APRIL 11, 2018 SHOOTOUT
DOG PARK
Rebel arm key in 1-0 win over Lobo softball.
City leaders break ground on new Steeplechase park.
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Hays Free Press © BARTON PUBLICATIONS, INC.
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Vol. 123 • No. 2
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Kyle divided on vacation rentals BY KATERINA BARTON
A Medical Mecca Buda city leaders have announced three medical complexes that will soon be located in the city – a full service Baylor, Scott & White hospital; an Ascension Seton Health Center; and a 24-hour St. David’s emergency center.
Striking gold on new medical facilities The always-advancing medical industry has officially staked its claim on Buda. Buda city leaders and officials Wednesday broke ground on a new 70,000-square-foot full-service Baylor Scott & White hospital, along with a 20,000-squarefoot Ascension Seton Health Center. Both facilities will be located along White Wing Trail in east Buda. Several hours later, St. David’s Healthcare announced plans to build a 24-hour emergency center along the Interstate 35 corridor. Ann Miller, Buda Economic Development Corporation (EDC) executive director, said providing access to medical care for Buda residents was a priority. She also believes the facilities can lead to “spin-off” development for the area. “It’s going to change the dynamic of Buda,” Miller said. “We want to provide services that haven’t been here before, and attract people from
“There has already been spinoff development before the hospital has even been constructed,” said Buda EDC director Ann Miller. She later added that, since the BS&W announcement, the EDC has been approached by retailers who in the past felt the city wasn’t large enough to set up in at the time. San Marcos, Austin and Kyle that want different options in medical service.” One of Buda’s primary projects has been Baylor Scott and White’s full-service hospital, which will include an emergency room, hospital and a primary care and integrated multi-specialty medical clinic, according to a press release. BS&W officials estimate the facility will open by summer 2019. Groundbreaking on the BS&W facility comes weeks after the Buda EDC unveiled a development agreement that paved the way for the new hospital. Jay Fox, president of BS&W Austin/Round Rock Region, said
BS&W’s vision is to have a health hub in the Hays County market. Fox said Buda’s hospital is the farthest south in the healthcare’s system and is the first time BS&W has built a clinic and hospital in conjunction. Jose Montoya, Buda EDC Board of Directors vice president, said the BS&W facility was an “outstanding resource” the city landed and will be a “boon” that will create ancillary opportunities for the city. Miller said rumors of the BS&W facility, which have been floating for the past year, led to retail construction taking place on the west side of Interstate 35 in front of Cabela’s. Buda Fire Department Chief Clay Huckaby said
the BS&W facility could play a role in cutting down on the turnaround times experienced by the city’s EMS service. Huckaby estimated 80 percent of Buda patients are transported to Seton Medical Center Hays in Kyle. While Huckaby said he was thankful for the Kyle facility, it can can take EMS crews anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes to transport a patient and return back into service. Buda EMS transports into Austin can take as long as two hours. “Now we can get units back in service in a quicker time frame without having to bring in additional resources,” Huckaby said.
MEDICAL MECCA, 2A
COMING UP Lauren Groff hosts book signings and readings Lauren Groff, author of the novel The Monsters of Templeton, Delicate Edible Birds, a collection of stories, and Arcadia, a New York Times Notable Book, winner of the Medici Book Club Prize, and finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award, will be having a book reading and signing at the Wittliff Library at Texas State University at 3:30 p.m. April 19. She will also have a reading and signing at the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center in downtown Kyle at 7:30 p.m., April 20.
TAX RETURN
Texas ranks low on taxpayer return investments. – Page 1C
INDEX
BY MOSES LEOS III
Kyle Market Days
Kyle Market Days occurs the second Saturday of each month at City Square Park. Come enjoy various local vendors, as well as music food and games. The next Market Days is April 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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The future of short term rentals (STR) in Kyle was debated in a public hearing April 4 as part of a special Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at the Plum Creek Community Center. The meeting’s purpose was to elicit comments and concerns from residents on STR prior to the city making a final decision on the topic. Residents’ comments and questions throughout the meeting, however, showed there is still dissent on the issue and little indication on whether the city will allow or restrict STR.
Angie Pereira, a resident of Plum Creek, has had issues with nearby houses that have had Airbnbs. Pereira was worried about the vetting process of bringing strangers into her neighborhood. She also cited previous issues with litter, cigarette butts strewn on lawns, congested parking, along with noise complaints. “No one is going to want to move into a house next to what is essentially a hotel with strangers coming in and out,” Pereira said. Other residents against STR were confused as to why the city has so many
SHORT TERM RENTALS, 4A
Kyle needs federal funds for local rail BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
Safety issues caused by stopped trains in downtown Kyle was the basis of Mayor Travis Mitchell’s case to obtain federal funding for a rail siding relocation project Monday. Mitchell directed his comments at the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Oragnization (CAMPO) transportation policy board, which held its first hearing on area projects recommended for federal funds for the 2019-2022 period. The regional transportation planning organization aims to improve mobility in Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties and ensures an equal distribution of transportation systems. When trains are stopped across Center Street in Kyle, it creates congestion heading into and leaving the area and effectively blocks off the entire downtown, Mitchell said. Besides causing traffic, it is a “significant safety issue” for first responders responding to calls across the nearby Interstate 35, Mitchell said. When trains stop across Center Street, first responders must take longer alternate routes to get across, which can increase critical response times. “It was a problem when we had 2,000 people,” Mitchell said. “Now we are approaching 50,000, with entitlements to reach 100,000
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people over the next 20 years. It’s becoming quite severe.” Mitchell said he chose to address the rail siding relocation to CAMPO himself, as it is a unique project. If approved, it would be one of the only rail siding relocation projects to take place in Texas in 30 or 40 years, according to CAMPO. Kyle City Manager Scott Sellers said the relocation project would ease downtown congestion and improve safety and mobility. Sellers said he has seen people try to walk between train cars to get across the tracks, or try to weave their cars between the train gates to try and get across at the last second. “By moving (the rail siding relocation) away from those crossing, we’ll eliminate those unsafe situations,” Sellers said. Buda has four projects still in the running, two of which are studies, City Engineer John Nett said. The two studies would take a look at potential projects such as improving the intersection at FM 1626 and RM 967, and a study into linking the high-growth areas of Buda and South Austin together through connecting FM 1626 and State Highway 45 to I-35, or the Garlic Creek Parkway Corridor. A project Buda hopes to be approved is a potential bike and hike path trail along Over-
CAMPO PROJECTS, 2A