WILLIAMSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT
Street named after South Korean city in nod to trans-Pacific ties
GEORGETOWN — Williamson County Commissioners Court members have approved setting aside $2 million for enhancements to the Jester Williamson County Annex — a capital-improvements move designed to ease traffic flow at the busy site.
The decision came during the commissioners’ regular meeting Nov. 19 as officials discussed 2025 capitalimprovements programs.
In other business, county leaders voted to rename a roadway in honor of a sister city in South Korea — a tangible nod to the growing list of companies setting up shop from the Asian country as suppliers to the massive Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant under construction in Taylor.
Commissioners also heard about betterments to local tennis operations fueled by earlier complaints from league members.
Jester annex traffic flow eyed
A discussion on capital improvements was brief, with plans to revisit the matter in greater detail Dec. 17. Yet commissioners voted on setting aside money for enhancements to the Jester annex as a priority.
The facility is a one-stop shop for residents to conduct county business that sees high traffic volume.
“I think that is just really important,” County Judge Bill Gravell said after unanimous approval of the $2 million earmark. “It’s really busy there for elections. That’s an incredibly busy location for the tax office, for drive-throughs. I think this will offer some relief for that.”
Residents at adjacent apartment buildings spur further traffic to the site that also acts as something of a cutthrough to Interstate 35, commissioners noted.
The annex is at 1801 E. Old Settlers Road in Round Rock.
South Korean sister city gains street sign Commissioners also gave a unanimous thumbs up to renaming CR 404 to Yongin City Boulevard in recognition of the county’s designated sister city in South Korea.
Gravell and other local leaders have been strengthening commercial and cultural ties with the Asian country ever since Samsung in November 2021 announced the construction of a $17 billion semiconductor fabrication site — or “fab” — on Taylor’s outskirts.
The 820-foot stretch of road is 800 feet west of FM 973 that serves as the entryway to Gate 1 of the Samsung plant. Gravell took the opportunity to note that the mayor of Yongin City is scheduled to lead a delegation visiting the county early next year.
“I would want to mention at this point that the mayor and senior leadership of Yongin City will be here on Jan. 9, and I would love for you guys to meet them,” he told commissioners. “There will be no business that will occur, but I would just like for you to meet these leaders that are coming over here to visit with us. I think that would be exciting.”
According to Wikipedia, Yongin is a city in the Seoul Capital Area — the largest in Gyeonggi Province. According to the entry, the city of more than 1 million residents has developed rapidly in the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the country.
Tennis concerns: served
Commissioners also were updated on logistical improvements for tennis operations at a county-run sporting facility, spurred by concerns from several members of a local players’ league.
The report emerged after commissioners approved renewing a one-year contract with RippnerTennis pending a reassessment of the site’s management after some 200 community members signed a petition opposing the pact’s
renewal.
The focus was on eight tennis courts at the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, 3005 CR 175 in Leander, where league members said they had trouble with scheduling.
RippnerTennis has held the county contract since 2017.
“I’m happy to report this morning we have a path forward,” Russell Fishbeck, senior director of parks and recreation, told commissioners. “We developed a procedure on how we would operate leagues at the facility. RippnerTennis is making available an extra court and extra windows of time for league play to accommodate and eliminate the need for any type of lottery system.”
League officials will make assignments for playing at the courts rather than scheduling unilaterally with RippnerTennis, the director said. The move is to enhance communication, he added, with team captains conveying scheduling needs with their league coordinators, who will then contact RippnerTennis.
“Lastly, maintenance issues identified have been addressed,” Fishbeck said. “At a high level, I think we have a very workable plan to move forward. And I am so happy to report and thank you for the opportunity to meet with these fine folks who have been very collaborative and very cooperative.”
