July 22 2015

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WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2015

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CITY

Amazon headed to San Marcos, expected to create 350 new jobs By Alexa Tavarez NEWS EDITOR @lexicanaa

City council unanimously approved a deal with Amazon Tuesday that will create 350-1,000 jobs. The project was in the works for acouple of years, said Councilman Jude Prather, Place 2. Amazon, the largest Internetbased retailer in the country, will build a new fulfillment center off of McCarty Lane. The center is planned to be 855,000 square feet and an estimated investment of $60 million. The retailer is expected to bring at least 2,400 parking spots and opportunities for future jobs. Under the proposed agreement, construction for the new building is expected to begin in December of this year. -Jon Wilcox contributed to this story.

COUNTY

School safety program launched to limit speeding By Kasandra Garza NEWS REPORTER @KasGarza

Hays County of f icials launched a new safety program July 15 to limit speeding in school zones. Schools in the Wimberley area will be piloting a new safety program using radar technology to photograph license plates of vehicles caught speeding in school zones during drop-off and pick-up hours. The new program is intended to better enforce school zone speed limits and reduce complaints. “It’s pretty common that we are issuing citations in those school zones,” said Commissioner Ray Whisenant, Precinct 4. The program is scheduled to kick off during the summer school sessions in Wimberley, Ayres said. During this time, only warnings will be issued, said Constable Darrel Ayres, Precinct 3. A vehicle with an onboard computer and radar technology will be able to photograph the license plates of speeding vehicles in place of the physical presence of a police officer, Ayres said. When school zone lights are flashing at the time of drop off and pick up, the radar will “lock in” on the speed of a car, he said. The safety program is a coordinated effort to reduce speed and bring people into

See SPEED ZONES, Page 2

Reconstruction is still in process July 18 after Memorial Day weekend flooding of apartments at Aspen.

MARTHA FIERRO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Wimberley flood survivors ask presidential candidate to reconsider stance on climate change By Jon Wilcox SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @thrilcox

In the wake of the 2016 primaries, a group of Hays County flood survivors are asking Senator Ted Cruz to reconsider his stance on global climate change. The group, mostly comprised of Wimberley residents, presented a petition with more than 15,000 signatures to Cruz, asking him to acknowledge rising temperatures may have contributed to an unprecedented level of flood damage. The historic Memorial Day Weekend floods this year shocked the community, destroying over 300 homes and killing at least nine people in Wimberley. On July 2, the group of Wimberley residents and

homeowners gathered outside of Cruz’s offices in Austin after the senator refused to meet them, said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group. Armed with signs and speeches, Metzger and the f lood survivors held their own “press conference,” arguing against Cruz’s environmental policies. Cruz considers global climate change “a hoax,” Metzger said. Renee Boschert, Wimberley resident of 23 years and Montessori schoolteacher, said she travelled with the group to Cruz’s Austin office with the hope the senator would reconsider his stance on climate change. “We just want him to

CITY

open his mind,” Boschert said. Cruz did not meet with the group and denied their entry to his office, Boschert said. “(I felt) totally disappointed but not surprised,” Boschert said. Earlier on the morning of July 2, the Austin American-Statesman published a full-page advertisement paid for by Forecast the Facts, “a grassroots human rights organization dedicated to ensuring that Americans hear the truth about climate change,” according to the group’s website. The advertisement takes particular offense to a comment Cruz made immediately after the Memorial Day Weekend floods. The U.S. senator announced his

2016 presidential bid back in March. “It’s wrong to try to politicize a natural disaster,” Cruz said in a May 27 press conference at the San Marcos Police Department after the Memorial Day weekend floods. “It has nothing to do with politics,” Boschert said. “I don’t care what party he’s from. He’s a human from the planet and should take care of it.” Boschert’s Wimberley home of 23 years was severely damaged in the floods, receiving five feet of water inside the first floor, she said. Boschert said the flood destroyed not only her belongings, but her irreplaceable natural treasures as well. It brought “tears to (her) eyes” to see the 100-year-old

cypress trees on the riverbank knocked down and killed, she said. Boshcert said the flood was an atypical disaster, an “enhanced event” with unprecedented levels of damage. The Wimberley community has come to expect regular flooding and even appreciates the cleaner, clearer river waters the floods leave behind, Boschert said. “This was not a normal flood,” Boschert said. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said he is a nonpartisan researcher who thinks there is plenty of data linking human activity to climate change. Nielsen-Gammon was appointed in 2000 by then-Governor George W.

See TED CRUZ, Page 2

TRANSPORTATION

City Council denies future Uber, other ride-hailing programs Hooters permit to sell liquor officially arrive in town By Darcy Sprague SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @darcy_days

The San Marcos City Council voted 7-1 July 7 to reverse the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision to grant Hooters a conditional permit to sell mixed beverages at their future location in San Marcos. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted May 6 to grant Hooters a conditional permit to sell mixed beverages. In the July 7 city council meeting, San Marcos resident, Robert Jett, petitioned to reverse the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision. Jett lives in the Sunset Valley neighborhood, located behind where the Hooters property will be located. “We envision San Marcos to have a strong, more comprehensive foundation of safe, stable neighborhoods while preserving and protecting the historical,

cultural and natural identities of those neighborhoods,” Jett said in the July 7 City Council meeting. Jett said Hooters is a danger to his neighborhood because of noise and traffic, which would be a contradiction to the comprehensive plan. Four of the current council members, including the mayor, helped to create the city’s comprehensive plan for rezoning and development. “What does (the Planning and Zoning decision) show people looking to make San Marcos their home?” Jett asked in his comment. “That money means more than stable neighborhoods.” Geoffrey Bracken, an attorney representing Hooters, said the restaurant is committed to working with the community to come up with a solution. Design-wise, Hooters has moved the patio to the

See HOOTERS, Page 2

By Alexa Tavarez NEWS EDITOR @lexicanaa

Uber and other ride-hailing companies can officially conduct business in San Marcos after city council passed a new ordinance in early July. Council members voted on the ordinance July 7 allowing for ride-hailing programs to operate in the Hays County area after a public hearing. City officials have been developing an ordinance to allow for ridehailing programs to come to San Marcos since the beginning of this year, said Chase Stapp, San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp. Stapp said officials worked on comparing ordinances and legal language from other cities with Uber and similar ride-hailing programs to tailor a contract just for San Marcos. In drafting the new ordinance, Stapp said officials

overcame hurdles in dealing with the insurance measures that protect riders while meeting state guidelines. Stapp said all drivers undergo background checks. “Our taxi service here has grown over the years and has been a valuable service and it will continue to be a valuable service,” Stapp said. “This is a just different way of getting across town.” Stapp thinks the taxi companies will remain economically relevant in the San Marcos market, especially in the downtown area. “There are times when you don’t necessarily plan ahead that you’re going to need a ride,” Stapp said. “You can always flag a cab down.” Stapp said downtown patrols try very hard to give inebriated people a safe ride home without incrimination, but there are only so many officers. “It gives people one more option to get home safely,”

Stapp said. Stapp said he hopes to see a decline in DUI arrests with the arrival of Uber and other ride-hailing programs. “Time will tell if it has that impact,” Stapp said. Stapp does not anticipate a dramatic effect on traffic patterns in the San Marcos area. Mayor Daniel Guerrero said in an Uber press release he is excited to offer the citizens of San Marcos more transportation options. No members of the public spoke in favor or against the resolution in the public hearing at the July 7 city council meeting. The council voted 5-2 on Uber’s operating permit. “If it makes it easier for people who don’t have cars to get around, I think that opens up a segment of our community that hasn’t previously been tapped,” Stapp said.

CRIME

Police searching for man that exposed himself at local restaurant By Alexa Tavarez NEWS EDITOR @lexicanaa

San Marcos police are search-

ing for a white male after he exposed himself to a child July 4 at the Whataburger on IH-35 south. A witness reported the

man to store management after she noticed he was filming the child and had exposed himself in the restaurant. The man was described as ap-

proximately 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds with gray hair and blue eyes. Police said he was last seen leaving the restaurant wear-

ing an orange Longhorn hat, gray T-shirt and black jogging shorts. Witnesses reported the suspect leaving the area in a 1990s Dodge Caravan

minivan, according to police. Investigators are encouraging people to call 512753-2132 with information regarding the incident.


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July 22 2015 by The University Star - Issuu