By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Representatives from Leander ISD and the Four Points community met with parents in the Canyon Ridge Middle School on Jan. 28 to offer updates on ongoing traffic and school projects. The Community Workshop event was sponsored by the Vandegrift High School PTA Ladder.

Speakers covered a range of topics, including Four Points traffic, the proposed alternative road to VHS, possible transfers for Steiner students to Four Points Middle School, school technology initiatives and the new TEKS or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

VHS/FPMS alternate road status

LISD School Board President and and founder of the Four Points Traffic Committee Pam Waggoner spoke first. She informed parents of the current status of efforts to open a paved road on the Balcones National Canyonlands behind Four Points Middle School and VHS.

The intent of the proposed road is to provide an alternate route for parents, students and apartment residents who visit the area daily but also as secondary access for emergency vehicles.

“The road behind Vandegrift is already a corridor, it’s already been mitigated,” said Waggoner. The existing corridor, however, has caused additional species to be added to the endangered or watched list.

In response to concerns about these species, the Four Points Traffic Committee filed a Habitat Conservation Plan in November 2014 on behalf of LISD with the U.S. Department of Fish and WIldlife. They received an answer January 7.

“It’s not great news but it is news. They’ve come back and they haven’t thrown it out, so that’s the good news,” Waggoner said.

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Becky Terry, Job Seekers Network counselor, meets with a job seeker new to the networking group. JSN meets at 9 a.m., Mondays at the Lakeline campus of Hill Country Bible Church.

By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Austin’s unemployment rate is considered low, but two Four Points residents advise those looking for a new or different job to attend Job Seekers Network.

Under executive director, Craig Foster, JSN is a non-profit organization of experienced and certified job coaches. Their mission is to advise job seekers on resumes, interview skills, social media use, elevator pitches, networking techniques and career fit. Continue reading →

Adam Metcalf, owner of Hill Country Apothecary, grew up in the pharmacy business. He opened Hill Country Apothecary in River Place after he opened his first pharmacy in Lakeway just over a year ago.

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

As the son of a pharmacist growing up in Port Arthur, Adam Metcalf grew up in the pharmacy business, working alongside his dad in high school and college. After earning his pharmacy degree from the University of Houston, Metcalf followed in his father’s footsteps and opened his own independent pharmacy, Hill Country Apothecary, which recently opened on River Place Boulevard.

Metcalf said he models his business after his father’s example.

“What drove his business was his empathy and his customer service,” Metcalf said. “That’s one thing we really pride ourselves on. I believe in the pharmacy practice, we’ve become out of touch with what we’re there for. The big box store has corrupted that- being able to talk to patients as they should.”

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By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Since the Texas Legislature expanded a law in 2003 to allow parents to exempt their children from vaccination requirements due to philosophical or personal objections, hundreds of Leander ISD parents have done just that and exempted their children from mandated vaccinations.

Now, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that at least 121 people from 17 states have contracted measles in the worst outbreak in recent memory, LISD officials are concerned that unvaccinated children create an avoidable health risk.

“There is a growing concern within the medical community and from the two county health departments that work with LISD,” said Karla Barth, assistant director of risk management and district nurse for Leander ISD. “School districts are charged with following the law and we will continue to monitor the situation and take guidance from our local health departments.”

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 916 Leander ISD students — 2.59 percent of the district’s overall enrollment — were exempted from vaccination requirements for non-medical reasons during the 2013-14 school year.

Immunization exemption rates in local schools

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By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

The Austin City Council passed six affordable housing projects last week including the controversial Cardinal Point development slated for Four Points Drive. The proposed Cardinal Point apartments would bring up to 125 affordable housing units to Four Points by as early as summer 2017.

“We’re grateful for the council’s support,” said Walter Moreau, the executive director of Foundation Communities. Two of the six proposed projects the council passed are Foundation Communities’ projects. In addition to the local project, the other one is located off of North Mopac.

“We will continue with the design of the community and the state funding process, which goes through the end of July,” Moreau said. Continue reading →