Last week Mayor DeOme and Steve Jones attended the CAMPO meeting in my place on Monday. They were successful in moving along some of the projects we would like to get in the pipeline to improve our traffic issues. At least the needs of Western Travis County have become part of the regional conversation - a substantial improvement!
Steve and Chessie talked with representatives from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to see what groundwork is necessary for them to consider projects. They are the entity that constructs toll facilities.
During routine traffic enforcement this week LPD officers charged several drivers with the following offenses: Driving While License Invalid x 5, Driving While Intoxicated x 2, and a minor was charged with possession of alcohol. A peace officer emergency commitment was complete by an LPD officer at LRMC regarding a patient having emotional issues. Later in the week, LPD officers completed another emergency commitment order on a resident after officers responded to a request for assistance by the resident. A routine check led to an LPD K9 deployment in which the dog alerted officers to a useable amount of methamphetamine. And, a Lakeway resident reported being the victim of a telephone fraud in which the suspect pretended to be a Travis County Deputy collecting money for warrants.
You might have already read about the City's involvement in working with the Lake Travis Youth Association (LYTA) in obtaining land and building a sports complex in Lakeway in a joint effort with the LTYA and Travis County.
Mayor DeOme signed an order to allow voluntary participation in deferring landscaping on new construction because of the serious drought conditions. Also, pool permits are going to be curtailed unless builders can show water for new pools is coming from sources other than the Highland Lakes. If nothing else, the City is raising the interest level of the community on the seriousness of the severe drought we are currently locked in!
The Lakeway Police Department along with other area agencies are conducting an "Arrive Alive" Central Texas safety initiative for the Memorial Day Holiday. Arrive Alive Central Texas is focused on saving lives on streets and highways and making roadways safe for everyone through education and enforcement.
Some of the most significant factors contributing to these preventable deaths include driver/pedestrian impairment, excessive speed and aggressive driving.
Because there was some confusion on the landscaping and pool restrictions, Mayor Pro Tem Phil Brown has called a special council meeting for Wednesday May 28th at 2:00 PM. Here is that agenda. I expect it will be a very short meeting.
Steve Jones' Report:
The Visitors Commission committee finished interviewing consultants to perform a needs and market analysis for a proposed event center this week. Janis A. Barlow and Associates was the unanimous favorite. We will negotiate a contract with Barlow in the coming weeks and begin the study.
We had some confusion this week with the announcement that the city had imposed a “moratorium” on landscaping and pool permits. Many people complimented us for taking action to conserve water, but some homebuilders and pool contractors expressed concern. After we made it clear that deferring landscaping is optional not mandatory, things settled down. Pool contractors were also grateful to learn that they can get permits if they can find an alternate source of water. They agree that they will likely have to do that anyway. Things have settled down now, and, if nothing else, we have raised awareness of the seriousness of the drought.
Dave Taylor and I will meet with third to fifth graders at Lakeway Elementary next Tuesday for a career day event. We will talk about what it is like to run a city from a staff and policy standpoint and how one pursues a career in public service. This should be a lot of fun.
Chessie reports, “I met with representatives from LTYA to discuss their proposed development on Bee Creek Road. Troy and I had our weekly meeting regarding the Oaks at Lakeway with staff from Bury Inc., and finalized comments on the preliminary plan, plat vacation, and final plat documents. Julie and I held a meeting with department heads to kick off the FY 2015 budget cycle, focusing on revenue forecasts and the impact of budgetary decisions from one fiscal year to the next. Troy and I met with the representative of a recently annexed property owner to discuss the city’s recommending zoning for the property, and I also met with staff from the city attorney’s office to discuss staff’s recommendations.
Troy Anderson's reports:
Monday afternoon we met with representatives of Bury Inc. as we discussed the preliminary plan, plat vacations, and final plat for the Oaks @ Lakeway. These items will be heard by the Zoning Commission, at their regularly scheduled meeting on June 4, 2014.
Following the budget meeting Tuesday morning, Staff met to review progress being made on updates to our application packets, particularly new residential applications. That afternoon we met with a representative of one of the property owners involved in the recent annexation to discuss the particulars of zoning.
On Wednesday, we began fielding phone calls and e-mails regarding the Emergency Order pertaining to deferred landscaping and pool permits. Wednesday afternoon we attended the Quarterly Planners Meeting with the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin wherein we discussed the recent Order and various development projects under construction and on the horizon.
Thursday morning, together with a representative of the Central Texas Water Coalition, we spoke at a Lunch & Learn, hosted by Gracy Title, at their Lohmans Crossing offices. We paneled a great discussion about LCRA, our imminent water restrictions, and what we can do to protect and preserve our natural resources.
LPD officers did a mental health police officer emergency commitment order on a woman who attempted to kill herself by sitting in a running vehicle inside a closed garage.
A bicyclist collided with an 18 wheeler on RR 620. The bicyclist suffered devastating injuries and is still on life support. No charges are expected to be filed against either party.
A routine traffic stop led to the arrest of a driver for DWI and another stop resulted in that driver being arrested for reckless driving.
A thief, or thieves, stole the wheels and tires off one vehicle parked in a residential driveway. It appears they tried to do the same at a second residence but were interrupted before finishing the act.
A delivery driver was arrested at a construction site for assaulting the construction supervisor. The supervisor tried taking the drivers picture so the driver grabbed the phone and broke it. During that scuffle the supervisor’s hand was cut.
A woman was thrown to the ground and beaten by her neighbor’s boyfriend on Fantail. The suspect fled the scene prior to police arriving on scene, but he has been identified and an arrest is pending. The victim was transported to the hospital.
A Deer attacked a resident in the Porpoise drive area. LPD animal protection officers are trying to locate the rogue deer to relocate it.
On Thursday evening at approximately 730 pm, LPD officers tried to effect a traffic stop on a vehicle on Sailmaster, when the driver decided to evade officers. As the suspects drove toward RR 620 on Lohmans Crossing, they began throwing purses out of the car window. They also collided with a vehicle on Lohmans during the initial pursuit. LPD Officers backed off the suspects’ car as they reached RR 620 due to speed and traffic concerns. As they followed the suspect south on RR 620, BCPD officers began to pursue the suspects. The suspects crashed into a car in the intersection of RR620 and Bee cave parkway injuring the driver of the other car (minor injuries). The two suspects fled on foot into the wooded area, heading toward the Back yard and city park area. DPS, TCSO, BCPD, and LPD officers set a perimeter and called in DPS helicopter air one. After an hour or so, one of the suspects was apprehended. As it turns out, these two suspects had been burglarizing cars in Bee Cave. Subsequently the car they were driving was reported stolen. The second suspect is still on the loose. LPD Detective Howell is assisting BCPD with the investigation and our crime scene tech processed the car for them.
Detective Howell and Officer Fisher picked up a prisoner in Houston and transported him back to Austin after he was arrested on charges of felony theft out of Lakeway.
=============================
There will be a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Lake Travis High School Performing Arts Center on Monday May 26th starting at 12 noon.
I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day holiday! That's all for now!
Joe Bain
joe@bain.us
Joe, what would it take to start a promotion campaign encouraging the residents to request Google fiber service in Lakeway. As you know, Google fiber brings 1gb/s + download speeds which dramatically improves the customer experience. Google often determines its fiber install locations based on requests. As such, I think we have a good chance to bring Google fiber to Lakeway if we can get enough residents to submit requests to Google for the service.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Gordon