Marble Falls Texas news

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

A new trustee took his seat on the Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Board of Trustees on Monday, July 17, while the trustees voted for a student drug-testing plan that will save the district almost $3,000.

A business office employee also received special recognition at the meeting.

Drug-testing program

The trustees approved using Southwest Consortium as Marble Falls ISD’s drug testing provider for both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. It was one of two companies that submitted bids.

SWC’s cost of $41,840 is almost $3,000 less than the current provider, Forward Edge, which would’ve cost $44,560.

Marble Falls ISD officials contacted officials at Lake Travis ISD and Dripping Springs ISD and (which were not on Southwest Consortium’s reference list) but still received “glowing references.”

By Christi Bertelson and Richard Zowie

Highland Lakes Newspapers

Following severe injuries sustained while saddle bronc riding in the Marble Falls Rodeo on Saturday, July 15, Bill Herbert will undergo surgery Tuesday, July 25, at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Herbert was flipped from a bucking horse. He landed on his head, twisting and shoving his neck forward to break at the C3 and C4 vertebrae. He also sustained a torn and occluded artery going to the right side of his brain from the fall.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

Granite Country Youth Soccer Association athletes will have a new field to play on when the season begins in the fall of 2017.

At the corner of Avenue K and Sixth Street, the play area will be 40 yards by 80 yards and will allow for one large field or two small fields — depending on configuration.

“There is a shortage of youth sports space across the area,” said Robert Moss, Parks and Recreation director for the City of Marble Falls. “The city has been working to add space through leases and land acquisition for a number of years now.”

Moss said they hope to have the field ready for the fall youth soccer season.

The playing surface will be Tifway 419 Bermuda, which Moss described as “the best playing surface” in Marble Falls for youth soccer.

Four officers of the Marble Falls High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter and Bruce Peckover, the director of career and technology education at the Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) received state FFA Lone Star degrees during the Texas FFA’s 89th state convention, held July 10-14 in Corpus Christi.

FFA students are eligible to earn a Lone Star degree after completing agricultural instruction requirements, recognition at the chapter level, investment goals and community service. The state Lone Star honorary degree, awarded to individuals who work to help advance production agriculture and agribusiness education, is the highest degree of honorary FFA membership which can be bestowed at the state level.

The City of Marble Falls soon will extend its treated wastewater lines in a move that will save millions of gallons of water annually, thanks to a $58,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The grant, part of LCRA’s Firm Water Conservation Cost-share Program, will allow Marble Falls to extend its existing treated effluent lines to the City of Meadowlakes to irrigate a planned 39-acre expansion of the Hidden Falls Golf Course. This will allow the golf course to be completely maintained with treated effluent instead of potable water.

The 2017 Mustang Football Season promises to offer a fun level of excitement, competition, and Friday night football fun as the Mustangs compete in District 26-5A! The band is working on their next award winning show, and the cheerleaders and Starlettes are ready to bring on the spirit! Make sure you reserve the best seats in the house to cheer on the Mustangs with your family and friends!

Season ticket renewals

Mustang Fans eager to renew their 2017 football season tickets can pick up their tickets, with payment, from July 31 – Aug. 16, from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the MFISD Athletic Office, 2101 Mustang Drive.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

The Texas Education Agency recently released State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for public schools state wide, and Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Superintendent Chris Allen, PhD, believes the results are misleading if taken out of context.

“In some ways we exceeded the state averages, some ways exceeded and some ways finished below,” Allen said. “I don’t let STAAR shape my opinion overall, since I don’t believe it’s accurate.”

Results released for Spring 2017 are for grades three through eight. Reading and mathematics were assessed for grades three through eight, writing for grades four and seven, science for five and eight, then social studies for grade eight.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The rest of the world seems to be catching on to what local summer camp enthusiasts have know for some time about Camp Champions near Highland Haven.

When it was founded in 1967, Camp Champions drew headlines over sports greats founders Hondo Crouch, Darrell K. Royal, Horton Nesrsta, and Pete Runnels. The focus of what was conceived as an all-boys camp widened when girls invaded in 1970. Now, you could say it offers a wide-angle view.

Steve (Camp Geek) and Susie Baskin (Camp Mom) bought the camp in 1995, leaving behind his career as an investment banker and investing, instead, in the lives of young people and rearing four children of their own.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Volunteers are a big focus in cities this summer.

In Cottonwood Shores and Granite Shoals nominations are sought for outstanding citizens and cities are about to appoint new members to committees, boards, commissions and advisory groups.

Wednesday, July 19, is the deadline for nominations for the Outstanding Citizen of the Year in Cottonwood Shores to be presented at the Aug. 3 meeting of the city council. Carlos Naumann was honored last year for continued efforts to keep the city beautiful.

Nominations for 2017, with an explanation of why the citizen is being nominated, are to be submitted to City Administrator Sheila Moore at city hall, 3808 Cottonwood Drive, or by email, city.admin@cottonwoodshores.org. For more information, call Moore at 830-693-3830.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Three workmen were injured Friday morning, July 14, when a scaffold collapsed at 1400 Ranch to Market Road 1431 in a commercial space adjacent to the new Bealls store.

The more seriously injured man was taken to Saint Davids South Austin Hospital and two more were transported to Seton Highland Lakes. As of late Friday, no information was available about the condition of any of the men.

"The call came in at 9:39 a.m. and Marble Falls Fire Rescue and Marble Falls Area Emergency Medical Service responded," said Marble Falls Fire Chief Russell Sander. "The men were working on the facade of the building. We don't know what caused the collapsed."

"Because it is a workplace accident, we will not handle the investigation," he said. "There are several possibilities for that, including OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)."