News

With all the rain recently, it might be expected that the local first responders had a busy week, but for the most part, things remained quiet. There were two accidents in the last week in nearly the same spot. 

On Tuesday, May 12, a woman was driving on the hill on Ranch Road 12 near Jean’s Antiques and lost control of the vehicle as it tipped on its side. No one was injured in the accident. 

Similarly, a truck driven by a young man was headed up the same hill on Friday, May 15.  The truck slid off the road on the left hand side and hit the guardrail before flipping into the trees. Again, nobody was injured in the accident.

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“She probably saved the kids life,” DPS Trooper Ryan Olson said of a Wimberley grandmother who pushed her grandson out of the way of an oncoming vehicle.

The grandmother was walking in the crosswalk closest to Cypress Creek on the Wimberley Square with her 3-year-old grandson. An elderly woman, also from Wimberley, was traveling through the square when she was distracted by another vehicle making a turn.

“She said she looked back straight and there was the woman and her grandson in the crosswalk,” Olson said.

The grandmother, whose name has not been released, was struck by the vehicle. The grandson was not.

“The kid had some scrapes on his knees, but she pretty much saved his life,” Olson said.

The grandmother was transported to Seton Medical Center Hays in Kyle.

In another testament to the rapid rate of growth in the local area, the Hays Central Appraisal District says the average market value for homes in Hays County grew by 12.4 percent between 2014 and 2015. That’s almost double the rise in value between 2013 and 2014, HCAD Chief Appraiser David Valle said. 

“Last year we had a seven percent average home value increase. It’s trending higher just with more growth,” Valle said.

As the average home values in Hays County continue to skyrocket, Wimberley’s increase was not as strong as much of the county.

Properties within the Wimberley Independent School District saw a 7.9 percent increase in the average taxable value, according to Valle.

Protesters lined the street across from Twin Mountain Manor objecting to the management of the senior living facility in Wimberley on Monday morning.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the facility, was on hand for an inspection.

“We are here in support of the seniors of Wimberley, in particular those residents at Twin Mountain Manor,” Carol Scheel, a local advocate for senior citizens said. “In particular we want the residents, the management and the USDA to know that we are involved. People in Wimberley care. We don’t want a person with allegations against them, like the management at Twin Mountain Manor has, running this place where people go in their golden years. They should be happy, not worry about being evicted.”

  According to WISD School Board President Ken Strange, the loss of another board member in Place 4’s Gary Keil, the district will look forward to getting a new board with four positions up for election, Places 1-4. Strange wants to build a new team and make it work.

Keil will be missed though. His expertise in construction and construction were needed for the bond. “He was a huge asset to the district, cared deeply about the district and about the children in the district…he was easy to work with and didn’t have an agenda,” said Strange. 

Superintendent Dwain York agreed. “Gary helped greatly with this bond and with the previous one because of his construction experience. He is very level headed and always kept the kids in his line of sight. I will miss him,” said York.

It’s hard enough to pay down a mortgage, especially when it’s a half million dollars.

That was the case for the Wimberley United Methodist Church after constructing the new sanctuary on County Road 1492 in 2005. The church raised a million dollars to before taking out a $500,000 mortgage for the rest of the construction.

That mortgage is now gone. 

Thanks to fundraisers like Café Suzanna and congregation members yearly commitments, the sanctuary was paid off in full last month.

“It’s awesome,” Reverend Dana Hamilton said. “It was a massive under taking. Very few congregation members ever get to see their hard work come to fruition and help it get paid off like that. It’s a neat thing.”

It took 10 years to pay off the debt. 

New rules to into effect today at Jacob’s Well Natural Area, the same day that the swimming season there officially begins — but visitors should be prepared for what could be a long wait if they don’t have a reservation.

The popularity of the artesian well prompted Hays County Commissioners to put a fee schedule in place and to control access to the site. This year only 300 people a day will be allowed access, with tour groups of up to 60 scheduled for every two hours. The first daily tour is at 10 a.m. and the last at 6 p.m.

And the natural area is no longer free. Admission for adults that do not live in Hays County is $9 per person. For county residents with proof of residency and photo identification, children aged five to 12 and seniors age 60 and over admission is $5.

“I’m doing it! I’m doing it!”

The joy of a first grader learning to ride his bike without training wheels for the first time is a special moment, and it’s one that the community got to share in as Scudder Primary hosted the Bicycle Rodeo this weekend.

Dozens of Wimberley children showed up to the Bicycle Rodeo at the First Baptist Church.

“We are just out here doing some bike safety fundamentals and getting ready for these kids to get out riding in the parks and with their families for summertime,” Deputy Constable Travis Brown, Wimberley’s only bicycle riding officer, said. 

The first stop at the Bicycle Rodeo was a helmet fitting. For children that didn’t have a proper helmet, they were fitted and given one from Central Texas Medical Center. 

The popular bumper sticker around Wimberley  is “If you are in a hurry, you’re in the wrong town.” 

That will likely be the case this weekend as visitors flock to town for three of Wimberley’s most popular events this side of Market Days. 

You might as well stop by and enjoy yourself too. 

Emily Ann’s Butterfly Day is one of the most colorful and emotional events of the year. Arts Fest is gearing up at Blue Hole, and what other park in the state would be better for artistic festival? The BBQ Battle of Texas is ready to smoke out the competition with taste test throughout downtown. And in Wimberley fashion, all of these events support local non-profits.

Electro Purification’s well field may very well end up within a groundwater management district, the question is, will that matter?

A bill, filed by Representative Jason Isaac and would bring the well field into the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, was passed by the Texas Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee to move forward through the legislative process. But, it may not have an affect on the well field.