Jason Buddin- Lake Travis School Board Candidate

For those of you who do not know him, Jason Buddin is a member of our community and is a current member of our School Board.  Jason is  running for re-election this year and your support is greatly needed.  I strongly support Jason and urge everyone to get out and vote for him in May.  It will be a slow election year, but you can early-vote at Randalls on 620 or vote on election day at your normal polling location.

Lake Travis Indian Princess Campout

This weekend marks the third year of the Lake Travis Indian Princess annual campout.  Over 20 daughters and 15 dads are scheduled to participate in this year’s event at the Pedernales Falls State Park.   Although I have been the” chief” of our tribe for three years now, this weekend a new chief will be elected to carry the torch.  The local tribe has grown from 7 dads and 10 daughters to over 18 dads and 26 daughters in a short time frame.  Our current Wampum Bearer (accountant), Lance Hoke, is the anticipated favorite for the position.

Springfest- Bee Cave- April 24, 2010 Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce

For those of you who didn’t attend this event last year, it is quite the family/community event. Dozens of artisans line Main Street of the Hill Country Galleria while live music fills the air and people gather.    There is a bar-b-que cook off, rides, events and tons of fun for everyone in the family.   See the Hill Country Galleria website or the Bee Cave Chamber of Commerce site for more information.

http://www.hillcountrygalleria.com/

www.laketravischamber.com

Dorsett Swift is participating in the rib king cook-off for the second year in a row.

Hill Country Galleria Concert Series- Spring 2010

Charlie Shafter will be playing the Hill Country Galleria Spring Concert Series on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the amphitheatre.  This is the second show in the series promoted by 2bEntertainment.  Each show begins at 6:30 p.m.     Last week Doug Moreland started the series and the remaining shows follow:

Vallejo- April 23

Texas Renegade- April 30

Loose Wheels- May 7

Honeybrowne- May 14

Pauline Reese- May 21

Drew Kennedy, Josh Grider & Matt Skinner- May 28

Jason Allen- May 29

Falconhead HOA Meeting 4-13-10

I attended the Falconhead HOA meeting this morning and discussed the fact that Board is attempting to convey the roads in the Coopers Hawk/American Kestrel area to the City of Bee Cave.   I support this since the roads were  originally intended to be gated, but will not be for many reasons.   It doesn’t make much sense to keep the roads private when they are used by all.   100% of the neighbors in the area agree and have signed a petition.

The summer picnic will be held the weekend of June 5/6 to roll out the summer.

There is a growing concern for the  number of mini-bikes parading around Falconhead.  Many are complaining that the bikes are driven by young children who are placing themselves and others in harms way.  The issue is being taken up with the City of Bee Cave and through the restrictive covenants.

There is news on the hotel front-  the property has closed by Leddy Investments and is now owned by the hotel developer.  What he does with the land in the near future remains to be seen.   Across the street, the vacant area near the putting green and golf course maintenance area is being developed into a home development area similar to that of Coopers Hawk/American Kestrel.  The preliminary plans are just now underway.

Bee Cave City Council Meeting 4-13-10

The primary agenda items were handled as follows:

1)  Hamilton Pool Road/Highway 71 revisions-  It is anticipated that these will be complete in mid-May or possibly early June, weather pending.   This is important considering the vast changes that will be taking place on Highway 71 between Bee Cave and Southwest Parkway.   In short order we will lose the right hand turn lane from Hamilton Pool onto Highway 71, but we are attempting to push this out as close as  possible to the end of school.

2) The Backyard-  Although major construction is under way at this time, the Backyard approached council for a temporary use permit so that they can host three concerts between April 25 and June 30.  It is believed that the facility will be complete for Willy Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic.  There are three events scheduled there beforehand  including ZZ Top.

3)  The CVS at Hamilton Pool Road and Highway 71 is somewhat underway with the approval of the detention pond.

4)  Issues continue at the Bee Cave City Park in terms of the grasses at the dog pond and native areas.  The council approved payment of some retainage to the contractor, but requires laying of sod in the dog park area.

5)  Finally, although privileged through executive session, headway is being made on the L.C.R.A. rate case and the water intrusion issues at City Hall.

LTYA Baseball Tourney in Bee Cave, Texas 4-11-10

Congratulations go out to Jeff Sauer, Brian Slade and the rest of the LTYA Baseball Board for hosting a bang-up “coach pitch” baseball tournament this weekend.  I was glad to be out at the Field of Dreams this evening as the tournament came to a close around 6:45 p.m.  The final game was between the Tigers from Round Rock, Texas and the “Mojo” with players mostly from Elgin, Texas.

Coach Mark from the Tigers was gracious in victory and said he was excited to spend the weekend in our community which he believes is friendly and very sportsmanlike.   One of the fans from the second place “Mojo” said that the officiating was very fair.

Again, congratulations on a great tournament and “thank you” to LTYA for bringing these athletic families into our community.

GMA (Grocery Manufacturer’s Association) Texas Panel Attorneys in D.C.

Two attorneys from Dorsett Swift, Bob Dorsett and Greg Gallagher are attending this year’s GMA Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference in Washington, D.C.  The conference link follows:

http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=6fd1ef14-a0b7-48d9-abe0-78cdd823b333

Key topics include:

  • Specialty Insurance Coverage for Foodborne Illness Outbreaks and Recalls
  • Model Code for Produce Safety
  • Lessons Learned from Recent Outbreaks and Recalls
  • New Media and Public Relations During an Outbreak
  • Recent Developments in Food Safety Legislation
  • Criminal Implications When Outbreaks and Recalls Occur
  • Outbreak Boot Camp: The Basics of Handling a Foodborne Illness Outbreak

Of note,   Brian Dickerson of Roetzel and Andress will be speaking regarding the food industry’s expectation to see a substantial increase in the number of inspections and referrals for criminal prosecutions and convictions (up from the 369 criminal convictions in 2008) associated with the manufacture or sale of contaminated foods.

We have high expectations of this year’s conference which includes a tour of the ever useful GMA laboratory in Washington, D.C.   David Herman, Senior GMA Counsel, is hosting the event at the Marriot in downtown Washington.