Archives for April 2017

The Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library is getting ready to cut the ribbon on the new Kerr Regional History Center.

(The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place this Friday, the 5th, at 10:00 a.m. The History Center is located at 425 Water Street, right next to the main library. The Kerr Regional History Center serves as a repository for regionally significant historical and genealogical collections and a research center for the residents of the City of Kerrville, Kerr County, the Texas Hill Country, and beyond. The Kerr Regional History Center closed in 2016 for renovations including a new roof, interior restoration and renovation, and the installation of an elevator for access to new exhibit space on the second floor. Normal operating hours will resume on Saturday, which are Tuesdays through Thursday, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.)

The Government Finance Officers Association announced that the City of Fredericksburg received GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The City of Fredericksburg satisfied nationally recognized guidelines which assessed proficiency based on how the budget served as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. Fredericksburg joins 1,565 participants who have received the award since 2015.

Tivy High School students got the chance to experience a mock crash this week to warn against the dangers of drinking and driving, and distracted driving. Classmates were pulled from the wreckage with the help of first responders from the Kerrville PD, Fire, and AMS as part of the annual “Shattered Dreams” event. Officer Juan Trevizo says the event usually has a tremendous impact on the students, and it happens every two years. Grimes Funeral Chapels and Kerrville Funeral Home were also part of the impact this year.

Gillespie County Commissioners approved a deal this week that will allow you to buy important records online. The agreement with Manatron, Inc. will allow documents like land record copies to be retrieved online, which will save real estate professionals and surveyors a trip to the courthouse. The Fredericksburg Standard reports Commissioners approved buying a public server for a one-time fee of $2,941.

In Fredericksburg, Hill Country Telephone is planning to do some work on its cable system, and that will mean road work comes with it. Crews are planning to replace just about all of the cable on Woerner Road, which the Fredericksburg Standard says is about 8,000 feet, which will involve slicing through the road twice. No word yet on when the work will begin.

The CEO of Mooney International is stepping down. Vivek Saxena started in August, replacing Jerry Chen, who moved into a senior advisory role at that time. It was just in March that Mooney got approval to manufacture and sell the new M20 Ultra Acclaim aircraft. No word yet on how Mooney will move forward with the process of selecting a new CEO.

The Kerrville City Council is now accepting applications from people interested in serving on the Kerr Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.

(The City of Kerrville is responsible for nominating one individual to serve as a member of this board. The appraisal district board of directors hires the chief appraiser, sets the budget and appoints the appraisal review board members. The directors do not have authority to set values or appraisal methods. The chief appraiser carries out the appraisal district’s legal duties, hires the staff, makes the appraisals and operates the appraisal office. To be eligible to serve on the board of directors, candidatesl must be a resident of the central appraisal district and must have resided in the district for at least two years immediately preceding the date of assuming office. Candidates also must be up to date on their property taxes. For more information, check out the city’s website at kerrvilletx.gov.)

Veterans will benefit from an event this weekend. It’s the Fifth Annual Headwaters for Heroes Combat Veteran Benefit with a clay shoot, barbecue, auction, and crawfish boil, and it’s coming up this Saturday at the Headwaters Saloon, 229 south Ranch Road 783 in Harper. The Headwaters for Heroes organization groups combat wounded veterans, their wives or their children, or the families of fallen soldiers, and plans fishing trips and more. The Daily Times reports the program has continued to expand, receiving requests from 70 veterans last year.

More jobs could be coming to the energy industry. The US Energy Information Administration says crude oil production in the Permian Basin is expected to increase to an estimated 2.4 million barrels per day in May, even as domestic crude oil prices fall. Production in other regions have fallen over the past couple of years, but the Permian provided a growing share of U.S. crude oil production. The Permian Basin reaches from just south of Lubbock, to just south of Midland and Odessa, extending westward into the southeastern part of New Mexico.

Fredericksburg City Council leaders met in a retreat setting this week to talk more about workforce housing needs in the city, and how to create more affordable housing to attract workers and keep them in Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce President Penny McBride was there, and talked about the problems that are occurring from a lack of workforce housing, including lower tourism satisfaction, a higher need for workers and less hours of operations for businesses, according to the Fredericksburg Standard. The goal is to create housing relief within that bracket between $200,000 and $300,000.