**Fern Bluff MUD Residents**
The letter below was sent to the LCRA on behalf of the taxpayers within the Fern Bluff Municipal District. A copy of the actual letter may be found in Documents.
FERN BLUFF MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT
7320 Wyoming Springs Drive
Round Rock, TX 78748
(512) 238-0606
December 23, 2015
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Lower Colorado River Authority
Attn: Christian Powell — DSC-D204
P.O. Box 220
Austin, TX 78767
Re: Leander-Round Rock 138-ky Transmission Line Project
Dear Mr. Powell:
Fern Bluff Municipal Utility District (the “District”) provides this letter in response
to the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (“LCRA”) preliminary routes for the Leander
Round Rock 138-ky Transmission Line Project (the “Project”). The District is a
governmental entity organized and operating under Chapters 49 and 54 of the Texas
Water Code. The District consists of three neighborhoods with a total of 1876 homes.
The District is empowered to levy and collect property taxes, and provides water and
wastewater services and solid waste services within its boundaries. The District also
operates and maintains several parks and recreational areas. The District’s extensive
park, trail, and greenbelt system includes six large parks, several hike and bike trails
that connect to Williamson County’s Brushy Creek Regional Trail System, and
numerous greenbelts with natural, spring-fed ponds. See the attached map depicting
the District’s territory.
The District understands that the LCRA is currently evaluating preliminary routes
for the Project based on public input; human, natural, and cultural resource impacts;
engineering; construction; and cost. The District wants to make sure the LCRA is aware
of the public input the District has received from its property owners, as well as the
significant negative effect route segment N3 will have on an important natural and
cultural resource for this community.
LCRA’s preliminary route segment N3 crosses the District’s property, including its
parks, trails, and greenbelts along Brushy Creek Road and Hairy Man Road. Route
segments Z3 and B4 also appear to cross District property on its eastern boundary.
Route segment N3 is proposed to run for an extended distance along the coveted
Brushy Creek Regional Trail System, including the District’s greenbelt property and
large, 54-acre Olson Meadows Park. This park and trail system is a popular and widely
used recreational feature for the residents of the District and beyond. Its picturesque
scenery and quality construction draw citizens from all over Williamson County, who use
the system to run, bike, and recreate.
The District has received significant input from its residents regarding the
proposed Brushy Creek Corridor route, particularly segment N3. As could be expected,
the District and its residents oppose any route segment that would run along or adjacent
to the Brushy Creek Regional Trial System and the District’s parks and greenbelts.
Transmission lines along the trails will reduce usable space around poles, undermine
the important aesthetic qualities of the greenbelts and trails, and potentially damage the
environmental features that make this system unique, including spring-fed ponds and
the ferns that give our District its name. The District’s greenbelts, parks, and
playgrounds are important community features that draw residents to this area. Many
District residents have expressed concern about how the transmission line will affect the
health and safety of the District residents who utilize the trails, especially the young
children who frequent its parks and playgrounds. These residents and children may
now be playing directly underneath a 138 kV transmission line. Further, the District
prides itself on the stability of its property values. Residents have expressed concern
that bisecting the Brushy Creek Regional Trail System with transmission lines will
negatively impact property values and the District’s community and cultural values as a
whole.
For at least these reasons, the District sincerely requests that LCRA remove from
consideration route segment N3 and any other routing option that would run along the
Brushy Creek Regional Trail System.
Thank you for your consideration of this public input.
Very truly yours,
Patrick Savarese, President
Fern Bluff Municipal Utility District
