City of Marble Falls Texas

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The City of Marble Falls recognized April as Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month through a formal proclamation by mayor John Packer at the Tuesday, April 3, meeting of the Marble Falls City Council.

Introducing volunteers of the Burnet County Child Welfare Board who were present and Cindi Ashford-Fry, development coordinator of the Hill Country Child Advocacy Center, Packer reaffirmed the city's commitment to their work and that of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for the Highland Lakes and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

“Through a national effort, Marble Falls community members are encouraged to join together to raise awareness for those children fallen victim to abuse and neglect throughout the month of April,” he proclaimed.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Tree of Angels commemorating victims of violent crime in the 33rd and 424th Judicial Districts will again be displayed at Marble Falls City Hall and the local ceremony, forgone last year, will return on Saturday, Dec. 2.

The ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. at the Marble Falls Church of Christ, 711 Broadway Street.

Several years of professional development services are making a name for the City of Marble Falls.

“I am just plain proud of what I am seeing with the entire team at the city,” said Mayor John Packer.

Cities from all over the State of Texas have sought information from the city and the Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation (EDC) on best management practices, as well as implementing projects and planning.

“In the last month several outside agencies have contacted our Parks and Recreation Department to inquire about our master planning and implementation processes and practices,” said City Manager Mike Hodge. “In recent years, a number of other cities have called about or made onsite visits to discuss building a skate park or disc golf course.”

The City of Marble Falls has announced two road closures, a four-day closure that began today, Monday, June 12, and another for tomorrow, Tuesday, June 13.

Broadway Street reconstruction will have the intersection at Avenue E closed through Thursday, June 15.

Tomorrow, drivers can expect traffic delays on Northwood Drive due to lane closures, as contractors begin the new HEB water line construction.

Citizens have been meeting with the city about a variety of traffic hazards on the north-south drive that passes through a residential neighborhood and past Marble Falls Middle School. Drivers of vehicles, including heavy trucks, have begun using it more heavily to bypass the Ranch to Market Road 1431-US 281 intersection.

By Glynis Crawford Smith/The Highlander

Children have been scrambling over a new playscape in Marble Falls Johnson Park, but the maze of new playground equipment will be officially opened with a ribbon cutting at noon Saturday, March 4.

“It is wonderful to see children enjoying the new feature,” said Parks & Recreation Director Robert Moss. “We want to invite the public to share in the ribbon cutting.”

In 2016 Johnson Park was designated a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS), in part for its heritage of serving the whole community since 1888.

“The new playscape will continue to offer park visitors an opportunity to make memories under the iconic pecan trees,” said Moss.

The Marble Falls Coffee with the Mayor event will resume Friday, Feb. 10, when Mayor John Packer will be sharing a free cup of coffee with interested citizens from 7-8:30 a.m, at Starbucks at US 281 and Gateway North in Marble Falls.

The series began last year at Numinous Coffee Roasters and will continue in 2017 on Fridays, Feb. 10 and 24 and March 10 and 24.

Anyone who has a question about city government or who just wants to get to know the city's mayor is invited to share the view of Lake Marble Falls and visit with Packer. A local business owner, Paker is completing his first term as mayor and, as yet, is unopposed for re-election to the post.

Oct. 14 and

The public is invited again to "have a cup of coffee" with Marble Falls Mayor John Packer at Numinous Coffee Roasters, 714 Ranch to Market Road 1431 in Marble Falls from 7-8 a.m. today, Friday, Oct. 14.

The informal, come-and-go event series does not require an RSVP, just a healthy curiosity about what is going on in the city.

The invitation reads: "come share your thoughts and ideas about your community and hear about some of the new projects in the city."

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet one-on-one with our residents and learn about the issues that are important to them,” said Packer.