Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 101, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 18, 1986 Page: 1 of 60
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rolk County
ENURPRISE
Thursday,
Dec. 18, 1986
Volume 104 Number 101
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
USPS 437-340 Price: 25 cents
Voters to decide ambulance issue Jan. 7 7
Referendum wording set
LIVINGSTON - The wording for
the Jan. 17 ambulance referendum
has been finalized and, ballots
ordered.
All voters in Polk County will be
asked to vote for or against “the
creation of a county-wide Emergen-
cy Medical Service Ambulance
District to be owned and operated by
Polk County through the commis-
sioners’ court."
Also explained in the referendum
is the fact that the district will be
financed with ad valorem taxes at
the rate of 6 cents for every $100 of
value, amounting to 16 percent of the
present county tax. The referendum
authorizes the commissioners’ court
to issue time warrants or cer-
tificates of obligation on Jan. 19 and
begin operation of the district im-
mediately.
The tax to fund the ambulance
district, if the voters approve the
referendum, will be a separate am-
bulance district tax which will be in-
itiated next fall, County Judge
Wayne Baker explained.
The county hopes to have the am-
bulance service in place by Feb. 22,
the day Cochran Ambulance Ser-
vice’s insurance expires. Corky
Cochran announced his intentions
last February to cease operating the
ambulance service due primarily to
skyrocketing insurance costs and a
poor percentage of collections from
those using the service.
Cochran Ambulance Service has
served the southern part of the coun-
ty. The northern part has been serv-
ed by Life Run Ambulance Service,
which has been subsidized by the
Corrigan Hospital District. The Cor-
rigan district has had to borrow
money to pay the subsidy and has
begun efforts to disband the hospital
district entirely.
If voters do not approve next
month’s referendum, ambulance
service will be provided by whoever
would like to come in and operate a
private service. Duncan Funeral
Home has indicated they will be
available for ambulance calls,
Baker said.
Anyone who operates a service
will be on their own. “We’re not go-
ing to make any subsidies,"the coun-
ty judge said.
The specially-appointed Am-
bulance Advisory Committee spent
several months studying options and
reviewing proposals from private
ambulance companies. The commit-
tee concluded no private firm was
willing to provide service without a
subsidy. As a result, they recom-
mended a county-owned and
operated system would be the most
efficient and economical way to pro-
vide service.
The county judge and commis-
sioners are continuing to work with
the ambulance committee in the
event the referendum passes After
canvassing the votes and, if it
passes, approving the issuance of
$500,000 in time warrants or cer-
tificates of obligation to fund the
district, the next step will be hiring
of a director for the ambulance
district, Baker said.
Applicants for the director’s post
will be reviewed by the Ambulance
Advisory Committee, which will
then make a recommendation to the
commissioners’ court.
Absentee voting for the Jan. 17
referendum will be held Jan. 7, 8, 9,
12 and 13.
Holidays hard on alcoholics
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY KKW SCHMIDT
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT - Scott Duff (top), Greg Duff
(middle) and Steven Wrobleski put up insulated wall panels
on Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s new warehouse and
office building now under construction.
By DAWN ALBRIGHT
Enterprise Staff
POLK COUNTY - Holidays are
hard on people with alcohol and drug
abuse problems, say counselors who
work with chemically dependent
people.
“Christmas day seems to be the
biggest downer of them all for the
addict, said C.C Carney, chief
counselor with Palmer Drug Abuse
Program in Lufkin.
The stress, husUe-bustle and fami-
ly tensions during the Christmas
season may cause anxiety, guilt and
depression for many people who
already have trouble coping with
everyday life, Carney explained.
Many times, a drug abuser may
not be able to buy nice gifts for fami-
ly members since the money is being
spent on drugs. This may cause feel-
ings of guilt and depression.
For those trying to recover from
alcoholism, the holiday season
presents extra pressures, said
Darlene Cox, counselor with the
Deep East Texas Council on Alcohol
and Drug Abuse.
“With an alcoholic we’re really
looking at depression around the
holidays. It’s hard for them to relate
to daily living anyway, then they
have the additional stress of the
holidays,” Cox said.
Often, a recovering alcoholic may-
be at gatherings with people who
don’t see his or her drinking as a pro-
blem. The alcoholic may be invited
to parties where alcohol is present
along with friends who still drink,
she said.
But, if the person is in a good
recovery program like Alcoholics
Anonymous, they may be able to
find other ways of enjoying
themselves.
Cox suggests that if you have a
friend or family member trying to
recover from chemical abuse, try to
reduce the pressure on them. Invite
people over who support them, try to
make them feel comfortable and let
them know you care.
“If you know they’re trying not to
drink, don’t offer them any alcohol.
Have plenty of juices and coffee
around.”
If you have a friend or family
member who has not admitted to
their drinking problem, try’ not to
have alcoholic beverages at gather-
ings, Cox suggests. If they get
drunk, call them a taxi or give them
a ride home. Most of all, she says, let
Approved by State Highway Commission
Overpass, bypass in highway plan
LUFKIN' - Construction of an
overpass at the Moscow railroad
crossing on U S. 59 and building of a
bypass around Corrigan are two of
the projects included in a 10-year
project development plan approved
this month by the State Highway
Commission in Austin.
The 10-year plan is divided into
three developmental categories, ac-
cording to J.L. Beaird, State Depart-
ment of Highways and Public
Transportation Lufkin District
engineer
Moscow's overpass is included in
the one-year letting schedule, pro-
jects that are authorized to to go to
construction contract in the period
from September 1986 through
August 1987.
“We hope to go to contract in July
or August,” said Kenneth Fults,
district planning engineer in Lufkin.
Fults estimated the Moscow project
will take one and a half to two years
to complete A lot of dirt work will be
required to form the overpass ap-
proaches. The project is expected to
cost about $3.7 million.
The highway department is work-
ing to eliminate railroad crossings
on all major highways, especially
those with a great deal of traffic,
through the construction of over-
passes, the planning engineer said.
“We don't have a real high accident
rate at Moscow, but when you have
an accident involving a train, it is
often fatal."
Bypass proposed
Construction of the bypass around
Corrigan is in the bottom half of the
10-year plan, among projects that in-
clude tentative construction con-
tracts beginning September 1991
through August 1996.
"A project of that size requires a
lot of planning,” Fults said. The
highway department will host public
hearings to get public input as to
which side of the city the bypass
should be constructed and the type
of highway needed. “We try' to get
input early in the game so we can
alter our plans to comply with what
the community wants."
Just designing the bypass and ac-
quiring the right-of-way will be time
consuming. Right-of-way acquisi-
tion is done on a cost-sharing basis
with the state, federal and local
governments. The county usually
pays about 10 percent of the acquisi-
tion cost, with the state and federal
governments paying the other 90
percent, Fults explained If the
bypass falls within the city limits of
Corrigan, the city will pay part of
the county's 10 percent.
There will be another update of the
highway department project plan in
1988, at which point some projects
could be moved up in the schedule,
he said. "It (the plan) allows us to do
advanced planning at least 10 years
down the road. District-wide we can
plan for 20-30 years.
Other projects on the one-year let-
ting schedule include: widening of
Loop 224 in Nacogdoches to four
lanes from U.S. 59 south to FM 1275
for an estimated $3.1 million and
replacement of Flat Fork Bridge on
U.S. 96 north of Center in Shelby
County with a four-lane structure for
an estimated $3.5 million.
The four-year letting schedule in-
cludes major projects that are pro-
grammed for construction contract
between September 1987 through
August 1991.
Included in that category is con-
struction on a section of Loop 500 in
Center from Hwy. 7 West to U.S. 96
South for an estimated $640,000;
completion of the third level of the
interchange at Loop 287 and U.S. 59
South in Lufkin and grade separa-
tion at the intersection of U.S. 59
South of Lufkin and Daniel McCall
Drive, $4.25 million; construction of
an overpass at Hwy. 94 and West
Loop 287 in Lufkin, $7.42 million;
providing four travel lanes on U.S.
59 in Nacogdoches County from
Nacogdoches to Garrison, $16.5
million; and providing four travel
lanes on U.S. 96 in Shelby County
from Tenaha to the A T. and S.F.
Railroad, $2.7 million.
In addition to the Corrigan bypass,
projects in the third developmental
schedule for tentative construction
contracts beginning September 1991
through August 1996 include an over-
pass on U.S. 59 near Angelina Col-
lege, providing four travel lanes on
Hwy. 19 from Trinity south to the
Walker County line, and providing
four travel lanes on Hwy. 103 in
Angelina County from Herty to FM
Fire guts
mobile home
early Sunday
LIVINGSTON - Fire destroyed a
mobile home on Old Providence
Road early Sunday, leaving a Liv-
ingston family with little but their
lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Jason Holt, awaken-
ed by a noise shortly before 1:45
a.m. Sunday, found their mobile
home filled with heavy smoke and
they could see the flicker of flames,
according to Livingston Volunteer
Fire Department Chief Corky
Cochran. They safely fled the
residence.
The first firemen arrived on the
scene at 1:49 a.m. and found the
mobile home completely engulfed in
flames, the fire chief said. The fire
was reported to be out at 2:11 a.m.
but the residence was destroyed.
The house was owned by Bill Hen-
drix.
Fifteen men and three trucks from
the Iivingston VFD responded to the
alarm.
326 east of Lufkin.
Beaird pointed out that these are
not the only projects that would be
constructed during this 10-year
period, but are the major projects
that require extensive engineering,
public involvement and environmen-
tal studies before they can be let to
contract.
them know you care.
Carney said many abusers may
feel the stress of being around many
family members.
With teenagers, he said, taking the
emphasis off gifts can help. Parents
might consider helping their kid buy
gifts and going with them to make
the purchase.
lotting the addict spend as much
time as possible with others trying to
go straight is one of the most impor-
tant gestures a parent can make,
Carney said.
He suggests recovering people let
their families know they need extra
support at Christmas time. Make an
appearance at the family gathering,
then go to a meeting with a support
group. Lufkin PDAP has a get
together Christmas night and
anyone who wants to come is
welcome, Carney said.
Many recovering abusers take a
straight friend to family parties with
them, he said.
Livingston Alcoholics Anonymous
meets every night (including
Christmas and New Year’s Eve) ex-
cept Friday at 8 p.m. The location is
a small white house south of Village
Inn on Hwy. 59 South. There is a
marquee in front of the building that
says “Livingston Group meets
here.”
Alcoholics Anonymous is free and
anonymous, which means nobody
has to know you go to the meetings.
Al-Anon, for friends or family
members of alcoholics, meets at the
same location Mondays at 8 p.m.
Livingston Parents Against
Drugs’ weekly carpool will be going
to the Christmas night meeting in
Lufkin, said Theresa Wilson, a
member of the group. Those who
want to go should meet at the
Jernigan-Dabney parking lot on
Washington Street at 6 p.m.
The parents group is also planning
to hire a full time counselor to be
based in Livingston for teenagers
with drug abuse problems, Wilson
said. They hope to have $20,000 rais-
ed by Jan. 31 for this purpose, she
said. Anyone who wants to donate to
LPAD may contact Wilson at
327-4759 or the Pilot Club, which is
sponsoring the organization.
A retreat is planned for teenagers,
parents and anyone who wants to go
at the Sanders Farm near Leggett
Jan. 9 and 10.
The parents group also meets
every Monday night at 7 p.m. at St.
Luke’s Episcopal Church. Wilson
said she will speak at any civic club
meetings about LPAD.
No alcohol
No drugs
For those who feel they need to
be with a chemical-free support
group during the holidays, here
are some opportunities:
Alcoholic Anonymous meets
every night except Friday at 8
p.m. in the white house south of
Village Inn on Hwy. 59 South. It’s
free and open to anyone who
wants to quit drinking.
Livingston Parents Against
Drugs takes a carpool to the
Palmer Drug Abuse Program
meeting in Lufkin every Thurs-
day (including Christmas).
Riders should meet at 6 p.m. in
the Jernigan-Dabney parking lot.
This is also free and open to those
who want to lead a chemical-free
life.
Livingston Parents Against
Drugs meets Monday nights at 7
p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church. Everyone is welcome.
HOUSE GUTTED - Fire gutted the Jeffery
Dunn residence on Davis Street in Livingston
Tuesday morning. “The fire was burning
pretty good when we got there,” Fire Mar-
shall Wayne Keller said, adding the fire is
PHOTO BY GREG DENSMORE
believed to have started in a front room near
a gas heater. Seventeen men and four trucks
from the LVFD responded to the alarm,
which came in at 8:28 a.m.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 101, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 18, 1986, newspaper, December 18, 1986; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth782074/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.