During his tenure, the city has dealt with a variety of difficult issues, from the controversial exit of former city administrator Vicky Rudy to improving the city’s water system and streets. There were a lawsuits to deal with, as well.

Through it all, Dingley demonstrated the admirable ability to remain cool under fire, and he showed a high level of tolerance when residents were critical of him or the City Council during some extremely long meetings. Whether during a six-hour meetings or attending to routine operations City Hall, Dingley did his job with the class that most Rollingwood residents appreciated.

Many people are surprised to learn that none of the elected officials in Rollingwood or neighboring West Lake Hills get one cent of pay. Their pay is only in the form of the satisfaction they receive for giving back to their community.

The bottom line is that serving as mayor of Rollingwood is an incredibly difficult and often thankless job. Dingley is a gentleman who served with no ulterior motives other than his love of your city and sincere desire to see the best interest of the majority of citizens served.

We encourage residents to take time to thank him for doing his absolute best to serve their city.

Contributing Writer

Six years ago, I was appointed by the Rollingwood City Council to finish the term of the newly elected mayor, Hollis Jefferies. At that time, had anyone suggested that I’d be on the City Council for the next six years, let alone run for and be elected mayor, I would have laughed. But it happened, and I’m grateful to all of you who have supported me over the years.

I chose to continue seeking re-election because of unfinished business. First, there was the impending settlement with the Lower Colorado River Authority. Following closely was the mediation and settlement with the firm of our former city attorney. Then came the issue of much needed water system upgrades.

The LCRA settlement saved the city several million dollars. Was it what we wanted? Absolutely not, but our legal team advised us that it was the best we could get without risking getting nothing.

The settlement with the law firm grossed $900,000. After legal fees, the City netted approximately $677,000. Again, we felt we deserved more, but in mediation each side has to give. That money has allowed us to avoid wastewater rate increases until this year’s budget.

Water system upgrades are well underway. A major project is about finished and other projects are on the burner. Continuing upgrades appear to have “legs of their own.”

So, with the deadline for filing fast approaching, it’s time for another decision. We have a term limit of six years for our Board and Commission members. Indeed, I have seen several hard-working folks leave a position due to term limits. It has become my conviction that members of the City Council should consider a self-imposition of that same term limit.

At the end of this term I will be 67 years of age. I consider myself truly blessed in that both of my parents are still alive and relatively healthy. But, both being in their 80s, they are becoming increasingly frail, and I feel a very strong need to be more available for them. I intend to spend as much time with them as I can in their remaining years.

For these reasons, I have decided to forego a run for another two-year term as mayor of Rollingwood. I will leave office with the satisfaction of knowing that our city is on firm financial ground with much needed infrastructure projects well under way.

I extend my thanks to those with whom I’ve served on the city council; to Don Ferguson, our first city administrator; to Vicky Rudy, our second city administrator; to Robyn Ryan, our newly appointed city secretary; to Dayne Pryor, our chief of police; to Frank Miller, the most self-motivated individual I’ve ever known; to Elizabeth Standifer, our financial director; to Claire, Eli and Jasper; and to all the police officers who have served our city during my tenure.

Finally, a huge, heartfelt thanks to Jackie, my wife of 33 years, for her patience with my very unpredictable and often late-night city schedule over the past six years.

Claunch has served only two years as mayor, yet his accomplishments are many. Part of the reason stems from his willingness to serve. He has demonstrated what can be accomplished when a sincere effort is made to nurture teamwork between the city and business community. This helped him get an agreement among business people in the city to join the city’s wastewater system, thus making service more affordable to residents. People trust him for good reason. He listens to all concerns and is able to come up with plans that are fair to everyone.

Long before he took over as mayor, Claunch demonstrated a sincere desire to help people. Last year, he was named the Austin Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year for his work co-chairing an education committee task force concerning Austin Community College. He is also an active supporter of many other nonprofit causes that include Wonders and Worries, Habitat for Humanity, the Capital Area Food Bank, the Political Asylum Project of Austin and the Texas Freedom Network. In addition, he’s currently assisting the Texas House Jurisprudence Committee with an interim study over the next few months to address lyme disease issues.

With so many successful causes, it is easy to see why people want this problem-solver on their team. West Lake Hills residents should consider themselves extremely lucky that Claunch is willing to serve them, and we hope they will take time to congratulate him on an honor that is richly deserved.

Ed Allen

The loss of such a writer hurts worse when he or she is an incredible person, in addition to being one of the best staff members ever to sport a Picayune press badge. Some people you just like to be around, and Eleni Himaras is one of those people. So, when I recognized the drill that I’ve been through too many times during my 15 years as the Picayune’s editor, I didn’t bother trying to restrain from dropping my head.

It seems like just a couple of months ago that a similarly well-liked staff writer did likewise after less than a year on the job. Will Pafford left after winning a highly coveted first-place plaque for news writing in the Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Receiving notice of his departure was painful, but he led off with news that he had been accepted into the Florida State Law School, and that he was giving me more than one-month’s notice. So it would have been selfish of me to drop my head in that situation. But it still hurt, and I came so close that I felt like one of those bobble head figures.

Eleni is happy that she and an old friend found a great, affordable apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y., closer to home, and she is optimistic about soon continuing her career as a writer. Although she doesn’t have a job lined up yet, I’m equally optimistic that she will be successful in whatever job she lands.

Like Will, Eleni also gave more than a month’s notice instead of the standard two weeks because, well, that’s just the kind of thoughtful, considerate person she is.

We bid farewell to Eleni with a party Tuesday and wished her nothing but the best. She feels that her service to the Picayune and this community was a satisfying experience. She is a special person who we miss already.

It’s an arduous task to wade through the more than 110 applications that we routinely receive when we advertise a job opening for a staff writer, but I feel certain that any one of the top six applicants for the job could make an attempt at filling Eleni’s shoes and be a perfect fit. Then again, almost all 10 of the extremely talented applicants that I interviewed would be great assets for any community newspaper. We aren’t quite ready to announce the name of our new staff member, but I am happy to report that one old adage has proven to be true: Every cloud really does have a silver lining.

Contributing Writer

I am relieved to report that we have finally enacted the revised tree ordinance after more than six months of work and sixteen draft revisions. I’m proud to say that the final version is a significant improvement in both content and effectiveness. Although it is a lengthy ordinance, it is much easier to understand and follow than its predecessor was.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working with the city staff and Council to create a one-page document that briefly explains the top-level rules and processes for removing and replacing trees and other vegetation in the city. We’ll post this document on our Web site and provide it to contractors and residents alike so that everyone has a clear understanding of the rules. We’ll also include it in the next issue of our city newsletter, which is due out around the end of March. And just as we’ve done for years, we’ll continue to offer free training classes for all of the tree contractors that do work in this area to make sure that they are aware of the new rules as well.

In other news, you may have read in last week’s Picayune that the funding for the Bee Cave Road improvements is up in the air. The $6.3 million in funds allocated to our project last January by CAMPO are no longer available because TxDOT is running low on cash. Unlike most of us – who set aside our money when we write a check to pay a bill – TxDOT doesn’t set aside funding (in our case, the $6.3 million) when they commit to doing a project. Instead, they wait until it’s time to go out to bid for the project, then they look in their bank account and see if they have the money.

In the past, this approach has always worked because they’ve had plenty of cash on hand. But as TxDOT’s revenues have plummeted over the past few years, their cash has dwindled. Now there’s not enough to do many of the projects that had been approved by the various Metropolitan Planning Organizations like CAMPO. To add insult to injury, TxDOT only recently informed CAMPO that many of its projects will be left high and dry. CAMPO is in the difficult spot of having to explain this mess to all the municipalities (like West Lake Hills) who have been waiting for their projects to begin.

In a recent meeting I attended with TxDOT, they indicated that they may be willing to use some internal funds to construct the center turn lane on Bee Cave Road at Redbud Trail. The design process for that section of the road should be completed by this fall. In the coming months, I may call upon the public at large to help us encourage TxDOT to use those other funds for improving this vital intersection.

As for the installation of a center turn lane along the rest of Bee Cave Road, there is both bad news and good. The bad news is that TxDOT’s timeline for designing the project stretches out to late 2012, at which time the project will theoretically be ready to bid. The good news is that TxDOT’s funding shortage is expected to be remedied by that time, with sufficient cash flows available to fund more projects throughout the state. So there’s a chance that the larger Bee Cave Road project will proceed as planned – assuming that TxDOT’s financial projections are accurate. And that’s a big assumption.

When I was elected two years ago, I wasn’t sure if I would want to serve a second term in office. I was hopeful that I could work hard for two years, accomplish all of my goals for service during that time, and then maybe move on down the road. But with the Bee Cave Road project still up in the air – and lots of work remaining on other major projects – I have decided to run for re-election this May. If the voters will have me, then I will proudly serve as your mayor for another two-year term.

By Holly Heinrich

Contributing Writer

They operate behind the scenes, behind the lines and behind the lens. Whether they’re filming action on the field or capturing a moment onstage, they blend into the background. Yet at most Westlake High School events, the Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew creates your view – that instant replay on the Jumbotron after a touchdown or the spotlights illuminating ballerinas in the Nutcracker. The pulsing lights during Battle of the Bands, the lights bending with the dancers’ movements at Hyline’s show Zenith – it’s all their work. But what does lighting really do for a show?

“What does seeing do for your life?” junior Robert Jameson said. “OK, that may be exaggerating, but it does add a lot, or subtract a lot. Imagine watching Avatar, except instead of when the plants and flora light up during the night, it’s broad daylight. Sure, they’re still cool-looking, but there’s no longer that same feeling or atmosphere. Lighting – in bare bones– provides visibility. But if you tweak it a bit, take away some here, add some there, it makes you feel like you are there—inside the dungeon, outside in the rain, shocked by the bright lights just as the characters are. Incredible lighting can provide show stoppers, and of course the ‘Wow.’”

At WHS’s “Beauty and the Beast” musical [Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 20 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.], expect extraordinary pyrotechnics, booming thunder, and low-lying fog.

“We are following through with our lights to make you feel like you’re in a castle or in the rage of a mob,” Robert said. “Thunder and lightning, echoing voices, and spot-on punches make it more life-like than any [performance] I’ve ever experienced. It almost feels like a movie – that’s what we’ve planned.”

The TEC students create artistic visions and bring them to life.

“When you sit in the audience and pay attention to the TEC side of the show, almost 100 percent of what is happening was talked about by a student before it was ever implemented, and 100 percent is being done by students,” TEC president senior Travis Favaron said.

And unlike most student programs, TEC is an actual business that relies on profits from its productions.

“If we do badly, it’s a serious amount of money lost rather than a second place trophy,” Robert said.

During Spring Break, TEC is headed to London to learn from the best.

“We’re packing our bags for London in a matter of weeks,” Robert said. “We’ll see the old “Les Misérables,” “Billy Elliot,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” the new “Wicked” and of course, “Lion King.” “We’ll be backstage on four of the productions and we’ll tour [the theaters] afterwards to see how they did the special effects, how many sound inputs they have, and how state-of-the-art our own PAC is. We hope to have fun, but also we hope to understand how [professional technical productions] work, what’s relevant, and what to expect if any of us do venture outside of our PAC.”

It’s an ideal trip for a group that creates professional-level work in a high school.

“We [don’t] look at other high schools as our goal to beat,” Travis said. “We look at Broadway.”

Contributing Writer

The May 2010 Municipal elections are just around the corner. The filing period for elective office is under way and runs through March 8.

This year, the mayor’s seat and those of two aldermen will be up for election. Those interested in running for office may obtain filing packets at the Rollingwood City Hall. In addition to Municipal elections in May, don’t forget that state Democratic and Republican primary elections will be held on March 2, 2010. Rollingwood City Hall will be a polling place for both elections.

The current water system upgrades are nearing completion. The Pickwick Lane water line has been completed for some time, and the Edgegrove water line should be completed very soon. All that will then remain is the installation of a pressure reducing valve at the intersection of Rollingwood Drive and Riley road. We are told that this final project will require approximately one week to complete.

Weather permitting, all current construction could be finished by the end of February, which is approximately one month ahead of schedule. Total costs for all four phases of the current project should come in well under budget.

Heartfelt thanks go to the many volunteers who showed up on Jan. 30 to begin work on the walking trail around the city’s upper level park. Our city staff had performed a significant amount of preparatory work, allowing the many wheelbarrow and shovel bearing volunteers to spread crushed granite onto the trail. When finished, this will be a tremendous addition to an already terrific park! Kudos to the City Park Commission for a well thought out plan. For those who may have missed the opportunity to contribute, another volunteer workday is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20. Bring your own shovel.

At its last meeting, the Rollingwood City Council appointed Robyn Ryan to the position of acting city secretary. After a short probationary period, it is anticipated the “acting” portion of the title will be removed. For those who haven’t yet met Robyn, she has been the city’s communications officer for the past year. She brings to the city exceptional organizational as well as communications skills. For the past year, she has been busy renovating a filing system that was in very bad shape. Robyn, in addition to being an avid reader, is a brand new grandmother, so expect to see pictures if you stop by to meet her.

In answer to a few questions, our wholesale water contract with the city of Austin requires us to adhere to the same restrictions as Austin. Therefore, the city remains under mandatory Stage 1 water restrictions.

Under Stage 1 restrictions, outdoors watering may occur on the following schedule: Commercial and multifamily water on Tuesdays and Fridays; single-family homes have two watering days a week. odd numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays; even numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays. No outdoor irrigation is allowed between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Hand watering is allowed anytime.

Having choices in each race ensures for lively debate and brings important issues to the forefront that might otherwise not be explored until a new council or school board member casts a deciding vote on an issue that could have significant consequences. City Councils make decisions that can strike close to home, and that is perhaps why races can become heated.

In the Eanes school board election, places up for grabs are Place 6, currently held by Mike Monnig, and Place 7, currently held by Ellen Balthazar. A concurrent special election will also be held to fill the Place 5 seat vacated by Gail King last August.

In Rollingwood, incumbents Mayor Dale Dingley and alder people Brian Nalle and Shanthi Jayakumar are running for re-election. Nalle and Jayakumar will face all comers in an at-large election in which the top two vote-getters win, and the mayors race is a traditional head-to-head election.

In West Lake Hills, seats of Mayor Dave Claunch and council members Place 4 Cindy Probst and Place 2 Andrew Schwartz will be up for grabs.

Similarly, the Eanes school board makes decisions that can affect area residents’ most important treasures, our children. To think that one person cannot make a difference is simply an erroneous assumption.

The Westlake Picayune will once again run question-and-answer profiles on all of the candidate in opposed local races leading up to Election Day on May 8, but we hope neighborhood associations or local civic groups will also hold candidate forums to provide opportunities for areas residents to meet the candidates face to face. We encourage residents to take advantage of these opportunities.

But first, candidates must step up and make a difficult commitment to serve. It is not easy because we are talking about nonpaying jobs that can adversely impact our family life and livelihood. It is a commitment too few of us are willing to make. The pay comes only in the satisfaction in knowing that he or she did his or her best to improve or at least preserve the quality of life that prompted most of us to move here.

Those willing to do this, and willing to take criticism whether it is deserved or not, merit heartfelt thanks from their constituents.

Eanes is the oldest school in the district, and it is one of the community’s precious few sites with historical significance. The first school was housed nearby, and the school district’s oldest still-standing school remains intact on the campus. Built in 1937, the rock school house is still used for educational programs as part of the history curriculum.

In addition, the Eanes-Marshall ranch house, former home to Eanes founding father, Robert Eanes, was moved to the campus and restored a few years ago.

So, nothing would be more tragic than to see the present day school changed drastically. That is part of the reason for the parents working hard to help school district officials make the right decisions.

But parents at the district’s other five elementary schools feel similar passion for preserving the good things about their campuses, and we urge all of them to get involved in any future renovation projects by laying out a similar vision. If school district officials can help make that happen by encouraging input, it would greatly improve the chances of the passage of future bond proposals.

It would be in the best interest of the district to offer proposed changes for each campus, get everyone on board and pledge to do the work in phases over a five-year period, with little or no disruption in school operations. We hope the bond package is one that is fiscally conservative in scope, because anything the scale of previously discussed $100 million-plus proposal is doomed to fail. Confidence in the continued economy’s improvement is simply not there yet.