The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 22, 1988 Page: 1 of 4
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DALLAS. TX 75^4
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VOL. 113—NO. 4.
(ABSORBED THE GAZETTE CIRCULATION BY PURCHASE MAY 12*1928)
SULPHUR SPRINGS7TEXAS. FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1988.
4 PAGES — 25CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Zoning map discrepancies
Three city officials compare the city's most recent zoning
map to a map containing zoning designations from 1956.
Discussions concerning about 30 errors that have been
located in the-city's existing zoning map were conducted
Tuesday night at the City Council's regular meeting. Shown
making the comparisons are City Attorney Joel Sheffield,
seated, and Mayor Bill McCool, left, and Community
Development Director Andrew Mack, right.
—Staff Photo by Richard Hail
Bereaved parents
form support group
- core of the group have experienced
By KARLAS. WARE the death of a child.
“I’ve talked to people who have lost
A child’s death deviates from the
normal sync of life.
And while coping with a child’s
death can be totally engulfing and
seem to leave you very much alone,
you’re not, according to the
spokesman for a newly formed local
group.
“There are people to support you,”
Mary Christie, one of the organizers,
said.
The Sulphur Springs Bereaved
Parents Support Group is the third in
the nation providing its members
with the opportunity to seek help and
care from other parents who are
dealing with the death of a child,
Christie said.
“The sad news is that there is an
ever-growing need for this group. The
good news is that there is a group,
and there is help,” she said.
Many Northeast Texas residents
have been driving to the nearest
Bereaved Parents Support Group in
Terrell.
“It seems that there is no limit to
the trouble that people will go
through to get support,” Christie
said.
She is one of 16 people organizing
the local group’s first meeting
Thursday at 7 p.m. at the BancTexas
Community Room.
The eight couples who form the
Dairy Festival set
in June this year
The week-long celebrations
surrounding the annual Hopkins
County Dairy Festival will be
about one-month behind its
traditional schedule this year.
“We just felt like, for so many
different reasons, it would be
better to move the festival to
June," Shelia Koon, president of
the Hopkins County Dairy Festival
Board of Directors, said.
The festival, which is usually
celebrated in early May, has been
scheduled for June 4-11, according
toKton.
Reasons for rescheduling the
festival were two-fold, Koon ex-
plained. _
a parent, a husband and a child — all
three,” Christie said, adding, “And
they agree: The death of a child is the
worst.
“It’s broken the chain of life. Time
just stops. That child never ages.
Your relationship with that child
never develops.”
In addition, she said parents never
expect a child to die before they do.
Parents who have experienced
these helpless feelings may have
tried to get help from a counselor or a
minister, but Christie said these
people may or may not understand.
Friends and family members
“don’t know what to do with you,” she
added.
She said this group is unique
because all members can identify
with the feelings the others have —
whatever stage of grief they’re in.
“The purpose is to have people with
whom you can cry with, not as a sign
of weakness but as a sigh of love,”
she said. “And fathers don’t have to
keep up that tough image.”
And many times, Christie said,
grieving parents just need someone
to talk to.
A 24-hour crisis line — 885-4643 —
has been set up.
“Instead of screaming at ttj»%alls,
call. Instead of crying all night and
waking up with a headache, call,” she
said.
Everybody else goes on living after
a death, whether it be a suicide,
miscarriage, illness or a car wreck.
“Everybody thinks they won’t go on,
but they do."
Help from the Bereaved Parents
Support Group began in 1985. Bar-
; bara Snow of Terrell began the group
following the death of her child. Snow
has since written several books for
grieving parents, and Christie said
she expects Snow to speak oc-
casionally at the Sulphur Springs
group’s meetings.
Each meeting, Christie said, will
consist of a qualified guest speaker,
who professionally or personally has
dealt with grief. A get-acquainted
time and a sharing time will follow.
In addition, the group hopes to put
out a newsletter that will help
bereaved parents cope with holidays,
birthdays and dates of death.
Connolly area residents
get their choice of zoning
By DANA CERRETANI
Local residents in favor of the plan
to rezone the Connally and Davis
Street Area Neighborhood appeared
somewhat dismayed Tuesday night
even though the City Council took
what some supporters described as
“expected” action on the issue.
“They did just what we figured
they would, but I don’t think we’ve
really accomplished anything,”
Manuel Jenkins, a Finney Street
resident, said following the council’s
decision to rezone those lots whose
owners signed a resident petition
supporting the measure.
Owners representing about 86
percent of the property in the area
slated for rezoning have signed the
petition, according to Anne
Willmann, a Connally Street resident
who appeared before the council as a
spokesperson of the neighborhood
citizens.
Willmann gave each council
member a copy of the petition, which
included property owners’
signatures, each identified by lot
numbers.
Upon the council’s request,
Willmann agreed to release the
original petition to allow city staff to
ensure the validity of the signatures.
The council instructed the city
secretary to complete the
verifications within a week, at which
time, zoning on the properties of
those whftjigned the petition will be
changed.
“I feel the council has simply put
another obstacle in our way,”
Willmann said. “Before, they wanted
us to get the signatures. Now, they
want to go back and check the names
for their accuracy. ’ ’
Willmann was the first of about five
residents who voiced their support of
the rezoning during the public
hearing on the issue. No public op-
position was expressed at the
meeting.
Supporters of the plan primarily
wanted the area rezoned to single
family dwelling. Multiple family
zoning presently dominates the area
that is mostly used for single family
residential purposes.
According to Willmann’s figures,
owners of 226 of the 264 pieces of
property included in the area slated
for rezoning .signed the petition.
Out-of-town owners
However, she said, supporters of
the plan were unable to contact some
property owners, since many do not
reside in Sulphur Springs.
Despite her remarks, council
members voted to retain the existing
zoning of the properties whose
owners did not sign the petition. In
addition, the properties of about iflx
owners who had previously expressed
either verbal or written opposition
also maintained the multiple family
classification.
Several residents commented
about how they felt the “majority
didn’t rule” in this instance.
Willmann restated the favorable
nods from owners ofN86 percent of the
property and said, “We have an
overwhelming majority by any
standard.”
But Councilman Jim Dobson said,
“I’m just not for changing anybody
that doesn’t want it because the
minority has rights, too.”
Mayor Bill McCool referred to the
council’s representation of all
residents in the city, which includes
people in favor of the plan as well as
those opposed.
I think (this) was fair to all in this
room and to all who aren’t in this
room,” McCool said. “You’re getting
86 percent, provided the petition
checks out and is verified. But you’re
not getting something for someone
else who didn’t want it.”
.Zoning map errors
In other meeting action, council
members voted to instruct the
Planning and Zoning Commission to
review all city zoning maps, the first
of which was created in 1956.
The council’s directive was the
result of a discussion concerning
about 30 “errors” that have been
discovered in the current zoning map,
McCool said, adding, “I feel these are
pretty grave errors, and if we have
errors like this, we have problems.”
McCool suggested that many of the
zoning inaccuracies could have oc-
curred during the attempted rezoning
of the city in 1985 and. 1986. However,
he also cited Planning Director
Andrew Mack’s admission to
“making changes” on the new map in
at least one area and City Attorney
Joel Sheffield’s attempt to confirm
the zoning that had been changed.
I’m not saying their decisions or
actions were negatory,” he said. “I
just contest that such decisions were
handed down without council ap-
proval.”
Several of the zoning map errors
surfaced after Mike Tyler, a local
realtor, became concerned about the
accuracy of the zoning of property
located on the corner of Interstate 30
and State Highway 19.
The owner of the property, Steve
Comunale, maintained that his
property had been zoned light in-
dustrial for about 15 years. But
previous zoning maps indicate the
property could maintain a different
zoning classification.
“I bought this 15 years ago, and
I’ve been paying light industrial
taxes on it. Now, I have a client to buy
this land and they tell me I might not
even own it,” Comunale said.
“The reasons for all this tonight is
the city’s Lot and Block map,” Tyler
said. “The city cannot identify the
dates or the reasons that the Lot and
Block maps were modified.”
Mayor McCool added, “This will all
be taken back to the Planning and
Zoning Commission to see what
should be corrected.”
City man
accused of
armed robbery
A city man was arrested Tuesday
afternoon and charged with the Dec. 6
aggravated robbery of a local con-
venience store.
Willie Mays Searcy, 27, of Sulphur
Springs had been charged with the
aggravated robbery of Family Mart
No. 2,1201S. Broadway.
He turned himself in at the Hopkins
County Sheriff’s Office.
Sammy Weaver, a detective with
the Sulphur Springs Police Depart-
ment, said Wednesday morning that
Searcy went to the sheriff’s office
after hearing that there was a
warrant out for him.
The warrant was issued Dec. 31
after Searcy was identified in a lineup
as the robber, Weaver said.
Bond has been set at $10,000 by
Justice of the Peace Cletis Millsap.
The Mount Pleasant Police
Department have issued a warrant
for Searcy’s arrest in connection with
an aggravated robbery of the
Western Sizzlin’ there, Weaver said.
Searcy is being held in the Hopkins
County Jail.
The Family Mart robbery netted
$230, police said.
A man entered the store on the
night of Dec. 6 and demanded money
from the clerk. The man was armed
with what witnesses said they
believed was a sawed-off shotgun.
One-way traffic flow
will begin on Feb. 11
Area motorists should note
Thursday, Feb. 11, as the day to begin
traveling the proposed one way
directions on Oak Avenue and Gilmer
Street, according to action taken by
the Sulphur Springs City Council
Tuesday night.
“We’re ready to go ahead with the
date of Feb. 11,” Public Works
Director Bill Farler told council
members.
Farler and other city staff mem-
bers met with State Department of
Highways and Public Transportation
officials last week and chose to im-
plement the one-way system Feb. 11.
If adverse weather conditions exist
Feb. 11, implementation of the
system will be delayed dntil Monday,
Feb. 15.
City and state highway department
crews will have three weeks to
complete the remaining sign in-
stallations and removal of paint from
the roadway, which is required by the
state highway department, Farler
said.
“We think we can get all the work
done that needs to be done, except the.
striping, which will all be done on that
day,” he said. “They’ve (state
highway department officials-) in-
dicated they can do all the striping in
one day.”
Under the plan, all traffic flow
north of the intersection of Oak
Avenue and Gilmer Street will move
in one-way directions. Traffic
heading north to the downtown
square will travel on Oak Avenue.
Traffic going south off the square will
travel on Gilmer Street.
At their last meeting, council
members expressed concerns over
the accuracy of square footage
measurement^ of the completed U-
turn at thevinterseetion of Oak
Avenue and Gilmer Street. They had
said the area did not appear to con-
tain the approximately 600 square
feet stated in the sales contract.
City Finance Director Wendell
Sapaugh reported Tuesday that
project engineers had since
measured the U-turn and found that it
contained the appropriate square
footage. \
Col. Hurley in line for first star
By MARY GRANT
YANTIS — Two teachers, a
classmate and the grandmother of
Yantis High School graduate,
James Marcus Hurley, aren’t
surprised he is being promoted to
general in the U.S. Air Force.
“He was always tops in school,”
Myra Shirley Crist said about her
classmate, who has been
nominated by President Reagan
for promotion to brigadier
general.
The road to Washington and the
promotion began on a Yantis dairy
farm where during his senior year
in high school Hurley performed
the chores for Hs ill grandfather.
“He did the milking in the morning
and afternoon,” his grandmother,
Mrs. Carl »or ley, noted. She and
her husband reared the younger
Hurley. “He is just like our other
two sons," she said, noting the
closer ss of the family.
Two teachers at Yantis school
remember James Marcus when he
sat in their classrooms and was
later named valedictorian of the
senior class. Imogene Glenn in-
structed him when he was in the
3rd and 4th grades, and Dorothy
Norton was his teacher in high
school.
“He was outgoing and
inquisitive,” Mrs. Norton said.
“He was well-liked by his fellow
students,” Mrs. Glenn added.
They agreed that as a young man
he demonstrated the charac-
teristics that are required for a
leader.
Both teachers gave credit to his
grandparents for encouraging
Hurley when he was a student —
and later following his career with
enthusiasm. “We are really happy
for him,” his grandmother said.
Now a resident of Arlington, Va.,
the general is a 1961 graduate of
Yantis High School and a 1965
graduate of Texas A&M Univer-
sity where he earned a bachelor of
science degree in animal science.
Upon graduation from A&M, he
was commissioned a second
lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
Later, he obtained a master of
science degree from Troy State
University in Montgomery, Ala.
According to Air Force in-
formation, Hurley is a pilot and
has served in fighter units in
Thailand, Randolph Air Force
Base in San Antonio, Moody Air
Force Base, Ga., and Nellis Air
Force Base.
He is a command pilot with more
than 3,300 flying hours and 143
combat missions and is a graduate
of the Air Command and Staff
College and the Air War College.
Hurley, 44, has been assigned to
the office of the Secretary of the
Air Force in Washington, the
United States Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs and the
Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower
and Personnel Headquarters for
the Air Force in Washington,
where he is currently assigned.
He is married to the former
Donna King of Garland and they
have two children.
Col. James Hurley
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Keys, Clarke & Hillsamer, Dave. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, January 22, 1988, newspaper, January 22, 1988; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth779771/m1/1/: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.