By Alec Woolsey
The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
August 26, 2017
http://herald-zeitung.com/news/article_0e5481e2-89e9-11e7-a609-e704ba47ef5d.html
Although Hurricane Harvey is hovering along the Gulf Coast of Texas, its impact is expected to reach New Braunfels this weekend with some businesses, events and government facilities planning to close.
Comal County court proceedings scheduled for Monday, Aug. 28, will be canceled and the Guadalupe River will be closed starting from the county line to New Braunfels.
“Based on the rain and wind forecasts we’re seeing, it’s better to be proactive and make sure our deputies can focus their attention where it’s most needed,” County Judge Sherman Krause said.
The Guadalupe River closing took effect as of 5 p.m. on Friday until further notice from county officials.
New Braunfels parks will remain open this weekend, but events and some facilities will be closed on Saturday.
“We don’t have any park closings, but our activities for (Saturday) are canceled,” said Stacey Dicke, the director for the parks and recreation department in New Braunfels. “The pools will be closed and any programs we have will be canceled.”
The only planned cancellations and closings are for Saturday, Aug. 26, at the time of the newspaper went to press Friday night.
“We’re just going to take it one day at a time,” Dicke said.
The city of New Braunfels announced on Friday that trash pickup would be suspended until further notice because of personnel and safety concerns. The recycling center will be closed until further notice beginning on Saturday. More information is available at (830) 221-4040.
The city also announced that the New Braunfels Public Library, the Westside Branch Library, the RIOmobile bookmobile and the Westside Community Center will not be open for public use on Saturday.
“We regret the impact that closing for the day will have for our library customers, however we do anticipate reopening on Sunday at the main library and resuming regular hours for all locations next week,” Gretchen Pruett, library director, said in a press release.
Events and venues
Gary Allan was expected to conduct a concert at Whitewater Amphitheater on Saturday, Aug. 26, but the event has been rescheduled because of safety concerns. Whitewater released a statement on Twitter announcing the concert has been rescheduled due to weather concerns and will now take place on Oct. 20. All tickets purchased at this time will be honored for the later date.
“If you cannot make the new date, please contact the venue or point of purchase by 4 p.m. on Aug. 31 for a refund,” the statement said.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels will be closed on Saturday and Sunday this weekend because of concerns over weather conditions. South Padre Island, Galveston and Corpus Christi Schlitterbahn locations along the Gulf Coast are closed as well this weekend due to hurricane-related weather conditions.
Winter Prosapio, corporate director of communications and government relations at Schlitterbahn Waterparks, said the company encourages potential visitors to check the Schlitterbahn website before making plans to visit the water park. Any closings or openings will be announced there.
While the waterparks in New Braunfels and South Padre will be closed, the resorts will remain open with limited operations.
“Harvey is not being the most cooperative of hurricanes,” Prosapio said.
“Wine and Wag” is an annual fundraiser that benefits the Canyon Lake Animal Shelter Society (CLASS). It takes place at Cry Comal Creek Winery and Vineyards in New Braunfels with live music accompanying drinks on a relaxed Sunday evening.
The event was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27, but due to concerns over the weather the event is expected to be rescheduled for a date in September.
“We are now looking at a date in September,” said Jan Dunlap, a volunteer with CLASS who coordinated the event. “I don’t have a date yet because I need to get the band lined up.”
The Comal County Senior Center plans to remain closed on Monday, Aug. 28, due to hurricane-related weather. It closed its doors early Friday afternoon in preparation for the weather.
Jana Evans, volunteer coordinator at the senior center, said it would be closed because of the expected weather conditions this weekend.
Weathering the storm
Not all businesses plan to close their doors though.
According to a press release from H-E-B, a number of locations near the coast have been closed, but at this time the New Braunfels locations will not be impacted by weather conditions. Current information on store closings can be found at heb.com/disaster.
“We are gearing up to deploy our two H-E-B Mobile Kitchens, which will provide meals for first responders and residents affected by Hurricane Harvey,” the company said in a press release. “We are currently planning when and where we will dispatch our convoy.”
To benefit the mobile kitchen efforts, the company said H-E-B and Central Market customers in Texas will have the opportunity to donate $1, $3 or $5 to their grocery bills.