Coupland Volunteer Fire Department hosts annual chili supper on Feb. 24

The 31^st Annual Chili Supper, the major fundraiser of the Coupland Volunteer Fire Department, will be on Saturday, February 24, in the Fire Station from 5 p.m. until the chili runs out.  The firefighters home make the chili in regular, hot, and 3-alarm.  There also will be a silent auction and fire engine tours.  Please come and buy some delicious chili while supporting our firefighters.

First Coupland City election results

Thanks to Stewart Spencer at Coupland Times for his good round-up of yesterday's first-ever City of Coupland election.  Coupland has its first mayor, Jack Piper, who has done an incredible amount of research and discussion during the past few months, preparing for a new city organization.  He ran unopposed.  Also unopposed was Russell Schmidt, who becomes Coupland's first marshal.  Six candidates ran for the five alderman places, and Stewart has these results here.

http://www.couplandtimes.com/breaking-news-coupland-elects-its-first-city-council/

Coupland Civic Organization April 29 meeting

On Monday, April 29, the Coupland Civic Organization will welcome Bonnie and Leroy Sladek, owners of Taylor’s Old Thyme Gardens, who will discuss organic gardening and answer questions. They are both Master Gardeners and have a wealth of knowledge from their many years of gardening and operating Old Thyme Gardens.

They sell organic supplies--high-quality compost, potting and garden soil, native hardwood mulch, and crushed granite. Using worms, they make vermicompost, which is the major ingredient in their actively aerated compost tea. They sell bulk seeds, heirloom and open pollinated seeds, and a variety of herbs and plants, including old-fashioned favorites, new introductions, and native plants.

Please take this opportunity to learn everything you ever wanted to know about organic gardening. The meeting will be in the Coupland fire station. Come for refreshments at 6:30 p.m. The program begins at 7.

Coupland Incorporation--What Next?

Jack Piper, Co-Chair of the Coupland Incorporation Committee, reports the following info:

First of all, thank you to the Coupland community for allowing us to maintain the right to decide the appropriate path for Coupland. We can now make the decisions for our citizens to ensure we remain a small farming and ranching community.

The first step is to elect the city officials; this includes the mayor, five aldermen, and a marshal. The election has been set for May 11. Without this step, nothing else can officially happen.

Several members of the Incorporation Committee along with any and all concerned citizens can meet and discuss issues which will affect Coupland’s future. Several that come to mind are:

• Zoning

• Ordinances

• Taxes

• Other revenue opportunities

Hopefully, we can come up with a document to present to the newly elected officials, as a recommendation only. We would like to start this committee and begin meeting in February.

Coupland Civic Organization annual meeting January 28

The Coupland Civic Organization will have its official annual meeting on Monday, January 28, in the Coupland fire station.  (Please note:  This meeting is in the fire station, NOT St. Peter's Church, because of the ongoing renovation at the church.)  Pie and coffee will be served at 6:30 p.m., and new directors will be elected at 7 p.m.  Jack Piper, co-chair of the Incorporation Committee, will report on the incorporation election and what steps will come next.  Cecilia Prieto, outreach coordinator of the United Way of Williamson County, will discuss the assistance that is available to help people with their tax form preparation.

Texas Tribune publishes Trans-Texas Corridor recap

Aman Batheja of the Texas Tribune has written a recap of the Corridor fight and has described how its tolling component can affect Texas highways into the future.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-transportation/trans-texas-corridor/tolling-texans-impact-trans-texas-corridor-lingers/

The accompanying photo was taken by Coupland resident Dawn Fischer of her daughter Libby and of Caleb Ging on the Ging farm--near ours.  The article quotes me and also Ralph Snyder, who with his wife Marcia, fought the Corridor in the Holland (Bell County) area.

Coupland news in Taylor Daily Press

The November column of Coupland news is in today's Taylor Daily Press.  It covers the incorporation election, cooking class, school and church news, and more.
http://www.taylordailypress.net/lifestyles/article_c774e6f2-3459-11e2-94f0-001a4bcf887a.html

Incorporation Committee co-chair Jack Piper shows a map of surrounding cities advancing toward Coupland at the Oct. 29 Coupland Civic Organization meeting.

 Buz Garry buys a new custom-designed Coupland tote bag from Fundraising chair Ruby Wabbel.

Master Chef Peter Wabbel teaches the Oct. 27 cooking class in the beautiful outdoor kitchen of Cole Barton.