In 2008, Dr. James and Kim Waters opened Steiner Ranch Orthodontics and it’s been a family affair ever since. From dental school to today, children Luke and Ava (in front) and Hope and Cole (in back) have been on the scene. And for Dr. Waters, a day at the office is his idea of a good time. “It’s fun! Everything you’re doing is a challenge. It’s like a puzzle all day.”

By SARAH DOOLITTLE
Four Points News

Steiner Ranch Orthodontics founder Dr. James Waters and his wife and office manager Kim have a passion for where they live and what they do.

“It is our livelihood, it is our business,” explained Kim. “James has always wanted to be the orthodontist. That’s all James wants to do is straighten teeth… We work well together. It gives him peace of mind knowing that I’m running things behind the scenes.”

Founded in 2008, their Steiner Ranch location serves the Four Points community, in addition to their original office on 35th Street in downtown Austin, which Dr. Waters took over from another orthodontist after moving to Austin in 2001.

The Waters were lucky to be able to buy the land on which their office is located on Quinlan Park Road when Steiner was still under development. “We wanted to be invested in the neighborhood. We didn’t want to just rent something here,” said Kim.

Continue reading →

Price per square foot up

By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

In the Four Points area, home sales and prices in the first quarter of 2017 declined compared to the same three months a year ago.

“For January through March of 2017, unit sales declined from 78 to 71 year-over-year, a drop of 9 percent,” said Tom Radack, owner Bartlett Real Estate, Keller Williams Realty. “The median price declined from $497,500 to $470,000, although the price per square foot increased from $159 to $169.”

Multiple Listing Service data compiled from the Four Points communities of Grandview Hills/Parke, River Place, Steiner Ranch, Westminster Glen and the Comanche Trail area  also shows that in the first three months of the year, the number of days a home was listed for sale was down from 45 to 32.

Continue reading →

Vandegrift honored eight athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the next level at a ceremony April 20, 2017. From left, Kallie Roush, Dalton Doerr, Erik Miller, Sam Brod, Noah Mader, Riley Jacops, Parker Bond and Teresa Rago.

Vandegrift athletes sign to play sports for college teams

By SCOTT W. COLEMAN, Four Points News

Vandegrift High School celebrated a group of eight student athletes continuing their careers in college last Thursday.

Three baseball players from this year’s record-setting team were among those committing to play at the next level. Pitchers Noah Mader, Parker Bond and Erik Miller were all honored last week. Mader will attend the University of Massachusetts-Boston, Bond will attend St. Michael’s College and Miller will attend Truman State University.

Kallie Roush will play basketball at the University of Texas-Dallas and Dalton Doerr will play golf at Arkansas Technical University.

Wrestler Riley Jacops will attend Columbia University. Sam Brod will attend Carnegie Mellon University to play football and swimmer Teresa Rago will attend the Florida Institute of Technology.

Continue reading →

Austin Christian Fellowship hosted a town hall meeting on March 6 to discuss the River Place rezoning applications and the development of the Autism Trust center. Some 30 residents came to the event and several spoke of their concerns. (L-R) Will Davis Jr., founding pastor of ACF, Ed Frazier, executive pastor, and real estate attorney hired by ACF, John Joseph.

By CASSIE MCKEE
Four Points News

Following a recommendation by the Austin Zoning and Platting Commission to deny a developer’s zoning request that would allow the construction of 82 homes in River Place, the leaders of Austin Christian Fellowship hosted a town hall meeting on March 6 to seek public input on the issue, which has drawn widespread opposition in the community.

The zoning case, which was scheduled to go before Austin City Council on March 23, was postponed to the May 4 council meeting at the request of the developer, MileStone Community Builders.

Will Davis Jr., founding pastor of ACF, opened the town hall meeting by giving some history as to the church’s involvement. ACF property is adjacent to the 82 acres of land that was owned by longtime land owner Berta Bradley. Bradley is under contract to sell 42 of the acres to MileStone for the proposed housing development and she donated the remaining 40-acre tract to the Autism Trust in order to build a center for autism.

Bradley has a grown son with autism.

Davis said that as he and other church leaders got to know Bradley and her son more than a decade ago, they began thinking of ways they could help them and other families like them. A few years ago, they met the founders of the Autism Trust, who had come to Austin to start an autism center, and introduced them to Bradley.
Continue reading →