MARBLE FALLS — Filing for local school board elections opens Feb. 6, which means the races could start heating up soon.
The filing deadline is March 5 and board elections are May 12.
Marble Falls and Burnet school districts have three positions each on the ballot this year. The Llano Independent School District has two slots up for election.
MARBLE FALLS — When the Marble Falls Independent School District landed Todd Dodge as its 19th head football coach and athletic director, officials anted up with the checkbook. Dodge’s $100,000 salary makes him one of the highest paid district employees.
And while Dodge is making almost double the salary of any veteran MFISD teacher and more than any principal during a time when the district is watching every penny, Superintendent Rob O’Connor said his compensation isn’t outside the norm for a 4A head football coach/athletic director.
The superintendent said with Dodge’s coaching resume, which includes four Texas high school state championships at Southlake Carroll and college experience, the $100,000 is well deserved.
PHOTO: Todd Dodge (left) is all smiles after Marble Falls Independent School District Superintendent Rob O’Connor introduces him Jan. 23 to the community as the new athletic director and head football coach. In the background is School Board President Rick Edwards. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
MARBLE FALLS — A new building is now open to house the city’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments, officials said Jan. 30.
“I’m tickled pink,” said Perry Malkemus, the public works director. “We have probably three times the office space that we did in the old facility. We will probably have close to 30 (employees) out of this facility. And before we probably had about 18 (and) we were all maxed out.”
The new facility, located at 1808 Second St., has office hours from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. The phone number is (830) 798-6250.
Malkemus and Parks and Recreation Director Robert Moss are two of several city employees who have offices in the new building.
Others include Assistant Public Works Director Duane Anderson, Parks Superintendent Lewis Fincher, Water-Wastewater Director Johnny Long and Street Supervisor Dennis Thompson.
Staff members have been moving belongings to the new building since late December but couldn’t officially open until the phones started working.
Showers are in each restroom along with a break room.
Employees have an equipment barn located behind the building for tractors, backhoes and trucks.
MARBLE FALLS — Economic development leaders want to create a strategic plan based on six goals to bring more jobs and companies to the city, as well as spur business growth.
The Economic Development Corp. held a workshop Jan. 25 to consider the goals, which officials developed from surveys and interviews conducted by the Lower Colorado River Authority as a community service.
The goals include business attraction, marketing, business retention and expansion programs, the business park, education and incentives.
MARBLE FALLS — About 800 Pedernales Electric Cooperative members including Marble Falls High School lost power about 2 p.m. Jan. 26, officials said.
By 2:40 p.m., all power was restored at the high school. All after-school activities will take place as scheduled and buses are running on time, officials said.
A bolt broke on a crossbar at a utility pole and caused the shutdown, a PEC spokeswoman said.
Power to all customers should be restored by about 4:15 p.m.
Starting at 2:05 p.m., high school students and teachers sat in the dark as they waited word on the outage. Administrators decided to continue classes, which were primarily lit by windows.
Auxiliary lighting was activated for exits and emergency doors.
Nearby Colt Elementary School at 2200 Manzano Mile was not affected by the outage.
MARBLE FALLS — A company that builds public restrooms is relocating to the Colt Circle building, potentially bringing 60 jobs to the community, Economic Development Corp. officials announced Jan. 25.
The company, which offices in Nevada, replaces Ronn Motors Co., which had leased a portion of the building from the EDC but is moving to Houston by the end of the month.
On Feb. 1, CorWorth Building Systems LLC, the Texas-based parent of Restroom Facilities Ltd. of Reno, Nev., will begin moving into the 77,000-square-foot facility at 1707 Colt Circle.
“In the mid-80s we were working in Texas, so the opportunity to move back is exciting because we know the work force,” said CorWorth spokesman Howard Worthing. “We’ll be more centrally located to ship to the West and East coasts.”
The company could employ up to 60 people.
“We currently have about 30 employees. We’re only going to be bringing about three to four from Reno,” he said of dozens of initial positions which will need to be filled right away. “Then, we’re looking at some large projects in the next 30 days which will double the work force.”
The company is bringing its corporate headquarters as well as the restroom facilities manufacturing unit, officials said.
CorWorth inked the deal with the EDC after the nonprofit city agency cut ties with Ronn Motors, an eco-friendly car products manufacturer.
“They (CorWorth) had been showing quite a bit of interest in the Marble Falls community for several months now,” said EDC Executive Director Christian Fletcher, who was hired by the nonprofit in August. “They made a few contacts prior to me coming on board.”
Officials with Ron Motors nixed plans to operate out of the Colt Circle building after months of wrangling with the EDC over projected job estimates, finances and contractual obligations.
An initial agreement between Ronn Motors and EDC involved the alternative automaker remaining in the Colt Circle building for three years, then relocating to the Marble Falls Business and Technology Park.
In the meantime, the Colt Circle building would be turned into a vocational and technical training center by the EDC, which spent $3 million to purchase and upgrade the former candle factory about two years ago.
“We’ve been working through that process,” said Fletcher, who added Ronn Motors is expected to clear out of the building by Jan. 31.
Fletcher said Ronn Motors’ recent announcement to leave for Houston launched negotiations with CorWorth, which had made a local contact through business dealings.
“We’ve been working on those documents for the last four weeks. This was one action item coming out of executive (closed meeting) session from the Jan. 4 meeting,” he said. “We did not have a place to put them until we learned of (Ronn Motors’) decision decision to relocate.”
Fletcher said the announcement is promising news for Marble Falls.
“Certainly having a company with some local ties who would be relocating from Reno would be a great resource for Marble Falls with our resource-development goals,” he said.
Worthing added, “We already have the contacts with labor and vendors. With the products we’re building, we’ll fit in nicely with the resources that are around us.”
CorWorth may start accepting applicants by Feb. 6. Subsidiary RFL also constructs low-water or no-water restroom models, while CorWorth specializes in monitoring maintenance costs, accessibility and energy efficiency in recreation facilities.
For more about the companies, visit www.CorWorth.com or www.restroomfacilities.com. To learn about the available jobs, visit http://jobs.corworth.com.
AUSTIN — Police are asking for the public’s help to learn what led to the death of a 27-year-old Marble Falls man found in Barton Creek last week.
The body of Anders Edward Shockome, whose family said he last lived in Marble Falls, was discovered shortly before 2 p.m. Jan. 14 in the creek in the 2100 block of Andrew Zilker Road, according to officials.
According to his obituary, the Army veteran once served four years at Fort Bliss, near El Paso.
GRANITE SHOALS — Police are seeking more leads in connection with attempted assaults aimed at two lone women on the same day.
Investigators need the public’s help to locate anyone involved in the episodes on Jan. 23, said police Capt. Clint Low.
Patrols have also been increased, he added.
The incidents at this time appear unrelated because the descriptions of the assailants are different, Low said.
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls school district did something many districts haven’t been able to do recently — add to its savings.
At the close of the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the district added $885,627 to its fund balance for a total of $8 million, said Lisa LeMon, the Marble Falls Independent School District’s accounting supervisor.
“The $800,000 we added (to the fund balance) was from reducing cost, not from adding revenue,” LeMon said during a Jan. 23 School Board meeting.
