Round Rock Ranch News Archives

News 2005

Malls & Jobs Coming to Round Rock

The Simon Property Group of Indianapolis, the world's largest mall owner, announced plans for a 280,000 square-foot outdoor "Main Street Mall" project at I-35 and Chandler Road in Round Rock, adjacent to the Teravista golf-course community. Simon, which owns Lakeline Mall, Barton Creek Square, and half of Highland Mall, is currently constructing a huge center five miles north, on the Wolfe tract at the intersection of I-35 and Texas 29 in Georgetown.

Texas Hwy 130 Toll Road Update

Texas Hwy 130 is a 49-mile, $1.5 billion, toll road now under construction in eastern Travis and Williamson counties, and scheduled to open in less than three years. According to the American Statesman, the toll road will create as many as 40,000 new jobs along Texas 130 in a few short years. That's a lot of jobs...new service stations, motels, restaurants, churches, homes, shopping centers, garages, etc.

Expected Completion Dates for HWY 130

Segment 1 (I-35 to U.S. 79): September 2007
Segment 2 (U.S. 79 to U.S. 290): September 2007
Segment 3 (U.S. 290 to SH 71): September 2007
Segment 4 (SH 71 to U.S. 183): December 2007

State Highway 130, with a completion date out just 2-1/2 years, will serve as a gateway to communities along its corridor. Situated in near areas of the Texas Hill Country and the Blackland Prairie, images and symbols representative of this region will be incorporated into the project's aesthetic and landscaping treatments. To help determine the look and feel of SH 130, communities along the corridor and their local governments were asked to contribute ideas.

SWAT Activity on Ft Thomas

As noted in the Round Rock Leader on February 8th, a Round Rock Ranch resident wanted in connection with robberies was arrested in Corpus Christi after a high-speed chase. This info is included for residents who noticed police activity on Fort Thomas in early February 2005.

Your participation in the neighborhood increases the safety when we all become more aware of our neighbors.

New Traffic Signal Approve for Round Rock Ranch Blvd

Per the January 30th Round Rock Leader, the Round Rock City Council unanimously approved a new traffic signal at the intersection of Gattis School Road and Round Rock Ranch Blvd (the horse ranch side). The light could be installed by early fall. Thanks again to Cheryl Williams who championed this cause and everyone who contacted the City Council to voice their opinions.

News 2004

June Vandalism & Suspicious Activity Reports

The first week of June of this year (2004), the South Creek neighborhood has a rash of auto break-ins and vandalism. All of these cars were left unlocked. In mid-June, Round Rock Ranch suffered similar occurrences. At least most, if not all of the cars were also unlocked. Two cars were located on Hickory Ridge Cove, one on Amber Skyway and one on Apache.

In South Creek and RRR, no stereos or anything else that was attached to the cars were taken. Only small, loose items were stolen. Due to these facts and that all the cars were unlocked, Officer Friedrich of the RRPD noted that this is generally the behavior of juveniles.

The Communications Committee Chairperson contacted the Round Rock Police Dept. to ask them to patrol the neighborhood more diligently to capture or deter the offenders.

Preventative measures we citizens can take are:

always lock your cars at night
don't leave any valuables in your cars
keep our porch lights on all evening/night.

No other auto crimes have been reported since mid-June, however some other suspicious activity has. Here are a few of the reported incidences that occurred around the same time:

On Gunsight:

While a homeowner was resting with their baby, the doorbell rang and their 13 year old answered it. There was a guy in an Orkin cap that wanted to know if her 'parents' were home. She said yes and he told her that there were ants in the water line and they were going to be around flushing all the lines in the subdivision. She told him to hold on so she could get me but he just told her that he would be in the neighborhood and would come back in an hour. He never returned and the homeowner didn't see any trucks in the area doing work.

On Apache Trail:

Around 1:00 p.m. on July 6th, an 18-year-old girl was home alone. The doorbell rang twice and then two men tried several times to open the door. Fortunately, it was locked. They then tried the back door. She heard the voices of two men speaking Spanish and when she looked out the window she saw a third man in a compact, possibly turquoise car with his legs hanging out the window parked under the tree in front of our house. The plates were out of state, possibly New Mexico.

If you see any suspected foul play or auto break-in, no matter how insignificant, please call the police immediately at 218-5500 or 911. If you don’t report it, the police won’t have any way to track crime waves like we had in June. Nor will they no to patrol our neighborhood more thoroughly at those times. You can also report it back to the HOA via the website Feedback page so we may also track the incidents and inform residence in a timely manner.

If anyone is interested in heading up or participating in a Neighborhood Watch Program (see article in the September 2004 Newsletter), please contact the HOA. The HOA is very interested in getting a program started. Participation requirements are minimal and will help deter further incidents.

The Communications Committee will keep you updated as we receive further information here, future newsletter and the neighborhood email list. If you would like to be on the email list, contact the webmaster.

The Enclave at Round Rock Ranch's Sub-Association
By Greg Veldman of RealManage

Several of the surveys returned from members that live in the Enclave at Round Rock Ranch (the gated part of the community adjacent to Gattis School Road) made references to items that are under the control of the Enclave’s separate “sub-Association”. To clarify, the Enclave at Round Rock Ranch is a separate homeowner’s association within the master Association, the Round Rock Ranch Phase One Homeowners Association. All members of the community, including those in the Enclave, are members of the master Association.

The Enclave's sub-Association is managed by the Severn Trent Company. The sub-Association is responsible for the gate operations (codes, remotes, time of operation, repairs) and everything inside of those gates (landscaping, infrastructure, enforcement of restrictions, etc.). The contact person at Severn Trent for these sub-Association matters is Sabrina Stampley at 310-5359 or her assistant, Wendy at 310-5298.

The Master Association (Round Rock Ranch Phase One HOA) is responsible for all common areas outside of the Enclave. This includes the park and pool grounds and all the landscaped areas along Round Rock Ranch Boulevard and Apache Trail. The Master Association also monitors Deed Restriction violations for the areas outside of the Enclave and assists the committees of the Association with their activities. For Round Rock Ranch Phase One Homeowners Association matters, contact Dave Brown of RealManage at 219-1927.

Steps to reduce mosquitoes

The city of Round Rock does not spray for mosquitos due to the negative impact on the environment. We offer the following suggestions to reduce mosquitoes around your home and yard:

• Get rid of old tires, tin cans, bottles, buckets, drums and other containers in your yard or keep them empty of standing water
• Empty wading pools frequently and store them indoors when not in use
• Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets
• Replace your outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights.
• Change water in bird baths and scrub them twice a week
• If you have outside pets, empty their watering dishes daily
• Clean clogged roof gutters and drain flat roofs
• Treat standing water that can't be drained with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), available at most home and garden stores
• Make sure window and door screens are "bug tight"
• Whenever possible, remain indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• When outdoors, wear protective clothing, or use insect repellent with the active ingredient DEET to avoid exposure to mosquitoes. Always read instructions before using insect repellent or other chemicals.

Centers for Disease Control West Nile Fact Sheet

Police Seek Sexual Assault Suspect

Round Rock police are asking for the public's help in locating a sexual assault suspect. Meliton Dominguez Betancur, 25, is wanted for sexually assaulting a five year-old female relative on numerous occasions at her Round Rock residence. Police describe Betancur as a Hispanic male, 5'07" weighing 160 pounds. He is employed as a landscaping laborer. Betancur and his wife recently abandoned their Round Rock apartment and may be living with friends or relatives in the Georgetown area.

Betancur has no driver's license and does not own a vehicle. The Round Rock Police Victim's Assistance Unit, Williamson County Child Advocacy Center and Child Protective Services assisted with the investigation. A warrant has been issued for Betancur charging him with aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony that carries a penalty of up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine. Police ask anyone with information about Betancur's whereabouts to call Detective Bernie Villegas at 671-2709.

Cars Vandalized in RRR - June 16, 2004

We have received 6 reports of vandalism to four cars in people's driveways in the last week, one on Amber Skyway, two on Hickory Ridge Cove and one on Apache Trail. At least one of the vehicles was left unlocked. Be sure to always lock your cars at night and don't leave any valuables in it. Another preventative measure we can take as citizens is to keep our porch lights on at night.

If you see any suspected foul play call the police immediately at 218-5500 or 911. If your vehicle has been broken into or had items stolen, please report it to the police. You can also report it back to the HOA so we may also track the incidents.

If anyone is interested in heading up or participating in a neighborhood watch program, please contact the HOA. The HOA is very interested in getting one started. Participation requirements are minimal and will help deter further incidents.

The Communications Committee has contacted the Round Rock Police Dept. and asked them to patrol our neighborhood diligently for the next few weeks to try to capture the theives. We will keep you updated as we receive further information.

Attempted Assault in RRR - Wed. April 30, 2004

Round Rock police are asking residents to remind their children about home safety after an incident that occurred Wednesday afternoon in the Round Rock Ranch neighborhood.

Police blanketed the area after the 2:12 p.m. incident was reported. A twelve year-old girl told police that she was at home alone after an early school dismissal. When she heard the doorbell ring, she opened the door and spoke briefly with a man who asked if her parents were home. When she replied that they were not, the man pushed the door open and tried to grab the girl, who yelled and began to defend herself. The man then fled on foot. No vehicle was seen.

The girl's older sister arrived home shortly after the incident occurred, and police said that some neighborhood children described a similar man seen running from the area.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 30s, 5'06" with a medium build. The girl described him as wearing a "dirty and sweaty" white T-shirt with one breast pocket, ragged blue jeans and a white partial-mesh ball cap worn backwards. The man had several days beard-stubble and a mustache. He spoke English with a Spanish accent.

Police spent several hours in the neighborhood, but were unable to locate the suspect. Investigators have enlisted the aid of a Department of Public Safety composite artist and hope that a sketch of the suspect can be made.

Police are looking into all possibilities to locate or identify the suspect, whose description fits that of a laborer or construction worker. Nearby construction sites are being checked, but police have not concluded that the suspect frequents or works in the area. Police records show no calls about suspicious people in the area prior to or since the incident.

The girl was not injured during the incident, which police are investigating as a burglary rather than an assault, primarily because the specifics of this case are best applied to that charge. Burglary of a habitation is a second-degree felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Round Rock Police Department at 218-5500. Police remind residents to call 911 if suspicious persons or vehicles are seen in their neighborhood, and to note as much identifying information as possible, including license plate numbers and directions of travel.