Hudson Bend residents want to incorporate as their own city, Trying to be released from Austin’s ETJ, Residents learn from River Place example
By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News
Residents in the lakeside community of Hudson Bend, which is adjacent to Steiner Ranch, want to incorporate and form their own city, preventing future annexation by the city of Austin.
“We want to avoid Austin’s high tax rates and burdensome regulations,” resident Alton Moore said. “We cannot escape many of the regulations, since almost every square foot of Hudson Bend is covered by the Lower Colorado River Authority, and we are not looking to trash the environment, but only to avoid the big-city takeover, which would inevitably force property values up, and would make this area unaffordable for many of us to continue to live in.”
The first step in the process is to convince the Austin City Council to release the community from Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). A committee of residents known as the “Hudson Bend Incorporation Committee” sent a letter to the City of Austin on June 2, requesting to be released from the ETJ.
The Hudson Bend community meeting on May 28 drew 79 concerned citizens who would like to incorporate as their own city and avoid being annexed by the city of Austin.
Local family shares about walking through suicide
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
In 2011, Michael O’Rourke took his own life after a deep depression. His wife, Michele, and their two boys still live in the Steiner Ranch home they shared.
A loving father and husband
Michele knew something was wrong when she arrived back to her Steiner home after running errands and the garage wouldn’t open.
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LCRA to upgrade Low Water Crossing park, Some local residents oppose
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
The Lower Colorado River Authority plans to upgrade the facilities at the Low Water Crossing Recreation Area on Low Water Crossing Road near Mansfield Dam. Construction is to begin next year.
Improvements at the site, which is adjacent to Steiner Ranch, will include a new parking lot, permanent bathrooms and an entrance booth.
“These are considered basic amenities necessary for park operations and are found at other LCRA recreation areas,” said Clara Tuma, LCRA spokesperson.
Currently, the park has a capacity of 115 cars, half of which park in an unmarked dirt lot and the other half on the shoulder of Low Water Crossing Road. The new lot will have the same capacity but in a structured parking lot with clearly marked spaces.
The park’s current port-a-potties will be replaced with six-stall bathrooms.
The Low Water Crossing Recreation Area near Mansfield Dam and right outside of Steiner Ranch is a popular spot for many. LCRA plans to improve the 41-acre park with a new parking lot, permanent bathrooms and an entrance booth starting next year.
Photo by Sarah Doolittle
Local families copes with suicide, Brother & his wife end their lives within a week
By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News
Carrie Pritchard and her sister Megan Jackson, who are both Steiner Ranch residents, lost their brother and sister-in-law to suicide within a week. Two years later, Carrie’s sat down with the Four Points News to describe her family’s unimaginable loss, the events that led up to it, and the aftermath.
Darin and Jessica Brook on their wedding day.