What is going on in Lakeway?
Big Freeze Clean Up
Early February’s ice storm ravaged Lakeway, particularly in the older parts of town with mature landscaping. Many of our gorgeous oaks lost major limbs, and some trees just toppled over completely. Mayor Kilgore declared Lakeway a disaster zone, facilitating state and federal aid as well as insurance claims for damage.
Yard Clean Up
Storm debris is being collected by the city, at no charge. Mayor Kilgore spearheaded city assistance for residents’ clean-up efforts, and city trucks started collecting storm debris on Feb. 6. Five additional crews with large trucks will join the effort starting Feb. 12, to speed up the process.
Lakeway homeowners have been busy, creating truly impressive mounds of tree limbs and brush lining nearly every curb in town. ALL city streets will be included in the free pick up, as shown on the map above, with 5 colored zones.
FEB. 13 EDIT: The REVISED map above shows the purple zone expanded to include St. Andrews (Troon and Muirfield Greens).
The 5 zones will be handled simultaneously, with 1 crew per zone. The goal is to completely cover the city in 2-3 weeks. So, GET YOUR STORM DEBRIS CURBSIDE BY FEB. 11. Here is the map page where you can search and zoom in: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/2053/30408/Brush-Tree-Limb-Curbside-Pick-Up-Map
The debris will be taken to the city’s Public Works grounds, where an industrial chipper is located. Due to the resulting high traffic of large vehicles, Public Works is now temporarily closed to the public, with no individual drop offs allowed.
Be sure to haul debris to the curb, as crews will NOT enter private property to retrieve limbs. Also, they cannot hack dangling limbs off of trees.
Check here for the latest info: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1723 Email info@lakeway-tx.gov or contact Public Works at (512) 608-9000 with any questions.
Concerned about oak wilt? Due to storm damage and the disaster declaration, oak trimming is allowed if needed, despite February being the start of the no-prune season. Any fresh cuts must be sealed immediately, to guard against the beetles that spread oak wilt. (Use professional tree sealer or latex paint.) Breaks during the storm were sealed by the cold and ice; also, it is ineffective to seal wounds after a day has passed. Here are some helpful links:
–Painting oak wounds: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/354/Paint-All-Wounds
–Preventing oak wilt: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/217/Oak-Wilt-Prevention
Insurance Claims
The Disaster Declaration will facilitate insurance claims. Take pictures of damage to your property from the storm, including spoiled food, roof damage, broken windows, fallen trees, etc. Keep receipts for costs incurred. Report damage by filing out the State damage survey found here (under the “Active Incidents” section, and then click on “Ice Storm/Winter Weather January 29 – Ongoing” button): https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/
Special Olympics
The Special Olympics Texas Winter Games 2023 will be held the weekend of Feb. 17-19. Games will showcase over 1,000 participants in floorball, powerlifting, cycling, golf, and volleyball. Locations include Lake Travis Middle School, Bee Cave Middle School, Hill Country Indoor, and Star Hill Ranch. Schedule and full info here: https://www.sotx.org/winter-games-schedule
LOTS going on at Lake Travis Community Library.
10th ANNIVERSARY
Monday, Feb. 13 marks the 10th anniversary of the library opening in its current location, 1938 Lohmans Crossing Rd. (Remember—the library used to be in the Chair King shopping center, where Point of Origin is now.) Stop by at 4PM to help one of the gems of Lakeway celebrate the happy occasion with cake and other festivities.
Art Exhibit at the Library
Through February, Vandegrift High School student Shreya Poladia’s paintings will be on display in the library’s Community Room. She uses pastels, watercolors, coffee, charcoal, pencils, and acrylics to depict nature in many formats. Proceeds from sales during the exhibit will benefit Safe in Austin Rescue Ranch, which rescues animals from severe abuse or neglect.
Fraud/ID Theft Prevention Class
On Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 10:30AM, Lakeway Police Sgt. Jason Brown will conduct a fraud and ID theft prevention class. FREE and open to the public, this is an opportunity for residents to learn about deterring criminals from getting access to personal information and bank accounts.
“Women in Art” during month of March
March 1-31, the Lakeway Arts District presents “Women in Art”, a special art exhibition celebrating Women’s History Month, at the library. This exhibit includes paintings, drawings, digital AI art, and mixed media sculptures by local women artists, inspired by women’s history, health, beauty, motherhood and equality.
Check out the Artist Reception on March 4, 1:30-3PM AND the Art Demo on March 11, 1:30-3PM. MORE art events at the library in March are listed here: https://lakewayartsdistrict.com/women-in-art/
Scholarships for 12th grade level students
Submissions are being accepted through April 22 for the annual City of Lakeway/Waste Connections $1,000 scholarships for 12th grade level students. This scholarship is only available to students whose parents are signed up for solid waste services with the City of Lakeway. Go here for details and to apply: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1993/Waste-Connections-Scholarship
Council Called a SPECIAL Meeting for Feb. 6.
All members were in attendance. RESULTS:
ITEM 8: Declaring Lakeway a disaster area for 90 days, subsequent to the recent severe winter weather and related power outages. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
ITEM 9: Second reading of a streamlined Development Agreement for accelerated construction of LTISD’s Elementary School #8 on 25 acres of land on Bee Creek Road, with special attention to traffic issues.
After considerable discussion, mostly as to traffic issues, Council was largely satisfied with changes made to the Development Agreement; Council still wanted a guarantee the county will allow buses to access the SportsPark road and for LTISD to look at using a Park and Ride strategy to move kids between the school and an off-site parking lot. However, since the revised Development Agreement was submitted by LTISD earlier that day, there was no public notice or review by the City Attorney. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY to give public notice on the final Development Agreement later this week, and schedule another Special Council Meeting on Monday, Feb. 13 to resolve this matter.
ITEM 10: Ordering an election on May 6 for Mayor and 3 Council seats (budget of $45,000). PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
ITEM 11: Annexation of Bee Creek Road, from the Highlands traffic circle to HWY. 71. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
ITEM 12: Discussion of the city’s position on various issues being considered by the Texas Legislature. Issues include: Appraisal Caps and Property Tax Exemptions; Online Sales Tax; Marijuana Decriminalization; Police Reform; Dis-annexation and ETJ Reductions; Decreased Zoning Authority; and Stricter Platting Shot Clock.
After discussion, it was agreed that staff will concentrate on bills gaining traction on issues affecting Lakeway including: property tax assessments; online sales tax changes; limiting authority of home-rule cities, giving cities more access to state agencies; and legalization/criminalization of activities.
ADJOURNED: 8:46PM.
View the Agenda, Meeting Packet, and/or Presentation (scrolling down to City Council documents) here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Go here to watch the Council meeting online: https://lakewaytx.new.swagit.com/videos/206967
Council set another SPECIAL Meeting for Monday, Feb. 13, 6:30pm, at City Hall.
This is a follow up to the Feb. 6 Council meeting, with the only Agenda item being final review and (it is hoped) approval of a streamlined Development Agreement for accelerated construction of LTISD’s Elementary School #8 on 25 acres of land on Bee Creek Road, in time for opening in August of 2024.
View the Agenda, Meeting Packet, and/or Presentation (scrolling down to City Council documents) here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Go here to watch the Council meeting online (live or later): https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1062/Videos—Meetings-Events
Council Will Meet on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6:30PM.
Go here for the Agenda, posted a few days beforehand: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Lakeway ELECTIONS—Coming Soon!
Local elections will be on May 6, with Early Voting starting April 24. (If you aren’t registered to vote, the deadline is April 6.) Campaigning will start soon….
Up for election are Mayor Kilgore’s seat and 3 City Council seats—now held by Kumar, Vance, and Trecker. All 4 incumbents are eligible to run for another term. So far, Mayor Kilgore and Councilmember Vance have filed to run in the election. For Council, Kevin Bernzott, Christopher Forton, and Kent O’Brien have filed to run, as of Feb. 11.
The candidate filing period ends Feb. 17. The city’s election page, with full info, is here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/427/Election-Information
Daring Mighty Things
QUICK QUIZ—Which planet orbiting our Sun has the MOST MOONS? Scroll down to the end of this section for the answer.
On Feb. 4, an American F-22 fighter jet destroyed the Chinese spy balloon with a Sidewinder missile. The single shot was fired just as the intruder passed the South Carolina coastline, with debris raining harmlessly into the Atlantic. US military shoots down Chinese surveillance balloon 2/5/23 https://www.space.com/chinese-spy-balloon-destroyed-f-22-jet
On Jan. 31, former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. They were honored for their bravery during NASA’s first commercial crew launch, SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 to the International Space Station in 2020. VP Awards Former NASA Astronauts Congressional Space Medal of Honor https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/vp-awards-former-nasa-astronauts-congressional-space-medal-of-honor
As seen in the image below, a comet–called C/2022 E3 (ZTF)–not seen from Earth since our Stone Age has come back around for a visit. Rare green comet’s close approach a once-in-50,000 years feast for astrophotographers 2/3/23 https://www.space.com/green-comet-close-approach-skywatcher-photos
Feb. 1 marked the 20th anniversary of losing space shuttle Columbia, which exploded during re-entry and killed the 7 astronauts on board. 20 years after Columbia shuttle tragedy, NASA pledges ‘acute awareness’ of astronaut safety 2/1/23 https://www.space.com/columbia-space-shuttle-tragedy-20-year-anniversary
QUIZ ANSWER—Jupiter, which has 92 moons.Jupiter now has the most moons in the solar system, beating Saturn thanks to 12 newfound satellites 2/3/23 https://www.space.com/jupiter-moon-discoveries-total-92
With liberty and justice for all … except women.
With Roe obliterated by the extreme Conservative SCOTUS, state constitutions are being examined for protection of women’s bodily autonomy. Recently, courts in South Carolina found a state right to abortion, while a court in Idaho found none. Do Abortion Rights Hang On State Constitutions? 1/29/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/29/us/abortion-rights-state-constitutions.html
In Texas (ugh, if it is egregious, it is ALWAYS Texas), a federal court decision is expected any day in a case brought by a conservative Christian group. Despite wide use and an impressive safety record for over 20 years, the group is demanding that the FDA’s 2000 approval of the drug mifepristone be revoked, suspending use nationwide. Currently, medication abortions account for over half of pregnancy terminations. Plaintiffs forum-shopped, filing the case in Amarillo before a Trump-appointed judge who has previously issued rulings hostile to abortion rights. What to know about Texas ruling that could see abortion drug taken off the market 2/8/23 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/texas-ruling-abortion-drug-off-market/story?id=96816852
Back to me….
The best thing about cold weather is the dramatic increase in cat snuggles—love that! Second best is the yummy vat of soup I made.
Our deer herd seemed spooked by the ice storm and Mother Nature’s brutal rearrangement of Lakeway’s landscaping. Plus, yard work cut into my daily walks, so I only got one recent deer photo, taken on Vanguard (but, she is adorable).
The Coronavirus
In China, the tsunami of Covid cases after the government abruptly suspended restrictions seems to be ebbing. Official disclosure is limited and reporting suppressed to some degree, but hospitals and funeral homes appear less overwhelmed in recent weeks.
In the US, in the last 2 weeks, the official stats show new cases and hospitalizations both fell by 14%. Coincidentally, deaths also dropped 14% to an average of 449 Americans per day. See the chart below for current stats. The national testing positivity rate held steady at 11%.
Even with the national decreases, most southern states are showing the opposite. Alabama and Louisiana have the highest per capita case rates, up by 25% in the last 2 weeks.
Despite 450-500 daily Covid deaths–double those from the flu–emergency health provisions are largely ending in May. This is in part due to Congress’ refusal to keep funding the cost of Covid testing, treatment and vaccines. Hospitals and Medicare recipients will see most of the changes. But, this also draws an official line closing out the pandemic and moving the country into the endemic phase of living with Covid-19; politically, this is a good thing. Herd immunity will never happen, so to some extent Covid-19 is here to stay. This 20-minute podcast is helpful in understanding why this is happening now and what changes to expect. The End of the Pandemic in the US 20-minute podcast 2/3/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/podcasts/the-daily/pandemic-emergency-end.html
A new interferon drug shows great promise treating even the latest Covid variants. A single shot supposedly makes hospitalization half as likely; it also helps the body fight the flu and other viral diseases. But, it hasn’t been tested in in the US or per the FDA’s requirements, so even emergency approval here isn’t likely anytime soon.
In Texas, in the last 2 weeks, infections decreased 22% and hospitalizations dropped 15%. But, deaths ROSE 29%, with an average of 30 Texans dying each day. See the chart below for current stats. The positivity test rate dropped to 13%.
Recent Covid Articles I Recommend
Why the Odds Are Stacked Against a Promising New Covid Drug 2/8/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/health/covid-drug-eiger-interferon.html
The End of the Pandemic in the US 20-minute podcast 2/3/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/podcasts/the-daily/pandemic-emergency-end.html
These benefits will disappear when Biden ends the Covid national and public health emergencies in May 1/31/23 https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/may-11-end-of-covid-and-public-health-emergencies/index.html
Children lost about 35% of a normal school year’s worth of learning during the pandemic, study suggests 1/30/23 https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/health/covid-learning-loss-study-wellness/index.html