We had a big week! Severe storms caused problems throughout the city, trees were blown over and some drainage issues. Picture at right shows the awning of the house next to ours on Dasher that was ripped off the back of the house over the deck, onto the roof where multiple holes were punched and then finally ended up in the front yard. My flagpole was damaged and tree limbs were everywhere. We got about an inch and a half of rain in about 20 minutes along with some small hail and lots of wind. City Staff is looking into several issues and hopefully we will have them corrected soon.The good news out of this is we had enough rainfall to cause some runoff and Lake Travis is up about 4 feet as of today. This is GOOD news, but we need to continue our efforts to change the way OUR lake is managed so we have ample water in the future for our use!
The "Summer Kickoff" is tomorrow at the Activity Center. If you haven't heard about it, we will be serving up hot dogs and watermelon free of charge to Lakeway Activity Center members from 10AM till 2PM to celebrate the upcoming Summer and show off activities that are available. The Austin Planetarium will set up an indoor exhibit inside the ballroom and around the perimeter of the room, tables full of instructors will offer hands-on introductions to their classes. Participating exhibitors include KinderDance, Abrakadoodle, Tae Kwon Do, Singing Bowl, Dog Training, Cook Learn Grow, CATS Summer Camp, Bits Bytes and Bots, Lego 101, Round Rock Fencing Club and SportBall. Music will be provided by the Jeff Inman Band. Everyone is welcome. There is no entrance fee for this event so come by for some summer fun!
A Special Council Meeting was called by Mayor Pro Tem Phil Brown on Wednesday to discuss and allow input on the landscaping and pool order issued by Mayor DeOme. Although there were some communication issues when initially deployed, Council in general felt like it was a good idea. Only two people spoke and all questions were answered.
We celebrated Memorial Day with the USAF Band of the West at the Lake Travis High School Performing Arts Center in the middle of another rain storm - it was a GREAT ceremony and I am proud of our community! Wonderful presentation, thanks for all the work of the many volunteers!
Summer movies are back again! Both Movies at the Park and and Dive in Movies will be starting in June. Here is a link to more information!
From Steve Jones:
Dave Taylor and I participated in Career Day at Lakeway Elementary this week. We extolled the virtues and excitement of being a public servant to five second grade classes. Actually, the kids were attentive and seemed to have a good time. I know that Dave and I enjoyed talking to them.
Chessie Zimmerman reports, “I attended the monthly meeting of the CAMPO Technical Advisory Committee. As the next step in the process of developing the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, the committee recommends that the Transportation Policy Board endorse regional and sub-regional transportation network modeling scenarios that are not fiscally constrained. This is important because, in the past, projects without confirmed funding sources were omitted from the modeling scenarios, even if the impact of the projects was potentially significant. At this point, the regional network modeling scenario includes SH 45 West, which connects SH 45 SW to the proposed extension of SH 45 North at RM 620 and RM 2222. In addition, CAMPO just published a call for projects in order to expend funds that area available over the next five years. Each jurisdiction in the CAMPO region may submit three requests. Lakeway will be submitting a request for funding for a corridor study for SH 45 West and, possibly, for other projects, if they qualify.”
Dale DeLong, Paul Duncan, and I spent hours yesterday assessing drainage problems that were presented by the heavy rain this week. The largest problem occurred at homes in the Blue Jay Drive area. Over the years, drainage conveyance has been altered in this area and runoff from heavy downpours inundates the drainage system. The exact cause of the problem is not obvious, so we intend to do an area drainage study to determine what it is. The fix may be expensive, so we want to be sure we are addressing it correctly. We opened bids Thursday on our other major drainage problem, the Explorer Drive/Brooks Hollow Drive project. We received three bids, and the low bid came in higher than expected at $268,000. However, they were closely grouped, indicating that they are reliable. I plan to bring this to you next month for consideration.
According to Dale DeLong, Public Works spent much of the week focused on the damage caused by the heavy rainfall we received at the beginning of the week. They received many calls and e-mails regarding drainage issues. Dale believes most of the issues were culverts that could not handle that much rainfall in that short amount of time. They have also been cleaning up debris that washed into the roadways.
Ben Engelhardt, our TxDOT Area Engineer, advised us that, “Beginning mid-June we [TxDOT] will be paving RM 620 from SH 71 to Mansfield Damn. Work takes place predominantly at night (8PM to 5AM M-F). Wheeler Paving is our contractor. Be on the lookout for message boards in the upcoming weeks giving information on start dates. We will allow a lane to be closed in the paving direction.”
From Chief Radford:
LPD Officers did two mental health evaluations and one emergency commitment this week.
Routine traffic stops culminated in charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, minor in possession of alcohol and tobacco, driving without license, and one warrant arrest. Additionally officers made two DWI arrests.
LPD Officers arrested a female suspect after she discharged a firearm during a family disturbance.
We responded to four burglaries of vehicles at the World of Tennis and city park. No apparent suspects at this time but detectives are diligent working these cases.
LPD Officers responded to the Lakeway Marina regarding an under-aged female who was suffering from acute alcohol poisoning. She had been out with friends drinking in a boat on the lake for most of the day. She was transported to LRMC for treatment. Another minor on scene was charged with consumption of alcohol.
A patrol car collided with a deer while responding to an emergency call for service at the Lakeway Resort.
LPD detectives are investigating a home burglary that occurred sometime during the week. Items stolen from the residence included jewelry and cash.
Sergeant Jason Brown taught the mental health officer certification course which results in all but three of our newest officers being certified. Those officers will attend the next training later in the summer.
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That's all for this week! Hope to see you Saturday at the Activity Center - I'll be cooking or serving hot dogs I imagine!
Thanks for your continued interest in what is going on in Lakeway - have a GREAT weekend!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
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