News

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson, of Wimberley, relieved Vice Adm. Dixon R. Smith at a change of command ceremony for Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) March 31, at the Washington Navy Yard.

Jackson jumped from being a one star Rear Admiral to a three-star Vice Admiral.

She is now head of the Navy’s entire shore infrastructure for approximately two and a half years and is the sixth commander of CNIC since the command’s inception in 2003. Navy Installations Command, also known as the Navy’s shore enterprise, is comprised of 71 installations, under 11 regions and responsible for 912 special areas, which include transmitter sites, missile ranges, schools, naval magazines, and fuel storage sites across nearly 1 million acres of land. The shore enterprise is staffed by approximately 53,000 military and civilian personnel around the world.

Barnabas Connection, the non-profit selected by the city to collect and administer donations from the flood recovery, is hoping that the long-term rebuild is beginning to come to an end.

“I keep thinking we are about four to six months from being done, but the problem with that is I’ve been saying that for about a year,” Vicki McCuistion, with Barnabas Connection, said. “Some of these jobs we have been working have been the hold outs, those people who didn’t address the needs immediately or didn’t recognize there were groups to help.”

This is part two of a two part series. The first store on the RETREET plantings rain on March 30 in the Wimberley View.

The numbers for the Wimberley RETREET tree planting on March 25th are in - 201 trees, 51 locations, 110 volunteers.  But numbers tell only part of the story.  The local volunteers and the property owners all related tales of how the flood had impacted them.  Kathy Hartmann eloquently summed up what was on most everyone’s minds observing: “Look at all of the good that’s come out of the disaster - we’re all getting together.  We’re still almost two years later helping.  It’s nice.”

The devastating floods of 2015 along the BLanco River deposited a lot of debris on the banks that essentially spans the entire length of the river in Hays County. But Hays County, partnering with the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA), has been removing the dead trees and debris on a project that started December 1.

On Wednesday, March 29, contractors had to shut down one lane of River Road to gain access to the fallen trees and junk at the banks of the river. The location was just west of the CR 1492 bridge. Delays were minimal, but the road had to be closed Wednesday for a few minutes.

“It was a closed road because of the ducks a couple of times, (on Wednesday),” Clint Garza, Director of Development and Community Services for Hays County and project manager for the removal program said.

A string of car burglaries over Spring Break resulted in one arrest, but the name of the individual arrested has not been released.

On the night of March 10 and morning of March 11, at least seven locations in Woodcreek reported a burglary of a vehicle. 

There were four vehicles burglarized on Augusta Drive, one on Brookhollow Drive, one on Woodacre Drive and one on Par View drive.

According to the Hays County Sheriff’s Department, all of the cars were unlocked.

“It should be noted that all of the incidents were crimes of opportunity,” Sheriff Deputy Mark Andrews said. “The victims all left their vehicles unlocked! Some victims had one unlocked car and one locked car in the same driveway. The locked vehicles were not touched.”

Local representatives are starting to sound the alarm to try and regain momentum from the Save Our Wells movement of 2015.

Multiple bills filed in the Texas legislative session could have a significant impact on local groundwater cases that relate to Needmore Ranch.

“Senator Chuy Hinojosa has filed a bill that affects an area that is entirely within Hays County,” State Rep. Jason Isaac said on Facebook. “He doesn’t represent any of Hays County! Dr. Donna Campbell and I worked very hard last session to pass reasonable groundwater protections for Hays County to Save Our Wells. Now one landowner wants to undo all of that.”

Hinojosa has filed at least two bills that would impact Needmore Ranch.

Last Saturday, drowsy volunteers gathered along the Blanco at Rio Bonito to prepare for a day planting trees for landowners impacted by the Memorial Day flood. Brad Hamel from the Texas A&M Forest Service started the day with a bit of tree planting education.  As helpers dug the first hole, Brad explained proper planting techniques including how to find the root flair, deal with “girdling’ roots, and determine when the hole was the right size.  Lots more complicated than most in the enthusiastic crowd ever imagined.

As winter fell into spring, the Wimberley Civic Club waltzed right down the aisle for the new fashion season with one of their four biggest fundraisers of the year.

The Step Into Spring…In Style! was the Civic Clubs Spring Fashion event and more than 100 people attended. 

Local fashion stops Annie James, Dovetails, Gracious Ladies and On A Branch showed off new concepts related to traveling in style for the spring season.

There was also a silent auction, multiple local vendors and a homemade chocolate bar full of sweets for those in attendance.

Hidden Valley residents have been like a fish out of water, with no bridge across the Blanco River to easily reach town, but it was the fish in the water that were truly causing the problem. 

But, the wait for a new low water crossing appears to finally be coming to an end. The crossing blew out in the Memorial Weekend Flood of 2015 nearly two years ago, but the final permit was finally approved last week. 

“We hope to see construction  start in the next two weeks,” Wimberley Mayor Mac McCullough said. 

The low water crossing, which connects the Hidden Valley area to Flite Acres Road, was thought to be back on track a few months ago. After the project had been designed and bids were awarded to a local construction company to begin construction, it was discovered an extra permit was needed from Texas Parks and Wildlife. 

Tractor Supply’s requested variances were denied by the Wimberley City Council with a unanimous vote. 

The short council discussion centered around many of the same topics broached by the Wimberley Planning and Zoning Commission, which also voted unanimously against the requested variances. 

“The Comprehensive Plan calls for Wimberley leaders to reject over commercialization,” Councilmember Bob Dussler said. 

Other council members agreed and also brought up the fact that the proposed location on Ranch Road 12 near the South River Business Park was in one of Wimberley’s “entrance corridors.”

“I’ve been coming here a long time, and I like the view when I come in from San Marcos, I like the view coming in from Kyle and from Dripping Springs,” Councilmember Craig Fore said. “…I just can’t imagine ruining what we have.”