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Work on the $1.2 million Chestnut Street Improvement Project is moving along at a good pace, City Manager Mike Talbot said last Tuesday.
“All the water lines, sewer and storm water drainage are complete,” Talbot said of the project that runs from Water Street to the railroad tracks just east of Haysel Street. The project got under way in October 2009 and is expected to be finished this June.
The first phase of installing conduits for electrical, telephone and cable wires is also complete, Talbot said. As part of the overall beautification project of the street, utilities were moved underground and accompanying poles were taken down.
Enough work has also been done on curb/gutters and some sidewalks to allow residential driveways to be reconnected.
Soon to be installed are decorative aspects of sidewalks included implanted medallions that will tell some of the history of the El Camino Real trail.
Construction crews did have an unexpected discovery, Talbot said.
“They found a water line that runs under the new convention center,” Talbot said. “The line was not on our map.”
Talbot said it is not uncommon in older cities for unknown water lines to be discovered. He added that engineers are not sure if the water line is active.
“We will insert a valve that allows us to turn off the water (if it is active), he said. “If somebody is using that line we will probably hear about it.”

Bastrop resident Robert C. Richards went ashore on D-Day on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Medals he earned include the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart and Bronze Star, all with the 2nd Infantry Division in France.

Bastrop resident Robert C. Richards went ashore on one of the most famous beaches in history and has lived to tell about it at age 92.

But his beach wasn’t a beach for surfing or catching rays.
As Richards sat in his living room on Monday afternoon he recounted what happened on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 several hours after the historic D-Day invasion assaulted Adolph Hitler’s Third Reich.
Richards survived that day and another seven months of combat, during which he was wounded twice while serving as a Ranger scout with the 2nd Infantry Division.
“I landed around 4 p.m. on June 6 and served as a spotter for LCIs coming in on Omaha Beach,” Richards said, referring to small troop transports called landing craft-infantry.
And if the brunt of casualties were mostly over for that day on the four beaches the Allies landed on, the Germans were still shelling the beach and strafing it with fighter planes, Richards added.
Richards performed his landing duties so well on D-Day he received a special commendation from a colonel supervising the beach landing in his area.

Seeing action
Richards, born and raised in Williamsport, Penn., would soon see enough action away from the beaches.
As a scout he went out in front of advancing infantry units to set up fields of fire – that is, optimal directions for machine guns to fire at the enemy.
Richards also acted as an artillery spotter, calling in map coordinates for the location of German troops sighted.
“I was a corporal and I worked with another man, a private first class,” Richards said. “I was trained at both Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio and Camp McCoy in Wisconsin.”
His training also included a stint in Northern Michigan training on using snow skis in combat. Before landing in France he would undergo further Ranger training in Northern Ireland.
Richards described his German opponents as “damn good soldiers and dedicated.”
He was wounded the first time only 11 days after D-Day.
“I crossed in front of a German machine gun position,” Richards said. He was hit in the upper arm and grazed near his right eye.
“I was airlifted back to England for six weeks and then it was back in combat,” Richards said.
Richards shared a letter from his company commander at the time he was wounded in France, from Thomas Birch of Colorado Springs, Colo.
“I remember Mr. Richards as being one of those selected to constitute an advanced party (for scouting) for our regiment after the D-Day landings,” Birch wrote. “That assignment was an important one and obviously involved extra-hazardous duty.”
Richards was put out of combat action for good, he said, during the Battle of the Bulge in mid-December 1944.
An artillery or mortar shell exploded nearby and although fragments did not hit him he received a severe concussion from the shock wave of the exploding shell.
“It was the first day of the Battle of the Bulge,” Richards said.
He would remain in Europe, assigned to working with the Red Cross in Dijon, France until the end of the European war.
He received the Purple Heart twice and would also wear a Bronze Star, given to the 2nd Infantry Division for its performance under fire.
Richards returned to the U.S. and worked at a silk mill and then for an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a traveling furniture salesman, a job he said he loved.
He would go on to marry a Texas woman, which together with his sales position in the southern U.S., would bring him back to Texas.
“My wife, Gracie, from San Antonio and I had three children,” Richards said proudly. “In 1966, I left Pennsylvania and moved to San Antonio.”
Richards said he would like to return to France to honor his fellow soldiers, but doesn’t know if he’ll make it.
“I would sure like to go back there,” Richards said softly as looked at his military medals on his kitchen table.
And then he held up a photograph of him coming off of Omaha Beach the day after D-Day. An Army photographer had snapped it.
It is one of his prized possessions from the war, he said,

Karen Pinard, a member of Bastrop’s Charter Review Committee, would like to see council members and the mayor’s position get a bit more money for their efforts.
Council members now receive $75 per month and Mayor Terry Orr gets $150 for what many agree is a substantial workload.
“I have a real problem with the compensation – it’s a huge responsibility (being on council),” Pinard said during a meeting of the charter committee last Monday.
Committee member Debbie Moore was even more direct.
“It’s crazy,” Moore said about the pay.
On a separate issue, committee member Rev. R.D. Smith raised the question of whether citizens might be better served voting by single-member districts, instead of the at-large procedure now in effect.
These were some of the points of discussion raised by the charter committee during their meeting Monday night, the third since being formed at the end of 2009.
The committee is composed of nine volunteer members from the community, and chaired by council member Ken Kesselus. They are tasked with reviewing and making recommendations for any changes to the city’s current 27-page “Home Rule Charter” which was adopted by citizens in an election held in May 2004.
The charter calls for a review process at intervals not to exceed six years.
“We passed the charter in 2002, so we are a little behind time in doing this review,” Kesselus said. “That’s why I was so eager to get the process rolling as soon as I took office as a council member.”
Kesselus said the mayor asked him to represent the council in the committee.
“The mayor looked at this committee as an extraordinary one requiring special attention,” Kesselus said. “He asked each of the council members to recommend a name and then he nominated whomever we listed and added a couple of others to flesh it out.”
The committee has held three meetings so far and is also seeking citizen input and comments.
Kesselus said after discussions, including citizen input, the committee will try to reach a consensus on any proposed changes to the charter. If a consensus cannot be reached, the committee would work by majority rule under Robert’s Rules of order.
Charter committee members are: Camilo Chavez, Willie DeLaRosa, Kesselus, Moore, Pinard, Brandi Smith, Rev. R.D. Smith, Lias Tantaksinanukij and Jeff Yarbrough.
Kesselus said the committee’s next meeting has not yet been set. Citizens can find out by calling city hall and watch for the listing in The Bastrop Advertiser.

It was a food lover’s delight at last weekend’s 7th Annual Empty Bowl Project.
The fundraiser for the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry, held at Bastrop High School, had a high turnout of people who came to sample delights from Central Texas restaurants.
But it was also for a very good cause.
“We came here because we trying to help out the food pantry,” said Rachel Riffe, from Paige. “The money goes further here, by buying tickets, because the food pantry can take the money and buy foodstuffs in bulk.”
And what was Riffe sampling?
“This Italian vegetable I’m eating has everything in it,” Riffe said. “It’s really delicious.”
Adrene Bracewell had come from Elgin to help support the food pantry.
“It’s just a very good cause,” Bracewell said. “Anything we can do to help out the Bastrop County food pantry is worth it.”
Bracewell said of her potato soup, “It’s real tasty. And I tried some very good sausage soup.”
Some of the other popular delights included a Sopa Azteca con albondigas (Aztec soup with meatballs), made by caterer Libby Pulley. The delightful concoction contained meatballs of ground lamb in chicken broth with chile pasilla, chile ancho and tomato.
Besides the silent auction of wonderful works of art, there was plenty of entertainment, including music by Bastrop’s Academy Jazz Players.
Not to be outdone by the music, chef Teresa Human, who works food service for the Bastrop Independent School District, had her own running dialogue with customers she served.
“I’m an officially approved Cajun chef by the state,” Human joked as she served up a tasty gumbo soup. She was working with Lorri Ballard, also a BISD chef.
“The Empty Bowl project is all about feeding the hungry people all over our county,” Human said.

Area residents should be alert to recent scams involving phone calls and computer access.
The Austin-American Statesman recently reported that someone was contacting people whose phone numbers were in the newspaper’s classified ads and asking for credit card numbers and other information.
On Monday, Advertiser publisher Mark Gwin said although the scam apparently hadn’t involved the Statesman’s affiliated Austin Community Newspapers, which includes the Advertiser and The Smithville Times, residents should still be on the alert.
“The callers had gotten phone numbers out of classified ads and were posing as employees of the newspaper,” Gwin said. “They would say something like, ‘Your credit card number didn’t go through,’ or ‘We transposed the credit card numbers.’”
Then the caller would ask for the full credit card number, Gwin added.
“All scams are the same; you shouldn’t give out personal information over the phone unless you make the call,” Gwin said.

England calling – again
Once again, a scam based on a “stranded in England and need money” e-mail has hit a Bastrop resident.
Dock Jackson, who works for the office of Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald, said he was the victim this week of an email sent to hundreds of his colleagues claiming that Jackson was stranded in England and needed financial help.
“The email said I was stuck in the U.K., lost my passport, credit cards and I needed money to come home,” Jackson said.
Jackson said, as far as he knows, no one fell for the scam.
He said the e-mail went out to state and national political organizations with which he was involved, including one of the campaign groups for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, when she was running for the Democratic nomination for president.
Many Bastrop County employees also received the e-mail, including Sheriff Terry Pickering.
“When I got home I saw the e-mail but I had already been contacted by Ken Cruise and knew not to open the e-mail,” said Pickering, referring to a warning from the county’s integrated technology expert, Cruise.
Jackson said some of his colleagues tried to learn the origin or identify of the scammer.
“Some of my friends played with the e-mail and tried to get as much information as they could,” Jackson said, adding they were able to get the scammer’s Internet processing number.
“I am going to the Attorney General with copies of the e-mail,” Jackson said. “The Bastrop Police Department has already sent out an alert to all neighboring counties.”

Garrett and Caitlin Cole show the steers they will bring to the livestock show.

On a cold, icy morning, well before the sun rises, Bastrop High School sophomore Caitlin Cole says the temptation is strong to stay in bed and not tend to animals being prepped for the Bastrop Area Livestock Show on March 5-6.
But getting out bed early in the morning before school is just part of the task that youth accept, even it takes an occasional push from a hovering mom, to make a good showing for their projects.
“It’s definitely a challenge to wake up during those cold mornings and go out with your animals,” said Cole, who will be showing a steer during next week’s competition.
Cole and many other Bastrop County students have been hard at work for nearly a year getting ready for the annual show at the Ken Estepp Show Barn behind the American Legion Post on Loop 150.
Early Thursday evening Cole, a member of both 4-H and FFA, was tending to her Maine cross steer named Blackjack, who is a year and half old.
“I used to play sports but now I focus on my animals and my grades,” Cole said. “And I’m in the top two percent of my class, academically.”
Standing right next to her was her brother Garrett, 9, who will be showing for the first time.
“It’s really fun getting to know your animal and taking care of them,” Garrett said as he stood next to the 14-month-old Charolais he will show.
Bastrop High School student Linda Files agrees raising animals is a lot of work.
“All winter long I take care of my goats by feeding them, cleaning their stall, and giving them exercise,” Files said. “Each year, I get my two goats in the fall when they are babies.”
To enter the shows Files said she had to get the goats “validated.”
“That just means they get ear tags, tattoos, and DNA tests to prove they are the same goats I entered in the fall to show them in the spring,” Files said.
In the last few days before the show Files bathes, clips and grooms her goats.
“I usually give them extra last-minute training, but they’re best if they get trained all through the time,” Files explained.
Files agrees 4-H participation is valuable for youth.
“4-H has helped me learn about leading meetings, keeping records and writing for an audience,” she said. She has been mistress of ceremonies at a district 4-H food competition.
“I couldn’t have done that without all the training I’ve gotten by talking in front of people and also showing animals,” Files said.
Wesley Wyatt, a senior at Bastrop High School, will show swine at the show. He says he’s ready.
“I’ve been walking, feeding and basically babying (swine) every day until the show,” said Wyatt, who is a member of 4-H and FFA. “Right before the show it is really crunch time, making sure they make weight, walking them a lot and making sure they know how to respond when in every situation imaginable.”
Wyatt said he joined FFA and 4-H“for the satisfaction of all the community service. I also enjoy raising a living, breathing animal from childhood to being an adult and competing with it. The ribbon and paycheck at the end are pretty sweet too!”
Wesley will be joined by his sister Lauren Wyatt, 16, a Bastrop High School student who will show steers.
Lauren is also a member of 4-H and FFA and plays softball.
“Showing animals teaches you responsibility and has helped me prepare for college,” she said. “You also get to meet a lot of cool people and make new friends.”

A sound investment
Reid Sharp, president of First National Bank and a board member of the Bastrop Area Livestock Show, credits the youth and their parents for making the show a success.
“Young folks participating in shows like this learn how to get along with people,” Sharp said. “Their projects teach them perseverance, initiative, planning and taking care of details.”
But the hard work involved also teaches the youth about “coping with stress and frustration and facing reality,” Sharp added.
Sharp said parents are key participants.
“Very few 4-H and FFA livestock projects are economically sound,” Sharp said. “If a parent’s goal is for the child to make money, investing in a savings account is less risky than investing in a 4-H and FFA livestock project.”
But the true payoff comes in parents seeing their children “develop as a person and learn responsibility,” Sharp said.
Buyers at the show are also a key component.
“Buyers at the livestock show understand the dedication and discipline it takes to maintain and complete a livestock project,” Sharp said. “They know that the money they spend is really an investment in the future of 4-H and FFA youth and the community in which they live.”
Sharp said anyone interested in being a buyer, “or going in with a group at our show,” can call Margaret Hanna or him at 512-321-2561.

Bastropians would likely agree the old iron bridge across the Colorado River is the main pedestrian gateway to Bastrop’s historic downtown area.
Walker, joggers and cyclists are regularly seen enjoying crossing the historic structure, while boaters often cruise by underneath.
And in recent years the bridge has been the gathering spot for some rather “different” activities – such as a spitting contest by the ladies of the Red Hat Society.
But how safe is the bridge, which was opened in 1924 according to city documents, and when was the last time it was inspected?
“I’m not Chicken Little saying that sky is falling when it comes to that bridge, it’s just one of those things we need to look at,” Mayor Terry Orr said. “We want to make sure things like the bridge (supports) are not being washed out at the bottom.”
Orr referenced concerns he had raised at a recent council meeting as part of a host of subjects the city council should consider as part of mid to long-term strategic planning being undertaken.
The quick skinny is that the city has had responsibility for the condition of the bridge while the Texas Department of Transportation performed inspections, said Bastrop Public Works Director Jim Rebecek.
“The city does have control, when it comes to the bridge and TxDOT inspects it,” Rebecek said.
Rebecek said the bridge has “a few minor things” that could use a touchup, “but nothing that would shut it down. As far as heavy traffic goes, the bridge is mainly for pedestrians though we occasionally drive small trucks up there.”

TxDOT analysis
Rob Crowson, a TxDOT bridge engineer for the Austin-area, said on Friday the results of a December 2009 inspection showed that overall the old Bastrop bridge is safe for pedestrian traffic, but will likely need some repairs in the near future.
He said TxDOT rates bridge safety on a scale of 1 to 8, 8 being in the best condition. He said a rating of 5 is a borderline area that requires monitoring and that portions of the old Bastrop bridge had a 5-rating during the inspection.
“There are some very old trusses there that will require maintenance. And there is moderate to severe rusting at the floor beam ends that hold up the bridge decks. That’s the nature of steel outdoors – it can rust. I didn’t see anything that alarmed me as far as bridge failure goes,” Crowson said after seeing what inspectors with Ysaguirre Engineering, the company TxDOT contracted for the December inspection, found.
He emphasized the old bridge “was designed for vehicle loads,” so its use as a pedestrian-only bridge now is a positive factor.
However, he added, “It could get expensive for the city to maintain the bridge.”

Bridge history
The Bastrop Visitor’s Center’s guide, “Downtown Walking Tour Guide,” lists a few details about the bridge.
Originally, there were two bridges and for a few years, both the original bridge and current bridge, which was opened in 1924, were up at the same time.
The original bridge, now gone, was built in 1890 at a cost of $45,000 and replaced the ferries used for river crossings since Bastrop’s early days, according to the guide.
That bridge was torn down in the 1930.
“After World War I, a new bridge was needed to handle the increasing traffic between Houston and Austin,” the guide states.

It’s a scene a person would likely want to avoid.
A fine from a traffic or other code violation is way overdue and a police officer comes to arrest you in front of your colleagues at work – or at home as your family watches.
That scenario doesn’t have to occur, at least in the near future, if those with delinquent fines pay up before Saturday, March 6, when area law enforcement personnel participate in the fourth annual Great Texas Warrant Roundup. For some agencies, the event will last more than a week.
“We want people to come in early, before March 6, and pay their fines, otherwise, they’ll probably be going to jail once we pick them up,” said Sgt. Clint Nagy with the Bastrop Police Department.
Representatives of law enforcement agencies and courts from more than 250 jurisdictions across Texas will be participating in the annual event. The roundup is designed to confront the thousands of defendants with traffic, parking, city ordinance, penal code and higher-charge warrants.
Hundreds of thousands of notices were recently mailed statewide by participating entities.
“The Bastrop Police Department will be dedicating about 80 hours to the effort, which will involve off-duty officers coming in to work the extra assignments,” Nagy said, adding that Bastrop officers will going “out into the county to serve warrants.”
Those wanting to take care of their fines/warrants beforehand may either appear in person or mail their payment.
The Bastrop Municipal Court and police station is at 104 Grady Tuck Lane (Bastrop, TX. 78602) and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Payments are accepted by personal check, money order or cashier’s check. Online payments include all forms of credit cards and may be made at the City of Bastrop’s home page at www.cityofbastrop.org.
For further information, call 512-321-2800 or 512-581-0900.

This weekend presents one of the last chances to view the innovative work of local photographer Billy Moore at Bastrop’s Upstart Media, at 1800 Linda Street.
Moore, a longtime photographer for the local branch of LCRA, concentrated his camera on the same portion of the Colorado River over time. The result is a unique take on the changing properties of water, including, in Moore’s own words, “its transparency, translucency, and sculptural and dimensional nature.”
He used a camera and the stunning tones of gelatin-silver printing paper to communicate his vision of the movement of water.
Moore’s personal photo work is also part of the permanent collection of the Center for Creative Photography at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
His Colorado River scenes may be viewed this weekend at Upstart on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Events at Upstart
The Billy Moore exhibit is part of Upstart’s year-round presentations, which include classes, screenings and productions.
This Sunday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m., Upstart will present footage of its latest short film, “A Child’s Christmas in Texas.” The film stars Audrey Holder, Arthur and David Dale and Tom Lagleder. Jessica Gardner, who also served as cinematographer, directed it. “A Child’s Christmas in Texas” is slated for completion in April.
And what has happened with the locally shot film, “Invicta?”
Upstart director Carolyn Banks said of the horror feature involving deadly fire ants that Upstart completed last year, “We’ll be having an official premiere soon. We were holding back thinking we’d get into SXSW, but didn’t. So now we can show the movie at will and look for a distributor. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Bastrop Mayor Terry Orr called off tonight’s regularly scheduled council, due to the snowy weather that hit the Bastrop area.
The city was also taking other preventive measures in case the weather worsened overnight, officials said.
“We are not in an emergency situation, but we’d rather err on the side of caution,” Orr said about canceling the 6 p.m. meeting and taking several other steps involving city workers.
City Manager Mike Talbot said after consulting with Orr that they had decided to send workers with the electric and public works departments “home early” in anticipation of possibly having to go out on calls Tuesday night related to the weather.
All extra-curricular activities for Bastrop ISD were also canceled for Tuesday, but school did not let out early, said district spokesperson Donald Williams.
Talbot said city crews were set to put sand on bridges at 6 p.m., and again Wednesday morning between 3 – 4 a.m.
“I told the mayor the weather would probably get worse before it gets better, and he agreed,” Talbot said. “If we starting getting ice buildup on trees and other places, power could out. We are preparing, if it gets bad.”

Lee Puckett, left, and Chris Ratcliff lay out some of their fire equipment before a training class Thursday for firefighter recruits at the Tahitian Village station.

Chris Ratcliff is one committed Bastrop High School senior.
“I want to be a professional firefighter,” Ratcliff said shortly before joining fellow volunteer firefighters training Thursday night during Bastrop’s first locally run fire training academy for recruits.
Ratcliff, a volunteer with Five Points Fire Department, and other firefighters say they enjoy having a local training program sponsored by Emergency Services District #1, which encompasses the Bluebonnet, 3-N-1 and Five Points fire departments.
The firefighters are undergoing an introductory course of 73 hours, which, after completion, allows them to enter a burning building while wearing an air pack. Before the course, the volunteers could assist at a scene but not enter a burning building.
The course leads to a certificate from the State Fireman and Fire Marshal’s Association.
“The good point about this training is that we don’t have to travel to College Station now, for training,” Ratcliff said. “And they’ve adjusted training for our schedules, either after school (for students) or after work for the other firefighters.”
Ratcliff was shooting a few basketballs outside of Tahitian Village fire station #2 with fellow trainee Lee Puckett before class began Thursday night.
“My goal is to gain more knowledge about firefighting and maybe try out for the city of Austin fire department,” Ratcliff said.
Puckett said he wants to earn a state firefighter’s certificate which he estimates will probably take at least a year or two.
Firefighters who want to eventually be eligible to test for being a commissioned basic firefighter – the qualification for being a basic paid firefighter – must complete a total of 543 hours of training, said David Gahagan, board president for ESD #1.
Mark Clingan, a trainee with Bluebonnet Volunteer Fire Department, was also appreciative of having a local training site for recruits.
“This is great because we’re bringing in instructors from all over Central Texas,” Clingan said. “The other good thing is all the departments (from ESD #1) are training together, so it’s nice to get to know firefighters before a crisis. It’s nice to know who is backing you up when lives are on the line.”

Fernando Trevino stood by two scorched guitars and a drum kit outside his Rockne home Tuesday morning.
A fire of unknown cause had quickly swept through his A-frame home at 165 Walnut Creek Road. The home, which Trevino built in 1987, was severely damaged.
Fortunately, there were no injuries even if the two-story structure was completely charred during a fire that was called in at about 9:40 a.m.
“I was at my mom’s home nearby,” Trevino said. “Someone said the electric company was here and when I opened the door I saw the smoke and fire and I came running down the path.
By that time the wooden frame home was completely engulfed.
“The fire was really ripping when we got here,” said Fire Chief Kevin Gieselhart of the Five Points Fire Department.
In a peculiar twist, Trevino said he noticed a small scorched spot on his front porch after he awakened Monday morning. But apparently whatever had caused the scorching extinguished itself.
Or, maybe not completely
Neither he nor Brandon Bancroft, chief for Emergency Services District #1, who directed firefighters on Tuesday, could figure out what might have sparked the second fire.
“The front porch was where there was heavy damage today, so it’s safe to say that’s probably the point of origin for the (second) fire,” Bancroft said while studying the scene.
Trevino, a cabinet maker, remained upbeat.
“I’m going to tear the house down and rebuild it,” Trevino said, adding since he has no insurance, it may be a financial struggle.”
I have two dogs and they usually sleep out front, where the fire was, but they got away okay.”
Anyone wishing to help, or make donations, can call Trevino at 303-4435.

BEDC president Joe Newman presides over the meeting last Monday.

Out-of-town businesses checking out Bastrop for possibly locating here will soon have a beefed-up Web site to peruse.
Bastrop Economic Development Corporation board members got a preliminary look at the updated site that features more graphic elements from Joe Newman, BEDC president, and assistant Angela Ryan at their regular meeting Monday night.
They are working with World Economic Development Alliance of Dallas in upgrading the Web site, listed as bastropedc.org.
The site, which should be ready in a few weeks, will give business representatives researching the possibility of locating here a detailed look at the economic vitality of the city, including where to find potential retail and industrial business sites.
“When first clicking on the site, there is a large map of Texas that allows the user to “zero in on Bastrop,” Newman said.
The Web site will have enhanced links to the largest businesses in the Bastrop area, improved aerial photos of industrial sites and better locations maps.
“Our economic vitality depends on our surrounding area,” said Mayor Terry Orr, a BEDC board member.
In other action the board got a look at updated criteria for businesses applying for grants for the Main Street revitalization program.
The program is intended to spur the economic health of Bastrop’s historic downtown business district by providing matching grants to improve commercial buildings.
Eligible projects may receive up to $5,000 in the form of a façade renovation grant and up to a $25,000 “mega-grant” for renovations or construction that may include non-façade items.
Each applicant’s design is subject to approval for design quality and appropriateness by the Bastrop Historic Landmark Commission or the Bastrop Main Street Program Design Committee. It is then presented to the BEDC board with recommendations for approval or denial.
Past projects that have received the mega-grants have included the renovation of Cindy’s Downtown and Baxters on Main.

It is a statistic that is unsettling to hear.
There is a 37 percent higher mortality rate nationwide for breast cancer for African-American women compared to Caucasian women, and the percentage for Bastrop County women is above that startling level, according to Mary M. Cavanaugh, director of education/outreach for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure in Austin.
Cavanaugh recently presented some statistics involving breast cancer to both the Bastrop and Elgin city councils during their regular meetings as part of an awareness campaign.
“On March 6, we are going to share with the public at the Hyatt Lost Pines what is going on in Bastrop County (concerning) breast cancer awareness,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh said she will team with representatives the Bastrop County Indigent Health Care Program to give information on how to better respond to both preventive and post-diagnosis care when it comes to breast cancer overall, but particularly for African-American women.
“(Bastrop County) Judge Ronnie McDonald will be talking about how cancer has impacted his family,” Cavanaugh said. She said the aim of the Austin group is to step up its connection with Bastrop County.
“We have appeared sporadically in Bastrop County, but the level of intensity for our involvement here has stepped up,” Cavanaugh said.
She said the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure was established in late 1999 to spread the life-saving message of early detection and to support breast cancer screening, treatment and diagnostic programs in Central Texas. Komen Austin has granted nearly $7 Million since 1999 to fund these programs.
“Typically, African-American women are diagnosed at a later stage with breast cancer, which has a huge impact on survivability,” Cavanaugh.
In a statistical twist, Caucasian women actually have a higher reported incidence of breast cancer, but a better survival rate than African-American women.
One of things Cavanaugh would like to see in Bastrop County is free and/or reduced costs for mammograms. A mammorgram is one of the main detection tools for breast cancer.
“Unfortunately, it is not unusual for more rural counties to not offer free mammograms,” Cavanaugh said.
With fees ranging from $180 to more than $300 for some mammograms, those prices can put the crucial test outside the financial reach of some women, particularly if they are unemployed or without insurance, Cavanaugh said.

A sign taped to the glass of the front door of the former Scooter’s Coffee Shop reads, “Tim and I are going fishing” and that the pair planned to re-open their coffee shop next door “in about 6-8 weeks.”
But that was put there over a year ago.
“Tim and I” refers to Tim Shuminsky and his wife Sheryl, who operated the popular coffee shop in the little yellow building at 1507 Chestnut St. from November 2005 until Jan. 31, 2009.
But after running into difficulty the past year in obtaining financing for their planned new coffee shop at 1509 Chestnut, as well as stumbling blocks in acquiring a “clear title” to the property, Sheryl Shuminsky said on Thursday she and Tim have decided not to pursue the venture any further.
“Between the uncertain economy, new banking regulations and years of delays in obtaining clear title, we’ve lost four sets of partners/investors and multiple sources of financing,” Sheryl Shuminsky said. “After all the delays, broken promises and other obstacles, we are obviously extremely disappointed. What should have been a straight-forward transaction and construction project turned into a nightmare for us. Now we need to move forward with our lives.”
Shuminsky said she has fond memories of Scooter’s that she and Tim will cherish.
“I just wrote someone about Scooter’s and said we always just felt like the caretakers there,” Shuminsky said. “It was really the people’s place and Scooter’s belonged to them. Scooter’s had its own spirit, soul, which we felt was God’s spirit at work.”
When asked if there was any chance “ever” that the Shuminsky’s might reconsider and try to open a coffee shop again, Sheryl responded, “As for the ‘ever’ part of your question, I have no idea. There’s a lot we don’t know right now, and a lot we do know but a coffee shop isn’t part of it so far. That business sure does get in one’s soul, though.”

A Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant is likely on its way to Bastrop after action by the Bastrop City Council Tuesday night.
During a public hearing the council gave their approval for a preliminary plat for B&B Investments of San Marcos.
According to city documents, Kirk and Kevin Brumley of B&B Investments are seeking to build a KFC that will be behind and attached to the current Sac-N-Pac at the intersection of Texas 95 and Loop 150 (Chestnut Street).
Besides the restaurant on one lot, a second lot will be retained for future development. The property is zoned “C-2” commercial.
The Brumleys could not be reached by press time for comment.
Yvonne Pritchard, the city’s interim planning director, said the restaurant will be 1,988 square feet and have a drive-in as well as walk-in portion.
In other action, the council discussed the apparent buildup of silt in the Colorado River near the Fisherman’s Park boat ramp.
Council member Joe Beal suggested the city “go get a coastal engineer for input on dredging.”
The city recently received a $397,600 grant from the Texas Department of Wildlife and Parks for boat ramp construction at the park.
Beal suggested using a portion of those funds for clearing some silt from the river.

Beatrice Dodge, museum curator, holds a large bag that was used to pick cotton in Bastrop in the mid-19th century.

In 1850, Bastrop had a population of 3,099 people and produced 1,478 cotton bales, which weighed 400 pounds each.
By 1890, that figure had jumped to 20,736 bales produced locally and 1.5 million bales produced statewide.
Those figures come from a large new exhibit at the Bastrop County Historical Society Museum titled, “When Cotton Was King, The History of Cotton Farming in Bastrop County.
“This a great exhibit that details the cotton industry in Bastrop County,” museum curator Beatrice Dodge said.
One of niftier items in the exhibit is a vintage cotton baler that was made sometime before 1890, and it is on loan from John Adams for this exhibit. Dodge stood next to it with a large cotton picking bag unfurled.
The exhibit follows cotton farming in the county from the 1840s to the present.
Not much cotton is grown here today, but it was the area’s most common cash crop for 100 years, according to a history of industry that is detailed in photos and printed material framed above glass-cased items from the era.
Dodge said the exhibit also does not shy away from the slavery issue and how the work of slaves propelled the industry. By 1860, 37% of the population in Bastrop County was African-American.
Stephen F. Austin advertised the richness of the lands along the Colorado River as suitable for growing cotton, and he offered land bounties for blacksmiths and carpenters willing to build cotton gins.
“Early settlers came here to grow cotton; some had small family-worked farms and others had large plantations using slaves as laborers,” Dodge said.
Farming the cotton was one of a series of steps in the cotton business. Cotton gins could also be found in most small communities with cotton buyers and teamsters then transporting the cotton. A cotton factory in Bastrop produced fabrics from the 1850s until the late 1870s.
Growing and picking cotton changed slowly, it was pretty much done the same way in 1840 as in 1940.
Today all of Bastrop County’s gins are closed, other crops are grown and an era is gone. But it is preserved nicely in this exhibit that will inform and entertain youth as well as adults.
The museum is at 702 Main St. and cotton exhibit will be open for all of 2010. Museum hours are 1-5 p.m. for Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday
Admission is $2.00, and children under 12 accompanied by an adult are free.

(This is the second in a four-part series during Black History Month highlighting the lives and contributions of some of the community’s African-American leaders.)

Wilma Trigg is known for her cooking.
And she is not shy at all about sharing that fact, which is backed up by many people, including her extended family and church friends.
“I could cook anything you could name,” Trigg, 84, said proudly on Monday as she sat with her daughter Linda Diane Trigg.
Trigg is particularly appreciated for her cooking over many years for the congregation of Mt. Rose Missionary Baptist Church.
“I cooked for church annual gatherings, pastors’ appreciation dinners, funerals and church anniversaries,” Trigg said. “And I did some singing while cooking – spiritual singing and humming.”
Linda Trigg added, “The church congregation could count on her being in the kitchen.”
Gwen Smith, the wife of Mt. Rose Pastor R.D. Smith, agrees that Wilma Trigg is quite a cook.
“We did a cookbook at the church and most of the recipes were hers,” Smith said of Trigg. “Her peach cobbler was out of this world and she made great cornbread dressing.”
While Gwen Smith was on the phone to the Advertiser, the Rev. R.D. Smith could be hear in the background, calling out, “Don’t forget her Swedish meatballs!”
Whatever events the church had, Trigg was always ready to cook, Gwen Smith said.
“And she didn’t just cook for the church, she invited lots of people to her home,” Smith added.
Wilma Trigg said she is proud of other things besides her cooking.
She raised three daughters – Irene, Beverly and Linda, and then helped raise six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
She was married to her husband of 46 years, Robert Trigg, who died in 1988.
Trigg was dedicated to serving her church, besides contributing delicious food over many years.
“I was president of the church’s Usher Board for 21 years and president of Senior Mission for 10 years,” Trigg said proudly.
Almost as an afterthought, Trigg said she had forgotten to mention one of her favorite items to cook.
“I made this ‘sock-it-to-me’ cake, a yellow cake, that everybody loved,” she said.
Linda Trigg chimed in, “Oh yeah, people remember that cake!”

Even though the Bastrop City Council has identified many areas that need long-and short-term strategic planning, at least one council member feels the need for speed.
Council member Julie Hart said a lot of the concerns and goals mentioned by the council at a Monday night workshop need attention soon.
“I don’t know if we really should let some of this sit for three months,” Hart said.
Among the topics the council mentioned were enforcing the cleanup of neighborhood yards, studying the old iron Loop 150 bridge, promoting the city more and holding extra meetings.

More meetings needed
Council members decided they will add two additional meetings per month in the near future. Those meetings will likely be held on the two Mondays before their twice-per-month Tuesday meetings, in order to tackle both long-range and short-term goals.
The council said they will also work with Chris Holtkamp, an LCRA senior community planner, to help develop a long-range strategy to tackling the many projects the council wants to undertake.
Council member Ken Kesselus said part of the funds to help cover Holtkamp’s services are already on hand, since the city is a customer of LCRA (through Bastrop Power & Light). Since LCRA already dedicates part of its revenues from customers to help fund community planning, most of his consultant services would be monetarily covered. However, such items as copies of reports, or potential travel, would be extra costs.
“Mr. Holtkamp will look at visioning work the council has already done,” Kesselus said. “Each of us (council members) have been presenting our plans for five and 20 years out, and he will help compile all that – make an executive summary.”

Short-term work
While the council acknowledged they are focused on looking at long-range goals, they also pointed out some concerns they would like to see get more immediate attention.
Council member Joe Beal said the overall appearance of the city needs some action. He cited “trash in city right-of-ways, junk in yards and a lot of fallen down houses” that should be addressed.
Council member Kay McAnally said the city should look into getting more promotional signs along Texas 71, especially with Bastrop recently earning designation as one of America’s “Dozen Distinct Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
McAnally also suggested a mentoring program that would allow “more diversity” in local applicants being hired for jobs, even if they might need some extra tutoring once hired and might not be – at least at the outset of the application phase – the most qualified person for a job. Such a program would bolster the employment of more local residents, she said.
Mayor Terry Orr said the city should keep abreast of the condition of the old iron bridge (Loop 150) across the Colorado River, because he believes it falls under city jurisdiction and not TxDOT.

The trial of a local homeless man charged with murder and aggravated assault began Tuesday morning in Bastrop County District Court but came to an abrupt halt hours later when a mistrial was declared by 423rd District Judge Christopher Duggan.
The mistrial, a result of a juror who according to Duggan, revealed a condition that “makes it hard for them to concentrate,” means 39-year-old Bryan Teague will reappear on Feb. 26 for a new trial date to be set. Teague has pled not guilty to killing 46-year-old Larry Jones by blunt force trauma to the head in August 2008.
“This is not the fault of the state, the defense or anybody,” Duggan told the courtroom at close to 2 p.m. Tuesday. “It is just one of those situations that happens.”
Duggan declined to offer any further explanation of the circumstances surrounding the juror’s condition.
The surprising turn of events came as the trial seemed to be moving along swiftly and the jury of eight men and four women were in the midst of hearing testimony from their seventh witness.

Following the lunch break and just minutes away from trial resuming, however, Duggan and attorneys convened in the judge’s chambers to discuss a message relayed through the bailiff that the juror’s condition had reportedly grown too great to proceed.
Due to the fact an alternate juror had not been appointed for the trial, Duggan asked Teague if he would like to continue with an 11-person jury or face a full jury. Teague opted for the full jury and the mistrial was declared.
Teague is charged with causing the death of Jones on Aug. 20, 2008 and assaulting Jones friend William McMarion. The killing reportedly occurred following a fight that had broken out earlier in the day between McMarion and Teague’s uncle Charles Ellis.
McMarion, who was one of the witnesses on the stand Tuesday morning, told jurors that early on the afternoon of Aug. 20 he and Jones had been drinking beer in a wooded area off FM 1209 with a group of men that included Ellis and Teague. The group was also smoking crack cocaine, according to McMarion who said he kicked Ellis in the mouth after an argument over $20 escalated.
According to law enforcement reports at the time of the killing, Ellis and Teague attacked Jones and McMarion at McMarion’s residence at 306 FM 1209. A pipe and an axe were reportedly used in the assault with Teague brandishing the axe, according to a sworn statements provided by Ellis to Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office investigators.
Ellis was arrested the day after Jones’s death while Teague eluded authorities for over a month before being arrested in Austin.
Both the murder and aggravated assault charges against Teague are enhanced due to his criminal history that includes a conviction of felony burglary and escape.
“It’s an anti-climactic end to a trial but we will be trying Mr. Teague at a later date, said Bastrop County District Attorney Bryan Teague.

Thanks to the generosity of a group of Central Texas health officials, a Bastrop non-profit pregnancy resource center has received an ultrasound machine to assist in the healthcare of expectant moms.
The new Bastrop Pregnancy Resource Center opened on Church Street in November 2009, but had been without a crucial diagnostic ultrasound machine.
A group of health officials then came together to make the donation of the machine a reality, said Heather Tyler, spokesperson for Blackhawk Healthcare, which owns Lakeside Hospital.
The group included Sabrina Sauceda, director of ultrasound for Blackhawk, Jeremy Riney, CEO for Richards Memorial Hospital in Rockdale and Gary Luker of Luker Pharmaceuticals.
“The center had opened, but at the last minute they were without an ultrasound machine, which put the fledgling company at a huge standstill,” Tyler said. “An ultrasound machine was key for the center.”
An available ultrasound machine, with a value of about $50,000, was then found from Richards Memorial, Tyler said.
On Thursday, Alicia Pastrano, an ultrasound technician was teaching the staff at the resource center how to use the machine as Bastrop client Shelly Geltmeier was being examined.
“We want to really thank Blackhawk for this very generous gift, it has really made a difference,” said Celeste Hoffman, a co-founder of the pregnancy resource center, who added the machine was put into operation in late January.

Students Mack McCalley, left, and Taylor Gardner will be part of the local Lost Pines Community Choir that accompanies jazz master Hannibal Lokumbe and his quintet on Feb. 13 in Austin

Bastrop’s resident jazz phenom Hannibal Lokumbe expects things to be jumping when he and fellow musicians play next Saturday, Feb. 13, at Austin’s Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Lokumbe has re-arranged a sweeping orchestral piece titled, “Dear Mrs. Parks,” for a jazz-style quintet he will lead, accompanied by the Bastrop-area Lost Pines Community Choir and two Austin church choirs.
“It will be a very intimate setting, but with room to move and express yourself,” Lokumbe said of playing in a 250-seat performance theater within the museum.
Translation: If people get out of their seats and start shaking to the music, Lokumbe will be more than fine with that scenario. The performance begins at 8 p.m. The museum is at the intersection of north Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Blvd., just across the street from the University of Texas campus.
The original recording of “Dear Mrs. Parks” with the Detroit Symphony was recorded live at Orchestra Hall in Detroit in Spring 2009 and released last December.
Lokumbe’s composition, which was influenced by blues, jazz, African and Gospel music, pays homage to Civil Rights heroine Rosa Parks.
Lokumbe said attendees for the Austin performance should particularly appreciate the solo singing of Taylor Gardner, a fourth-grade student at Bastrop’s Mina Elementary School, who sings on the Detroit recording.
Two Austin choirs, the Ebenezer Baptist Choir and the Greater Calvary Bible Church Choir, will team with the Lost Pines Community Choir. There will be a total about 55 performers, he added.
“I consider this performance in Austin to be a culmination of my musical career,” Lokumbe said. “I learned just as much re-arranging ‘Mrs. Parks’ as composing the original. To me, it was actually more challenging to re-arrange this musical piece than to write the original.”
The re-arrangement for “Mrs. Parks” for a quintet was finished about three weeks ago. Lokumbe will lead the quintet with his signature B-flat trumpet.
He said is particularly looking forward to the attendance by former members of The Soulmates, a group he formed when he attended Booker T. Washington High School in Texas City.
The group, with Lokumbe in the lead backed up such musical greats as Otis Redding, Etta James, T-Bone Walker and Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lokumbe said.
“I am also exceedingly proud of the work and dedication of the Lost Pines Community Choir,” Lokumbe said. “That choir can sing with anybody, anywhere.”

White’s daughters, from left, Gloria Budd, Carolyn Moore and Fannie Kyles join granddaughter Catina Higgins at his Cedar Creek home.

As several of Shirley “Dutch” White’s great-grandchildren gathered around him last weekend in his Cedar Creek home, making preparations to celebrate his 104th birthday on Feb. 8, you could feel the respect and love.
But there was a bit of humor, too, thrown in by the youngsters.
“He taught me to trust in God,” said Tykeija Moore, White’s great granddaughter.
White was a longtime deacon with Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church, so he regularly inspired his relatives with spiritual messages.
“When I was little he taught me how to pray,” said Chris Higgins, a great grandson.
When Chris added, “But he always told me don’t roll my eyes because they will pop out of my head,” everybody in the room laughed.
And while White has a little difficulty speaking, the sparkle of amusement that showed in his eyes seemed clear evidence that he heard and appreciated the comments of his great-grandchildren.
Three of White’s daughters – Gloria Budd, Carolyn Moore and Fannie Kyles – were also present.

Saturday celebration
All of the family members were pretty excited as they prepared for a barbecue celebration this Saturday, Feb. 6, two days before Shirley White’s birthday. Relatives from across the state, and Oklahoma, too, are coming to the celebration.
It will be at Mr. Brown’s Family Barbecue at 386 Old McDonald Lane, off of Texas 21.
“The celebration starts at 3 p.m. and local friends are encouraged to come,” Kyles said.
Kyles said this birthday celebration will be especially heartfelt for relatives because White’s wife, Sue Willie White, who was 95, passed away two days after last Christmas. They were married 74 years.
“God brought them together, they married and raised 11 children,” Kyles said. For many years, Shirley White was a carpenter in the Cedar Creek area and he also helped build the original Camp Swift.
“My father’s faith and passion for God inspired me to write a song for him,” Kyles said.
The first verse goes: “You were born a hundred years ago; You are really special you know; We learned about the Lord from you; You taught us the right things to do; That’s why I sang this song to you; Its cause I love you, you know I do.”

Gathered at the Bastrop Opera House are, from left: Nancy Wood, manager of Bastrop’s Main Street Project, Mayor Terry Orr, First Lady Anita Perry and Mark Wolf, executive director of the Texas Historical Commission.

“There are 130 homes on the National Register of Historic Homes here and it all goes back to you, the people,” Perry told a packed audience at the Bastrop Opera House.
Perry and other state officials had gathered in Bastrop to congratulate the city on being selected as one of America’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
As Nancy Wood, manager of Bastrop’s Main Street Project sat onstage, Perry turned toward her and then the audience and said, “Your ability to work as a team serves as an example to Texas as a whole.”
She added it was “Sam Houston who made Bastrop a distinctive destination with stage stops on the Old San Antonio Road.”
Perry added that Bastropians “recognized many years ago what a gem of historical significance you have here.”
She said it seem “like déjà vu” while she spoke onstage at the historic Opera House, because she was here in 2007 for the dedication of Bastrop as a Main Street City and that seemed only a short time ago.
Perry was joined by Mark Wolf, executive director of the Texas Historic Commission and Jonathon Poston, director of the southwest district for NTHP, who also praised Bastrop’s preservation efforts.

The city of Bastrop’s recent application for a grant from Texas Parks & Wildlife to help fund a recreational “splash park” within Fisherman’s Park gives a more detailed look at the facility.
At their Jan. 26 regular meeting, city council members got a look at the in-depth grant application.
The city is requesting matching funds from TP&W of $75,000.
Because the area under consideration is within the flood plain of the Colorado River, the TP&W requires a detailed plan of the additions to Fisherman’s Park.
Besides a splash pad area where water would pour down on participants and also shoot up from nozzles on the ground, there will be a storytelling area, a puppet theater, a gaming table for seniors and picnic table with grill.
“Many of these items are not available in the current park system and are much needed for the community,” according to the grant application.
The area to be developed is approximately one acre in size and close to the current basketball court, which is on the left immediately entering the park.
The city’s park maintenance staff will perform the upkeep of the splash park.
The storytelling area will allow the city library staff to hold outdoor reading event. The puppet theater will be a fun type of outdoor classroom.
There will also be a “martin house condominium” for purple martins.

A strong financial rating for the City of Bastrop combined with a favorable market has led to the city getting a low borrowing rate for its two largest construction projects ever, City Manager Mike Talbot told the city council during their regular meeting on Tuesday night.
The council chose FTN Financial Capital Markets (Memphis, Tenn.), with a submitted interest rate of 3.8560 percent, to farm out $7.4 million in certificates of obligation to build a new city hall and a separate convention/visitors center.
It will cost the city approximately $3.58 million in interest over 20 years to finance the projects.
“It’s a savings to the taxpayers, and combined with the construction bids for the two projects, we saved this city a lot of money in the future,” City Manager Mike Talbot said.
Regarding the construction bids, Talbot was referring to previously awarded bids for the two projects coming in at about $1 million less than was estimated by city – $7.8 million versus $8.8 million.

Bids varied by .25 percent
In a tightly packed bidding for the certificates of obligation, seven financial firms came in with bids whose total spread was less than one quarter of 1 percent above the winning bid by FTN.
Those bids ranged from the second lowest bid of 3.8788 percent by FirstSouthwest of Austin/Dallas, to the highest bid of 4.0969 percent by Duncan Williams, also of Memphis, Tenn.

‘A+’ financial rating
Dan Wegmiller, a consultant for the city of Bastrop with Specialized Public Finance Inc. of Austin, told the council that Bastrop’s “A+” rating (for general obligation debt) is due to sound financial performance, access to the Austin metropolitan area
He was citing a Public Finance Report for the City of Bastrop from Standard & Poor’s Jan. 14 update on the city’s financial health, for potential investors.
Wegmiller said Standard & Poor’s had also revised the City of Bastrop’s management practices from “standard” to “good,” based on the quality of city’s long-term financial planning.