GRANITE SHOALS — Officially, the Larry Salinas Band played country, rock and blues. But you could just as easily find Larry A. Salinas, a beloved local musician, singing Tejano jazz, or even hip hop, friends and fans recalled.

The 63-year-old Granite Shoals resident unexpectedly died Aug. 13.

“He was just a pure entertainer,” said Grant Dean, who used to host the drummer and band leader when Dean owned Lorraine’s Live Music in Marble Falls. “He was familiar with all genres of music, and he could do just about anything that you wanted to do.”

Dean, along with scores of other area music lovers, said they were shocked and saddened at the news of Salinas’ death.

Many knew him through his group, the Larry Salinas Band.

“He was an important part of the musical community,” said local recording artist john Arthur martinez, who performed with Salinas early in his career. “He brought a lot of joy to a lot of people who loved music and who loved to dance.”

In addition to performing, Salinas also enjoyed listening to live music and doing “research.”

“He’d always have a new CD for someone to listen to,” said Bryan Hibler, a former band mate who credits Salinas with giving him his first big break. Salinas hired him to play guitar at age 20 and then encouraged him to front his own band.

For many years, Salinas owned a vitamin shop in Marble Falls but then retired to pursue music full time, Hibler said.

Martinez said Salinas was always challenging himself with new material and styles, including folk, traditional honkey-tonk country, jazz, Latin, pop and more.

“His show was always growing and evolving. That way, he kept it fresh for himself and kept it fresh for the audiences,” said Martinez, who entered the national spotlight as a performer on the USA Network television show “Nashville Star.”

“I was in (Marble Falls) high school teaching when his children were there and they’re extremely talented, and I wanted to tell them how much the community will miss their father,” he added.

Another aspect of Salinas was his work teaching young musicians, said booking agent Gary Delz, who hired Salinas for many events.

“Larry was a mentor,” said Delz, a fellow musician. “He was a great inspiration to a lot of younger drummers, several of them now playing professionally.”

This included Salinas’ own son, Alex Salinas, who is now an accomplished drummer on the Austin music scene, Delz said.

Hibler, who grew up with Alex, recalled the elder Salinas playing an autoharp for his third-grade class, and then teaching him and his fellow sixth-grade band mates about Latin percussion too.

“He was always real big about helping kids with music,” he said. “He was a great teacher, and on top of it, a great student.”

What’s more, Salinas was always ready to help the community by performing at benefits, Delz recalled.

“For 30 years, when people had a crisis and needed to raise money, he was one of the first ones to sign up,” he said.

“He’s going to be dearly missed,” Delz added.

To assist the family with funeral costs and other expenses, a fund has been set up at First State Bank of Central Texas.

Donations for The Larry Salinas Family Benefit Account will be accepted at any FSB location. For more, call the Marble Falls branch at (830) 693-3595 or drop by at 617 U.S. 281 North.

Salinas was born in San Antonio on Dec. 14, 1948, to Louis and Susie Arguijo Salinas.

Survivors include wife Marilyn Philpott Salinas of Granite Shoals; his son of Austin; and daughter Ellie Salinas of Austin.

According to her website, Marilyn Salinas is a Marble Falls native who teaches kindergarten at Colt Elementary School. She has been at the school for eight years.

Larry Salinas was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service was Aug. 18, at Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home, 1805 U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, (830) 693-4373. Weldon French officiated.

Condolences may be offered at www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome.com.

KINGSLAND — A probe continues into a three-car accident Aug. 16 that killed an elderly Kingsland woman and injured three others — including two children, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Katherine Haydon, 91, who was driving a 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue, was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Calvin Boyd.

PHOTO 1: A woman driving a four-door Oldsmobile sedan died at the scene of a three-car wreck reported at 9:29 a.m. Aug. 16 on RR 1431, just east of Lookout Mountain near Kingsland. Staff photos by Connie Swinney

GRANITE SHOALS — Residents could see a slightly lower city property tax bill in the coming year after the City Council shaved less than a penny off the current amount.

The council will hold public hearings before final approval, but the new rate could bring in as much as $300,000 for a "bare-bones" balanced budget that doesn’t offer any employee raises, officials said.

Officials are eyeing a 46 cents per $100 valuation for the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget, compared to the previous 46.20 cents per $100 valuation. The cut could save the owner of a $100,000 home about $2.

A property owner’s final tax bill will depend on the home’s value, which can fluctuate.

Officials reviewed the proposed tax rate and proposed budget Aug. 14.

"It is a bare-bones budget," City Manager Judy Miller said.

The $5.7 million budget is balanced, said Assistant City Manager/Director of Finance Ken Nickels. The figure is an increase over the 2011-2012 budget of $5.3 million.

The city is paying off more debt, but there will be a rise in the maintenance and operation portion to provide for a better retirement plan for employees.

"We have no raises in here right now," Nickels said. "We’ve only had one raise in four years. But I spoke with many (employees) and they preferred getting the retirement plan stronger."

Two more public hearings are set for 6 p.m. Aug. 28 and Sept. 4 at City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road.

For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Aug. 18-19 River Cities Sunday Tribune

MARBLE FALLS — The city of Marble Falls moved from Stage 1 voluntary water restrictions to the more stringent standards of Stage 2 on Aug. 14 to help with conservation efforts, officials said.

The drought continues to challenge the region and the city is doing what it can to keep plenty of water on hand, City Manager Ralph Hendricks said.

“We appreciate our citizens and their efforts to conserve water during this very hot dry period,” he said. “We hope that these restrictions will be adequate to get through the end of the summer.”

Under Stage 2 restrictions:

• Mandatory lawn watering schedule  — Customers may water between midnight-10 a.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight twice a week coinciding with the last digit of their street address.

Those include: residential, odd-number addresses — Wednesdays and Saturdays; residential, even-number addresses — Thursdays and Sundays; and commercial —  Tuesdays and Fridays

• Washing any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other

vehicle is prohibited except on designated outdoor water-use days midnight-10 a.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight.

Customers should use a handheld bucket or a handheld hose with a shutoff nozzle.

Washing vehicles is still allowed at a commercial car wash or service station.

• Filling indoor/outdoor pools and Jacuzzi-style tubs is prohibited except on designated outdoor water-use days from midnight-10 a.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight.

• Operating ponds or fountains is not permitted except to preserve aquatic life or where there is a recirculation system.

• Releasing water from fire hydrants is restricted to firefighters, except under special permits from the city for construction.

• Irrigating golf course greens, tees and fairways is not allowed except on designated outdoor water-use days from midnight-10 a.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight. Courses that don’t use water from the city are exempt from the regulations.

• Water will be served in restaurants only if patrons ask.

In addition, there are water uses forbidden under any circumstances during Stage 2, officials said:

• Washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts,

or other hard-surfaced areas.

• Washing buildings or structures unless it’s to put out or prevent a fire.

• Dust control.

• Flushing gutters or letting water run or collect on the street or gutters.

• Not repairing a leak after being given notice.

Violations come with warnings and can be followed by fines, officials said.

Hendricks said residents have always cooperated with the restrictions in the past.

“Our community comes together well when there are challenges like this and I am sure that will be the case with the conservation measures we are requesting from our residents,” he said.

editor@thepicayune.com

HORSESHOE BAY — A gooey interloper made worse by the drought is choking parts of Lake LBJ, impairing watercraft and leaving swimmers itchy.

To the ordinary eye, this green and slimy invader looks like some leftover from a horror movie. In reality, it’s just algae.

But its presence still raises plenty of concerns.

PHOTO 1: Maintenance crew worker Gabriel Rodriguez scoops up a handful of algae, collecting in a cove on Bay Point Drive in Horseshoe Bay. Lower Colorado River Authority officials say the only way to combat the aquatic plant is to haul it out or apply copper-based herbacides. Staff photos by Connie Swinney

PHOTO 2: Algae blooms, collecting in coves and migrating into the body of Lake LBJ, are choking out watercraft and causing an itchy situation for swimmers. Water quality experts say the drought is only making it worse.

MARBLE FALLS — When Marble Falls school district patrons go to the polls Aug. 25, they’ll get to have a say in a 2012-2013 rollback tax vote that could lead to a lower rate, officials said.

However, the wording on the ballot may sound like they’re approving a tax increase, but don’t be fooled, said Rob O’Connor, the superintendent of the Marble Falls Independent School District.

“It’s really a tax shift with one penny actually going back to the taxpayers,” he said.

BERTRAM — Sewer rates could go up if a federal loan to pay for a wastewater treatment plant expansion is approved, City Council members said.

The city is still preparing the loan application.

That was just one of several issues the council tackled during a special meeting Aug. 7 that also included pending litigation involving a whistle-blower lawsuit and well-water use.

MARBLE FALLS — Concerns continue to mount over an outhouse-company owner’s plans to dump treated human waste on his private property in Fairland, though for now it seems state regulators aren’t likely to intervene.

About 50 people packed the Marble Falls Public Library community room Aug. 7 to discuss their worries over a septic operation that has state approval to dump the waste on 30 acres. They also were urged to contact their state lawmakers.

“I’m really concerned with protecting our water,” said Dannielle Meredith, a 51-year resident of Fairland, which is just north of Marble Falls and is part of an aquifer. “Many people like me assumed the (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) would not grant this (registration), but they did.”

On June 6, the TCEQ approved a registration to Childress Outhouses LLC and its owner Robert Childress, which allows the business owner to dispose of human waste on his property off CR 121.

Childress said the concerns are misplaced, especially because that is his home and he would never do anything to harm his family or others.

“I don’t think people really understand what’s going on,” said Childress, who didn’t attend the meeting. “I live here and my wells would be the first to be affected — and my kids. I’m not going to do anything that would endanger them.”

The businessman’s home sits inside the 30 acres, as does his water well.

Since June when the issue gained prominence, Childress said he’s spoken to several people who initially opposed the plan to dispose of treated human waste on the property from his septic-pumping and portable-toilet businesses. Many, he added, have changed their minds once they learned the facts about what he’s doing.

“There’s some misinformation going around, I think, that I’m going to have septic pools here — and it’s nothing like that,” Childress said. “There’s a lot of hoops I had to jump through for this. I know (the TCEQ) is going to be watching me. I’m not going to do anything that violates the regulations.”

Under regulatory guidelines, Childress is required to follow several requirements to protect groundwater and surface water. The effluent is first treated with lime to raise the pH level for at least 30 minutes to control pathogens, according to TCEQ.

“The lime really knocks down the odor,” Childress said.

Unless TCEQ commissioners take some type of action during an Aug. 22 meeting, it’s unlikely any changes will be made to Childress’ registration.

Still, TCEQ’s initial approval isn’t sitting well with many of Childress’ neighbors, other residents, the Burnet County Commissioners Court and the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District.

Several critics have expressed fears over the impact the discharge could have on area aquifers. A quarry adjacent to Childress’ property has dug into an aquifer, thus exposing water to the surface.

“I’m not sure people realize how far I’m from that,” he said.

Under the rules, Childress has buffer zones he must maintain from property lines, water wells, waterways and residences. He’s also restricted to the amount of treated waste he can apply, when he can apply it and at what rate.

In July, the CTGWCD and the Texas Campaign for the Environment filed motions to overturn the registration for TCEQ commissioners to consider.

Eric Allmon, an attorney with the Texas Campaign for the Environment, told the audience at the library that TCEQ commissioners have until Sept. 10 to reconsider.

If they don’t take action, then the motions are basically overruled and Childress can dispose of the human waste on his property as outlined by the state, the attorney said.

The only scheduled TCEQ commissioners meeting prior to the deadline is Aug. 22, and the draft agenda for that session doesn’t mention the Fairland issue. A final agenda is expected Aug. 14.

“There’s a lot of the process that’s happened, and there’s a lot of process yet to come,” Allmon said. “But this is a decision point right now — to get the motions set for the Aug. 22 meeting.”

Robin Schneider, executive director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment, urged the audience to contact state leaders including Sen. Troy Frasier, Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock and incoming Rep. Marsha Farney.

Aycock represents Burnet County in the Texas House but will pass that torch to Farney in January due to redistricting.

“The most important thing you can do right now is contact Sen. Frasier and ask to sit down with him,” she said.

Frasier, the chairman of the senate’s Natural Resources Committee, and other state leaders can influence the TCEQ commissioners, she said.

“You should be holding (your representative’s) feet to the fire,” Schneider said.

Childress, meanwhile, sought to allay any fears and urged critics to educate themselves about what he’s doing.

“I’m not just pumping it out on the land and letting it pool up,” he said. “There’s a lot of rules and a lot of restrictions I have to follow. It’s going to be treated waste.”

daniel@thepicayune.com