The Open
Morning, Georgetown. 👋
Last day of September. The pumpkin patch lights up with fireworks this weekend, First Friday is back on the Square, and the city is redrawing the plans for the best swimming hole in Central Texas. Also, a correction, because you deserve one when I get something wrong. Let's go.
A Little Good News: Blue Hole is getting a glow up
If you have ever fought for a parking spot at Blue Hole on a July Saturday, or made the long walk to a restroom that has seen better days, this one is for you.
The city is now in the 30 percent design phase of a Blue Hole Park redesign, with $7.9 million set aside in the new budget and a construction estimate of about $7 million. The plan, built on a master plan finished last fall, includes:
Updated parking and new restrooms
More open space for picnics and hanging out
Protecting the natural areas along the river
Better ways to get in and out of the water
The scope is a little smaller than the original master plan, so not every idea made the cut. No construction start date yet, and "30 percent design" means there is still time for the public to weigh in. Which is exactly why this week's Your Turn question is about Blue Hole.
The Week Ahead
Fri 10/2 · First Friday on the Square. Free live music on the courthouse lawn, shops open late, and the First Friday ghost tours around downtown after dark. Bring a chair.
Fri 10/2 and Sat 10/3 · Fireworks begin at Sweet Eats, 14400 E. State Hwy 29. The Fall Festival runs through Nov. 8 with the corn maze, pumpkin patch, and pig races, and now fireworks every Friday and Saturday night in October (except Halloween).
Sat 10/3 · Wolf Ranch Farmers Market, 1015 W. University Ave., 8:30 a.m.
Mon 10/5 · Last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election. Takes five minutes. Do it now and forget about it.
All week · Williams Drive is down to one lane between Serenada Drive and Lakeway Drive. More on why in The Big Thing. Leave early or find a detour.
Friday nights · Eagles football. Check gisdathletics.org for this week's matchup.
Looking ahead · Second Saturday Market Days returns to the Square Oct. 10.
Something we missed? Hit reply. The tip line is always open.
Eat and Drink: A correction, and a last call
The correction. Last week I told you Texas Roadhouse was targeting a late September opening. That date has moved. The location's managing partner, Alexis Love, says Georgetown's first Texas Roadhouse will open Nov. 16 at 2209 N. I-35, between Costco and Lowe's. So, rolls and cinnamon butter by Thanksgiving week. And they are hiring now, if you know someone looking.
The last call. The Frozen Flamingo told us back in July that it planned to close in September. September ends tomorrow. If frozen custard has been part of your summer, check their social media and go while you can.
The Big Thing: The Williams Drive fix you asked for is here (so is the traffic)
Back in Issue #3, I asked what you would fix in Georgetown with a magic wand. "Williams Drive" came up more than anything else.
Well. The magic wand is here. It just comes with orange cones.
The city started the next phase of the Williams Drive Enhancement Project last week, starting between Serenada Drive and Lakeway Drive, where traffic is now squeezing down to one lane. Here is what you are getting when it is done:
Raised center medians, which cut down on risky left turns across traffic
New landscaping, so it looks like a street and not a runway
Upgraded street lights, traffic signals, and intersections
This phase runs all the way from Austin Avenue to Jim Hogg Road and is expected to wrap up in late 2027. The full project, covering most of Williams Drive, costs $10.5 million.
So here is the honest trade: about a year of slower drives on Williams for a safer, better looking, better timed Williams Drive after. If you drive it daily, give yourself a few extra minutes, and consider Northwest Boulevard or Shell Road as a backup when it backs up.
Local Spotlight: Southwestern's best kept secret is free
Georgetown has a university with a serious fine arts school in the middle of town, and a lot of people never set foot in it. You should.
Southwestern University's Sarofim School of Fine Arts puts on concerts all year, and many of them, including the student orchestra, choirs, and jazz band, are free and open to the public. Some need a free ticket reservation, so check before you go. The Sun's music columnist just did a whole rundown of the program if you want the full picture.
And the Sarofim gallery inside the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center is always free, open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. during exhibits. That is a nice, quiet, air conditioned hour on a weekend afternoon, and most people in town have no idea it is there.
Check the fall calendar at southwestern.edu/sarofim and pick one. It is one of the best free things Georgetown has.
Know a Georgetown person, place, or hidden gem worth featuring? Hit reply and nominate it.
The Roundup
Retail is coming with the new garage: the city is looking for a development partner for the ground floor shops at the second downtown parking garage at Ninth and Main. More parking and more places to walk into.
The county is shuffling offices: Williamson County is planning to move its IT department to downtown Georgetown as part of a plan to make better use of its existing buildings.
Jail site update: the Georgetown ISD board read a statement at its Sept. 22 meeting urging the county to find a different location for the new jail and justice center. The city zoning vote, the real decision point, still has not been scheduled.
Your ballot, filling in: Eric Hanke kicked off his campaign as the Democratic candidate for Williamson County tax assessor-collector, joining Catherine Totty in the race for the seat. Registration closes Oct. 5; early voting runs Oct. 19 to 30.
Your Turn
Thanks for all the Two Step Inn replies last week. The Brooks & Dunn versus Ella Langley debate is alive and well in Georgetown.
This week, since the city is still drawing the plans: what is the one thing about Blue Hole that the redesign should never change? The cliffs? The shade? The way the water looks at 8 a.m.? Hit reply. If enough of you answer, I will pass the list along to the city while it is still at 30 percent.
The Sign-off
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See you on the Square, Armand
GTown Buzz, your weekly buzz on Georgetown, TX Got a tip? Just hit reply.