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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter May 2015© City of Georgetown, 2015 VOL.12 • NO.5 A Publication of the City of Georgetown May 2015 A bond proposal on the May 9 ballot in Georgetown would authorize $105 million to fund transportation projects over 10 years. Funding would be in three categories: build, design, and planning. Build:construction of new roads or sidewalks Design:engineering to make projects shovel-ready when construction funding is available Planning:initial design work Proposed projects would address five key transportation objectives. North-south mobility: 1 DB Wood Road (build)University to Oak Ridge 2 Wolf Ranch Parkway (build) 3 Southwest Bypass (build)Wolf Ranch Parkway to DB Wood Rd. 4 Southwestern Boulevard (build) 5 Southwest Bypass (design)Wolf Ranch Parkway to University Ave. 6 DB Wood Road (plan)Oak Ridge to Overlook Drive 7 Shell Road (plan) East-west mobility: 8 Leander Road (build) 9 Leander Road Bridge (design) 10 East University Avenue (design) 11 NE Inner Loop (design) 12 Stadium Drive (design) 13 SE Inner Loop (plan) Central core mobility: 14 Northwest Boulevard Bridge (build) 15 Rivery Boulevard extension (build) 16 I-35 northbound frontage (build) 17 I-35 southbound frontage (plan) 18 Williams Drive (plan) Sidewalk and ADA accessibility: $10 million (build) Intersection and safety improvement pool: $5 million (build) Transportation Bonds May 9 Ballot Note that anticipated transportation projects may be adjusted as a result of market conditions, available state or federal funding, or other factors. Property tax rate increase from bonds: Maximum 2 cents per year Maximum 10 cents cumulatively First-year tax impact for average homeowner: $31* Cumulative impact for average homeowner: $252* *Average home value: $210,000. Tax impact analysis subject to change based on future values, market conditions, and other factors. Details at bonds.georgetown.org. Completion of engineering and design work enables a project to be eligible for funding from other local, state, or federal sources when they are available. Contract with the Voters District 5 Election Ty Gipson and Paul Nadeau are candidates for District 5 in the May Georgetown City Council election. Anna Eby is unopposed for -District 1. Polling Dates and Places Early in-person voting is April 27 through May 5. Election Day is May 9. The last day to register to vote is April 9. For polling places, dates, and hours, go to wilco.org/elections. May 25 Memorial Day City offices and facilities closed Regular solid waste and recycling collection Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org May Events A 150-megawatt solar power agree- ment finalized in February, in addition to a 144 megawatt wind power agree- ment last year, will make the City of Georgetown one of the largest munic- ipally-owned electric utilities in the U.S. to be 100 percent renewable. The agreements allow the Georgetown utility to avoid price volatility associated with fossil-fuels. A power purchase agreement with SunEdison for solar energy spans 25 years from 2016 through 2041. The contract with EDF Renewable Energy for energy from a wind farm near Amarillo starts in 2016 and extends through 2035. The contracts provide electricity at a lower overall cost than previous wholesale power contracts. The combination of solar and wind power allows the City to provide ener- gy from complementary renewable sources in order to meet demand pat- terns. The solar power produced in West Texas will provide a daily after- noon supply peak that matches the daily energy demand peak in Georgetown, especially during the hot summer months. Wind power produc- tion in the Panhandle tends to be highest in the off-peak, evening or early-morning hours. This means that wind power can most often fill power demand when the sun isn’t shining. “By securing these renewable con- tracts, the utility can consider itself 100 percent ‘green’ at extremely com- petitive costs for energy. And we hedge against future fuel and regula- tory risks,” says Jim Briggs, interim city manager for the City and general manager for utilities. Author David Liss, May 14 Hill Country Authors Series pres- ents San Antonio author David Liss at the Georgetown Public Library at 2:00 p.m. Details at www.folgeorgetown.com. The Table on Main on May 17 The Table on Main, an open-air din- ing fundraiser for 160 people, will be served on tables down the center of Main Street on the Square. Registration at 6 p.m. Hors d’oeu- vres and multiple courses introduced and served by chefs from Eats on 8th, El Monumento, Gumbo’s, The Hollow, Nancy’s Sky Garden, and Wildfire. Proceeds benefit Main Street’s downtown beautification and public art projects. Details and tickets at mainstreet.georgetown.org. Memorial Day Ceremony, May 25 Annual event at Veterans Memorial Plaza, 2 Texas Drive in Sun City at 9:30 a.m. honors men and women who gave their lives serving in the U.S. military. Details at www.sctxca.org. Festival of the Arts, May 28 – 31 Eleventh annual festival Romance in Georgetown, featuring the lives and music of Robert and Clara Schumann at venues in Georgetown. Free concert and fireworks show at San Gabriel Park on Saturday evening. Sponsored by the Georgetown Symphony Society with funding from the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board. www.gtownfestival.org. The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of Georgetown Public Communications Department, P.O. Box 409, Georgetown, Texas, 78627. For questions or comments, contact Keith Hutchinson, public communications manager, at (512) 930-3690 or by email at keith.hutchinson@georgetown.org. Georgetown Utility to Be 100% Renewable May Events Farmers Markets Sun City Market, Tuesdays 9 a.m. to Noon, 2 Texas Drive at Social Center Georgetown Market, Thursdays 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Church of Christ, 1525 W. University Ave. Details at www.gtfma.org Wolf Ranch Farmers Market, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wolf Ranch Town Center, 1015 W. University Avenue, WolfRanchFarmersMarket.com. The Palace Theater Spamalot,April 17 – May 17 Details at GeorgetownPalace.com, or call (512) 869-7469. First Friday, May 1 Downtown live music, shops, and restaurants are open late. See the Downtown Georgetown Association website at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Sun City Garden Tour, May 2 – 3 Beauty by the Yard, the seventh annual tour presented by the Sun City Garden Club, is Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. See seven yards and gardens in full spring bloom. Advance tickets March 2 to May 1 are $12 online www.sctexas.org or at SCTCA office, 2 Texas Drive or Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh Street. Tickets $15 at the door. National Day of Prayer, May 7 24th annual National Day of Prayer community event in Georgetown, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Georgetown ISD Stadium, 2275 N. Austin Avenue. (Rainout loca- tion: Main Street Ministry Center, 10th and Main streets.) Sun City event, 9:30 to 11 a.m., The Worship Place, 811 Sun City Blvd. Georgetown Public Library Fandomonium May 9 Georgetown Public Library announces the first-ever FANDOMONIUM event on Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join us for trivia, guest pan- els, crafts, food, Legos, Minecraft and other fandom fun with a spe- cial guest appearance by Rob Harrell, illustrator/author of the Adam@Home comic strip and books Monster on the Hill and Life of Zarf. Free and open to all ages. Costumes strongly encouraged. Market Days, May 9 Handmade arts and crafts, food, and more on the Square from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Art for Animals, May 9 Postponed from February, this annual event, 4 to 7 p.m. at the Community Center in San Gabriel Park, showcases artwork, handmade items, and gift baskets and benefits the Georgetown Animal Shelter. Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door include appetizers and desserts. Wine available for purchase. Details at artforanimals.georgetown.org. A SunEdison solar farm in California is about half the size of the one SunEdison will build in West Texas to power Georgetown.