Celebrating the 2022 Horseshoe Bay Business Alliance Citizen of the Year Don Eckelbarger (center with flowers) are 2019 Citizen of the Year Mary Daniel (left), 2017 Citizen of the Year Louraine Robertson, 2022 Citizen of the Year finalist Sherry Olson, Citizen of the Year Committee Chairman Reagan Lambert, 2022 Citizen of the Year finalist Wayne Ratisseau, and 2021 Citizen of the Year Jim Jorden. Courtesy photo
Don Eckelbarger received the Horseshoe Bay Business Alliance’s Citizen of the Year Award during the group’s Christmas party on Dec. 5.
Eckelbarger served in the U.S. Army for 32 years before retiring as a major general in 1991. Upon retirement, he found new ways to lend a helping hand to neighbors by ushering at his church, attending community events, and contributing to his local newspaper, the Horseshoe Bay Beacon.
“Although recognition isn’t why they volunteer, it is a respect and distinction we can show them along with a resounding ‘thank you’ for helping,” said Mike Brittain, the alliances’ founder and managing principal. “It is the reason HSBBA is always excited to take on the annual selection process — with the help of a very special committee.”
As the winner, Eckelbarger will get a placard in City Hall, light the Christmas tree at next year’s Holidaze festival, host the organization’s Fourth of July celebration, and receive recognition at each of the alliance’s 30 meetings in 2023.
Selection for the Citizen of the Year Award is a timely and careful process. The alliance begins receiving nominations each August. A committee of unnamed alliance members uses a list of criteria to judge each person’s merit.
Criteria for the selection process includes past and current civic or community involvement, accomplishments and contributions to Horseshoe Bay’s economic growth, and outstanding characteristics such as friendliness and kindness.
Eckelbarger was described by those who nominated him as “modest, unselfish, and always willing to offer help in any fashion.”
After carefully combing through each nomination, committee members select five candidates. Of those five, only three advance to the finalist round of the selection process.
Eckelbarger joined Sherry Olson and Wayne Ratisseau as finalists for this year’s ceremony.
A 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Horseshoe Bay Business Alliance was organized in 2009 and incorporated in 2010. The alliance hosts a litany of community events each year that serve as networking opportunities for local business owners and residents. To learn more about upcoming HSBBA events, visit the organization’s website.
https://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/wp-header-logo-72.png6831024lukehttps://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Logo-2.pngluke2022-12-21 16:55:382022-12-21 16:55:38Horseshoe Bay’s Don Eckelbarger is 2022 Citizen of the Year
Pizzapocalypse’s abundant menu will include apocalyptic-themed pizzas such as ‘The New Republic of Texas’ (pictured), ‘The Fiery Depths,’ and ‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,’ among several others. The food truck plans to open in February 2022 at the Highway 281 Food Court in Marble Falls. Courtesy photo
Pizzapocalypse plans to start serving world-ending pies at the Highway 281 Food Court, 1610 U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, by mid- to late February. Operated by brothers Rob and Alan Mead, the new food truck has been in the making for almost 10 years.
“The whole idea came out of a desperation for a decent piece of pizza,” Rob Mead said. “There hasn’t been any real good pizza in this town for a very long time.”
Over the past decade, the fraternal duo carefully crafted a collection of homemade pizza recipes guaranteed to make even the pickiest eater’s mouth water.
Mead is confident his truck’s emphasis on quality will help differentiate his pies from other local pizza spots.
“Everything will be made fresh,” he said. “We’re going to make the dough fresh daily and the sauce from scratch. There won’t be a freezer anywhere. We’ll cook all of our protein the day of. It’s going to be all about quality ingredients and making it with love.”
The truck’s menu will include “giant” 20-inch pizzas, build-your-own wood-fired pies, and apocalyptic-themed specialty pizzas. The brothers will also serve slices during lunchtime.
A culinary journeyman, Rob Mead has been in the food business since he was a teen. In fact, he got his first taste of working with pizza at the age of 15 at Marty McFly’s in Cottonwood Shores. He was also a sous chef at Treehouse Bistro in Sunrise Beach Village.
“Cooking is my passion,” he said. “I absolutely love food.”
Currently, the truck’s kitchen is undergoing a final round of renovations at Curbside Upfitters in Boerne. Once complete, the brothers will add graphics to the truck before opening its window to area pizza lovers.
“It’s been a journey,” Mead said. “Every milestone we hit, we get more excited about it coming to fruition. I can taste the pizza already.”
Dozens of residents attended a public hearing on mandatory groundwater restrictions for high-use wells in Burnet County on Dec. 20. The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors ultimately voted in favor of the restrictions after a presentation from district General Manager Mitchell Sodek and public comments. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The maximum allowable groundwater usage for permitted well owners in Burnet County will be reduced by 15 percent throughout 2023, or until the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District reduces or removes restrictions.
The district’s Board of Directors approved the restrictions after a public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 20, in the Burnet County AgriLife Extension Office in Burnet.
Maximum allowable groundwater usage is the amount of water a well owner is permitted to use, not the amount they are actually using. Many permit holders already use less than the maximum allowed.
This is the first time mandatory restrictions have been imposed by the groundwater district since it was formed in 2005. The decision was made in the face of bleak groundwater numbers and poor weather forecasts for the coming year.
Small residential wells with pump rates less than 17.36 gallons per minute are not affected. Violations of the restrictions could lead to civil fines of $50 to $500 per day of recorded violations.
Less than 4 percent of the wells in Burnet County are permitted wells, but they account for over 50 percent of the water used, according to district General Manager Mitchell Sodek. Among the permitted users are the cities of Bertram and Highland Haven and larger companies like Corix Utilities and Aqua Texas.
Charts depicting monitoring wells on the Ellenberger-San Saba Aquifer in Burnet County show a close relationship between the wells’ levels and the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index. All of the wells are hovering around historic lows. Courtesy image
Bertram is one of the largest water users in the county, with a permitted use of 366.5 acre-feet of groundwater. For reference, this is four and a half times the amount of water permitted to the city of Highland Haven, which is 82 acre-feet.
“We understand your concerns for conservation, but we are a public water supply company,” Bertram City Administrator Georgina Hernandez said during the public comment section of the hearing. “The city provides water to the citizens of Bertram.”
Hernandez expressed concerns about the restrictions because the city is seeing unprecedented development and is totally reliant on groundwater. The city is already using 294 acre-feet, or 80 percent, of its allowed 366.5 acre-feet of water per year. The newly approved restrictions will bring that total down to 311.5 acre-feet of allowable use, leaving little room for growth.
While the restrictions will only affect major users, the district is still urging Burnet County groundwater users to voluntarily reduce their usage by 30 percent, if possible. Eighty-five percent of the wells in Burnet County are considered “exempt” and not directly impacted by the restrictions, but their usage does impact the county’s groundwater as a whole.
“Everybody is affecting the groundwater to some degree. So if you’re pumping from a well, it should be on everybody to do some sort of conservation,” Sodek said.
The hearing followed the groundwater conservation district’s drought management plan, which mandates that restrictions be voted on before the end of the year.
A U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the current drought in Central Texas is likely to continue until March 2023. Courtesy image
“You can see the downward trends of those wells, and they could continue on that trajectory,” Sodek told DailyTrib.com after the hearing. “It certainly has a long-term impact, and it is accelerated in the warmer months of the year because of the increased use of outdoor watering. The net result is that you could have some wells fail or go dry, and the shallower wells will go first.”
While the index shows that Burnet County’s drought has improved from “extreme” to “severe,” Sodek still recommended that the county stay in Stage 4 of the drought management plan and that the board vote in favor of the restrictions.
“We have a drought management plan for a reason,” Sodek told the directors after his presentation. “I think we ought to follow it.”
The restrictions are in alignment with the district’s Stage 4 drought management plan, which allows for a 15 percent reduction on the maximum allowable groundwater use on permitted wells in Burnet County.
https://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/wp-header-logo-70.png5761024lukehttps://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Logo-2.pngluke2022-12-21 13:10:132022-12-21 13:10:13First-time mandatory groundwater-use restrictions imposed in Burnet County
Jacki Wishert (seated) and her son, David, of Kingsland were provided with a new trailer by the Highland Lakes Crisis Network after the family’s old trailer was destroyed by a fire in July 2020. Photo by Stennis Shotts
Several major announcements about the future of the Highland Lakes Crisis Network are expected during its second annual fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at Horseshoe Bay Resort, 200 Hi Circle North. All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit’s various programs designed to serve Highland Lakes families in need.
Guests at the event will be served a meal and can participate in a live auction. During remarks, they will hear highlights of several accomplishments made by the Crisis Network since its founding in 2018, including the announcements.
Individual tickets are $150. For $1,500, guests can purchase the bronze sponsorship ticket package, which includes seating for 10.Silver sponsorships cost $2,500 and include priority seating for a table of 10 and name recognition throughout the event. Gold sponsorships are available for $5,000, which include all of the silver sponsor amenities along with fine wine served at table.
Dress is business casual.
The Highland Lakes Crisis Network is composed of local churches and volunteers. The organization aims to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of community members during times of crisis and disaster.
The network has launched programs to thwart childhood homelessness, fight food insecurity, and break generational cycles of poverty.
Tickets for the fundraiser can be purchased on givelively.org.
If interested in becoming a volunteer for the nonprofit, visit the organization’s website. For more information regarding the fundraiser, email nancy@hlcn.love.
For at least four decades, a sign advertising Graham’s Watch Repair hung from the Graham family home wedged between a Marble Falls school and RR 1431, drawing customers and curiosity.
Positioned as it was, right on the highway with Marble Falls Elementary School in its backyard, the white clapboard house drew speculation, especially after it sat empty and dilapidated over the last 10 years.
“My son and a lot of friends always thought it was haunted,” one father of an elementary school student told The Picayune Magazine.
The home’s last occupant, Houghton Graham, was the second of three sons of Jalina “Jay” and Corbett Graham, who built the house. Houghton taught himself to repair watches and clocks by reading books. He had an eidetic memory, which allowed him to recall images of everything he ever read and every clock he ever fixed.
“He was a brilliant man,” said second cousin Darlene Oostermeyer, who grew up with Houghton and his brothers and cared for them in their later years. “He could pick up a clock or watch manual and he would know exactly what to do. It was astounding to watch him work.”
Customers would leave their timepieces on the porch with a signed note attached stating the problem. Houghton would fixed them and collect cash when the owners came back to pick up their goods. A jeweler in Burnet brought their toughest repair jobs to Houghton, Oostermeyer said.
Last year, the 84-year-old house was torn down and the property sold to the Marble Falls Independent School District, which moved its fence and expanded its playing field.
Workers found two vintage travel clocks in the walls and 300 brown snuff bottles with cork tops under the house. The only items of any worth were five violins and seven stunning antique clocks, Oostemeyer said. She also salvaged an antique side table now in her home and Houghton’s work desk, which resides in The Falls on the Colorado Museum in Marble Falls. Oostermeyer is on the museum’s board of directors.
The 1,100-square-foot house was home to both Graham’s Watch Repair and the five-member Graham family. Along with the parents and Houghton were Dempsey, the oldest boy, and Taylor, the youngest. The boys lived in the house their entire lives, sharing a bedroom with three single beds. Dempsey and Taylor died in the house. Houghton died in a hospital after a few years in a nursing home. He was the last to go.
Work was an easy commute for them all. Corbett, Dempsey, and Taylor all had jobs as janitors and bus drivers for the school district. The back of the house opened onto the athletic field of what was first the old Granite School (where the museum is now housed) and later Marble Falls Elementary.
The home sat empty after Houghton was moved to the nursing home just a few years before he died in 2012.
Its precarious position on the shoulder of RR 1431 was not where it was built. Before the gravel road was paved to become a highway, the house was just above the flood plain of the Whitman Branch of Backbone Creek, where a bridge is now. The Texas Department of Transportation moved the house from the creek and again later, repositioning it back from the road when the highway was widened. TxDOT built the concrete stairs from the road’s shoulder to the front porch, which can be seen in the only photo that exists of the entire family.
When the parents were alive and the boys were fairly young, the home hummed with music from a large upright piano, fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and guitars. Oostermeyer’s father, Leslie Elbert Farmer, joined in on Saturday nights, and the kids would climb on the three single beds in the brothers’ bedroom to listen to the family and anyone else who showed up to play.
“We lived across the road by where the car wash is now,” Oostermeyer said. “Dad and I would walk down there on a Saturday night, and they would all play. We sat on the beds on these wonderful quilts, and it was so warm. There was a huge potbelly stove in the room. Most played fiddles, but Dempsey played piano.”
The piano has it own story. At one point, with both parents dead, the house was red-tagged for eviction by the city. Oostermeyer organized family and community members to get it back in shape so Houghton could live out his life there.
“They were hoarders,” she said. “It was unbelievable, but when Aunt Jay was alive, the house was immaculately kept. Not by Aunt Jay. She never did a thing! Dempsey did all the cooking and cleaning.”
During a major cleanup of the house, Oostemeyer got rid of a lot of the old furniture and a giant wood-burning kitchen stove. As for the piano, when she opened the top, she found dead cats stuffed inside. She and a cousin cleaned it as much as they could but couldn’t find a taker.
Word got around they were clearing out the house, though, and she got a call from another of the cousins.
“It was his grandmother’s piano,” Oostemeyer said. “He does not know how it got from his grandmother’s house to the Graham’s house, but he came and got it and finished cleaning it up. Now, he has his grandmother’s piano.”
The house fell into disrepair and disarray after Jay died. With his mother gone, Dempsey quit cleaning, Oostemeyer said.
The home of Graham’s Watch Repair and all five members of the Graham family was torn down in April 2022. It was built on the shores of Whitman Branch creek along what became RR 1431 in Marble Falls in 1938. It was moved twice by the Texas Department of Transportation to make way for paving and later widening of the state road. Staff photo by Jennifer Greenwell
According to a story she heard from the late Rev. Max Copeland of First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, the Graham boys doted on their mother. One of his many visits to the home was on Jay’s birthday. At the time, she was in a wheelchair, having lost both legs to diabetes. Everyone in the family except Taylor suffered from the disease. Houghton lost most of his eyesight to diabetes but was able to continue his repair work thanks to watchmaker magnifying glasses.
“Brother Max said they had put a crown on her head that said ‘Princess,’” Oostemeyer said. “It may have been one of her last birthdays. He told me they revered her, which I guess is why they never left the nest. They never dated, never married.”
Houghton did have a sweetheart at one point. He confided in Oostemeyer that his biggest regret in life was not marrying the young lady, who seemed to return his affections. She ended up marrying someone else and moving to Llano.
“He said his mother wouldn’t let him because he was their biggest moneymaker,” Oostemeyer recalled. “He not only fixed clocks and watches, he was an extraordinary woodworker. He used to refurbish antiques, too. Everyone paid in cash.”
At the end of his life, Oostemeyer learned her cousin kept that cash in a box under his bed. When he could no longer travel, she came by to see if he wanted her to pay his property taxes for him. He pulled out the box and counted out enough cash for her to take care of the bill.
“He had several thousand dollars under that bed,” she said.
Some of what was salvaged from the house can be found at The Falls on the Colorado Museum, including Houghton’s work desk complete with his glasses and goggles. An old cuckoo clock sits on the top of the desk where Oostemeyer found it when doing a final cleanup of the property.
“I tried for the longest to find the owner,” she said. “Eventually, I found a cardboard box with cuckoo parts and a name on the bottom with an index card.”
She tracked down the owner’s daughter to see if she wanted the clock. The young lady asked if it was fixed.
“I said, no, it wasn’t and she said she didn’t want it if it wasn’t fixed,” Oostemeyer said. “That’s how I ended up with the clock. It had been on Houghton’s desk for years.”
In refinishing the desk, Oostemeyer discovered that Houghton carved into it the names of his deceased pets, what type of animal they were, and the day and time they died. The family always had a lot of animals.
“When the city red-tagged the house, animal control came by and picked up 52 cats,” Oostemeyer said.
Houghton was well known in the community. He taught his skills to apprentices, who carried on the trade, one in Leander and one in Smithwick.
When Houghton went to the nursing home, he moved in among friends.
“A lot of people were there that Houghton knew,” Oostemeyer said. “Cleaning out that house and making it livable for him was a labor of love. It gave him a couple of years in the only home he ever knew.”
Houghton Graham’s desk, photo, and some of his tools are in The Falls on the Colorado Museum, 2001 Broadway, just steps away from where his house once stood in what was once the school building that employed his father and two brothers — still never far from home.
Julie Parsley (center with plaque) was recognized for her five years as chief executive officer of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative during the co-op’s regular board meeting Dec. 16. With her are directors Travis Cox (left), Milton Rister, Amy Akers, Libby Pataki, and James Oakley and board President Mark Ekrut. Director Paul Graf (not pictured) attended the December meeting by phone. Courtesy photo
Pedernales Electric Cooperative members with solar or any distributive energy could see an increase in the amount the co-op will pay them for their excess electricity. The Board of Directors heard a draft resolution at its regular meeting Friday, Dec. 16, that will raise buy-back rates to 6.060005 cents per kilowatt-hour from 5.3770 cents as of March 1, 2023 — an increase of 0.68305 cents.
Last fall, buy-back rates for individual solar generation were cut by about 4 cents per kWh, despite opposition from members with solar panels. Before the drop in December 2021, the price paid per kilowatt-hour was 9.347 cents.
About 6,100 of PEC’s more than 300,000 members have distributed generation, or solar, installations, which is about 1.7 percent of the co-op’s total membership.
A final vote on the Sustainable Power Credit is scheduled for the board’s regular meeting at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
Energy policy and outreach specialist for Public Citizen, Kaiba White, was unimpressed with the increase. Public Citizen is a national advocacy group. White works for the Texas office. The group was vocal in its opposition to PEC’s initial cut in solar buy-back rates.
“It’s a small fraction of a penny,” she said. “It’s a very small change when you look at it in the context of retail rates, which also changed.”
The rate per kilowatt-hour is figured annually based on changes in energy costs, natural gas prices, and other market factors. Solar members argue that environmental benefits of using solar energy, which has a smaller carbon footprint than natural gas, oil, or coal, should be taken into account when figuring those rates.
Those numbers don’t exist, said Chief Financial Officer Randy Kruger at the Dec. 17 meeting.
“There is no rate for carbon,” he said. “If legislation is passed to provide a rate for carbon, then we would include that.”
White agreed that PEC followed its methodology in figuring the rate changes both last year and this year.
“But it’s the same flawed methodology, so solar members are paying more for energy they receive than what they produce,” she said. “They are paid an unfair rate.”
She suggested that PEC’s next cost of service study, which just got underway, should include a re-evaluation of the solar rate.
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Sterling Creek Builders representative and attorney Jeff Kelly addresses the Granite Shoals City Council on Dec. 14, asking for a change to a zoning ordinance for the incoming high-end development Granite Pointe. The rezoning removes all commercial property plans. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The Granite Shoals City Council voted to approve a zoning change for the incoming Granite Pointe subdivision during its regular meeting Dec. 14. The original approved plans for the new subdivision included commercial zoning for a marina, restaurants, and more, but developer Sterling Creek Builders adjusted them to a residential-only build after receiving negative feedback from neighbors.
The council unanimously approved Ordinance 810 (a), which rezoned Granite Pointe as fully residential.
The area originally set aside for commercial development in Granite Pointe will now hold 21 cottage-style homes and ample parking space for subdivision residents. The developer also will reduce the number of planned lakefront estates in the subdivision from 11 to nine to make room for more parking and less crowding.
The Granite Shoals Planning and Zoning Commission heard developer presentations on Dec. 13 and recommended that the council approve the change.
“One of the reasons we got rid of the commercial aspect, the ability to do a bar, restaurant, or boat dock, is because of you,” said attorney Jeff Kelly, representing Sterling Creek, to a full council chamber. “We don’t want to have unhappy neighbors. We don’t want to have an unhappy community. We want a community that is going to support this project and make it great.”
“I think it’s important that we all realize that tonight is not the final design phase. … It’s simply 810 (a),” Kelly explained. “All it’s doing is asking the council, with the approval of the residents, to phase back from multi-use, commercial dock, large high-scale condos to what’s more responsible and amenable to our neighbors.”
Prior to the vote, Councilor Samantha Ortis addressed the loss of economic development because of the rezoning.
“I do feel like this is a lost opportunity for the city,” she said. “It seems that you guys have done your due diligence to appease the neighbors. I am a little bothered that we, as a city, have now lost out on some significant sales-tax revenue.”
Ortis referred to the numerous discussions the council has had concerning how to bring economic development to Granite Shoals.
Kelly agreed with Ortis’ statement but again referred to the developer’s desire to be in alignment with the subdivision’s neighbors.
“(Sterling Creek owner John Corcorran) made the financial decision to be more amenable to his neighbors and be more responsible as a developer,” Kelly said. “That, unfortunately, has a negative financial impact for the city.”
While it is unknown what the overall financial impact of the proposed commercial businesses would have been, the 21 cottage-style homes are valued at around $1 million each, which would bring in about $125,000 in property taxes using the 2022-23 Granite Shoals property tax rate.
The city’s current sales-tax rate is 8.25 percent, but it only receives 2 percent with the other 6.25 percent going to the state. Potential employment opportunities at the businesses was another unknown factor.
Councilor Phil Ort countered Ortis and Kelly, stating that numerous residents had complained and they had a right to be heard.
“I don’t represent businesses, I represent voters,” he said in response to Kelly’s comments. “I do see the significant value we have lost from the city with the commercial development. I understand (Sterling Creek’s) point of view. I understand (the neighbors’) point of view. But I have to look at all sides.”
Ortis ultimately moved to approve the rezoning and was seconded by Councilor Kevin Flack, leading to unanimous approval.
https://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/wp-header-logo-66.png5761024lukehttps://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Logo-2.pngluke2022-12-20 09:20:592022-12-20 09:20:59Subdivision rezoning raises questions about commercial development in Granite Shoals
A wooden Texas flag nailed to an ice-covered fence on the Willow City Loop near Llano during the big snow in February 2021. The Highland Lakes’ 2022 holiday forecast calls for temperatures in the teens. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Temperatures in the Highland Lakes are expected to drop well below freezing on Thursday, Dec. 22. The cold snap should last through the Christmas holiday weekend, with lows only rising above freezing on Monday, Dec. 26.
Daytime highs will range from around freezing on Friday to the high 40s on Saturday. Monday’s highs should reach the high 50s.
Thursday night temperatures could fall as low as 12 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are also expected to dip into the 20s in the evenings. No precipitation is in the forecast.
Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett told DailyTrib.com that residents should be prepared for multiple freezing nights. Tips include insulating exposed pipes and spigots, letting faucets drip overnight, learning how to shut off your water before it freezes, and having extra drinking water available.
He also emphasized the importance of knowing how to properly stay warm and avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning.
“We’ve had some tragedies happen where people try to heat themselves in poorly ventilated spaces,” Bennett said.
Don’t use fume-emitting sources like fire, propane stoves, car engines, or generators while you are indoors to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Fumes from these types of heating sources can be deadly if you’re exposed to them in a confined space for prolonged periods.
Have firewood, propane, gasoline, or any necessary fuel on hand to stay warm, heat up food, or operate equipment. Make sure pets have warm shelters, too, and check on neighbors, especially the elderly.
Community Resource Centers of Texas Site Director Dawn Capra and Executive Director Lucy Murphy at the nonprofit’s Marble Falls location. Courtesy photo
The Pedernales Electric Cooperative recently awarded nearly $30,000 in fall grants to six nonprofits, including the Community Resource Centers of Texas Inc. in Marble Falls. The CRC received $5,000 to fund new technology such as screens and audiovisual equipment for meeting rooms. These upgrades will make it possible for The CRC to provide virtual assistance to those in need.
PEC Community Grants are made possible through members enrolled in the cooperative’s Power of Change Program. Through the program, enrolled members have their electric bills rounded to the nearest dollar with the difference going to charity. This fall, PEC expanded the Power of Change Program beyond members, inviting anyone to make a one-time donation via PayPal or Venmo.
“It’s incredible to see what just a little pocket change can do when we all band together,” said Caroline Tinsley Porter, PEC community relations manager. “The beauty of this program is that it doesn’t take much to give back. We hope those who haven’t yet enrolled will consider donating to experience one of the most unique aspects of belonging to a cooperative.”
Since 2016, the program has funded more than $300,000 in grants to 74 nonprofits.
One-time donations can be made via Venmo @PECPowerofChange. PEC members interested in joining the program can enroll at pec.coop/change.
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The following people were arrested and booked into the Burnet County Jail during the period of Dec. 9-15, 2022, according to Burnet County Sheriff’s Office logs. City of residence and release information are listed when available. This list does not constitute an official court document, and all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Jose Raymond Constancia, 66, of Eden was arrested Dec. 9 by the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO): failure to appear-sexual assault of a child. Released same day on $60,000 in bonds.
Vincent Philip Hernandez, 35, of Corpus Christi was arrested Dec. 9 by the Marble Falls Police Department (MFPD): indecent assault. Released same day on $5,000 bond.
Jo Lea Hill, 33, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 9 by MFPD: possession of a controlled substance.
Ashton Lee Ozuna, 22, of Kingsland was arrested Dec. 9 by BCSO: possession of drug paraphernalia. Released Dec. 14 on probation.
Jesus Manuel Palmas, 31, of Heartland was arrested Dec. 9 by BCSO: possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 11 on $7,500 bond.
Lori Denyse Pederson, 49, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 9 by the Granite Shoals Police Department (GSPD): possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 10 on $20,000 bond.
Kurtis Rion Smith, 33, of Kingsland was arrested Dec. 9 by BCSO: insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance.
Sarah Elizabeth Tinsley, 20, of Spicewood was arrested Dec. 9 by BCSO: possession of a controlled substance.
Spivey Maurice Conwill, 39, of Odessa was arrested Dec. 10 by the Burnet Police Department (BPD): unlawfully carrying a weapon, possession of marijuana, failure to appear-driving while license is invalid. Released Dec. 15 to an outside agency.
Elizabeth Diaz, 43, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 10 by GSPD: insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 15 on $20,000 bond.
Gerardo Gonzalez, 47, of San Antonio was arrested Dec. 10 by BPD: parole violation.
Johnna Denay Johnson, 31, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 10 by the Bertram Police Department (BTPD): capias pro fine-failure to maintain financial responsibility. Released Dec. 13 with credit for time served.
Jacob Matthew Mullikin, 18, of Liberty Hill was arrested Dec. 10 by BCSO: unauthorized use of a vehicle, unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Szymon Jonasz Pirog, 24, of Austin was arrested Dec. 10 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): detainer. Released Dec. 12 to ICE.
Zoe Roxanne Robinson, 26, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 10 by BPD: driving while license is invalid, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 13 on $8,500 in bonds.
Dallas Storm Wood, 27, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 10 by BPD: public intoxication. Released Dec. 13 on personal recognizance.
Dawson Lee Barnes, 23, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 11 by BPD: theft. Released Dec. 12 with credit for time served.
Jeffery Bergeron, 40, of Kempner was arrested Dec. 11 by BCSO: unlawful restraint, assault by contact-family violence. Released Dec. 12 on $3,000 in bonds.
Jennifer Irene Eckles, 42, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 11 by the Cottonwood Shores Police Department (CSPD): possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 12 on $10,000 bond.
Gerardo D. Estrada, 54, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 11 by BCSO: commitment-possession of a controlled substance.
Kimberly Lynn Thomas, 42, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 11 by MFPD: theft of property. Released Dec. 12 on $1,500 bond.
Krislynn Sarah Anne Thomas, 22, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 11 by MFPD: theft of property, child unrestrained in safety seat, failure to appear, capias pro fine-expired registration. Released Dec. 13 on $2,500 in bonds.
Ricardo Venegas-Velasquez, 46, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 11 by BPD: possession of a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated-open alcohol container. Released same day on $9,000 in bonds.
Jonathan James Watson, 40, of Bertram was arrested Dec. 11 by BTPD: criminal trespass.
Dominic Charles Bauer, 45, of Austin was arrested Dec. 12 by the Llano County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO): bench warrant.
William Kyle Dugan, 33, of Midland was arrested Dec. 12 by the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office (BLSO): bench warrant.
Emma Jean Mueller, 43, of Taylor was arrested Dec. 12 by BCSO: bond revocation-driving while license is invalid.
Joel James Reynolds, 34, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 12 by MFPD: motion to revoke-aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Sky Michael Smith, 44, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 12 by BCSO: SRA-violation of bond/protective order. Released same day on $25,000 bond.
Camden Michael Bauer, 23, of Jarrell was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: failure to appear-unlawfully carrying a weapon, failure to appear-possession of marijuana.
Mario Antonio Bueso-Bueso, 37, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: injury to a child/elderly/disabled person.
James Ray Collard, 40, of Kingsland was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: tampering with/fabricating physical evidence.
Bonnie Kristene Edwards, 54, of Lakeway was arrested Dec. 13 by MFPD: criminal mischief. Released Dec. 14 on $5,000 bond.
Deven Wayne Elliott, 20, of Bertram was arrested Dec. 13 by BPD: capias pro fine-failure to provide proof of financial responsibility, capias pro fine-driving while license is invalid, minor in possession of tobacco.
Alicia Ann Isaack, 54, of Meadowlakes was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Isaac Isaiaa Medina, 41, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Michael Adam Morales, 41, of Cottonwood Shores was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: indecency with a child-sexual contact.
Jacob Matthew Mullikin, 18, of Liberty Hill was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Richard Gene Ray, 57, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: bond revocation-possession of a controlled substance. Released Dec. 14 on $40,000 bond.
Miguel Troy Reyna, 56, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 13 by GSPD: parole violation.
Jeffrey Paul Shelton, 43, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: credit/debit card abuse. Released same day on personal recognizance.
Anthony Manuel Silva, 52, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: driving while intoxicated, duty on striking fixture/highway landscape. Released same day on $4,000 in bonds.
Jeremy Sven Tipping, 45, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: sex offender’s duty to register-life.
Mark Edward Tolbert, 33, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: possession of marijuana. Released Dec. 14 on $10,000 bond.
Codie Anne Wellman, 28, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 13 by BCSO: violation of bond/protective order. Released Dec. 14 on $2,500 bond.
Travis David James Barnhart, 21, of Alice was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Jacob Glenn Bender, 35, of Fort Worth was arrested Dec. 14 by MFPD: fraudulent use/possession of identifying information, forgery of financial instruments.
Megan Marie Edwards, 32, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: SRA-unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Holly Rae Groth, 48, of Spicewood was arrested Dec. 14 by the Attorney General’s Office (AG): parole violation.
Shane Adam Lucas, 40, of Ringgold, Georgia, was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: failure to appear-stalking, bond forfeiture-assault on family/household member, surety surrender-possession of a controlled substance.
Andres Lucero, 45, of Austin was arrested Dec. 14 by MFPD: forgery of a financial instrument, fraudulent use/possession of identifying information.
William Henry Oliver, 38, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: terroristic threat of family/household member.
Phillip Russell Ort, 60, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 14 by GSPD: criminal mischief. Released Dec. 15 on $5,000 bond.
Travis Levi Pierce, 40, of Cottonwood Shores was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: insufficient bond-possession of controlled substance. Released Dec. 15 on $20,000 bond.
Robert Lane Shipp II, 47, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: aggravated assault of date/family/household member. Released same day on $50,000 bond.
Kayla Shea Stevens, 34, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 14 by the Burnet County Precinct 2 constable (CONST2): driving while intoxicated. Released same day on $40,000 bond.
Manuel Frias Vazquez, 26, of Bertram was arrested Dec. 14 by BCSO: abandoning/endangering a child.
Jerrod Anderson Cozby, 29, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance. Released same day on $80,000 bond.
Matthew Barrett Everett, 38, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 15 by MFPD: indecency with a child-sexual contact.
Darian Neal Garland, 28, of Kempner was arrested Dec. 15 by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS): possession of marijuana.
Rene Anthony Garza, 31, of Lampasas was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: bench warrant.
Joseph Bryant Gebhard, 24, of Burnet was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance.
Damon Lee Holloman, 23, of Copperas Cove was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: driving while license is invalid.
Jimmy Lee Lerma, 50, of Granite Shoals was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: insufficient bond-theft of property, insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance.
Scott Fox Maurer, 63, of Jonestown was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: insufficient bond-manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance.
Jacob Matthew Mullikin, 18, of Liberty Hill was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: burglary of a vehicle.
Karlie Grey Mykael Naifeh, 25, of Marble Falls was arrested Dec. 15 by MFPD: possession of a controlled substance, assault causing bodily injury-family violence.
Megan Renee Rodarte, 32, of Spicewood was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: insufficient bond-possession of a controlled substance.
Mark E. Skladany, 31, was arrested Dec. 15 by BLSO: detainer.
Clifford C. Wilson Jr., 39, of Mansfield was arrested Dec. 15 by BCSO: no driver’s license.
https://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/wp-header-logo-63.png150150lukehttps://www.hillcountrycollisiontx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Logo-2.pngluke2022-12-18 04:51:262022-12-18 04:51:26Burnet County Jail bookings for Dec. 9-15, 2022
