Lake Travis View (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 21, 1988 Page: 4 of 16
sixteen pages : ill. ; page 16 x 10 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
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OPINIONS
Viewpoint
Trustees need input
Hastings lauds LTISD budget, open
meeting
Letters to the editor
(Sre I I I IFRs Page |()i
I^ast week’s budget meeting with trustees of the Lake Travis Indepen-
dent School District (LTISD) was one of the smoothest ever That was
due to several reasons, probably the chief being that Supt Walter
Howard had done his homework well He and his staff have systematical-
ly snipped and sliced and pared the “want" list of all the principals
and others who help come up with the first draft of a budget. In fact,
they had cut so deep that trustees eventually decided to restore some
of the cuts for fear that the district would run into utility or maintenance
problems that would bankrupt the budget.
But another major factor in the way the meeting went was the input
that was allowed from the public, and the orderly fashion in which that
was conducted
The school board has been under fire recently for what some con-
sider “gagging" or "muzzling" the public Rules, apparently long in
the policy but seldom if ever enforced, now limit when and how long
a member of the audience can speak, and forbid questions or discus-
sion on topics brought up by the public. The reason given for the new
enforcement of board policy was that meetings were getting out ot hand
with public comments
However, the budget meeting showed that order can be maintained
while members of the public speak out. and the budget prttcess was
enriched by a number of valuable ideas contributed by audience members
who care as much about the school district as the trustees
There's no question that order is needed in a public meeting But public
input is needed, too. and district residents have few ways to get their
opinions to trustees other than the school board meetings An opening
up of communication is direly needed, and the budget meeting proves
that it can be done
To the Editor:
Would those who know me say that I'd
been out in the sun loo long if I said I’d ac-
tually enjoyed a Lake Travis Independent
School District board meeting.'
James R. Hastings
Lakeway 7X734
Lauren Vicknair
Lakeway 7X734
Last Thursday s meeting on the budget
was outstanding Understandably, every
meeting cannot be thrown open to general
public discussion However, on this parti
cularly important and sensitive subject,
board president Bonnie Siddons encouraged
and received a very amiable and produc
live exchange ol ideas There was no de-
fensive posturing from any party The un
frivolous camaraderie was both refreshing
and stimulating
poured
Well.
However, the lakes upstream from us. m
what is referred to as the Highland Lakes
Chain, had rankings that were not nearly
so impressive Lake LBJ was ranked No
36 and I ake Marble I alls was ranked So
14 What, you might ask. does this have
to do w ith anything ’ Isn't the tact that Lake
Travis is reated very high enough1 Abso
lutelv not1
preventing new plants from dumping eftlu
ent into the lake I his was |ust the first tn
a series ot battles fought and won bv the
PI I A in order to keep the lake clean How
ever, the job ol keeping the lake waters
clean is tar from complete
Yellow orange loam appears at times
A waxy residue is now on the lake
bottom
Every year, some 96 lakes in lexas are
ranked according to the amount ot plant hie
they contain, the clarity of the water, and
the amount of phosphorus and other chem
icals in evidence This year Lake Travis
was ranked No 2. which is a fact that all
ol us can be proud ot
Inn'* new swim
rules unpopular
To the Editor:
Although I understand that last summer
the Lakeway Resort and Conference Cen
The PI I A was instrumental in conun
cing the l exas Water Commission ( FWC)
to reject the permit and pass rules and laws
Here are a tew more points to ponder
concerning deteriorating conditions that
long time residents ol the area closest to the
discharge have observed in the past tew
years
Vertical lake clarity has declined from
over X ieet to only 4 feet
Sc um now appears on the lake surface
Algae growth has advanced to unstghl
ly proportions in some area
Live bait perch on trot lines survies
12 hours as opposed to the 16 hours it once
surv iv ed
To the Editor:
Six years ago. the Protect Lake Travis
Association iPL I A) was formed by a group
ot citizens who wanted to help prevent what
they saw as a real and potentially hazardous
situation At that time Baseline Corpora
lion sought a permit to pour 350.000 gal
Ions ot treated wastewater into the lake
It is natural tor the substances poured in-
to these lakes to flow directly into Lake
Travis Add to this the tad that the dump
mg site in Marble Palis is very close to the
dam that separates it from Lake Travis and
one can see it doesn't take long tor the sew
age to reach the clean waters of 1 ake
Trav is.
Many people have the idea that treated
wastewater is “sate " Although raw sew
age is treated by various chemicals and
passes through several stages in a treatment
plant, the resulting effluent still contains
millions ol hazardous viruses These wal
er borne viruses can cause gastro mtestin
al illnesses and hepatitis It takes only one
virus to cause illness in one person Multi
ply that by the millions of viruses
into our lake waters each day and
draw your own conclusion
Lake LBJ and Lake Marble Falls are the
only two lakes in the Highland Cham that
have a substantial amount of treated waste
water poured into them on a daily basis
Their ranking would seem to indicate that
the cleanliness ot the lakes is directly re-
lated to the amount of effluent that is al
lowed to enter the lake Currentlv. Kings
land pours 350.(NN) gallons of effluent into
Lake LBJ and the city ol Marble Falls has
a permit to dump some 470.000 gallons ot
treated sewage into Like Marble Falls, both
amounts on a daily basis
Water quality still
deteriorating on lake
The meeting was lengthy, but interest
never flagged Every topic was considered
thoroughly, engendered by superintendent
Dr (Walter) Howard's excellent prepara
lion and clear presentations. Everyone. I
believe, left the meeting comfortable with
the care with which this year s budget is be-
ing formed And when the final objectives
are published and the price tag is set. I feel
certain the taxpayers (including parents)
will agree
ter had problems with unsupervised chil
dren. I am a bit vexed at their new require-
ment concerning p<»ol usage. I purchased
property in Likeway with the clear under
standing that I would have tree access to
the swimming pools al the inn
Now I am told that I can only sw im alter
purchasing a S75 or S85 annual member
ship that includes swimming priv ileges and
miscesllaneous discounts This, to me. vi
olates the spirit ol Lakeway . although the
Lakeway Company tells me that the inn is
within its legal rights It seems to me that
Lakeway Resort anil Conference Center is
cutting off its nose during a Band Aid
shortage
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TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
•as I>i Suite 12 i mailing address
Austin l\ ’ll? 14 telephone
(ieorgc Phrnis
john Roloen
Diane I Alt
|Mhe lafernc?
Sandra Bvhrc
lb mg Frier
10? Ranch
*121 2b I 4971
Roh Hardy snt
Mi A xhAn I At k
Lake Travis Water Level
Jtilv 11.. 667.63
lull 12.. 66X25
July 13 671.43
Jtilv 14..671.90
July 15 672.02
July 16..671 92
July I7..67I.H7
Reading* .m Liken at * a nt dailv al
Mansi it* Id Dam by thi I ( R X < «w»
sCf v4(nWl pm»l If v f I Is r»M I I If above
mean *ca loci
The I AM TRAVIS VIEW is published weekly tor S15 (Mi per
year in Travis ( <»unty and 125 outside the counts bv Sendero Publish
mg Lakeway Inc 1200 Lake way Dr Suite I? Austin Tex 7N7.14
Owt-of Mair subscriptions are tax exempt I he newspaper is published
52 weeks annually Second class postage paid at Austin lexas under
I S Postal Service second class publication number ’MU’ Vy
The (.ake Travis View serves the communities on the south side of
lake Travis
The Publisher shall not be liable tor failure to publish or distribute
all or any part of any issue because ol labor disputes act idents fires
acts of (rod. or any other circumstances beyond the reasonable control
of the Publisher I urthrr the Publisher shall not be liable tor damages
if for any reason he tails to publish any advertisement
Publisher
(renrral Manager
Managing Idifot
Advertising Ihrcitoi
Reporter
Advertising Reprevi
(MIkc l?<M)lak v
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< tHMributiNs R.hi H>rk Mhnfolhv Judv fIgrr
tAvkson Sam kifch SA Hix Maarlcvgld John
Met bran l.i V In Milan < Wall.
Page 4 • l^ke Travis View • Thursday. July 21. I9XX
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Lee, Diane. Lake Travis View (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 21, 1988, newspaper, July 21, 1988; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1267962/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting City of Lakeway.