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2021
Volume 34, Issue 24
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May 6, 2021 | 50 Cents LIBERTY HILL VOTES 2021
School propositions get thumbs up
STACY COALE PHOTO
It’s splash time
The City of Liberty Hill opened its splash pad at Wetzel Park this week to the excitement of children of all ages. Among those first visitors of the season were Ford Ranahan (left) with older sister Irelynn Ranahan. The splash pad, which is located downtown at the intersection of Loop 332 and CR 279, is open daily from May 1 to Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The magic returns downtown with Whimsy& Wonder
By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer A whimsical beginning to a new tradition in 2019 left the community wondering in 2020 when the magic would return. This month, Whimsy & Wonder is back. The interactive art and music festival is set to bring Liberty Hill residents a wide variety of art and entertainment on May 15, where a walk down Loop 332, from RM 1869 to the water tower parking lot will bring live music, art activities and art vendors. “I think I’m most excited for Dale Watson. Last time we didn’t have a big stage for the street dance. That is new this year,” said Liberty Hill Communications Manager Katie Amsler. “He’ll come on after all the other musicians have stopped. At Quick Service Garage, I have a group called Big Wy’s Brass Band, and they’re seven or eight kids playing brass instruments. We’ll also have a harpist named Sarah Hall from (The University of Texas). She plays modern songs on her harp. At Veteran’s Park, we’ll have Oatmeal
Sound Company, and we’ll have Matt Brown, one of our wastewater technicians who has a band.” The festival is looking to Malted Grains, Hell or High Water Brewery, and Parker’s Market for their food needs. “Hell or High Water and Malted Grains will both be having food and drinks for sale,” said Amsler. “Parker’s will be open and selling food and drinks, too. I want them to make lots of money. Malted Grains will be inside, and Hell or High Water will set up a tent outside.” As citizens roam from vendor to vendor, they can enjoy a variety of entertainment, from strolling magician Cody Fisher’s close-up magic to Scott Wade’s dirty car art. Folks can even get their portrait done on a tortilla. The water tower parking lot transforms into the Imagination Garden for one day, becoming a central location for LH INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO kids to flock to. “Kids can check out a buck- Loop 332 will transform into an art and music wonderland et of chalk, and they’ll have on May 15 as the City of Liberty Hill brings back the Whimsy & Wonder festival. The Loop will be closed to traffic from 12 See WHIMSY, Page 4 Noon to 1 a.m. that day.
©2021 The Liberty Hill Independent
Teresa Rios is the first Teacher of the Year for Santa Rita Elementary. The eight-year teaching veteran failed to hold back the tears when the announcement was made during a special after school meeting. (Courtesy Photo) same peers who voted for her, for her success this school year. “I couldn’t do this without them,” she said. “I couldn’t do this without their partnership. We’re here to make kids successful. It’s teamwork. I
67 percent of the vote (1,391671) and totals $457.7 million, making up most of the total bond package. It includes funds for four new schools – two elementary, a middle and the district’s second high school – campus renovations and expansions to five current campuses, planning funds for additional new campuses, land purchases and a variety of other infrastructure projects. The $8 million approved in Proposition B is for new technology devices, and passed with 68 percent of the vote (1,430-657). Propositions C and D, which dealt with athletic facilities didn’t receive the overwhelming support the first two
See BONDS, Page 5
Ferguson, Hargrove emerge in LHISD Board contests
Rios named Santa Rita’s first Teacher of Year
By ANTHONY FLORES Staff Writer First-grade teacher Teresa Rios isn’t a fan of attention. When Santa Rita Elementary administrators held a special after-school meeting in the gym to make a big announcement, all of a sudden, Rios was the center of it. She is Santa Rita Elementary’s first-ever Teacher of the Year. “I was shocked. I can’t put it into words to express how I feel,” Rios said while holding back tears. “I’m humbled and honored. I dislike attention on myself. I’m not a person who thrives on attention. Knowing this was voted on by my peers, this is such an honor.” Rios credits her team, the
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor All four propositions in the $491.7 million bond package Liberty Hill ISD presented to voters Saturday were approved, setting a course expected to help the district keep pace with a student enrollment projected to double over the next five years. “I’m excited for the future of Liberty Hill and definitely glad the bond election is behind us,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “Now the real work begins. It makes me feel good. The community of Liberty Hill shows overwhelming support for our school district. We realize the amount of money on the ballot this May was overwhelming to think about.” Proposition A passed with
couldn’t do it without the parents supporting me or an administration that goes above and beyond.” Heading into a new year in the middle of a pandemic left staff pondering many unknowns. Rios, along with
many others, took on the challenges as they presented themselves. “We didn’t know what it would look like at the beginning of the year,” said Rios.
See RIOS, Page 8
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Ten candidates campaigned for two open spots on the Liberty Hill ISD Board of Trustees, and it was Michael Ferguson in Place 3, and Kristi Hargrove in Place 6 who finished on top when all the votes were counted. Ferguson – who tallied 836 votes – won the four-candidate contest handily with 49 percent of the vote over Charlene Stephens (338), Steve Messana (282), and Antonio Canas (240). In Place 6, where six candidates were vying to finish an unexpired term, Hargrove (487) grabbed 28 percent of the vote, ahead of Cory Milam (423), Robert Baughn (302), Aurora Trahan (201), Jennifer Williams (199), and Lockie Ealy (124). The victory and chance to
serve on the LHISD Board was exciting for Hargrove. “I’m going to be able to serve the community, the teachers, the kids and the parents,” she said. “I got a chance to visit with a lot of people over the last couple of months and it was awesome to hear all the different concerns and to be able to just tell people from the heart how I felt about those concerns. I was very honored to be chosen. It was close, but I’m excited.” The result gave Ferguson a chance to sit back and catch his breath after a busy campaign. “Leading up to it, it got very exciting,” he said. “It was a stress reliever in a sense because obviously there is a build up, you get super excited and you don’t realize how intense it is until the next day. It had
See LHISD, Page 7
Voters call for change again on Council
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Two years after Liberty Hill voters elected a trio of candidates campaigning together for change, they said no to the same and called for change once again. This time, challenger Angela Jones (171 votes) won 70 percent of the vote against long-time Council member Liz Rundzieher (74) in Place 5, and Crystal Mancilla (139) won a 31-vote advantage over incumbent Gram Lankford (108) for Place 3. Steven McIntosh, who ran alongside Rundzieher and Lankford in 2018 but abandoned his seat in March when he moved out of Liberty Hill, was replaced by Chris Pezold (143) who beat Kim Sanders (103) for Place 1. Each of the winning candidates felt energized for their new role after campaigning. “I’m very excited,” Pezold said. “Talking to so many people over the course of this election process really struck me with how many people are concerned and conservative thinking, wanting to get our
town back on track. I really feel motivated to get in there and try to start buttressing this community for the growth that’s coming.” Both Mancilla and Jones said they felt good about the increased voter participation in this election. “I was really happy to see a bigger voter turnout in our city,” Jones said. “I was excited to meet lots of people during the campaign and I met a lot of amazing families.” Mancilla, who thanked Lankford for his service on the Council and said she appreciated getting to know him more through the campaign, said helping to increase local participation in the City was her main goal in running. “I’m thankful we had a lot of participation, and new people who haven’t voted before or might be new to our city,” she said. “The most important thing is that the numbers went up in participation for voting for city council. No matter which way it was going to go that was my goal.”
See ELECTION, Page 8