Nov. 24, 2016 News-Dispatch

Page 1

Locals prep for Small Biz Saturday page 3

Texans, Tigers move forward

Businesses see new OT rules

page 4

page 7

News-Dispatch Volume XXXVII No. 8

Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982

75¢

Thursday, November 24, 2016

25,000 gallons spill near FM 150 BY MOSES LEOS III

news@haysfreepress.com

Tigers stun Wildcats in last-second victory

PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK, WFOTOS.COM

A referee watches as Dripping Springs’ Keith Mitchhart split two Wildcat defenders to hang on to a 15-yard pass from quarterback Reese Johnson to win the game for the Tigers with :04 seconds remaining on the clock against Angleton. The play started with :14 seconds in the game and the Tigers facing a fourth-down and six. See story on page 4.

LAGNIAPPE EmilyAnn Trail of Lights

Enjoy more than 100 lighted exhibits created by Wimberley businesses and organizations at this annual trail Nov. 26-Dec. 29. Roast a marshmallow at the Yule Log, listen to live music and meet Santa. Get details at emilyann.org

Lisa Avery at Wimberly library

The public is invited to join local author Lisa Avery at the Wimberley Village Library, Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m., as she reads from her book of poetry, “Beautifully Naked. At Last,” which explores her powerful journey shifting fear to freedom. Her accessible yet challenging and hopeful words convey, through her journey, that all things are possible. Books will be available for sell and signing following the reading.

LAGNIAPPE, 8

Open space big factor in new development BY JONATHAN GONZALEZ

Legend

news@haysfreepress.com

After a year of development, the city of Dripping Springs moved forward with Phase 2 of the Headwaters development construction plan after the completion of Phase 1, which began in late 2015. The city recently approved a Planned Development District that regulates the type of development within the District. The Headwaters property includes more than 1,500 acres of undeveloped land, which the owner intends to develop as a “master-planned, mixed-use community that will include commercial and residential uses, together with open space and environmental preservation areas,” according to Rick Coneway, Dripping Springs directory of public works and development. Projects in the development area include a new Dripping Springs ISD campus and over 1,000 single-family homesites with 1,000 acres of open space from the 1,337-acre residential area. Also included will be 167 acres for a proposed Commercial/Open Space development located along U.S. Highway 290. “The City was first approached by the developer in 2004,” Coneway said. “The property changed hands a couple of times and development began again in earnest in 2014.” WFC Headwaters Owner VII, L.P. is the owner/developer of the property. Consultants engaged for the planning and design of the residential development were RVI and Doucet & Associates, Inc. The new owner/developer sought amendments to the original development agreement, which were approved after much discussion. The general contractor for construction of the public

Open Space (1,022.77 acres) Lots and Street Right-of-Ways (303.17 acres) Commercial (166.13 acres) Elementary School (1,588 acres) Fire/EMS (1.73 acres)

utilities, streets and drainage is C. C. Carlton Industries, Ltd. Wastewater collection and treatment will be on site and disposal will be by subsurface irrigation. “The developer created the Headwaters Municipal Utility District to provide water and wastewater services to the development among other statutory services provided by law … [since] this property is subject to the City’s regulations including zoning,” Coneway said. City staff, along with the city attorney and other officials, participated in the original negotiations for the development agreement and the subsequent amendments. The city’s Public Works and Development Department has reviewed and approved all of the proposed construction plans including inspection and acceptance of construction.

Headwaters fast facts 1,500 1,000 167 1,000 .33 1 1

acres total acres open space acres commercial/ open space single-family home sites acres per home site new DSISD elementary school campus new fire/EMS station

Negotiations are underway for amendments to the development agreement. Planning and design has already begun for development of the first phase of the commercial tract.

The city of Dripping Springs is investigating the unauthorized discharge of approximately 25,000 gallons of treated effluent that flowed from a city drip irrigation field to nearby property. Ginger Faught, Dripping Springs deputy city administrator, said the incident occurred in a field located in the 23000 block of FM 150 in Dripping Springs late Monday. She said the city was informed of the issue around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

SPILL, 5

County votes split by IH 35 BY JEFF BARTON

news@haysfreepress.com

There’s a strong correlation between how you see the future of the country and where you live in a divided Hays County. Along the Interstate 35 corridor and, especially, in the voting precincts east of the highway or around the college in San Marcos, most people voted for Hillary Clinton for President, for a Democrat for Congress, and in favor of public safety bonds. Moving west and north of I-35, voters were more and more likely to support Donald Trump, a Republican for Congress, and – with a few exceptions – to vote against the county’s bond Proposition 1 for public safety. In far southeastern Hays, Precinct 414 runs along a major gateway entrance to San Marcos and the Texas State campus, along I-35 and up Hopkins past the football stadium along roads thick with college apartment housing and a few neighborhoods inhabited heavily by African-Americans and Latinos. Trump won just 21.6 percent of the vote there. It’s an area defined in part by where the San Marcos and Blanco rivers meet the black-land prairie. At the opposite end of Hays County, in the northwest corner, in the affluent, large-lot subdivisions tucked among the rugged hills of the Pedernales River, President-elect Trump won 61 percent of the vote – and won 60 and 62 percent in the adjoining precincts, his best showing except

VOTES, 2


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.