000—sidewalk improvements to Second Street between Main Street and Avenue J
No. 3, $75,000—drainage improvements to the north side of Second Street between U.S. 281 and Avenue H
No. 4, $75,000—improvements to the southeast corner of Avenue J and Third Street
No. 5, $75,000—sidewalk and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements to the east side of the 400 block of Main Street
All of the projects together plus the project manager’s pay total $2.6 million. Marble Falls TIRZ Board No. 1 has $269,000 in reserve, which can be used to start on the pay-as-you-go projects, Stripling said. Projects at the bottom of the list might have to wait until the next bond issue, depending on how close estimates are to reality when it comes to cost.
The next TIRZ Board No. 1 meeting is set for noon Oct. 29 in the chambers at Marble Falls City Hall, 800 Third St.
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The city of Granite Shoals has dedicated the month of July to its large, majestic oak trees. The City Council approved a proclamation on June 25 declaring July 2024 Heritage Oak Tree Celebration Month. The decision followed several discussions on whether to mandate protections for the city’s oldest trees.
“We hope that people will be more aware of the historic value of these heritage oak trees,” Mayor Ron Munos told DailyTrib.com following a reading of the proclamation on Tuesday. “Some of these trees are hundreds of years old, and you can’t replace them overnight. We’re trying to encourage people to do the best they can to preserve them.”
The proclamation cites the value of large oak trees in the city on multiple levels, including economically through increasing property values, culturally for generational endurance, ecologically for habitat and soil erosion control, and aesthetically for natural beauty.
The council stopped short of defining a heritage oak tree, which would have to be included in an ordinance rather than a proclamation to have legal status. The city of Austin defines a heritage tree (not just oaks) as one with a 2-foot-diameter trunk when measured 4½ feet above ground.
Granite Shoals City Manager Sarah Novo suggested creating a heritage oak photo contest to spur interest in the month-long celebration, noting the city has an oak tree on its logo.
The proclamation asks residents, organizations, and business owners to celebrate the city’s large trees throughout July and take proactive measures to protect and preserve them year-round for future generations.
Mayor Munos first brought up protecting the city’s oldest trees in January after two large live oaks were cut down to make room for a new wastewater treatment plant outside his home in The Tropical Hideaway condominiums.
The council deliberated on the topic and addressed it again in April. City leaders ultimately decided that protecting the trees with an ordinance would be overstepping the property rights of residents, so a proclamation was suggested.
City staff drafted the heritage oak proclamation and submitted it for review to the Granite Shoals Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission reviewed the document during its regular meeting on June 18 and recommended the council approve it, which it did. The commission also suggested adding a definition of a heritage oak tree to the city’s code of ordinances, but that issue was not discussed at the Tuesday meeting.
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Two Pedernales Electric Cooperative journeyworkers were recently recognized for rescuing a mother and her 5-year-old daughter from a car crash in Marble Falls. George Lozano and Trey Salazar had just finished working an outage caused by an early April hailstorm when they saw an SUV flip and land on its side 10 feet in front of their own vehicle.
While Lozano called 911, Salazar turned on flashers to stop traffic. They worked together to first remove the young girl from the vehicle and then the mother.
“I climbed into the car, held up the girl in the car seat so she didn’t fall into the glass, cut her seatbelt, and carried her out,” Salazar said.
Mom Annie Minnix, a PEC member, suffered only a small scratch on her leg.
“I didn’t even really look at myself, but I just told the two men, ‘I’m OK, just please get her out of the car,’” she said. “They did it so gracefully.”
Minnix said her daughter is still recovering mentally from the incident but speaks fondly of the journeyworkers who got her out.
“It’s lovely because she always says, ‘Remember those nice men who helped me out of the car,’ and that means so much to me,” she said.
Minnix thanked Lozano, Salazar, and everyone else who helped after the crash, adding that she remembers everything from the surreal feeling of flipping in the air to her daughter screaming in the backseat and the men jumping into action.
The Minnix family only recently moved to the area and have been pleasantly surprised by the compassion shown to them after the accident.
“The community has made us feel so lovely,” Minnix said. “We just want to thank the community for rallying around us and making us feel so loved. A big thank you for taking care of us and making sure we were OK.”
The PEC Board of Directors honored the two journeyworkers at its regular meeting in May.
“Our employees have gone the extra mile on many occasions to help members in need,” a PEC spokesperson said in a media release. “Whether it’s helping people out of a car crash, assisting someone who accidentally got locked out of a house, taking food to those in need, or mowing a lawn for someone who can’t, PEC’s employees have shown their compassion for our membership on countless occasions.”
Lozano said it’s all part of being a member of the community.
“While it does make us feel good when we’re out in the elements restoring power when we get to do something for our communities, it makes you feel like you’re doing more than just a job,” he said.
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The owner of Y’alls Gift Company says his soon-to-be-open Marble Falls shop really is for y’all: the Highland Lakes community.
“I didn’t want to bring Austin out here,” Mike Lopez said. “People move out here to get away from Austin. I was trying to think of a name and came up with Y’alls Gift Company like, ‘Here’s y’all’s gift company.’”
The 13,000-square-foot space at 1202 RR 1431, the former site of Burkes and Spirit Halloween, will host more than 100 vendors selling a variety of handmade wares, souvenirs, and gifts. The shop is holding a soft opening on Saturday, June 29. A grand opening is scheduled for late July.
“We’re going to have 190 booths in here,” Lopez said. “We’ll have artists from all over Texas.”
Offerings include pottery, mosaics, jewelry, candles, candies, and much more.
“We’ll have anything and everything here,” Lopez said. “There’s really nothing that we won’t have.”
The businessman has operated Austin Gift Company, 4211 S. Lamar Blvd. in the capital city, for 25 years and thought Marble Falls could use a similar vendor-based venture.
“I moved out (to the Highland Lakes) two years ago and saw a need for a place for vendors to sell their wares,” Lopez said.
Those driving by Y’alls Gift Company on Avenue L will notice a mural going up on the side of the building.
“It’s going to be iconic,” said Lopez about the commissioned artwork.
Y’alls Gift Company will be open daily from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Visit its Facebook page for more information.
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The Authors Guild’s first-ever Champion of Writers Award was presented to fired Kingsland librarian Suzette Baker during a recent gala in New York City. The honor was established to recognize librarians who fight against book bans.
Baker was fired in March 2022 from her job as head librarian of the Kingsland Branch Library, one of three libraries in the Llano County Library System. She filed a wrongful termination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2022, which is still under investigation. In March of this year, she filed a civil lawsuit for wrongful termination against Llano County. The suit claims Baker was fired for refusing to remove books about racial minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals from the library’s collection.
“Baker’s brave defense of her community’s right to read is a testament to the vital role librarians play in upholding free speech and creative expression in the face of censorship,” said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, the nation’s oldest and largest writers organization.
Baker took the stage with renowned authors Jesmyn Ward, W. Paul Coates, and Heather Cox Richardson, who were also honored at the Authors Guild Foundation gala on May 30.
Coates, the founder and director of Black Classic Press, received the Publisher Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community; Cox Richardson, author of numerous acclaimed history books and the popular newsletter “Letters from an American,” received the Baldacci Award for Literary Activism; and Ward, the first woman and first person of color to twice win the National Book Award for Fiction, was honored with the Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community.
When accepting her award, Baker spoke of the power of literature to spark change.
“Authors are the voices of society,” she told the gala audience. “You can pull stories of who we are out of everyday life. You can entertain us, educate us, fortify us, and take us on journeys that we never imagined. And the library is where your stories are available to everyone, equally and freely.”
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