It’s time for another roundup of the news making its way through Lake Travis and the Hill Country. This month it’s all about swizzle sticks, more road construction and fighting germs. Make sure you get out there and vote today too!
We Like to Get Our Drank On
If you’ve ever heard the rumor that the Lake Travis area sells more booze than most of the state, well, it’s actually true. According to recent figures from Texas Comptroller’s Office on tax receipts on mixed alcoholic beverages for the month of September, Lakeway and Bee Cave have been seeing a steadier stream of spending on spirits than most of the state. Can you guess the local hotspots for alcohol sales?
The Lakeway Resort and Spa does the most alcohol business in Septembers. This past September alone they made $106,874 on sales of beer, wine and mixed beverages. Little Woodrow’s is a top contender, followed by Maudies in the Hill Country Galleria, Fore restaurant, Flores Mexican Restaurant and The League restaurant. And it seems LT residents and visitors like to day drink since the most popular beverages at Maudies are mimosas, bloody marys and margaritas (during Happy Hour).
A Band-Aid Approach to 620 Congestion
Long-term road improvements are complicated and expensive, right? Well, instead of a “big fix,” the Texas Department of Transportation designated $1 million for any “quick-fix” improvements through Bee Cave and Lakeway. We’ve heard the $1 million will most likely go toward adding auxiliary lanes on RM 620 from Lohmans Crossing on the southbound side of the road and ending on Spillman Loop.
Once we get our hands on a couple more millions, TxDOT would like to improve the RM 620 intersections with Falconhead Boulevard and Ladera Drive to be more like the traffic flow at 620 intersection and Bee Cave Parkway. Also, have you noticed there is often a lack of construction workers present during the day at the construction on Highway 71? Yep, so has everyone else. Well, you can blame a culvert for that delay. But have no fear, the Highway 71 construction project is over 50% complete. (Wait, is that good or bad?)
What’s on the Ballot for Election Day
One of the many items on the ballot today is the Texas Water Proposition 6, which we we wrote about earlier in October. Lakeway residents will also vote on number of proposed amendments to the city charter, including whether or not council-member terms will change from two-year terms with a limit of three consecutive terms to three-year terms with a limit of two consecutive terms.
There is a bond election (Prop One) as to whether or not we approve a $3.8 million bond with a 3.28 percent interest rate over 20 years in order to purchase the 70-acre tract off of Bee Cree Road for sports fields for the LTYA. The bond is estimated to cost the average Lakeway taxpayer approximately $32 for its first year.
Health Matters Website Up and Running
You may or may not remember the slightly scary subject line we received in our inboxes on October 16th when a Texas elementary school had an Ebola scare. It happened to be Lake Pointe in Dallas, not in Austin, but I think most of our hearts skipped a beat. In light of these scary diseases that have unfortunately made their way into Texas, the Lake Travis school district decided to take a proactive approach with their new Health Matters website. This site contains helpful information and tips for parents about risks of Ebola, influenza and whooping cough and how to best prevent the spread of disease.
Superintendent Brad Lancaster said district administrators are working with state health authorities and the Center for Disease Control to keep tabs on the spread of these diseases. If an outbreak makes its way near or to district campuses, he said, there are protocols in place for handling such an incident.
