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2020

Volume 33, Issue 21

www.LHIndependent.com

News@LHIndependent.com

April 16, 2020 | 50 Cents

Despite pandemic, school construction continues at Santa Rita

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Liberty Hill ISD ofﬁcials have dedicated a good portion of their time to continuing to serve and educate students through school closures this spring, but one eye remains on the critical tasks required to make sure they can do the same when August and a new school year arrives. Near the top of that list is the completion of Santa Rita Elementary, scheduled to open in August. “Construction is staying on schedule as much as possible,” Superintendent Steve Snell said. “The construction companies will be impacted by the slow down a little bit, but right now the plan is to keep on schedule with that.” According to project engineer Casey Sledge, workers are currently doing even better than

First local COVID-19 patient recovers

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The same day Liberty Hill Mayor Rick Hall announced that the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in Liberty Hill had recovered, he said there was a second case confirmed. That confirmation came Tuesday. The confirmed case total in Williamson County was at 128 Wednesday, with 75 counted as having recovered. Williamson County has not had a death from the virus since the fourth one was announced April 7. Round Rock has the highest case total in the County with 45. Liberty Hill’s neighbors to

that. “Construction has continued throughout as part of the essential items list,” he said. “The site has changed a good amount. Santa Rita Elementary is probably a little bit ahead of schedule. It’s been pretty impressive.” Despite extended safety measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one beneﬁt has resulted from the current situation. “One of the reasons this hasn’t slowed them down is they are able to get more resources to the site because many of the subcontractors have other projects that have stopped, especially private sector jobs,” Sledge said. Delays in delivery of materials was a concern as March wore on, but early planning

Construction work on the new Santa Rita Elementary campus, set to open for the 2020-2021 academic year, remains on schedule

See LHISD, Page 6 to be completed by July 1. (Courtesy Photo)

Liberty Hill election ofﬁcially postponed

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor The question of when the City of Liberty Hill election will be held got an ofﬁcial answer Monday when the City Council voted unanimously to postpone it until November. The election will now be held in conjunction with the General Election. “There was a mandate from the Governor that we postpone the election to the November election,” Mayor Rick Hall said. “With the last ordinance we did we said we were going to have that in May, but since the Governor came back out and said we need to move it the only way we can change that now is to do an ordinance.” Council member Kathy Canady asked whether the new ordinance could be

CASES & DEATHS MARCH 25

APRIL 1

APRIL 8

22 0 715 11 54,453 737

55 1 3,997 58 186,101 3,603

97 4 9,353 177 395,011 12,754

Williamson County Cases Williamson County Deaths Texas Cases Texas Deaths U.S. Cases U.S. Deaths

APRIL 15

128 4 15,492 364 605,390 24,582

SOURCE: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

CASES BY COUNTY

HARRIS 3,907 DALLAS 1,877 TARRANT 929 TRAVIS 900 BEXAR 815 WILLIAMSON 128

61 CASES

67 CASES

CASES BY AGE 0-17 18-40 41-60 Over 60

CASES BY LOCATION IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY

AUSTIN CEDAR PARK GEORGETOWN HUTTO LEANDER ROUND ROCK LIBERTY HILL

TESTED IN TEXAS MARCH 25 APRIL 1 APRIL 8 APRIL 15

3 39 54 32

12 15 21 13 12 45 2

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES 4/15/20

13,235 47,857 96,258 151,810

SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY & CITIES HEALTH DISTRICTS 4/15/20

See UPDATE, Page 3

Telemedicine gaining popularity

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Doctors routinely screen patients, but today it’s an increase in screen time between physicians and patients that is becoming more routine. Telemedicine has been around for a while, but not something relied upon heavily in most doctors ofﬁces around the country. But the COVID-19 virus and the protective measures in place to slow its spread have brought the remote appointment tool to the forefront. At Liberty Hill Pediatrics, March 23 was when they launched their telemedicine

Dr. Timothy Spence, a pediatrician with Liberty Hill Pediatrics, discusses symptoms with a patient over a videoconference as telemedicine becomes a more prominent option for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy Photo)

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changed if “something better” became available. “If in the next few weeks or month the Governor does see ﬁt that we can do a summer election then we would just do the same thing and bring an ordinance back to Council pending enough time to do it in,” Hall said. In March, the Council voted unanimously to move forward with the May 2 city election. Governor Greg Abbott gave cities and school districts the option to postpone their May 2 elections until Nov. 3 with a proclamation March 18. The previous Council decision came on the same night that Liberty Hill ISD decided to postpone its election, and went against the trend at that time in Williamson County

See COUNCIL, Page 6

Beck brings families as close as possible during pandemic

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor When Williamson County issued an order limiting gatherings to 10 people or less, many lamented the lost opportunity for church gatherings, live music, and dining out, but until it reached them personally through the loss of a loved one, few considered how the new rules would impact how they mourn. But one of the most profound effects of social distancing today is being felt in funeral homes across the country, and no one feels it more than Blake Henderson at Beck Funeral Home. A third generation funeral director – in the business full time for 18 years – Henderson has never seen anything that has changed what he does so

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much so quickly. “We are adjusting to it as well as we can,” he said. “But the biggest loss we have is that people don’t get to have that memorialization for their loved one and being able to have their friends and close relatives come and show their support and love for the person they just lost.” That personal touch, the ability to hold a hand or give a hug, is something often taken for granted and suddenly stripped away. “It’s very tough because that’s what we’re about,” Henderson said. “We’re not an online funeral home. We’re a hands on family to family funeral home. Not being able to do that is tough because we know people need that. The best thing we can do is webcast it or

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Facebook Live the services.” In Henderson’s experience, nothing replaces the opportunity to gather together to mourn and celebrate a life. “People are really missing being able to comfort one another if you will,” he said. “Only being able to have nine people at a service kind of hurts in a way more than the death because you don’t get the closure or the support you need at that time. I think people are really looking forward to this being over just so they can be there for one another.” The missing personal touch is felt beyond family members, though, coming also between the staff at Beck and the families they serve. “It was tough, that’s what our

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See BECK, Page 4

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Page 2

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Comptroller sets April 25-27 as Sales Tax Holiday for emergency supplies

FOOD &WELLNESS MARKET PASTURE-RAISED EGGS SEASONAL PRODUCE • PICKLES LOCAL HONEY • LOCAL BEEF

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AUSTIN — As the nation continues to shelter in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is urging Texans to shop online or practice strict social distancing measures for in-store purchases during the sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies. The primary intent of the law that established this holiday, which begins at 12:01 a.m. on April 25, and ends at midnight on April 27, is to help Texans prepare for events like hurricanes and turbulent spring storms. “Unfortunately, strong spring storms, wildﬁres and the upcoming hurricane season will still threaten Texans in the months ahead, and so it’s important that homes and businesses have the supplies they need to face these emergencies,” Hegar said. “As this pandemic continues to spread, I

want to remind all Texans this sales tax holiday applies to qualifying items they purchase online, from the safety of their homes. If visiting your local retailer to purchase items, please practice appropriate social distancing as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” There’s no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase. These include: household batteries, fuel containers and ﬂashlights priced at less than $75; hurricane shutters and emergency ladders priced at less than $300; and portable generators priced at

Prepared by Liberty Hill Police Department

Week of April 6-12, 2020 The Liberty Hill Police Department responded to or self-initiated a total of 303 incidents resulting in ﬁve cases, one citation, 15 warnings and no arrests.

9:20 AM, officers responded to the CR279 and RM 1869 for a traffic hazard. - On April 8 at approximately 3:28 PM, officers responded to Grange Street to assist Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On April 8 at approximately 3:45 PM, officers responded to the 300 block of Loop 332 for a disturbance. - On April 8 at approximately 6:07 PM, officers responded to the 2000 block of CR 200 for a traffic hazard. - On April 9 at approximately 2:56 AM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious incident. - On April 9 at approximately 3:07 PM, officers responded to the 1000 block of RM 1869 to assist the Texas Department of Safety with an accident. - On April 9 at approximately 9:21 PM, officers responded to Talon Grasp Trail to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On April 9 at approximately

10:26 PM, officers responded to Prosecco Path for a suspicious incident. - On April 10 at approximately 8:33 AM, officers responded to the 15000 block of W. SH 29 to assist the Liberty Hill Fire/ EMS. - On April 10 at approximately 6:26 PM, officers responded to Bonnet Blvd for a traffic hazard. - On April 10 at approximately 1:50 AM, officers responded to Santa Rita Blvd to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On April 11 at approximately 10:22 PM, officers responded to the 13000 block of W. SH 29 for a suspicious vehicle. - On April 12 at approximately 10:53 AM, officers responded to the 2000 block of RM 1869 for a disturbance. - On April 12 at approximately 2:13 PM, officers responded to Continental Ave for a theft complaint.

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due on the $309 sales price. Unfortunately, the list of taxfree items is established by law and does not include items such as masks or personal protection equipment. Other purchases that do not qualify include: batteries for automobiles, boats and other motorized vehicles; camping stoves and camping supplies; chainsaws; plywood; extension ladders and stepladders; and tents. A list of emergency preparation supplies that may be purchased tax free can be found on the Comptroller’s website.

Liberty Hill Police Blotter

Weekly Highlights: - On April 6 at approximately 10:11 AM, officers responded to the 12000 block of W. SH 29 for an assault complaint. - On April 7 at approximately 5:19 AM, officers responded to CR 277 to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. - On April 7 at approximately 4:13 PM, officers responded to US 183 for a traffic hazard. - On April 7 at approximately 4:35PM, officers responded to the 20000 block of W. SH 29 for a traffic hazard. - On April 7 at approximately 4:54PM, officers responded to Presidential Path for an animal bite. - On April 8 at approximately

Coupon necessary for discount at time of purchase. Some restrictions apply. Coupon not valid on some items. See store for details. Expires 04/30/20.

less than $3,000. For purchases made online, note that delivery, shipping, handling and transportation charges are part of the sales price. If the emergency preparation supply being purchased is taxable, the delivery charge is also taxable. Consider these charges when determining whether an emergency preparation supply can be purchased tax free during the holiday. For example, if you purchase a rescue ladder for $299 with a $10 delivery charge, the total sales price is $309. Because the total sales price of the ladder is more than $300, tax is

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Thursday, April 16, 2020

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Volunteers at the ready in WilCo

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor A new need for extra hands crops up somewhere in Williamson County every day right now, and when it comes to health-related tasks the Williamson County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is ready to provide volunteers for the cause. Headquartered within the Williamson County and Cities Health District, the MRC is currently a 113-volunteer strong group – led by Coordinator Timothy St. Peter – working to fill in where resources are thin. It may be medical in nature, but St. Peter said volunteers come from non-medical fields as well. Imagine a mass testing or mass vaccination station set up somewhere in the county and all the preparation and work that would entail, and the mission of the MRC begins to take shape in real time. Preparing for both of those possibilities here in Williamson County is part of what St. Peter is working on now as he trains the current volunteers and recruits new ones. “The volunteers are trained to respond to any kind of emergency, kind of like the one we’re in right now,” he said. “In particular, if we had to open up maybe a site where we had mass testing, which is something everyone is talking about, or if there was a vaccine that became available and we had to open a site to give the vaccine, the medical reserve corps is the group of volunteers who would fill the role in that site.” Such an undertaking would require volunteers to take on a wide-range of medical and non-medical tasks to make it run smoothly and effectively. “We have non-medical people who would do things like direct traffic, coordinate parking, coordinate foot traffic, setting up the center and breaking it down and maybe doing phone calls,” St. Peter said. “Then we have the medical staff that does the more medical-specific work such as asking questions about medical background and history, explaining the vaccine and what the side effects could be, all the way up to the people who would actually give the vaccination.” The MRC was established nationally by President George

UPDATE

Volunteers with the Mobile Reserve Corps in Williamson County help staff a mobile WIC site to help residents get the assistance they need through the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy Photo) W. Bush in 2002, focusing primarily on establishing a reserve of medical professionals, but it has expanded and slowly worked its way down to the county level. Today, St. Peter is seeing this public health emergency differently than others that organizations and volunteers respond to in a rush at the beginning. This situation is a little different than some of the natural disasters we would work through because this one involves people who have this virus, which is still an unknown and has a lot of risk to it,” he said. “So this response has been different as it is going to be slow on the front end and really hot and heavy at the end.” Volunteers began their work during the COVID-19 pandemic ﬁelding community phone calls. “What we’ve done so far is the volunteers have been working the phone center,” St. Peter said. “They came in, we gave them the training on what they need to know – the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) certiﬁcation and all the rules – and they would then answer phones at the basic level. If it were a question that required more details then the phone center would transfer it to the epidemiologist.” As the call center mission diminishes, volunteers have begun working in other areas. “Monday, I had a group of volunteers helping at our WIC (Women Infants and Children)

Continued from Page 1

the east and south – Georgetown and Leander – have 21 and 12 cases, respectively. Following the holiday weekend there were positive signs of a slowdown in some of the statistics being reported with the virus, particularly in the number of patients hospitalized in Texas. That number had risen steadily to a high of 1,532 on April 10 before three straight days of decline down to 1,176 on Monday. But over the last two days that number went back up,

reaching a high of 1,538 on Wednesday. The number of deaths in the state has climbed to 364, more than doubling in the last week. The conﬁrmed case count in Texas was at 15,492 on Wednesday. Testing for the virus has increased dramatically over the last two weeks, with more than 50,000 Texans tested in each of those weeks. Texas ranks fourth in the nation for total tests administered behind New York, California and Florida, and is third in tests administered per 1 million population.

mobile site where families can come in and renew or update their account since they can’t come into the office,” he said. The push for new volunteers has been an opportunity for St. Peter to build a long list of those interested in dedicating a portion of their time. And he emphasized that volunteers without any medical background are also critical and needed. “With the type of work we have to do, those without a medical background are very important volunteers for us, too, because they come in and bring a lot of other expertise,” he said. “Pulling the non-medical people in and focusing on their skills to be able to plug them into one of our centers or sites helps the big picture a lot.” And 113 volunteers may seem like a lot, but St. Peter wants to be prepared for anything the MRC may be called to assist with. “We are making a push for volunteers only because we’re not sure what this whole mass testing or mass vaccination plan is going to entail,” he said. “We would definitely need more than the 113 we have now. Even those who would not want to join long term can be helpful and we’re ready for that spontaneous volunteer piece with our training as well.” Those interested in learning more or volunteering can find information and an application on the Williamson County and Cities Health District site.

“That’s the best way to learn about it and look into volunteering because it has a video that tells you about MRC and more information about what we do,” St. Peter said. “Underneath that it has a link for volunteer registration and once they fill out that form it gives me their information and what kinds of things they’re interested in doing.” Having worked with volunteers for more than 20 years – through the Red Cross, Catholic Charities and other groups – he sees a common interest among MRC volunteers. “The volunteers that come in and work with us have this very specific interest in helping in some kind of medical capacity,” he said. “With this group I have college students working on medical degrees, people who are receptionists at dental offices, and even people who come in with no medical background are interested in doing something medical related.” The satisfaction of helping others is unmistakable, according to St. Peter, but the work is hard, and does come with some risk. “With this group I remind people they must be willing to commit the time they have and be as consistent as possible,” he said. “They should also remember we’re going to take on a little more risk than if they were going to volunteer somewhere else because with this response it will be that way until we have more of a handle on COVID-19.”

Well checks The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office has set up an e-mail for those who may need a deputy to attempt contact with someone they are unable to check on or keep contact with. This program is specifically for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to age or underlying health issues, but is not a replacement for 9-1-1 calls. Services are intended only for the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction and

are not available within city limits. Checks will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be based on the availability of deputies. Each request is for one single check of a speciﬁc address. If more than one check is desired a separate and new e-mail must be generated. To request a check, email elderlyconcern@wilco.org with an exact address of person being checked and any detailed information that may be useful

See COVID, Page 5

Page 3

The high art of questioning the rules during the End Times

By WILT CUTTER Columnist After the ice age, after giant famine, after wars, and after this plague is done there will be changes to our collective psyche. Even here, slightly protected by immigrating to the Shin Oak Ridge, the lack of population and less exposure, there will still be an accounting. Some of our sacred social cows will evaporate out of necessity. We’ll miss them at ﬁrst. There are timeless features of our humanness. Every social order has its core ethics, belief systems with different brand names that still protect the precious. Those things won’t change. There are people in the cemetery who taught us right from wrong and to cling to our better angels. Those lessons may be revived or restated, but those monuments are unassailable by time or element. For example, you may worship the God of your choice in Liberty Hill. But you still cannot wear a straw hat until after Easter Sunday. That may not be written in any epistle to the saints but it’s a thing. Trust me. And, you can pull on Superman’s cape but if you root for the Burnet Bulldogs your soul will be required of you. And you will be forever lost. Testing the rules really should be encouraged. The Cutter family always considered me, Wilt Cutter, to be kind of a black sheep of the family. A rule breaker deluxe. One in-law has always tried to make me feel like I belonged more in the goat family. In fact, I have a brother who spent a great deal of his youth attempting to convince me of my adoption. Some of this mistreatment may have honestly been brought on by me and God. I had the good fortune not to really favor the rest of the Cutter family for many years. Just a ﬂuke of nature. Sad thing is that 23 & Me has now cleared up the adoption theory. And for whatever reason I’m just a rule questioner. I’ve always deeply honored the Big Ten rules brought down by Moses, but the rest of the rules I have vigorously and frequently questioned.

Like major league, 24/7. However, never been a blasphemous sculptor, Rule #2; Never murdered anyone, Rule #6; I’ve never been a thief, Rule #8; and I’ve never lied on a neighbor, Rule #9. But the rest of them I am guilty of bending and twisting into unrecognizable shapes; and yes, sometimes breaking Rule #3 got me the most tail beatings by Mama Cutter. I once lawyered up and questioned the authority of the Internal Revenue Service. Although the IRS is not mentioned by Moses in the Bible, I can assure you that particular governmental entity has the authority to follow you down dead end streets, remove your Levis, take your boots and auction your rodeo buckle off to the curious. I would offer up that I’ve known both men and women who have violated Rule #7, which generally ends with an ass whipping and a divorce, but that is still not near of a painful life-altering experience as dealing with the IRS. The rule I’ve questioned the most has been the speed limit. This, too, has been an expensive pursuit. It has ended in the exact same way each time. With me opening my wallet to strange municipal and county governments and paying to remain a free citizen. Although defensive driving companies and lawyers say it’s your right, this, too, should be avoided as a philosophical pondering of the human condition. For the rule-bound pharisee sheep who wear their non-questioning good works for all the world to see, best of luck to you. The prodigal rule-testing sinners seem to always get the best welcome home parties and crowds around the baptistries. St. Mathew and St. Luke agree that Jesus said Heaven and Earth will pass away. And the Prophet Tom Petty said the Rocks might melt and the Sea may burn…. But I say unto you that you still can’t wear a straw hat until Easter Sunday (felt hats will come back after the weather changes next fall) and you’ll need to take both of them OFF when encountering ladies or going in a church or a courthouse or the Capitol. These universal truths should remain like faith, hope and love.

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Page 4

TELEMEDICINE capability. “We weren’t doing any telemedicine until COVID-19 hit,” said Dr. Timothy Spence, a pediatrician with Liberty Hill Pediatrics. “After that spring break week was when everything was kind of coming down the wire with COVID-19 as far as the national response, social distancing and that schools were going to be closed.” They launched their telemedicine efforts using Zoom and the same medical records system the office had always used. Dr. Walter Chesshir, who practices family medicine at Liberty Hill Physician Associates, said they also ramped up quickly, working through the tech challenges to make telemedicine appointments an option for patients. “For us the initial challenge was just figuring out the IT component to get it to work, not just on the patient side but our side as well,” he said. “We were able to get ours up and running fairly quickly, and I take my hat off to our IT team at Cedar Park Regional (Medical Center).” Helping some patients get set up on the technical side has also been a challenge for offices, recognizing that not everyone has internet service or devices that can accommodate the video calls.

BECK

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 1

And then there’s the wildcard of the children themselves. “It’s difﬁcult to do an exam and be 100 percent with it,” Spence said. “The environment can be challenging whether it’s internet connections being hit and miss or a little bit more chaotic when you have a mom with a toddler trying to talk into a camera while the child wants to play with the camera. Your older kids might be more shy, your toddlers might not sit still in front of a camera, and often times those are more of the challenges.” But he also added that the comfort of being at home on the couch during an appointment can also put children at ease. For Spence, the option is a great addition, but he said they are still encouraging some in-person appointments due to their importance. “We are encouraging families to continue to come in for their routine well checks, which seems counterintuitive, but particularly with those younger kids that are needing to get their vaccine series we are stressing that,” Spence said. “Certainly the things the vaccines cover are potentially high-risk concerns themselves.” The ofﬁce works to divide the day, bringing children in for those routine checks in the

Continued from Page 1

whole business is,” Henderson said. “Beck is a full service funeral home where we are here to serve the public and we have the facilities for people to gather and reception rooms for people to gather and basically that’s what we’re all about. For that to all just shut down and have most things now being done on the computer we feel like it’s a real loss of that personal touch.” But Beck carries on, looking for every way to ease the frustration of not being able to memorialize loved ones at this time in the traditional manner. “We take turns with different groups of people coming in, so we will let one group come in, then another group of the family come in if need be, but it is deﬁnitely a different thing

and tough,” Henderson said. “We’ve been doing everything we can. We have some radio transmitters coming so if people come to the funeral home we can at least have the service on a radio station where it can be transmitted to the parking lot.” He’s thankful for the technology and the forward-thinking response to making the most of a difﬁcult situation, but Henderson said the new way of coping is not a replacement for what’s most important. “It is the only thing we can do,” Henderson said. “The actual process is ﬁne. We are able to video it, we can stream it, that’s not the problem. The problem is not being able to be there. The steps we take work. We have online guest books

Thursday, April 16, 2020

morning. “What we’ve done is schedule those in the morning, trying to keep your well kids and your sick kids separated, with sick visits in the afternoon,” Spence said. Both offices have made a point of offering patients the online appointment or an in-person visit. “Anyone who wants to do a telemedicine visit for whatever reason it is certainly okay,” Spence said. “It kind of comes down to what does the patient or parent want. Are they worried about coming into the clinic and exposing themselves and would rather do the visit at home?” In situations where the patient is ill, Spence said they use some basic questions to determine if a telemedicine appointment is appropriate initially for the safety of the patient as well as staff in the office. “When a parent calls in we ask some screening questions,” Spence said. “Do they have fever, cough, shortness of breath? Those are three primary red flags if it is a potential COVID patient or not. If that’s the case then those patients are being limited to telemedicine only visits.” Just like an in-person visit, patients must show up online with certain information avail-

able. “It’s important that the patient have some things ready, family history, past medical history, current medications and current problems, that way it gives us the information we need to help them,” Chesshir said. And all that information from patients is all the more critical because telemedicine’s one big challenge is that it takes away a doctor’s ability to conduct a thorough exam. “A telemedicine visit is not the same healthcare that you’re going to get with an in-person visit,” Spence said. “There are certain decisions that are made based on conversation rather than exams. During the pandemic, when we’re trying to maintain social distancing and keep people safe, we can weigh those sacriﬁces both on the patient side of things and on the provider side of things.” Online appointments have their limits, from the obvious emergency situations, to some more complicated diagnosis that require that thorough exam. “That has been one of the challenges over the years with telemedicine,” Chesshir said. “It could take care of simple things up until now. Where it works well is getting a good patient history. It’s great for follow up visits or if patients

have questions they need to ask. It is comforting and reassuring for patients when they can see the provider’s face.” Spence and Chesshir both said there seems to be a pretty even split right now in on-site and online appointments in their offices. Both see a future with the virtual visits, but neither believes it can replicate or replace the advantages of meeting in person. “It has become very important,” Chesshir said of the technology. “Will it be part of future medicine? That’s hard to say. I definitely say it is going to continue to play a role in medicine and continue to evolve. But it’s been a blessing to have it through all this.” Telemedicine is likely to grow in popularity, but unlikely to become primary. “Long term your office visits are still your best way to practice medicine,” Spence said. “Generally speaking there will

where people can sign online now rather than in person, but it’s just different.” The beneﬁts and importance of preplanning services has also been highlighted by the current situation. “People are anxious for this all to be lifted so they can come in and do that,” he said. “We’re still doing it online and by mail and some people are coming in to do it. The people who had preplanned are way better off than the ones who have not because the ones that are preplanned we can already see their choices. It has been a huge beneﬁt. In a circumstance like this we never thought we’d be in that helps a family a lot because we already know what they want.” When families seek help

planning their services amid the social distancing and mass gathering restrictions, Henderson said everyone is adjusting as best they can. “They are understanding,” Henderson said. “We have to explain to them the parameters and other ways we can meet their needs, and lay out their options in the ways we best have seen how people can cope with all this. But everyone has been understanding.” And in the end, the staff at Beck looks for every opportunity to keep things as close and personal as possible under the circumstances. “We just do what we do with every family regardless of what’s going on,” Henderson said. “We’re there for what they need. We’re sympathetic

and empathetic with them because it’s a big deal for us to be one of those 10 people at their service.” With smaller groups in attendance, Henderson knows his presence means one more person is not able to participate, but in one recent situation at a graveside service he was able to ﬁll the support role staff is there for and also step up to help memorialize the family’s lost loved one. “I was able to stand up at the end and share several memories I had with them because I knew the family,” he said. “I had buried her son and I had also buried her husband so I was able to speak on my experience with their family that maybe added a little bit to that family’s comfort.”

be transitions we make to continue on with it for certain visits. The question will be where can we use this to augment our practice, but certainly not to replace what we’re doing day to day. As we get more experience with it and dial in our protocols then I think it could be a very useful tool for the provider as well as for families.” For now, the added precautions of constantly being in personal protective gear and a steady dose of virtual appointments have made for a strange, sudden new reality that has taken some adjustment. “It’s deﬁnitely a surreal experience that all practices across the country are adjusting to,” Chesshir said. “That’s true especially in primary care where it’s a constant face to face interaction and then all of the sudden it’s not an in-person type of profession. It’s just very different.”

COVID-19 is impacting Liberty Hill. FOLLOW BREAKING NEWS DAILY! WWW.LHINDEPENDENT.COM Sign up now for our E-Newsletter Facilitating small services at a distant is just not what Henderson is all about, and he is eager to be able to return to what means the most to him when he is helping a family cope with a loss. “The personal comfort we offer and we give when people come into the funeral home is not here right now so I know people – especially us – are waiting for this to be done so we can get back to serving our families as we have the whole time. I’m very anxious. We’re not a hands off funeral home, we’re a hands on family to family funeral home and we’re built to hold your hand through the situation so we’re very much looking forward to this being over.”

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Plans taking shape for County projects

By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor Williamson County leaders are zeroing in on a plan of action for the first projects to be funded with the bond funds approved by voters last November. On the recently published list of proposed project budgets, there were five that will impact transportation in the Liberty Hill area. But three of these projects are a bit further along in the planning stage. “There are three projects in the Liberty Hill area that we have hired engineering consultants for to go ahead and begin work,” said Pct. 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long. “One of those is one of our corridor projects that is up north off 183 and 3405 and the second one is the detailed design and ultimate construction of the middle phase of the (SH 29) bypass. The third one is improvements to Bagdad Road between Liberty Hill down to the city limits of Leander.” The $20 million proposed for improvements on CR 279 from Loop 332 in Liberty Hill south to CR 281, will include all the work from engineering and some right of way acquisition, to construction. “What we’re doing right now is we are going to make improvements to it,” Long said. “Ultimately, on the long-range transportation plan it is a fourlane divided type roadway, but right now what the focus is going to be is putting in left turn lanes or right turn deceleration lanes where necessary and rebuild and improve the roadway. We’ll try to buy, where we can, right of way for what the ultimate might look like, but the focus is those improvements right now.” Looking at traffic patterns on CR 279, the use of turn lanes and other additions was the economical first step. “We had to figure out what the best bang for our buck is and really the slow downs are when someone is turning, so we feel like those kind of improvements can make that

COVID

roadway last a good while before we have to go to a much bigger roadway,” Long said. The fact that it was not going to be widened south into Leander also made a difference in the planning from Long’s perspective. “It wasn’t a priority to Leander to make improvements to their section, so it didn’t make sense on the Liberty Hill portion to make those improvements and just turn it into a bottleneck,” she said. The engineering portion is expected to take 12 to 14 months, then the construction will begin after that. One of the other key projects high on the list for Liberty Hill is the middle section of the SH 29 Bypass, scheduled eventually to run from SH 29 on the west end of town, south around downtown, connecting again to SH 29 on the east end of town as a southern loop. “There’s still right of way to be purchased on that for sure,” Long said. “The next thing will be if there is any environmental review that needs to be done – there will be some level of that – but we’ll have to ﬁgure out how long that takes. Then if there are any utilities that have to be relocated we try to stage it so we can begin moving utilities. Finishing the engineering doesn’t mean we’re automatically ready to start construction. It kind of depends on where we are with right of way acquisition and relocating utilities.” The proposal, yet to be voted on by Commissioners, shows $7 million allotted for that project. Long said the County doesn’t know yet how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact costs. “What we typically do is that’s our starting point, and generally the engineering estimates are pretty close because that doesn’t change as much in the market, but two months ago I would have told you we were probably under on our estimates for construction,” Long said. “I have no idea what this whole COVID-19 thing is going to do to con-

Continued from Page 3

to better aid the deputies responding, such as medical or other needs. Unemployment Gov. Greg Abbott said that while 400,000 unemployment claims had been processed by the Texas Workforce Commission as of April 10, that number had increased to 1.1 million by April 13 and the amount paid out exceeded $400 million. Additional business help Abbott also announced Monday there would be an additional $50 million available to Texas small businesses through a partnership between the state, Goldman Sachs and LiftFund. “The loans, made through the U.S. Small Business Adminis-

tration’s Paycheck Protection Program, will mostly be aimed at continuing to pay employees until their employers can restart or revive their business, shuttered or diminished by government-mandated efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” Abbott said. “The loans will either be partially or wholly forgiven. The loans are intended to keep these small businesses and their employees intact until the business can reopen and regain lost revenues.” The LiftFund is a non-proﬁt organization, headquartered in San Antonio, that helps small business owners with limited access to capital.

struction cost or the cost of right of way. I don’t know whether those costs go down or they stay the same, it’s too early to know on that.” There is $5 million slotted for the Corridor I project, which is only in the conceptual phase at this time and a consultant has been hired to dig deeper into the plan. The concept is for the planned road to run from US 183 near FM 3405 west and then south to meet SH 29 west of town. “The line on the map truly is just a line on a map,” Long

said. “That has not been decided at all, that’s what the purpose of hiring this consultant is, is to ﬁnd where that line needs to be. We will work with landowners and stakeholders along the way and there will be opportunities to get input from the people who live there and know that area certainly better than we do.” Other projects on the list that will have an impact on local transportation include the CR 214 extension, intended to eventually extend the road to connect to US 183 and the

future Corridor I. The proposal includes $1 million toward that project. The list of proposed projects and costs listed for the entire county totals $300 million. There is $15.75 million planned to go toward the widening of Ronald Reagan from SH 29 to FM 3405. The $412 million road bond package passed in November 2019 with 62 percent of the vote and the $35 million parks proposal passed with 59 percent. The Citizens Bond Commit-

Page 5

tee presented its proposal to Commissioners in June of last year suggesting a $640 million package, paring down $2.7 billion in initial requests made by county and area city ofﬁcials. The ﬁrst County bond election, in 2000, was for $375 million, the second in 2006 was for $250 million and the 2013 bond was for $315 million. Each has passed with a slightly slimmer majority than the previous bond, but all prevailed with 55 percent of the vote or more.

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PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE OF PROPERTY Friday, April 23rd, at 10:00 a.m., BS Storage, 16600 Hwy 29 W., Liberty Hill, TX. Unit 11, Johnathon Spires. (4/16p) NOTICE TO VOTERS IN LIBERTY HILL NOTIFICATION OF POSTPONEMENT OF THE MAY 2, 2020, GENERAL ELECTION TO NOVEMBER 3, 2020 Texas State Governor – Greg Abbott issued a proclamation postponing the May 2, 2020 Uniform Election due to the ongoing emergency related to the public health and safety crisis arising from COVID-19 Pandemic and pursuant to Section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code. Under the Governor’s Proclamation, political subdivisions must postpone their May 2, 2020 Uniform Election until November 3, 2020. In compliance with the Governor’s Proclamation and Texas Secretary of State’s Order regarding the May 2020 Uniform Election, the City Council of Liberty Hill approved postponing the City of Liberty Hill election to the November 3, 2020 Uniform Election. The City of Liberty Hill will

(512) 778-5577 or NEWS@LHINDEPENDENT.COM conduct an election on November 3, 2020 for Mayor, Alderman Place 2, Alderman Place 4 and Special Election for Proposition One to extend Council Member’s terms from two (2) years to three (3) years. Early Voting and Voting the day of the November 3, 2020 election will be conducted at Municipal Court located at 2801 Ranch Road 1869 in Liberty Hill. When the dates of Early Voting are available, the information will be posted at www.libertyhilltx.gov. If you have questions or need additional information please contact the City Secretary of the City of Liberty Hill, Texas - Barbara Zwernemann at 512548-5512 or bzwernemann@ libertyhilltx.gov. (4/23) NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bid proposals addressed to Clayton Properties Group, Inc. dba Brohn Homes on behalf of Williamson County Municipal Utility District No. 23 (the “District”), c/o LandDev Consulting, LLC, Attn: Caylea Pogue, will be received from qualified bidders until 2:00 pm CST on May 7, 2020 at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735, for furnishing all labor, supplies, and supervision necessary for construction of Morningstar Phase 3, Section 4 and Phase 4, Section 1 & 2 Subdivision (the “Project”). The Project involves construction of subdivisions and associated infrastructure including grading, roadway, water quality ponds, waterline, gravity wastewater line, storm sewers, erosion controls, and associated appurtenances. Bids will be opened and publically read aloud at 2:00 pm CST at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735, on May 7, 2020. No faxed bids

will be accepted. Any proposal received after the closing time will be filed unopened. Bids must be submitted on the form included in the bid documents, in sealed envelopes marked “Bid for Morningstar Phase 3, Section 4 and Phase 4, Sections 1 & 2 Subdivision Project”. Plans and Specifications for the Project may be examined without charge at the offices of LandDev Consulting, LLC, 5508 Highway 290 West, Suite 150, Austin, Texas, 78735. Bidders must contact Caylea Pogue at LandDev Consulting, LLC in order to view and/or obtain electronic access to proposal forms, plans, specifications, and contract documents without charge (telephone: 512-872-6696 or email: caylea.pogue@landdevconsulting.com). A bid must include Bid Security in the form of a certified or cashier’s check or a bid bond issued by a surety legally authorized to do business in Texas, payable to the District, in an amount of at least 5% of the total amount of the bid, in accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.271(c), as a guaranty that, if awarded the contract, the bidder will promptly enter into a contract with Clayton Properties Group, Inc. dba Brohn Homes on behalf of the District and furnish bonds on the forms provided. If a Bid is Accepted, the contractor will be required to furnish, at the contractor’s expense, (i) payment and performance bonds in accordance with Texas Government Code Section 2253; (ii) a one year maintenance bond in the amount of 10% of the contract price, in a form and substance, and with a surety satisfactory

to the District, upon final payment and acceptance under the contract; (iii) worker’s compensation insurance coverage in accordance with Texas Labor Code Section 406.096; and (iv) general liability insurance insuring against liability for bodily injury, personal injury, death, or property damage. No Bid may be withdrawn for at least 90 days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Award will be made on the basis of the lowest responsible bidder that is considered the most advantageous to the District and result in the best and most economical completion of the Project in accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.273(c). The right is reserved to waive any informality in the bidding and to reject any or all bids. The Project is being constructed by Clayton Properties Group, Inc. dba Brohn Homes on behalf of and in the name of the District. The contract will provide that the contractor will look solely to Clayton Properties Group, Inc. dba Brohn Homes for payment of all sums coming due thereunder. Minimum Wage Scale: The contract will require compliance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 2258, Subchapter B, pertaining to prevailing wage rates. In accordance with Texas Water Code Section 49.279, the District specifies the prevailing wage rates for public works established by Williamson County, Texas as the District’s prevailing wage rates. The contractor for the Project must pay not less than the specified prevailing wage rates to workers employed by it in execution of the contract. (4/23p)

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COUNCIL

THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Continued from Page 1

as cities and school districts were making the decision to postpone or appear poised to do so. The two items slated for the City election are the Mayoral race between Hall and challenger Liz Branigan, and a measure asking voters to determine the length of council terms, either extending them to three years or keeping them at the current two years. Following the election and swearing in of the new Council, the winner of the Mayoral contest, as well as Council members Kathy Canady and Tony DeYoung – who did not draw an opponent – will be paid a monthly salary. The Mayor’s salary is $40,000 per year and Council members’ salary is $12,000 annually. Council positions do not draw the salary until they next come up for election. The salary was approved as part of the current budget, passed by the Council in September 2019. Charter election In addition to postponing the Council election, the Council also voted to push the planned Charter election for Liberty Hill to May 2021. “I think it’s best to postpone the charter (election) in November and push it to the May election of next year,” Hall said. “Now that we’ve had a 30-day delay – and we don’t know how long that delay is going to be – I think it’s best we push this item to the May election.” It is expected that within a couple of weeks of social distancing and gathering restrictions being lifted that the appointed charter committee will get back to work. “I know the committee is

LHISD

chomping at the bit to get back together so I would assume within a couple of weeks after this stay home order is lifted they will want to get back together,” Hall said. “They’re anxious about it because they want to get it done.” The committee met once prior to the recent orders being imposed. “The first time was basically about what the charter does and what their role is in it,” Hall said. “It was a very high-level charter overview and what the expectations were. It was nothing really about the actual charter.” The 10 named to the committee are: Larry Allman, Kathy Canady, Bill Chapman, Daniel Duckworth, John Johnston, Liz Rundzieher, Kim Sanders, Whitney Brace, Keeling Neves and Dianne Williams. Policy clarification The Council approved an updated Living Unit Equivalent (LUE) guidance document, establishing more specific definitions for different types of residential and businesses types. Hall used the example of a single-family home versus and multifamily structure such as a duplex in explaining why the update was needed. “It really wasn’t very explanatory in the old version as far as multifamily goes,” Hall said of the new guidance. “We just had to detail that out because the way it was looking with our old chart was that for a three-plex it was one LUE per building, and to me it looked like we were only charging them a third of an LUE per unit. Those are the kinds of things we were trying to get clarified.” The new guidance gets into more detail on commercial

Continued from Page 1

and the current status of the Santa Rita project helped avoid a huge impact. “They have had a couple of material delay issues coming from out of state,” Sledge said. “In our case at Santa Rita Elementary most of the materials were on site or in local storage so we were fortunate in that regard. It could have been much worse. Even the delayed items will make it before opening. We were over 90 percent materials on site when this started, which is a big deal and we just caught a break there.” The substantial completion date on the calendar for Bartlett Cocke is July 1 and that date has not changed and change is not anticipated at this time. “It looks like they are going to make that and if so, that

means the district will have the ability to start moving in furniture and things like that throughout the month of July and into August,” Sledge said. The Santa Rita project, which has a guaranteed maximum construction price of $27.2 million not counting soft costs – items like design and furniture – began with a contingency fund of $625,750 that is now sitting at $650,348. “At this point we’ve spent none of that money on the net side,” Sledge said. “We’ve actually saved money on it. We’ve credited to that money so there is more available. That’s taxpayer money that just stays with the district if it’s not used. Every bit of that can go to the next project if needed.” The new campus is taking

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property, focusing on the type of business rather than simply by size of the facility. “There really wasn’t a lot of explanation in there for commercial property either,” Hall said. “You might have a 3,200-square-foot office building that’s got a call center and two bathrooms. You will have minimal water and sewer usage in there, but then you have another 3,200-square-foot location where a laundromat is located. They use a lot of water and a lot of sewer but it’s still a 3,200-square-foot building. Is that equivalent for what we are charging?” Downtown intersection A task order was approved by the Council, naming Steger Bizzell to provide plans and specification, bid and construction management and inspection services for the intersection work planned for CR 279 and Loop 332. The engineering services will cost the City $114,482 for the project, which is estimated to have a total construction price tag for the intersection – without the adjacent parking lot – of $858,081. The plan will alter the Loop coming from the east toward CR 279 to create a T-intersection with a three-way stop. Traffic coming into downtown from CR 279 would be able to turn right onto the Loop or continue into downtown after a stop. Drivers entering downtown from the east on Loop 332 will be able to continue right on the Loop with a yield or turn left onto CR 279 after a stop. Traffic leaving downtown will be able to continue south on CR 279 or turn left and continue on the Loop following a stop. To assist with traffic control

shape and beginning to show its identity as the facade goes up and interior finishes are being worked on. “It is all dried in now and that’s huge,” Sledge said. “Finishes are going in the building like wall and floor tile, some rooms are being painted and some light fixtures are gong in. You an definitely see what it’s turning into now.” Dealing with COVID-19 The decision was made by County officials to list construction projects under essential businesses, allowing projects like Santa Rita Elementary, and Liberty Hill’s newly started middle school project to continue. County Judge Bill Gravell explained the importance of allowing construction work to continue throughout the county due to its impact on the economy and the lower risk to workers. “The OSHA guidelines are as stringent or more stringent than the guidelines we have for social distancing and cleaning and washing their hands,” he said. “If we were to shut down construction in Williamson County it would be roughly 40 percent of our economy. I am not more concerned about our economy than I am about life, but that is one trade that I think is essential and I believe they can have the appropriate social distancing and we can be successful.”

Thursday, April 16, 2020

at the intersection and designate the continued right into downtown from the Loop, a triangular median will be constructed at the intersection. The project replaces a plan scrapped by the Council in May 2019 to construct a roundabout at the intersection. The City awarded a bid in April 2019 for $1,372,104 for the roundabout and adjacent parking lot project on the laundromat property.

Hall added that the new pump station and storage would help improve fire flow in town from the west end. There were five bids received, ranging in price from the award amount up to $2.38 million. The engineer’s estimated cost prior to bids being received was $1,876,640. “This project is actually part of the PID (Public Improvement District) being used for Butler Farms so this will be reimbursed back to the City,” Hall said. “We will have the cost up front, but once the PID is being funded we can be reimbursed for this.”

New pump station The Council voted unanimously to award a bid in the amount of $1,797,235 to PGC General Contractors for construction of a new pump station and ground storage tank on the west side of town. “This will ultimately provide water for the Butler Farms development on the western side of the City of Liberty Hill, and it will also have connection that will provide water redundancy back into town with a couple of locations where it is connected back into the city,” said Curtis Steger with Steger Bizzell.

any issues we’ve missed as far as deadlines because of this.” The police department is running normal shifts, and the public works staff is running with half the staff on at a time and rotating them out, according to Hall, while 65 to 70 percent of the remaining staff work remotely. “As far as the admin staff goes, there are about four people in the ofﬁces on a daily basis then other staff is working opposite days to minimize the amount of people in the building at a given time,” he said. Computer and technology upgrades around the beginning of the year have made it easier to manage the remote working plan. “It allows a lot tighter security and it allows more ﬂexibility,” Hall said of the upgrades. “Luckily we had all that done before this hit and it has made it pretty easy to work remotely. All of our computers work off of remote desktops so nobody physically saves any information on their computer.”

Remote working As the City copes with the same social distancing and mass gathering restrictions as businesses in the area, a majority of city staff members have been working from home. “It’s been somewhat of a challenge because I guess for me it’s always been easier to walk into someone’s ofﬁce and just ask them a question,” Hall said. “The staff has been doing very well and I haven’t seen

WCAD urges homeowners to take advantage of available savings on property taxes

GEORGETOWN -- Williamson Central Appraisal District announced Wednesday that approximately $6,175,000 in savings are being left unclaimed by homeowners who have a rightful stake in those monies. This is based on the 18,977 property owners in 2019 who had a mailing address that matched the situs address of their property. The district included a homestead application with the 2019 Notice of Appraised Value, in hopes that it would encour-

age property owners to apply and claim some of the savings. Texas law mandates that schools give a $25,000 reduction in taxable value to residential homestead properties. At the 2019 average school tax rate of 1.301153%, each property could have saved an average of $325 on school taxes. When these potential savings are multiplied by the 18,977 properties that started 2019 without a general homestead, the amount of money that could remain unclaimed is

incredible. Texas has a late filing provision that allows for exemption applications to be filed past the deadline, if the application is filed no later than two years after the delinquency date for the taxes on the homestead. To qualify for an exemption, a property owner must meet specific requirements. For requirements on each exemption, visit https://support. wcad.org/portal/kb/articles/ homesteadexemptionrequirements.

That news has allowed LHISD projects to stay on track, but some changes can be seen on work sites. “It’s been interesting industry-wide for sure,” Sledge said. “Our contractor, Bartlett Cocke, has done a really nice job taking a leadership role to help protect all of the staff and subcontractors and deliveries on site.” Some alterations to work ﬂow and project management have been made to accommodate social distancing guidelines. “They’ve worked hard on working distant, which you can imagine is tricky sometimes,” Sledge said. “Even walking the site is different. We’re much more mindful of how we do it. As I’ve watched everybody work I’ve been very impressed with the individual responsibility. You can see everybody working, and there’s 100 or more people working, but they have done a really good job of staging out and phasing through their work differently. The net result of all of these actions is what we’re seeing is the workers are recognizing that they are well protected.”

ized in February. The ﬁnal price for the land was $2,138,063.25, but the school district will save some money by not having to incur the additional costs for utility or road infrastructure to accommodate the campus. “A road needs to be built and completed by a certain date,” Snell said. “Water, sewer and electricity needs to be brought in by a certain date. That’s very expensive and something school districts really can’t afford to do, or you have to plan well in advance for it. It’s a great partnership with the Santa Rita neighborhood to build the road and put in the utilities.” The campus is set to have a student capacity of 900 and has a budget of $50.5 million. It is planned to open in 2021. “They have begun moving dirt out there in a very significant way and what you’d see out there right now is a lot of heavy equipment working quickly,” Sledge said. “They are able to order materials and haven’t seen any negativity on that so far. They ordered building steel for example, and it seems like that is going to be delivered per normal.” The two-building campus will be about 150,000 square feet, compared to the 105,000 square feet in the new Santa Rita Elementary. The east side of the main building of the new middle school is where two gyms,

coaching and locker room facilities will be located. The location will allow access to the gyms after hours while easily closing off the remainder of the campus. It also allows controlled access to locker room and coaching offices. The remainder of the main building is for administrative offices, kitchen and lunch room, as well as theater, band, art and career and technology classrooms. All other classrooms will be located in the two-story second building on the west end of the property. The library is at the center of the academic building. The classroom building is designed to have sixth-grade students primarily separated from seventh and eighth graders in one side of the second floor. For the higher grades, humanities is located on the first floor with science classes on the second with lab space, all wrapped around the library space. While the campus is designed for 900 students, many of the core spaces – such as the library and cafeteria – are sized larger so additions can be made to the campus without having to expand those spaces.

A second project Work has begun on the new middle school, to be built in Santa Rita as well, on 32 acres situated directly east of the intersection of Santa Rita Boulevard and Ronald Reagan, after the land purchase was ﬁnal-

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, April 16, 2020 Page 7

Nice to hear friendly voice during tough times

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Sometimes in life, it’s the little things that make all the difference. A “good job,” from your boss out of the blue, someone holding a door open for you or maybe even a smile and a “hello” from someone you don’t even know. Random gestures of kindness can go a long way toward at least somewhat restoring one’s faith in mankind. For example, on a recent weekday evening on the way back from our weekly supply run, the phone rang. Who could that be? Upon arriving back at home base, a missed call showed it was none other than Liberty Hill athletic director and head football coach Jeff Walker. Hadn’t heard from the ol’ local ball coach since right after the pandemic hit and all highschool sports were suspended. Could he have news about a possible resumption of activities? Or perhaps just a story idea? A quick listen to the voicemail and it’s simply a “how ya doin’?” call. Warmed the heart. After all, we have an excellent rapport and working relationship, but we’re certainly only acquaintances on a personal level. So, it was sure a very nice gesture to reach out just to see how the sports editor is doing during this most unusual and unprecedented time. Something he certainly didn’t

SHANNON HOFMANN FILE PHOTO

Abbey Janicek (#5) had the idea for the Lady Panthers’ toilet-paper juggling video.

Lady Panthers ﬁll time as best they can

ALEX RUBIO FILE PHOTO

An unexpected phone call from a friendly face made our day recently. have to do – but, still did. Ever since we arrived in Central Texas back in August of last year, the one thing that has been most impressive has been the overwhelmingly good nature of most people here in the Lone Star State. We’ve been many places during the course of our journalistic journey over the years, but never happened upon a place that instantly felt like home upon arrival. Coach Walker’s kind, thoughtful gesture was simply the latest example of the good feeling we get here, as opposed to other places we’ve been – most notably our home state of California. Here’s a guy who has a wife and kids to look after and he found the time to call little ol’ me. More than anything, that’s what we’re all being deprived of at the moment.

Good, old-fashioned human interaction – none of this social-distancing, six-feet-way business we’re being forced to adhere to. All the little moments every day when we feel connected to the rest of mankind have suddenly been taken away so we no longer have that daily dose of camaraderie – be it with family, friends – or even just acquaintances. Maybe after all this is over, we can move forward with a more keen appreciation for what we all provide for one another as we go through our respective lives. Perhaps we’ll even be allowed to shake hands or exchange hugs again at some point. Hey, we can dream, right? But, for the time being, something simple will certainly work just ﬁne. Like an unexpected, friendly phone call.

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor Bryden Bourgeois and her Lady Panther teammates were supposed to be still kicking soccer balls around in their quest for the program’s first-ever state title. Instead, they were forced into finding a substitute. Toilet paper. Due to the global pandemic and all of the restrictions that apply because of it, the Lady Panthers have been relegated to finding ways to occupy their time in isolation while waiting to learn if they will kick on with their current campaign. So, why not make a video with each member of the roster doing their best juggling act with that most-important-and highly-coveted resource? According to Bourgeois, the genesis of the video was the brainchild of fellow junior captain Abbey Janicek, who was duly inspired by a similar effort by her college soccer

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sisters. “I believe it was Abbey’s idea,” said Bourgeois. “We saw the women’s soccer team at Brown University do it and thought it would be fun to make and work on together.” So, there it was with each player using anything and everything – but their hands, of course – in keeping a roll aloft with the utmost of skill and control until moving it along outside the frame of the picture at which point the next cleverly-edited athlete would take over and so on until every member of the team had done their part. Bourgeois said the project was another example of the camaraderie that exists among the ranks of the current squad. “Being close comes pretty naturally with the group we have this year,” she said. “We’ll text in our group chat pretty regularly just to talk to each other -- we all miss each other and are all still close.” When a group of young people spend more time with

each other than their respective families under normal conditions, an enormous void is experienced when all of a sudden one’s second family – so to speak – is removed from the equation. Not to mention the repercussions of a season that was going so well with such high expectations and an anticipation level to match. When the UIL announced on March 16 all sports were to be suspended until at least May 4, the Lady Panthers were about to begin what they hoped was going to be a long postseason run resulting in a return to the Class 4A state championship game. Instead, the last regular-season game on March 17 – Senior Night against rivals Lampasas – was postponed and the Lady Panthers haven’t seen the ﬁeld since. In fact, this week would’ve been the state semiﬁnals and championship already.

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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Lady Panthers capture No. 1 regional ranking Girls squad atop the final regular-season poll

By SCOTT AKANEWICH Sports Editor At the moment, nobody knows when – or even if – the 2019-20 high school soccer season will resume due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as of now, the Liberty Hill girls have captured the top spot in the final regional rankings of the regular season. The Lady Panthers’ 18-1-3 record on the season has left them ranked number one in Class 4A Region 4, as well as number two overall in Class 4A overall behind only Giddings (25-0-1). In fact, Liberty Hill’s only defeat of the season was to Dallas Highland Park (18-2-1), who are ranked first in Class 5A. But, head coach Darren Bauer isn’t all that concerned about the number in front of his squad’s name. “We don’t really worry about rankings,” he said. “We always have a target on our backs and we’ve had some good quality wins this season.” For team captain and junior midfielder Abbey Janicek, it offers some encouragement during a dark time, while providing motivation when the team returns from its forced hiatus. “It feels really good,” she said. “We needed some good news with everything going on and it gives us something to prove when we go back.” The season was suspended right before the Lady Panthers were to wrap up the regular season with a Senior Night matchup against Lampasas on March 17 and this week would’ve seen the state tournament take

place in Georgetown. Despite the fact UIL has stuck with its original statement of resuming the season and completing it in full, the very real prospect of it never happening looms larger as each day passes without balls being kicked, something that certainly isn’t lost on Janicek, she said. “That will really hurt because I felt like we had a good team with a good rhythm,” said Janicek. “Plus, it was also our last year in Class 4A.” Bauer knows he and his team are in a good spot to contend for their first-ever state title on the heels of last season’s championship game appearance and believes his squad was right where he wanted them when the pandemic hit. “Honestly, there weren’t too many surprises,” he said. “We’re always looking to the future as far as what our young players can do.” Players such as freshman striker Kailey Fowler, who is the club’s second-leading scorer with 26 goals on the current campaign and fellow first-year player Kassidy Contreras, but Bauer is perhaps even more impressed by how some of his veterans have continued to thrive in new places on the pitch. “Both Kailey and Kassidy have stepped right into starting roles for us,” he said. “But, then I look at players like Emma (Stephens), who last year played outside in the midfield and is now inside and Alyssa Lee, who is now a defender after having been in the midfield.” Sophomore Stephens leads

Ortiz completes Eagle project

Before social distancing became effective, Logan Ortiz of Liberty Hill BSA Troop 196 completed his Eagle project. Ortiz chose to install a flag pole at the football field at City Park on CR 200. He noticed that before games, when the National Anthem was played, the kids had to drape the American Flag out of the press box window. Ortiz knew he could make it better, so with the help of his parents, Josh and Britney Ortiz, and the scouts of Troop 196, he developed a plan and managed the installation of a new flag pole, located at the north end of the football field. In the photo from left, kneeling, are Ross Moore, Connor Ford, Thomas MC, Timothy Hannaman. Standing, are Reagan MC, Ryan Moore, Logan Ortiz, James Hannaman and Carson Ford. (Courtesy Photo)

the Lady Panthers with 38 goals – up from only 13 during her freshman season and after Fowler established herself atop the formation, junior Piper Tabor moved out wide from the central position now occupied by Fowler and hasn’t missed a beat, chipping in with 17 goals. While the individual excellence has been exquisite, Bauer is also pleased with his club’s collective ability to adapt, which was a concern entering the season. “We lost some defenders off last year’s team and we were implementing a new formation,” he said. “But, I think we’ve answered all the questions we had going in.” If and when the season does resume, Bauer is confident his players will have the ability to pick up right where they left off – not only due to its dedication and togetherness, but also because his roster doesn’t contain any seniors. “I don’t think it’s as much of a concern as it might be for some other teams,” he said. “I know fitness is an issue for everyone, but the fact we don’t have any seniors means we won’t have any players who might have other priorities or might not want to come back. But, I can see both sides of whether or not the season will be resumed now that it’s already been pushed back so far.” Janicek said the longer the pandemic continues to disrupt the calendar, the stronger her resolve and desire to reunite with her fellow footballers becomes. “The longer this goes on, the more I want to play soccer with

SHANNON HOFMANN FILE PHOTO

Liberty Hill’s girls’ soccer squad is poised to make a run at the Class 4A state title once the season resumes. my team again and I feel like we never got to actually finish the season,” she said. “It all happened so fast and when we got the first delay, we didn’t know it would last this long.” Janicek also recognized the gravity of the current situation – one which continues to evolve – compared to at the beginning. “It’s so crazy how fast everything moved and how a few months ago we were all making jokes about it, saying it wouldn’t come here and now it is,” she said. “I also see the doctors working so hard to help all the patients and I’m so thankful we have amazing healthcare workers that are putting themselves in danger to help others.”

Bauer echoed his captain’s sentiments. “It’s only been a month, but it already seems like three months,” he said. “But, I believe in our players and I’m sure they all want the chance to finish off the season. I know how close they are and how they know they need to stay in shape. Skill-wise, they might not be as sharp coming back, but they’re a close-knit group and have the leadership to make sure everyone stays focused.” Bauer also acknowledged the fact although their soccer lives have been turned upside-down by the current conditions, there are still much more pressing concerns. “Nothing is normal right

now and everybody’s in the same boat,” he said. “At this point, you stop and look at all the people who are not only struggling with death, but suffering because of job losses and things like that and you step back and say to yourself, ‘Maybe our season isn’t so important after all.’ But, at the same time, a lot of meaning goes into what we do.” For Bauer – who also teaches -- he said he also feels a void off the field. “Something like this really makes you realize how much you love your job,” he said. “It’s not just soccer – I miss being around the other teachers and students every day, which is something we sometimes take for granted.”

Video Continued from Page 7 However, the entire playoff schedule to date has been postponed, meaning at lease temporarily, all the hard work the squad has put in is currently in a state of suspended animation, something that has hit home quite hard, said Janicek. “It was really sad, to me at least, because playoffs is the best part of the season,” she said. “I was excited to make the run to state.” Game days are especially difficult to deal with. “I randomly will start missing the team and I’ll either go on long runs and just listen to music or go out and play soccer by myself or with my sister,” said Janicek. “I try to work out every day and get touches on the ball.” Visual reminders is sometimes all that is required to stir up emotions, said Bourgeois. “It’s been a hard thing to think about and I try not to think about it too much,” she said. “We all get the pictures, which pop up from this time last year, and it makes me sad, especially for the newcomers on the team because playoffs is where we bond even more. We talk to each other a lot about how we wish we could be playing.” Remaining in top cardio

condition for when the season resumes is easy enough, but the absence of teammates during training presents an altogether different challenge when it comes to keeping one’s skills finely tuned, said Bourgeois. “Keeping my fitness level hasn’t been especially hard for me because working out helps me to not be bored,” she said. “Keeping soccer skills is harder because it’s such a team sport, it’s hard to keep up skills on your own, but I try.” Bourgeois said it was last season’s playoff run that fueled her and her teammates this year, only to have the plug pulled. “Playoffs was what pushed us to work so hard since the state game last year,” she said. “Having our season not play out the way we expected was really heartbreaking and disappointing.” As for when she and her teammates are once again in each other’s company, she can only hold out hope. “I think we’re all just really hoping we get the chance to play with each other again this year,” said Bourgeois. “Our first practice back will probably give (head) Coach (Darren) Bauer more wrinkles because we’ll just be so

SHANNON HOFMANN FILE PHOTO

Bryden Bourgeois (#19) has begun walking her dog and reading to occupy her time during the outbreak. excited to see each other we’ll forget we have to actually play soccer.” Janicek added normalcy will probably take awhile to feel, well, normal again. “I feel like it’ll be weird to adjust back to normal life after being forced to adjust to staying inside and away from my friends,” she said. As for how she’s filling all the spare time brought on, Bourgeois is taking advantage by engaging in activities she wouldn’t have time for under ordinary conditions. “I actually started to walk my dog, so I think she appreciates my time off,” she said. “I watch a lot of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and I even started to read, which is a first.” Janicek has taken to picking

up a paintbrush to help ease her soccer sorrow. “I’ve been watching Netflix and my sister likes to paint so I’ve started to paint with her as well,” she said. So, who exactly has the best skills with a roll of toilet paper at their disposal? “I would say Cordelia (Brown) has the best juggling skills,” said Bourgeois. “She’s always juggling at practice when she’s not in the middle of the drill. Juggling toilet paper is definitely difficult, but I’m not a fan of juggling either way.” Janicek deferred to one of her midfield sidekicks. “I think Emma (Stephens) has the best juggling skills,” she said. “It’s way different than juggling a ball.”