Special to the View

On Feb. 1, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals signaled that the Texas House, Senate and U.S. congressional district maps drawn by the state Legislature last spring could take weeks of scrutiny in testing for compliance under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Act provides the basis to cure racial discrimination in elections and election-related processes. Section 5 of the Act requires Texas, among other states and smaller jurisdictions, to obtain preclearance of redistricting maps by the D.C. Circuit Court.

Meanwhile, in San Antonio on Feb. 2, the three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, indicated it would proceed with the task of revising the three sets of maps, as directed by the U.S. Supreme Court. In January, the high court threw out the San Antonio district court panel’s attempt to revise the Texas Legislature’s enacted maps and ordered the three judges to follow more closely the Legislature’s intent in its next remedial effort.

Furthermore, on Feb. 2, the San Antonio district court instructed plaintiffs (Shannon Perez et al. v. defendants State of Texas et al.) in each of the three redistricting cases to present their arguments in court on Feb. 15. Parties have until Feb. 10 to file their legal briefs.

Although a court order issued in mid-December set April 3 as the date for the Texas primaries, court actions put on the calendar last week could bump them later in April or even May or June.

TSTA wants special session

Pressure on the governor to call a special session of the Texas Legislature to address shortages in school funding is increasing.

Public education absorbed a multi-billion dollar hit when the Legislature, in its January through May 2011 regular session, made across the board spending cuts to address the state’s estimated $20 billion budget deficit for the 2012-13 biennium. Then, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst who presides over the Senate, and House Speaker Joe Straus steered fiscally conservative majorities in the Senate and House to approve the use of about $3 billion of the state’s $9 billion Economic Stabilization (also known as “Rainy Day”) Fund. The tapped amount was applied to the public education and health and human services budgets.

Texas State Teachers Association last week urged Gov. Rick Perry to call lawmakers to Austin to appropriate $2.5 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund “to head off another round of harmful cuts in local public school budgets for the 2012-13 school year.”

TSTA President Rita Haecker, at a Feb. 1 Capitol news conference, pointed out the effects of the governor and the legislative majority’s cutting of $5.4 billion from public education for the current, two-year budget period, including $4 billion in formula funding obligations to school districts and another $1.4 billion in Texas Education Agency grants to districts.

An estimated 32,000 school employees including 12,000 teachers already have lost their jobs, and more than 8,200 elementary classes are larger than the cap set by state law. “Ultimately, these cuts and crowded classrooms harm our students’ learning environment,” Haecker said. TSTA is circulating a petition calling on the governor to call a special session, she added.

A year ago, the office of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts reported that $7.2 billion of the Rainy Day Fund came from oil and gas production taxes.

Oil, gas figures take shape

These days, oil and gas industry trucks are seen moving up and down roads and highways in many parts of Texas and setting up shop here and there on sites visible from public rights of way.

Many Texas newspapers routinely report this information, but in light of the current call for a special session and the Rainy Day Fund’s tie to oil and gas production taxes, here are figures reported by the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry.

On Jan. 30, the Texas Railroad Commission reported it issued 1,630 original drilling permits in December 2011. “The December total included 1,480 permits to drill new oil and gas wells, 35 to re-enter existing well bores, and 115 for re-completions.

Permits issued in December 2011 included 479 oil, 186 gas, 902 oil and gas, 48 injection, two service and 13 other permits,” according to the report.
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By JAMES LINARDOS

Lake Travis Fire Rescue chief

During the devastating Labor Day wildfires, Precinct 3 Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber saw first-hand the multi-agency, collaborative efforts in containing and extinguishing the Central Texas fire storms.

After reflecting on the devastating fires, Huber immediately put into place the Travis County Wildland Task Force Committee and appointed me to run with her idea of a collaboration of experts gathering together and brainstorming on ways to help Travis County communities mitigate future wildland urban interface fires.

The first meeting was Oct. 14, 2011. Task Force members include Emergency Services Districts, Austin Fire Department, Travis County Natural Resources, Emergency Management and other county staff, including Commissioner Huber and her office staff.

We have been meeting every two weeks at the Oak Hill Fire Station since the launch of the group.

The Task Force’s first product, which is ready for distribution, is the Travis County/City of Austin version of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Ready, Set Go! booklet.

The booklet walks you through creating your own wildfire action guide:

• *Ready – prepare for the fire threat;
• *Set – have situational awareness when a fire starts; and,
• *Go – leave early.

Our next product for communities will be the Travis County Wildfire Protection Plan. The protection plan helps communities clarify and refine their priorities for the protection of life, property and critical infrastructure in the wildland urban interface.

At the Task Force’s Jan. 27 meeting, I ran a needs assessment exercise and the members prioritized what the group needs to focus on next.

The group targeted some county needs such as grant funding assistance, a bulldozer program for combating wildfires, a dedicated aerial wildfire program, multi-jurisdictional partnerships, unified messaging to media and community during a wildfire incident and efforts to work toward developing fire resilient communities, just to name a few.

The National Interagency Fire Center Predictive Services has published its Wildland Fire Outlook for February through May 2012. Evidence is building that the wildfires in Texas are doomed to repeat themselves and possibly could be more tenacious and catastrophic.

Severe to exceptional droughts are prevalent, and tree mortality from the drought will continue to be problematic.

Significant fires will be possible with the combination of ignitions and windy conditions.

Mild seasonal temperatures will continue and cold fronts will remain problematic for drought-stricken areas as the drier air will reduce minimum humidity into the teens and low 20s creating a volatile environment for fine fuel ignition.

So the Wildland Task Force will continue to meet, collaborate and find ways to educate and protect the community, especially during the wildland fire danger season.

Texas’ population continues to grow along with the rapid wildland urban interface development. Travis County, especially western Travis County into the Hill Country, has exploded with developments of million-dollar homes nestled on cliff edges and ridge lines.

Yes, these property owners have majestic views of the Hill Country vista and possibly the lake, but their homes and properties are hard to protect, especially when they are surrounded by wildlands available to wildfires. This is just something for homeowners to reflect upon, or hopefully it will prompt them to take action.

Since the historical Texas wildfire season began on Nov. 15, 2010, emergency services districts, metro and volunteer fire departments and the Texas Forest Service have responded to 31,013 fires for nearly 4 million acres.

So, please carefully study and follow the Ready, Set, Go! booklet’s guidelines and encourage your neighbors and their neighbors do the same. It could help save your family, property and pets when the next fire storm knocks on Travis County’s door.

James Linardos is fire chief of Lake Travis Fire Rescue, which is also known as Emergency Services District No. 6.

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The abundance of excitement continues to grow in our Lake Travis community as we start a new year.
The Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce board of directors and staff just completed the annual planning retreat, and I am once again reminded how much I love this job and community. The dedication of the volunteers and staff is remarkable; they are constantly striving to build on our strong and significant business community.
We started off with a bang during the economic forecast luncheon where area leaders provided a glimpse of their predictions for our housing market, commercial development, growth and expansion of the school district, lake levels and their impact on our economy. And although the climatologists may be giving a less than better chance to get out of this drought, the Lake Travis business community is incredibly strong and resilient and will always be open for business.
Programming and events for the year will continue to focus on how we can provide value, education and better ways to help you conduct business.
One of the best emerging valued programs is Leadership Lake Travis. In January, participants were whisked up in small planes to tour our beautiful area from the skies. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. But, once we were able to look out over paradise, all the jitters subsided, and I was amazed at the extraordinary perspective we were lucky enough to experience. Keep an eye on the Lake Travis View’s columns after each Leadership Lake Travis class day. It is a great recap of what these leaders are experiencing.
Mark your calendars for the fifth annual SpringFest on April 28 in beautiful Bee Cave. The festival will continue the tradition of community and family fun with vendor booths, Boat Expo, barbecue cook-off and a Texas-sized KidZone as it welcomes back Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis at the Hill Country Galleria. This year it will also expand over to the Shops at the Galleria and cap off with a concert at The Backyard at Bee Cave.
The Chamber is working toward the betterment of the membership and the Lake Travis community. We feel the Chamber should be viewed by the membership and the community as a valuable part of any business and community strategy. The Chamber should make the area a desirable place to work and live by fostering business excellence. Our goal is to provide improved programs and services to enhance the business climate and community through advocacy, promotion, networking and resources.
The mission of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce is to promote sound economic growth, assist members with business development and create awareness related to the outstanding characteristic of the unique South Lake Travis Community.
Thank you for your part in our achievements. In the coming year, we will provide enhanced web presence with a dynamic website and improve the way to invest in the Chamber, increase member benefits and develop new opportunities to showcase your business. I invite you to join us any time.

Laura Mitchell is president of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce. For information, visit laketravischamber.com.

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My first visit to a Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon last week was a special program titled Lake Travis Economic Forecast. It was a longer than most luncheons, but the speakers certainly provided food for thought.

Although most of the speakers delivered bleak forecasts for any relief in in the prolonged drought and low lake level that is fast approaching an all-time low, the overwhelming majority of the 200 people in attendance likely came away feeling that it was time well spent.

All of the speakers raised good points about the drought and how to cope with it by conserving water, recapturing rain water and moving toward more drought-tolerant landscaping (see story on Page A1).

One excellent point made during the presentations involved the opportunities for businesses to actually profit from the drought by offering innovative ideas at reasonable prices. There are opportunities available. It is just a matter of doing a little research, marketing and testing the waters, so to speak.

There are no easy solutions for what experts are predicting this year, and neither Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce leaders nor the public officials on hand for the event sugarcoated the serious issues on the horizon for the local business community, which relies so heavily on lake traffic. Even if the epic all-time low in the level of Lake Travis does come about as many experts are predicting this year, the community appears to have leaders to help us survive and thrive once again.

As a newcomer, it was refreshing to meet so many local leaders who are clearly dedicated to making the best of the situation facing us. Hats off to the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce for bringing the issues to the forefront.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 20 struck down the interim redistricting plans for the state of Texas authored by a three-judge panel of the San Antonio-based U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas.

Last year, the panel was tasked with drawing state House, Senate and congressional district boundaries after the 82nd Texas Legislature’s enacted redistricting plans failed to be pre-cleared by D.C. Circuit Court. Texas’ maps must earn preclearance as required under Section 5 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act, a law meant to cure a list of states and other jurisdictions from their historical record of discriminatory practices in election processes. Texas gained four congressional seats largely due to a huge increase in the Hispanic population, as tabulated in the 2010 U.S. Census. On Jan. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court directed the U.S. District Court in San Antonio to follow the Texas Legislature’s intent but did not elaborate on a methodology to use moving forward.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott reacted, saying, “The (U.S. Supreme) Court made clear in a strongly worded opinion that the district court must give deference to elected leaders of this state, and it’s clear by the Supreme Court ruling that the district court abandoned these guiding principles.”

In any case, a new set of redistricting plans, once drawn, must be submitted for preclearance. Meanwhile, the San Antonio District Court, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the court-drawn interim redistricting maps, set a scheduling order calling for a hearing on Feb. 1.

But Abbott’s office filed a motion to reconsider because, Abbott said, the court’s schedule appears to delay when Texas primary elections could take place. The primaries are currently set for April 3. Abbott’s office said it wants all legal matters settled in time for new maps to be issued by the end of this month.

Perry ends presidential bid

Gov. Rick Perry on Jan. 19 publicly announced the decision he made to end his presidential campaign.

Perry, who was polling in single digits in South Carolina two days before that state’s Jan. 21 Republican primary, immediately endorsed rival Newt Gingrich, an author, political consultant and former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (January 1995-January 1999).

With Perry’s departure, the GOP field of presidential aspirants is reduced to four: Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

While Perry outperformed the field on fundraising, his performance in live, televised debates proved to be his weak suit. The Paint Creek native is in the second year of his third four-year term as governor. So far, he has served more than 11 years as Texas’ chief executive.

Jobless rate drops in December

The Texas Workforce Commission on Jan. 20 reported Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in December, down from 8.1 percent in November and down from 8.3 percent in December 2010.

Also in its monthly report, the agency stated the civilian labor force grew by more than 17,000 in December, and now stands at more than 12.3 million Texans.

According to statistics published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the national unemployment rate is 8.5 percent.

Patterson at front of opposition

Earlier this month, the state’s General Land Office announced Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is leading an effort to unite 23 western states to oppose the federal government’s process for adding “birds, bugs, lizards and other critters to the list of protected endangered species.”

According to a Land Office news release, the Western States Land Commissioners Association, whose members manage about half a billion acres of public land and mineral rights for public education, passed a resolution urging Congress to alter the Endangered Species Act at its annual winter conference in Austin.

Flu vaccinations still urged

The Texas Department of State Health Services recently reminded citizens to get vaccinated against flu and said the flu season is near its typical peak.

“We usually see a significant increase in influenza in Texas in January and February, so this is the time to protect yourself,” State Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey said.

Photo by Devin Monk

At a Jan. 17 ceremony, from left, Bee Cave Mayor Caroline Murphy, West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 3 president Robert Salgo, attorney Randy Wilburn, Lower Colorado River Authority general manager Becky Motal and West Travis County MUD No. 5 president Larry Fox sign the purchase agreement that transfers West Travis County Regional Water and Wastewater systems to the West Travis County Public Utility Agency. Free at last: Public utilities acquire LCRA systems

Larry Fox

Special to the View

What is the feeling of restoring ownership of a water and wastewater system after 12 years of Lower Colorado River Authority ownership? Great.

In a letter to customers under a monopolistic LCRA water and, in some cases, a wastewater utility, dated June 11, 2007, customers were informed of a proposed two years of 25 percent annual rate increases in water and wastewater services.

Despite customer objections, the first increase was implemented Sept. 11, 2007.

At the next meeting of the West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5 in Lake Pointe subdivision, it was decided to launch a petition drive for a rate case suit to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

It was implemented Oct. 3, 2007, under the logo, “We’re Getting Soaked.” TCEQ has oversight for water and wastewater utility rates and operations in Texas. MUD No. 5 was soon joined by Lake Pointe MUD No. 3 and through the adjacent Uplands subdivision, by its municipality, the city of Bee Cave.

A suit was soon filed. Partially in response, LCRA proposed spreading the two-year rate increases over three years.

It was two years until a Texas Administrative Law Judge was appointed to hear testimony for the rate case suit. An early decision of the judge froze the rates at the 2008-09 rate increase known as the Phase 2 rate.

Testimony and filings were conducted during the next two years with the plaintiffs usually winning their points.

The LCRA board soon tired of the ongoing legal proceedings and expenses. In November 2010, LCRA officials decided to put the authority’s water and wastewater retail businesses up for sale.

In January 2011 communities up and down the lower Colorado River began to organize. An LCRA coalition was created. To provide liability protection, the Coalition of Central Texas Utilities Development Corp. was formed, and Pix Howell emerged as the president.

Pix was a former LCRA board member who advocated getting into the retail business in the mid-1990s but was disturbed by what had evolved and was working for the city of Leander to purchase their system from LCRA.

During the 82nd Legislature, WTC MUD No. 5 received authorities to own and operate the WTC Regional Water and Wastewater System in western Travis County and northern Hays counties, a system that was largely stand alone.

In May 2011, with the Bank of Montreal, LCRA conducted a bidder qualification round. It took the UDC some advanced dialog to get on the accepted list. Then in August 2011, bids were due. Initially, the UDC bid was felt to be too low.

State Sen. Kirk Watson and his office manager and attorney, Susan Nold, arranged a meeting between LCRA board chairman Tim Timmerman and General Manager Becky Motal and UDC founders Pix Howell, Commissioner Ray Whisenant, Bee Cave City Administrator Frank Salvato and UDC lawyer Lauren Kalisek. The purpose was to explain how and why the UDC bid would make LCRA whole. These meetings took place during October and November 2011.

At the Nov. 21, 2011 LCRA board of directors meeting, a resolution was passed by the LCRA board authorizing the general manager and staff to negotiate a sale document for signature by Dec. 15, 2011. Negotiations continued into early 2012.

LCRA insisted on the termination of the rate case as a condition of sale. Both sides were left to absorb their own costs. The freezing of the rates at Phase 2 during the case saved customers approximately $5 million, compared to the legal fees of $1.3 million.

In the meantime, the West Travis County Public Utility Agency was duly constituted and accepted by the secretary of state.

While negotiations continued until the last day, a purchase agreement was executed by the chair of the WTCPUA, WTC MUDs Nos. 3 and 5, the cty of Bee Cave, District 4 of Hays County and LCRA board chairman and general manager.

On Jan. 20, 2012, the MUD’s lawyer, Randall Wilburn, and the City of Bee Cave lawyer, James Mathews, signed the request to the TCEQ to terminate the rate case.

Negotiations are nearing a contract for a private company operator to handle all day-to-day operations, billing and more. LCRA bonds will be paid off in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019 by the issuance of bonds for the WTCPUA. Operating expenses and bond payments will be offset substantially by savings so that rates are expected to rise by no more than 3 percent per year, instead of the 50 percent – 75 percent increases that alternatives would have created.

Are we happy? Oh, yes.

Larry Fox is chairman of the board of directors of West Travis County Public Utility Agency and president of West Travis County Municipal Utility District No. 5.

Special to the View

Picking the right day to go fishing is especially important in the winter. There are always a few balmy afternoons sandwiched between the cold, gusty frontal days.

Fish get very active during the warming trends. Anglers with flexible schedules learn how to take advantage of these windows of opportunity.

There is no need to get out early, since the best action occurs between noon and 4 p.m. Most of my clients don’t mind avoiding the early morning chill and getting a little extra sleep.

The afternoon of Jan. 11 was a prime example. Light southerly breezes and a 70 degrees air temperature gave me and my good friend, Reeves Carter of Spicewood, a great deal of confidence as we departed Lakeway Marina.

Catching two fish at a time on a jigging spoon with one treble hook is something I’d never seen. Now I have.

Reeves boated a hard fighting freshwater drum and discovered a baby channel catfish lodged in the drum’s mouth while removing the hook. Who knew drum ate catfish?

The Cordell silver spoon produced a nice white bass and a fat 15-inch largemouth in 30 feet of water before the deep action slowed. We both knew it was time to switch to plastic worms in shallower water.

Green pumpkin has been my best color for years, and it did not let us down on this beautiful afternoon. Steep shorelines and boat docks kept us busy setting the hook and landing bass for a couple of hours.

Reeves boated the biggest, a three-pound class largemouth, and lost a huge bass minutes later under the same boat dock. The worm hook just pulled out; happens to all of us.

We totaled 16 bass on the worms and then went crappie fishing with tube baits. Shaded boat slips produced 10 tasty crappie before we called it quits.

Don’t let anyone tell you they don’t bite in the winter. Just pick the right day.

For updates or a guided excursion, call 512-261-3644, or email achristenson1@austin.rr.com or visit northshorebeacon.com.

Photos by Erich Schlegel

Leadership Lake Travis members, from left, Jason Zbranek, Peg Braxton, Mary Lynne Gibbs and Jan Moreland take an aerial tour Jan. 12 over south Lake Travis courtesy of Lakeway Airpark.

The delivery date had arrived – Jan. 12 was upon us and our Leadership Lake Travis team sprang into action hoping and praying that our five months of labor would pay off.
Real estate formed the theme for the   Jan. 11 class that our five-person, one steering committee-member team had sweated over night and day, day and night, to create and host.
I am proud to call Melissa Takamatsu, Shane Holsinger, Mike Mudd, Matt Womack and Karen Reich my teammates. I would have to say that doing what hasn’t been done before and stepping out of our comfort zones led to an amazing experience.
To say we became like family as we organized the daylong event would be too melodramatic, but I felt like we developed exactly what Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce hoped we would – a greater understanding of our community, each other and ourselves.
What did I learn? That maybe I’m not cut out for event planning, but at least I have walked a half-mile in that profession’s shoes and gained a greater appreciation for just how much weather forecasting and menu planning goes into hosting an event.
Yes, a competitive spirit exists among the seven teams to put on the best day, but I went about my brainstorming, begging and bribery – a free lunch is sometimes all it takes – to line up speakers and dining venues, with the goal of class members walking away having learned something and hopefully enjoying themselves.
So, you are probably wondering when I’m going to talk about the planes. The photos kind of give that away, don’t they?
Inspired by Lakeway Airpark’s Young Eagles events where licensed pilots introduce families with children to airplanes and flying as they take short aerial tours over south Lake Travis, I thought our leadership class would benefit from a bird’s-eye view of residential and commercial developments.
The views would provide a completely different perspective – one we could not possibly get by riding in a bus to all the locations in one day.
We started off, first, by fueling up at breakfast at the Grille at Rough Hollow and then learning where all this growth came from during presentations on Lakeway’s history from author Lew Carlson and city archivist Mike Boston who showed us footage of the opening of Lakeway Inn, which is now Lakeway Resort and Spa.
Speaking of perspective, knowledge of the city’s origins is critical to understanding its identity and future.
“The story of Lakeway is the story of people who worked without pay and volunteered their time, their talents and their efforts to create this city,” Carlson said.
Improvising a bit, we threw a willing Boston on our bus to teach us about the new Liebelt cabin that the city and Heritage Commission members are restoring on City Hall land before heading to the airpark.
A cold front had moved in the night before and threatened to be the Big Bad Wolf that would blow all our plans down with wind gusts of up to 40 mph that morning, but by the time we arrived there, some minor turbulence was all the fairy tale foe could muster.
Airpark pilots Erik Mulloy, Rich Judd, Peter Caciola, Russ Norwood, Steve Harris and Jeff Klass flew 31 passengers in first-class style in their Pipers, Beeches and Cessnas over Steiner Ranch, Rough Hollow, Flintrock Falls, Serene Hills, the Falconheads, Reserve at Lake Travis, Rocky Creek and Spanish Oaks.
Views of what’s left of Lake Travis as well as Mansfield Dam, Lakeway Regional Medical Center and Hill Country Galleria rounded out the flight path.
For those on the ground, our leadership team assembled a team of experts in homebuilding, real estate and home finance to update the class on the latest trends and data in their professions.
Steve Zbranek, chamber chairman and a pilot himself, was right at home in the airpark boardroom as he, real estate agent Kenn Renner and mortgage lender Bart Bade of iBank talked about the homebuyer’s advantage but the difficulty for home sellers.
Zbranek explained that interest from out-of-town homebuyers had picked up over the holidays for Zbranek & Holt Custom Homes and more people are looking to smart home technology and green building, which does cost more.
“If you want to go off the grid and do the Al Gore-get-rid-of-your-carbon-footprint thing, I can do that for you, but it will cost you a lot of money,” Zbranek said.
Class member and homebuilder Wes Wiggington shared that more of his company’s customers also were looking for smaller, higher-quality homes.
Renner presented an aerial video he took of an expanded flight route and discussed home starts and sales activity in the various south Lake Travis residential developments.
Watching the video opened some class members’ eyes to the severity of dropping lake levels. Some of them who work on the lake said they had no idea just how low the waterlines had fallen.
“In general, the lake level has caused a slowdown in lakefront property [sales], and it affects their value, especially ones that are sitting up in coves that are now dry. It used to be that any normal level from 650-685 [feet] would provide just a small lake view in those coves,” Renner said.
Residential developments along Texas Highway 71 are starting to take off, such as Serene Hills and Canyons of Sweetwater.
“West Cypress Hills has been kind of spotty on its sales. Rocky Creek was a surprise victory. There are a lot of families with multiple kids moving in, and that’s what has been putting the pressure on Bee Cave Elementary,” Renner said.
Although we feasted on knowledge, our class sailed over to Café Blue in Hill Country Galleria to fill up on coastal dishes and be flooded with even more information.
Often, a planning or building director at a city can make or break a permit, and Shannon Burke, Lakeway’s director of building and development services, is no stranger to sitting on the hot seat during zoning and planning commission and city council meetings as developers and residents grill him on details.
Burke fired off some questions of his own in a pop quiz that tested class members’ acuity of sign and code ordinances and taught them that pancake-wearing, arrow sign-holding advertisements are not allowed in Lakeway.
“If there’s one thing to take away from this presentation, it’s that everything requires a permit in Lakeway, and if you’re not sure come and ask us,” he said.
One class member’s Freudian slip tripped him up to ask if certain signs in the city are godfathered, instead of grandfathered, which pulls back the curtain a little bit on how some business owners feel about municipal control of signs.
Burke gave an overview of commercial projects coming to Lakeway that include Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Holiday Inn Express and H-E-B Grocery Store on Texas 71.
Other class members salivated over the prospects of new businesses opening in Lake Travis.
The ladies quizzed Edvin Beasley of Stream Realty if retailers such as Ann Taylor Loft were eyeing a relocation or new store opening.
His partner Kevin Granger said the national leasing outlook is pretty bleak for building and property owners as many five- to seven-year office leases are expiring and the once-white hot market has frozen.
Companies are now downsizing or renegotiating leases that are 20-40 percent of their initial rates.
Granger, however, said he is glad to wake up every day to work in the Austin market that is bucking the trend and that his initial impression was wrong about trying to get dormant office space up and running at Hill Country Galleria. He originally thought no one would want to move out to Bee Cave.
In about 17 months, Stream has filled Hill Country Galleria office space to near capacity,” he said. “We’re blowing and going. We’re hiring people. We are doing leases. Everything is crazy.”
Because he was talking about Austin, I’m pretty sure he meant crazy in a good way.
The don of Lakeway residential development, Legend Communities principal Haythem Dawlett, took us on tours of Tuscan Village and the site of Rough Hollow’s future Lake Highlands amenity center, which some are comparing to a little Schlitterbahn.
Tuscan Village offers several different residential floorplans for active adults at Lohmans Crossing at 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 square feet.
“You can buy a whole floor and just be the granddaddy and just have the penthouse,” Dawlett said joking.
Judd Brook, sales and marketing team leader at XL Legacy International Resort Properties, showed us two houses on the market that wowed with ornate designs and furnishings.
After a long day of activity and education, we wrapped up with a rousing performance by the Lake Travis Fiddlers back at the Grille at Rough Hollow.
Much like returning from a whirlwind vacation, I wished the feeling didn’t end but I’m definitely relieved to have a month to recuperate before the next Leadership day.
Thankfully, I can now resume my observer status and see what else Lake Travis has to offer.
What’s next, Leadership class?

BELOW: Lakeway Airpark pilots took Leadership Lake Travis class members on aerial tours over several residential and commercial developments in the south Lake Travis area Jan. 12.

Photo by Erich Schlege

Charles McClure penned his last column for the Lake Travis View two weeks ago titled “Farewell and thanks for six wonderful years.” It was clearly done with the same passion he had in serving the community that he clearly loved. His passion was fueled by a desire to give readers the coverage they deserve. We join the Lake Travis community in wishing him well.
Those who had the pleasure of getting to know McClure know that he will bring the same outstanding work ethic to his position with his current community newspaper chain as he had throughout his tenure at the View.
McClure stated in his farewell column that he logged 200,000 miles driving during his tenure at the View and that his main reason for leaving to accept the new job was to be closer to his home.
Many readers may have assumed that McClure was a resident of the Lake Travis community because he approached the job with such fervor, and most residents viewed him like he was one of their good neighbors right up until his final day on Dec. 30.
As the community grows, the View must grow to ensure we can serve it effectively. We began filling vacated positions in recent weeks. Managing editor Devin Monk and I will do our best to ensure that happens. The View recently filled the position of sports editor with  the hiring of Habeab Kurdi, who comes to us from both the Leander Ledger and Cedar Park Citizen, where he served as as our sports editor for both newspapers. We are in the process of adding a new position – another full-time writer will soon join our staff.
Fortunately, McClure laid the groundwork and set a standard that we are now challenged to uphold. It likely will not happen overnight, but we are committed to doing everything necessary to not only meet this challenge. We ask readers to help us by giving us ideas for how we can improve the newspaper. We sincerely want Lake Travis residents to feel that the View is their community newspaper.
Any community newspaper is only as good as its partnership with its readership, so we welcome ideas about everything from news coverage to feature stories. Challenge us. Contact us by calling 263-1100 or by email at news@ltview.com.

Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce chairman

Go Lake Travis!
OK, let’s back up a little; you might think this is all about the accomplishments of our high school’s athletic and scholastic prowess but please bear with me.
On Saturday, I attended the Lake Travis High School Parade of Champions at the Hill Country Galleria to recognize a number of our top-rated athletic and scholastic students within Lake Travis ISD.
What I saw was a very gracious and appreciative gathering of not only very proud parents but also a community of residents, business owners and well wishers from throughout the ISD area with one goal in mind: to show the pride we have in our youth (soon to be taking our places as decision makers) and what they have accomplished in 2011.
Their consistent achievements have been one of the key factors in the economic development and expansion of our community base, which is more than just about anything over the past few years.
We can count the blessings in our community on many things but nothing too short of our school district and what is has brought us with its dedicated staff, outstanding performance of its students, the continued partnership between them both as well as the residents and local businesses.
Our family moved to this area in 1998 with a young child getting ready to start her first years in public education. Our decision on where to settle was first and foremost based on the school district followed by the environment, quality of life and business opportunities.
After about two years and a decision on a career change, I joined the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce, met numerous business owners who I am extremely proud to consider as friends (both non-competitive and of course competitors).
I have discovered that we as a community definitely have one thing in common: we all love the Lake Travis area and will all do what it takes to make our area the place to be in central Texas.
My wife and I have been very fortunate to have had our daughter attend LTISD system from Lake Travis Elementary School through graduation from LTHS in 2010 – she’s now considered a “lifer” in the district. She was a Lake Travis Cavalette from her freshman year through her senior year and is now a sophomore at Ole Miss. She is doing great, and very pleased with the opportunities afforded to her.
The bottom line is, Lake Travis is, in itself, a magnet for drawing visitors to our area, but a strong school district producing such quality young adults, a strong business community dedicated to the success and growth of our economic base and residents who show up and support all of the options available to them are a blessing and signs of great things to come and keep on coming.
Thanks to all of our community for your support of our students, school district and business community.
Go Cavs, Go Lake Travis and Happy New Year.
Robert Stubbs is chairman of the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce board of directors.