News

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

When Evelyn Turner blew out the candle on her 100th birthday cupcake March 7, it wasn't the first birthday ceremony she had performed in Granite Shoals.

Considered the city's elder citizen at 99 last year, she blew out the candles at the Granite Shoals 50th Birthday Bash on April 23.

This time it was performed at a surprise party. Anne Williams, who holds court with the popular resident at regular appointments at Anne's Hair Country staged the party for friends, family and admirers. Far from frail, she was bubbling right along with guests about having everyone together.

When Granite Shoals Mayor Carl Brugger arrived, it was with a proclamation in hand, declaring March 7 as Evelyn Lee Turner Day in the city.

A Grand Opening Celebration and Ribbon Cutting for the Marble Falls Bealls store has been announced for 9 a.m. Thursday, April 6.

Everyone is invited to come out and see the new store featuring additional merchandise brands, an updated store design with wider aisles, brighter lighting, restyled fitting rooms, and comfortable seating areas. During the celebration weekend, April 6-8, Bealls will offer customers exciting deals, giveaways and other fun surprises. The first one hundred customers in line on Thursday, April 6, will receive a free gift and a chance to win a $100 Bealls gift card, while supplies last.

The new store is hard to miss at 1400 Ranch to Market Road 1431, just across the street from its current location and H-E-B. It offers twice the shopping space in a 30,000-square-foot store.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Marble Falls City Council Members had a glimpse of "parks future" before giving the final nod to the revised Park, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan on Tuesday, March 7.

That included one massive downtown park: Johnson Park.

Director of Parks & Recreation Robert Moss conveyed the endorsement of the Marble Falls Parks & Recreation Commission for the result of the year-long process to update the master plan and introduced Gail Ferry and Matt Bucchin of Halff Associates, contractor for the revision.

Bucchin said three top priorities identified in all the survey responses and public meetings on the revision were to work in concert with the hotel/conference center project, the re-development of Lakeside Park and the consolidation of four downtown parks under one Johnson Park umbrella.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Marble Falls City Council on Tuesday, March 7, heard a proposal that could bring large permanent sculpture installations to town.

The council also considered a full agenda, but it was presentations from the creative community, medical sector and appraisal district which sparket the most interest.

She was introduced by Robert Moss, director of the Parks & Recreation Department, who expressed willingness to work with City Manager Mike Hodge on the project.

Carolyn Bates of the Highland Lakes Creative Arts (HLCRA) Board of Directors addressed the council to say that owners of Sculpture Ranch and Galleries south of Johnson City were selling the property.

“They are moving sculptures back the artists except for about 15 major works,” said Bates. “Basically, the artists want the work displayed. This could be part of making Marble Falls the arts destination for the State of Texas.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

At least three of the new commercial construction projects underway around Marble Falls are taking shape—the Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) Northwest Operations Center, the new Bealls store and Chick-fil-A.

PEC held a ceremonial groundbreaking March 7, 2016 for the Co-op’s Northwest Operations Center at 4302 US 281, across the highway from Resource Parkway in Marble Falls. The center, expected to open Summer 2017, was conceived after an extensive facilities study and research into growth trends throughout PEC’s service territory.

The $15 million project includes an 18,000-square-foot, two-story building in a total 27,000-square-foot facility. The central architectural feature, a massive arched roof has been taking shape at the hands of steel workers.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Three separate and unrelated cases involving the violation of children led to arrests and bookings into the Burnet County Jail already this month.

One of them, Christina Nichole Bruton, now of Clarksville, faces prison immediately through a State Request for Adjudication filed by District Attorney Sonny McAfee.

Two others, Ronald Rambo II of Briarcliff and Austin Slade Jones of Meadowlakes, were arrested on felony indictments handed down by the Burnet County Grand Jury to bring cases to trial.

The City of Marble Falls has approved the first phase construction plans for Gregg Ranch, the 240-acre master-planned residential community under development at Texas 71 and US 281 and the city's largest of its kind is poised for a start.

As part of the first phase, the developer, Harvard Investments, will fund water and waste water extensions for the development. The decision to seek annexation into Marble Falls rather than Round Mountain city limits was made in 2014 on the basis of the availability of its utility service.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

State Sen. Dr. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, praised the work of the Texas Senate during her first two months in office in a video statement released Friday morning on her Senate website.

Marble Falls motorists are being cautioned to take caution around new traffic signs.

The City of Marble Falls Traffic Contrtol Committee recommended chanages to traffic devices around the city.

Recent changes include:

• Stop Signs installed to replace Yield Signs in Pecan Valley at Live Oak, Mulberry, Ash, Cedar, Hackberry and McDonald drives, Barrier Lane, Trinity Streets and Pecan Circle.

• Stop Signs installed to replace Yield Signs at Fifth Street and Avenue J.

• No Parking Signs installed on Gateway North at Starbucks.

• One-Way Traffic only was abolished in the 200 Block of Avenue H. Two-Way Traffic is allowed, with however "Right Turn Only" on US 281 going south bound.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The big news out of the Granite Shoals City Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, was an anonymous donation to the Granite Shoals Fire/ Rescue Auxiliary in the amount of $300,000.

The stated purpose of the volunteer auxiliary is “to provide emotional, financial, practical, and social support to the City of Granite Shoals Fire Department and its members. Most of those members are volunteers themselves. Frequently the fundraising efforts of the auxiliary have supplemented training expenses and equipment needs of the department.

The group has time to plan the best way to use the windfall. Its anonymous donor placed no time limit on the use of the funds and no on restrictions to which of those goals the funds would be applied and they are entirely within the management of the auxiliary, not part of the department's city budget.