Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.

Private motor clubs are all the rage with well heeled auto buffs, and there are several in Texas: MotorSport Ranch, southwest of Fort Worth, and Eagles Canyon Raceway near Decatur. In an article last week, the Austin American Statesman reported a new, $13 million private motor sports club with two high-performance racecourses is in the works for an unspecified location in the northern part of Blanco County. (See posting for 02/05/08 titled "Wish You Were Here!")

The Blanco project, called Bergrennenring, which is German for “Hill Race Circuit,” is negotiating to purchase 250 acres near the city of Round Mountain, about 17 miles southeast of Horseshoe Bay, on Hwy 281. See a Map of the area. With a $25,000 initial membership fee and the high-end automobiles required, the club will cater to the same clientele as those of Horseshoe Bay Resort, Skywater, & Escondido.

Boerne-based Motorsport Resorts International confirmed they were negotiating to buy a site, but it would not disclose the exact location. They will say that the proposed property now lies somewhere in the city of Round Mountain's future growth area or extraterritorial jurisdiction. The high-end homes and resort facilities which were originally part of the plan, have been dropped for now. They hope they may be able to enter into agreements with nearby resorts, such as Horseshoe Bay. The developers hope to break ground in the latter part of this year on the first phase of the project. It could open as early as 2009.

Not everyone is pleased with the project. Round Mountain residents who think they may be potential neighbors are concerned about environmental issues such as noise & water pollution both during construction and thereafter. Developers promise to address the concerns through noise abatement measures and claim fuel will not be sold on the premises, eliminating the need for oil & gas storage tanks, which could cause a problem for ground water.

Blanco County resident Dave Collins, who is also president of the local environmental organization Preserve Our Water, remains concerned. The Statesmen article quotes him: "I've seen too many instances where noise abatement was promised and not delivered," he said. "I'm still concerned about the potential damage to surface and groundwater, both from the construction activities and from runoff during the use of the facility."

For more information about REAL ESTATE in Horseshoe Bay & the surrounding area, visit my web site: www.JanBusse.com

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung in Horseshoe Bay! Our temperatures have been consistently in the 60’s & 70’s over the last several weeks and we’ve even hit over 80 several times. Once we can start watering our lawn again, things should be turning green pretty quickly. Since my husband & I live on the lake, our sprinkler system feeds from LBJ & we’ve turned it off until lake levels are back up to normal.

The LCRA will begin refilling Lake LBJ will on Feb. 25 and should be completed by Feb. 27 unless an emergency requires LCRA to refill the lake earlier. Refilling Lake LBJ is expected to draw Lake Buchanan down about one foot. I’m planning on taking photos during that time for posting to the blog & my web site.

With Spring, in Horseshoe Bay especially, comes golf. The Southern Texas PGA Senior Series is leading off their ten tournament schedule on March 17-18 at Horseshoe Bay Resort. The STPGA Senior Series is open to golfers aged 50 and above as of Nov. 1, 2008. Annual membership dues are $125 and include eligibility for Senior Series tournaments plus special branded merchandise. It’s open to both professionals & amateurs. Professionals playing in Senior Series events compete for cash; amateurs for merchandise certificates. Golfers who finish in the Top 6 on the season-ending points list earn spots in the field at the 2008 Texas Senior Open Championship. Check out the entire schedule.