2020
Volume 33, Issue 17
First 4 COVID-19 cases confirmed in WilCo
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Williamson County health officials announced the first four known cases of the COVID-19 virus in the county Wednesday afternoon, and said with the expansion of testing for the virus that number is expected to climb. The four cases include a female in her 40s who has been self-quarantined, a male in his 50s with exposure to a known case, an infant who is a close contact with a separate known case, and a female in her 40s who has known travel history to France. The Williamson County and Cities Health District will identify potential contacts exposed to the virus and provide close contacts guidance about the virus and monitor them for the development of symptoms. In response to these cases, County Judge Bill Gravell announced two additional measures in the county intended to help minimize the spread of the virus. Days after issuing rules limiting gatherings to 50 people, Gravell dropped that number to 10, saying that the rule applied to all gatherings including church services, weddings and funerals. Gravell also announced that during the county disaster declaration – which was extended Wednesday until the Commissioners Court takes action on it – common dining areas in restaurants and common indoor and outdoor bar spaces are to be closed. Restaurants will be able to remain open for carry out and delivery service only. Local changes Mayor Rick Hall signed a disaster declaration Monday for the City of Liberty Hill. The City joins the cities of Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park and Williamson County locally in making the disaster declaration. “It sets us up in case anything escalates with coronavirus so that we can receive federal and state funds when they are
See CASES, Page 4
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March 19, 2020 | 50 Cents
Local businesses get creative during pandemic
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer Small businesses across Liberty Hill have been forced to think outside the box in order to keep serving customers amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. From shutting their doors and moving to a completely online platform to taking extreme sanitation measures, local companies are doing their best to keep their lights on, pay their employees and continue to serve the Liberty Hill community. Retail stores have taken different approaches to allow customers to still shop while practicing self-quarantine and social distancing. For example, Dollar General has dedicated the first hour each day to senior shoppers, who are the most susceptible to COVID-19; and Pep & Punch is offering a “doorbell dash” service where customers can place an order and store employees will deliver their items to their homes. Kami Pogue, owner of the Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique, said she is keeping her doors open for now, and has
MIKE EDDLEMAN PHOTO
RACHEL MADISON PHOTO
Tiffany Miller, patient care technician at Care First Walk in Clinic, waits in the outside screening area at the clinic. Anyone planning to enter the clinic is required to be screened before going inside. instituted a strict sanitizing FaceTime her and she can shop program. with them over the phone. “We can walk around with “We are preparing for the worst, but expecting the best,” them and they can pick out she said. “We keep everything what they want,” she said. wiped down, and anytime any- “That way it’s a more personal one touches our doors we clean experience and we get to visthem, and anytime a customer it with our customers. That’s comes in we clean behind our primary goal anyway—to them. We also have hand san- love our community well and itizer everywhere.” minister to them. When people Pogue has also been ramping do come in, we have a positive up her online store and is inSee BUSINESS, Page 5 viting customers to call in or
LHISD Superintendent Steve Snell joined superintendents and County Judge Bill Gravell in Georgetown to address how districts are working together during school closures.
Schools closed, opening new ways to meet needs
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor GEORGETOWN -- Liberty Hill ISD announced Monday that students would not return to class until April 6 -- a decision made by all Williamson County school districts as the list of districts closing across the state swells daily. “This is unlike any other emergency situation,” said LHISD Superintendent Steve
Snell. “I’ve dealt with hurricanes, I’ve dealt with school closures and we’ve dealt with bad weather days, obviously, but this is a new and interesting front. It’s the enemy we can’t see and the enemy we don’t know a whole lot about. We’re taking steps that the experts in the health department say we should take
See SCHOOLS, Page 8
Food stores adjusting to panic-buying
By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer As worries grow about the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and the rest of the world, local grocery stores are having to cope with increased demand for food, water, toilet paper, and other items. In downtown Liberty Hill, Parker’s Market is providing locals with the essential items they need, working hard to meet an ever-growing demand. “H-E-B doesn’t have anything, Costco doesn’t have anything, and Restaurant Depot is on limits for everything, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have anything,” said Manager Kimberly Woolsey. “Business is really good, but for people who need just a couple of things, there’s nothing left,” said Woolsey. Woolsey worries about a possible time when people have so much at home that
ANTHONY FLORES PHOTO
Shelves where toilet paper and paper towels should be are often bare at the H-E-B in Leander as customers clear them out as fast See FOOD, Page 4 as employees stock them.
Local charities see heightened need
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor As items at local grocery stores fly off the shelves as fast as they are stocked, a pair of local charitable organizations are feeling the pinch in their efforts to serve others. Operation Liberty Hill and Hope House are already identifying needs the community can help meet as preparation for the unknowns of the immediate future begin. “We really just started talking about it early this week when they started closing the school districts in Austin,” said Operation Liberty Hill (OLH) Executive Director Susan Baker. “We
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started talking about the people we’re going to need to deliver food to, the lack of volunteers we will be faced with because of this, and I don’t think anyone knows the impact this is going to have on any organization, especially a food pantry. I don’t know how it will impact us in the end, we just don’t know what to expect.” It is the unknown that has led OLH to make the call to the community for food and monetary donations. “If the food is clearing off the shelves at the grocery store, people are going to come to us,” Baker said. “We’ve got to maintain our stock. We already buy meat, and we’ve had to tell people that come in on a weekly basis that they can only get the meat once a month. With the shortage we just don’t have enough for everyone to get it every single week. Unless we
get some funds we will just have to do the once a month for the meat.” Monetary donations are needed to purchase meat and necessity items, and a tax-deductible donation can be made online at operationlh.org or by mail at PO Box 1081, Liberty Hill 78642. The following items are needed to increase stock: • Bottled water (gallon or smaller) • Canned meats (tuna, chicken, Vienna sausage, Spam, etc.) • Dry pinto beans • Spaghetti • Canned beans • Shelf stable milk • Toiletries (shampoo, body soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toilet paper) • Detergent • Dish soap
See CHARITIES, Page 5
Dean out as EDC head
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation (EDC) voted Monday to accept the resignation of Executive Director Lance Dean -- nearly a month after the Board voted not to renew his contract. The resignation is effective March 27. Dean was hired in March 2017. The vote was unanimous, with Director Steve Snell absent, and followed a 50-minute executive session on the matter. As part of the motion accepting the resignation, the Board also “authorized the EDC Board President to enter into a consulting services agreement on the terms discussed in executive session.” On Monday, The Indepen-
dent requested details from the City on the consulting services agreement, including who it was with, but did not receive a response by press time Wednesday. The Board put Dean’s future with the Liberty Hill EDC in question at a Feb. 20 meeting when it voted not to renew his contract. In that meeting, called for the sole purpose of discussing the issue in executive session, the Board chose not to renew the contract – which is structured to be renewed annually – based on the desire to make changes to that contract. According to Board President John Johnston, no details of the decision could be shared because the issue was a personnel matter taken up in closed session. “We wanted to do some
Lance Dean resigned this week as Liberty Hill EDC Executive Director. changing on (the contract), and all that was in closed session,” Johnston said at that time. “To do that, the first thing we have to do is not renew it if we’re
See DEAN, Page 3