MARBLE FALLS — Residents who wish to sound off on controversial changes to city rules for properties including carports, front yards, playscapes and mowing can attend a town hall meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lakeside Pavilion.
“The reason for this town hall meeting was when we did the first reading and public hearing, there were a number of people who had questions and concerns,” said Mayor George Russell. “We made a promise that we would have this meeting.”
MARBLE FALLS — Fifty trees donated to the city will help replace 100 damaged by the drought that are being taken down, officials said.
The damaged trees — which are weakened or diseased after being starved of water — have become hazardous because limbs can crack and fall, or the tree itself can topple, officials said.
The donated trees are from the Lower Colorado River Authority, which has also given trees to Lampasas and Lexington, said Robert Moss, city Parks and Recreation director.
The director called LCRA with a request Sept. 17 and received word the next day of the donation, he said.
“We’ll put them where we need them,” Moss said Sept. 19. “But it doesn’t make sense to put them where there’s no water. We’ll distribute trees in empty spots where we can help them grow.”
Marble Falls will receive native Texas trees that include Mexican white oak, Mexican sycamores, Mexican plum, Burr oak and Texas red buds. LCRA will donate 10 of each type of tree, the director said.
LCRA also told Moss it will donate another 50 trees in 2013.
The native trees are adapted to the region and will grow better, arborists said.
The ongoing drought, which has gripped the region since October 2010, is what killed the estimated 100 trees, Moss said.
“Potentially, (the dead trees) could fall on people,” he said. “They’re hazardous, they’re ugly, they’re dead. It’s just a normal maintenance act.”
Moss said 100 dead or damaged trees is the most he’s seen since he’s been the director here for more than five years.
Employees aren’t cutting down healthy trees, he added.
“We’re trimming healthy trees because they get brittle,” he said. “Hazardous trees are the priority.”
The new trees are going to city-owned land where residents spend a lot of time including Johnson Park, Lakeside Park, Falls Creek Skate Park and playing fields.
In the past, LCRA has received grant money from the Apache Foundation’s Tree Grant Program to buy trees that are then donated.
Arborists say trees are extremely vital to maintaining an ecosystem.
Tree roots increase soil permeability, according to published reports, that help reduce surface runoff of water from storms, soil erosion and sedimentation in streams, lessen amounts of chemicals transported to streams, and reduce wind erosion of soil.
The leaves also produce oxygen.
In other news, a joint workshop is planned with the Parks and Recreation Department, City Council and the Economic Development Corp. where Baker-Aicklen & Associates will present the completed sports complex study the firm was hired to conduct in the spring.
The projected price tag of the sports complex is $36 million.
Moss said a date hasn’t been set.
MARBLE FALLS — The Highland Lakes will welcome home Olympian Leonel “Leo” Manzano on Sept. 30 with festivities, music and a parade from Marble Falls High School to Granite Shoals City Hall.
The former Granite Shoals resident and Marble Falls High School graduate won a silver medal in the men’s 1,500-meter race at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in August. Since then, he has been traveling the world competing and attending ceremonies including Sept. 14 at the White House, where President Barack Obama congratulated him and the other 2012 Olympians. At his homecoming Sept. 30, coaches and city, county and state officials will be on hand to congratulate Manzano. Clubs and civic organizations are making decorative signs to line the route to Marble Falls High School, 2101 Mustang Drive, where festivities will begin.
The public should arrive at the high school 2-2:45 p.m. to participate in the event to be held in the auditorium. Parking is in the main parking lot of the high school. Manzano will arrive at the high school at 3 p.m.
The Marble Falls High School track team will play a special role in the celebration along with local singer/songwriter john Arthur martinez, who will perform a song he’s written for Manzano called “Dare to Dream Out Loud.”
Manzano will talk about his life as an Olympic runner and sign autographs at the ceremony.
At 5 p.m., a motorcade will travel from the high school to the Granite Shoals Municipal Complex on Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals for a groundbreaking at the Leo Manzano Hike, Bike and Run Trail.
A ceremony in front of Granite Shoals City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road, will follow at 6 p.m. with photo and autograph opportunities and refreshments. Grammy-award winners Joel Guzman and Sara Fox will honor Manzano with music. The ceremony will end at sunset with a five-minute fireworks display.
For more, contact Debbie Brown at (512) 968-3973 or dab@zeecon.com. Signs may be taken to the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce Administrative office, 916 Second St., and to the Granite Shoals Municipal Complex, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road, during regular business hours.
BOERNE — Marble Falls High School quarterback Mike Richardson threw for a state record Sept. 20, giving the Mustangs the edge they needed to hold on for a 62-55 win against Boerne Champion.
Richardson eclipsed the state record for passing yards in a game with 724 and went 35-45. The senior quarterback had seven touchdown passes for 9, 36, 42, 60, 58, 28 and 73 yards, and a 3-yard touchdown run for the Mustangs’ final score.
PHOTO: Marble Falls quarterback Mike Richardson attempts a pass in the second quarter of the Mustangs’ game against Boerne Champion. The senior threw for a state record 724 yards in a 62-55 victory Sept. 20, passing the previous mark of 683 yards set last year by Dylan Sheffield of Wichita Falls. Photo courtesy Diana Cox
After the game, Richardson said the stats could not sink in, but he credited his offensive line, receivers and coaches for the numbers put up by the offense.
“One of the players ran by and told me about it,” Richardson said. “After the game I really believed it.”
Richardson passed the previous state mark late in the fourth quarter on the Mustangs’ final possession on a 16-yard pass to Ishiah Carson.
Offensive lineman Travis Sparks said he was proud of Richardson’s accomplishment.
“We always expect to win,” Sparks said. “To score 62 points and have Mike set a state record is just a plus.”
The Mustangs lost four fumbles, but never punted. Sparks said the offensive pressure took a toll on the Chargers’ defense.
“We killed their will in the second half,” Sparks said.
The Mustangs led 35-24 at the half, and Richardson had already racked up 413 yards through the air.
Though Mustangs head coach Todd Dodge has seen his share of offense, he said the game Sept. 20 was unlike any other.
“Mike is very deserving. He’s a video rat; he’s in my office every day and always wants to see more film,” Dodge said. “I’m just so proud of my team. They were very explosive and we kept staying two scores up.”
In an offensive shootout, Champion quarterback Kyle Poeske threw for 595 yards, tying him with the fourth-best passing game in state history.
Garrett Gray caught five of the touchdowns and finished with 13 receptions for 293 yards. Carson Bowen caught Richardson’s other two touchdown passes, and finished with nine receptions for 208 yards.
Ishiah Carson caught six passes for 123 yards and Aidin Parnell had five catches for 58 yards.
MEADOWLAKES — City Council passed a 3.5 percent property tax rate increase and a $2 million budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year Sept. 18.
Residents also will see a hike in water rates. The budget goes into effect Oct. 1.
The current tax rate is 30.45 cents per $100 valuation. The new tax rate will be 31.59 cents, or about a cent-and-a-half increase.
Council members unanimously approved the property-tax and water rate increases.
“The proposed fiscal year 2013 budget covers operating expenditures, debt-service requirements and creates additional working capital of $58,000 which will be utilized to increase fund balances,” City Manager Johnnie Thompson said.
Among those expenditures is a new water-storage tank.
With the proposed tax increase and adjusted 2012 appraised property values, a homeowner can expect to pay 3.5 percent more, or about $24 extra.
The average water customer is expected to pay about $66 a year more — or $5.50 monthly.
Councilwoman Franzella Jones was unable to attend the Sept. 18 regular meeting.
HORSESHOE BAY — City leaders may soon relax the rules for commercial properties that want to put out signs advertising space to lease.
Also during the Sept. 17 City Council meeting, officials discussed a change in a decades-old policy that would allow requests for sign variances — or exemptions — to simultaneously be presented to the council and the Architectural Control Committee, instead of just the board first. Horseshoe Bay’s current regulations prohibit any signs, advertisements, billboards or other structures promoting sales, lease or renting of lots.
Councilman Jeff Robinson Sept. 18 asked the council to consider allowing businesses to put up ‘FOR LEASE" signs with contact information to replace blank spaces in "monument" signs in front of vacant commercial properties.
"I can hire a real estate agent to lease my house," Robinson. "We don’t necessarily have the capacity to do that here (for business space leasing)."
Sign laws were originally passed in Horseshoe Bay’s Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions documents, pre-dating the city’s incorporation in 2005. They were drafted in the 1970s when the resort development was created, officials said.
The CCR is enforced by the quasi-governmental Architectural Control Committee, which includes Sam Tarbet of Horseshoe Bay Corp.; Tom Engler, president of the Horseshoe Bay Property Owners Association; and Ron Mitchell of the Horseshoe Bay Resort.
The committee meets weekly to consider requests including sign variances as a precursor to submission to the City Council for a vote. However, if the request is rejected by the architectural committee, the request does not advance to the council.
Robinson recommended allowing the city to hear sign variance requests without prior approval by the committee.
Instead, the request could be submitted to the city simultaneously with the CCR application.
"What it would do is if someone is requesting that variance, they could come to us," Robinson said. "If we’re going to be the governing authority, they should have an opportunity to come before the city in an open hearing, so we can decide what we’re going to do."
No action was taken on Robinson’s recommendation.
The issue is expected to be considered in an upcoming meeting.
"Signs are a little sensitive in Horseshoe Bay, which is why these issues are posted for discussion," Mayor Bob Lambert said.
In other business, city officials passed a $5.9 million budget with the same property tax rate as the past two years, 25 cents per $100 valuation.
The next City Council meeting is 3 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Council Chambers at City Hall. No. 1 Community Drive.
MARBLE FALLS — School officials said they provide a safe environment for athletes, despite claims in a federal lawsuit filed by a former football player who says the Marble Falls district didn’t protect him from repeated head injuries.
“Regardless of a potential lawsuit, Marble Falls (Independent School District) works diligently to provide a safe school and competitive athletic environment for all kids,” Superintendent Rob O’Connor said Sept. 17. “The district, our teachers and our coaches constantly review safety procedures to ensure the safest environment possible on our campuses and for our student athletes.”
O’Connor’s response came in the wake of a lawsuit filed by former Mustang Blake Alan Ripple in an Austin federal court Sept. 7. Ripple, 20, claims MFISD and former head coach and athlete director Cord Woerner showed little regard for his health and safety, resulting in more than 30 concussions that have left him permanently disabled.
The school district has yet to receive official notification of the lawsuit, O’Connor said.
Meanwhile, the superintendent is cautioning against anyone rushing to judgment.
In addition, O’Connor has notified the School Board of the pending legal action, which is filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
“A potential lawsuit will not change the board’s long-term practice of supporting ongoing professional development for our teachers, coaches and trainers so they can continue to provide a safe environment for our students, student athletes and performers,” O’Connor said. “We ask all community members not to pass judgment until the district is notified and a thorough due process investigation can be completed.”
According to the suit, Ripple, at one time a lineman for the Mustangs, National Honor Society student and Academic All-District, “is unable to live independently, let alone go to college.”
The lawsuit claims that head injuries and headaches during games and training were not addressed by Woerner and the school district, contributing to permanent disability.
The lawsuit claims MFISD “covered up” facts; failed to adequately investigate the injuries; retaliated against Ripple; and failed to adequately work with Ripple in regard to his education after he was injured.
The injuries began Oct. 23, 2009 during the last few minutes of a game against Lampasas when Ripple suffered a head injury during helmet-to-helmet contact, the lawsuit states. After the game ended, Ripple’s parents raised concerns with an athletic trainer over their son’s injury but were told the youth “would be fine after taking a shower,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also claims that despite his parents sharing concerns about their son’s condition from 2009 through the 2010 football season, school officials failed to protect Ripple and instead exposed him to more injuries. The athlete’s physical condition deteriorated and he could no longer attend classes his senior year, instead completing his academic studies through homebound services before graduating in 2011, the lawsuit claims.
On Jan. 6, 2012, Woerner announced he was no longer the district’s athletic director and was named the director of special programs.
Todd Dodge took over Feb. 1 as the new athletic director and head football coach for the Mustangs.
Ripple is being represented by Martin Cirkiel of Cirkiel & Associates of Round Rock.
MARBLE FALLS — A 2-year-old Yorkshire-terrier mix police say was dragged behind a truck by its previous owner could soon be headed to a new home after officials drew a name in a lottery.
Meanwhile, Maricela Martinez Sanchez, 27, identified as the former owner of the dog known as Mimi, was indicted Sept. 5 by a Burnet County grand jury on a charge of cruelty to non-livestock animal-torture.
TOBYVILLE — Although it will cost him more money, a businessman who wants to avoid angering neighbors in Quail Valley and Ancient Oaks says he has decided not to locate an 18,000-gallon propane tank in the area.
Cameron Travis said he left a neighborhood meeting Sept. 12 after upset residents threatened him with litigation over his plans concerning a natural-gas delivery business.
“Their agenda was to tell me how I was going to kill people,” he said after attending the gathering on CR 144. “It’s definitely not my intention to make anybody mad. It will cost me upwards of $100,000 more to find another location.”
PHOTO: Tobyville residents protested a plan to locate an 18,000-gallon propane storage tank in the area, saying they feared there could be an explosion and that property values would plummet. Businessman Cameron Travis said after meeting with residents, he has decided not to install the industrial-size tank in the Quail Valley subdivision. Staff photo by Connie Swinney
