News

After helping 1,600 Central Texas families recover from the 2015 floods, the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team (BR3T) is winding down operations – but it is not going anywhere.

In a presentation to the Hays County Commissioners Court Tuesday, BR3T Executive Director Trey Bell said that when he took the helm of the relief organization in 2017, “We were sitting on about 65 cases remaining, which is amazing, considering there were 1,500 right after the 2015 flooding.”

Bell said BR3T organized more than 25,000 hours of volunteer labor from participating organizations like World Renew, the Mennonites and Texas Lutheran Disaster Response.

“We are only sitting on four cases remaining,” he told the commissioners, “two of which will be picked up by CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief funds), I anticipate, and two we’ve already fundraised for.”

The Wimberley View took home three statewide awards during the Texas Press Association’s annual meeting last week.

The awards were for coverage during 2017 in the seventh division. The contest breaks down the newspapers across the state into groups of similar circulation.

The photo of Cypress Creek Café on fire, which ran in June 1, 2017, along with four other photos, was good enough to win the Wimberley View second place for news photography.

‘Tis the season for the booms and blasts of fireworks as the Fourth of July is just around the corner. While it may carry extra danger at this dry time of the year, fireworks are allowed in some locations.

“As you know there is a Hays County Burn Ban in the unincorporated areas, fireworks are not included in the burn ban,” Hays County Constable Ray Helm said. “There is State Legislation that prohibits fireworks from being banned by Texas counties. Cities can create their own ordinances to prohibit any kind of fireworks.”

Advance tickets for the 73rd annual Wimberley VFW Rodeo go on sale beginning Sunday, July 1.  Rodeo performances will be held Thursday through Saturday, July 5-7. 

Advance ticket prices are $12 for adults and $7 for children 12 years old and under.  Tickets at the gate on the nights of the rodeo will be $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.  Advance ticket sales will be at the VFW Hall, 401 Jacobs Well Road, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday fromnoon until 6 p.m.  On these days, tickets also may be purchased by phone (512-847-6441).Cash, check or major credit cards are accepted.

Limited box seat tickets may be available for $25 on advance ticket purchase days.

Three people from Wimberley died in a multi-vehicle accident on Ranch Road 12 on Friday night last week.

The Aqua Texas option is back on the table for the city of Wimberley’s wastewater treatment plant.

Wimberley Mayor Susan Jaggers held a “State of the City” town hall meeting last week that largely focused on the city’s financial health and the sewer system.

Jaggers showed City Administrator Shawn Cox’s financial estimates for the next five years. The estimates showed the city running deficits of anywhere from $270,000 to up to $430,000 a year.

Needmore Ranch’s requested permit for 289,000,000 gallons of water per year from the Trinity Aquifer will head to the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors for potential approval.

The company received a temporary permit in 2015 for the water under House Bill 3405 and has requested that the permit be made permanent.  The house bill was originally passed with the intention of giving Electro Purification an avenue to request a permit from the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. While EP elected to attempt to obtain a regular permit, Needmore elected to use the provisions outlined in the bill.

The Trinity Edwards Spring Protection Association (TESPA) contested the case with the State Office Of Administrative Hearing, which ruled in favor of Needmore last week.

In recognition of noteworthy local efforts to reduce light pollution and promote the benefits of nighttime darkness, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) designated the Wimberley Valley of Texas as an International Dark Sky Community.

It is only the third such designation to date in the Lone Star State.

The Wimberley Valley, situated in the Texas Hill Country between the Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas, consists of the cities of Wimberley and Woodcreek and neighboring unincorporated areas subject to limited municipal regulation. The Valley, home to some 14,000 people, has a strong tourism economy and hosts a thriving arts scene. To these characteristics, the community has added a proactive campaign to improve the quality of its outdoor lighting.

Wimberley Players has won an important theater award. The Austin Critics Table presented the Wimberley Players with the award for best Periphery Company for excellence in theater outside Austin proper. Citing, among other things, excellent and consistent production values, the award was presented by Central Texas Live Theatre’s Michael Meigs, June 4, at the awards ceremony in Austin. Other nominees in the first-time category were Fredericksburg Theater Company; Gaslight Baker Theatre, Lockhart; Georgetown Palace Theatre; and Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander.

The Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce extends an invitation to one and all to attend the annual Independence Day Parade, the “Best Little Parade in Texas.”  The parade celebrates the birth of our nation and is a red, white and blue, flag waving observance of the holiday.  Wimberley’s parade theme this year is “Stars Big and Bright.”  The annual parade is the chamber’s flagship event and is one that the whole community can participate in and enjoy.  Thousands of people will be cheering as the parade makes it way through town.

The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. at the intersection of Green Acres Rd. and FM 2325,  proceeds to Ranch Road 12, continues through the Wimberley Square and ends at Blue Heron Run.  Parade participants who are walking or riding horses will exit the parade route at Blue Heron, the remaining participants will exit the route at RR 12 and Stillwater.