By SUZANNE GALLIGHER,Contributor
Photos by Brandon Burkhardt
The Vandegrift ViperBots are advancing to regionals – all eight FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams.
Seven ViperBot teams advanced out of the Austin Metro League Championship held Feb. 3 where 46 teams from Austin and the surrounding area competed for one of 12 spots to the Alamo FTC Regional Championship on Feb. 16 – 17 at VHS.
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
More than 300 guests attended the 8th annual Viper Nation Gala on Saturday night and raised tens of thousands of dollars for educational initiatives of the Viper Nation Education Foundation.
Dan Troxell, Leander ISD superintendent, and Don Christian, president and CEO of Concordia University Texas, both spoke at the Feb. 10 event at the J.W. Marriott in downtown Austin. They gave inspiring words on the importance of building tomorrow’s leaders within the school classrooms.
No pruning till June 30
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
Oak wilt — an infectious disease that kills trees — has been confirmed in Steiner Ranch and the homeowners association is reminding residents how to help prevent the destructive tree fungus.
Steiner Ranch has an exceptionally low occurrence of oak wilt centers, said Clay Bales, forester from the Texas A&M Forest Service, Continue reading
By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News
The current timeline for the RM 620/RM 2222 bypass project is for construction of its first phase to begin this fall, with completion in mid-2020, Texas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Diann Hodges said. The second phase is expected to begin construction in the fall of 2019, with an anticipated completion in mid-2020, she said.
“We are still awaiting environmental clearance which is anticipated to happen later this spring,” Hodges said. “Following clearance, the project will be put out to bid.”
During the upcoming roadway improvements, a raised center median with turn bays will be added along RM 2222 to control turning movements to local businesses and minimize disruptions to through-traffic, according to Texas Department of Transportation documents. Source TxDOT
Proposed medians may hinder the ability for some local shop owners to earn a living
By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News
Skot Ingram, owner of Skotz Inc., a welding company that fronts RM 2222 near RM 620 in Austin, said he remembers when his shop was the first building in Four Points. That was in 1967. Now, Ingram said a proposed roadway project along RM 2222 set to be complete in 2019 will render his company ineffective, forcing him to move to a new location outside city boundaries and beyond the reach of Austin bureaucracy.
“We’ve been here for 50 years,” he said. “I’m sort of the old-timer out here. The first concrete (of the Skotz building) I poured myself. Bobby Ray’s Texaco was on the corner. Mr. Little’s Gulf (gas station) was across the street. I was the biggest building (in Four Points) until 3M came in. (RM) 620 was a two-lane road.”