At its May 19 meeting, the San Marcos City Council held a public hearing to fill the director of utilities position at the Alliance Regional Water Authority and approve new signage for the new H-E-B near McCarty Lane.
The Alliance Regional Water Authority (ARWA), formed to solve the water needs of Buda, Kyle, and San Marcos, seeking to fill a position on the Board of Directors for director of utilities. The position, originally filled by Tyler Hjorth, expired April 2024 and now requires the spot to be filled, according to the Alliance Regional Water Authority.
The Council voted to appoint Robert Goode as interim director of utilities. Goode has years of experience to show as he has served as interim director at both Austin Water and Austin Energy in the past, according to assistant city manager Joe Pantalion.
“He has decades, if not, possibly half a century of experience in infrastructure,” Pantalion said. “So, he comes to us very uniquely qualified…[for] interim utilities director.”
Council members voted seven to zero, officially approving Goode as the new interim director of utilities on the Board of Directors at ARWA with a term beginning May 19.
In October 2024, H-E-B announced plans for a new store in San Marcos located at I-35 and McCarty Lane that is expected to open in the fall of 2026. Terry Floyd, the Planning and Development Services Director, proposed a new sign concept for the store.
“This is a project we have had in the works for years, and we look forward to serving even more customers in this growing part of Texas with the best H-E-B has to offer,” Cathy Harm, H-E-B senior vice president of the Central Texas Region said.
The proposal includes a 60-foot-tall sign that includes the H-E-B logo along with the San Marcos name fitted onto a Texas-shaped board.
Due to the current code restricting the height of signs along I-35 to be no taller than 42.5 feet, Floyd requires approval from the city.
Originally, the sign was proposed as a fuel price sign, but due to the fuel station moving to a different side of the store, a new concept was proposed. The sign’s height would approximately fall under the Premium Outlets sign, the tallest sign along that passageway.
Staff and the Planning and Zoning committee recommended approval for the signage at their April 28 meeting. The Council voted seven to zero, approving the new sign.
The San Marcos City Council meets at 6 p.m. every first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information, visit its website.
