HIPPO BITES
Little bits of big news
Public opinion sought on school zoning changes HUTTO – The Hutto Independent School District board of trustees is mulling over four options for how the district could be rebalanced once the new middle school opens in August 2024. Public feedback is being solicited before the Attendance Rezoning and Boundary Leveling Committee presents its recommended version to the board at a Nov. 9 workshop.
The committee has been tasked with evaluating and providing input on which of the four plans best aligns to space optimization, equity and operational efficiencies. The new middle school attendance boundaries will go into effect with the opening of the district’s third middle school campus, Gus Almquist Middle School, 1000 Haybarn Lane.
The maps were developed through review of current School Attendance Zones and enrollment at existing campuses. The district seeks to create new boundaries in an effort to balance — or level — the student enrollment at schools as the number of campuses and students increase.
The district plans to hold two public forums in December. The dates have not yet been determined.
The proposed attendance zone maps may be viewed online at www.hipponation. org/rezoning. Feedback on the maps can be submitted online at www.hipponation.org/ Page/11518.
Non-hazardous disposal set for Saturday On Saturday, Oct 28., residents of Hutto can take household waste, including large and bulky items, for disposal to East Williamson County Higher Education Center, 1600 Innovation Blvd. Disposal bins will be set up in the parking lot.
The event is for disposal of non-hazardous material. They will accept items such as mattresses, carpet, clothing, furniture, yard waste and lumber from small projects. They will not accept items such as paint, chemicals, batteries, commercial waste, tires or any electronics such as televisions or computers.
The event runs from 8 a.m. until the disposal bins fill up, according to a statement from the city manager.
Participation solicited in storm water survey Hutto is trying to find out how much its residents know about storm water. They have set up an informal survey on their website, www.HuttoTx.gov.
“We’re looking for you to be truthful about your current knowledge and habits so we can see where we need to better educate our community about storm water and continue to support our efforts in water quality with runoff water,” said City Manager James Earp.
Train depot future uncertain
Located near the Hutto ISD administration sits an old repurposed building that symbolizes a lot of the history of Hutto. The building is an original train depot built in the 1930s, one of the first few built in the region.
The little building has been moved a few times, and in its current location it was originally used as the school district’s human resources department, according to Terrence Owens, a school board trustee and history enthusiast who is trying to save the building.
Owens says the district is trying to decide whether to auction the building off or destroy it. The district already paid for asbestos abatement, so the building can be functional.
“That building has been a passion of mine for years so I wanted to bring awareness to the community that this could potentially happen,” Owens said. “I will be part of conversations in this community to see what we can do to save that building and to preserve that history.”
