Boerne Star & Hill Country Recorder (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 45, Ed. 1 Friday, July 1, 2005 Page: 4 of 32
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PAGE 4A
THE BOERNE Star & Hill Country RECORDER
Friday, July 1, 2005
Boerne Star Editorial
___•
r AA ADe D
A W W R ------
A decision must be made
on residential growth
The issue of residential growth in Boerne doesn't seem to be
going anywhere as Round Two of the battle over large-scale de-
velopments seems eminent.
Many residents are adamant on halting such developments and,
led by the Boerne Together group, will no doubt gather en masse
to protest the second attempt by the Schwarz family to annex 124
acres on Highway 46 East into the city.
The first time around the city council was able to dance around
the subject, ultimately voting down the annexation, citing sewage
capacity issues.
The Schwarz family was upset with the decision and rightfully
so.
They have every right to develop and profit from their land, but
should that right be stymied for what some feel is the greater
good of the community?
On Monday councilman Bob Manning tried to make that deci-
sion early by not accepting the petition for the annexation at all.
This would have essentially foregone the public hearing process
and denied the Schwarz family — and other residents for that
matter — the right to plead their case.
Even though this battle has been waged before and opinions on
the subject are well noted, the process can't be compromised.
Yes, the same arguments will be made, but this time some hard
decisions must be made that somehow were avoided last time.
City Council members have to look at the facts and make a de-
termination on what the city can support and weigh the good and
bad on both sides.
It won't be an easy job and adding to the anxiety will be a mob
of angry residents who feel their opinions aren't being heard.
In the end, the council won't be able to please everyone, but
whether they like it or not — and whether we like it or not — the
decision is theirs to make and the city and its residents must live
with the consequences.
It’s time to step to the plate, choose a side and make a decision.
Controlling growth not always pretty
There's a small town in Mis-
sissippi called Madison, in a
setting not a whole lot different
from Boerne.
Its a popular bedroom com-
munity just outside a large met-
ropolitan area with a great
school district and a thriving
economy.
And just like Boerne the issue
of growth takes up most of the
discussion when it comes to
city government.
In order to create its own little
utopia this city has developed
some of the strictest zoning or-
dinances and housing regula-
tions in the country.
Not only do they regulate how
large each lot and house must
be, but they also have regula-
tions that dictate the home's
color and how much brick —
certain colors of brick — must
be used in its construction.
So if you grew up dreaming of
a canary yellow house on a hill,
Got to stay uniform people! This is a higher form of segre-
For the greater good you must gation my friend, plain and sim-
forget your rights as a home- ple.
owner and fall in line. Property It’s taking the "white flight"
values and asthetically pleasing suburban dream to the Nth de-
subdivisions are at stake! gree. I'm surprised that the city
Oh, and you ask about afford- hasn't erected a big red-brick
able housing? No such thing fence around its borders with
here. Apartments are not al- security gates to keep the un-
lowed. There is not one apart- wanted people out.
well, you'd better live some- ment complex in the entire city. Talk about a "Boerne Loop!"
where else. No pastel colors al- Not one duplex or townhouse or I write all this as a precaution-
lowed. . loft over a business. ary tale for the city of Boerne as
If you build a shed in your They'll tell you it's because it faces unprecedented growth
back yard you have to apply for there is no land zoned for multi- in the coming years.
a permit with the city and it family housing, but basically Are stricter ordinances and
must be constructed with the it’s a way to keep the more regulations needed here? Yes,
same brick and architectural de- common elements of the popu- but within reason.
sign as your home no metal lation out of this man-made It has reached the point where
storage units here. utopia. city leaders must pay attention
Down to the color of your They have successfully insti- to each development and make
roofing tiles, city leaders dictate tuted these changes assuring demands on developers that
all of this up front with devel- that if you don't have $250,000 will help better the community
opers assuring that they will to spend on a home you can't as a whole.
have perfectly uniform little live inside the city limits. It's es- Still, there is a difference be-
subdivisions that look like they . sentially the country club of tween controlling growth and
were created from stencils or small towns. instituting dictatorial rule,
house-shaped cookie cutters.
THIS DOG’S DAY
STEVEN G.
WATSON
MANAGING
EDITOR
Where everybody knows your name:
Worth Quoting ...
"In every person who comes
near you look for what is good
and strong, honor that; try to
imitate it, and your faults will
drop off like dead leaves when
their time comes."
— John Ruskin
7 ofli
Bible Verse ...
"The Lord will fulfill his
purpose for me; your love,
O Lord, endures forever do
not abandon the works
of your hands."
- Psalm 138:8 (NIV)
II
1895
MARGULIES
©1005 THE w mwJev
www.vortnjeney- ce-jrey"$
Where
everybody knows
your name.
Social Security
number, and
Credit card
accounts:
—
• • ai
Write us a letter ...
The Boerne Star welcomes letters on any public issue.
Letters may be mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand-delivered but must
contain the writer’s name, address and phone number.
Addresses and telephone numbers are for verification purposes
only and will not be published.
Names and city of residence will be published.
We reserve the right to edit all letters for style and content and
refuse letters that would be objectionable to readers. We also will not
publish anonymous letters. Letters should not exceed 300 words.
Priority will be given to letters concerning local topics and written
by people who’ve not published a letter in the last 30 days.
Call 249-2441 with questions regarding the submission of letters to
the editor for publication.
Letter to the Editor, PO Box 820
Boerne, TX 78006
news@boernestar.com
Letters to the Editor
Cartoon doesn’t help
those fighting for freedom
I find your cartoon, showing an Iraqi child holding a piece of fire-
works at the character of Uncle Sam, to be of great offense. My son
is serving in the military and he along with thousands of other mil-
itary and civilian personnel are trying to bring freedom and choice
to the people of Iraq. What we don't need are cartoons depicting
more violence towards the United States or our people. I didn't
think I'd ever see this in the local Boerne Star.
- Maralene Anderson
Bergheim
of the above readers criticizing the Commissioners for wasting time,
what about the U.S. Senate? Don’t we have a war going on? Is not
the trade deficit a problem? Is not illegal immigration worthy of dis-
cussion?
Could it be that your paper is a shill for the national Republicans
and refuses to run anything critical of them? I mean surely, you have
received dozens if not hundreds of letters criticizing Senator
Hutchison. I mean, surely, not all of the above persons are hyp-
ocrites with hidden agendas against the County Commissioners
Court.
- Emily Minster
Austin
The Boerne STAR
EDITORIAL
www.boernestar.com
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Contributing Photographers
Amy Anderson, Brandon Cheek
Contributing Writers and Columnists
Mary Alice Yelverton, Dr. John Kelly, Natalie Morgan, Jan Wrede, Anita
Porterfield, Pamela Painter, Vera D’Spain, Paula White, JoAnn Power, Ken
Nietenhoefer, Dr. James Dobson, Bill King, Jim McCormick, Ellen Damstra,
Regina Alexander, Tom Harris, Tom Lanier, Jim Pendley, Kathy Senkbeil,
Ron Warden, Bill Ward, Peary Perry, and Oscar Garcia.
MEMBER OF Texas Press Association, National Newspaper Association, South Texas Press
================== Association, Texas Gulf Coast Press Association
KIEMBER
2003
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
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P.O. Box 820 • 830-249-2441 FAX 830-249-4607
THE BOERNE STAR is published twice weekly for $39 per year in
Kendall County, $47 elsewhere in Texas and $55 per year outside of Texas by The Boerne Star, 282
N. Main, Boerne, Kendall County, TX. 78006. Periodical postage paid at Boerne, TX. POSTMAS-
TER: Send changes of address to THE BOERNE STAR, P.O. Box 820. Boerne, Texas 78006-0820.
The Boerne Star welcomes letters on any public issue. Letters may be mailed, faxed, e-
mailed or hand-delivered but must contain the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let-
ters should not exceed 300 words. Addresses and telephone numbers are for verification pur-
poses only and will not be published. Names and city of residence will be published. We re-
serve the right to edit all letters for style and content.
Fairness lacking in DST coverage Parents should speak up
I am baffled. In a Senator (Kay Bailey) Hutchison column, she I attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new elementary
spent about 500 words explaining a bill before the U.S. Senate con- school last week and something Dr. Kelly said spurred me to write
cerning Daylight-Saving Time. this letter He stated that the BISD taxpayers would be asked to fund
Wow, I thought, remembering the vitriolic outpouring from about new schools every five years because of the future growth in
a year ago when the Kendall County Commissioners Court Boerne. I see the sign KB Herff Ranch “COMING SOON” (600
broached the subject of Daylight-Saving Time. At that time Ted houses) across a field and wonder if this new school will be full be-
Maxym, Nancy McLarry and Lemuael T. Sinclair made derogatory fore it even opens. I wondered if something could be done NOW to
comments in regards to the court broaching such “mundane” topics slow this process down of asking the voters to fund new schools so
and wasting time. Recently when we again switched to Daylight- frequently. Yes, in 2005 we have an opportunity to slow the process
Saving Time, constant critic of the Commissioners Court Karen down by not annexing large scale developments into the city of
Wetzel reminded the public about the “waste of time” that the Com- Boerne. County developments will occur, but the percentage of chil-
missioners spent on the subject. dren in the schools will be minimal to the district individually.
With all of the venom having been spewed at the Commissioners One of the reasons that the city sees to annex is to add new tax-
Court for “wasting time” on the subject of Daylight-Saving Time, I payers in order to pay for the city services that the county residents
could just imagine the deluge of letters to the editor that a U.S. Sen- use (because they don't pay city taxes). When this occurs, thousands
ator would evoke for daring to broach the same subject, much less of families with children will move here, overburdening and over- ,
actually spend time penning a newspaper column on the subject, crowding our existing schools. Yes, the city will be solving their *
much less actually having the subject on the U.S. Senate floor. problem, but creating a much larger one. The BISD taxpayers, city
It has now been weeks since the publication of Hutchison’s col- —--------------------------------caalE-repo name FA
umn and guess what? Not one letter of outrage. Nada. Zip. With all ° ‘Pag
WRITE ’EM!
KENDALL COUNTY
JUDGE EDDIE VOGT
204 E. San Antonio
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9343
Commissioners
ANN REISSIG
GENE MIERTSCHIN
DARRELL LUX
RUSSELL BUSBY
204 E. San Antonio
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9343
CITY OF BOERNE
MAYOR PATRICK
HEATH
402 E. Blanco
Boerne, Texas 78006
249-9511
BOERNE ISD
Superintendent
JOHN KELLY
123 W. Johns Rd.
Boerne, Texas 79006
249-50C
COMFORT SD
Superinter ent
JOHN ROUSE
232 High
Comfort, Texas 78013
995-3664
STATE LEVEL
GOVERNOR
RICK PERRY
State Capital, Room 200
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 463-2000
STATE BOARD
OF EDUCATION
District 5
205 W. Travis
Fredericksburg, Tx,
78624
(830) 997-9759
STATE RER
CARTER CASTEEL
District 73
P.O. Box 312404
New Braunfels, TX
78131
(830)627-8820
fax. (830)627-8895
STATE SENATOR
JEFF WENTWORTH
District 25
1250 NE Loop 410 St. 720
San Antonio, Tx 78209
(210) 826-7800
FEDERAL LEVEL
PRESIDENT
GEORGE W. BUSH
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20000
REP. HENRY BONILLA
District 23
2458 Rayburn HOB
Washington. DC 20515
(202) 225-4511
(202) 225-2237 fax
San Antonio Office
11120 Wurzbach
Suite 300
San Antonio, TX 78230
(210) 697-9055
(210) 697-9185 fax
U.S. SENATOR
JOHN CORNYN
Russell Bldg. Rm. 179
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2934
KAY BAILEY
HUTCHISON
703 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5922
San Antonio Office
145 Duncan Dr., Suite
120
San Antonio, TX 78226
210-340-2885
210-349-6753 (FAX)
MEETING TIMES
BOERNE
CITY COUNCIL
7:30 p.m. second and
fourth Tuesday of the month,
City Hall, 402 E. Blanco
KENDALL COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
9 a.m. second and fourth
Monday of the month, Kendall
County Courthouse,
204 E. San Antonio
BOERNE ISD
Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
second and fourth Monday of
the month, BISD boardroom
COMFORT ISD
7 p.m. second and fourth
Wednesday of the month
at the board offices
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Boerne Star & Hill Country Recorder (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 45, Ed. 1 Friday, July 1, 2005, newspaper, July 1, 2005; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1663377/m1/4/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library.