Lake Travis is Rising

Great news!!
Thanks to recent rains, Lake Travis is filling up again.
Every drop counts, and more rain is on the way!

Lake Travis Recharged by Recent Rains

Lake Travis is now at its highest level since June of last year because of the heavy rains.

LCRA hydrologists are forecasting the lake to rise to an elevation of about 662 to 664 feet above sea level by this weekend.

That’s about 8-and-a-half to 10-and-a-half feet above where the lake’s level was when the rain started on Sunday.

"We passed that water on through Lake LBJ and into Lake Buchanan on down into Lake Travis. The reason for the floogates is so much rain fell so quickly that all that water rushed into the lake really quick. We wanted to keep the level of Lake LBJ from rising very fast,” LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose said.

Lake Travis is still 13 feet below its average elevation for March.

But LCRA says by the end of this round of storms, about 120,000 acre-feet of water will have been captured in lakes Buchanan and Travis combined.

That’s the equivalent of the amount of water used by the City of Austin alone in about a year.

News 8 Austin Staff: 03-27-07

Care to Take a Walk?

If ‘walking is your kind of thing’ then ‘Austin is your kind of place’… Austin just scored second best city in the country for fitness and walking! Remember that folks also enjoy walking the scenic trails in our wonderful parks along Lake Travis and the surrounding areas too!

Austin Named One of Best Cities to Take a Walk

Austinites are getting some more national attention for getting off the couch. Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association have named Austin the second best city in the country for fitness and walking.

This is the second year in a row that Austin has topped the list of the top 12 American cities best suited for walking. According to Prevention, the elements that make a city "fitness walker friendly" include safe streets, beautiful places to walk, mild weather and good air quality.

Some of the specific criteria the publication used to rank cities on the list include the percentage of the population that walks for exercise, the use of mass transit, the number of parks per square mile, the points of interest per square mile, the average winter and summer temperatures and the percentage of athletic shoe buyers.

The survey studied 125 of the most populated American cities, and Austin came in at number 2, just behind Madison, Wis.

"While it's nice to receive accolades, in my opinion, we're nowhere near as pedestrian-friendly as we need to be," says Austin Mayor Will Wynn. "Fortunately, the continued revitalization and repopulation of downtown, as well as other developments like the Triangle and the old Mueller Airport, are big steps in the right direction."

The results of the walking list will appear in the April issue of Prevention.

Austin Business Journal - 10:32 AM CDT Tuesday, March 20, 2007

What? Shades Closes for Good?!

Shades, a popular floating restaurant on the North Shore of Lake Travis for 15 years, has closed its doors for good. Check out all the details in this article from the North Lake Travis LOG…

New PV Restaurant to Take Place of Shades

The Point Venture Property Owners’ Association voted February 18th to approve signing a new lease for a restaurant replacing Shades. By a 5-4 vote, Shades was required to leave its longtime floating location by March 1, with Point Venture Restaurant Group Inc. taking its place. The new restaurant will be open year round, and the ships store at the marina will become a convenience store.

There are also several new benefits to the PVPOA and its members. For one, the rent increases substantially. Under the old lease, Shades paid the PVPOA $14,513 a year. With the new lease, the new restaurant will be paying the POA 5% of its net profits, paid as a base rent of $46,000 per year. The new tenant will give a 10% discount to PVPO members and their guests on food, drinks and items purchased at the store. POA members will be allowed to purchase gas for boats at 50 cents over the tenants cost at the gas dock. Other plans include replacing and partially enclosing the seating area.

In an e-mail to nearly 100 people, Shades owner Larry Muske presented reasons why he could not sign the lease presented to him by the PVPOA. “I was presented with a lease that I felt was not economically feasible,” Muske wrote. He listed some of the items as: a complete line of groceries; absolute personal liability; bound to the lease for 15 years and unable to sell without being liable; live entertainment and late night bar hours; and being open 12 months a year. “The Board that brought me on 15 years ago instructed me to close at 10 p.m.; to keep the noise down; and to have a family friendly atmosphere, ”Muske wrote. “Your new Board wants live entertainment, noise, late bar hours, eggs, bread, milk and personal liability. I cannot do this. I am saddened beyond words to lose something that I’ve poured my heart and soul into for the past 15 years.” Muske wrote. “While I will miss my loyal customers and friends here, I am truly looking forward to moving on to a new and different adventure in my life.”

The new partners in the restaurant are Mike and Jan Walsh, and Todd Hynes. Mike Walsh was a former partner in The Pier on Lake Austin a managed it for 19 years. Hynes was also a partner in another Lake Travis waterfront restaurant.

PVPOA President Jim Hawkins explained that the POA board began planning for the expiration of the Shades lease months ago. A survey of members was conducted, and the PVPOA Board appointed a committee to determine what other benefits might be available to members of the community from the restaurant amenity. The committee put together a request for proposal that was advertised and distributed to the public. Two groups submitted proposals to the committee. According to Hawkins, both were very qualified, but the committee decided on the final group to submit its proposal for running the restaurant at Point Venture.

All of the “deal points” that were written into the new lease were ideas that the new lessee proposed and none of them were suggested or requested by the committee, Hawkins said. The lease agreement was given to Muske and he was given 30 days to agree to the terms. The board explained to Muske that under the right of first refusal it could negotiate the terms of the lease with him, but only if the changes he proposed represented a comparable or better benefit than the one that he wished to remove.

According to the board, Muske presented a list of 17 items he wanted negotiated out of or changed in the lease, but proposed no alternative benefits that the board considered to be in any way comparable or better than what he wished to remove. After negotiation and discussion, the board was not able to reach an agreement with Muske and he chose not to sign the lease that was agreed to by the third party. “The board truly regrets that Larry chose not to renew his lease with the POA…the board based our decision on what we felt was in the best interest of our membership,” Hawkins said.

As far as live entertainment, the board only gives its OK on a one or two person group, but no full bands. Hawkins said the sound from music will be lessened after the area is enclosed. Also, after a new wave break for Point Venture’s marina is completed, the live music, along with the restaurant, will move away from the shore. The PVPOA owns the kitchen building and the dock. The new owners are negotiating on buying the bar and the seating area from Muske. If the new restaurant gets the building, the new owners will remodel. If not, a new restaurant will be built. Hawkins said the new owners hope to have the restaurant open by April 1, but may take until May.

North Lake Travis LOG – February 22, 2007 By Staff Writer Kimberly Bates

Do You Love to Dive?

If you love to dive, check out this new business that just started up last November, 2006. It’s called Buba Dives, and they offer a safe alternative to shore diving, providing divers the ability to dive numerous locations not accessible from shore. The owner, who is semi-retired, says he created the company for the sheer love of diving; everyone at Buba Dives loves the atmosphere and especially the people in the diving community! That’s a great combination for success – if you love what you do, you do it with passion and have fun with it - I know I do!

Buba Dives Specializes in Lake Travis Scuba Diving Trips

At Buba Dives, all business decisions are based on their philosophy of “Safety first and fun second!” You still have lots of fun – the smart way. Buba Dives says they feel the diving they provide is the safest way to dive on the lake. With a large dive vessel as a platform for your dives you have an experienced Captain / Diver watching from above the entire dive. They operate off of a 30 foot custom pontoon boat located at Keller Marina, taking up to 6 paying customers at a time. We will take our customers to any location on Lake Travis they want to dive as long as their previous dive experience allows for safe diving in that location. We also have a vast knowledge of the lake and can make recommendations based on skill level. We cater to all levels of divers from just open water to certified to technical divers – we go out of our way to cater to the needs of our customers.

Buba Dives does not provide any gear so you will need to bring your own or rent your gear from a local dive shop including your tanks. Buba Dives works with all local dive shops. Contact Buba Dives either by phone at (512) 809-3925 or by email at bubadives@yahoo.com and schedule your dive for the day and time that you want. Hurry! Their trips fill up quick and they operate on a first come, first served basis, so contact them as soon as possible. Have fun!