News

Wimberley’s Boy Scout Troop 127 walked the grounds of the Wimberley Cemetery on Saturday morning to help honor veterans. The boy scouts placed American flags at the gravesites of veterans dating all the way back to the 1800s, including the grave of Pleasant Wimberley which reads “Pleasant Wimberley – For Whom The Town Was Named.”

This story was originally published in May of 2016. It is shared here to help inform the public on the flood stages in Wimberley.

Knees went weak and blood pressures rose for miles downstream last Thursday after the gauge on the Blanco River at Wimberley reported a rapid 30-foot rise. And there was a huge sigh of relief after it became known the gauge had malfunctioned.

Thirty feet, after all, is within 15 feet of the catastrophic wall of water that moved down the Blanco on May 23/24 of 2015, killing a dozen people and knocking homes off their foundations before inundating San Marcos neighborhoods and business parks and depriving the city of both its Internet providers.

The ending of a high school career and preparing to take the next step in life was at the Lone Star Theatre’s center stage Sunday night. Wimberley High School’s annual ceremony to highlight the recipients of college scholarships is always a moment to remember. 

The four years of hard work, persistence and achievement that students put in to their high school career pays off in scholarships and grants. The grand total was $7,212,834, the third highest year in scholarships. The grand total reflects all combined scholarship offerings, whether the student takes that offering or attends a different university.

The total shows the quality of education that WISD offers. Colleges and universities chosen include the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Trinity, but also included the University of North Carolina School of Arts, Stanford and Harvard. 

On Saturday, Keep Wimberley Beautiful and the Blanco River cleanup had a lot of volunteers willing to spruce up the city just before the one-year anniversary of the tragic flood. Old and young and even a dog pitched in to pick up trash and recyclables around the city and on the banks of the river.

Orange safety vests dotted the landscape, picking up trash on Jacob’s Well Rd., River Rd., following the river’s path, down to Flite Acres and other areas. The Lions Club, Boy Scouts, and other organizations and individuals and of course Keep Wimberley Beautiful, made certain that anniversary would not dampen the spirits or stop Wimberleyites from celebrating the friendships made and sense of community that happened right after the flood. 

Acknowledging they are working on an “aggressive schedule,” Hays County Commissioners on Tuesday approved an architectural firm to design a proposed jail, 911 center and law enforcement center. 

By a unanimous vote, commissioners and County Judge Bert Cobb selected HOK Architects to work on all three facilities. 

They also noted that as the project continues, additional architects might be needed. 

The court decided earlier this year to ask voters in November to approve bonds for a new jail, 911 center and law enforcement center that would be built on the grounds of the existing jail on Uhland Road just east of Interstate 35 in San Marcos. To be put to a vote in November, the bond election would have to be called by Aug. 22, Becky Jenkins of the firm ECM told the court. 

Cypress Creek Café and the Hog Pound teamed up this weekend to sponsor the “Ride for Vets” and the Annual Crawfish Boil held at the Cypress Creek Café grounds. All the donations received were for the Boots for Vets, an organization that helps military families both present and past that are in need.

First bikers started their Ride for Vets at the Hog Pound, rode until noon, then joined the festivities at the CCC. Louisiana crawfish boiled by “Starvin Marvin” Smith, was being served all day with music by the Broken Glass, Kim Meeks and her Bad Habits, Greg Harris and the World Famous Bandini Brothers, Jennifer B and the Groove, Gumbo Yaya, and the Stratocrackers.

The big Rubber Ducky sitting on top of the EMS Ambulance is one sure way to know it’s spring and the Rio Bonito will be a nest of activity. The EMS biggest fund raiser of the year, the Annual Duck Race is a fun time for kids and grown-ups alike, and best of all it raises money for the Wimberley EMS, that serves over 200 square miles of the Wimberley Valley.

For just “5 bucks a duck” you’re entered into a whacky duck race, with professional water floating ducks that race down the Blanco starting at the confluence of the Blanco and Cypress Creek. As always, there are a few renegade ducks that try to leap under the barricades, but they’re soon herded back in the racecourse.

Thunderstorms moved into the area about 6 a.m. and by 10 a.m. power went out in certain areas about town, including each of the WISD schools. Scudder lost complete power at 10:00 a.m. and Jacob’s Well at about 10:35 a.m. They were first of the schools to lose power. Next Danforth and the high school lost complete power at about 10:50 until just after noon.

Traffic around the schools was a little chaotic with the students being released to their parents, but school was not cancelled. At the high school, students had to have an okay from their parents on the phone to leave school and to drive home, while elsewhere parents did pick up their children in person.

Emergency responders in central and western Hays County will soon have two new tools at their disposal. 

During their meeting Tuesday, county commissioners approved a “bailment agreement” with Wimberley Fire & Rescue for a high-profile vehicle and a drone.

“Wimberley Volunteer Fire Department is committed to ensuring the safety of Wimberley Valley citizens,” Chief Carroll Czichos wrote in a letter to Pct. 3 Commissioner Will Conley. “After the Memorial Day floods, a new need was seen, our community would benefit immensely from the purchase of a high-profile vehicle.”

The city of Woodcreek is trying to address an issue with non-conforming structures that has been ongoing for at least 15 years.

For the most part, non-conforming structures in Woodcreek are carports, sheds, aboveground swimming pools and certain types of fences.

“If you think about Woodcreek right now, I don’t think there are any roofs that are non-conforming, because the only thing banned is wooden shingle roofs,” Interim City Manager Brenton Lewis said. “If it is a structure that is a primary residence, there are some that are non-conforming, but we can bring them into conformance without a lot of headaches. They could also ask for a variance.”