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2020
Volume 33, Issue 23
www.LHIndependent.com
News@LHIndependent.com
April 30, 2020 | 50 Cents
Liberty Hill businesses take unique approaches to reopening
By RACHEL MADISON Staff Writer When Gov. Greg Abbott announced some businesses could start reopening as early as Friday, Texans across the state took various approaches to the decision. Some businesses have decided to open their doors first thing Friday morning, while others are taking a more cautious approach and not opening until next week or even later. Similar reactions have been the case from businesses in Liberty Hill. Retail stores, restaurants, churches, malls and movie theaters all made the cut to reopen, with some stipulations, mainly that they always must remain at 25 percent or less capacity. Renee O’Dell, owner of Pep and Punch, said starting Friday, her store will be open regular business hours.
“Our main goal with reopening is to make sure our customers and employees are safe and comfortable, so we will still be providing our shopping platform on social media,” she said. “We are also still going to have curbside pick up. Some people aren’t ready to emerge, and that’s completely okay.” O’Dell added that she will be monitoring capacity in her store to make sure it doesn’t go over 25 percent, but because her shop is a boutique, she isn’t concerned about that becoming an issue like it might at a big box retailer. “If we feel like we have enough people in the store, we’ll ask other customers coming in to wait outside for a few minutes,” she said. Sanitization will also be a top priority, O’Dell said, adding that they will be cleaning door
See LOCAL, Page 8
State announces plan to reopen businesses
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Many businesses closed for weeks due to a variety of orders across the state in response to the COVID-19 pandemic got the green light Monday to plan for reopening. The announcement by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Monday – which was identified as Phase One of the plan – will allow all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls to reopen Friday, May 1, with certain restrictions. The primary restriction is they limit capacity to 25 percent of the total listed occupancy, as well as follow a prescribed list of health protocols for businesses, employees and customers spelled out in “The Governor’s Report to Open Texas.” Abbott also emphasized that the new directives would apply across the state.
“This order that opens up businesses in Texas supersedes all local orders,” he said. Locally, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said he supports the decision. “I agree with the Governor,” he said. “We’re being really thoughtful in what we’re reopening. Any restaurant that I’ve been into, having 25 percent of the space occupied, is not a lot of space. That gives the room for people to expand out. I think that was thought through really well.” But along with the focus on getting businesses up and running again, Gravell said the need for precautions remains. “Our businesses need to thrive, and it’s going to take some time for all of us to feel the right level of comfort,” Gravell said. “I have to admit to you that when I leave
See STATE, Page 5
Boomers donates safety equipment to City staff
Representatives from the City of Liberty Hill accepted the donation April 23 of 1,000 face masks, 10,000 pairs of gloves, and several cases of hand sanitizer to the City from the staff at Boomers Convenience Store. Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order allowing businesses in Liberty Hill to open Friday doesn’t require masks, but it does stress safe distancing practices. All city employees, many of whom were working from home, have been directed to return to work Monday. (Courtesy Photo)
LHISD outlines new campus boundary plan
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor With construction ahead of schedule and the planned opening of the new Santa Rita Elementary just over three months away, Liberty Hill ISD is focusing on rounding out a staff and narrowing down which students will fill those classrooms in the fall. The district wants to balance out the student population
on each campus as much as possible, but with one eye on where future growth is coming. “We definitely don’t want to overcrowd our buildings and we want to stay ahead of the curve,” Superintendent Steve Snell said of the decision process on attendance zones. “Looking at the schools we have and looking at future campuses, we want to make
sure we have space for our kids. Secondly, we want to limit the amount of movement a single family might have.” With that one eye on future growth patterns, the plan is to open Santa Rita Elementary with about 400 students in August. “Looking at the high-density areas, if you take just the neighborhoods of Santa Rita South, Santa Rita North,
MorningStar and Cross Creek Ranch, if we just used those neighborhoods to open Santa Rita Elementary, that would start us off – kindergarten through fourth grade – at just under 400 students,” Snell said. The student population will grow quickly, and opening with that smaller number has
See BOUNDARIES, Page 6
Council changes direction on wastewater plant
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Following months of discussion in executive session, the Liberty Hill City Council voted Monday to change equipment suppliers for the wastewater plant expansion nearly a year after a bid was awarded for construction. Mayor Rick Hall called for a motion upon returning from closed session Monday.
Keeping lines of communication open Ballard honored as LHHS Teacher of the Year
By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Thirty-four years ago, Tammy Ballard had a decision to make. What would she choose as a profession? Ballard decided to pursue a career in education and it has turned out to be a blessing not only for thousands of students who have frequented her classrooms over the years, but has also provided a great deal of personal gratification. “I enjoy working with kids and I knew I wanted to help students learn, grow and gain confidence,” said Ballard. “I felt it would be a fulfilling career to guide young people to become confident adults. I was right – it has been the very best decision I have made in my Tammy Ballard named Teacher of the Year at Liblife.” erty Hill High School. (Courtesy Photo) For her continuing educational efforts, Ballard has or is much more than an indi- with my fellow teachers. I am inspired every day by my stubeen named Liberty Hill High vidual award. “I am humbled by such an dents and my peers.” School Teacher of the Year. Ballard currently teaches ProAccording to Ballard, the hon- honor,” said Ballard, who has taught in Liberty Hill for 21 fessional Communications, a years. “I feel privileged to subject that enables her to give ©2020 The Liberty Hill Independent watch these kids grow into her students a gift that will their potential as they learn enhance their lives long after to speak in front of me, their their classroom days are done. peers and other adults. This is See BALLARD, Page 4 an honor I share with them and
“I will entertain a motion on Item B, to allow the Mayor and our engineer to work with Mike Cunningham on the redesign process for the Southfork Wastewater Treatment Plant with a new provider for equipment.” Council member Steve McIntosh followed by saying he would make the motion, and the Council voted unanimously in support of the
change. The change means the City will now use equipment from Suez Environment, rather than from Microdyn MBR, which supplied the equipment for the most recent expansion. The wastewater plant opened in 2018 uses Microdyn equipment and technology, and the extension, approved for construction with a bid awarded in June 2019, was also going
to use the same equipment and technology. Hall told The Independent that past issues with the Microdyn equipment led to the decision. “We just had a lot of concerns with that plant and its day-to-day operations,” Hall said of the plant which opened in 2018. “It’s cost the City a
See COUNCIL, Page 6
New testing opportunities available in WilCo
By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The ability to test for the COVID-19 virus has been one of the primary hurdles for government agencies at the local and state level for some time, but new public options for testing are now becoming more available throughout the state and in Williamson County. County Judge Bill Gravell said Tuesday that about 3,800 tests have been conducted in the county to date between public and private testing operations. He added that currently the County has 2,000 additional test kits and Commissioners voted Tuesday to purchase 3,500 more test kits. “Our goal in totality is (to conduct) 6,000 tests, and I’m unsure how long it will take us to get to that, but I’m really grateful that we’re moving in that direction,” Gravell said. Thursday, April 30, area residents will have a new way to be tested for the virus. Williamson County and the Williamson County and Cit-
ies Health District (WCCHD) will offer a public testing site to create another opportunity for county residents to get a COVID-19 test. The site is for people who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms; however, this test does not require a visit with a physician and is free of charge. Individuals must first take an online assessment based on screening criteria from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “We are offering this new testing option for our county residents who do not have the ability to visit with their personal doctor or go to another testing site to be tested,” said Gravell. The online assessment tool was available starting Wednesay by going to http://www. wcchd.org/COVID-19/testing.php. The first tests were conducted starting April 30. Individuals are expected to receive test results in a few days depending upon lab capacity. “We already have individ-
uals scheduled for Thursday and Friday and there are a lot of folks responding,” Gravell said. People who are eligible for the test will be given an appointment time and location. Tests are available through a drive-thru system and are by appointment only. Appointments will be available Monday through Friday from 9-11 a.m. To bolster the local testing effort, County Commissioners entered into an agreement with an undisclosed company this week for testing services. The County is not releasing the name of the contractor, hoping to avoid people going directly to the locations seeking tests. “We signed an agreement with a private company that has offered to provide testing for Williamson County at three or four different locations and they’ve offered to do that free of charge,” Gravell said. “We would provide the testing kits and the
See TESTS, Page 3