Johnson City
Politics
Commissioners recognize historic Alba Ranch in Dripping Springs
The Hays County Commissioners Court adopted a proclamation recognizing the historical significance of the Alba Ranch in Dripping Springs, while the Texas Historical Commission recognized the Alba Ranch with an official Texas Historical Marker. The historical marker honors the Alba Ranch as an important and educational part of local Dripping Springs history. Over four generations, the Alba family settled nearly 1,000 acres in Hays County since Mexican-born Victoriano Alba first moved to Dripping Springs in 1903 with his eight children. According to the proclamation, additional historical contributions by the Alba family included the first recorded birth at the Hays County Courthouse...
Dripping Springs to host 'Sun Block' party during total solar eclipse
DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — The total solar eclipse is happening Monday, and many places around Central Texas are hosting special events to celebrate and watch. The Hill Country will be a hot spot to see the eclipse in totality. Dripping Springs is "about to throw some shade," according to...
Horseshoe Bay Residents Urged to Conserve Water from April 5-9
Horseshoe Bay is asking its residents to save water from April 5-9. This is to ensure there's enough water for drinking, firefighting, and emergencies. Residents should turn off their irrigation systems during this time. The city welcomes any questions at 830-598-8741 and thanks residents for their cooperation.Visit here for more details.
Johnson City's PEC Launches Teacher Spotlight Award to Honor Local Educators
Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), located in Johnson City, Texas, has launched a new initiative to honor local teachers. The Teacher Spotlight Award is designed to acknowledge the valuable contributions of teachers in classrooms and communities. Nominations for the first award are open until April 30, with the winners to be announced in May.
Just 1 Texas Town Named Best Towns In America With Fewer Than 10,000 Residents
Texas is probably better known for our large cities than tiny towns. Being the second largest state in size and population, everything being bigger in Texas is more than just a saying. As such three cities in the Lone Star State were recently named Top 100 in the world, with Houston, TX ranking higher than both Austin and Dallas, TX.
Dripping Springs ISD receives $19,500 donation for reunification training
Dripping Springs ISD will receive $19,500 from Hays county, allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act, to cover the cost of training district and campus administrators in reuniting students with their families in the event of an evacuation. (Elle Bent/Community Impact) A donation from Hays County will cover the cost...
Patriots' Hall of Dripping Springs project inches closer to fruition
Patriots' Hall of Dripping Springs is located at 231 Patriots' Hall Blvd., Dripping Springs. (Rendering courtesy Patriots' Hall of Dripping Springs) Local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts will soon have a place to call home with the looming completion of Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs, a 10-acre resource and amenity hub dedicated to veterans and their families.
Dripping Springs businesses shine at Star Awards
Chamber president Susan Kimball addresses the crowd before Bama Brown takes over to announce the winners. PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE WINTER Trey Powers, with City Bank Mortgage, was recognized as a retiring Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce Board member. PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE WINTER The Legacy Award was presented to Pam Owens, who is retired from the Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau. This award is selected by the Chamber president in recognition for lifetime contributions to the Dripping Springs community. PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE WINTER The Non-Profit of the Year award went to Fortis Therapy Center. Executive Director Meredith Kapchinski, PT, DPT accepted the award. Fortis Therapy Center is a nonprofit pediatric therapy clinic that provides therapy, fitness, and wellness for children of all needs. PHOTO COURTESY OF LANCE WINTER
Patriots’ Hall names new executive director
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Retired Lieutenant General Scott McKean was named the executive director of Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs — a 10-acre campus dedicated to providing services and resources to Central Texas veterans and their families. The organization’s mission is to create a permanent retreat and resource base for veterans of all ages and military branches to connect and find support. Patriots’ Hall features a 7,100-square-foot multipurpose facility that is capable of hosting events and other veteran support organizations; it’s expected to offer a variety of resources to veterans, including basic needs, education, Veterans Affairs benefits assistance, mental health, physical health and transition services. “In essence, the mission is to help veterans and their families connect, grow and thrive in our community. It’s as simple as that,” said McKean, who was selected to become executive director by the Patriots’ Hall Board of Directors because of his vast leadership experience, commitment to service and passion for assisting veterans. McKean was commissioned in 1990 as an Armor officer from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served more than 33 years in the United States Army and has led at every level from platoon to division command. He deployed to Iraq five times between 2003-2017 and he also served three tours in Korea. During his career, McKean and his family were stationed throughout Texas, including Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) in Killeen, Fort Bliss in El Paso and he finished his service at Army Futures Command in Austin. “I spent the last three years working [ atArmy Futures Command in Austin] and it gave me a great opportunity to find a place to live here in the Central Texas area and we found Dripping Springs. As I started getting to know folks in the community, I learned about Patriots’ Hall,” he said. “I went there and visited. It was just a volunteer thing for me just to go and kind of see how I can help what their role was. From that point, we just really matched and we just kind of started trying to get this mission moving forward.” McKean explained the history behind Patriots’ Hall, starting about six years ago, the VFW's and American Legion’s buildings in Dripping Springs were basically condemned and they were looking for a place to meet. Kathryn Chandler, who eventually became the founder of Patriots’ Hall, took that role on and began raising money to buy land in order to get a VFW facility constructed. However, after being told to look at the bigger picture, Chandler and some others who were helping her, including Dripping Springs ISD Trustee Mary Jane Hetrick, did some surveys in the Hays County area. “They got a great and very clear message from the veterans. What they were looking for was somewhere where they could come together, meet with their fellow veterans for the camaraderie, a one-stop place to get assistance when needed and find ways of contributing to their community,” McKean said. Contributing to the community was emphasized by the veterans’ spouses in the survey feedback, McKean said. “I think this is something that's not uncommon to our experience in the military. As you move every two to three years, you're moving to a new community. It's just kind of how the military service runs. The spouses volunteer in the community and when you are serving, you know that if you're not deployed, or doing that, you're also serving within the community,” he said. “Once you leave the military, it's hard to find [a community] if you don't know people [and] if you don't have folks with a common background. And so that camaraderie and that bringing folks together is what these veterans are looking for.” Currently, McKean said that they are learning about other veteran organizations, conducting surveys and seeing what they can offer at Patriots’ Hall — this includes hosting veteran organizations that are virtual, but are interested in having a physical presence. “As we've been doing our surveys, a lot of these veteran organizations, and there's a lot out there, they are virtual. They may host one or two events a year somewhere, but they're virtual type organizations. And so what we're doing is [reaching out to] organizations to see who would like to have that physical presence, day-to-day presence at one location,” he explained. “We're not trying to recreate services that others are doing. If someone's doing it and they want to come, we’ll host them in this facility because that's the whole point of it. We take advantage of what other people are doing and give veterans some consistency and dependability about where they might be able to find those resources.” McKean said that there are different ways that the community can help, including residents who know a veteran that may be undergoing some challenges should direct them to Patriots’ Hall. “The community knowing that not only is this a place that we're trying to assist veterans, [but] this is a place where veterans are going to come to figure out how to best serve their community. This is where we start connecting better with the community and really building those relationships,” he said. “That person next door is someone that you can rely on and somebody that you can ask something for if they need something … I think it's gonna take the Dripping Springs area and Central Texas just to another level." Patriots’ Hall is in its final construction phase and is scheduled to begin serving veterans in the summer of 2024. For more information, visit www.patriotshall.org .
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