The LCRA held its two open houses today in Fredericksburg. There were plenty of maps and displays, and lots of shiny-happy LCRA employees (who obviously drew the short stray in having to be part of this road show), but precious little information conveyed. We left with the firm conviction that the LCRA holds these public open houses just so they can say they did -- a feather in their cap for the PUC and the disgruntled public.
The LCRA people were at least outwardly sympathetic to our problems, but in a detached sort of way -- as if they were not in any way responsible for them. You wonder if these employers receive similar sensitivity training to that given to funeral home directors. Indeed, the sessions resemble funerals. Something is side of each attendee had died, or at least was dying, and the only good part of it at all was folks got to see friends and neighbors they don't get to see often enough.
People were given the opportunity to use grease pencils to outline their properties and specific areas of concern on the huge glossy maps. We did it, and again it was mostly a feel good experience. It is not as if anyone will take notice -- and you have to know those marks will be erased soon as the LCRA prepares the exhibits for yet another public dog-and-pony show.
Timetables were given. As you may know from following this issue, the LCRA's application to the PUC is due July 6, 2010. Apparently, the actual PUC proceeding will take place in very early 2011. We haven't much time to work, but that in itself may be a good thing. This whole process and the prospect of having one's property ruined and dreams shattered has a paralyzing effect. We are grateful that the process looks to be relatively short. Having said that, as a lawyer, I am doubtful of all of these timelines.
The process necessarily pits neighbor against neighbor, and tears communities apart. No one wants these huge towers in their back yard. Whether the LCRA intends this or not, by refusing to disclose preferred routes even at the time of application the result is that they are quite able to divide and conquer.
The highlight of the meeting was the 1/4 scale tower and house brought to the open house by the Clearview Alliance. Seeing that tower dwarf a home was perhaps the first inkling many of the members of the public had of what is truly in store for them, and what is at stake.
As to the low point, it had to be the police presence at the meeting. Did the LCRA think that anyone would be so out of control that they would need police protection. These folks are mad, but they are also too proud to even show the LCRA the tip of their anger.
People were encouraged to write down their comments, but I think even the LCRA would admit that anyone who believes that their comments will matter is fooling themselves. The only way to have any impact in the proceeding is to intervene as a party to it. You had to feel that this too was a therapeutic exercise -- again designed to convince people that their voices are being heard and perhaps even in the hope that people will stop with commenting and refrain for intervening. The failure to designate preferred routes, even at the application stage, naturally has this same sort of chilling effect.
For those who are with us, either through our website http://lcra-does-fbg.com, or at Facebook page, "The LCRA Wants to ruin Fredericksburg and the Texas Hill Country; Stop Them," we appreciate your support and encourage you to get involved in the process. For those of you fortunate enough not to have a reason for concern about this, we apologize for ranting about it, and are truly envious that what is happening to us is not happening to you.
Happy trails for now,
Tom
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The "Stop LCRA" website is up!
Our new website, "LCRA Does FBG," is up and can now be accessed through this weblink. We wanted to go live before the LCRA's Fredericksburg open houses tomorrow, so the site still needs some work, but much of the content is in place. We also have a Facebook page on this issue, "The LCRA is Ruining Fredericksburg, Texas and the Hill Country; Stop Them" which you can access through this Facebook link.
For those of you who, like me until several weeks ago, have too many irons in the fire to have paid much attention to this issue, this is a critical time for the Hill Country, and we need folks who care to raise there voices on this issue and weigh in. Essentially, the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) is under contract with the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to build hundreds of miles of transmission lines from wind farms in West Texas to users in the State's major metropolitan areas. While we can argue about the efficiency of bringing electricity hundreds of miles, there exists shut-in electricity generated by the wind farms and politically the process as a whole seems unstoppable.
The devil is, of course, in the details. While we are all for the use of clean energy, we also believe that care should be given to not unnecessarily impact the areas, including our Texas Hill Country, that the transmission lines travel through. The Texas Hill Country is a particularly scenic area, dependent to a large extent on tourism, and care should be taken to preserve as much of its character as is possible. We believe this proposition should be self-evident.
But there is much reason for skepticism that the LCRA is approaching this project with the care that we feel it deserves. Here in Gillespie County and Fredericksburg, the LCRA's proposed "CREZ" routes travel through beautiful scenic areas that are treasures to us and our tourists, including flirting with the Pedernales River, and the farms and ranches along it, for some five miles.
We also are concerned that the routes seem to have been devised in a way that unnecessarily impacts some land owners by moving several different directions throughout one piece of property. On our property, the proposed lines start moving from south to north along one boundary, move across the width of our property from east to west, and then move down the other property line. On our modest farm alone, the LCRA threatens to surround us and bisect us with one and one-half miles of 160 foot by 65 foot towers and transmission lines, making the majority of our farm, and our tourist cabins, worthless and unusable. Unfortunately, we are learning we are not alone. Surely the LCRA could coordinate its routes so that the lines and towers move only once across a single owner's property, right? It would seem so.
Lastly, there has been an outcry over the LCRA's use of lattice type structures, which leave a huge physical and visual footprint, rather than single pole structures (called monopoles). Recently another company used monopoles in constructing a virtually identical project through the Hill Country. They are not attractive, but are certainly more attractive and have less of a negative impact than do the lattice type structures. Despite this, the LCRA has already begun ordering materials for the lattice type structures.
Consistently, the LCRA dumps all of its lack of responsiveness on the PUC. It says that it will use monopoles rather than lattice type structures if the PUC orders it to do so (one wonders about the materials already ordered and stock-piled). It says that the PUC, not LCRA, will eventually determine what routes are selected. In our minds this is a cop-out. The PUC will ultimately choose the routes, but it will do so from preliminary routes already set out by LCRA. If the LCRA is irresponsible in laying out preliminary routes, the PUC will have only the opportunity to choose routes from those proffered by LCRA. As it looks now, the PUC will be choosing from several bad choices, and not the best choice. The LCRA should take the blame for proffering bad routes in the first place.
As to the pole choice, clearly the LCRA is bullying its way towards its own choice, and is attempting to secure this choice by ordering materials in advance of the PUC decision. How likely is it that the PUC will waste material already purchased by LCRA?
The LCRA's application on the McCamey D - Kendall - Gillespie route is due July 6, 2010. It is likely that many proposed alternatives, including the worst ones, will remain on the map. Because of deadlines, folks will face the choice of ponying up big bucks to intervene in that application proceeding without even knowing whether they will ultimately be impacted. By approaching the issue in this manner, the LCRA and PUC will limit the number of Intervenors and pit neighbor against neighbor -- when the true enemies are LCRA and the PUC.
There is a limited time to change the process. After July 6, 2010, the only way to influence the process will be to be an intervening landowner. The time for public outcry will be over. The LCRA and the PUC need to here from the public now, before it is too late.
For those of you who, like me until several weeks ago, have too many irons in the fire to have paid much attention to this issue, this is a critical time for the Hill Country, and we need folks who care to raise there voices on this issue and weigh in. Essentially, the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) is under contract with the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to build hundreds of miles of transmission lines from wind farms in West Texas to users in the State's major metropolitan areas. While we can argue about the efficiency of bringing electricity hundreds of miles, there exists shut-in electricity generated by the wind farms and politically the process as a whole seems unstoppable.
The devil is, of course, in the details. While we are all for the use of clean energy, we also believe that care should be given to not unnecessarily impact the areas, including our Texas Hill Country, that the transmission lines travel through. The Texas Hill Country is a particularly scenic area, dependent to a large extent on tourism, and care should be taken to preserve as much of its character as is possible. We believe this proposition should be self-evident.
But there is much reason for skepticism that the LCRA is approaching this project with the care that we feel it deserves. Here in Gillespie County and Fredericksburg, the LCRA's proposed "CREZ" routes travel through beautiful scenic areas that are treasures to us and our tourists, including flirting with the Pedernales River, and the farms and ranches along it, for some five miles.
We also are concerned that the routes seem to have been devised in a way that unnecessarily impacts some land owners by moving several different directions throughout one piece of property. On our property, the proposed lines start moving from south to north along one boundary, move across the width of our property from east to west, and then move down the other property line. On our modest farm alone, the LCRA threatens to surround us and bisect us with one and one-half miles of 160 foot by 65 foot towers and transmission lines, making the majority of our farm, and our tourist cabins, worthless and unusable. Unfortunately, we are learning we are not alone. Surely the LCRA could coordinate its routes so that the lines and towers move only once across a single owner's property, right? It would seem so.
Lastly, there has been an outcry over the LCRA's use of lattice type structures, which leave a huge physical and visual footprint, rather than single pole structures (called monopoles). Recently another company used monopoles in constructing a virtually identical project through the Hill Country. They are not attractive, but are certainly more attractive and have less of a negative impact than do the lattice type structures. Despite this, the LCRA has already begun ordering materials for the lattice type structures.
Consistently, the LCRA dumps all of its lack of responsiveness on the PUC. It says that it will use monopoles rather than lattice type structures if the PUC orders it to do so (one wonders about the materials already ordered and stock-piled). It says that the PUC, not LCRA, will eventually determine what routes are selected. In our minds this is a cop-out. The PUC will ultimately choose the routes, but it will do so from preliminary routes already set out by LCRA. If the LCRA is irresponsible in laying out preliminary routes, the PUC will have only the opportunity to choose routes from those proffered by LCRA. As it looks now, the PUC will be choosing from several bad choices, and not the best choice. The LCRA should take the blame for proffering bad routes in the first place.
As to the pole choice, clearly the LCRA is bullying its way towards its own choice, and is attempting to secure this choice by ordering materials in advance of the PUC decision. How likely is it that the PUC will waste material already purchased by LCRA?
The LCRA's application on the McCamey D - Kendall - Gillespie route is due July 6, 2010. It is likely that many proposed alternatives, including the worst ones, will remain on the map. Because of deadlines, folks will face the choice of ponying up big bucks to intervene in that application proceeding without even knowing whether they will ultimately be impacted. By approaching the issue in this manner, the LCRA and PUC will limit the number of Intervenors and pit neighbor against neighbor -- when the true enemies are LCRA and the PUC.
There is a limited time to change the process. After July 6, 2010, the only way to influence the process will be to be an intervening landowner. The time for public outcry will be over. The LCRA and the PUC need to here from the public now, before it is too late.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Winter Specials at Agarita Creek Farms -- Fredericksburg, Texas
With the cold weather comes hot savings for guests of the farm. For any stay at Agarita Creek Farms through February 28, 2010 we will be running two specials, which can be combined. We are offering weekend stays for weekday rates. You will be able to rent the Behrends cabin for only $175 per night, weekend or weekday, and the Brautigam cabin for only $195 for night. The rates have already been changed on the reservations page on our website. So come to our beautiful Texas Hill Country and stay whenever you want, and pay our lowest, off peak, rates.
In addition, we are offering a third night free with any paid two night stay. This offer can be combined with our weekday rates for weekend stays promotion to save you even more money. As a result, a three day stay at the Braeutigam cabin will be only $390 ($130 per night); a three day stay at the Behrends cabin will be only $350 ($116.67 per night). This is a deal that simply cannot be beat.
In March, with Spring Break and the wildflower season (which will be fabulous because of all of the fall and winter rain), the specials will end and the rates will go back up. But even then there is a way to save. Fans of the Farm on Facebook always save 10 percent off standard rates. So, if you are planning a trip later in the year make sure that you have become a fan of the Farm on Facebook.
Bev and I are always happy to hear from you. If you have any questions for us, be sure to drop us a line.
Bev and Tom Carnes
Agarita Creek Farms
Fredericksburg, Texas
830.896.9140
beverly@agaritacreek.com
http://www.agaritacreek.com/
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Farm-Stay Log Cabin Accommodations in Fredericksburg, Texas -- Agarita Creek Farms
At Agarita Creek Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas, we offer farm-stay accommodations in two new traditional German-style "chink" log cabins on a beautiful ridge overlooking our farm, neighboring farms, and beyond -- into the historic town of Fredericksburg. We offer an alternative to hotels, motels, and the usual bed and breakfast accomodations, offering two two-story, two-bedroom 1200 sq. ft. houses with living and dining rooms, full kitchens, and full front porches with the aforementioned views of our part of the Texas Hill Country. Each of our cabins feature stained concrete floors downstairs, with wooden ceilings throughout, with the first floor ceiling forming the second story floor. Our kitchens and baths feature genuine Talavera tile, and our kitchens feature modern appliances, dishes, flatware, and virtually every kitchen gadget a guest could want. Each cabin features leather sofas and weathered, rustic mexican and pioneer furnishing, as well as work from local artists. Whether you decide on the Behrends Cabin or the Braeutigum Cabin, we are confident that you will find that your accomodations exceed your expectations, and provide the best place for a Texas Hill Country get-away.
We invite you to check out our website, http://www.agaritacreek.com/ our Facebook page, or to call us at 830.896.9140 at our business office, which is open 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. We also invite you to visit with us at the Fredericksburg Farmer's Market, each Thursday evening from late May through October. We think if you compare us to Fredericksburg and Hill Country hotels, motels, guest houses, cabins, and bed and breakfast accomodations, you will agree that we offer something different, and that, in this case, different is better.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Hello from Agarita Creek Farms!
Hi, this is Tom Carnes from Agarita Creek Farms LP in Fredericksburg, Texas. Agarita Creek Farms is a ranch, which raises heritage breeds of livestock recognized by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. At this early stage in our operations, we raise Dexter cattle, Jacob sheep, and Navajo-Churro sheep. We are also a farm -- raising feed for our livestock and also operating a market vegetable garden. Lastly, we provide farm stay tourist accommodations -- currently in the form of two German-style log cabins, each with two bedrooms, and each with approximately 1200 sq. ft. Each cabin is two story, and has a full kitchen and all modern amenities. To communicate with our customers, or those that might become our customers, we have done two things. We have posted an Agarita Creek Farms page on Facebook, which can be accessed through Facebook directly or through my account (/thomaspcarnes). Secondly, we are forming a "Friends of Agarita Creek Farms" page on LinkedIn. We intend to post our periodic blog -- happenings on the farm, announcements, and special offerings -- on LinkedIn and Facebook to our "friends." This will enable us to be in regular contact with our friends without sending out blast email, hopefully making us nimbler and improving communication.
In short, we hope those that are interested join one or both of our user groups. We think this technology will simplify business communications, focus them on ones who want to receive them, and enable us to better serve our customers. We hope you will join us.
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