DECEMBER 13, 2017 SURFACE VALUE
GOODBYE, KRUG
Field surface material not specified in baseball/softball complex price.
Community mourns former Kyle mayor, community leader.
– Page 1B
– Page 1B
Hays Free Press © BARTON PUBLICATIONS, INC.
75¢
Vol. 121 • No. 38
HaysFreePress.com
Park over budget
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Kyle man receives 25-year sentence for 2014 murder
LET IT SNOW!
Buda okays design despite $750K overage BY SAMANTHA SMITH
PARK BUDGET, 4A
STAFF REPORT
PHOTO BY LINDI BUTLER
Joshua Butler, a young Buda-area resident, forges his own path onto freshly fallen snow that fell at a residence in the Cimarron Park neighborhood in Buda. The youngster, along with many, many others, got a chance to celebrate a heaping helping of snow that fell across Hays County Dec. 7. More photos from the rare snowstorm can be found on 1C.
Aquifer Storage
City of Buda green-lights pilot study BY SAMANTHA SMITH
Buda city leaders took another step toward implementing Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) with the approval of a pilot study meant to test the safety of the proposed project. On Dec. 5, the Buda City Council approved, by a 6-0 vote, a professional services agreement with HDR for the pilot study. Councilmember Remy Fallon was not present at the meeting. James Dwyer with HDR gave a short presentation to council members regarding the pilot study, whose funding was included in the Water Capital Improvements Fund as part of the 2017 certificates of obligation bonds. Dwyer said the total cost of construction for the pilot study would
According to city documents, Buda intends to use ASR technology (Aquifer and Storage Recovery) as a “water supply management strategy to reduce or eliminate seasonal peak shortages through water banking.” be $1.25 million. Dwyer said $1.1 million is being used for pump and site improvements and $150,000 being used for a new monitor well. According to city documents, Buda intends to use ASR technology as a “water supply management strategy to reduce or eliminate seasonal peak shortages through water banking.” Buda intends to inject water from the
Edwards Aquifer deep into the Trinity Aquifer. In a later interview, John Dupnik, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) general manager, said ASR technology allows entities to take a small portion of existing Edwards water and store it in the Trinity Aquifer until it’s needed. “An ASR system is intended to allow water to be banked in good times and
COMING UP Buda Trail of Lights Trail of Lights is a free holiday event held at Historic Stagecoach Park where visitors walk a lighted trail, sip hot chocolate, and meet Santa. The trail will be open for its final weekend Dec. 1417 from 6-10 p.m. nightly.
then pumped back out when it’s needed in times of drought,” Dupnik said. Dupnik said hydraulics associated with the ASR system were actually very simple and only involve having an Edwards production well and injection well in the Trinity Aquifer side by side. Dupnik said the transference of ASR water supplies would be done by pumping from the Edwards well and then moving the water right over to the Trinity well and injecting it down into the deeper aquifer, meaning no additional piping needed. But the approval of the pilot study doesn’t mean Buda residents can start expecting the city to be able to utilize the ASR technology right away.
AQUIFER STORAGE, 2A
Starlight Symphony Orchestra presents ‘Innovative Traditions
Celebrate the holidays with the Starlight Symphony Orchestra’s performance of its holiday series “Innovative Traditions.” The orchestra will have three performances this season: Dec. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. at the Hays PAC and Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. at the Wimberley First Baptist Church.
EmilyAnn Trail of Lights
Head to Wimberley to celebrate the 20th annual festival at EmilyAnnTheatre and Gardens every night through Dec. 28. Enjoy more than 100 lighted exhibits from 6-9 p.m. SundaysThursdays and 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Roast a marshmallow, listen to live music and meet Santa.
MED CENTER
Local population growth leads to biz expansion. – Page 1D
INDEX
While still $750,000 over the planned $4.1 million budget, the Buda City Council approved design documents for improvements to Buda City Park by a 7-0 vote Dec. 5. Claire Hempel, a representative with Design Workshop, updated the Buda City Council on design changes meant to cut costs in the project, which now has an estimate of $5.2 million. However, the current estimate is a far cry from the initial $8.1 million price tag the project carried. “We’re over budget, but we want to keep the heart of the design the same,” Hempel said. Hempel said additional design changes could ultimately place the project $750,000 over budget. Some examples of design cuts included eliminating many of the planned concrete pathways in the park and replacing the concrete in other pathways with a crushed granite or gravel mixture, Hempel said. Other cuts involved using crushed granite or gravel for parking space, instead of complete asphalt parking and eliminating the proposed pavilion parking altogether. City staff, along with Hempel and her team, recommended moving forward with construction documents now so as to get bids on the project before the New Year. Hempel said funding could be found through corporate sponsorships, where a large sponsor would donate money toward the construction of the project in exchange for its name or logo displayed on it.
News …………… 1-4A Opinion …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C
Best Bets ………… 4C Business ……… 1-4D Classifieds ………... 2D Service Directory ..... 3D Public Notices … 2-4D
A Kyle man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Dec. 6 after a Hays County jury convicted him of a 2014 retaliation-style murder. TREJO Michael Anthony Trejo, 22, was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting death of Carlos Fernandez, according to a Hays County press release. During testimony at the trial, which began Nov. 27, witnesses said Trejo and Fernandez were searching for a gun on April 14, 2014, that had been used in an earlier shooting episode.
MURDER, 2A
Kyle places rail siding on master transit plan BY MOSES LEOS III A $14.9 million project that could one day prevent stopped trains from clogging traffic in downtown Kyle is now on the city’s Transportation Master Plan. The move, done by a 7-0 Kyle City Council vote Dec. 5, could help Kyle have “more impact” in its request to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to place the project on the list for federal funding, said Leon Barba, Kyle city engineer. Barba said the proposed project would move the existing rail siding, located near Center Street, to an area on the tracks between Burleson Street and Kohler’s Crossing. Barba said stopped trains would not block either road. A railroad siding, or switch station, is used to divert slower trains off of the main track. Barba said Union Pacific, the company that owns the railroad, is designing the switch station in-house. UP will
RAIL SIDING, 2A