News

BY GLYNIS CRAWFORD SMITH
THE HIGHLANDER
A training session on terrorism will be held Saturday, July 30, for local residents who are already members of Burnet County's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Everyone interested in becoming part of the team is invited to register now for the next CERT training class.
In a county of 2,021 square miles, a serious disaster could prevent many from travel or access to emergency services. Community reliance for safety and rescue is goal of the CERT and the most recent class of 32 graduates has brought the total to 173 of volunteers trained for action.
The class June 30 will be conducted 9 a.m.-noon at the Marble Falls Fire Rescue Building, 700 Avenue N in Marble Falls. The terrorism training will include scenario training and a focus on the appropriate medical response to terrorist acts involving firearms and gunshot wounds.

by Alexandria Randolph
Highland Lakes Newspapers

By Phil Reynolds
The Highlander
Horseshoe Bay city officials say residents who want to run for places coming open on the city council can pick up election packets now at city hall.
The terms of council members Craig Haydon, David Pope and Jerry Gray will expire this year. The council at its meeting Tuesday, July 19 set Nov. 8 as the date when voters will fill those places. That’s the same date as the upcoming presidential election.
While election packets are available now, the first day for filing is Monday, July 25. Filing closes on Monday, Aug. 22.
If only three people file for the three council seats, no election will be needed and the three candidates can be declared elected. If more than three candidates file, the three highest vote-getters in the election will fill the seats.

By Phil Reynolds
The Highlander
In a move Mayor Steve Jordan called “a long time coming,” Horseshoe Bay city council members on Tuesday, July 19 authorized City Manager Stan R. Farmer to negotiate a contract to build a $3.5 million expansion to the city’s wast water treatment plant. Engineering fees, equipment and materials will bring the total cost to $4.2 million, the council waste told.
At the same meeting, the council voted to switch the city’s trash pickup contractor from Progressive to Republic. Though Republic was the low bidder on the trash pickup contract, the cost will still rise slightly, the council heard.
The city had investigated expanding and improving the west water treatment plant as long ago as 2009, Community Services Director Jeffrey Koska said. At that time, the estimated total cost was $4 million, he said.

By Alexandria Randolph
Highland Lakes Newspapers

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Community members who are interested in serving out the unexpired term for Place 7 on the Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees are encouraged to apply for the position through the district's website.

Board members agreed during a regular meeting Tuesday, July 19, to accept forms of interest from interested citizens up to a deadline of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. The form of interest can be found on the district website at http://marblefallsisd.org.

By Lew K. Cohn
The Highlander
Managing Editor
By the year 2025, Marble Falls Independent School District enrollment may have grown seven to 10 percent, according to a study performed by a College Station demographics firm.
To determine the district's capacity to handle this anticipated growth, the Board of Trustees voted at the Tuesday, July 19, regular board meeting to contract with Alpha Facilities Solutions to perform a Facilities Condition Assessment to evaluate the condition of the district's current facilities and to create a comprehensive plan to address needs as well as routine maintenance for the short and long term.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen said the purpose of the study by Population and Survey Analysts (PASA) was to anticipate and plan for future student needs that may result from enrollment growth.

By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
The Marble Falls City Council on Tuesday night, July 19, set its course more firmly toward issuance of  $7.9 million in bonds to fund utility projects.
Members voted unanimously to publish two required notices of intent to issue combination tax and limited pledge revenue certificates of obligation in an amount not to exceed $7,930,000 for the purpose of providing funds for water and sewer  system  improvements,  the  purchase  of  a  backhoe and related expenses.
Finance Director Margie Cardenas introduced city financial adviser, Andrew  Friedman  of  SAMCO  Capital  Markets,  Inc.
“Interest rates are near historic lows,” said Friedman, hopeful they would remain so until September. “They are now well below three percent; today at 2.7 percent.”
A tour of three city utility sites prior to the meeting seemed to confirm council commitment.

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH/HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

A Marble Falls man was shot in a home while laying in bed on Thursday night, Marble Falls Police confirmed.

A 27-year-old man was laying in bed in a home in the 400 block of Avenue R at approximately 11:22 p.m. when he was shot twice in the torso, police said.

Witnesses told officers that two masked men entered the house, ran into the bedroom, and shot the victim. The man was then transported to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center and is reportedly in stable condition.

It is unclear at this time whether the man was a resident of the home.

As of 9 a.m., officers were no longer at the scene. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Marble Falls Middle School Principal, Roger Barr, Marble Falls High School Principal, Manny Lunoff, and the District Technology staff, are looking forward to meeting with the parents and guardians of students going in to 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grades to provide information about the distribution of new student laptops.