Can you believe the beautiful weather we have been enjoying in February? Pretty special, even for Lakeway!
***Election Update: Steve Smith decided to withdraw his application from the City Council Race Friday afternoon. He was very gracious and felt his participation in a Commission to better learn about City service would benefit both him and the City. I was moved by his devotion to the City and intend to appoint him to one of the ZAPCO vacancies - I think it will benefit us all!
With his withdrawal, it means an election is no longer required, saving the City significant tax dollars. Please congratulate the remaining candidates, Dwight Haley (incumbent), Jean Hennagin and Keith Trecker (new members). I look forward to working with all of them in the coming years - it looks to be busy times ahead!
I was contacted by the USDA Wildlife Management division Friday. They are interested in doing a "Field Trial" to determine the accuracy of Urban Deer Census'. We should have a proposed plan from them in the next few weeks. It looks to include a daytime count, a night time spotlight count and a night time FLIR count from a helicopter. It should be an interesting trial and hopefully we will be able to get another data point for our deer management program.
The "Great Texas Warrant Round Up" will be starting March 5th - please take care of them before then so you won't be surprised with a stranger at your home or work. Here is a link to more information.
The "Recycling Center" will be holding a March 2nd collection event. Here is a link to times and location - put it on the calendar!
Dr. Robert Van Boven, M.D.,D.D.S. will be hold a kick-off reception March 7, 2016 about a new treatment trial aimed to enhance memory and other cognitive functions in individuals with symptoms related to a history of concussions. This study, sponsored, in part, by LearningRx and Posit Science, leaders in the cognitive-training industry, will study combinations of three approaches to improve brain function and quality of life for military veterans and retired NFL players. Here is a link to the press release. Sounds like a great study - try to attend and find out more about it!
The Hamilton Greenbelt I parking lot will close at end-of-business on Friday, March 4th for construction of the new parking lot and restroom facility. A temporary trail and signage will be installed off of the Rec Path on Lohmans Crossing, redirecting Hamilton Greenbelt I trail users to utilize the sidewalk entry that circles under Lohmans Crossing Bridge. This will safely guide trail users into the greenbelt just beyond the construction zone. The construction zone will be closed to the public during the entire phase of construction. Temporary parking for Hamilton Greenbelt I will be available at the Justice Center and Activity Center parking lots, while the Hamilton Greenbelt II parking lot will remain open the entire time. Construction workers for the project have been given permission to park their personal vehicles in the Justice Center parking lot (away from the building, so as to not interrupt normal business operations).
We were planning a Council Workshop last Monday morning to learn more about our consultants findings on a possible Performing Arts Center. Unfortunately, we goofed up an did not post it 72 hours ahead of the meeting (shy about 5 hours) and had to cancel the meeting because of Open Meetings restrictions. We tried to reschedule for Friday but our consultant had to back out at the last minute so we cancelled that meeting also. We are trying to reschedule sometime in March. This will be a Work Shop and will be an educational meeting for Council with the Consultant. We all have a lot of questions before we do anything!
Plans are to open bids for the Lohmans Crossing / Lohmans Spur traffic signal April 1st and to bring it before Council on April 18th. This should put us on track for a completion date in August.
There was a fire in one of the water heaters at the swim center this week. Fortunately, the fire was discovered early and was contained to one boiler - it could have been a lot worse.
Captain Farr of the Lakeway Police Department announced his resignation this week. He will be pursuing a new career in Real Estate! We wish him all the luck in his new endeavor!
Here is a new list of events from Dallas Gorman at the Lakeway Activity Center - check it out!
The next "Big Band Bash" is scheduled for March 14th. Here is a link to more information.
From the Chief:
Routine traffic stops led to the following charges being filed, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia X 4, Possession of Controlled Substance, and DWI X 2.
Officers took a report of criminal mischief to the mayor’s personal vehicle which appeared to have occurred after a city council meeting.
Officers were summoned to LRMC to conduct a mental health evaluation on a patient. A peace officer emergency detention was done for the patient.
A patient at Vibra rehab hospital threatened/attacked members of the medical staff with a pair of scissors. Staff and police subdued the person and currently no charges have been filed.
A $60,000 bass boat was reported stolen from Lakeway Marina.
Detectives filed Class C Misdemeanor Theft charges against three male subjects who stole various items from Randall’s grocery store. Detectives were able to use video surveillance footage to positively identify the suspects.
Detectives were called out to assist patrol officers with a death investigation on Crestone Stream. The Medical Examiner’s office has concluded that the deceased die from existing medical related issues.
APO Greig participated in a speaking engagement at The University of Texas where the topic of discussion was animal rescues and animal protection operations.
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I hope I haven't left too much out, I lost the blog once and have had to recreate this edition. Have a GREAT weekend!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Another busy week - Not only a busy Council meeting on Tuesday but it was catch up after the Monday holiday!
***Editorial***
Tuesday was an eventful day, and a disappointing day for me - we had a full Council Meeting with many items on the agenda. Protesters out front about the deer and many important items on a long agenda.
Lakeway has always been a special place for me - from the time I first visited in the late 60's to now. It is special because of the quality of people we seem to be blessed with - I am disappointed because that seems to have changed. Normally, if we disagree, we try to work together and reach some consensus and find some way to work out our differences and move forward with a plan of action, it's always civil. Tuesday evening during the Council meeting, someone felt differently and needed more - they decided to get even and scratched the side of my personal vehicle. It wasn't an accident, it was a vengeful act - I am truly disappointed.
I filed a police report and will see where it goes - I really hope this is an isolated incident. Let's work harder to keep Lakeway special!
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And now let's look at the week! Council met Tuesday evening - here is that agenda.
4. We approved funds from the Hotel Tax for the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce to use at Spring Fest.
5. A Special Use Permit was approved for assisted living use by Belmont Village to be located on 620 South of Bella Montagna.
6. A zoning amendment was approved for "The Oaks" PUD that allows a possible hotel to have a building height of 60' instead of 50' but retains the 4 story limitation.
7-8 - Code amendment were approved to make it easier for Code Officers to issue permits, signatures can now be digital, recreational equipment placement and permitting and an easier path for permitting of additions that do not alter roof lines.
9. A general election was called for May 7, 2016 to elect 3 Council Members.
10. The Rolling Green culvert project contract was approved and authorization was given to Steve Jones to execute the contract.
11. Staff was authorized to bid a contract to install a traffic signal at Lohmans Crossing and Lohmans Spur.
12. A resolution was approve authorizing the City Attorney to initiate eminent domain proceedings to acquire a small section of land to allow the Flintrock Road project to continue.
The meeting adjourned about 9PM.
Looks like another GREAT weekend - here are a couple of suggestions!
Savants and Synchronicity: It's All the Same, But Different. Saturday, February 20th at 2PM at the
Lake Travis Community Library. Here's a link to more information.
Second is the World Vision Exhibit this weekend at the Lakeway Church parking lot. Here is a link - check it out - it is a moving experience!
Judge Madison and the Lakeway Courts have won yet another award! Congratulations to the Winner of the Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Award - it is well deserved and we are proud of our courts!
The 4th of July Committee has started work and met Wednesday - it's going to be a GREAT 4th - thanks to all that make it happen!
Steve Jones and I attended the 1st annual Chamber Business Expo luncheon. They had a guest speaker and it looks like it will be popular annual event!
The Justice Center Advisory Committee had their second meeting Thursday evening. They finished up the presentation from Chief Radford and went on a tour of the existing police and court facilities.
Mark your calendars! The Relay For Life of Lake Travis is coming up on April 16 at lake Travis High School. Here's a link for more information!
The 2016 Great Texas Round Up is underway this weekend. Our system made 297 calls this morning and notification calls went in the mail today. This is a coordinated effort and hopefully folks will come in and voluntarily take care of their warrants.
Notices are being mailed to the Short Term Rental permit holders today. Permit holders will have 30 days to achieve compliance with the new criteria including inspections, proof of insurance, HOT forms and providing advertising information.
From the Chief:
Routine traffic enforcement led to the following charges being filed; Possession of drug paraphernalia X 3, DWI X 3 and an arrest for Lakeway Warrants.
There was another theft of patio furniture on Challenger. We are working this case and following up on any leads that may come in.
Officers were able to quickly find a missing autistic child. The child was not injured and was returned to his parents.
Officer responded to a family disturbance on Cutty Trail and arrested a suspect for Assault with injury-family violence and Interference with 9-1-1 communication.
Officers took one report of Fraudulent use of credit card information.
Detective Proctor worked a sexual assault incident that was reported on February 18, 2016. Crime Scene Technician Edgar Smith and Reserve Officer/crime scene technician Stacy Deville assisted with the crime scene.
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That's all for today! See you around the City!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Happy Friday! It seems the weeks are gone before I know it anymore. Thanks to everyone that attended the "Meet & Greets" for Representative Paul Workman and County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty! Their success is our success!
As far as my week - Monday Steve Jones, Chessie Zimmerman and I met with Emily Lubbers and Geoffrey Tahuahua of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin. It appears "The Peninsula" in the Highlands will host the 2017 Parade of Homes. Looking forward to it!
I had a meeting with the Lakeway MUD to talk about the sale of the 82 acre property and their thoughts on the development.
Steve Jones and I had a meeting with representatives from the "Citizens Advocates for Lakeway Deer". They contend they have a signed petition but have not presented it for certification to the City Secretary.
Chessie Zimmerman and Julie Oakley looked closely at the revenue budget for this year. We are nearly half way through the fiscal year and our projections are looking good. We should out perform budget on Sales Tax and BDS fees will meet projections.
To end Monday, Steve Jones, Dwight Haley and I attended the CAMPO meeting where the Board passed an amendment to the 183 North project that increased the costs of the project with additional lanes and connections to US 183, Hwy. 45 and Loop 1. The project will be funded by tolls. We also viewed a presentation on Automated Cars and how they might affect future transportation.
The rest of the week was spent working on the details of the upcoming Council meeting. This meeting will be on Tuesday because of the holiday. Here is that agenda. The backup data can be found here. No real controversy on the agenda that I foresee although there are a lot of items.
Today Judge Madison conducted court with a docket of 73 cases including one trial by judge case.
CBC met Thursday in regular session - here was the agenda. Item 4 was a fence variance that was approved and item 5 was a waiver for a driveway design issue that was denied.
The Austin Bella Corda guitar ensemble is scheduled to perform from 4-5 PM March 13 at the Lakeway Activity Center. Here is a link to more information.
From the Chief:
A suspect was arrested for aggravated assault after he attacked the victim with a knife in the parking lot of the post office. The victim was not cut. The assault started as a dispute over a door ding.
Officers were summoned to LRMC for a mental health evaluation of a suicidal patient in the emergency room. A Peace Officer Emergency Detention was done on the patient.
Routine traffic enforcement led to the following charges being filed, Possession of drug paraphernalia X 6; DWI; Lakeway Warrant arrest, and Possession of Controlled Substance
A storage container, located at a construction site on Flintrock Trace, was broken into and tools valued at several hundred dollars were taken.
There have been several patio furniture thefts reported on Challenger.
A resident on Neville Wood Court passed away while under Hospice care.
A resident’s credit card information was obtained fraudulently and used to make $1600 worth of unauthorized purchases.
Officers assisted EMS with a juvenile who had overdosed at home. The juvenile was transported to LRMC for treatment. Officers did an emergency commitment to get the juvenile into follow up care.
A resident on Hurst Creek passed away of apparent natural causes while at home with his wife.
A resident’s credit card information was used fraudulently to make a $700 unauthorized purchase outside of the city.
A driver lost control of their vehicle and ran the vehicle through the front of the Verizon Wireless store. No one was injured.
Officers responded to the Goodwill store on report of a suspicious person. The suspect was located and arrested for a warrant out of Williamson County.
Officer responded to LRMC emergency room after an intoxicated patient assaulted the hospital staff. The patient was arrested and charged with assault.
Investigators responded to a Hurst Creek Road address in reference to a deceased person, this appears to be natural causes this case will be closed.
Animal Protection has filed a dog at large charge with the court in reference to a Crestview Street resident reporting the neighbors dogs running loose.
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That's all for now, I hope everyone enjoys the Spring Weekend in February! Email me if you would like to be added to the email list at lakeway@bain.us and I'll get you added. Thanks again for all the support!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
Here we are, Saturday morning and I haven't done the blog yet! Well lets get started.
As far as weather, another beautiful mid winter day in Lakeway. What we need is some rain, we are way behind already for the year and it would be nice to wash out some of the pollen. Lake is looking GREAT - although the inflows are almost nil. LCRA, please be careful about sending too much water downstream, it looks like we may need it!
It's been a busy week for me, a week full. Tuesday I was honored to speak at the Annual Meeting of the Service League of Greater Lakeway. This group of volunteers makes it their mission to help area residents in need by helping with transportation to appointments, loaning medical gear, and other services to those that are unable to do small chores or handyman work. They have been doing this since shortly after Lakeway became a reality. Here's a link to an article in the Lake Travis View - what a wonderful way to give back to the community!
The annual Lakeway Civic Corporation meeting was also Tuesday evening. Here is a link to all the projects the LCC has funded over the years - it's really an impressive list! Wonderful dinner and several awards were presented - here goes:
Meritorious Service Award recipient - Tom Smith
Next was Meritorious Service Award recipient - Johnnie Fields
Next was Meritorious Service Award recipient Dave Point
And last, but certainly not least - please congratulate Dennis Brown as recipient of LCC's Citizen of the Year!
I've been working with Captain Crowder on our Emergency Operations Plan for a couple of months now. With help from Captain Crowder and Council Member Ron Massa it is nearing completion and it is now in the process of being signed by all required entities.
Thursday was "Lockup Day" for the MDA - Austin Drive. You will notice the smile on my face - it is because I made my bail with all the generous donations from all of you! With your help I was able to contribute $2415 toward sending kids to camp. The area total was $33,856 to help the kids, an all time record. THANK YOU!
Thursday evening the first meeting of the Justice Center Advisory Committee was held in Council Chambers. We got off to a good start and I believe the committee will guide Council in the right direction - thank you all for your time in this effort!
CBC will meet in regular session next week on Thursday at 9AM - here is that agenda.
Bids on our Rolling Green Culvert project were opened this week, and I expect it will be an agenda item on this month's Council agenda.
Part of our CIP was installation of a traffic light at Lohmans and Lohmans Spur - it looks like we will be able bid this out in the near future.
Alpha Paving did some much needed repairs on Hurst Creek road this week. Also Public Works posted a temporary "No Thru Trucks" sign on Flint Rock Road and have temporarily lowered the speed limit to 30 MPH during construction. Once the Flint Rock Road project is complete I expect the city will look into annexation of the areas that are currently in the County so we can include the area in Lakeway traffic enforcement.
From the Chief:
We currently have three new dispatchers in training.
A Lakeway resident was defrauded of $4000 by telephone callers posing as IRS agents.
Routine traffic enforcement led to the following charges being filed, non-Lakeway warrant arrest X 3; Possession of drug paraphernalia X 3; DWI X 3; Possession of controlled substance X 2; and Possession of marijuana X 2.
A pilot was detained and warned when he landed at the Lakeway Airpark after hours. We are in final stages of drafting a new ordinance to deal with violations occurring at the airpark.
Patio furniture valued at $1200 was stolen from a vacation home on Challenger.
The driver of a vehicle in the 700 blk of RR 620 fell asleep behind the wheel and struck a guardrail. Damage to the vehicle and guardrail were extensive. The driver was charged with DWI (2nd).
A Lakeway resident was the victim of identity theft. The suspects used the victim’s identifying information to obtain an ATM card and remove over $6000 from his bank account.
A resident’s bankcard information was fraudulently used to make purchases in the amount of $1774.
A Lakeway K9 officer assisted a Travis County Deputy on a traffic stop. The K9 alerted on the suspect vehicle and narcotics were located during a subsequent search.
An Alzheimer’s patient in Lakeway was defrauded of $1400 by a caretaker. This case is under investigation.
Detectives with the CIU received several identity theft reports forwarded to them from patrol. During the initial investigation, it was revealed that the criminal activity occurred in other jurisdictions (Miami FL, Austin TX, and Houston TX). Those cases were forwarded to the proper agencies and the Lakeway PD cases were closed.
Detectives met with the victim involved in the alleged sexual assault case that was reported by the victim following her DWI arrest. The victim stated that no criminal activity occurred and requested the case be closed without further investigation.
APO Greig followed up on a dog attack case that occurred in the 100 block of Acapulco. The victim suffered minor injuries while trying to defend himself during the incident. At this time, the two dogs remain at large and have not been identified.
APO Greig was contacted by the Austin Animal Center and was requested to respond to the Lakeway Post Office to assist with an animal attack that occurred in Travis County jurisdiction. APO Greig interviewed the victim and documented the victim’s injuries, which were minor.
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Don't forget the "Meet and Greets" for Representative Paul Workman at Fore on Tuesday evening from 5:30 to & PM and for Commissioner Gerald Daugherty on Wednesday evening same time and place. I hope I'll see you there!
If you wish to be added to my email list send a note to lakeway@bain.us and I'll get you on the list!
Have a GREAT weekend - I'll see you around the City!
Joe Bain
lakeway@bain.us
The next "Big Band Bash" is scheduled for March 14th. Here is a link to more information.
