Marble Falls Texas news

By Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

Marble Falls Area EMS celebrated its 40^th anniversary on Saturday with new faces and old stories.

Friends and community members gathered at the Marble Falls Area EMS station on Saturday to celebrate 40 years of history as a first response organization.

In 1976 the department was an all-volunteer organization.

“Our first ambulance – we had it in front of the house for a long time,” said Carol Nunnally Davis Ratliff. “Our first ambulance we got through a CAPCOG (Capital Area Council of Governments) grant.”

Ratliff is one of the original founders of MFAEMS. She has been involved in the department in some sort or fashion since its early years.

“Before our ambulance, we rode with the patient in a funeral home vehicle to the hospital,” she said.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

An event billed as “food and lots of memories” will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Marble Falls Area Emergency Medical Service from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

It will take place at the EMS station at 609 Industrial Boulevard in Marble Falls and it will be a rare chance outside the throes of an emergency or the clamor of a community celebration to visit with paramedics and technicians.

And the memories will be many for an organization that has grown from a fledgling ambulance in Marble Falls in 1976 to a force of six MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) capable ambulances and two SUV first responders housed at stations in Marble Falls, Granite Shoals, and Horseshoe Bay.

The service runs up to 4,000 calls each year in as many as 450 call per month by 9-1-1 and inter-facility transfers. They are staffed by 48 paramedics, 32 of whom are are full time.

Family fun festivals set for Sunday, Monday

Two events are being sponsored by the Highland Lakes religious community this Halloween but the emphasis is not on Halloween; instead on the bywords “free,” “family,” “fun” and “safe.”

Sunday

The first Family Fun Fest of the Granite Shoals Faith Alliance will take place Sunday, Oct. 30, at Veterans Memorial Park, located on the south end of Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals.

An all-city worship service will be held at 11 a.m. at the park pavilion.

From 1-5 p.m. activities for the whole family will be sponsored by the Granite Shoals police and fire departments. In addition to food, music, door prizes and giveaways, activities for children are planned to include a petting zoo, games and contests.

Monday

On Monday night, Oct. 31, the First Assembly of God Church of Marble Falls will hold its FUNFEST from 6-8 p.m.

By Alexandria Randolph and Glynis Crawford Smith

Highland Lakes Newspapers

A whopping 22 percent of the 29,556 registered voting population in Burnet County had cast an early vote as of Friday morning, Oct. 28.

“Voting numbers in Burnet County are exploding like everywhere else in the state,” said Burnet County Elections Administrator Doug Ferguson on Thursday afternoon. “Each day we have voted more than any day in past years' elections.”

Turn out at the polls on the first day of voting broke records from previous presidential election years.

“A total of 1,197 voters cast their ballot on Monday, roughly four percent of registered voters in the county.

“It was biggest early voting day that I know of for Burnet County,” he said. “We beat 2008 and 2012 – all those numbers.”

By Tuesday the number of Burnet County early voters had grown by 1,306 to 2,117. The third day's vote was 1,268 and Thursday was set to exceed 1,262.

A new bridge across the Colorado River below Wirtz Dam will be the topic of a public open house Wednesday, Oct. 26.

The meeting will be held from 4-7 p.m. at Quail Point Community Center, 107 Twilight Lane, in Horseshoe Bay.

It is one in a series of outreach programs being conducted by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to gather public opinion about the proposed project.

Another is scheduled for the same time period on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Lakeside Pavilion at 307 Buena Vista Drive in Marble Falls.

After an initial meeting with civic leaders, CAMPO began to concentrate on the general public last month, attending

Everyone in the Highland Lakes area also is invited to take a survey to add to data on the project. Copies of the survey will be available at the public meetings and online at www.CAMPOtexs.org/wirtzdam.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

On Thursday, Oct. 20, Manuel “Manny” Lunoff gathered the staff of Marble Falls High School to announce that Friday would be his last day as principal.

Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Superintendent Chris Allen, PhD Allen was at Lunoff's side for the Thursday staff meeting, praising him as a “good man” and asking for cooperation in respecting Lunoff's simple statement that he was leaving for “personal reasons.”

Parents of students also received individual personal electronic messages from Lunoff. He shared with them that the district had secured as an interim principle, Emmett Aubry, who most recently served as interim principal for Lake Travis High School.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

A group of Marble Falls High school choir students will be living “la dolce vita” when they travel to Italy during Spring Break next year to perform.

The Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the choir trip during their regular monthly meeting Monday, Oct. 17.

Marble Falls High School Choir Director Bryce Gage said he will be taking about 35 to 40 students to Italy next March with a total group of about 50 people, including directors and chaperones. The choir will visit Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome and is expected to perform in many of the country's most beautiful cathedrals and churches.

“We are waiting on confirmations of locations of concerts, but we hope to perform the daily Mass at St. Peter's (Basilica) in the Vatican,” Gage said.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Construction on the new Marble Falls Public Safety Center (PSC) is set to begin next month, following action by the city council Tuesday, Oct. 18, to approve a construction contract.

A contract was approved with STR Constructors, LTD, for $3,482,635 for the new center to house the Marble Falls Police Department and Municipal Court on Avenue N.

“We had six builders submit sealed competitive bids, one of the qualified being the low bidder,” said City Manager Mike Hodge. “The official submitted total $3,725,000 and we were able to negotiate that down.”

Jettisoned from the initial plans prepared by architects for the project, R. Gill Architects of Horseshoe Bay, were such items as copper pipe in favor of synthetic plumbing materials and alternate bids for a sally port (controlled entrance) and some covered parking.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Marble Falls Fire Rescue (MFFR) has invited the public to take part in its strategic planning process in two ways—through a survey and by joining in a focus group on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The focus group will beet at 7 p.m. at the fire department training room, 700 Avenue N.

“It is important for the department to understand the needs and expectations that citizens have about the Fire Department as we develop our plans for the future,” said Fire Chief Russell Sander. “Not only will we discuss the present services of Marble Fall Fire Rescue, but also priorities for the future.”

The department also is seeking input from citizens through a short survey. It can be found on the fire department page of the on the City of Marble Falls website, www.marblefallstx.gov/169/fire-rescue.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Archaeology buffs and curiosity seekers have two of the best opportunities in the Highland Lakes to delve into the ancient past of their home ground on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Falls on the Colorado Museum (FOCM) in Marble Falls will bring experts and demonstrations to an event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, to the old granite schoolhouse at 2001 Broadway Street.

From 1-5 p.m., the Llano Uplift Archaeological Society (LUAS) will hold its annual Archaeology Fair at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Nightengale Archaeological Center near Kingsland.

Visitors can bring their own finds of arrowheads and points or pottery for identification to both events or just sit in on information that can be brought to light about them and that is one of the most important features of the Texas Archaeology Month events.