HORSESHOE BAY — A new grocery store with roots that go back more than a century debuts this week when Jamail’s opens its doors for business.

“We are really looking forward to being a part of his community,” said owner Jim Jamail.

He, his wife Kathy, their daughter Paige Barnes and her husband Micah are the principals behind the family-operated grocery, which traces its roots to 1905 in Houston.

PHOTO: Jim (left) and Kathy Jamail are opening Jamail’s at 10:05 a.m. Wednesday in Horseshoe Bay. The grocery store is at 9710 FM 2147 West. The Jamail name has been associated with the produce and grocery business since 1905 when Jim Jamail’s grandfather opened his first stand in Houston’s Market Square. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton

BERTRAM — Costs to bring the city pool in compliance with new regulations for the physically challenged may go deeper than Bertram can afford, officials said.

The 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act requires public swimming pools to ensure the physically challenged can easily get in and out of the water, which could mean installing lifts at the Bertram facility.

About $3,000 has been budgeted for pool maintenance, but additional compliance costs could go well above what is available, said City Secretary Evan Milliorn.

The City Council took no action during the meeting April 24, but is continuing to research potential costs.

In other action, the council considered how to fill a position each on the Planning and Zoning and  the Adjustments and Appeals commissions.

No one has applied so far for the two spots, Milliorn said.

Those positions are advertised on the city’s bulletin board.

jared@thepicayune.com

GRANITE SHOALS — Complaints that a proposed solid-waste ordinance may create too much overregulation led the City Council to send it back for more work.

"If that ordinance passes, there are things that are not feasible to comply with because they are not industry standards," said Tanis Jamar who, with husband David Jamar, owns and operates J Bar Contractor’s Services in Granite Shoals.

She told council members April 24 that wording in the new ordinance would likely over-regulate companies that are licensed through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to haul debris and trash. 

Mayor Dennis Maier recommended the proposal go to a workshop for more input, and the rest of the council agreed.

Additional regulations at the local level could deter small businesses such as theirs from operating in Granite Shoals, Jamar said.

"Instead of slapping more regulations on solid-waste haulers, your ordinance should refer back to regulations at the state level," she said. "Haulers already have to follow those rules."

The proposed ordinance addresses solid-waste collection from typical trash pickup to construction debris and dead animals. 

Councilman Carl Brugger said the proposed ordinance could mean residents have to pay an extra fee for the removal of dead animals on their property.

"That doesn’t seem fair," he said. 

Several other council members concurred.

In other business, Assistant City Manager Ken Nickel said the budget may not be balanced at the end of the fiscal year,  with a deficit of more than $34,000.

He walked the council through the current budget, noting some changes necessitated by mid-year adjustments including increased fuel costs, lower insurance rates and unexpected fees.

DOUBLE HORN — Since late November when the Gridiron Bridge was closed, Pauline Carrington had to take the long way from her home on CR 404 to reach her job in Marble Falls.

She had to drive to Texas 71, then go north on U.S. 281 after the old bridge near her house was removed and the state started building a new one.

PHOTO 1: The Texas Department of Transportation has finished work on a replacement bridge on CR 404 at a cost of $336,000. The bridge is now open, much to the relief of residents who said they had to spend extra on gas to take alternate routes. The old bridge was moved to Johnson Park in Marble Falls. Courtesy photo

MARBLE FALLS — A 44-bed, full-range hospital will be ready in late 2014 instead of 2016, two years earlier than planned, according to Scott & White Healthcare officials.

“We are pleased that we are able to move forward with the first phase of the hospital bed tower ahead of schedule by almost two years,” Scott & White President and CEO Dr. Robert Pryor said in an April 26 press release.

The Wayne and Eileen Hurd Regional Medical Center campus hospital tower, which will hold 44 beds, is opening two years sooner due to the faster pace of construction, Pryor said.

KINGSLAND — Investigators are probing two fires that broke out about the same time but across town April 23, including one that left a family without a home.

A blaze on McArthur Avenue in a large shed forced neighbors to temporarily evacuate their homes, but it doesn’t appear related to the fire that destroyed a manufactured home on Waco Street, firefighters said. Both occurred about noon.

No cause has been determined, but battling two fires at the same time stretched the resources of area departments, firefighters said.

PHOTO 1: Firefighters from area agencies assisted the Kingsland Volunteer Fire Department with a two-story shed fire that scorched a nearby home and resulted in the evacuation of  neighbors just before noon April 23 in the 1800 block of McArthur Avenue. Staff photo by Connie Swinney

MARBLE FALLS — A public meeting to consider the first survey for a possible sports complex is set for Tuesday at Lakeside Pavilion, officials said.

The survey by consulting firm Baker-Aicklen & Associates was finished this past week, officials said.

The meeting is 6 p.m. at the pavilion, 307 Buena Vista Drive.

HORSESHOE BAY — A $20,000 grant is helping police add extra gear to a patrol boat for night searches, especially since the number of visitors to Lake LBJ is expected to double during the warmer weather.

The lake stays at a constant level, and the amount of waterway traffic has significantly increased in the wake of a drought that has drained other reservoirs, officials say.

To help officer handle the influx of boaters on LBJ, the Police Department is using money from the $20,000 grant for additional patrol boat equipment, said Police Chief Bill Lane.

MARBLE FALLS — A cherished tradition of hanging banners over roadways by Pedernales Electric Cooperative crews to promote festivals, fairs and plays could soon be a part of Highland Lakes history.

The banners are coming down next year and nonprofits looking to advertise their events will have to find other ways to get their message across — including social media and print, say officials.

“It’s (about) safety,” PEC spokeswoman Kay Jarvis said April 19. “We’re going to phase it out and make sure it’s done by Jan. 1, 2013.”