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State Sen. Jeff Wentworth | 20 He has been serving District 25 for 18 years
and represents 800,000 people
Southwest Austin edition | Volume 3, Issue 10 | Jan. 28–Feb. 24, 2011Texas’ fastest growing media company www.impactnews.com Savings Guide begins on Page 29
Networks aim to assist travel, close distance between Texas cities
Rail poised to ramp up mobility
Master plan calls for twice the available space per student
ACC considers future of Pinnacle Campus building
The Pinnacle is the most isolated of ACC’s campuses and has half the necessary space per student.
By Kate HullThe Austin Community College’s board
of trustees is in the process of finalizing a district-wide 15-year facilities master plan for each of the eight campuses. For the Pinnacle Campus located at W. Hwy. 290, top concerns are focused on the need for double the current usable space to accom-modate students and whether to continue using the high-rise office building as the center of the campus.
For the first time in ACC’s history, the board of trustees, campus committees and area architects are working to cre-ate a campus-specific master plan. The District-Wide Master Plan 2025 details specific needs at each campus, as well as where to continue expansions throughout Central Texas. A comprehensive draft was presented to the board in December and will be finalized this spring after further discussion and public input.
In 2007, an overall study called the Sasaki Report looked at ACC as a whole and spurred the need for a more detailed analysis of campus-specific issues.
The master plans’ core purposes include meeting enrollment goals of the Closing the Gaps initiative to get high school stu-dents into colleges, providing usable space for students, increasing course availability, prioritizing land purchase and setting the framework for a capital improvement pro-gram. The plan also includes future cam-pus expansion projects in Central Texas through 2025.
“The new study looks at campus by cam-pus and how much growth to anticipate at each location, in terms of the demand we expect to see, and what we can do to expand the facilities to accommodate the new students,” said Bill Mullane, the exec-utive director of facilities and operations for ACC.
By Bobby LongoriaAs Austin continues to grow,
the need for improved transit has begun to move away from auto-mobiles in favor of mass transit rail systems.
Reaching this vision will be the result of combined efforts by sev-eral rail agencies in Texas, each developing a rail system that, in time, will be connected.
“In the end, good public
transportation is what makes cit-ies livable,” said Joseph Black, rail operations manager for the Lone Star Rail District. “When you reach a certain density, you need good transit because at some point the congestion will kill your capability to grow the city in a rational way.”
Commuting out of AustinThe Lone Star Rail District, or
LSTAR, is a planned commuter rail system with 16 stops between Georgetown and San Antonio. It would connect downtown Austin and downtown San Antonio with
a travel time of 90 minutes. The LSTAR is expected to con-
struct two new rail lines to the east of I-35. Freight traffic on the Union Pacific line that cur-rently runs through the middle of downtown Austin will be trans-ferred to these two new lines. The LSTAR will then occupy the old Union Pacific line, with a new track along the route.
‘Shrinking’ the stateBill Glavin, director of the
Texas Department of Transporta-tion’s rail division, said TxDOT
Pinnacle Campus drawbacksFor residents in Southwest Austin and
the surrounding area, a key point of discus-sion is whether the office building will con-tinue to be used for the Pinnacle Campus or be incorporated into the development of a cohesive town center and used for another purpose.
Of ACC’s campuses, the Pinnacle is the
most isolated in terms of nearby services available to students, cohesiveness with the surrounding neighborhoods and ease of transit, said Barbara Mink, chairwoman of the ACC board of trustees.
The 107,400-square-foot campus, which includes a separate portable building for classrooms, has grown by 15 percent since
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See Pinnacle | 16
See Rail | 17
Station-centered development a possibility for Slaughter Lane
Transportation | 8An update on Central Texas roadway, bus and rail projects, including W. Hwy. 290, W. Hwy. 71
impactnews.com
Lance Armstrong to be named Austinite of the YearHonored Feb. 9 at annual meetingmore.impactnews.com/11011
Education | 15Parents, teachers voice opposition to possible school closures
Hill’s Cafe | 19 Austin radio personality upholds decades
of good food
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Sources: Carter & Burgess Inc. and Capital Market Research Inc.
Pedestrian street
Mixed use
public plazaCivic
transit stop
Green space
Community services
Mixed use
The Lonestar Rail District evaluated the economic development potential of a Slaughter Lane area stop in Southwest Austin as well as the 14 other stops and addressed development surrounding each station.
Such transit-oriented development takes advantage of the increased pedestrian traffic due to the access to transportation. The conceptual rendering shows how a TOD is intended to be mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented space where people can live, work, shop and find entertainment.
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2 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 3
What if you could put your business on the map ?
Associate Publisher’s Note Contents
Reader Feedback impactnews.com
4 Impacts
7 Calendar
8 Transportation A look at transportation issues in Central Texas
13 City and County
14 At the Capitol Legislature convenes, agenda tight
15 Education Possible AISD school closures
821 Grand Avenue Parkway, Ste. 411Pflugerville, TX 78691 • 512-989-6808www.impactnews.com
Publisher / Chief Executive OfficerJohn P. Garrett, [email protected]
Southwest Austin
General Manager | Travis BakerMarket Editor | Niamh MarnellReporter | Kate HullSenior Account Executive | Melissa Nicewarner DalyAccount Executive | Scarlett SteakleyLead Designer | Ethan HillStaff Writers | Andrea Leptinsky, Bobby Longoria, Molly RyanContributing Photographer | Sarah Kerver
Editorial management
Associate Publisher | Claire LoveExecutive Editor | Cathy KincaidManaging Editor | Shannon CollettiAssociate Editor | Nicole SmithCreative Director | Derek SullivanAd Production Manager | Tiffany Knight
Administrative management
Chief Operating Officer | Jennifer GarrettChief Financial Officer | Darren LesmeisterBusiness Director | Misty PrattCirculation & Operations Manager | David Ludwick
About us
Community Impact Newspaper, owned by John and Jennifer Garrett, is Texas’ fastest growing news organization. We now distribute to more than 600,000 homes and businesses in seven markets in Central Texas and two in the Northwest Houston area.
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Contact us
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Online-exclusive contentVisit the Southwest Austin home page for up-to-date community news, information
and a full calendar of local events. Find us online at impactnews.com/southwest-austin.
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Correction – Volume 3, Issue 9In the”Development project near Circle C” article discussing the Avaña project, the owner of the additional properties was incorrectly stated as Transcontinental Realty. Additional properties not owned by Standard Pacific of Liberty Bankers are owned by 957 Circle C, LLC, a Dallas-based develop-ment group headed by Robert Murray.
18 Business Strait Music Company
19 Dining Hill’s Cafe
20 People State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-District 25
21 History McKinney Falls State Park
23 Corridor Westgate Boulevard
24 Real Estate
News
Features
M • E • D • I • AI N C O R P O R A T E D
Local jobsPost your résumé and search for local jobs at impactnews.jobing.com.
November employment trends
Central Texas unemployment—7.1%Up from 6.8% in October
State unemployment—8.2%*Up from 8.1% in October
National unemployment—9.8%*Up from 9.6% in October
In the Austin area, trade, transportation and utilities added 2,300 jobs. The government added 1,600 jobs, while education and health services added 200 jobs.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas Workforce Commission
*Seasonally adjusted numbers
This month, our readers will see for the first time the end result of two of our biggest projects of 2010: the redesign of our newspa-per and the launch of our
improved website.The primary objective for both projects
was the same—to improve usefulness and readability. Although they kicked off at different times of the year, it was by design that they were completed and revealed in unison. While most newspapers are focus-ing their attention on their online presence, we continue to focus on both products with equal passion and commitment.
Highlights of the paper redesign include a new layout of the front page; the organi-zation of stories into sections; more concise features; better use of photography; and more readable maps. Design aficionados can appreciate the new fonts and color
palette, but the true intent of these changes is to benefit readers by making the news-paper more readable and aesthetically appealing.
Key changes to our website include bet-ter presentation of top stories along with blog-style updates on developing news; enhanced interactivity by allowing readers to submit story ideas; and new features including a map that allows readers to select the locations of local restaurants, retail shops, parks and other points of interest.
Regardless of how you prefer your news—in the mail or with your mouse—I hope you find what you’re looking for. If not, shoot us an e-mail or send us a letter. We don’t have a preference.
Claire [email protected]
In connection to December’s article “State budget cuts threaten local mental health resources,” readers partici-pated in the poll below, found online at more.impactnews.com/10855.
Should the state legislature make cuts to mental health services?
No. Cuts to mental health will increase jail costs and emergency medical costs.
72.34%Yes. The state has a budget shortfall, and all departments need to cut back on their spending.
24.26%
No opinion. I do not believe cuts to mental health services will affect me.
3.4%Results from an unscientific web survey, collected 11/29/10–12/22/10
4 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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6 Bryce Gilmore, the chef and owner of Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, opened his first restaurant, Barley Swine, at 2024 S. Lamar Blvd. on Dec. 29. The restaurant is a gastropub that focuses on pairing beer with rustic-style food and is open Mon.–Sat. 5 p.m.–midnight. 394-8150, www.barleyswine.com
7 Local Indian restaurant Tandoori Bistro opened in late November at 1605 E. Oltorf St. The restaurant is open Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. for lunch, 5–10 p.m. for dinner and Sat.–Sun. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. with a daily lunch buffet. 383-8210
Coming Soon
8 The locally owned restaurant Mandola’s Italian Market is opening its third Austin-area location at 4301 W. William Cannon Drive, Bldg. E-1 in mid-February in The Shops at Arbor Trails. Offering Italian cuisine and a variety of imported goods and wines, the restaurant is owned and operated by the Mandola family, who has decades of experience in culinary arts. www.mandolasmarket.com
9 Chef and owner of the Austin-area Serranos Tex-Mex restaurants, Adam Gonzales is opening a casual Gulf Coast–style seafood restaurant, Port A Café, located at 9500 S. I-35, Bldg. C, in February. Gonzales, who grew up in Austin, is an avid fisherman who spent time on the coasts of Texas, Florida and Louisiana, which inspired the new restaurant. “The restaurant is a 15-year dream in the making,” Gonzales said. www.serranos.com
Anniversaries
10 The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is celebrating a decade of business at its 5033-D W. Hwy. 290 location in January. The Southwest Austin location has helped provide 512 jobs in the community, $15,000 in scholarships and more than $300,000 in giveaways benefiting a
Now Open
1 Dr. Rocco Piazza opened a plastic surgery office PiazzaCenter for Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skin Care in late fall at 7900 FM 1826 in Health Plaza II, Ste. 206. With a focus on plastic surgery and breast reconstruction, Piazza also provides plastic surgery on-call coverage at the emergency department at the Seton Southwest Hospital and Seton Medical Center. 288-8200, www.thepiazzacenter.com
2 Snip-its, a national children’s hair salon, opened Jan. 21 at 9500 S. I-35, Bldg. 10, Ste. E-200. Owners James and Lisa Lopez are opening their second Austin-area store with life-size characters, music and games. The hair salon offers haircuts,
spa services and themed parties. Snip-its has also combined with the nonprofit Autism Speaks to develop a haircut guide for parents of children with autism and will offer special hours on an ongoing basis for autistic children. 292-9300, www.snipits.com
3 Scott Bennet opened the first Texas location of the national massage studio La Vida Massage Jan. 17. The store, located at 7010 W. Hwy. 71, Ste. 160, is open Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.– 9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. The shop offers various kinds of massage therapy including hot stone, Swedish and others. 288-2455, www.lavidamassage.com
4 That Bytes! Computer Repair, owned by Lance Neufeld and Ken
Hawbecker, opened in mid-November at 1204 W. Slaughter Lane, Ste 3. Offering virus remover and other computer repair services, the store provides for both Mac and PC computers. 330-4048, www.thatbytesaustin.com
5 Ciggy Shack, a locally owned roll-your-own vintage smoke shop, opened Dec. 13 at 3421 W. William Cannon Drive. It features a cigarette-rolling machine, which makes additive and chemical-free cigarettes that are rolled with non-fire-safe tubes. In eight minutes, a carton is produced for about half the price of a regular carton, said Duane Deckard, managing partner. Store hours are Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 891-1521, www.ciggyshackoftexas.com
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impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 5
Snip-its, a children’s hair salon, offers a child-centric environment for children to get haircuts as well as opportunities for salon-themed children’s parties such as the Glamour or Hollywood Party.
Austin native Dr. Rocco Piazza and Caren Zuniga, practice administrator, celebrated the grand open-ing of Piazza Center for Plastic Surgery and Advanced Skin Care in November 2010.
Mary Charron, owner of Austin Custom Winery, holds a variety of events at her newly renamed winery. Customers can make custom wines and design personalized labels for any occasion.
Chef Adam Gonzales has combined his love for cooking and coastal fishing to create Port A Café. The name is a childhood reference to spending weekends at Port Aransas on the Texas Gulf Coast.
variety of local schools, organizations and nonprofits in the area. 358-9125, www.chick-fil-a.com
Relocations
11 Joint businesses Felicia’s Scrapbooks, owned by Felicia Barker, and Custom Invitation & Addressing, owned by Betty Hendricks, formerly at 7500 W. Hwy. 71, moved to a new location at 6340 W. Hwy. 290. Hendricks runs her custom invitation store within the locally owned scrapbooking shop. 496-9384, www.custom-invitations.com
12 ClearVista Financial moved locations from 108 Wild Basin Road, Ste. 261 to 5307 W. Hwy. 290, Bldg. B, Ste. 5 in November. Owned by Holly and Mark Trice, ClearVista Financial offers financial coaching and investment advising to individuals and families. 381-1510, www.clearvistafinancial.com
13 The national immediate care and walk-in medical center Concentra Urgent Care relocated from 2171 Woodward St. to 4301 W. William Cannon Drive, Ste. 320 in The Shops at Arbor Trails on Jan. 11. The medical center treats patients for a variety of non–life-threatening illnesses, injuries and conditions and does not require an appointment. www.concentraurgentcare.com
Name Change
14 Vintner’s Cellar of Austin, located at 7010 W. Hwy. 71, changed its name to Austin Custom Winery in December and is now an independently owned business. Owner Mary Charron helps customers pick out their favorite wine variety, create the wine in house and design a customized label for the bottles. The shop is open Tue.–Sat. 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sun. 1–5 p.m. 394-0600, www.austincustomwinery.com
15 Natural and organic grocery store Newflower Farmers Market is changing the name of its three Texas stores to
Sunflower Farmers Market, including the Austin location at 6920 Manchaca Road. The Austin store is open daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m. 687-2204, www.sfmarkets.com
Closed
16 Diet Center, a national chain weight-loss center focusing on nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, closed its Southwest Austin location at 6340 W. Hwy. 290 in December. The company has been around for more than 35 years. For more information on other locations, visit www.dietcenter.com.
School Notes
17 After a successful first semester, musicians Rob Bentley and James King, co-founders of Don’t Stop Rockin’, began offering 11 weekly 50-minute group electric guitar classes at Gorzycki Middle School, located at 7412 W. Slaughter Lane, Jan. 5. The classes are geared toward students 8 years and older and are a way to encourage music education for students whose schools do not have a music program. 694-7301,www.dontstoprockin.com
High school freshmen entering Austin ISD this fall will now receive a class ranking that is calculated based on four core classes rather than including electives. The decision was made to change the process at the Dec. 13 Austin school board meeting. The change will affect students ranking in the top 10 percent of their class, which is neccessary to be automatically accepted to Texas universities. The new policy will give each student two grade point averages: one calculated by the new system to decide class rank using core classes and a separate GPA that is cumulative of all weighted courses including athletics and other electives.
Damian Mandola (center) and his two sons, Dominic (left) and Damian Jr., have been in the culinary industry for three decades combined. The newest Mandola’s Italian Market will be the third Austin-area location.
News or questions about Southwest Austin? E-mail [email protected].
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Find more or submit Southwest Austin events at www.impactnews.com/swa/calendar.
For a full list of Central Texas events visit www.impactnews.com/austin-metro/calendar.
To have Southwest Austin events included in the print edition, they must be submitted online by the second Friday of the month.
Feb. 20By Kate Hull
The Austin Steel Guitar Co-op, a local organization that promotes steel guitars by creating a place for musicians to gather and play, meets on the second and third Sunday of every month to share information, ideas and perform.
Kenneth Metcalf, a local musician and steel guitar player for the MadCowboys band, started the ASGC more than a year ago to fill a void for steel guitar players in the area. Austin is a steel guitar Mecca and draws in professionals from the San Antonio area that want to be a part of the group, Metcalf said.
“Each month we get together and have a jam session with between 8 and 10 steel guitars set up, a full band and other people in the audience,” he said. “We have a really impressive group of players each month as well as new musicians.”
The meetings on the third Sunday are designed for classes and geared towards new steel guitar players but it is open to the public to anyone who wants to play, listen or become a member. The ASGC meetings are located at the 290 West Bar & Grill at 12013 Hwy. 290 W at 2 p.m. Call 288-0808 or visit www.steel-guitar-austin.com.
Ken
neth
Met
calf
The steel guitar group allows musicians and fans to get together and play music. Notable musicians such as Redd Volkaert, a member of Merle Haggard’s band, have attended.
Austin Steel Guitar Co-op Meetinginto Prosperity” and will feature a lion dance, the parade of nations, Korean music, martial arts and cultural entertainment as well as food from local Asian restaurants. • 5:30–9:30 p.m. $45 for TACC members, $50 for non-members Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 Congress Ave. • 485-1090 www.txasianchamber.org
12 Sweet Barks Valentine’s Day FestivalAustin Pets Alive is celebrating Valentine’s Day with pets by hosting its inaugural Sweet Parks Valentine’s Day Festival at the APA adoption site. The event is a family- and dog-friendly day with live music, a kissing booth, face painting, games, and food. • Noon–4p.m. $5 • APA Center, 2807 Manchaca Road 961-6519 • www.austinpetsalive.org
17 South Austin Networking GroupThe South Austin Networking Group meetings on the third Thursday of every month at Austin Custom Winery to network, share ideas and enjoy locally produced wine made at the winery. Hosted by winery owner Mary Charron, the event connects area business owners and helps promotes local businesses. 6:30–8 p.m. • $5 Austin Custom Winery, 7010 W. Hwy. 71 • 394-0600 www.vintnerscellarofaustin.com
19 Native Plant Spring SymposiumThe Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is hosting “Grasses: They’re not just for mowing” for their native plant spring symposium to celebrate the upcoming season. The event will feature an overview of Texas native grasses and how they can help add to the landscape of yards and gardens, and benefit the surrounding plants. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $75, register for tickets online Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave. • 232-0100 • www.wildflower.org
20 Austin Marathon and Half MarathonThe 19th annual Livestrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will take place in downtown Austin with more than 15,000 runners participating in the event. Other than those interested in participating, volunteers are also needed and can sign up on the
website. • 7a.m. • $90 for half marathon, $125 for marathon • Starting line at 16th Street and Congress Ave. www.youraustinmarathon.com
Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 Sunset Valley farmers’ market Every Saturday, the SFC Farmers’ Market is held at the Toney Burger Center as part of the Sustainable Food Center farmers markets. The mission of the market is to cultivate a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to local, nutritious, affordable food. The Sunset Valley location is one of three markets in the Austin area with more than 110 farmers and vendors. • 9 a.m.–1 p.m. • Free • The Toney Burger Center, 3200 Jones Road www.sfcfarmersmarketsunsetvalley.org
January
28 Happy Hour Benefiting Austin Pets AliveAustin Pets Alive, a nonprofit animal shelter that provides resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals in Austin, is hosting a happy hour at The Dogwood to benefit the shelter located at 2807 Manchaca Road. 5–9 p.m. • $10, includes two drink tickets and appetizers • The Dogwood, 715 W. Sixth St. 961-6519 • www.austinpetsalive.org
29 Travis Audubon Field Trip The Travis Audubon is hosting a bird survey field trip at the Slaughter Creek Greenbelt to survey and view area birds on the 306-acre park and is looking for experienced birders to help with the event. The event is limited to 12 surveyors and participants must bring their own binoculars. 7:30–11 a.m. • Free Slaughter Creek Greenbelt, 5004 Wing Road [email protected] to register www.travisaudubon.org
February3–13 St. Edward’s University presents “Eurydice”The critically acclaimed play “Eurydice” will be performed at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre as part of its 38th anniversary season. The play, written by Pulitzer finalist Sarah Ruhl and directed by Michelle Polgar, tells the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice as events unfold concerning Eurydice’s long-dead father. • Thu.–Sun., 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. • $15 in advance, $20 at the door • Mary Moody Northen Theatre, 3001 S. Congress Ave. • 448-8484
www.stedwards.edu/hum/thtr/mmnt.html
5 15th annual Lunar New Year GalaThe Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce’s Lunar New Year Gala will be held at the Texas State History Museum to celebrate the new year of the Rabbit, the Chinese zodiac’s luckiest sign. The theme is “Leap
Online Calendar
8 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
T r a n s p o r T a T i o n r e p o r T
TRANSPORTATION
Roadblocks ahead for fundingAgencies look to form partnerships to pay for local projects
By Andrea Leptinsky and Molly RyanWith a budget shortfall of up to
$28 billion looming over the 82nd Legislature, another key fiscal gap has drawn less attention: The Texas Department of Transporta-tion needs $386 billion over the next 20 years but expects revenue of about $180 billion, according to agency officials.
“We won’t be able to build any more new lanes for new road-ways just with gas tax revenue after 2019 or 2020,” said Carlos Lopez, district engineer of TxDOT’s Austin district. “After that point, it’s just taking care of what we have.”
Alleviating pressureAlthough no official action
has been taken, TxDOT is con-sidering lowering truck tolls on Toll 130 to help funnel commer-cial traffic to Austin’s outskirts.
Agencies are also turning to the MoPac Improvement Project to help reduce conges-tion. The project, a joint part-nership among TxDOT, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the City of Aus-tin, is being designed to create another lane of traffic on the highway between Parmer Lane and Cesar Chavez Street.
However, it is only the MoPac project’s first phase of
construction that has received financial backing. Funding specific phases of development is an emerging trend among local agencies, said Robert Spillar, director of the City of Austin’s Transportation Department. This helps projects continue along in lieu of reserving large sums of funding.
“We need to fund the next [sin-gle] phase of development so we can get those good cost estimates and then look regionally how to fund them,” Spillar said.
Insufficient gas tax revenueThe blame for insufficient
transportation funding, in part, is placed on gas tax revenue, both state and federal, which are the primary sources of revenue for TxDOT. The state gas tax revenue is 20 cents a gallon, something that has not changed since 1993.
According to David Ellis, research scientist for the Texas Transportation Institute, the gas tax has many deep-seated issues. Primarily, as fuel effi-ciency improves, gas tax revenue decreases.
“Fuel-efficiency trends are irre-versible,” Ellis said. “If you drive the same amount of miles and your fuel efficiency goes up, you are consuming less gasoline, and you are paying less gas tax. We
lose revenue because of increased fuel efficiency and increased construction prices.”
Finding a solutionWhile local transportation
agencies vow to fund their most vital projects first, such as the MoPac project and solving the congestion on I-35, funding for future stages of development is left unsolved.
“We are trying to put our lim-ited money on our most impor-tant projects first,” said Lopez. “There is a balance between having to spend money to take care of our existing 80,000 miles of roads, then you add lanes and add mobility as funding becomes available.”
Spillar said by forming part-nerships with other agencies, Austin is able to fund projects on a situation-by-situation basis. As far as TxDOT is concerned, how-ever, the outlook is bleak, he said.
To increase funding, the state will have to combine different measures that will not please the entire population, Ellis said.
“There is no solution that is readily implementable,” Ellis said. “We have to have a combination of better transit and better use of our existing system.”
Diverting TxDOT funds
State highway funds are at times diverted from TxDOT and funneled to other state agencies and functions that may be unrelated to transportation. Critics of diversions say they hinder transparency in taxation.
State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, said diversions should be ended, but that doing so all at once could have adverse effects on the recipients of diverted funds and will not solve the overall funding gap. Below is a glimpse of where diversions have gone for fiscal 2011.
Department of Public Safety $1.125 billionTexas Transportation Institute $14.9 millionOffice of Administrative Hearings $6.9 millionThe attorney general’s mineral rights litigation $1.7 million Commission of the Arts $1.3 millionHistorical Commission $1 million
Purpose FY 2011 diversions
Source: TxDOT Chief Financial Officer James Bass’ April 2010 testimony before the House Select Committee on Transportation Funding
Texas Department of Transportation budget for fiscal 2011
Committed Projects that began prior to biennium $3.10B
Pay Back Borrowed Funds $1.64B
Maintain and Replace Existing System $5.65B
New Projects from Borrowed funds (Prop 12 & 14)* $2.01B
New Construction from Cash $0.70B
Project Development Costs $1.68B
Other Modes and Services $0.64B
Aviation Services $0.18B
Public Transportation $0.18B
Traffic Safety $0.10B
Travel Information $0.04B
Rail Safety $0.002B
DMV functions in 2010 $0.14B
Administration and Support $0.47B
Toll 121/Sam Rayburn Tollway funds (Dallas only) $1.04B
Toll 130 funds (Austin and San Antonio only) $0.01B
TxDOT Grand Total $16.94B
* Includes $1 billion for deposit to the State Infrastructure BankSource: 2010–11 General Appropriations Act, 81st Texas Legislature
Bee Caves Rd.360
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Unique Award-Winning Playthings forNewborns through Teens
(and even a few for the Grown-Ups!)
In a rush? Give us a call for curb-side pick-up, gift-wrapped and ready to go!
347-TOYS (8697) • Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Escarpment MoPac
Davis Ln.
W. Slaughter Ln.
ready to go! Escarpment
Davis L
Come in and Find Out about our ART PROGRAM!!!
Joe McDermott takes our stage on Monday, February
21st at 10:30 a.m.!!!
impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 9
Search local physicians by practice and area
impactnews.comWhat if the world wide web was local?
Suggest a story idea to our team of reporters
Discover new businesses opening in your area
Use the interactive Community Guide to � nd local shops, restaurants, parks and more
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Find hundreds of free local coupons
Browse stories from the print edition as well as online-exclusive news
Read news from the other regional editions
Department of Public Safety $1.125 billionTexas Transportation Institute $14.9 millionOffice of Administrative Hearings $6.9 millionThe attorney general’s mineral rights litigation $1.7 million Commission of the Arts $1.3 millionHistorical Commission $1 million
10 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
Weir
Congress Ave.
Unive
rsity
Blvd
.
Parmer L
n.
Willi
ams
Drive
Rona
ld W
. Rea
gan
Blvd
.
D.B.
Woo
d Rd
.
McN
eil D
r.
Wel
ls Bran
ch
Ronald W. Reagan Blvd.
CR 260/266
Park Place Dr.
Geor
geto
wn
Inne
r L
oop
Pkwy.
Geor
geto
wn
Roun
d Ro
ck
Ceda
r Par
k
Pflug
ervi
lle
Lean
der
Tayl
or
Ar
teria
l ARo
und
Rock
and
Will
iam
son
Coun
ty w
ill c
onst
ruct
a ro
adw
ay fr
om U
nive
rsity
Bou
leva
rd to
To
ll 45
. Pha
se 1
is a
six
-lane
road
that
runs
from
Joe
DiM
aggi
o Bo
ulev
ard
unde
r Hw
y. 79
an
d th
e Un
ion
Paci
fic ra
ilroa
d tra
ck to
For
est C
reek
Driv
e.
Fund
ing s
ource
s: Ci
ty o
f Rou
nd R
ock
and
Will
iam
son
Coun
ty
Timel
ine:
Pha
se 1
is s
late
d to
beg
in in
the
sprin
g an
d is
exp
ecte
d to
be
com
plet
e in
tw
o ye
ars.
The
sch
edul
e fo
r con
stru
ctio
n no
rth o
f Joe
DiM
aggi
o Bo
ulev
ard
and
sout
h of
Fo
rest
Cre
ek D
rive
to G
attis
Sch
ool R
oad
has
yet t
o be
det
erm
ined
. Co
st: A
bout
$29
mill
ion
for P
hase
1; r
emai
nder
to b
e de
term
ined
The
Dell
Diam
ond
45 TOLL130
TOLL
130
TOLL
183A
TOLL
79
35
95
29
195 1460
2243
1431 62
0
620
183
Geor
geto
wn
Mun
icip
al A
irpor
t
A.W. Grimes
CR 3
68/3
69
Tr
an
sp
or
Ta
Tio
n r
ep
or
T
Cameron Rd.
To
ll 18
3A N
.El
evat
ed to
ll la
nes
in b
oth
dire
ctio
ns w
ill b
e ad
ded
from
Ced
ar P
ark
into
Lea
nder
. The
lane
s ar
e be
ing
built
in th
e m
iddl
e of
exi
stin
g su
rface
lane
s.
Timel
ine:
The
Cen
tral T
exas
Reg
iona
l Mob
ility
Au
thor
ity b
roke
gro
und
on th
e fiv
e-m
ile e
xten
sion
of
Toll
183A
N. f
rom
FM
143
1 to
nor
th o
f FM
224
3 in
M
arch
201
0. T
he p
roje
ct is
exp
ecte
d to
be
finis
hed
in 2
012.
Fu
ndin
g sou
rce: C
TRM
A Co
st: $
105
mill
ion
M
etro
Rail
Red
Line
Capi
tal M
etro
ope
ned
the
Met
roRa
il Re
d Li
ne
from
Lea
nder
to d
ownt
own
Aust
in in
Mar
ch 2
010.
M
idda
y se
rvic
e w
as a
dded
to th
e M
etro
Rail
in
Janu
ary
2011
. Fu
ndin
g so
urce
: Cap
ital M
etro
Ti
mel
ine:
Vot
ers
appr
oved
the
proj
ect N
ovem
ber
2004
, and
it w
as fi
nish
ed in
ear
ly 2
010.
Co
st: $
110
mill
ion
Lo
ne S
tar R
ail D
istr
ict
The
Lone
Sta
r Rai
l Dis
trict
is a
pro
pose
d co
mm
uter
rail
rout
e fro
m G
eorg
etow
n to
San
Ant
onio
alo
ng th
e I-3
5 co
rrido
r. Pl
anne
rs a
re s
eeki
ng to
hire
a c
ontra
ctor
who
will
des
ign,
bu
ild, o
pera
te, m
aint
ain
and
fund
the
proj
ect.
Fund
ing
sour
ces:
Citi
es a
long
the
rail
rout
e w
ill h
elp
pay
the
cost
s ye
ar to
yea
r.Ti
mel
ine:
Afte
r a fe
dera
l lea
d ag
ency
is c
hose
n, a
n en
viro
n-m
enta
l and
pub
lic in
put p
hase
will
beg
in. N
o bu
ild d
ate
has
been
set
.Co
st: $
2.7
billi
on (a
ccor
ding
to 2
008
estim
ates
for s
ix s
ta-
tions
; 16
are
prop
osed
)
2338
Upda
tes
on s
ever
al m
ajor
tran
spor
tatio
n pr
ojec
ts in
the
area
Ceda
r Par
k Ce
nter
Dessau Rd.
237
Ro
nald
W. R
eaga
n Bo
ulev
ard
Phas
e 3
of th
e no
rther
n ex
tens
ion
of R
onal
d Re
agan
Bou
leva
rd
will
link
the
road
from
its
inte
rsec
tion
at R
M 2
338
to H
wy.
195.
Ph
ase
4 w
ill e
xten
d th
e ro
ad n
orth
from
Hw
y. 19
5 to
CR
237.
Fu
ndin
g sou
rce: 2
006
Will
iam
son
Coun
ty R
oad
Bond
Timel
ine:
Pha
se 3
con
stru
ctio
n is
to b
egin
by
Mar
ch a
nd
com
plet
ion
is e
xpec
ted
by s
umm
er 2
012.
Pha
se 4
is s
ched
uled
to
beg
in th
is s
prin
g, to
be
com
plet
ed b
y fa
ll 20
12.
Cost
: $9.
5 m
illio
n (P
hase
3);
$14
mill
ion
(Pha
se 4
)
402
Hutto
Hwy.
79Co
nstru
ctio
n on
Hw
y. 79
bet
wee
n Hu
tto a
nd C
R 40
2 ne
ar
Tayl
or w
ill e
xpan
d th
e hi
ghw
ay in
to fo
ur d
ivid
ed la
nes
and
ad
d tu
rn la
nes.
Fund
ing s
ource
: Will
iam
son
Coun
ty p
ass-
thro
ugh
finan
cing
w
ith T
exas
Dep
artm
ent o
f Tra
nspo
rtatio
nTim
elin
e: E
xpec
ted
to b
e co
mpl
ete
in N
ovem
ber
Cost
: $11
.5 m
illio
n
Ch
andl
er R
oad
The
road
is b
eing
ext
ende
d ni
ne m
iles
from
FM
166
0 in
Hut
to to
Hw
y. 95
in T
aylo
r. Th
e pr
ojec
t will
resu
lt in
a tw
o-la
ne ro
adw
ay th
at
will
ulti
mat
ely
be e
xpan
ded
to fo
ur la
nes.
Fund
ing s
ource
: 200
6 W
illia
mso
n Co
unty
Roa
d Bo
nd
Timel
ine:
Pha
se 3
B, b
etw
een
Hwy.
95 a
nd C
R 36
8/36
9, w
as
com
plet
ed in
201
0. C
onst
ruct
ion
on p
hase
3A
is e
xpec
ted
to b
egin
in
the
sprin
g an
d be
com
plet
ed b
y fa
ll 20
12.
Cost
: $6.
6 m
illio
n (3
A); $
5.6
mill
ion
(3B)
1660
Joe
DiM
aggi
o Bl
vd.
Fore
st C
reek
Dr.
Gatti
s S
choo
l Rd.
Jack
Nic
klau
s Bl
vd.
Hw
y. 29
In th
e ne
xt 1
5–25
yea
rs, t
he c
ount
y in
tend
s to
exp
and
Hwy.
29 fr
om D
.B. W
ood
Road
to
the
Burn
et C
ount
y lin
e, a
s ne
eded
. Saf
ety
impr
ovem
ents
are
und
er w
ay fo
r Hw
y. 29
in G
eorg
etow
n, in
clud
ing
incr
ease
d tu
rn ra
dii a
t CR
260/
266
and
the
addi
tion
of ri
ght t
urn
lane
s at
Par
k Pl
ace
Driv
e an
d Ja
ck N
ickl
aus
Boul
evar
d.
Fund
ing s
ource
: 20
06 W
illia
mso
n Co
unty
Roa
d Bo
nd
Timel
ine:
Saf
ety
impr
ovem
ent c
onst
ruct
ion
to b
egin
in th
e sp
ring
and
slat
ed to
be
com
plet
e by
sum
mer
Co
st: $
400,
000
(saf
ety
impr
ovem
ents
)
impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 11
71
Congress Ave.
S. La
mar Bl
vd.
S
. 1st St.
W
. Willi
am C
anno
n Dr
.
N. Lamar Blvd.
MLK
Blv
d.
Chimney Hill
Olto
rf St
.
Ben
Whi
te B
lvd.
E. 1
st S
t.
Brak
er L
n.
Rund
berg
Ln.
Aust
in
Aust
in-B
ergs
trom
Inte
rnat
iona
l Airp
ort
Aust
in E
xecu
tive
Airp
ort
I-
35 a
nd B
en W
hite
Bou
leva
rd ra
mp
TxDO
T w
ill c
ompl
ete
the
four
flyo
ver r
amps
con
nect
ing
I-35
to B
en
Whi
te B
oule
vard
. The
com
plet
ed ra
mps
will
allo
w tr
affic
to fl
ow fr
eely
in
all
four
dire
ctio
ns fr
om I-
35 to
Ben
Whi
te B
oule
vard
. In
Febr
uary
, Tx
DOT
will
clo
se p
arts
of I
-35
sout
h of
Ben
Whi
te B
oule
vard
to c
ompl
ete
cons
truct
ion.
Fund
ing
sour
ce: P
ropo
sitio
n 14
bon
dsTi
mel
ine:
Expe
cted t
o be c
omple
ted by
fall
Cost
: $25
.6 m
illion
U
rban
Rai
l Th
e ur
ban
rail
proj
ect w
ould
ent
ail a
ble
nd o
f lig
ht ra
il an
d st
reet
car
te
chno
logy
runn
ing
from
the
Mue
ller d
evel
opm
ent t
o do
wnt
own
and
then
to A
ustin
-Ber
gstro
m In
tern
atio
nal A
irpor
t. Th
e pr
ojec
t has
rece
ived
in
itial
app
rova
l fro
m th
e Ca
pita
l Are
a M
etro
polit
an P
lann
ing
Orga
niza
tion,
an
d is
look
ing
into
det
aile
d fu
ndin
g an
d en
gine
erin
g pl
ans.
Fund
ing
sour
ces:
May
hav
e up
to 2
0 di
ffere
nt s
ourc
es, i
nclu
ding
city
bo
nd e
lect
ion,
fede
ral f
unds
, val
ue c
aptu
re, p
ublic
-priv
ate
partn
ersh
ips,
ot
her j
uris
dict
ions
and
inst
itutio
nal p
artic
ipat
ion
Tim
elin
e: T
he e
nviro
nmen
tal s
tudy
pro
cess
is e
xpec
ted
to b
egin
in
Mar
ch w
ith p
ublic
out
reac
h se
ssio
ns s
oon
afte
r. No
bui
ld d
ate
has
be
en s
et.
Cost
: $1.3
billio
n, if b
uildin
g sta
rts in
2012
Exist
ing a
nd pr
opos
ed ra
il ser
vices
Rapi
d Tra
nsit
initi
al se
rvice
s: Bu
rnet
/Sou
th La
mar
and N
orth
Lam
ar/Co
ngres
s
Rapi
d Tra
nsit
futu
re se
rvice
s
Infra
stru
ctur
e dev
elop
men
t
Prop
osed
toll r
oads
Prop
osed
road
exte
nsio
ns/e
xpan
sions
Exist
ing r
oads
130
TOLL
35
183
290
290
2222
360
71
MoP
ac
1626
N. Lamar Blvd.
Cameron Rd.
To
ll 29
0 E.
/Man
or E
xpre
ssw
ayTo
ll 29
0 E.
is b
eing
con
stru
cted
as
two
sepa
rate
pro
ject
s. T
he fi
rst p
roje
ct
incl
udes
four
dire
ct c
onne
ctor
s be
twee
n US
183
and
Hw
y. 29
0 E.
, and
a
toll
road
from
that
inte
rsec
tion
to C
him
ney
Hill.
The
sec
ond
proj
ect w
ill
exte
nd th
e to
ll ro
ad fr
om C
him
ney
Hill
to th
e ea
ster
n po
rtion
of H
wy.
290
E., c
ross
ing
Toll
130.
It w
ill fe
atur
e to
ll la
nes
and
nont
olle
d fro
ntag
e ro
ads.
Fund
ing
sour
ces:
The
firs
t pro
ject
is b
eing
fund
ed th
roug
h a
com
bina
tion
of 2
009
stim
ulus
mon
ey a
nd C
TRM
A fu
nds.
The
sec
ond
proj
ect i
s be
ing
fund
ed w
ith fe
dera
l, st
ate
and
CTRM
A m
oney
.Ti
mel
ine:
Proje
ct on
e con
struc
tion i
s ong
oing a
nd is
slate
d to o
pen b
y Jun
e 20
12. P
rojec
t two
is on
a de
sign/
build
cont
ract, w
ith th
e des
ign/b
uild p
ropo
sals
due t
o CTR
MA by
Feb.
3, an
d it is
slate
d to b
e ope
n in J
une 2
015.
Cost
: $13
2 milli
on (p
rojec
t one
); $45
5.9 m
illion
(pro
ject t
wo)
To
ll 29
0 W
. and
Hw
y. 71
W.
(The
Y a
t Oak
Hill
)Tx
DOT
and
CTRM
A w
ill e
ngin
eer,
acqu
ire ri
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12 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
• Discuss with other parents• Read comments and info about family events.
AUSTIN’S FAMILY RESOURCE: RISSASLIST.COM
ONLINE DIRECTORY> CHILDCARE > ACTIVITIES > PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Austin Events Calendar
© 2010 Rissa’s List.com
Southwest AustinUpcoming, current and proposed road projects in Southwest Austin
Timeline: Construction has not started, but the project will be shovel ready by 2010 according to the bond plan.Cost: $300,000Funding source: Texas Department of Trans-portation, 2010 City of Austin Transportation Mobility Bond
4 Reconstruction of ManchacaThe pedestrian and sidewalk improvement project will add bicycle lanes on Manchaca Road between William Cannon Drive and South Lamar Boulevard and on lanes at the existing six-lane cross-section on Manchaca Road between William Cannon Drive and Ravenscroft Drive.
The project also incorporates a segment of the city’s Bicycle Master Plan to improve bicycle-commuting safety.
Timeline: Construction has not started, but the project will be shovel ready by 2010 according to the bond plan.Cost: $100,000Funding source: TxDot, 2010 City of Austin Transportation Mobility Bond
5 Intersection project at the Y at Oak HillThe intersection project will involve transpor-tation studies to determine initial intersection improvements from west of the Y at Oak Hill to the existing boundary of Hwy. 71/Hwy. 290. The study will look at intersections on William Cannon Drive and W. Hwy. 290, as far west as FM 1826, in order to disperse the traffic as much as possible.
The funding will go to construction once the appropriate interim fixes are determined. At a later date, a toll freeway with frontage roads would be completed in the Capital Area Met-ropolitan Planning Organization plan that will involve long-term fixes for some transporta-tion projects involved in the current bond.
Timeline: Initial intersection studies will be completed by November; construction will begin pending design decisions.Cost: $4 million
Funding source: TxDot, 2010 City of Austin Transportation Mobility Bond
6 Brodie Lane sidewalk constructionThe project will construct sidewalks on the west side of Brodie Lane between Slaughter Lane and FM 1626. The funding for the proj-ect will include both design and construction costs. The project is intended to manage the high pedestrian movement along the roadway.
Timeline: Construction for the project has not started, but will be shovel ready by 2010
according to the bond plan.Cost: $500,000Funding source: 2010 City of Austin Trans-portation Mobility Bond
7 Slaughter Lane and Manchaca intersection improvementsAn additional left turn lane will be added to the intersection of Manchaca Road and Slaughter Lane on the northbound and southbound sides. A median will also be constructed on the north side of the intersection.
Sources: City of Austin Transportation Department, Texas Department of Transportation
The project is in the preliminary design stages to determine necessary intersection improvement plans.
Timeline: Construction for this project will begin in April 2012 and is expected to be completed in December 2012.Cost: $550,000Funding source: 1998 General Obligation Bonds, initial design only
T r a n s p o r T a T i o n r e p o r T
1 Westgate Boulevard Roadway Extension ProjectA four-lane arterial along Westgate Boulevard from Cameron Loop to Cohoba Drive is in the construction phase. Curb and gutter drainage as well as a pedestrian sidewalk and bicycle lanes will be added.
The road will be 114 feet wide and include sidewalks and bicycle lanes on either side of the road, four traffic lanes and a median 20–24 feet wide. To address water quality concerns, a water quality detention pond will be constructed on the Westgate Boulevard and Cohoba Drive intersection.
Timeline: Construction began in July 2010 and is expected to be completed in July 2012.Cost: $6 millionFunding source: City of Austin from the 2000 General Obligation Bonds
2 Davis Lane and Deer Lane extensionA new section of Davis Lane and Deer Lane will be constructed west of Brodie Lane to align with Davis Lane east of Brodie Lane. The road will then curve to meet the existing alignment between Brodie Lane and Corran Ferry Drive, by reconstructing a narrow section east of Corran Ferry Drive into a four-lane arterial roadway with bicycle lanes.
The existing median on Brodie Lane and Deer Lane will close, and a northbound left-turn bay for the Davis Lane segment will be added.
Timeline: Construction began in August 2010, but the project is currently on hold pending environmental testing. Cost: $3.3 millionFunding source: City of Austin, 2000 General Obligation Bonds
3 Widening Congress AvenueThe arterial project will widen Congress Avenue between the 1.1 mile gap from Eberhart Lane to Foremost Drive from two lanes to four lanes. The project also includes adding sidewalks to both sides of the road.
Map not to scaleM
anch
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.B
rodi
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.
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1626
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impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 13
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Austin City CouncilAustin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.974-2497, www.ci.austin.tx.us/council
Feb. 10 and 17, 10 a.m.
Travis County Commissioners Court314 11th St., Austin,854-9425, www.co.travis.tx.us/commissioners_court
Meetings are every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.
Sunset Valley City CouncilSunset Valley City Hall, 3205 Jones Road. 892-1383, www.sunsetvalley.org
Feb. 1 and 15, 6 p.m.
CITY AND COUNTY
City approves $10 million for affordable housing
The Austin Housing and Finance Corp. board of directors, staffed by the Austin City Council, approved $10 million in funding for affordable housing on Dec. 9.
Summit Housing Partners will rehabili-tate the Marshall Apartments on East 12th Street with $2.5 million from the corpora-tion and an additional $6 million from private activity non-recourse bonds.
The project will add up to 20 permanent supportive housing units for families or individuals at or below 30 percent of the median family income for the city, which is about $22,150. It will renovate 80 afford-able units.
The rehabilitation helps to meet City Council’s goal of creating 350 supportive housing units over the next four years.
County purchases downtown lot for new courthouse
Travis County Commissioners approved an agreement Dec. 14 to purchase a block of land near Republic Square Park in down-town from the Austin Museum of Art for $21.75 million. The lot will be the site for a new civil courthouse to replace the 80-year-old Travis County Courthouse.
The county took ownership of the site Dec. 29. The new courthouse is expected to cost between $150 million and $250 mil-lion, depending on size. It will include civil courts, support staff, infrastructure includ-ing security and technology.
Ordinance against improper animal breeding selling establishedIn hopes of meeting the city’s goal to be
a no-kill city, Austin City Council unani-mously approved an ordinance establish-ing a fine for the improper breeding and selling of live animals, specifically cats and dogs, at the Dec. 16 City Council meeting.
In March 2010, the council approved a no-kill plan, which can be met by having a 90 percent livable outcome for all animals that enter the city’s animal shelter. Right now the city is at 72 percent.
The ordinance pertains to pet traders
who sell cats and dogs for the sole pur-pose of making a profit. The minimum fine for an offense is $200 for each animal sold that violates the restrictions of live animal commerce.
There has not been a retail pet busi-ness in the city since August 2010, when Pet Land, a national pet supply and retail store, at 9900 S. I-35 in Southwest Austin closed. The business was accused by local animal advocacy groups of selling dogs bred only from puppy mills.
Texas Supreme Court Justices listen to Speaker of the House nominations the first day of the session.
Austin Travis County
Meetings
Apartment to receive millions in city support.P
hoto
s b
y B
ob
by
Long
ori
a
82nd Legislature aired on local channels
With the 82 Legislature under way, sessions of the State House of Represen-tatives and the State Senate are being broadcasted Saturday through Wednes-day on the City of Austin Channel 6 sta-tion and Thursday and Friday on Travis County TV. The House session will be shown in its entirety. The Senate is being aired on AISD-TV.
The channel will differ depending on the local service provider such as Time Warner Cable or Grande Communica-tions. Viewers can also see a live stream-ing of the sessions at www.austintexas.
gov/channel6. The sessions will be aired until May
30. For more information on schedules and channels, call 974-2220 or visit www.austintexas.gov/channel6 .
By Community Impact Staff
14 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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Kirk Watson State Senator, D-District 14
Budget: “I will push for budget reforms that will allow the state to balance its budget honestly and sustainably, and to invest in things that are patently good for the Texas economy.”
Higher education: “I will work to protect our institutions from short-sighted cuts that will damage the state in the short-term and long-term, and to create new avenues to expand medical education in Texas to add the new doctors and nurses we know we need across the state.”
Clean energy: “I will continue working to pass legislation that will use market-based mechanisms to expand the use and avail-ability of affordable solar power and other forms of renewable, 21st century energy.”
Jeff WentworthState Senator, R-District 25
Federal government: “Congress and the federal government is out of control and the states need to reign in the power of the federal government.”
Redistricting: “I think the redistricting commission would be one priority, and creating a bipartisan redistricting com-mission.”
Abolish straight ticket voting: “I think that encourages less informed voters, who can simply say ‘I don’t have to pay attention to the names or the qualifications, or what they stand for—I can just vote for a party.’ Only 16 states even allow straight ticket voting—34 states do not allow it.”
Jason IsaacState Representative, R-District 45
Transportation: “Making sure that our transportation infrastructure is keeping up with our growing population is crucial for our state’s future.”
Water: “The scarcity of water will become a more imminent threat unless we do all we can now to conserve and manage this resource effectively.”
Education: “A well educated workforce will bring jobs to Texas and help to keep our state’s economy strong.”
Paul WorkmanState Representative, R-District 47
Real property tax relief: “There are a number of things I hope to accomplish to fix the property tax and appraisal system in Texas.”
Balance the budget without raising taxes: “The citizens of District 47 expect the state to live within its means. This will no doubt require hard decisions and some will be negatively affected by the decisions that we make.”
Build SH 45: “I am already working with TxDOT, Travis County, the City of Austin and Hays County to find ways to get this road built as a non-tolled, transfer road from FM 1826 to MoPac.”
Elliott NaishtatState Representative, D-District 49
Health care: “Maintain the most basic health and human services safety nets and strongly oppose the state’s ‘opting out’ of the federal Medicaid program.”
Transition into healthcare reform: “Work with the Department of Insurance and the Health and Human Services Commission to ensure that the infrastructure is in place for a smooth transition to and implementation of federal healthcare reform.”
Education: “Support changes in the way public school textbooks are reviewed and selected by the State Board of Education, including transferring that authority to a neutral panel of educators and academic experts.”
Legislature convenes, agenda tightBy Andrea Leptinsky and Nicole Smith
The 82nd Legislature con-vened Jan. 11 with the tasks of reconciling a $4.3 billion deficit from 2010 and making legislative districts reflect the 21 percent population increase detailed in 2010 census data released in December.
Barring a special session in June, the Legislature will adjourn at the end of May. Com-petition will likely be consider-able to get secondary legislative issues on the agenda.
The GOP headed into the session with a 101-49 majority, which minimizes the leverage House Democrats wield but may give room for standoffs between conservatives and more moderate members of the GOP. Such intra-party jostling began to surface before the session’s start with con-servatives challenging Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, for his spot at the helm of the House.
AT THE CAPITOL
Travis County delegates, both new and re-elected, share their legislative agenda items.
Eddie Rodriguez, State Representative, D-District 51, was not available for comment.
impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 15
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EDUCATION
By Kate HullHundreds of vocal parents, teachers and
students filled auditoriums Jan. 12 and 13 carrying homemade signs and voicing their opposition to the potential closures of nine Austin schools due to a budget deficit.
The Austin Independent School Dis-trict’s facility master plan task force hosted meetings to receive public input on the 10-year school district plan and address options for specific schools and facilities.
The large crowd and heated opinions stemmed from the possibility that eight elementary schools—Pease, Sanchez, Barton Hills, Ortega, Zilker, Oak Springs, Joslin and Brooke—and one middle school, Pearce, could close in the upcom-ing school years.
“Community schools are the heart of our neighborhoods,” said Helen Davis, the Zilker Elementary PTA president. “And if you close the schools, you are closing the hearts of this community.”
The goal of the task force is to decipher how to make the district more efficient and effective within its facilities. When decid-ing the options, the task force considered condition and adequacy assessments of buildings, overcrowded or underutilized campuses and the estimated cost to correct
Parents, teachers voice opposition to possible closing of nine schools
Sixty community members were chosen at random to speak at the meeting. All expressed opposition.
Pho
tos
by
Kat
e H
ull
Pease Elementary School, the oldest continually operating school in Texas, rallied a large group of support against its closing.
the problems. They did not consider school performance rankings as a factor.
“My child goes to a school that is ranked exemplary and has a history of 61 years of excellence and diversity,” said Tina McMil-lin, a parent of a Zilker elementary student. “It is a great school and you can feel the sense of community and history the min-ute you walk in.”
The options presented at the meetings are not final recommendations from the task force and were an opportunity to hear from the public before moving forward.
“The task force has been working for nine months to come up with this plan,” said Patti Summerfield, the monitor for the meeting. “They are fighting for and with each of you to make the best decisions for the AISD.”
The names of 60 parents and teachers were drawn at random and those people were given a chance to speak for two min-utes to the filled auditorium. Every speaker shared the same sentiment: “Do not close our school.”
“This is a tough, tough situation for the ISD to be in,” said Scott Lipton, the academy director at Crockett High School. “Tough decisions have to be made and little things are not going to make up for
the budget. Nobody wants their schools to close and they are all important to our neighborhoods.”
The meetings are the next step in developing a final Recommended Facility Master Plan to the AISD board of trustees on March 7. The board has the final deci-sion and will finalize its plans by March 28.
Community members who were unable to attend the meetings can provide feed-back online or view the task force’s presen-tation at www.austinisd.org.
16 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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PinnacleContinued from | 1
fall 2006 and has 4,000 students taking courses for credit at the campus. The total population includes students seeking an associate degree as well as part-time stu-dents enrolled in specific courses. The campus has seen continuous growth since it first opened in 1991.
District-wide, ACC has grown by 33 percent throughout the eight campuses. Currently, 44,100 students are enrolled in courses.
The initial draft study done by architec-ture firm Barnes, Gromatzky and Kosarek indicated the building is in need of repair. The overall structure is challenging for use as an education facility and could be better suited for office or con-dominium use, according to the study.
“It is some-thing we have said we should consider,” Mullane said. “For ACC, an office building not only does not have enough parking requirements as a campus building, but the bathrooms are not large enough and the halls are not big enough during peaks of movement at the end of every class, which you don’t experience in an office building.”
Mullane said the decision is not an issue of available land because ACC owns more than 50 acres adjacent to the Pinnacle building.
The land, however, sits on the Edwards Aquifer and impervious cover regulations ranging from 15 to 25 percent. The regula-tions govern the permitted amount of land cover, such as buildings, that do not allow water to pass through to reach the aquifer.
“It is a very complex issue because we have four different tracts of property. Each one is separate and each has different restrictive covenants on the property,” Mul-lane said. “We are still working with that to see what the best solution is and we are try-ing very hard to promote a wide range of sustainable approaches.”
Over the past few years, the
neighborhood groups surrounding the campus have discussed the option of developing a town center around the facil-ity to increase retail and residential ser-vices for the area. The campus does not have walkable businesses nearby.
“Our principal purpose is to make the campus cohesive and a better place,” Mul-lane said. “We want to make it convenient for our faculty, staff and students, but it does seems like it fits in with the town cen-ter concept—if we can just find a way to make it work.”
Increasing usable spaceACC developed a student success initia-
tive two years ago to develop a way to guar-antee student success once enrolled.
“We don’t just want to get them into college, we want to see them succeed in their course work and move from ACC into a regular college program,” Mink said.
“To do that, we need more space.” The Pinnacle Campus has 28.6 square-
feet of space per student, which is just over half the recommended amount for the mas-ter plan. One of the goals looking ahead for the campus is to increase the facility space to 50 square feet.
“It is a target we can achieve that will give the students a lot better opportunity to achieve as well,” Mink said. “Other institutions across the state are already providing that or above.”
To gauge the building space needed, college and university planners think of space in terms of square-footage per stu-dent. The national average is 100 square-feet per student; however, this number varies depending on the kind of facility.
“When we ask the students what they need more of, most say places to go study, tutor-ing, testing centers and computer access,” said Ben Ferrell, executive vice president of finance and administration for ACC.
The student requests for more space to study outside of the classroom, such as in in libraries and computer labs, is a good
indicator of the growing success rates for students graduating or transferring to uni-versities, Ferrell said.
Services outside the classroom such as study space and computer labs are a key component to a campus environment. Stu-dent feedback prior to the study showed that students do not feel that the Pinnacle Campus has a “campus feel.”
The board of trustees and ACC staff members involved with the plan are work-ing with the community to make sure the finalized plans reflect what the area wants the campus to become, Mink said.
Board meetings are open to the public and are held at the Highland Business Cen-ter located at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road. Public input will be considered for the final plan that will be presented in the spring.
Future ACC ProjectsACC is building two campuses in Kyle
and Elgin that would benefit students in Travis, Hays and Bastrop counties, but neither project has broken ground yet.
To move forward with building the campuses, annexation elections were held Comment at more.impactnews.com/11281
Growth in population for Pinnacle Campus over past 5 years
The Pinnacle Campus has seen more than 15 percent growth in the students enrolled in classes since 2006 and has continued to rise since 2007. The student population includes both individuals seeking college credit, full-time associate degree candidates and part-time students. As of fall 2010, the Pin-nacle Campus had 28.6 square feet of available space per student. The national average is 100 square feet per student. The continual growth has led to discussions regarding the potential future of the building. The recommended space per student is 50 square feet of usable space.
“We don’t just want to get them into college, we want to see them succeed in their course work and move from ACC into a regular college program. To do that, we need more space.”
—Barbara Minkchairwoman of the ACC board of trustees in the school districts to allow ACC to be
in the taxing district. Annexation passed in Elgin ISD by 61
percent and in Hays CISD by 59 percent. ACC is choosing construction managers for both projects and has selected archi-tectural firms.
Opposition to the project surfaced in December when a petition to invalidate the Hays County election was filed against ACC. In the petition, a Kyle resident is challenging the election on the grounds of unavailable information relating to the change in taxes once Kyle becomes part of the ACC district.
Despite the petition, plans are “full-speed ahead,” said Mullane, and a final budget for the total projects costs are being determined for taxpayers.
Property owners in school districts that become part of the taxing district pay 9 cents per each $100 assessed property value and less than one-half of 1 cent for general obligation bonds totaling about 4 percent of all taxes paid.
20102009200820072006YearSource: ACC
Stud
ent p
opul
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3,25
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15% growth in enrolled students from 2006 to 2010
impactnews.com • January 2011 | NEWS | 17
Map not to scale
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SCHERTz
SAN ANTONIO
has been pursuing passenger rail since the federal government approved the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in 2008. Three corridors are planned, including one between Oklahoma City and South Texas that will run through Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. TxDOT recently was awarded $5.6 mil-lion to study potential track placement locations.
“As a population changes, as mobility changes, you don’t want to have continued congestion on the roads,” Glavin said. “Our job here at TxDOT is to connect the cities to each other. The more con-nectivity you get, the more utility you get out of the overall system.”
Local rail improvementsThe City of Austin is formulat-
ing its own Urban Rail streetcar service that will extend from the Mueller development, through downtown and to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Urban Rail will not be a train, rather a shuttle-like vehicle that will travel on rails built into the street, flowing with traffic and with the ability to start and stop at will. Robert Spillar, director of transportation for the City of Austin, said Urban Rail will excel beyond buses because of its increased capacity, which is dou-ble that of a regular bus.
Capital Metro’s Red Line service, a 32-mile track between Leander and downtown Austin, is noted as the first passenger rail attempt within the city. Todd Hemingson, vice president of strategic plan-ning and development with Capi-tal Metro, said no new stops for the Red Line are planned. In mid-Jan-uary, the Red Line added a midday service and peak-day service to boost ridership.
A collaborative networkBy working together the four
rail services seek to unify their transportation system so com-muters become less dependent on their automobiles. Because the downtown district may be too developed to handle all four services meeting at one loca-tion, building two nodes—one located near the Seaholm Power Plant and the other located east of I-35—may be more practical, Spillar said.
Glavin agreed, saying that Urbanrail could be the service that interconnects TxDOT’s rail service to the Red Line and
planned LSTAR. There are ongo-ing discussions to have all four rail services under one ticket.
Transit-oriented developments could flourish alongside the rail. Sean Compton, a principal with civic design firm TBG Partners, coordinated the area surround-ing the Crestview station, a Red Line at the intersection of North Lamar and Airport boulevards.
Compton said with each tran-sit-oriented development the integration between transporta-tion, housing and retail is key in creating a walkable environment.
“People are seeking more enrich-ing environments,” Compton said. “People’s behavior is leading the way in saying, ‘We don’t need a car.’ An auto-dependent, built environ-ment is not sustainable.”
Costs and economic impactObtaining funding for rail is
one obstacle that could poten-tially hinder further development of each rail service.
Black said the LSTAR is seek-ing to hire a company that will not only build and operate the LSTAR service, but would actu-ally offer its own funds for the construction. The costs will then be paid back to the operating company yearly by local sources and taxpayers.
TxDOT’s rail service has a num-ber of avenues to pursue funding including funds provided by the Federal Railroad Administration. There is no set funding plan for Urban Rail, although its projected costs are estimated to be at least $1.3 billion after its construction is complete. In comparison, the Red Line cost about $125 million for construction.
Southwest Austin stopAny stop outside of the Cen-
tral Business District within Austin gives residents increased options of where they might find and pursue job opportunities, Black said. The seventh stop of the LSTAR will be located some-where on Slaughter Lane; how-ever, an exact location has not yet been determined.
After station technical advisory committees have solidified where a station might be located the pub-lic involvement phase will begin. During this time residents can comment on what features the sta-tion should have, where it should be located and how its future might affect the environment
Being able to travel by train into downtown Austin, and even San Antonio, will allow South Austin residents to become less
RailContinued from | 1
LSTAR Capital Metro Red Line Urban Rail
Key
Rail lines
Capital Metro’s Red Line runs 32 miles from downtown Austin to Leander. The Lone Star Rail District is proposing 16 stations from Georgetown to San Antonio, with a 90 minute travel time. Austin’s Urban Rail project would provide service from the
Mueller development to downtown Austin and then onto the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The three rail services may meet at two proposed nodes, whose exact locations have not yet been determined.
Proposed LSTAR station locations
Georgetown
Downtown Round Rock
McNeil junction
Braker Lane/Domain
35th St./MoPac
Downtown Austin
Slaughter Lane
Kyle/Buda
San Marcos/Texas State University
New Braunfels
Schertz/FM 3009
Loop 1604
Loop 410/Airport
Downtown San Antonio/University of Texas at San Antonio
Port San Antonio
City South/Texas A&M University at San Antonio
Passenger rail in Central Texas and beyond
dependent on their cars, save money and potentially improve their career outlook, Black said.
A working scheduleLSTAR is currently looking for
a federal lead agency that will help spearhead the project at the state level. Once that is deter-mined, LSTAR will begin seek-ing public input on the corridor’s development.
Once engineering and environmental studies are completed, LSTAR will select a contracting firm, with the design and construction beginning soon after. There is no set date for when service may begin, Black said.
TxDOT’s rail service timeline depends on the results of its study on the Oklahoma City and South
Texas corridor. There is no set date yet for construction.The city will begin an environ-mental study for Urban Rail in March, Spillar said.
Comment at more.impactnews.1com/11280
OKLAHOMA CITY
DALLAS
AUSTIN
LAREDO
BROWNSvILLE
HOUSTON
CORPUS CHRISTI
TxDOT’s passenger rail study areas
Study area
TxDOT’s rail service is studying three corridors defined by yellow areas on the map. The first corridor would run from Oklahoma to South Texas, followed by corridors from Dallas to Houston and Austin to Houston.
18 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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Strait Music CompanyMaking the music business a family affair
S ince 1963, Strait Music Company has held a reputation in the music capital city of Austin as a family-
run business where customers become friends. Now in its third generation of fam-ily ownership, the music shop is one of the only full-line music stores in the city.
Dan Strait, a Houston-area piano sales-man, moved his family to Austin in 1963 to open a Baldwin piano franchise to sup-port his growing family. His store, Strait Piano and Organ, was the birthplace of the motto “where customers become friends.” After four successful years selling pianos, Dan Strait expanded his store to offer a large variety of instruments, as well as provide repairs.
“One thing that is different with us is we have a total selection of instruments and we do in-house repairs,” said Robert Strait, the current owner of the store and one of Dan’s sons. “We can fix anything we sell—pianos, guitars, amps—and we fix it in-store.”
Strait Music, which has two locations in North and South Austin, has had a rocky history alongside its success, with two major floods in its past that nearly
BUSINESS
By Kate Hull
Owner Robert Strait and his son Clint are part of three generations of the Strait Music Company family.
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Strait Music Company2428 W. Ben White Blvd. 476-6927 www.straitmusic.com
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destroyed the entire inventory and caused two relocations. But thanks to great relationships with customers over the years, the shop was able to bounce back each time.
After both incidents, customers came down to the shop to help clear out instru-ments that were not ruined by the water damage and helped the Strait family move the store to a new location out of the floodplain.
Dan Stait retired in the early 1990s and left the store in the ownership of his son Robert. Robert Strait, son Clint and brother David all work together at the South Austin location, which has been at its current location on Ben White Boule-vard for more than a decade.
Despite the growing number of musi-cians who buy and sell instruments online, Strait Music is keeping up with the times by starting to add an online component in addition to the store.
“People still want to come in, play instruments and feel it,” Robert Strait said. “They want to come into brick-and-mortar stores and try something out first.”
Strait, his son and brother said one of
the best parts about working at the family-run store is the relationships that are built between the customers and the employees.
“There is an interesting relationship between a musician and the place where he gets his instruments because it is such a personal thing,” Clint Strait said. “You have to grow the relationships and grow to trust somebody.”
Strait Music has a clientele list featuring Austin notables and celebrities like Dennis Quaid and Jerry Jeff Walker who regularly stop by for their music needs.
The store sells all types of prod-ucts from guitar strings to orchestra
equipment, and provides extensive instru-ment repair. Robert Strait and his team cannot only rebuild a piano from scratch in their repair room, but they personally deliver it to the customer and make trips all over Central Texas.
impactnews.com • January 2011 | FEATURES | 19
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DINING
Hill’s Cafe brings tradition with new look to historic restaurantAustin radio personality redefines a decade of good food
F or more than half a century, Boomer Goodnight and his family helped define South Austin with their 20-seat
cafe serving cowboy Charles Goodnight’s original, chuckwagon-style steaks and hot coffee all day and night. But after 54 years of business, the Goodnight’s closed Hill’s Cafe in 1989 and the legendary restaurant sat vacant on South Congress Avenue.
Thirteen years later, in 2001, the laid-back, country-style family restaurant reopened with the same name under the ownership of Bob Cole, 98.1 KVET radio personality. With a few changes and the same Goodnight-quality restaurant, Hill’s Cafe remains an Austin hot spot with photos of all things Texas lining the walls, weekly live music and a family-friendly atmosphere.
For Cole, Austin is a city dedicated to a defined and unique culture that stands out in its local businesses. When he became an Austin resident in 1979, Cole quickly noticed the locals’ affinity for mom and pop shops and appreciation for their unique identity.
“But as Austin grew, I saw us losing a lot of identity with a laundry list of places like clubs, great old stores and restaurants closing,” Cole said. “Since it was the thing I admired most about this city, I wanted to see what I could do to help preserve some of that culture.”
Cole began renovating the vacant res-taurant and, after two years, re-opened
Hill’s Cafe for business in 2001. “Local places are part of your [city’s]
definition and that is why we do it,” Cole said. “Significant life memories were made here.”
From celebrating winning football games to announcing wedding propos-als, Cole says every day he hears stories from longtime customers who have spent important moments at the restaurant. With the reopening, Cole has also seen a younger crowd cultivate memories and maintain Hill’s Cafe as iconic in Austin.
The Goodnight family continues to be involved and taste the classic menu items each month to make sure they maintain the Hill’s seal of approval.
“The Goodnight family tests our classic menu offerings each month, including the bread, chili, truckstop enchiladas, the hand-grilled chicken fried steak and the sizzling steaks,” Cole said.
Cole has made sure to preserve what made Hill’s Cafe so popular years ago but has redefined its popularity by moderniz-ing the menu and adding live music.
Bringing his love for music into the mix, Cole made sure from day one that the live music was always free, unless it was for a charitable cause. With two stages, a dance floor, and the ambience of small-town charm beneath oak trees, Hill’s Cafe attracts all ages of country music fans weekly.
By Kate Hull
Hill’s Cafe offers comfort food with a laid-back, friendly atmosphere.
The old-fashioned burger, although not an original menu item, is now a favorite for many patrons.
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Radio personality Bob Cole reopened Hill’s Cafe to help keep local, iconic businesses a part of Austin.
Laid back, fun, friendlyThe restaurant and private rooms can accommodate parties with 10 to 500 guests. “That has been one of the main attractions that has helped put Hill’s back on the map,” he said. “A comfortable place to come eat and watch live music.”
• Rice has helped plan birthday parties, rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions at Hill’s Cafe.
• Events can be held in one of three different rooms: the Sam & Bob room, the Darrell K. Royal room or the Goodnight room.
Iconic Menu Items:• Hill’s old-fashioned burger was voted
Austin’s No. 1 burger in 2005 by the Austin American-Statesman, out of more than 400 choices. The burger was not an origi-nal Hill’s Cafe item but remains the most popular on the menu. $11.95
• The hand-grilled chicken fried steak served with yellow gravy is one of the Goodnight family’s original recipes and continues to be one of the most popular items. Hill’s Cafe is one of the last res-taurants to use the old-fashioned style of hand-grilling each steak rather than deep-frying, Cole said. $8.95
Hill’s Cafe4700 S. Congress Ave.,Austin • 851-9300 www.hillscafe.comOpen Tue.–Thu. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. and Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
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20 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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PEOPLE
By Niamh Marnell
Jeff WentworthState Senator, R-District 25
S tate Sen. Jeff Wentworth has been serving District 25 for 18 years. He serves Southwest Austin and
represents more than 900,000 people in Comal, Hays, Kendall and Guadalupe counties, as well as north Bexar County and south Travis County.
He was first elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, after almost five years serving in the Texas House of Representatives.
In his youth, Wentworth worked in a variety of jobs—as a newspaper boy, television station copy writer, waiter, dishwasher, library clerk and taxicab driver. But said he knew he wanted to be a politician since a third grade field trip to the Texas Capitol.
He shows his professed long-standing passion for serving the people in the way he runs his office—the senator returns every call, e-mail and letter he receives from his constituents, he said.
“When that phone rings, 95 percent of the calls are going to be from people who live in my area. They are our bosses,” he said. “I have recommended this to many elected officials, Republicans and Demo-crats alike. I tell everybody, ‘If you’re
State Sen. Jeff Wentworth’s top priority this legislative session is a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to restrain the federal government. The idea was suggested to him by a constituent in his area.
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elected to public office, you are a public servant and you ought not to screen your phone calls.’”
The way he runs his office is not the only unique aspect of the senator; his perspective on partisanship is also differ-ent than that of many of his colleagues’. Although he is a Republican, Wentworth said he believes that some issues should not fall into the left-right paradigm and that both sides need to solve the common problems without clinging to partisan politics.
One example is his ongoing work to change redistricting, which is the pro-cess of redrawing electoral district lines. When done by the state Legislature, as it is in Texas, it can often lead to the party in power changing the lines to maxi-mize its electoral advantage, he said, so Democrats and Republicans like it when it works in their favor.
Wentworth disagrees with that perspec-tive. He has already filed his redistricting bill, Senate Bill 1068, which would create a bipartisan redistricting commission and have strict conflict of interest provisions.
The Legislature meets five times
every 10 years and one of the times is spent dealing largely with budgeting and redistricting, he said, so this is an issue for which it is not in the best interest of the people for partisanship to play a role.
“I truly believe that the public would like us to be addressing issues such as public safety, transportation, health care, public education and higher education rather than drawing maps to save our own politi-cal hides,” Wentworth said.
Transportation—and the problem of traffic congestion, in particular—is going
to be the biggest issue for Wentworth’s constituents in Southwest Austin in coming years, but there may not be much time to address transportation issues this legislative session, he said.
“There are lots of people predicting that with the budget crisis and redistricting that those two issues will take all the oxy-gen out of the room and we won’t get much else done,” Wentworth said. “I’m hopeful, though, that is not the case because there are several other things that really do need to be addressed.”
impactnews.com • January 2011 | FEATURES | 21
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McKinney Falls State ParkOnce home to frontiersman, ancient nomads
M cKinney Falls State Park, a 744-acre tract of land south of Austin in Travis County, was
named after frontiersman and entrepre-neur Thomas F. McKinney and the two waterfalls cut by Onion Creek. Now used for activities such as hiking, swimming, mountain biking, road biking, picnicking, fishing and wildlife observation, the land was once a part of a larger 40,000 acre property with a rich history.
Thomas Freeman McKinney, known as “Mac,” purchased the property. He came to Texas in the early 1820s as one of the 300 colonists chosen by Stephen F. Austin to help establish the area. It stretched from the extinct volcano Pilot Knob, in the south, to what became the Austin-Berg-strom International Airport in the east.
McKinney moved to the property on Onion Creek in 1850 where he bred racehorses and became influential in local politics, serving as Travis County commissioner for Precinct 4 from 1852 to 1856.
He built a large stone residence, stone fences and the first gristmill in the area. The “Texas State Gazette” reported July
HISTORY
By Niamh Marnell
The ruins of the stone and wood residence built by Thomas McKinney still overlooks Onion Creek today.
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McKinney Falls State Park5808 McKinney Falls ParkwayAustin • 243-1643www.tpwd.state.tx.us/mckinneyfalls
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10, 1852, “the Honorable Thomas F. McK-inney has erected an elegant flouring mill on Onion Creek four miles from the city and is prepared to manufacture flour of superior quality.” Local farmers growing wheat in an attempt to avoid expensive imported flour could use the mill, which could grind a variety of grain. The mill operated until a flood destroyed the machinery in 1869.
The construction and much of the work on McKinney’s ranch was completed with the help of slave labor. McKinney, who was a Democrat and a unionist, owned 21 slaves. A descendant of one of the slave families recalled his great-grandfather’s words that he had been a “slave compan-ion” of the McKinneys and evidence of close personal relationships were found in correspondence.
McKinney lived at the ranch until his death in 1873. In 1885, his wife, Anna, sold most of the land to James W. Smith, whose grandchildren ultimately donated the scenic portion to Texas Parks & Wild-life in 1974. It was opened to the public as a state park in 1976.
Today the park is used for many
outdoor activities, and visitors can learn about the history of the land in the Smith Visitor Center. Visitors can still see the what is left of McKinney’s homestead and his trainer’s cabin.
The ruins of McKinney’s house still overlook a solid-rock formation on Onion Creek. Archeologists, who found indi-cations of ancient campsites and rock shelters along the stream, concluded that the rock formation attracted nomadic hunter-gatherers 5,000 years ago or more.
A study of trade routes found that between the 1600s and 1700s, the Span-ish followed ancient Native American
trails along Onion Creek when traveling between San Antonio and Nacogdoches. Texas natives continued to use the path until the Anglo Texans dominated the area in the 1840s.
22 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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impactnews.com • January 2011 | FEATURES | 23
CORRIDOR
Westgate Boulevard
Westgate Boulevard is flanked by two retail hubs—West Tower Village, located at 4534 Westgate Blvd., and Westgate Shopping Center, located at 4477 S. Lamar Blvd. The shopping centers are surrounded by numerous health care services.
Westgate is losing the area’s alternative medical services, including Calming Spaces, Natural Health Center of Austin and Austin Longevity Center. The businesses have mostly moved out of the Westgate Professional Center at the intersection of Westgate Boulevard and Western Trails Boulevard.
The space will soon house a new alternative medicine school, the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, which is scheduled to open in April.
Dining
1 Hyde Park Bar and Grill, located at 4521-B Westgate Blvd., is a restaurant that provides a variety of options, including the health conscious with vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian dishes, antibiotic and hormone-free beef, and bottled rainwater. The restaurant also features local art and music. 899-2700, www.hpbng.com
2 Amy’s Ice Creams, which opened a new South Lamar Boulevard location Jan. 16, now has 14 locations, 12 in Austin and one each in San Antonio and
Compiled by Niamh Marnell
Houston. The ice cream parlor, started by Amy Simmons in 1984, has the recipes for over 300 flavors of ice cream. Seven of the flavors are standard in every Amy’s store and eight other flavors rotate. Amy’s is located in Suite 790 of the Westgate Shopping Center.
3 Madam Mam’s Noodles and More is located at 4514 Westgate Blvd. Its menu selection is a reflection of primarily family-style Thai cuisine, based on culinary knowledge and methods that are generations old. 899-8525, www.madammam.com
Businesses
4 Cafe Monet is a paint-your-own-pottery studio, located in Suite 560 of the Westgate Shopping Center, where customers can create fully functional, personalized pottery. 892-3200, www.cafemonet.org
5 Groovy Dog Bakery, in Suite 580 of the Westgate Shopping Center, sells toys, gifts and treats for dogs. The products are human grade and all natural. 891-7333, www.groovydog.com
6 Cavender’s Boot City, located at 4435 S. Lamar Blvd. and accessible through the Westgate Shopping Center parking lot, is one of a group of family-run western-style clothing stores. The stores are able to sell boots at a low price due to volume purchasing for their
stores all across Texas. 892-4747, www.cavenders.com
7 Whole Earth Provisions is a specialty retailer in Suite 200 of the Westgate Shopping Center. It offers a broad array of products for people committed to learning about, experiencing, preserving, and enjoying the planet. Products include clothing, shoes, camping and hiking gear and books. 899-0992, www.wholeearthprovision.com
8 Westgate Pet & Bird Hospital, located in Suite 100 of West Tower Village, is a full-service veterinary hospital providing comprehensive medical, surgical, diagnostic and wellness care for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and other exotics. 892-4463, www.westgatepetandbird.com
9 Yoga Yoga Westgate is one of the largest yoga centers in the U.S. Over 6,000 square feet is devoted to classes in five rooms. Living plants, flowers and the aroma of freshly brewed Yogi Tea welcome customers to the center located in Suite 420 of the Westgate Shopping Center. 358-1200, www.yogayoga.com
10 Massage Harmony strives to provide upscale spa services at an affordable price in Suite 410 of the Westgate Shopping Center. The spa is now offering Ashiatsu bar therapy, a
deep-tissue barefoot massage that the spa recommends for people with back pain, scoliosis and disc problems. 358-9300, www.massageharmony.com
11 Sun Dragon Martial Arts and Self Defense, located in Suite 101 of West Tower Village, provides training in conflict resolution, self defense, and non violent martial arts. 416-9735, www.sundragon.org
Healthcare
12 South Austin Orthopedic Clinic has been seeing patients since 1978. The clinic, located at 4534 Westgate Blvd., Ste. 110, provides care in the areas of traumatic injuries, sports injuries, arthritis surgery, foot surgery and rehabilitation. 892-1220, www.southaustinortho.com
13 Austin Heart is the largest provider of cardiac and vascular services in Central Texas. The Austin South Office is located at 2559 Western Trails Blvd., Ste. 200. 899-2028, www.austinheart.com
14 South Austin Medical Clinic’s specialty is directed to diagnosing and treating a broad range of medical problems, focusing on holistic prevention. 2555 Western Trails Blvd., Ste. 101. 892-6600, southaustinmed.com
This is a sample of businesses and organizations in the area. The list is not comprehensive.
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Groovy Dog Bakery owner Kim Hall bakes dog treats that are human grade and all natural.
First opened in Austin in 1970, Whole Earth now has locations in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
Yoga teacher Libby Dembe leads students in a balance pose at Yoga Yoga Westgate.
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24 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
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HighpointeDripping Springs – 78737
Build-out year: Not completed
Builders: Pulte, Wilshire, Standard Pacific
Square footage: 2,273–8,018
Home values: 250,000–724,000
HOA dues (estimated): $219/quarter mandatory
Amenities: Highpointe has sports courts, three pools, trails and an amenity center.
Nearby attractions: It is located in a 740-acre gated community 25 miles from Austin and is surrounded by communities linked by hike and bike trails.
Property taxes:
Hays County $0.4248
Hays County ES DIST #6 $0.0795
Hays County MUD No. 5 $0.9000
North Hays County ESD #1 $0.0258
Special Road $0.0444
Dripping Springs ISD $1.4900
Total (per $100 value) $2.9645
Schools:
• Dripping Springs Elementary
• Dripping Springs Middle School
• Dripping Springs High School
251 Country Creek Road $315,0004 Bedroom / 3.5 Bath 3,304 sq. ft.Agent: Susan Johnson-Remerscheld940-9418
164 Running Water $724,0005 Bedroom / 5.5 Bath 8,015 sq. ft.Agent: Andrea Parker767-8857
442 Wild Rose $278,0003 Bedroom / 2 Bath 2,547 sq. ft.Agent: John Mick401-9306
228 Saddleback Road $289,0004 Bedroom / 2.5 Bath 2,843 sq. ft.Agent: Andrea Parker767-8857
Data compiled by Nason Hengst
Keller Williams775-7900
290
MoPac
45
1826
Nutty B
rown R
d.
Saw
yer-
Ran
ch R
d.
No. of homes for sale
No. of homes under contract
Avg. days on the market
19 6 86
No. of homes sold in the last year
Square footageLow/High
86 2,524-4,944
On the market (As of Jan. 10, 2010)
Featured homesOverview
Home sales (Jan. 10, 2009–Jan. 10, 2010)
26 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
Closing cost and “No interest payment for 6 months” offer available through participation in the Preferred Buyer Rewards Program and financingthrough Pulte Mortgage LLC. Buyers participating in the Preferred Buyer Rewards Program receive a credit at closing in an amount that is up to
3% of the purchase price of the home for the payment of approved closing costs, including discount points, and prepaids. Based on this example, any buyer,including a buyer not participating in the Preferred Buyer Rewards Program, will receive at closing a credit up to 3%, which may be used for payment of approved closing costs and prepaids. Total of both credits may not exceed 6% of purchase price. Any unused amount of either of these credits is the propertyof Pulte Homes, and may not be applied to purchase price. This example is based on a VA 30 year fixed rate mortgage with temporary buydown, 5.000%rate/5.187% Annual Percentage Rate. Sales price $176,000, loan amount $179,784 which includes 2.15% VA Funding Fee. The monthly payment of$1,264.29 includes principal, interest, and estimated property taxes and hazard insurance. Seller to pay the interest portion of the monthly payment for thefirst 6 payments. Based on this example, the seller would contribute $749.10 for the first six payments reducing the borrower's monthly obligation to$515.19. Beginning with the 7th payment and for the remainder of the loan term, the borrower is responsible for the total monthly payment of $1,264.29.Loans must be for a primary residence. Rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice. All loans are subject to underwriting and loanqualifications of the lender. Pulte Mortgage LLC is an Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS Entity #1791.
866.271.1233
new year, new homesales event
interestno
forpayments
months6Save hundreds monthly.To make themost of this special offer, you must actnow! Hurry in and save big! Homemust close by March 31, 2011.
Green Meadows from the $110s512.312.2229Garlic Creek from the $160s512.312.2107Ashbrook from the $130s512.292.8922Sunfield from the $120s512.295.6073
community impact sw austin ad 4.917x6.04_Layout 1 12/29/10 11:35 AM Page 1
REAL ESTATE
Market Data Southwest Austin
Price Range
Number of homes for sale/Average days on market
78745 78749 78739 78748 78735 78736 78737
Less than $149,000 50/116 3/30 - 25/91 1/109 2/124 1/95
$150,000–$199,900 70/110 17/82 - 87/101 2/81 10/45 2/102
$200,000–$299,900 61/114 65/91 11/97 56/96 10/184 10/109 29/123
$300,000–$399,900 5/208 6/83 27/85 7/132 18/103 10/196 38/106
$400,000–$499,900 - 4/158 14/66 3/103 2/299 3/168 8/161
$500,000–$599,900 - 2/152 6/95 3/141 3/311 1/284 8/143
$600,000–$799,900 - - 1/200 - 6/106 2/85 8/140
$800,000–$999,900 - - - - 8/115 1/35 2/229
$1 million + - - - - 16/135 - 3/229
Month
Number of homes sold/Median price
78745 78749 78739 78748
Dec. 2010 31/$179,900 38/$231,000 23/$324,900 41/$184,900
Dec. 2009 35/$179,900 32/$246,900 24/$358,950 37/$194,500
Month 78735 78736 78737
Dec. 2010 9/$279,900 5/$329,950 19/$318,915
Dec. 2009 12/$403,906 1/$222,500 17/$275,000
On the market* (As of Jan. 6, 2011) Monthly home sales*
*Market Data include condominiums, townhomes and houses.
Market Data provided by the Austin Board of Realtors
Property ListingszIP code guide78735 Oak Hill / Southwest Parkway area78736 Oak Hill78737 Oak Hill78739 Circle C area78745 South of Ben White, Sunset Valley78748 Shady Hollow / Manchaca area78749 MoPac / William Cannon area
zIP code Subdivision Address Bed/Bath Price Sq. ft. Agent Phone Agency
78735 Barton Creek 2217 Warbler 5br/5ba $825,000 4,814 Eve Kush 330-0340 Coldwell Banker United Realtor
78735 Barton Creek 1304 Barton Creek 5br/4ba $1,495,000 4,805 Eve Kush 330-0340 Coldwell Banker United Realtor
78735 Estates Above Lost Creek 8401 Hickory Creek Drive 3br/2ba $749,000 3,210 Dave Murray 751-6060 Coldwell Banker United Realtor
78735 Estates Above Lost Creek 8904 Mission Creek Cove 5br/5ba $998,000 5,444 Eve Kush 330-0340 Coldwell Banker United Realtor
78735 Oak Park 5901 Oakclaire 3br/2ba $175,000 1,456 Tony Garrant 779-6744 Sellstate Classic Realty
78736 Heissner 9811 Wier Loop 2br/2ba $191,900 1,852 Charles Young 794-6688 Keller Williams Realty
78736 Scenic Brook 8306 Red Willow 3br/2ba $187,500 1,631 Jaymes Willoughby 347-9599 Keller Williams Realty
78736 Valley View Acres 6808 Smokey Hill 3br/2ba $187,900 1,543 Brenda Blaine 658-6225 J.B. Goodwin, Realtors
78737 Belterra 200 Monarch 6br/3ba $350,000 4,072 Amy McDonald 799-7799 Keller Williams Realty
78737 Highpointe 162 Winecup Way 4br/2ba $289,000 2,843 David Raesz 794-6635 Keller Williams Realty
impactnews.com • January 2011 | FEATURES | 27
Color/Make-up by Nicole Longoria-Trevino Photo by Jco Photography • Model Jill
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4477 S Lamar STE. 590 • Austin, TX 78745512-899-8311 x9
Jco. & Company Salon voted Best of Austin for Special Event Hair & Makeup 2009
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Complimentary examinations and evaluationsAffordable payment plansMost Insurance plans accepted
ORTHODONTICS
J.L. NANTZ, DDS ORTHODONTIC SPECIALIST3901 S. Lamar Blvd. Ste. 420Austin, TX 78704512-445-3355www.nantzorthodontics.com
$250 o� comprehensive
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REAL ESTATE
Property Listings
7519 Robert Kleburg $349,900
9201 Brodie $175,900
12509 Emerald Oaks $365,000
For more residential real estate listings, visit more.impactnews.com/11264
Residential real estate listings added to the market between 12/10/10 and 1/07/11 were included and provided by the Austin Board of Realtors, www.abor.com. Although every effort has been made to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of this listing, Community Impact Newspaper assumes no liability for errors or omissions. Contact the property’s agent or seller for the most current information.
zIP code Subdivision Address Bed/Bath Price Sq. ft. Agent Phone Agency
78737 Highpointe 421 Wild Rose 4br/3ba $286,055 2,562 John Mick 401-9306 RE/MAX Capital City
78737 Highpointe 442 Wild Rose 3br/2ba $278,610 2,547 John Mick 401-9306 RE/MAX Capital City
78737 Highpointe 433 Wild Rose 4br/3ba $299,145 2,892 John Mick 401-9306 RE/MAX Capital City
78739 Barker Ranch at Shady Hollow 12509 Emerald Oaks 4br/3ba $365,000 3,481 Jeff Hayenga 695-6190 Keller Williams Realty
78739 Circle C Ranch 4517 Hibiscus Valley Drive 4br/2ba $304,000 2,485 Jorge M Hernandez-Valdes 288-8061 J.B. Goodwin, Realtors
78745 Cherry Creek 6512 Lancret Hill 4br/2ba $222,222 1,614 Aaron Farmer 899-9520 Texas Discount Realty
78745 Ford Place 4416 Diane 3br/1ba $246,900 1,404 Sherry Hendrickson 771-1624 Keller Williams Realty
78745 La Vid 6708 Manchaca Road 3br/2ba $259,900 1,898 Lorelei Kattner 921-8113 Hardy Realty
78745 Southampton 3409 Harpers Ferry 3br/2ba $174,900 1,323 Alice Niven 656-2811 J.B. Goodwin, Realtors
78748 Bauerle Ranch 3205 Lynnbrook Drive 3br/2ba $230,000 2,185 David Raesz 794-6635 Keller Williams Realty
78748 Bauerle Ranch 3104 Belgrave Falls 3br/2ba $243,000 2,190 Robert Hachtel 699-0786 Austin City Living
78748 Brodie Heights 9201 Brodie 2br/2ba $175,900 1,353 Alaina Jones 761-6460 J.B. Goodwin, Realtors
78748 Dittmar Crossing 8506 Dittmar Oaks 3br/2ba $153,900 1,324 Daniel Wilson 801-7718 Keller Williams Realty
78748 Saddlewood Estates 10716 Marshitas Way 3br/2ba $129,650 1,160 Ryan Waggoner 507-8544 Spencer Properties
78748 Shady Hollow 11304 Deputy Drive 3br/2ba $224,900 1,606 Vikki Goodwin 426-9090 Homes ATX
78748 Tanglewood Forest 3014 Rochelle Drive 3br/2ba $159,900 1,382 Adrian Grabe 517-4502 J.B. Goodwin, Realtors
78749 Beckett Meadows 7425 Ponoma Trail 4br/2ba $255,000 2,415 John Squires 970-1970 Keller Williams Realty
78749 Cottage Court 6801 Beckett 2br/2ba $165,000 985 Wendy Papasan 297-9431 Keller Williams Realty
78749 Legend Oaks 7606 Mifflin Kenedy Terrace 4br/2ba $259,900 2,523 Lynn Mitchell 809-0236 Stanberry & Associates
78749 Legend Oaks 7519 Robert Kleburg 4br/2ba $349,900 2,906 Jila Nelson 914-8775 Amelia Bullock, Realtors
78749 Oak Creek Parke 3709 Leadville Drive 4br/2ba $279,900 2,780 Carol Edgerly 751-9851 Keller Williams - Lake Travis
78749 Western Oaks 6904 Robert Dixon Drive 4br/2ba $317,500 2,366 Christi Davidson 794-6770 Keller Williams Realty
28 | FEATURES | Community Impact Newspaper • Southwest Austin Edition
(512) 707 2300www.stonegaterx.com2501 W. William Cannon Dr., #203
$10 OFF FOR NEW CUSTOMERSAny fi rst time customer will have $10 deducted from their total. Limit one per customer. Valid for prescriptions only. Expires 02/25/11
Stonegate Pharmacy and S&S Pharmacy are locally owned, independent pharmacies that focus on customer service, custom medications and much more.
*Delivery service available for Stonegate only. Call for details.
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4203 James Casey
Located near the “Y” in Oakhill • 7500 Hwy 71 W, Ste. 111 • Austin, TX 78735 Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. • Saturday: By appointment only
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FEATURING PRODUCTS
* Credit card payments are still accepted but do not qualify for school donation.* Does not apply to Commercial jobs.
(512) 394-09305700 W. Slaughter Ln. #300, Austinwww.CircleCBraces.com
CLEAR HIGH-TECH
BRACESAT NO ADDITIONAL COST
*When you begin comprehensive othodontic treatment. Valid at Circle C Orthodontics only. No cash value.
ORTHODONTISTS:DR. FIDEL DEL TORODR. JONATHON KIMES
• Personalized Care for Teens and Adults
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• Complimentary Initial Exam
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