OATMEAL — The cause of a fire that destroyed a 19th-century home painstakingly restored by Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Jim Fiero and his wife remains under investigation, officials said Friday.

Fiero, who has spent his life putting out fires at other people’s homes, was at a meeting when he heard a call on the scanner about a fire on CR 327 and realized that was his address.

The blaze was reported about 11:15 a.m. Thursday. The Bertram Volunteer Fire Department arrived first to find flames engulfing the home.

“It was our retirement — our dream,” the chief’s wife Melissa Fiero said Friday. “We’re just trying to figure out where to go from here.”

The home has been featured on historic restoration and banking/financial websites. The refurbished house was also featured on Home and Garden Television in 2007.

The state Fire Marshal’s Office, the Fiero’s insurance company and the Marble Falls fire marshal are probing the blaze, officials said Friday. No cause has been determined, though the couple said they designed the house to be as fire-resistant as possible.

MARBLE FALLS — The creation of an emergency services district by voters will be a “make-or-break” issue for the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, the chief said.

It is a sentiment echoed by firefighters in Granite Shoals, who also are trying to convince residents to support a new ESD — a taxing district that raises funding for fire and emergency medical services.

Anticipated budget cutbacks mean an ESD is needed to maintain and improve fire services by the Marble Falls volunteers, who are part of an unpaid, all-volunteer department answering calls outside Marble Falls, Chief Terry White said.

“If we don’t get it and with the potential we’ll be losing some funding next year — it’s pretty vital for the department to keep functioning at our normal capacity,” White added.

Granite Shoals Chief Austin Stanphill told his City Council July 21 that an ESD for the unincorporated area outside Granite Shoals may be the only way to ensure those homes get fire protection.

Residents who live in both areas could have a chance to vote on the creation of separate ESDs on the Nov. 8 ballot.

MARBLE FALLS — Despite little change in student test scores, Marble Falls High School’s state’s accountability rating dropped to unacceptable for 2011 — the lowest ranking.

Other schools in the district also slipped in the state academic rankings.

“It’s not that our (high school) scores went down, they just didn’t improve,” said Amy Jacobs, the Marble Falls Independent School District assistant superintendent. “And the fact we didn’t show much improvement is a big concern.”

A school rated as academically unacceptable by the Texas Education Agency has to submit a plan on how student performance will improve, and the state can assign a monitor. Schools that receive two unacceptable rankings in a row can be closed.

Two factors that influenced the lower ranking are higher accountability standards and the state no longer using a formula that allows good grades on one test to help bolster poorer scores on another, officials said.

The high school was rated academically acceptable last year and recognized the previous year.

MARBLE FALLS — Just a month after taking over cafeteria services from a private contractor, the Marble Falls Independent School District is raising meal prices.

Officials said the hike is in response to new requirements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We don’t have a choice in this,” said Mary Davidson, the Marble Falls ISD food services director, during a School Board meeting July 25.

MFISD trustees voted 4-2 to raise elementary school lunch prices from $1.60 to $1.75; elementary school breakfasts from 80 cents to 90 cents; secondary school lunches from $1.85 to $2; secondary breakfasts from 80 cents to $1; adult and

teacher lunches from $2.50 to $3; and adult and teacher breakfasts from $1.10 to $1.75.

This is the first price increase for meals in more than 10 years, MFISD officials said.

The minimum increase required by the government is 5 cents, but Davidson recommended slightly higher prices so MFISD wouldn’t be hit by a big jump in two or three years.

Board member Kevin Naumann wasn’t sold on raising the prices more than a nickel.

“I know we’re talking about only pennies,” he said. “But if we’re only required to raise it 5 cents, I don’t see why we should raise it more.”

Trustee Kelly Fox agreed with Naumann and voted against the measure.

The hike is prompted by the USDA’s efforts to close the gap between what the government funds for the free-lunch program and what schools charge for regular meals, Davidson said.

Trustee Tommy Chaney asked whether it might look bad raising prices since MFISD only took over food services July 1.

Board President Rick Edwards said he didn’t think so.

“We know the quality of food and service will increase,” he said. “This (price increase) is a new rule by the USDA.”

The USDA reimburses the district $2.70 for every meal served under the free- and reduced-lunch program for economically disadvantaged children, Davidson said. She said the federal agency also kicks in 27 cents for meals of other students not in the free-lunch program.

By subtracting the 27 cents from the $2.70 figure, the USDA’s reimbursement rate is basically $2.43 per free-lunch/breakfast meal, Davidson said.

Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 passed by Congress, the USDA is requiring school districts make the cost of the paid meals more equitable with the federal reimbursement rate for the free-lunch program, Davidson told trustees.

Instead of making districts close the gap in one year, Davidson said the USDA is allowing schools make the adjustment over several years.

Under previous lunch prices, the MFISD elementary school gap was 83 cents ($1.60), while the secondary gap was 58 cents ($1.85).

While the minimum required increase is 5 cents per meal, Davidson recommended a higher price so the district wouldn’t be forced to make a more significant jump someday.

“If an elementary student at 175 school days had lunch every day, you’re looking at $26.50 more for lunch,” she said.

Interim Superintendent Jim Boyle said moving control of food services directly to the district saves money. For the last 20 years, the district had contracted with Aramark to operate the cafeterias and feed students and faculty.

“If you compare it to our competitors (local private restaurants), you’ll see MFISD offers the best deal in town,” Boyle said.

The Burnet Consolidated Independent School District also recently voted to raise food prices to comply with USDA requirements.

MARBLE FALLS — A tractor-trailer rig headed east on RR 1431 snagged an overhead utility line about 1:15 p.m July 26, knocking out power to about 250 Pedernales Electric Co-op customers for 68 minutes.

One of those customers was Victory Publishing Co. Ltd., the owner of this website and The Picayune weekly newspaper, which was nearing deadline to make it to the press. The newspaper temporarily relocated operations to Highland Publishing Co. Inc.

Meanwhile, the rig caught power lines running across the 1000 block of 1431 just east of H-E-B.

Trey Grebe, PEC district manager, said when the 18-wheeler caught the lines and stretched them, the force snapped a power pole on the north side of the street.

“It knocked out power from about McDonald’s (at Northwood Drive and RR 1431) on down (to the east),” said Kay Jarvis of PEC.

Power was restored to most PEC customers shortly before 2:30 p.m., Jarvis said.

With power lines hanging low across the street, police rerouted westbound traffic off 1431 to Avenue K and then to Mission Hill.

Officers directed eastbound traffic around the power lines through Avenue L and Broadway.

Grebe said the power was restored for most customers once crews were able to rework the damaged line.

By 6 p.m., a new pole was in place and the lines were restrung across the roadway.

Within minutes of the accident, PEC crews were on site making repairs.

Police reported no major traffic problems.

daniel@thepicayune.com

GRANITE SHOALS — Officials are revisiting a proposal to begin charging for fire protection outside the city limits.

The plan discussed during a workshop Thursday would allow homeowner associations and subdivisions to contract for services, but what happens to residents living on their own remains undecided.

To cover everyone, Burnet County officials are suggesting the city look into joining an emergency services district, which could be on the ballot Nov. 8. A similar measure was defeated two years ago.

Now, city residents pay the majority of costs for fire protection both in and outside the municipal limits.

“I think if we can come up with a formula that is similar to what residents are paying, we can do it,” said Granite Shoals Fire Rescue Chief Austin Stanphill. “The department can’t continue to provide this service outside the city limits.”

The city budgets about $220,000 for the Fire Department, officials said. The county provides an additional $23,000 for “mutual aid” response outside the city limits.

Mayor Dennis Maier said the $23,000 doesn’t come close to covering the fire department’s cost to provide protection outside the city limits.

“City residents are basically subsidizing fire protection outside of Granite Shoals,” he said.

However, the county and city signed a contract last year stipulating Granite Shoals will provide some fire protection in rural and unincorporated areas. The contract ends Sept. 31.

The council now has to decide what happens after that. During the meeting, city leaders said protection has to be maintained outside the city limits, and at an equitable level for those residents.

MARBLE FALLS —The identity of the lone finalist for the Marble Falls Economic Development Corp. executive director won’t be revealed until later this week when final negotiations conclude.

“A final candidate has been selected,” board President John Packer said Friday.

Packer declined to release the name of the selectee — one of three finalists — pending the talks.

Buda EDC Executive Director Wayne Ketteman and Levelland EDC Executive Director Charles David “Dave” Quinn Jr. are among the candidates.

Also, the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce is being considered.

Ketteman, Quinn and Chamber Executive Director Christian Fletcher took part in interviews Wednesday, including mock press conferences.

The board could announce the finalist “within a day or two,” Packer said. “We don’t want to keep any of (the candidates) waiting too long.”

The EDC asked for applications from both individuals and agencies during the months-long process.

MARBLE FALLS — Building relationships is one of the first tasks Robert “Rob” O’Connor will undertake as the new superintendent of the Marble Falls Independent School District.

That includes building bridges to the community, to teachers and to the district’s growing Spanish-speaking population. Roberts, who lived for years in Central America, is bilingual.

Newly hired Marble Falls Independent School District Robert “Rob” O’Connor (center) shares some of his thoughts after the School Board’s vote July 18 to offer him the contract whole trustees Karl Westerman (left) and Rick Edwards look on.

Roberts was hired Monday after MFISD trustees voted 7-0 to offer him a one-year, $155,000 contract following an off-and-on search for a superintendent that lasted about a year.

“I tell first-year administrators it’s really about relationships,” he said this week. “This is a relationship business and you have to go out and establish relationships. So I look forward to getting out there and establishing the relationships I need to establish with the teacher groups, the staff, the community members and everybody that’s associated with making this happen.

MARBLE FALLS — The creation of an emergency services district by voters will be a “make-or-break” issue for the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, the chief said.

Anticipated budget cutbacks mean the taxing district will be necessary to maintain and improve fire services by the unpaid, all-volunteer fire department, which answers calls outside Marble Falls, Chief Terry White said.

“If we don’t get it and with the potential we’ll be losing some funding next year — it’s pretty vital for the department to keep functioning at our normal capacity,” White added.

The volunteers are hosting a public meeting Aug. 1 at the fire station, 606 Ave. U. Firefighters will discuss the need for the creation of Burnet County ESD No. 6 in the department’s 122-square-mile service area, White said.

The proposition could be on the ballot Nov. 8.