1. Woman-owned Texas Tiny Pools makes a splash in Austin
Since 2017, Amy Hageman and her husband have been designing tiny pools in the Austin region, and in 2020 the company experienced its highest sales to date. The concrete pools typically range in size from 8-by-8 square feet to 12-by-25 square feet and are fully customizable. She created a lockable aluminum sliding deck cover to keep clients’ pets and children safe. The cover can hold up to 22,000 pounds and is built to last, she said.
2. Pedernales Electric Cooperative announces service interruptions in Hill Country amid unprecedented cold weather
Frigid temperatures and high demand for electricity across Texas led to emergency electric service operations in the Hill Country in February. The Pedernales Electric Cooperative asked customers across its service territory—which includes parts of Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park, Austin, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, Buda, Kyle and San Marcos—to reduce demand and prepare for service interruptions to continue throughout the day, according to a news release from the utility. Across the state, demand for electricity was at an all-time high while at the same time electric utilities were struggling to keep enough generators operating, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the electricity grid for Texas.
3. Swimming suspended at Hamilton Pool Preserve for foreseeable future
Swimming at Hamilton Pool Preserve was banned for the foreseeable future in May due to the frequency of falling rocks, according to an announcement from Travis County Parks. The well-utilized natural swimming hole located at 24300 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs, was impacted by Texas' Winter Storm Uri. Preserve visitors may continue to access the beach but are not permitted below the 50-foot waterfall or any section below the overhang. As a result, Travis County has also closed the trail that leads underneath the overhanging cliff.
4. Mighty Fine Burgers acquired by Austin restaurateurs behind The League Kitchen & Tavern, Tony C’s
Austin-based hospitality company K&N Management sold Mighty Fine Burgers Fries & Shakes in January, which has existed in the Greater Austin area for more than 10 years, to lifelong Austinites and restaurateurs Tony Ciola and Creed Ford, co-owners and founders of Tc4 & Co., the hospitality company behind Tony C’s Coal Fired Pizza and The League Kitchen & Tavern. The burger chain operates out of five locations including one in Sunset Valley, Round Rock, North Austin and a food trailer in the Four Points, among others.
5. Housing inventory drops in Lake Travis-Westlake region as median prices continue rise
The median price of a home in the Austin area hit an all-time high of $425,000 in March as the region continues to surpass real estate records, according to the Austin Board of Realtors’ March Central Texas housing report released April 15. In March, home sales throughout the five-county Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area increased by 13.1% compared to the same period last year. The same holds true for the Lake Travis-Westlake region, which encompasses nine ZIP codes in western Travis County, including cities such as Bee Cave, Lakeway, West Lake Hills and Rollingwood, the report said. The region saw a 33.8% increase in median home prices this March and a 57.8% spike in price per square foot, according to the report.
6. Water samples analyzed following reports of dogs becoming ill after swimming in Lake Travis
The Lower Colorado River Authority analyzed water samples in light of reports received Feb. 22 that four dogs became ill after swimming in Lake Travis. All four dogs entered the water in the Hudson Bend region of Lake Travis—a 6-mile peninsula located near Mansfield Dam, according to LCRA Public Information Officer Clara Tuma. Though initial reports did not indicate the presence of any harmful substances, LCRA issued a news release March 9 confirming that more extensive testing conducted at laboratories in Austin and Florida revealed toxic blue-green algae in Lake Travis. Blue-green algae blooms are known to cause illness or death when the algae or surrounding water is consumed by dogs or other animals. Locally, blue-green algae in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake resulted in the death of at least five dogs in 2019.
7. Unofficial results: Lauren White and Phillip Davis secure seats on Lake Travis ISD board
Two places, Place 1 and Place 2, were on the May 1 ballot for the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees. Three candidates, Phillip Davis, Todd Taylor and Spike McBride, were on the ballot for Place 1 on Lake Travis ISD’s board of trustees. The winner replaced trustee Guy Clark, who did not run for re-election. Incumbent Lauren White and candidate Phillip Davis won the two open Lake Travis ISD board seats.
8. Travis County awards construction contract for Bee Creek Sports Complex
The long-awaited Bee Creek Sports Complex has taken a step forward. Travis County commissioners voted March 2 in a consent motion to award the construction contract for Bee Creek Sports Complex, worth $16.98 million to Flintco LLC. Flintco was the sole applicant for the contract. Bee Creek Sports Complex will include a synthetic, multiuse field; restrooms; meeting facilities for teams; playground areas; trails; and a maintenance building.The project is funded by the 2017 Travis County bond program and the projected date of play is in 2022.
9. Texas Beef Traders opens in Lakeway offering customers a ranch-to-table experience
Texas Beef Traders opened March 16 in Lakeway Town Center at 2127 Lohmans Crossing Road, Ste. 310, Lakeway, offering customers a ranch-to-table experience. The family-owned shop sells locally sourced, high-quality beef products hand selected by nearby Hill Country ranchers. The beef is dry-aged for a minimum of 14 days, flash frozen and vacuumed sealed to ensure quality and freshness.
10. Tom Kilgore defeats Alain Babin to become next Lakeway mayor
Mayoral candidates Alain Babin and Tom Kilgore were vying to replace outgoing Lakeway Mayor Sandy Cox in May, who declined to run for re-election. Tom Kilgore, a retired Army officer who put building safer roads for Lakeway as a top priority, defeated Alain Babin in the race for Lakeway mayor. Kilgore won 2,402 votes, or 63%, to Babin's 1,410 votes, or 37%.
