APRIL 4, 2018 2-0 WIN
GREEN SPACE
Lehman softball shuts out Vandegrift 2-0.
County breaks ground on Dahlstrom Preserve.
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Vol. 123 • No. 1
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Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Kyle seeks public transit fix from private sector BY KATERINA BARTON
With Kyle failing to provide reliable public transportation for the city, Mayor Travis Mitchell is looking toward the private sector for help. In a Facebook post made March 21, Mitchell asked the community for help in solving public transportation issues in the city. “I am proposing we bring together our local faith-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses,
and individuals to create a new, yet-to-be-named, nonprofit transportation organization,” Mitchell said. Kyle cancelled participation in the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) in 2015 because of the expense and low ridership. Afterward, the city tried a subsidized taxi service before that too was cancelled. Mitchell said there is too much red tape and it is not cost effective for the
“I am proposing we bring together our local faith-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals to create a new, yet-to-be-named, nonprofit transportation organization.” –Travis Mitchell, Kyle mayor
city to solve the problem on its own. “At least for the city of Kyle, the government has a hard time solving transportation problems that some of our residents
face,” Mitchell said. “I have met with various stakeholders in the community in the last year and pitched the idea of the
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
TRANSPORTATION WOES, 4A
Downtown Kyle is suffering more and more traffic congestion everyday with the growing commuter population and frequent train stops.
Kyle man charged in aggravated assault incident BY MOSES LEOS III PHOTO BY KATERINA BARTON Landowners were present at a series of public meetings in San Marcos, Buda and Kyle March 27-29 to discuss concerns about the Emerald Crown Trail. Above are people who attended the San Marcos meeting at City Park Recreation Hall.
Landowners raise concerns about impact of proposed trail system
Placing public green space on private land was the crux of concerns from residents opposed to a proposed regional trail system that could connect Austin to San Marcos. Those opinions were gathered during a series of public meetings in San Marcos, Buda and Kyle March 27-29 on the Emerald Crown Trail. The meetings were meant to gather resident and land owners feed back on the trail, which is only proposed at this time. Because the trail is still in the early stages, the exact route of the trail is unknown. The
San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, which is spearheading the effort, anticipates the trail to start somewhere in Purgatory Creek in San Marcos and finish at the end of the Violet Crown Trail in Buda. The idea is to try to create a connected system of trails and bike-able paths using public parks, public right-of-ways and through willingly donated easements. While some residents seemed excited about the trail system, others were visibly upset. A group of neighbors along Hilliard Road posted comments on sticky notes on maps and feedback forms
The Emerald Crown Regional Trail Work Group is made up of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, Hays County, the cities of Buda, Kyle and San Marcos. Also part of the Work Group is the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust, the Hill Country Conservancy, the Texas State University Geography Department and Take-a-Hike San Marcos.
around the room disagreeing with the project. During the meeting, Mark Taylor, former board president of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance, made a point to have all group members in the project agree that they would not build a trail where people do
not want one. Ruth Molina, a resident of Valley View Estates along Hilliard Road does not have a lot of trust in the project; she and her neighbors are still worried about eminent domain. “I feel like a lot of the parties involved have a hidden agenda, they are
COMING UP Market in the Park Market in the Park is the first Saturday of each month from April through September, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Buda’s historical downtown Greenbelt. This is a free event.
Museum honors civil rights legacy of LBJ and MLK
The public is invited to a free reception, film and panel discussion about the Civil Rights legacy of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the LBJ Museum of San Marcos at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 5. The event will include a reception and excerpts from the film, “What the Hell is the Presidency For? LBJ’s Battle for Civil Rights.” The museum is located at 131 N. Guadalupe St. on the square in San Marcos. The event is co-sponsored by the Political Science Department at Texas State University.
FUTURE JOBS Cities look to STEM program for skilled labor. – Page 1C
INDEX
BY KATERINA BARTON
making nice up front, and they’re trying to make San Marcos into another Austin or San Antonio, and we’re not. We’re losing a lot of the character that makes our town what it is,” Molina said. Molina added she is
CONTROVERSIAL TRAIL, 4A
Lauren Groff hosts book signings and readings
Lauren Groff, author of the novel The Monsters of Templeton, Delicate Edible Birds, a collection of stories, and Arcadia, a New York Times Notable Book, winner of the Medici Book Club Prize, and finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award, will be having a book reading and signing at the Wittliff Library at Texas State University at 3:30 p.m. April 9. She will also have a reading and signing at the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center in downtown Kyle at 7:30 p.m., April 20.
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A Kyle man was arrested April 2 after authorities suspect he struck a person with his vehicle, threatened them with a firearm and then briefly evaded auGUTIERREZ thorities Sunday night. Daniel Zachary Gutierrez, 28, of Kyle, was booked into the Hays County Jail Monday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, 2A
Kyle takes first look at FY 2019 budget BY EXSAR ARGUELLO Increased spending on Kyle Police and infrastructure projects were prime topics in Kyle’s inaugural meeting for the 2018-2019 fiscal year budget. The meeting, held March 24 at Kyle City Hall, was a preliminary look into the city’s finances before council approves its budget in the fall. “The purpose of this meeting is not to set next year’s budget,” said Scott Sellers, city manager for the city of Kyle. “It’s to give us a six-month snapshot to discuss our priorities for the next year.” The report also included a survey conducted
KYLE BUDGET, 4A