Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 20, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Page: 1 of 18
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e-mail: rainsleadeflPfearthlink.net
Vol. 123. Issue 20-1 section. 18 pages plus inserts EMORY. TEXAS - TUESDAY. OCTOBER 27. 2009
PRICE 50C
COMMISSIONERS COURT
THIS
WEEK
Don’t Forget!
Turn Back
TIME
November 1
Kitchen Scents
Emphasizing the fact
that the presentation of
food is as important, or
more so, than the taste,
Vicki Wade explained,
“You eat with your
eyes first.” How true a
statement, and shame
on me for serving food
from pots and using
paper plates. Vicki is
the well-known Emo-
ry cook who oper-
ates Vicki's Cakes and
Catering.
page 4
Lady Cats
wrap up
district play
The Rains Lady
Cats will conclude dis-
trict volleyball action
tonight, Tuesday night,
by traveling to Nevada
to take on the Com-
munity Lady Braves.
The Lady Cats have a
record of 5-4 in dis-
trict play and an over-
all record of 31-9 after
splitting games with
Lovejoy and Quinlan
Ford last week.
page 8
“free money”
By rxnm yn will
i
With the cities of Point and Emory
already on line to apply for two grants
requiring no matching funds, the com
missioners court jumped on board at
its Thursday, October 22, meeting and
voted to move forward with applica-
tions for the two grants.
The first grant, an Energy Efficiency'
and Conservation Block Grant, is from
the State Energy Conservation Office
(SECO). Grant funds are made avail-
able through the federal stimulus pro-
gram, American Recovery and Rein-
vestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, passed
by Congress.
The purpose of the grant is to improve
energy efficiency by identifying ways of
reducing energy costs at municipal and
county buildings, upgrading lighting
and heating/cooting systems, installing
energy-efficient windows, etc-
The grant is non-competitive, that is,
the amount funded is based on the size
of the community and the number of
entities seeking grant funds.
The court tabled designating one or
more specific projects the county would
list in its application, but approved
sending the Notice of Intent to apply,
and a resolution to proceed with the
application.
The second grant, offered through
East Texas Council of Governments
(ETCOG), was a Regional Solid
Waste Grant with an expected total
amount of funding set at approximately
$259,242.00. Eligible public entities
entitled to apply for the grant include
cities, counties and school districts.
Commissioner Jim Painter, who pre-
sented both grant proposals, suggested
a recycling station as the cmm‘s sotttf
waste project The deadline fin sub-
mitting the application is October 30,
2(X)9
The court approved proceeding with
the grant application, including the
recycling station as the county’s proj-
ect, and named Painter as the grant
manager
Cell Phone Policy
After several months of operating
unsuccessfully under a cell phone
policy, which put the county in the
cell-phone business, the commissioners
voted to make a change.
The cell phone policy was amended
to basically return to the original policy
of paying a monthly allowance or sti-
pend to elected officials, department
heads, and employees who use their
personal celt pfrorrs tor.....roomy Him 1
nans, - ————•. ,
While in agreement to change the
policy, the court debated on setting the
allowancc/stipend rate Commissioner
Patsy Marshall, who drafted the policy
change and presented it to the court,
and CommisMonei Bob Sisk preferred
a $353)0 allowance County Judge Joe
DougherU and Sheriff David Traylor,
whose deputies rely heavily on cell
phones, preferred a $40 (X) allowance
Following discussion, a consensus
of the court agreed to set the stipend
at $40.00 per month. The court then
adopted the policy as -presented and
named Marshall to administer it.
One question asked by Marshall,
biu.jwver arfswTred. was it a.-pefson
receives a stipend for using a personal
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EMORY CITY COUNCIL
Ivan Smith Furniture local
#co'. fj ■
warehouse sales up 18%
By AUdYcODY
Rains County leader stall
Photo by Trey Hill
NEW RAINS, SECOND VERSE. Could be better, but it just got worse.
Rains Monday closed CR 1315, cutting off traffic and keeping the
school bus from picking up students going to Rains schools. While
this picture was taken on October showing Ro.ad and Bridge'
Administrator Lee Roland and an R&B crew member working to
unstop a drainage culvert to help clear the high water, it could just
as easily have been taken Monday morning. While the installation of
larger culverts was on the commissioners court agenda last week,
the matter was tabled for an R&B workshop on November 4.
RAINS COUNTY SHERIFF
Burglary suspects
captured quickly
Officers from the Department
of Public Safety, the Hopkins
County Sheriff’s Office, the
Emory Police Department, and
the Rains 1SD Police Chief
were notified and assisted with
At the regular meeting of
the Emory City Council all
agenda items were dealt with
quickly. During the workshop
session, Clyde Smith, EDC
Director, shared the good news
that year-to-date sales through
September at the Ivan Smith
Furniture local warehouse are
up 18 percent over last year.
The company also exercised its
option to extend the lease on
the warehouse for four addi-
tional years.
According to Smith, the bid-
ding process for construction
of the FEMA tornado shelter
project will begin this week-
end with the publication of bid
notices. See the legal notice
section of this Leader edition
for more details.
The director concluded by
saying that the sale of the two-
acre parcel in the business park
had closed and Best Western is
expected to start construction
in January with a completion
target of fall 2010.
A lease agreement for the
parcel owned by the city ol
Emory located on Hwy. 276,
just west of the intersection
of Hwy. 69 and Hwy. 276
was approved. The parcel was
leased for $100.00 per year
to Hooten’s Lawn and Tree
Service for two years for the
expansion of the Lawn and
Garden Shop on Hwy. 69
Hooten’s property is contigu-
ous to the city 's parcel.
The council voted to apply
for an Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Block Grant
which can be used lor energy -
related items. Code Enforce-
ment officer Ed Hall related
that the purchase and installa-
tion of energy efficient pumps
and motors lor die vvalet sys
tern would meet the criteria
and are needed. No match-
ing funds are required for this
grant if received.
Application for an East
Texas Council of Governments
(ETCOG) Solid Waste Grant.
APPLICATION
/MIPC
On October 16 at about 2:00
p.m., a citizen notified the
Rains County Sheriff’s Office
regarding a vehicle parked on
a northern county road, with
property in it that belonged to
him.
About 9:00 that morning,
the same citizen filed a burglary
report with the Rains County
Sheriff’s Office stating numer-
ous items were taken from his
house. He said that as he left
his road, he noticed a parked
pickup and a female standing
next to it holding some of his
property. When the citizen con-
fronted the female, she yelled,
and a male came running from
a wooded area.
The sheriff’s office was then
given the description of the
truck and occupants, and which
direction the truck was trav-
eling. Dispatch then relayed
information about the reckless
operation of the vehicle and
an officer reported that he was
trying to follow them as safely
as possible. He also reported
that the suspects were throwing
property from th> vehicle.
Deputy Wheeler and Fisch-
er responded and advised that
the vehicle was last seen on a
dead-end road. The vehicle was
located at an abandoned resi-
dence in a heavily wooded area,
and a perimeter was set up. The
vehicle was unoccupied, and
property that was reported sto-
BURGLARY ««•
EAST TAWAKONI
Emory Notification system
to be implemented
The city of Emory is working to imple-
ment a citywide e-mail system to enable
the city staff to advise businesses and citi-
zens of important notices affecting their
health and safety.
On Friday, October 16, due to a break
in the city’s main water line, a “boil water
notice” was implemented and the city was
unable to contact many, many citizens.
The boil water notice was rescinded on
October 19 after all samples of water
taken passed the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) standards.
The city’s water supply is safe to use and
drink.
To bellei serve the citizens, the city
is inviting all Emory water customers
to forward their e-mail addresses to
pmgress@emorytx.cqm and become part,
of the city wide e-mail system.
A community event calender has been
added to the city’s Website at www.cityo-
femory.com to keep citizens informed of
ongoing activities.
For questions, call Keeley Roan at 903-
473-2465, ext. 112.
Lift station fails, city to contact SRA
to see if there are available funds
By BONNIE BURCH
Rains County leader staff
One of the city’s old lift
stations failed recently spill-
ing raw sewage onto a Whis-
pering Oaks citizen’s property.
The event was reported at the
East Tawakoni City Council
meeting last Tuesday evening,
October 20, at the civic center.
John Wisdom, the citi-
zen, was on the agenda
addressed the council regard-
ing the issue. Wisdom said he
lives next to the lift station and
filthy waste of all sorts came
onto his property. Although
Public Works Director Robert
White and his crew temporar-
ily fixed the problem, all coun-
cil members and the mayor
agreed that it is .i serious issue
that needs a permanent solu-
tion.
Wisdom, meanwhile, sug-
gested contacting the Sabine
River Authority (SRA) to
determine if thefre are emer-
gency contingency funds avail-
able to fix the problem. After
discussion, Councilwoman
Tamera McLaughlin offered to
contact the SRA and report her
findings later.
Horses in city?
Regarding an issue that
was brought before the coun-
cil before, David Evans
approached members asking
to change the city ordinance
banning livestock within the
city limits. Evans, also a Whis-
currently boards three hors-
es elsewhere. He asked if he
bought about five acres within
the city limits if the council
would change the ordinance
and allow him to keep his hors-
es there.
Evans further stated that he
believed if someone wanted
to develop mini-ranchettes, the
city would consider changing
the ordinance for develop
mental purposes. Alter much
discussion, the council tabled
the item until nc*xt month’s
meeting.
Grantworks
A resolution establishing
Grantworks as the grant appli-
cation preparer for the Texas
Community
Block Grant (TxCDBG) pro
gram passed with the vyord
“sole” removed from the rcso-'
lution. It originally read: “A
resolution establishing Grant-
works, Inc. as the sole.copsul-
tant for the TxCDGB.”
Councilman Walt Pollard
questioned the word and made
the motion to accept the reso-
lution with the change, with
McLaughlin seconding.
Other action items
The council further voted
to:
■ Accept ETCOG’s ongoing
Interlocal Contract for data-
base maintenance, beginning
September 1,2009, and ending
-----rrr LIFT rnyr3
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Hill, Earl Clyde, Jr. Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 20, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 27, 2009, newspaper, October 27, 2009; Emory, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1123607/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rains County Library.