By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

While there seems to be a lot of support among River Place residents to stop annexation by the city of Austin, determining the best way to do so is proving to be a bit more challenging.

Pat Reilly, president of the River Place Municipal Utility District, said most people in River Place do not want to be annexed by the city of Austin, they would rather be disannexed. “It’s just how we get there that is the issue,” he said.

Ken Bartlett

Art Jistel

Four candidates are running in the upcoming election to fill two seats on the River Place MUD board. Longtime incumbent board members Art Jistel and Ken Bartlett are running along with River Place Homeowners Association President Scott Crosby and newcomer Scott Agthe, an attorney who says his sole reason for running is disannexation. Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Anyone who grew up in Texas more than likely has fond memories of Big Red, the classic red soda.

Gary Smith

For the past eight years, Big Red Inc. has been headquartered right here in Four Points. Four Points resident and former COO of Red Bull, Gary Smith, purchased Big Red in 2007 and moved operations to its current location on River Place Boulevard. The company has 25 employees in Four Points and 75 across the country working in distribution and sales.

Since taking over the company, Smith has been on a mission to expand the Big Red name and grow the company from a regional brand to a national one.

“People love Big Red and it continues to do well,” said Thomas Oh, senior vice president of marketing at Big Red. “We’ve outgrown the industry for the ninth year in a row.”

In addition to the popular red soft drink, Big Red has been working to acquire some new brand names. In 2012, Big Red acquired Hydrive energy water. Then, in 2014, the company purchased a zero-calorie energy drink called Xyience (pronounced zi-ence). Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

On May 7, residents of the River Place Municipal Utility District will have the opportunity to vote in the first contested MUD Board election since 1996 and the issue that everyone is talking about is annexation. River Place is scheduled to be fully annexed by the City of Austin in December 2017.

Four candidates are running for two open board positions. Longtime incumbent board members Art Jistel and Ken Bartlett are running along with River Place Homeowners Association President Scott Crosby and newcomer Scott Agthe, an attorney who says his sole reason for running is disannexation. Continue reading →

By SARAH DOOLITTLE & LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

The Broe family and Redfin Seafood Kitchen hosted Pierce Your Heart, a local St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraising event on Saturday, where over 35 volunteers had their heads shaved and over $100,000 was raised for pediatric cancer research.

The Broe family of River Place organized the event in memory of their son Pierce, who died in October of 2014 from a brain tumor.

“Since we lost Pierce, we continue to search for ways to honor not only his memory, but also the lives of all children affected by cancer,” said Janel Broe, Pierce’s mom. Pierce was 12 when he died.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →