Shoe display aimed at preventing suicides
GEORGETOWN – The county will move forward with the land purchase and construction of a new Precinct 4 annex building in Taylor after approving $30 million in the capital improvement plan.
Precincts 1, 2 and 3 all have centralized building complexes for performing county business in their areas. Precinct 4 does not.
“The county is growing in such a unique way, I’ve been trying to figure out exactly where the best spot for it is. I think it’s in Taylor. I think I have the site in mind that I would like to consider,” said Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles.
Specifics are still to come. Also, during the Williamson County Commissioners Court session Sept. 15, county leaders heard about a display using shoes to create awareness of suicide prevention and waived a park entrance fee.
Military boots represent the veterans lost to suicide as the county hosts a display for Suicide and Mental Health Awareness Month. Photo by Emily Treadway
Regarding the new $30 million building in Taylor, Boles said the county is in the process of securing right of way and making sure enough land is available.
The majority of the building would be for a justice center, but the location could also host ambulances and “Medic 42,” a county-owned 2020 Ford F-450 4x4 that is currently housed at the city-owned Emergency Medical Services Station 42, 1427 North Main St.
Precinct 4 will also see another $9 million in capital investments to remodel Taylor’s county tax office and build out the JP4 Hutto Annex, among other construction projects.
County suicide memorial on display The county created a memorial tribute using footwear to honor the 118 people who died by suicide in Williamson County in 2025, commissioners heard.
Titled “Every Step Remembered,” the temporary installation in the new county administration building at 1848 Texas Trail was announced during a proclamation recognizing September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Ruben Leal, a death investigator for Precinct 1, was instrumental in creating the memorial. Leal survived a suicide attempt.
“I wouldn’t be able to be here had my suicide attempt not been interrupted and I had those extra few minutes. I’m here to tell you it does get better. I promise it gets better,” Leal said.
The memorial included 118 pairs of shoes representing the people who are no longer alive to continue walking in them. It includes footwear donated by the parents of a 14-year-old suicide victim as well as 14 pairs of combat boots representing the military veterans lost to self-harm last year.
“Sometimes seeing it physically just makes a harder impact on you,” Leal said of the display.
County residents have access to 24/7 assistance from the Bluebonnet Trails crisis hotline at 800-8411255. The public can also call 911 for connection to mental health resources in an immediate crisis.
The county has been developing a new service called a “loss team” to assist residents who have survived a suicide attempt and those dealing with loss of loved ones.
Free entrance to River Ranch Park Sept. 26 Commissioners voted to waive the standard entrance fees at the Williamson County River Ranch Park, 2100 CR 279 in Liberty Hill on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 26.
The occasion marks the country’s largest single- day volunteer event dedicated to caring for public lands.
The free admission was the idea of Parks Department employee Sam Gibson.
“It is our hope that waiving this described fee on Sept. 26 will incentivize folks to come to the park for the first time or second time to rediscover the beauty of River Ranch Park,” Gibson said.
The free entrance does not include service fees or facility fees.
