The Lead Feb. 3, 2022: Here comes the cold — and ice

Good morning, Kerr County!

We hope you’re keeping warm today! It’s cold. You’re going to want to check back with us throughout the day as we keep tabs on our first winter storm of the season. This storm affects Texas and a wide swath of the nation.

On today’s The Lead Live

We had initially planned for Delayne Sigerman to interview Kerrville Hills Winery owner John Riverburgh, but we’ve postponed that due to the weather. Pint and Plow will be closed today but expect us to have some sort of live show today starting at 9 a.m. We will have a show on Friday with Cindy Hernandez, who is the president of the Hill Country Charity Ball.

So, about this storm

The cold is a biggie stretching from New Mexico all the way up to Maine. At least 16 states have winter storm warnings — or other charming advisories, like ice storms. So, we can expect messy conditions across the country — maybe expect more supply chain headaches.

The National Weather Service says we will wake up to icy conditions, which will continue into the later afternoon before the storm clears out. However, we can expect cool conditions for the next several days.

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See @Super70sSports's post on Twitter.

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Closed because of the cold

Schools in Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram and Center Point are closed today. Kerr County public offices are also closed. Numerous businesses and restaurants will be closed today. If you’re going out today, you may want to check with where you’re going to see if they’re open.

Trending on Twitter — #texasfreeze

As we mentioned yesterday, the impending freeze has everyone worked up.

Twitter

See @FakePhilosofer's post on Twitter.

twitter.com/FakePhilosofer

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See @gator_coyote's post on Twitter.

twitter.com/gator_coyote

Twitter

See @esrv21's post on Twitter.

twitter.com/esrv21

Omicron continues a downward trend

Peterson Health reported Wednesday that hospitalizations continue to fall, although admissions to the intensive care unit remain high. Peterson said 27 people are hospitalized, including seven in the intensive care unit.

Statewide cases continued to decline, but they’re still high — more than 25,000 new cases. Hospitalizations and positivity both declined. It’s a good sign that omicron behaves like it has in other regions. However, the Texas Department of State Health Services said there were 295 new deaths recorded.

Another area of concern, especially when it shows omicron’s contagiousness, was in data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission showed 15 active cases at the River Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center on Jan. 19. There is a two-week delay in the data.

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Planning and zoning commission is still on

Even with the weather, the Kerrville Planning and Zoning Commission will meet today, and they will listen to proposals on two major projects, including a new parking lot for Peterson Regional Medical Center. The commission meets at 4:30 p.m.

Now, a parking lot doesn’t sound exciting, but its scope is large enough that it has drawn the attention of neighbors in the unincorporated area behind the hospital. The hospital plans to extend Lehmann Drive into the new parking lot behind the medical center. The new parking lot is the first phase of Peterson’s planned construction of a new $43 million surgery center in the northwest corner of the hospital’s existing parking lot.

However, Peterson needs to create a T-intersection at Lehmann Drive and Rim Rock Road to build the new parking lot. Currently, Rim Rock Road curves into Lehmann Drive. Peterson plans for the new parking lot, located just west of Rim Rock, to serve as its primary lot for employees.

Peterson Health's proposed parking lot and changes to Lehmann Drive and Rim Rock Drive.

The other big project is a plat approval for a 697-acre parcel for large estates between Spur 100 and Cypress Creek Road. While the project won’t connect the two roadways, the large estates will be accessible through Spur 100. There are approximately 25 large lots proposed — most more than 20 acres.

Housing market update

On a nearly daily basis, we’re reminded of how tight Kerrville’s housing market is, and right now, at least according to our favorite online sites (Zillow and Realtor) there are 88 homes on the market — that’s it. According to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, at the end of December, there were 170 properties available. We got our 88 number by ruling out pending sales, mobile homes and land. Of those 88 homes, 13 were on the market for $900,000 or more. And 45 of the 88 started at $400,000 or more.