Library Access, Fire, Personnel Search, and more!

Looks like another beautiful day in paradise!  A little cool but perfect this afternoon.

(Ann, don't read this!) This morning there was a small fire at 303 Lakeway Drive.  No one was injured but a lot of equipment was sent to the scene.

I have had several questions about access to the new Library.  It is somewhat difficult getting in and out depending on which way you are going since there is no cut in the median.  Actually, planned access was never from Lohmans, it was designed and planned for access from the entrance to Tuscan Village.  There was to be a road from the entrance parallel to Lohmans built as the commercial area developed.  The current entrance was installed since the library was built before that commercial area was developed.

The developer has agreed to build a temporary road where the planned road is going to be - the area was actually used in construction of the library.  That should relieve the current issues.  If not, the library could probably cut the median and make access easier.  I expect the temporary road to be in in another month or so.

The City suffered a personnel loss this month.  Julie Oakley, Director of Finance, took a job working for Horseshoe Bay as their Financial Director.  Julie was instrumental in making our Financial Department one of the best in Texas.  We wish her good luck in her new job and we will surely miss her!

The City has also been in a search for a new Communications Coordinator since Rachel Wallace moved away.  I'm told there has been a selection, however I am not publishing the name until all notifications have been made.

Parks and Rec. has really been busy for the last month or so.  The Activity Center enjoyed some renovation, they had huge success at the Indoor Garage Sale, the Swim Center is gearing up for the Summer, the Green Belts and parks are experiencing some sprucing up and more!  Here is a link to Andra Dearing's report - it's a GOOD one!

The Medical Office Building (MOB) is reporting they are fully leased.  For a list of tenants check out this Lakeway Bee link. 

The "Sing Alongs" Spring Dinner Show is coming up April 25, 26. and 27 at the Activity Center.  This is an annual event and proceeds go to the Christmas Show they do in support of Green Santa.  Call the Activity Center at 261-1010 for tickets and reservations - is sells out and seating is limited so call soon!

CBC will meet in regular session April 25th at 9AM.  Here is that agenda.

From Steve Jones:
Staff held meetings regarding several proposed and ongoing developments this week, including a proposed multi-use development located at RR 620 and Glen Heather, a proposed single-family development on Kollmeyer, further discussions regarding parkland and trails in Serene Hills, and revisions to the preliminary plan for Lakeway Medical Village.

The BDS office has been unusually busy this week.  As of noon on Friday, staff had approved 49 residential permits.  The rate of submittal of permits for new residential construction continues to accelerate, and the trend continues to be upward.  Steve Jones received a very nice comment from a homebuilder who said that since the city began doing in-house plan reviews, the turnaround time on permits has reduced drastically.

The Finance department has selected a vendor to replace the fencing around the dumpster at city hall.  In addition, lighting will be installed on both sides of the enclosure, along with a key box.  Part-time residents who need occasional solid waste service will be allowed to use the dumpster for a small fee.  The bid that was selected is $2,000 less than the amount budgeted for this project.


Court Clerk Ruth Sandoval reported, “This week the court is preparing for a bench trial on April 26.  The offense is running a stop sign.  On our last arraignment docket, we had two defendants request trials by judge for the offense of driving with a suspended license and a third one by jury for consumption of alcohol by a minor.  In addition, we have two hearings on a petition by the city regarding unsafe buildings scheduled for May 14 at 6:00 PM.”


Sharon Cole reported, “Chessie and I attended the Texas Legislative HR Roundup presented by the Society for Human Resource Management.  Healthcare regulations, EEOC issues, retaliation, social media, privacy issues, and immigration were discussed.  HR has in-processed three new employees, and one termination.  Paperwork is complete for seven summer Swim Center employees.

From Chief Todd Radford:
April 15-19 is Telecommunicator Appreciation Week.  We are very proud that we have our own dispatch center that services both the city of Lakeway and the city of Bee Cave.  These individuals work in a closed secure and highly technical environment that requires attention to detail and can have the potential, if done incorrectly, to result in loss of life.  We are fortunate to have some the best in the area serving the citizens and officers of both cities.

The Lake Travis High School went into lockdown yesterday after a report of a suspicious person on their campus.  We responded to assist and sent officers to each of our elementary schools in our city.  After a short period, the lockdown was lifted and the incident cleared by the School resource officers as being unfounded.

We made four DWI arrests this week, and two major collisions occurred on RR 620 with injured persons transported to LRMC.

Citizens Police Academy met this week on Monday.  The topic, presented by our motorcycle officers Steve Adams and Slade Fisher, was traffic enforcement.  The participants engaged in scenarios with officers during the class.

That's all for now!  If you see the Mayor, wish him Happy Birthday (it was yesterday).  I'm not sure how old he is but he was born in 1945....

 Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us