By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

The board of the Lower Colorado River Authority, which provides water for more than a million people in Central Texas, will vote next week on a proposed rate increase for firm water customers, including the City of Austin and Water Control & Improvement District 17, which includes Steiner Ranch.

LCRA staff is recommending that the rate for firm-water customers be increased from $151 an acre-foot to $175.46 an acre-foot, beginning in January 2015, and increase an average of 3 percent a year from 2016-2019, according to information on the LCRA website. The board will consider the item at its June 18 board meeting.

John Hofmann is the executive vice president for water for the LCRA.

John Hofmann, executive vice president for water for the LCRA, said the new rate would be considered a “drought rate” and is necessary to make up for the loss in revenue from no longer selling water to downstream agricultural users.

“In the absence of any of that water being sold downstream, that leaves us at a deficit,” Hofmann said.

As a raw water provider, LCRA does not set rates for individual residents or businesses that receive treated water from their local supplier and so can’t speak to how each provider would deal with new rates. The cities of Cedar Park and Leander are both firm water customers of LCRA.

“We want to reserve comment until the public process is complete,” said Jennie Huerta, communications manager for the city of Cedar Park.

​David Steed is president of Water Control & Improvement District 17​.

David Steed, president of WCID 17 in Travis County, said his water district would hold off on increasing rates for as long as possible for customers. WCID currently has more than 13,000 accounts covering a population that is approaching 40,000 people.

“We’re going to try to hang on without doing any radical changes for as long as we can, maybe as much as a year,” Steed said. “If we have to go to court with (the LCRA) over the water management plan or price increases, we’re going to have to raise prices to cover our legal fees. That can get expensive quickly.”

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By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Collin Radack, the 2010 Cedar Park High School graduate from River Place and Hendrix College All-American, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Draft on Saturday.

Radack, a 6-3, 205 right-handed center fielder was taken as the 615th overall pick, the highest pick in the Conway, Ark. college’s history.

“I’m beyond excited for my opportunity to play with the Cardinals,” said Radack. “Thank you so much to all my teammates, coaches, family and Hendrix College for everything they have done for me over the years. God has truly blessed me with some amazing people in my life. This is an absolute dream come true for me!”

Collin Radack (blue shirt, standing) was drafted and got the phone call from the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday shortly after he was honored as the 2014 Southern Athletic Association Man of the Year and Player of the Year at an awards luncheon in Memphis.

“We feel so blessed,” said Tom and Marissa Radack, Collin’s parents who live in River Place and are co-owners of Bartlett Real Estate Group, Keller William Realty Group.

“He has worked so hard for the last four years playing ball at school, in summer leagues, and working out daily. His dream coming true is ours, as well,” they added.

Collin Radack flew out at 7:30 Tuesday morning. He will be playing in the New York Penn League for the State Spikes.

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By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

In Leander ISD, girls ruled this year, as female valedictorians were named at each of the five high schools. They share about what is shaping their college plans.

This year’s valedictorians are Amanda Wu from Cedar Park High School, Maddie Sanford from Rouse High School, Priscilla Wong from Leander High School, Neha Mulpuri from Vandegrift High School, and Victoria Lee from Vista Ridge High School.

They are a disciplined, thoughtful group, with big plans for the future. Both Wu and Mulpuri plan to attend medical school. Mulpuri said it was the experience of shadowing doctors and volunteering at local hospitals that made her realize she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. In middle school, she had the unique opportunity to travel with her uncle, who is a doctor, to India to watch him perform surgeries on children with conditions such as club foot.

“In the future I also want to serve underprivileged communities throughout the world and travel a lot doing medicine, so I kind of got a glimpse of what my future could be like,” Mulpuri said.

VHS principal Charlie Little leads Friday’s graduates to the ceremonies. Neha Mulpuri leads the pack.
Photo by Lela Hammons

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By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

The Lower Colorado River Authority issued its weather and water predictions for the coming year at the annual LCRA Meteorologist Day last week at its Austin headquarters.

Areal photographs and charts provided by LCRA.

Though drought conditions continue to be dire, LCRA representatives at the May 28 meeting were cautiously optimistic about the potential for improved conditions in 2014.

The most encouraging development is increased warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which indicate a potential El Niño that could bring moisture to Texas in the fall.

“I am encouraged that almost all the modeling is showing a trend toward above-normal rainfall beginning in September and continuing all the way through the fall and winter periods,” said Bob Rose, LCRA’s Chief Meteorologist.

“But whether this is going to end the drought,​ no one really knows that. I don’t want to put that kind of information out there. But again, very encouraged that the pattern will begin to change,” Rose added.

Conservation will continue to be key to help manage the water supply.

The goal, as LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson explained, is for “each of you to think about conservation as a very important tool for all of us to utilize. I would ask each of you to think about how we use water, and when we should use water. Am I wasting water? Can I do this differently?… We all need to be conserving. This drought is serious. And each of us has a role to play in that conservation.”

For the most part people in Central Texas have embraced changes in water usage rules and have been key partners in conservation efforts, Wilson added.

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By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Texas Department of Transportation revealed pla

ns for proposed traffic relief in Four Points at the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association annual meeting last week.

“We are well aware of what’s going on out here and about the congestion,” said Mark Jones, Georgetown area engineer with TxDOT. “We are developing ideas about what we can do.”

TxDOT has mapped and modeled an auxiliary connector road and additional through lanes to move more traffic where current bottlenecks are located. These concepts could cost more than an estimated $4o million and could take up to five years to complete, if funding is earmarked and plans go smoothly, said Greg Malatek, Austin district engineer with TxDOT.

With the proposed connector road, Jones said there would be a estimated decrease in delays in Four Points traffic of 65 percent by the year 2020.

This bypass in light blue from RM 620 to RM 2222 would start near the High Pointe Shopping Village sign and run adjacent to the power lines and emerge east of Cooke’s Automotive. There would be added traffic signals at both spots.
The red shows additional lanes on RM 2222 to and from the bypass connector road.
Map provided by TxDOT

“No money is set aside for this. If we want it done, we need support from TxDOT, the city and the county to get it done,” said Brian Thompto, chairman of the SRNA.

More than 250 people attended the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association community meeting on May 28 at Steiner Ranch Elementary.
photo by Lynette Haaland

More than 250 people from the community attended the SRNA meeting on May 28 where many topics were covered, with the most anticipated being TxDOT’s proposed changes to roadways in Four Points.

Current gridlock

TxDOT’s presentation focused on two main areas ​—​ the intersections at RM 620 and RM 2222 and RM 2222 and McNeil Drive, which leads to Vandegrift High School and Four Points Middle School.

Vehicles per day

• 48,600 @ RM 620 (south of RM 2222, same stretch as Boathouse Grill)
• 38,400 @ RM 2222 (east of RM 620, same stretch as Target)
• 43,500 @ RM 2222 (east of River Place, same stretch as 3M)

The maximum hourly vehicle volume of these three spots ranges from 3,900 to 3,200 to 3,700 respectively. These volumes have gone up since Four Points News reported on this topic last fall.

Provided by TxDOT

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