Dec. 7, 2016 Hays Free Press

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DECEMBER 7, 2016 REMEMBRANCE

CLASSIC

Local family looks to share story of Pearl Harbor experience.

Lady Rebels take second at Hays CISD Classic tournament.

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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.

Vol. 120 • No. 37

HaysFreePress.com

Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢

Social media gets ugly in local race BY SAMANTHA SMITH

news@haysfreepress.com

The ugly side of local politics reared its head prior to the Dec. 13 Buda City Council Place 1 runoff election between Lee Urbanovsky and John Hatch. While there has been a record turnout so far during early voting, some residents are concerned

You better watch out...

PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III

A Kyle Elementary school student received a triple dose of holiday cheer last week as Santa donned antennae bearing his likeness while inside of historic Kyle City Hall. Santa joined numerous Kyle citizens in celebrating the holidays with the annual Kyle tree lighting ceremony.

Buda council takes up Prop 1 The Buda City council unanimously voted Tuesday to set the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for Propositions 1 and 2 at approximately $24 million. With the GMP set, construction on a new municipal building site along south Main Street, which is part of Proposition 1, will begin on Jan. 18, 2017. Brian Hallot, a representative with JE Dunn Construction, said Buda had an agreement with JE Dunn Engineering to deliver the projects to the city within a GMP

based on the construction drawings at the time of the GMP presentation. The GMP for Proposition 1 totaled $18.7 million, while Proposition 2 had a GMP of $4,762,433. Hallot said the city saved roughly $200,000 as the GMP for the projects were both under budget. Hallot said this is the best arrangement for the city since the company managing construction would absorb any costs over the GMP. “The owner’s risk is limited, providing the construction documents are complete and the construction manager has made allowances,” Hallot said during his presentation.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

• Relocation of a tree on the site of the city's new municipal building - January 18, 2017 • The structure of the new municipal building June 2017 • Buda’s new public safety building - substantially complete by October 2017 • City Hall/Library - substantially complete by April 2018

After the approval of the GMP, a more concrete schedule for the completion of Propositions 1 and 2 can be defined. Hallot said JE Dunn had accounted for inflated construction costs, which answered a question from council member Bobby Lane.

Altmiller said the GMP would come in below the tax rate promised to voters. “Staff has worked very closely with JE Dunn and Page and are comfortable with proceeding with the proposed GMP,” said Chance Sparks, director of planning and interim assistant city manager.

COMING UP

Buda Trail of Lights

See the spectacles of the holiday season at this annual event at Historic Stagecoach Park Dec. 9-10 and Dec. 15-18. The trail is open 6-10 p.m. nightly. Senior Citizen Night (RSVP only) will be held Dec. 8, 6-8 p.m.

GOODWILL New resale store opens in Kyle. – Page 1D

INDEX

BY SAMANTHA SMITH

news@haysfreepress.com

Starlight Symphony Orchestra Celebrate the holidays with the Starlight Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from the Symphony - Warm Cookies & Cold Milk.” The orchestra will perform 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17 at the Hays PAC and Dec. 18 at the Wimberley First Baptist Church.

News …………… 1-4A Opinions …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C

about the level of discourse online among supporters of both camps. Private forums on Facebook such as “Informed Citizens of Buda” have been a stage for vehement posts among the Place 1 candidate supporters. In an emailed interview with the Hays Free

BUDA RUNOFF ELECTION, 4A

Reconstruction begins for Kyle housing board BY MOSES LEOS III

news@haysfreepress.com

As fallout continues to settle from the Kyle Housing Authority scandal, a newly created board of directors is starting to pick up the pieces. Five new members of the Kyle Housing Authority board were sworn in during a meeting held at Kyle

City Hall Dec. 1. The five constitute the first members appointed to the board since 2007. Michelle Lopez, vice chair of the KHA board, said the board plans to “dig in” and begin the process of fixing the KHA. “We want to make this something that will work well for residents, and our city can be

HOUSING, 2A

Video billboards coming to Kyle? BY LOGAN MCCULLOUGH

news@haysfreepress.com

A “wait and see” mentality is how Kyle city leaders are approaching a property owner’s application to alter the Central Texas Speedway billboard to allow onpremise, full-motion video advertising. Kyle business and property owner Rick Coleman applied for eligibility with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to alter the CTS billboard. During the Kyle City Council Nov. 1 meeting, City Manager Scott Sellers presented city billboard requirements to gauge councilmembers’ opnions about having additional authority and control over the on-premise billboard requirements for displaying full-motion advertising. Sellers called the

Best Bets ………… 4C Business ………… 1D Service Directory ..... 3D Classifieds ………...2, 4D Public Notices ……2, 4D

speedway an “asset of the city,” citing its various benefits to the town, while also calling attention to the dim state of the current billboard. Current Kyle ordinance adopts state standards on off-premise advertising. The TxDOT standard on billboard LED signage states that for off-premise advertising with a rotating display, images can change once every eight seconds. There is currently one LED billboard within Kyle city limits located on the southbound Interstate 35 access road near EVO. In Kyle, with every sixth image on the LED billboard, the city can present an image of its own. However, the CTS billboard is on Speedway’s property, which allows Coleman the right to use on-premise advertising,

BILLBOARDS, 4A


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