Hays Free Press May 29, 2019

Page 1

MAY 29, 2019 CENTEX LOBOS

RM 150 XINGS

Lobos coalesce for 1-0 win over Cajun FC.

RM 150 low water crossings to be fixed by late July

– Page 4

– Page 2

Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.

75¢

Vol. 124 • No. 9

HaysFreePress.com

Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX

Man shot, killed in Uhland after alleged break-in BY MOSES LEOS III

An Austin man was killed early Saturday after he was shot by a woman as he attempted to break into her Uhland-area home. Authorities received a call around 10:45 a.m. Saturday in the area of Grist Mill Road and

South Plum Creek Road in the Uhland area for a suspicious vehicle, according to a Hays County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) press release. Callers reported a person inside the car who was covered in blood.Shortly after receiving the suspicious vehicle call, authorities

were then contacted by a woman who reported a man attempted to break into her house and that she discharged a firearm at him. When authorities arrived on scene, they found a man in the car who had “suffered gunshot wounds.” The man, identified as Matthew

Aaron Kellas, 35, of Austin, was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to the release. The woman’s home was within “close proximity” to where the vehicle was located, according to the release. HCSO Lt. Todd Riffe

said the woman has not been charged at this time. An official cause of death is pending results from an autopsy. No further information is available at this time. The HCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the incident.

Kyle seeks rail improvements as Burleson Street project nears Progress on construction improvements to Burleson Street continues as Kyle city officials anticipate reopening the road from Lockhart Street to St. Anthony’s Drive by July. Worries are mounting, however, as city officials have been unable to communicate with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) regarding the necessity for the completion of the railroad crossing on Burleson Street before the actual city repairs arrive at the crossing point. Leon Barba, Kyle City Engineer, said Kyle has not had “great communication” with UPRR to complete a series of improvements to the Burleson Street railroad crossing. Barba cited “serious layoffs” within that company as a possible factor. Kyle has a contract with UPRR that requires them to expand the width of the rail crossing and move signal arms further out in order to accommodate the wider Burleson Street. However, work on Burleson Street is moving at a faster pace than UPRR’s planned crossing improvements. Barba said Burleson Street is 35 percent complete, with the city finishing the section from Lock-

Burleson Street is 35 percent complete, with the city finishing the section from Lockhart Street to St. Anthony’s Drive by July. hart Street to St. Anthony’s Drive by July. Work on Burleson Street from Star of Texas Drive to just past Spring Branch Drive is slated to start within the next four or so months. Kyle plans to complete Burleson Street by September 2020. “If we get there before they (UPRR) do, we have to stop and wait for them,” Barba said May 21. “That’s not what we want. We want the crossing done first, and then tie into what they have.” Barba said if Kyle finishes Burleson Street before the UPRR is done, it could lead to a wider road and a narrow crossing. That could lead to “a lot of back and forth” between the city and the UPRR, which could lead to delays. “If we get there first, you can expect that whatever we build is

Day of remembrance U.S Army Command Sgt. Major Lawrence K. Wilson was the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day remembrance ceremony. Wilson was the command sergeant major for the 1st “Raider” Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. His troops captured Saddam Hussein in Dec. 2003. Wilson read a list of the 12 soldiers he lost while in Iraq as a way to honor their service. He keeps the list of fallen soldiers in his coat at all times. Area residents took to the Kyle VFW Post 12058 in Kyle to honor fallen Hays County servicemen on Memorial Day. Joining the ceremony was Boy Scouts Troop 812, as well as members of the Gary Job Corps Color Guard, which presented a 21-gun salute as taps was played.

PHOTOS BY EXSAR ARGUELLO

Kyle OKs water quality after residents complain An influx of complaints and concerns over Kyle’s water quality led Mayor Travis Mitchell to address to city staff May 21 regarding those problems. But Tim Samford, Kyle treatment operations manager, reported no issues with the water and said the city is meeting

Per city staff, Kyle residents can reach out to Public Works and receive testing at their home to determine if there are more isolated issues.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) standards. Mitchell said he hoped to learn about the city’s

DOWNTOWN OR UPTOWN? Kyle envisions the movement of downtown to Plum Creek area.

– Page 9

BY KATIE BURRELL Plans for possible development in areas of west Kyle are in limbo as officials fear a proposed underground pipeline could prevent some of it from happening. As a result, Kyle city leaders worry that millions in future tax revenue could be lost, stemming from the inability to construct near Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP).

FM 150 BYPASS, 13

BY MOSES LEOS III

BURLESON STREET, 13

BY KATIE BURRELL

Proposed pipeline puts Kyle building plans in limbo

Officials to repair RM 150 crossings by late July

plaints. “People (are) saying that their water smells funny, smells like gas or is so hard that it is causing their shower heads to corrode in some excessive ways,” Mitchell said. water operations and posPer city staff, Kyle resisibly request testing. That dents can reach out to the came as result of Mitchell Public Works Department detecting an “increase” in the number of comKYLE WATER QUALITY, 8

INDEX

BY MOSES LEOS III

KELLAS

News……………… 2, 14 Opinion………………… 3 Sports…………………… 4 Education……………… 5 Community………… 6-8

Business……………… 9 Service Directory…… 11 Public Notices……… 12 Classifieds…………… 12

Late July is the timeframe state officials aim to completely repair, and possibly reopen, the RM 150 low water crossings over Onion Creek near Driftwood. In the interim, Hays County leaders are also identifying ways to prevent large load vehicles from traveling through the crossings, which they point to as a partial reason for the damage. Walt Smith, Hays County Pct. 4 Commissioner, said the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which owns that stretch of RM 150, plans to work with its current concrete contractors to

RM CROSSINGS, 13


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Hays Free Press May 29, 2019 by Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch - Issuu