Marble Falls City Council learns Children's Day has new partner

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Marble Falls City Council meeting Tuesday, April 17, was the scene of a big announcement about the Children's Day Celebration.

The 18th annual return of the event is set to go, rain or shine, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Marble Falls Johnson Park and its founder and president, Ely Banuet Rodriguez, was at the council meeting to hand the reins of future events over to the Marble Falls Independent School District.

“I am giving you my baby and I will go on as a volunteer,” she told MFISD Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen, who was there to agree that going forward the district would have a more active role in Children's Day.

“It is in keeping with the goals of the district, just not in the classroom,” he said.

Mayor pro tem Richard Westerman read a proclamation officially making April 21 Children's Day.

Rodriguez, just “Ely” to the thousands of children who have come for free food, fun and educational activities each year, received the 2016 Legacy Award for her tireless work for children.

“See what we began with,” said Rodriguez, displaying her first flyer with about a dozen features planned. “Now look what we have today.”

The new flier is crowded with 90 booths to be manned by hundreds of volunteers to present learning centers and food.

Council action

Following a public hearing, the council unanimously approved the rezoning from agricultural (AG) to Single-Family Base District (R-1) for approximately 244 acres of property south of Texas 71 and west of US 281. The property, which encompasses the proposed Asphalt, Inc. crusher plant was annexed March 6.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had issued a permit for the plant pertaining to air quality, but the city's AG and R-1 Districts disallow that use so litigation continues on the matter.

Director of Development Services Valerie Kreger said the new zoning is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan but does not increase the city's standing as a stake holder in the debate.

A public hearing and a brief executive session preceded approval of a resolution that provides for continuing public hearings on the Gregg Ranch Public Improvement District.

Rick Rosenberg of the Development Planning and Financing Group, Inc. reviewed the PID timeline.

“The 242 acres of Gregg Ranch ultimately will provide 700 housing units over the course of 10-15 years,” he said. “More than $200,000 in taxable value is expected.
“The $23 million of infrastructure meets, and in some instances exceeds requirements.”

Only after lengthy consideration did the council approve the construction plat and requested ordinance waivers for 33.49 acres of Loma Vista Two, Phases 2 and 3. The initial Loma Vista Subdivision in the northeastern part of the city was the 2017 Community Pride Award winner.

Developer Dan Burdett and Aric Head of Peloton Land Solutions were on hand to explain that the unique character, large lots and terrain of Loma Vista called for the waiver for street lighting. The fact that initial development pre-dated the requirement for sidewalks on both sides of the street made impractical now.

A minor replat for Lot 5 in the Boulder Creek Subdivision also was approved.

Items that received approval in the consent agenda of the council included acceptance of a grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Community Development Partnership Program. The $22,815 is to be used for purchase of rescue equipment for Marble Falls Fire Rescue (MFFR). The equipment will not only include rope rescue gear it would need for confined space rescues at nearby dams, but also swift water and flood rescues.

As a grant match, the city will cover overtime for all staff to receive the free training in those procedures from the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) and Texas Engineering and Extension Service (TEEX)--approximately $8,408.

Also, MMFR was authorized to apply for a Department of Homeland Security Staffing of Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant funds to hire three firefighters. Such a grant could provide as much as 75 percent of the usual annual cost of a first-year firefighter in that department at the time the grant application was submitted; and in the third year of the grant, 35 percent of the usual annual cost of a first -year firefighter.

Finally in the consent agenda, the council agreed to increase the amount dedicated to the Marble Falls Community Fireworks July 4th Celebration this year from $17,000 to $23,750 in the interest of fire protection.

As a result of new homes being constructed on the south side of the lake, the previous launch site on land is no longer available. The solution, although it comes with increased cost, will be a barge to be floated to the center of the lake a safe distance from residential areas.

The July 4th celebration is supported through citizens donations and contributions. The Community Event Fund, from which the council approved the increase, was established in 2012 for $1 per month voluntary contributions on city resident water bill payments.

In addition to the proclamation of April 21 as Children's Day, Westerman read into the record a proclamation of April 8-14 as Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Marble Falls Police Department (MFPD) Chief Mark Whitacre and the MFPD Communications Center Stacy Marberry introduced their telecommunication staff members to the council. They are the personnel responsible for all public safety communications for the cities of Marble Falls, Granite Shoals, Horseshoe Bay and Cottonwood Shores, including 9-1-1, emergency dispatch and non-emergency phone calls.

They include Melanie Boucher, Annie Dzurisin, Matt Barton, Robin Bergman and Jack Pettit who were on hand for the meeting, as well as Andrea Terry, Kathy Nasato, Dawn Thrane and Brandi Weaver.