Notices

Changes are coming next week to the northbound Permanent Ramp locations on TxDOT’s Ramp Reversal Project from the Blanco River to south of FM 150, weather permitting. Current schedule is as follows:

Monday night (6/19) into Tuesday morning, Angel Brothers will close the outside lane of the northbound I-35 mainlanes between the Blanco River and Yarrington Road to complete striping and move signs to the new exit ramp north of the Blanco River. Once completed, new Exit Ramp 210 to Yarrington Road will be opened permanently to traffic. The existing exit ramp to Yarrington Road, 0.4 miles south of Yarrington, will be permanently closed and removed. The I-35 outside lane closure is scheduled from 9 PM on 6/19/17 to 5 AM on 6/20/17. The inside and middle lane of traffic on I-35 will be open to allow traffic to pass during this lane closure.

Tuesday night (6/20) into Wednesday morning, Angel Brothers will close the outside two lanes of the northbound I-35 mainlanes from ½ mile south of Yarrington to 0.6 miles north of Yarrington Road to move Portable Concrete Traffic Barriers from one ramp to another ramp under construction. The I-35 outside lane closure is scheduled to begin at 9 PM on 6/20/17 and the middle lane closure will begin at 11 PM on 6/20/17. All lane closures will be picked up by 5 AM on 6/21/17. The inside lane of traffic on I-35 will be open to allow traffic to pass during this lane closure, however anticipate delay through this area overnight.

Wednesday night (6/21) into Thursday morning, Angel Brothers will close the outside lane of the northbound I-35 mainlanes from ½ mile south of Yarrington to 0.6 miles north of Yarrington Road to complete striping and move signs to the new exit ramp north of Yarrington Road. Once completed, new Exit Ramp 213 to FM 150 (Center Street) will be opened permanently to traffic. The existing exit ramp to FM 150 , 0.83 miles south of FM 150, will be permanently closed and removed. The I-35 outside lane closure is scheduled from 9 PM on 6/21/17 to 5 AM on 6/22/17. The inside and middle lane of traffic on I-35 will be open to allow traffic to pass during this lane closure.

Thursday night (6/22) into Friday morning, Angel Brothers will close the outside lane of the northbound I-35 mainlanes from ½ mile south of FM 150 to 0.1 miles north of FM 150 to complete striping and move signs to the new entrance ramp. Once completed, the new Entrance Ramp to 1-35, ½ mile south of FM 150, will be opened permanently to traffic. The I-35 outside lane closure is scheduled from 9 PM on 6/22/17 to 5 AM on 6/23/17. The inside and middle lane of traffic on I-35 will be open to allow traffic to pass during this lane closure.

Laureen Chernow
Hays County

Hays County Encourages Residents & Visitors to be Weather-Aware as 2nd Anniversary of Memorial Weekend Flood Approaches

The May City Council Meeting has been postponed until May 10th.

PUBLIC NOTICE

CITY OF UHLAND TEXAS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

The City of Uhland is giving notice of the city’s intent to submit a Planning and Capacity Building Fund application for a grant from the Texas Community Development Block Grant Program. The grant application request is for $36,180.00 for citywide planning activities named in the application. The application is available for review at City Hall during regular business hours. Para obtener una copia en espanol, comuníquese con más información en español, comuníquese con Karen Gallaher at (512) 398-7399.

To whom it may concern,

 My name is Margo Blevins, and I work for the Texas German Dialect Project (www.tgdp.org) based at UT Austin. The TGDP strives to record and preserve the Texas German dialect and to pass Texas German history, culture, and language on to future generations. As part of this, we are working to interview people who still speak the German that has been passed down over generations.

 My question for the Uhland City Hall is this: do you know of anyone who remembers any of the German their ancestors spoke? People do not need to be perfect German speakers (i.e., remember everything) — we’re just doing our best to preserve what’s left. 

I would be more than happy to talk with you on the phone, answer questions via email, or meet with you in person. Please feel free to contact me by replying to this email, or by calling me at work (512- 910-5047) or on my personal phone (512-803-8288).

Thank you for any help you can offer!

Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to hearing from you.

 Best,

Margo Blevins

Texas German Dialect Project Research Assistant

Commissioner Jones would like to extend the invitation for you to attend the public hearing for the FM 2001 Realignment project. It will be held on March 28th at Studio Estates Club House. The Open House will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a presentation at 6:00 p.m. If you have any questions please contact the office at 512-262-2091. Please see the link from TXDOT as well as the attachments above.

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/austin/032817.html

Thanks to the support of our Partnership and contributions from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the City of Kyle, sampling is currently underway in the Plum Creek watershed to better understand the complexity and primary sources of bacteria loading in Plum Creek.

A 12-month bacterial source tracking study will be examining the DNA signature of fecal bacterial found in Plum Creek.

HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN!

We need fecal samples from a variety of animal species (including Homo sapiens) in the watershed to refine our DNA library. Lucas Gregory, a research scientist with the Texas Water Resources Institute and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will be leading a team to collect samples.

We need volunteers to allow the team access to collect fecal samples from the following:

Human – Wastewater Treatment Facility (8)
Human – Septic System (8)
Cattle (6)
Horses (2)
Sheep (1)
Goats (1)
Chickens (2)
Turkeys (2)
Feral Hogs (10)
Various small and medium mammals (10)
NOTE: Sampling will be completed discretely and your privacy will be protected. Due to laboratory processing times, sampling needs to take place on Mondays.

SO, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THIS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT STUDY TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WATERSHED PROTECTION IN PLUM CREEK, PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL WITH:

(1) YOUR NAME
(2) BEST WAY TO CONTACT YOU
(3) TYPE OF SAMPLE YOU COULD PROVIDE
Thank you so much for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Nick Dornak
Plum Creek Watershed Partnership
http://plumcreek.tamu.edu/
(512)213-7389

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – The Hays County Local Health Department has received confirmation from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a local, travel-associated case of Zika virus infection in Hays County. The individual, who is not contagious and does not pose a risk to Hays County residents, contracted the illness while traveling to Puerto Rico in August 2016.

The mosquito that carries Zika is native to Central Texas. Zika virus is transmitted to persons primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito (Aedes species, which can also transmit West Nile virus, dengue fever and chikungunya virus). The Aedes mosquitos are aggressive daytime biters and are located near populated areas.

The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is typically mild and lasts about one week. During that time, a mosquito that bites an infected person can carry the virus to the next person it bites, so it is critical to follow your health care provider’s recommendation to reduce exposure to others.

Preventative measures residents can take to avoid mosquito bites include:

• Draining any water around their property (mosquitos can breed in as little as a
  bottle cap full of water)
• Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants
• Using EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin or oil of
  lemon eucalyptus (follow directions closely)

Travel Precautions in Texas

On December 14, 2016, CDC issued guidance related to Zika for people living in or traveling to Brownsville, Cameron County, TX. On November 28, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported the state’s first case of local mosquito-borne Zika virus infection in Brownsville. Additional cases of mosquito-borne Zika have been identified in the area, suggesting that there is a risk of continued spread of Zika virus in Brownsville, TX.

On January 22, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted interim guidelines for health care providers in the United States caring for pregnant women during a Zika virus outbreak. Zika infection in pregnant women may be associated with congenital microcephaly and fetal loss. Guillain-Barre syndrome has also been reported in patients after suspected Zika infection. CDC is recommending that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. A link to the guidance can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6502e1.htm. Persons with suspected infections should also be evaluated and managed for possible dengue and chikungunya virus. Aspirin and other NSAID’s should be avoided until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of hemorrhage.

The Hays County Epidemiology Team continues to remind local health care providers and partner organizations to be aware of Zika as they see patients and to ask about travel history. The County works with providers to help them assess the need for laboratory testing and facilitate testing from the State Health Department lab in Austin.

Hays County encourages people to follow travel precautions and avoid mosquito bites. The Zika virus has been declared an emerging public health threat by the World Health Organization. For more information about the Zika virus, visit www.TexasZika.org and http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ and for information about the Hays County Mosquito Surveillance Program visit Fight the Bite.