Bee Cave Mayor King: Meet new city manager May 23 over free root beer float

It’s almost summer and Bee Cave is abuzz with excitement! You can celebrate the end of the school year by “floating on by” the front of City Hall from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, and enjoying a free root beer float while getting to meet our new city manager, Julie Oakley.

Julie joined the city of Bee Cave on April 1. She brings with her extensive experience in city leadership from her previous role as city manager of Lakeway, as well as a keen eye for fiscally responsible growth with her budgeting and accounting expertise as a former consulting manager with accounting powerhouse KPMG. As the city moves forward on projects outlined in our Capital Improvements Plan, Julie will ensure our budget stays healthy while also making sure we can provide our residents with wonderful amenities and services.

One service that attracts thousands of visitors to our city every year is our award-winning Bee Cave Public Library. In fact, its Books and Bees Festival just won a statewide “Libraries Change Communities” award and is also a finalist for another statewide award for best recurring event in a city with less than 75,000 residents. Our “small but mighty” library started in 2005, in a mobile unit near the current Bee Cave Police Department. Between its innovative programming led by Library Director Barbara Hathaway and the huge need in our area for family-friendly activities, it quickly outgrew that space and moved to its current location at Bee Cave City Hall in 2007. By early 2008, it had to start using the community rooms upstairs for programming and storage space for library staff offices. In 2013, the City Council at the time acknowledged the need for more space and started the process of looking at other options. In 2021, our current City Council officially approved the city’s first Capital Improvements Plan, which included the construction of a new library. We were thrilled to finally give our residents and visitors the space they need to not only enjoy a wider book selection and the popular programs our library puts on for patrons of all ages, but also have a room for community groups to meet in and much-needed study spaces.

At our last City Council meeting, the project manager for the library presented the latest renderings for the new space, which will be a beautiful 24,000 square foot, two-story structure with a community room for public use, a garden, and direct access to Bee Cave Central Park. As expected, with higher interest rates and the burgeoning construction costs we’ve seen in the past three years (typically costs increase 3% to 5% each year; in 2022, construction costs went up 16% and in 2023 just over 6%, the cost to build the library is higher than originally estimated. Adding to the cost is the unique topography of the site of the new library, which is just off Texas 71. While the city owns the land, which is a financial relief considering current land prices in our area, builders must bring in utilities, cut through rock, build a retaining wall, create a parking lot, and generally prep the land, which is mainly stone. The City Council has the option to vote that the residents make the final call in a bond election.

We’re also moving forward with our public safety building, which will be shared by the Bee Cave Police Department and Lake Travis Fire & Rescue. By sharing the space, we have saved millions of dollars while still making sure our police force has the space and tools needed to stay staffed and keep our city safe. We’re excited to see movement on these projects and ensure we do our job preparing for the future based on population growth projections.

While the buildings will all take some time to complete, fun in Bee Cave starts now! The Bee Cave Public Library’s free summer program starts June 1 with the theme “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” A bubble party, magic show, camp-themed crafts, and more are all on the calendar, so make sure you include these fun events in your summer plans. Check out beecavelibary.com for more information.

And, starting in July, get ready to dance the night away at Magnolia Musical Theatre’s free Broadway-style musical, "Footloose," which will run July 10 through August 10, Wednesday through Saturday nights starting at 8 p.m. Thanks to generous sponsorships, the show is free to the public and has quickly become a beloved summer tradition.

We hope to see you on May 23 and at some of the other wonderful events this summer!

Kara King is the mayor of Bee Cave.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bee Cave Mayor King: Meet new city manager May 23 over root beer float