Georgetown Talk

This post is the first in a series of monthly posts about life in Georgetown.

This summer in the U. S. has been a long, hot, dry one, with fires raging, earthquakes rumbling, and rains and winds from tropical storms and hurricanes wreaking havoc throughout the northeast and the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions. But here in Van Alstyne, thank goodness, it's only been hot and dry, with an occasional grass fire. Although most of us have been complaining about seemingly endless days of 100+ degree temperatures, and no rain for months, it surely beats earthquakes, wind damage, flooding, and wild fires elsewhere across the country, including here in Texas.  We did have a problem with no street lights in Georgetown Meadows and Georgetown Heights for several weeks mid-summer. The problem resulted from our Homeowners' Association (HOA) not paying the electricity bill.  As a result, our street lights were out from early July until late August. On August 24th, the street lights were back on, and as of yesterday, the vacant lots around us have been mowed. We can only hope that other services provided by the HOA will resume over time.

Cold weather is just a few months away, and the town's streets are still in dire need of repairs. Although sections of Highway 5 were recently re-surfaced, many streets still have large potholes that must be dodged or uneven pavement that makes driving difficult.  And I am not the only resident eager to see the new "pothole truck" out and about repairing some of these problems. Like other homeowners, we pay a hefty amount of city taxes and would like to see some of that money go toward street improvements.  I don't think that is asking too much of our elected officials.  While the pothole truck is at least a beginning, replacing some of the existing infrastructure here, including the worst streets, needs to be on the planning agenda for the very near future.

It appears the housing market in and around Van Alstyne is still very slow, but we have had some activity in our neighborhood during the past two months. One house is under construction and another is planned for later this year, but I don't know if the house currently under construction is being built for "someone" or if it is a "spec" house.  Several bank-owned lots were recently purchased by a local builder, and after sitting vacant for more than three years, a never-been-lived in house near us recently sold. The bottom line is that a little activity is better than none at all, and we can all hope and pray that next year will be better for those trying to sell.

Walking in the neighborhood during the past two weeks of cooler weather has been pure bliss.  Watching the evening sun go down and catching a cool breeze works wonders for the soul. And I'm hoping to see a few garage sales crop us around us in the next few weeks as cool weather slowly wanders in.  What better way to meet your neighbors and find a few treasures at the same time!