Laurie Moyer was appointed the city’s new director of Engineering and Capital Improvements April 1. Moyer has held several positions with the city, and was most recently the managing director of Community Services. She will now oversee the engineering behind the city’s development, utilities and infrastructure.

NB: How long have you been a San Marcos resident?

LM: I started with the city in 1988, and I moved away for a short period of time and lived in between outside of the city limits. I would say total, I have lived in the city for 17 years.

NB: What prompted your appointment to this position?

LM: The position was held by Linda Grubbs-Huff.  She left the city to go to work for a consulting firm, so the position became open.  I held this position many years ago from 1998 to 2007.  (The city) asked if I was interested in coming back and I said “Yes, I would love to do that.”

Officials hope the Loop 82 overpass will alleviate traffic caused by trains, but in the meantime the city is gearing up for its construction by holding public meetings.

Rey Garcia, senior engineer for capital improvements, said the window for construction is “a moving target” from September 2013 until May 2014. Actual bridge construction will not begin until early to mid 2014. Proposals for the construction of the overpass were presented to residents and drivers during a public hearing March 21.

Students watched attentively as flames licked the grass in front of them, and black smoke billowed into the air.

“Anyone want to send smoke signals?” called out Joel “J.P.” Bach, ranch manager, as he fanned the flame with a blowtorch.

A controlled burn was held Wednesday on the grassland prairie area of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. The burn was conducted by the Facilities department in conjunction with Bach’s range-management class. Brad Smith, director of grounds operations, said Bach suggested bringing his class to get a hands-on experience by observing how the controlled burn would affect the landscape of the Meadows Center field.

Bach said controlled burns are used as a tool to manipulate and improve landscapes without plowing the ground or combusting fossil fuels. 

If a restaurant were to allow a group to hold private meetings at the establishment, it would not cost them anything to permit the group to sit there. However, patrons could be eating at the restaurant during this time, resulting in unearned rather than lost revenue for the establishment.

Travis Thompson relates this analogy to Texas State’s unearned revenue resulting from the Hazlewood Act and Legacy amendment, which is a hot button issue this legislative session.

Thompson, undecided senior, serves as the veterans’ liaison for the Associated Student Government. Thompson served in the Marines for five years, and currently attends Texas State under the Hazlewood Act. He is one of several Texas State students sounding off on bills related to the Hazlewood Act this legislative session and urging lawmakers to find a solution for the unearned revenue it creates.

Looking back on his childhood growing up in San Marcos, Miguel Arredondo recalls an “above average” amount of his friends and classmates moving away and out of the community.

Arredondo, public administration sophomore, is an intern for Councilwoman Kim Porterfield, Place 1, and aids in the development of the Youth Master Plan. Arredondo said a lot of his friends moved away from San Marcos when he was younger because their parents wanted to relocate to another school district or live closer to their jobs.

“Reverse transferring” is a growing trend among Texas students, and a nearby community college is looking to offer the process at Texas State.

House Bill 3025, which went into effect June 2011, allows for students to receive an associate degree from a community college after transferring to a four-year university. Official say this is beneficial if a student for some reason cannot complete a degree after transferring.

Austin Community College is now discussing developing a new reverse transfer program with Texas State, similar to arrangements it has made with the University of Texas-Austin. Texas State Registrar Lloydean Eckley said Texas State sent 463 student transcripts back to their community colleges for analysis for reverse transfer in January. These transcripts were from students who had transferred to Texas State since the fall 2011 semester.

ACC received 222 of the 463 transfer student transcripts sent by Texas State last month, Eckley said.

Some Blanco and San Saba Hall residents are saying they have paid the price for living next to a construction site and are asking for part of their money back as a result.

Domonique Gray-Berroa, president of the Blanco Hall and San Saba Hall Council, said residents have come to him throughout the year with issues resulting from construction. Gray-Berroa, political science freshman and member of Associated Student Government Freshman Council, authored a proposal in support of the Department of Housing and Residential Life reimbursing money to students affected by construction.

Bringing authors, art and photography to The Wittliff Collections is made possible through funding from several different sources.

On the seventh floor of the Alkek Library is a nearly 6,600 square foot collection of Southwestern writers, Southwestern and Mexican photography and the Lonesome Dove production archive. Joan Heath, associate vice president and university librarian, said the Wittliff Collections’ costs are funded through a combination of dollars from the library’s acquisitions budget, a small piece of its operating funds and donations from outside sources.

Plans for a new student housing complex to be built on the controversial Buie Tract have been shelved, though the reasons why are unclear.

Lisa Wheeler, spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said the commission received notification Jan. 14 from Ramsey Engineering that the company is withdrawing its construction project for “The Cottages of San Marcos” located on the Buie Tract off Craddock Avenue and Bishop Street. The developers did not return calls for comment on whether the plans were withdrawn for environmental concerns or business reasons.

Dianne Wassenich, program manager for the San Marcos River Foundation, said the 174-acre Buie Tract is a recharge zone for the Edwards Aquifer and has environmentally sensitive features such as faults, crevices and caves.

The original plan for the apartment complex has been withdrawn, but Wassenich said it does not necessarily mean the project was scrapped.

Sara Kiolbassa, applied sociology senior, created a food and donation drive competition at her internship with the marketing department at Nexus Medical Consulting Company. Kiolbassa must hold an internship position as well as create a special project within that company to satisfy her degree requirements.

Lois Hickman, internship coordinator for the Applied Sociology program, said the goal of the required internship and special project is to help students apply sociology to an average internship, and come away with a better understanding of professionalism.

“We would like (students) to walk away knowing that they are leaving with some skills they can carry on to other careers,” Hickman said.

Hickman said Kiolbassa’s project is a good example of how sociology examines groups in society.
“Her particular project, making something competitive that would help people who need food, is perfect for us, as well as building the team,” Hickman said.