Several STV team members in the firm’s Austin office recently participated in Williamson County’s Learn to Fish Day. The annual event, co-sponsored by STV, teaches local youth fishing techniques while nurturing a love of the outdoors.
For the past 10 years, STV’s team has volunteered their angler expertise alongside Williamson County and residents, showing children of all ages how to tie knots, cast a line, select bait and basic fishing skills. A longtime client of STV’s, Williamson County has enlisted the firm’s services for numerous infrastructure improvement projects, including the SH 29 Corridor Study and the widening of Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
“We’re proud to know that thanks to our efforts, Williamson County now has a lot more kids with a newfound expertise,” said Eric Ploch, regional director of program management. “It was a great opportunity for the team to come together and make a positive impact in the community.”
In the mid-2000s, STV was selected by Williamson County to perform the SH 29 Corridor Study, the first step in the county’s mobility improvements.
The success of that project spurred the county’s robust road bond program where STV has been a top-tier consultant ever since, completing other major projects such as US 183, multiple segments on Ronald Reagan Boulevard, and other county-sponsored improvements within the Texas Department of Transportation system.
Despite the rainy Saturday, families stopped by STV’s booth, where Ploch and colleagues taught kids how to tie common fishing knots. After completing their training at all booths, participants were able to catch and release live fish from a small pool and the nearby pond.
“Towards the end of the event, we spoke to a man and his teenage son, who told us how they’d driven by the event years ago and decided to check it out,” Ploch shared. “They’d never fished before but decided to participate in the entire program that year. It was the start of a brand-new hobby for the father and his son, who’ve been fishing ever since. His son even brought his own fishing rods!”
