By Gene Davis, Macy Hurwitz and Joseph Olivieri

Friday, 18 November 2011

Cedar Park

Philip Rodriguez takes job in Van Alstyne

Philip Rodriguez, Cedar Park’s assistant to the city manager, was chosen to be the new city manager in the City of Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne is about a 45-minute drive north of Dallas.

“We are proud that Philip Rodriguez has been selected as the new City Manager for the City of Van Alstyne,” Cedar Park City Manager Brenda Eivens said. “We consider it a huge compliment to the City of Cedar Park, that one of our staff members was selected for this important leadership position within another community. We sincerely appreciate the numerous contributions Mr. Rodriguez has made to the City of Cedar Park and its citizens over the past year and wish him well in his new position.”

Rodriguez joined the City of Cedar Park staff one year ago and will start his new position at the end of this month.

Council attempting to revitalize science center

Cedar Park leaders are trying to revive momentum for a possible Cedar Park science center after differing visions stalled the project.

During an Oct. 20 City Council meeting, Mayor Bob Lemon removed himself from an ad-hoc committee tasked with exploring the feasibility of a science center/planetarium. Councilman Mitch Fuller was chosen to take his place on the committee, which is tasked with, above all, defining the scope of the project.

Progress on a potential science center/planetarium stopped when Lemon and fellow task force member Councilman Don Tracy didn’t agree on the project’s overall vision.

Lemon said the primary focus should be on a planetarium, but Tracy thinks there should be a wider focus on a center that could include other attractions in addition to a planetarium.

Tracy said there was a general consensus on the task force that the center needed to include a number of different things in order to attract the kind of partnerships necessary to run and finance it.

Leander

Duncanville City Manager Kent Cagle chosen as Leander’s new city manager

The Leander City Council voted unanimously to hire Duncanville City Manager Kent Cagle as Leander’s new city manager at its meeting Oct. 20. Cagle will start Dec. 1.

The council interviewed five finalists—Cagle; San Angelo Assistant City Manager Elizabeth Grindstaff; Peoria, Ariz. Deputy City Manager Susan Thorpe; Abilene City Manager David Vela; and Elgin’s interim city manager, Greg Vick—but Councilman Chris Fielder said Cagle stood out and made the decision easy.

The city manager position opened up when former city manager Anthony “Biff” Johnson died unexpectedly March 24. Finance Director Robert Powers became interim city manager, but he was not interested in holding the position permanently.

“We miss Biff,” Fielder said. “No one can fill his shoes, but this is a good move for the city.”

Council OKs infrastructure improvements for parts of Crystal Falls

The Leander City Council, minus Councilwoman Kirsten Lynch, voted to accept infrastructure improvements for several phases of the Crystal Falls subdivision.

The council voted unanimously to accept improvements for Fairways at Crystal Falls Section 4, Phase 1; The Highlands at Crystal Falls, Section 2, Phase 3B; and The Highlands at Crystal Falls, Section 1, Phase 2B.

The council expressed satisfaction to be taking the action signifying the end of a successful development process.

Williamson County

County cuts ribbon for San Gabriel Parkway Phase 2

The San Gabriel parkway Phase 2 extension will extend the roadway from Toll 183A to CR 270, which is approximately 0.9 miles. The $1.2 million project was constructed by Ranger Excavating over eight months. There are two more segments of San Gabriel Parkway currently under construction by the City of Leander and Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Once completed, San Gabriel Parkway will run from Bagdad Road to CR 270.

Ken Crain to run for WilCo DA

A Georgetown attorney and former Navy officer announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Williamson County district attorney on Oct. 31.Ken Crain, who has practiced law in Williamson County since 1985 and served as assistant county attorney for two years, issued a news release attacking John Bradley, the incumbent Republican district attorney. Bradley is currently serving his third term as district attorney.

In the news release, Crain positions himself as a reformer who “hasn’t been part of the broken system.”

Meanwhile, Bradley said Crain is out of touch with the criminal justice system and has never prosecuted a felony case.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2012. No Republicans have announced their intention to run against Bradley in a primary.

WilCo Ku Klux Klan court records to be preserved

A task force created by the Texas Supreme Court has decided to preserve court records from Williamson County’s Ku Klux Klan trials that ran from 1923 to 1934.

Protecting the court records is part of the first project of the preservation task force created in 2009, according to a Williamson County press release.

“Williamson County is proud of its notoriety of holding the first successful conviction of Ku Klux Klan members that resulted in jail time for the accused,” a Williamson County news release said.

The Ku Klux Klan trial records are currently in the temporary custody of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The records are available in the research room at the downtown Austin facility, the Lorenzo De Zavala State Archives and Library Building, 1201 Brazos St.

People can view the records after the documents return to Williamson County in the district clerk’s office in the Williamson County Justice Center, 405 Martin Luther King St., in Georgetown.

Travis County

County to offer wildfire debris cleanup, permitting

Travis County residents may apply to have the county remove wildfire debris from their property.

The county has developed an application form for qualifying residents to allow county workers onto their property to aid with cleanup efforts.

The form is for residents whose finances or insurance do not allow for debris removal, said Steve Manilla, Transportation and Natural Resources county executive. The county also set up a phone number for residents rebuilding and replacing structures damaged by the Labor Day weekend wildfires. The number is 854-7593.

Meetings

Cedar Park City Council
550 Discovery Blvd., Cedar Park
401-5000, www.cedarparktx.us
Dec. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Watch replays Saturday and Sunday
at noon on CPTV-10 or online.

Leander City Council
201 N. Brushy St., Leander
528-2743, www.leandertx.org
Dec. 1 and 15, 7 p.m.

Williamson County Commissioners Court
710 S. Main St., Georgetown
943-1550, www.wilco.org
Meetings are Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m.

Travis County
Commissioners Court
314 W. 11th St., Austin
854-9555, www.traviscounty.org
Meetings are Tuesdays, 9 a.m.

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