By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Brothers Mike, Chris and Marc Chase always dreamed of one day opening a family-run winery. In December, that dream became a reality with the opening of Barons Creek Vineyards in Fredericksburg.

The art of winemaking can be traced back many years in the Chase family.

“As proudly displayed on our flagship wine Le Baron, our forefathers at one time or the other worked in the wine industry in northern California, be it transporting grapes or setting out heat pots on a frigid night,” said Marc Chase, who lives in River Place. “(Now), 75 years later, we follow their original entrepreneurial spirit and created a family-run winery.”

The vineyard is named for the well-known creek that runs through Fredericksburg. Driving through the small Hill Country town, Chase said his family has always seen the Barons Creek name represented on many local businesses.

(L-R) Marc Chase, winemaker Russell Smith, Mike Chase, and Chris Chase recently opened Barons Creek Vineyards in Fredericksburg.

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Waterfall on Lake Travis, a new 5-story luxury development, will offer 36 condominium homes, each with a lake view.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

A new 5-story luxury development on the tip of Hudson Bend peninsula will offer buyers a choice of 36 condominium homes, each with a view of Lake Travis, said Cosmo Palmieri, developer.

Kelly Gray, owns MRG15 HiLine, Ltd., which is building Waterfall on Lake Travis.

Waterfall on Lake Travis, owned by Kelly Gray of MRG15 HiLine, Ltd., will offer homebuyers what Palmieri described as a “Hill Country contemporary” motif. The building face will be stucco topped with a metal roof. Inside, homes will feature limestone and wood flooring.

Gray and Palmieri are both residents of the Four Points area.

“The most unique feature will be floor-to-ceiling glass with expansive views of the lake. Some have a 270-degree view,” Palmieri said.

“It’s a landmark. There is nothing on the lake as substantial as this,” he added. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Some residents of The Preserve at Four Points say they see a design flaw with the proposed entrance to Cardinal Point Apartment development, which is being built at the intersection of Four Points Drive and River Place Boulevard near their subdivision.  

The issue, they say, is that there is no break in the median on Four Points Drive that would allow Cardinal Point residents who are traveling west on Four Points Drive to turn left into the apartments. Instead, drivers may have to do a U-turn at the intersection of Four Points Drive and Twisted Elm Drive.

Or, they may take a safer bypass route along Twisted Elm Drive through The Preserve at Four Points, which would allow them to turn left at the light at Twisted Elm and Four Points Drive, according to Rich Keith, who lives on Twisted Elm Drive in The Preserve at Four Points. Continue reading →

Super Tuesday voters stood in longs lines at many Four Points polling places including the Randalls at Quinlan Park Road and RM 620. Voters in this line waited approximately an hour to cast their ballots. This is an unusual scene for a primary election. In general, the highly-publicized presidential race drew many voters to the polls.

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

A record-number of Republican voters turned out for the March 1 primary election in Texas and Four Points Republicans were no exception.

“It’s unprecedented,” Tom Mechler, Texas GOP chairman, told the Texas Tribune. “It’s definitely historical.”

More than 2.8 million Republican ballots were cast in Texas, approximately double the 2012 Republican primary total of 1.4 million. In the Democratic primary, more than 1.4 million were cast, besting the 2012 totals but falling far short of the nearly 2.9 million Democratic ballots cast in the 2008 primary, when the contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton drew strong interest.

More than 4.2 million Texans turned out to vote in the Republican and Democratic primary presidential elections, about 30 percent of registered voters.

Precincts 232 and 244 in Four Points also saw high voter turnout, with Republicans outnumbering Democratic voters in both precincts.

In Precinct 232, 27.5 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the Republican primary. There were 1,642 ballots cast, compared to 661 ballots in the Democratic primary.

In Precinct 244, 22.2 percent of registered voters voted in the Republican primary. There were 823 Republican ballots cast, compared to 522 ballots in the Democratic primary. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

More than 1,000 water utility customers in River Place will soon be getting a check in the mail.

The money comes from a 2015 legal settlement the River Place HOA reached with Austin Water Utility over a spike in water and wastewater rates that occurred in 2014.  

At their Mar. 8 meeting, the River Place Residential Community Association board voted to disburse the remaining $733,000 it received from the settlement.

“The checks will be issued in the second quarter of 2016 based on their pro rata share of MUD property taxes for the benefit of the residents of the River Place MUD,” said River Place HOA chairman Scott Crosby.  

The River Place Residential Community Association board voted Mar. 8 to disburse the remaining $733,000 settlement that River Place received from the Austin Water Utility over a spike in water and wastewater rates that occurred in 2014.

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