News

Patricia Cantu Kelly

What are your goals if elected?

My goals would be very simple, it is to represent all of Wimberley, not just a special interest group. My goal would be to seek input from citizens before making and voting on issues, particularly those creating more debt or cost.

Additionally, I want to tap into our wonderful resources that our citizens can contribute like we used to. Wimberley was built by volunteers, my goals would be to bring that spirit of unity and community involvement back. I think we can and should work together as citizens and all of our goals should be to have Wimberley be the quaint, charming jewel of the hill country that we all know it to be.

There have been 31 instances of rainfall of three inches or more over the last 31 years in Wimberley making for a nice and tidy average of one per year, according to Wimberley’s weather historian Raymond Schiflett.

On Wednesday of last week, Wimberley got that three-inch rainfall with most of western Hays County receiving about 3.5 inches of rain.

“We had moisture off the Gulf, moisture from the Pacific and a low pressure system from the west,” Schiflett said. “When you have all three things come together, you’ll get some rain. When you add in the cold front on top of that, you get what we had last week, but for this time of year, that is pretty normal.”

In fact, Wimberley received 3.1 inches or rain during the exact same week in 2017.

It is a rite of spring, along with bluebonnets, baby bunnies and chicks. It is the time when young children are treated to jellybeans, candy eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies at the valley’s Easter Egg Hunts.

Literally thousands and thousands of plastic eggs were filled with childhood delights throughout the valley. The intense pressure of trying to be patient was hard for each of the little ones, but once it was time to hunt, they all did their best to get as many as possible.

It started at Deer Creek of Wimberley on Thursday, where the seniors watched with delight at the antics of the kids. The kids gathered and giggled at finding each egg.

The 28th annual Pie Social, a fundraiser benefiting the Wimberley Institute of Cultures (WIC) will be held Saturday, April 14th, 11am-2 pm at the Winters-Wimberley House in downtown.  The event will feature a pie-eating contest, live music by Tracie Lynn, pie baking contest and an auction of winning pies, a vintage quilt raffle, as well as hot dogs and pie by the slice for sale.  

The initial phases of the sewer system construction have begun as the city gave contractors Notice to Proceed on March 12 for the wastewater treatment plant portion of the project.

Initial site plan and survey work is underway near Blue Hole Regional Park as the contractor has already begun work to clear a path for a road that will reach FM 3237 just south of Winter’s Mill Parkway.

“They are taking down cedars, and we have put up some tape so people won’t be crossing the trails there,” Wimberley City Administrator Sean Cox said. “This week, they will be rerouting a trail that is going through the plant site. Volunteers for Blue Hole will be working to reroute that trail.”

Dozens of Wimberley High School students organized a “Walk Out” as part of a remembrance of the seventeen students and faculty who lost their lives during a school shooting earlier this year in Parkland, Florida.

Sophomore Gabi Perez, organizer of the walk out, spoke along with other students in a peaceful, organized rally. Law enforcement made sure that deputies cordoned off the high school’s parking lot and only students, a few parents and administrators were allowed onto campus. 

 “I just want school to be a safe and educational place for all students. We, the students, should not have to go to school every day and fear that we will be the next victims of violence,” Gabi Perez said in a press release. 

Supporters of Maria Garcia, who has been detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, gathered at Blue Hole Regional Park for a fundraiser on Monday afternoon.

“Maria and her family have called Wimberley, Texas home for over a decade,” a press release from San Marcos-based Mano Amiga — which has helped lead campaigns that contributed to the release of two other Hays County men held by ICE this past year, said. “They are active members of the community and loved by many. Before her detention, Maria served as secretary of her prayer group with St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Her son, Jose, 16, and daughter, 7, are very involved in school and extracurricular activities”

Garcia was arrested after an argument with her sister.

After a increase in Sales Tax Allocations during the month of February, the numbers in March dropped once again making in three out of the last six months that the city of Wimberley has seen a drop in sales tax revenues compared to the same month last year.

Overall, the city is down about $9,000 during the fiscal year compared to the same six months from last year. The city has collected $444,509 since October. Last year, the city collected around $453,000 through the same six months. For March, the city received $55,437.29 this year compared to $58,867.10. February numbers were up about $1,000 this year compared to last year.

While the trend is concerning, it appears sound budgeting practices will keep it from having a large negative impact on the city.

Residents of Woodcreek voiced their issues with the Brookhollow Road Construction Project at last week’s council meeting. 

Those with homes on Brookhollow are facing extended time without access to their driveway causing issues.

Former Woodcreek City Councilmember Kathy Maldonado said that her driveway had been inaccessible for hours when the contractors milled the roadway down multiple inches creating a gap between the roadway and the driveway. She also said she has seen other drivers take to drive across the golf course to try and get out. 

While the contractors installed earthen ramps to connect the driveway to the roadway, the problem is only going to be exacerbated as construction continues.

A local storage facility caught on fire burning multiple Recreational Vehicles, boats and storage rooms last week.

Just before midnight on March 12, an RV caught fire at Locktite storage on Ranch Road 12 near Jacob’s Well Road.

“There is excellent video of the whole thing, so we have it pinned down to one RV,” Wimberley Fire Chief Carroll Czichos said. “We don’t see anything suspicious, so we are letting insurance investigate from here.”

All told, there were eight RVs burned along with two boats, a van and nine 10x20 storage units. 

The first started at one RV, but the cause has not yet been determined. 

“On the video, at 11:48 p.m., it went from one RV to six RVs in a matter of three minutes,” Czichos said. “It was pretty impressive how quick it spread once it got hot.”