lifeinsteiner.com

As Texas residents rejoice that the two-year drought seems to be finally over, the Lower Colorado River Authority is struggling with trying to determine how to best use the water that the recent rains have brought with them. After all, it is up to the Lower Colorado River Authority to determine how to use the water in the way that will best serve the needs of the residents of Texas as well as its businesses and industries.

Determining how the water will be distributed its an issue of great importance to residents of Steiner Ranch. After all, the Travis County Water Control District No. 17 is one of the customers of the Lower Colorado River Authority. Not only does the Travis County Water Control District No. 17 service the water and wastewater needs of Steiner Ranch, it also services the communities of Serene Hills, Apache Shores, River Ridge and Flintrock.

Providing water to the residents of various communities throughout Central Texas isn’t the only concern of the Lower Colorado River Authority, as the authority is also charged with ensuring there is plenty of water to be used for recreational purposes throughout the Lake Travis area.

“We do get a lot of comments from people. A lot of people who move out on the lake feel like they should see a lake and it should be full all the time,” said James Kowis, LCRA’s manager of water supply planning. “We also get comments from people … about levels coming up. No one is going to be happy all of the time. It requires us to have a lot of patience.”

Some residents are so concerned about maintaining a certain quality of life that lawsuits have even been brought against the authority regarding how it chooses to distribute the water. In addition to providing water to residents for household use and to the lakes for recreational use, the Lower Colorado River Authority must also find ways to provide water for agricultural use as well. Although the authority can curtail the amount of water that it provides for this purpose, finding a healthy balance of distribution can be a challenge at times.

With the recent influx of water, finding ways to distribute the water effectively has certainly become easier for the authority. In addition, if the population continues to grow at the same rate it has over the past several years, the authority may very well need to start looking for ways to develop additional water sources. Still, the authority is confident it can provide plenty of water to Steiner Ranch residents while also fulfilling other water needs for many years to come.

The Longhorn Village retirement community, which is located in Steiner Ranch, was recently awarded with a three-star rating from the Austin Energy Green Building Program.

“I promised that we would get at least one star,” said George Stacy, who is the senior project manager of CRSA, which is the company that developed Longhorn Village. “We qualified for three. I was totally surprised. We met with Austin Energy every two to three months throughout the 18 months of construction and made modifications. I’m very excited about it. We are the first if not only retirement community to earn this rating.”

The Longhorn Village development, which was just completed in 2009, achieved its rating due to the fact that its construction allows for reduced water and energy usage while also reducing operation and maintenance costs. Some of the features of the facility that helped it earn its rating include:

· Installation of efficient lighting, appliances, water, heating and air conditioning systems
· Implementation of a recycling program
· Use of eco-friendly insulation and recycled construction materials
· Utilization of native vegetation and plants that require little water
· Installation of an efficient irrigation system
· Close proximity to hiking and biking trails

Of course, these eco-friendly features aren’t the only attractive amenities that Longhorn Village has to offer to its resident. Some of the other amenities enjoyed by residents include:

· Arts and Crafts Studio
· Auditorium/Multi-Purpose Room
· Beauty/Barber Shop
· Business Center
· Chapel/Meditation Room
· Clinic
· Club Rooms/Card Room
· Concierge Services
· Convenience Store/Gift Shop
· Enclosed and Heated Swimming Pool
· Fitness Center
· Guest Room Accommodations
· Internet Cafe
· Library/Living Room Area
· Mail/Communications Center
· On-Site Banking
· Spa Center
· Storage Area
· Walking Trails and Paths
· Wellness Center

Located on 56 acres of land within Steiner Ranch and near to beautiful Lake Travis, residents also enjoy easy access to a number of recreational opportunities outside of the community. In fact, the nearby Lake Travis and Lake Austin offer ample opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and picnicking. Ten golf courses, 19 marinas and 8 boat launches are also within minutes from the community. Residents also enjoy easy access to downtown Austin, where they can enjoy dining at a wide variety of restaurants or they can enjoy the arts or visit a number of different live music venues.

Thanks to its eco-friendly atmosphere and close proximity to a variety of recreational and cultural opportunities, it is easy to see why Longhorn Village is one of Austin’s premiere retirement communities.

Parents in the Austin area will soon be able to rest easy in knowing that their children are a little bit safer. At least, those who take advantage of the free car seat fitting initiative taking place at the Steiner Ranch Fire State will be able to after February 10.

According to The Statesman, the Hudson Bend Fire Department will be hosting a free car seat clinic at the Steiner Ranch Fire Station located at 3048 Steiner Ranch Boulevard. The clinic is made possible through a partnership between the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Texas in Motion and the Austin-Travis County EMS, with the intention of educating parents and caregivers on how to properly install child passenger safety seats. Inspections will also be conducted for free, though an appointment needs to be made in order to obtain an inspection.

The free car seat inspection clinic will start at 10:00 a.m. on February 10 and will continue until 1:00 p.m. Those who are interested in obtaining a free inspection can call (512) 854-3248 or (512) 854-7786 to set up an appointment.

Research has shown time and time again that the improper use of child passenger restraints – or the failure to use restrains at all – can lead to serious injury or death. In most cases, these restraint devices are installed incorrectly simply because the caregiver does not how to properly install the car seats, boosters and other devices that are meant to keep children safe. In fact, consider these facts:

· 80% of child restraints are used incorrectly (NHTSA)
· Nearly 1/3 of children use restraints that are wrong for their age and size (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Children who are inappropriately restrained are almost 3½ times as likely to be seriously injured than those who are properly restrained (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Car seats reduce the risk of death by 54% for children between the ages of 1 and 4 and by 71% for infants (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Approximately 88% of children who are killed by passenger air bags were either improperly restrained or were not restrained at all (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Only 19% of children who should be restrained in a booster seat actually are (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)

To those who live in Steiner Ranch, the fact that this free clinic is being brought to the community is no surprise. The Steiner Ranch has long been regarded as a close-knit community that places an emphasis on the safety of its residents and its children. Events such as this child restraint clinic are a common sight throughout the community as members and government officials regularly band together to provide valuable services to those living in Steiner Ranch and the surrounding area.

For more information about this event of about child passenger safety in general, contact Deputy Kimberly Orts at (51) 854-3428.

The city of Austin and its residents have long been known for being both eco-conscious and giving toward the community and others. These qualities are witnessed on by Steiner Ranch residents on a regular basis as they interact with one another and participate at the community Welcome Center, but the good-heartedness of Austin’s residents expands well beyond the boundaries of individual communities or even the boundaries of the state itself.

Even before the devastating earthquake struck the country of Haiti, numerous Austin residents had taken time to visit the country in order to conduct missionary work or to simply provide the people with much needed medical care and other assistance. After the earthquake struck, however, some of Austin’s residents found themselves worrying about more than just the people who call Haiti home. In fact, family and friends waiting anxiously to here from three Austin residents who had been missing for three days since the earthquake struck.

One of these people, Lynn Selby, was a University of Texas student who was conducting doctoral research and volunteer work at Port-au-Prince. Amazingly, Selby suffered only minor injuries and managed to find her way to the U.S. Embassy in Haiti on Thursday. Reportedly, Selby has told embassy workers that she wants to assist with search and rescue efforts until she can be evacuated.

“We don’t know how she got from her house to the embassy and what transpired during those 48 hours,” said Selby’s sister, Leigh Selby. “But we feel really, really lucky to know she’s fine.”

John and Suzi Parker, two missionaries from Austin who have been conducting missionary work in Haiti since 2003, were also ultimately found at a nursing school located about 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince in the town of Leogane. Ironically, John Parker had served as the construction manager of the nursing school when it was erected in 2003. When the earthquake struck, the couple had been working at a guesthouse that had been set up for visiting doctors and they now plan to remain in Haiti in order to assist with the rescue effort.

“We’re sure relieve that they seem to be OK, but of course there is a lot of concern for the people of Haiti,” said Rev. San Williams, who is the couples’ pastor at University Presbyterian Church.

Numerous companies throughout the city of Austin are also donating funds to the cause, including H-E-B, which recently announced its intentions to donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross for the Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

Aside from the beautiful homes and incredible amenities found within the Steiner Ranch community, another benefit to living in this planned community is the fact that its residents get to enjoy all of the benefits that the city of Austin has to offer. Among these benefits is the fact that the capital city has a relatively low unemployment rate when compared to the national unemployment rate.

While the U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that approximately 22,000 less people filed claims for initial unemployment last week, the news is even better for Austin residents. In fact, Austin Biz Journals reports that the unemployment rate in Austin fell from 7.2% in October to 6.9% in November. While this is still well above the rate of unemployment within the city a year ago, which is estimated to have been at around 4.9%, it is still better than the national rate. Furthermore, it is better than the rate for the state of Texas on a whole, which dropped from 8.3% in October to 8% in November.

When it comes to new unemployment claims, the state of Texas continues to fare better than the rest of the country. Not only has the state enjoyed a decline in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, it has actually added nearly 70,000 jobs over the past two months.

For Steiner Ranch residents, remaining ahead of the national curb is just one more reason to enjoy living in the area. With so many jobs located in the state capital, including numerous positions for those with specialized technical skills, the area is predicted to continue to remain one of the cities with the strongest economies in the country. That’s good news for residents of the community, as Steiner Ranch residents certainly enjoy being able to enjoy the finer things in life – and having a great job that is only a short commute away is key to making certain these amenities remain accessible!

The community of Steiner Ranch has much to offer to its residents. Not only is the community in a great location, which makes it possible to easily enjoy the amenities of downtown Austin while also being able to take advantage of the area’s natural beauty, but the level of safety and security that residents enjoy is one more reason why the community is such an attractive place to live. In fact, according to a study that was recently conducted by Farmer Insurance Group of Companies, the Austin-Round Rock area is actually the most secure large metropolitan area in the country.

The survey, which included 379 large metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more, placed the Austin-Round Rock area in the number one position of the “Most Secure U.S. Places to Live” in its recent survey based on all of the following factors:

· Air quality
· Crime Statistics
· Environmental hazards
· Extreme weather conditions
· Foreclosure
· Housing depreciation
· Job loss
· Life expectancy
· Risk of natural disasters
· Terrorist threats

When looking more specifically at just the nearby city of Round Rock, the FBI recently listed the city as the number one safest city to live in the United States with a population of 100,000 or more and in the number 18 position when considering cities with populations of 75,000 or more. Of course, this isn’t the first time the city of Round Rock has been included on this list. In fact, in terms of cities with populations of 75,000 or more, Round Rock came in the number 19 position in 2008, number 13 in 2007 and 2006 and number 8 in 2005.

For Steiner Ranch residents, living next to the city of Round Rock and within the city of Austin, both of which enjoy high rankings in terms of safety and security, certainly provides peace of mind. Pair this fact with the fact that the children of Steiner Ranch enjoy excellent educational opportunities and plenty of activities to choose from throughout the community and it is easy to understand why so many are proud to call Steiner Ranch home.

Although the community of Steiner Ranch has much to offer to its residents in terms of amenities and location, there is one more benefit to living in this area that certainly cannot be overlooked: educational opportunities.

The bottom line is that children and teenagers who grow up in Steiner Ranch have the opportunity to work toward obtaining an excellent education. In fact, all of the schools that serve the Steiner Ranch community are part of the acclaimed Leander Independent School District. The Leander Independent School District has consistently performed well on standardized tests and has regularly ranked near the top of all of the school districts in Texas. This is largely due to the fact that the Leander Independent School District strives to do all of the following:

· “continually improving world-class curriculum”
· put “a focus on teaching and modeling ethical behavior”
· provide “encouragement of parent and community involvement”

Elementary-aged students who live in the Steiner Ranch community will attend either Laura Welch Bush Elementary or Steiner Ranch Elementary, while middle school students attend Canyon Ridge Middle School. All three of these schools are located on-site. High school students, on the other hand, attend either Vandegrift High School or Cedar Park High School, both of which are just a few minutes away from Steiner Ranch. Of course, there are also plenty of private schools available in the area as well.

When considering moving to Steiner Ranch, it is a good idea to visit each of these schools in order to get a better idea of what each one has to offer. Not only do all of these schools have a solid reputation for academic excellence, the facilities are also quite beautiful. Furthermore, the fact that the elementary and middle schools are located within the community means students can easily walk to and from school while also enjoying a true sense of neighborhood.

In addition to the numerous educational opportunities available to the children and teenagers who live in the Steiner Ranch community, there are also plenty of higher education opportunities available to adults in the community as well. Some of the colleges and universities that are located nearby include The University of Texas, St. Edward’s University, Austin Community College, Texas State University, Concordia University, Southwestern University and Husto-Tillotson College.

Whether looking to get a good start in the world of education or looking to pursue a higher education certificate or degree, Steiner Ranch residents have plenty of excellent opportunities to select from.

The new homebuyers tax credit that was recently put into action has many Steiner Ranch real estate agents feeling hopeful that they will see an increase of sales in the area. Although the previous new homebuyers credit went a long way toward increasing the sells of lower-priced homes and homes that were in foreclosure, the downside to the legislation was that it did little to help increase the number of higher-end homes that were sold. By offering a credit to current homeowners who are ready to make a move, however, real estate agents and experts in the industry are hopeful that higher-end homes such as those found in communities like Steiner Ranch will also enjoy an increase in sales.

Although homeowners do not need to “buy up” in order to receive the $6,500 tax credit available to current homeowners, the likelihood of this happening is made greater by the new legislation. With the previous tax credit, only those who did not currently own a home and who had not owned a home for the past three years were eligible to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits. As a result, many first time homebuyers decided to take advantage of the crippled housing market by purchasing those homes with the lowest price tags. Since many of the people selling these homes were suffering from financial difficulties, the likelihood of them “buying up” was quite slim.

With the new tax credit, current homeowners who have been considering purchasing a larger home may be inspired to take that step. As such, there is a greater likelihood of homes in Steiner Ranch getting sold. Of course, despite the economic downturn, Steiner Ranch has remained at the top of the list of the hottest selling neighborhoods in the Austin area throughout the year. In fact, according to Brian Talley of Regent Property Group, the hottest selling neighborhoods in Austin this year have been:

· Circle C
· Millwood
· Steiner Ranch
· Avery Ranch
· Cherry Creek

Considering its excellent location and the many amenities that Steiner Ranch has to offer, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that the neighborhood is among the best-selling in the Austin area. Thanks to the extension that has been put on the new homebuyers tax credit, which now gives new homebuyers through the month of June to take advantage of the $8,000 credit, coupled with the new credit for current homeowners, Steiner Ranch will likely continue to enjoy a top spot in terms of home sales.

The Austin City Council passed a controversial measure this past Thursday when it decided to dedicate $508 million toward the construction of a new water treatment plant along Lake Travis.

The possibility of a new water treatment plant being constructed isn’t exactly something new. In fact, the matter has been the subject of debate for nearly 25 years already. Still, the fact that the council has decided to move forward with the project during these difficult economic times has left some a bit confused and wondering if it is truly necessary. Those who support the measure, on the other hand, feel as if the council is taking the right steps toward making sure the city of Austin and its neighborhoods – such as Steiner Ranch – do not run out of treated water in the near future.

The Austin City Council was decidedly split on the vote, with four of the members voting for the treatment plant and three voting against. The four who voted for the plant, which will be located on a site near to the Oasis restaurant on Lake Travis, said the city faces a potential shortage of treated water as soon as 2014. Those who voted against the measure, on the other hand, said there may never be a true need for a water treatment plant. Further, they would have preferred to see the money go toward water conservation measures. Among their suggestions were to fix the city’s water pipes, which they say are currently leaking billions of gallons of water every year. Despite the controversy, crews are already scheduled to get the project under way within the next few weeks.

“It is a gamble not to build the plant now,” said Mayor Lee Leffingwell. “And I will not roll the dice with the health and safety of the people of Austin.”

Council Member Bill Spelmen, who opposed the project, said he believes the project is unnecessary for two main reasons. First, he claim to have conducted an analysis of water usage in Austin and has determined that water use per capita is declining in Austin as well as the rest of the state. Second, he determined that the project would raise water rates by 12%, or by $515 per every man, woman and child in the city. This has led to Spelman and other critics of the plant to propose a plan that will prevent low-income families and small businesses from seeing an increase in their water bills.

According to the council members who voted for the construction of the water treatment plant, the decision will not slow down water conservation methods. Nonetheless, some environmental activists are concerned by the move. In fact, some attended the meeting in order to express their opposition toward the project. How the city plans to move forward with water conservation efforts still remains unclear.

Austin Biz Journals recently reported that the Steiner Ranch community is enjoying better home sales when compared to the rest of Austin for one primary reason: the community is home to some of the areas best schools.

According to the Austin Board of Realtors, the median price of a home in Central Texas was about $191,500, which represents a drop from the $195,000 prices the area was seeing last year. The median sales price for homes in Steiner Ranch, on the other hand, got up to $350,000 this year. Furthermore, while home sales fell in Central Texas by about 35% when compared to last year, sales in Steiner Ranch only fell by about 13%. Whereas 164 homes were sold within the Steiner Ranch community in August of last year, brokers still managed to sell 143 homes in August this year.

Although the Steiner Ranch community has many amenities and features that are certainly much sought after, many experts agree that the community’s high quality schools are the main attraction. This is because the community is serviced by the Leander Independent School District, with elementary-aged children attending either Laura Welch Bush Elementary or Steiner Ranch Elementary and middle school-aged children attending Canyon Ridge Middle School. Due to the extensive growth of the community, another elementary school called the River Ridge Elementary will be opening this fall.

In addition to the top-notch schools for children, there are also plenty of higher education opportunities readily available to residents of the Steiner Ranch community. This includes The University of Texas, St. Edwards’s University, Austin Community College, Huston-Tillotson College, Concordia University, Southwestern University and Texas State University at San Marco.

Of course, the schools aren’t the only thing that the community has to offer. Thanks to its location, residents also enjoy breathtaking views of Texas Hill Country as well as easy access to the numerous recreational opportunities available at Lake Austin. In fact, residents regularly enjoy biking and boating within and around the community. Thanks to the community pools located in the neighborhood, residents also have plenty of opportunities to spend time with one another while cooling off whenever they like.
Simply put, it is no surprise that sales have remained relatively strong within the Steiner Ranch community. Not only do the residents of this community enjoy the beauty and recreational activities the area has to offer, they can also rest easy in knowing that their children are getting the best education possible.