City Manager’s Report Presented In July 2019 Council Meeting
By Marc Maxwell, Sulphur Springs city manager
PACIFIC PARK DRAINAGE PROJECT
On Sept. 4, 2018, the City Council approved an expenditure of $85,000 to solve a drainage issue at Carter Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Since that time engineering has designed an alternative that is simpler and less expensive. It will be easier to maintain also. We have retained 5W Construction to perform the work. They plan to start next week.
SUNSET STREET
Cement stabilization is completed, and capital construction crews have begun pouring concrete. This is the first street reconstruction project we have constructed with lay-down curbs. This style of curb does not require curb-cuts for driveway approaches. We are trying this method on a trial basis. Builders tell us that they prefer this method of construction for new subdivisions because it allows for more flexibility for driveway placement and hence, lower costs. If we like the way this works out we will change our design spec and let builders construct this style of curb & gutters from now on.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
Construction continues on the new aeration basins.We plan to bring the new basins online on August 05, 2019. After that the contractor will begin retrofitting the old basins with the new aeration machinery.
CONNALLY STREET
The water main installation is complete, and we have begun connecting residences to the new water main. Next the Capital Construction Division will construct the drainage improvements.
CLAIMS – We had 2 workers’ compensation claims in June. One claim was for a minor back injury, and the other was for a minor wrist injury. Both employees were treated and have returned to work.
We also received 2 claims related to sewer overflows. We have submitted both claims to the TML Risk Pool.
REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES
Finance Director Lesa Smith will give a year-to-date report of revenues and expenditures.
Elsewhere Around The City
Employees:
- Checked out 4,783 items from the library, and an additional 762 eBooks.
- Responded to 195 fire/rescue calls including 5 grass fires.
- Performed 26 fire inspections and reviewed 26 pre-fire plans.
- Sent 33 weed violation notices and issued 1 citation.
- Performed preventative maintenance on 65 fire hydrants.
- Treated 127 million gallons of potable water.
- Conducted 32 building inspections, 28 electrical inspections, 6 plumbing inspections, 5 mechanical inspections and issued 20 building permits.
- Hosted 3 baseball tournaments.
- Aerated athletic fields.
- Replaced the slide at Pacific Park.
- Repaired the runway lights at the airport.
- Assisted with storm cleanup.
- Treated wastewater to a daily average total suspended solids reading of .94 mg/L.
- Repaired 13 water main ruptures.
- Replaced 27 water meters.
- Unstopped 15 sewer mains.
- Repaired 14 sewer mains.
- Washed out 75,000 feet of sewer mains.
- Flushed 35 dead-end water mains.
- Opened the flood gates at Lake Sulphur Springs 7 times.
- Repaired Raw Water Pump #1 at Cooper Lake Pump Station.
- Sold 2,305 gallons of AvGas and 10,692 gallons of JetA fuel.
- Responded to 221 animal control calls and achieved a 21% adoption rate.
- Made 3 felony arrests in Special Crimes Unit.
- Made 65 arrests, wrote 480 citations, responded to 46 offences and 30 accidents.
Paris District Road Report for the Week of July 8, 2019
Paris — Here’s a look at work planned in Delta, Lamar and Red River Counties during the week of July 8, 2019. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Motorists are advised to remain alert and pay special attention to all signs, barricades and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach and travel through work zones.They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems.
Paris Area (Delta, Lamar, Red River Counties)
Contacts: Paris Area Office (903) 784-1357; Delta Co. Maintenance (903) 395-2139; Lamar Co. Maintenance (903) 785-4468; Red River Co. Maintenance (903) 427-3561.
US 82, Red River County: from Lamar County line to west of Detroit. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews perform spot mill & inlay work.
FM 195, Lamar County: from Spur 139 to 3.3 miles northeast. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews perform pavement resurfacing.
BU 271B (Clarksville Street) at Collegiate Drive; US 82H (Lamar Street) at 20th Street; US 82 at FM 38, Lamar County: Watch for work zones as signal and flashing beacon work is performed.
US 271 pavement repair, Lamar and Red River Counties: from Loop 286 in Paris southeastward to SH 37. Watch for work zones and drive safely through construction areas as final work is being performed.
FM 197, Lamar County: Watch for work zones and drive safely through construction areas as final work is being performed.
US 271 safety upgrades, Red River County: from FM 410 to the Red River-Titus County line. Watch for temporary lane and shoulder closures as work continues.
SH 37 safety upgrades, Red River County: from the Texas-Oklahoma state line south to the Red River-Franklin County line. Watch for work zones as workers upgrade metal-beam guard fence, replace or extend new structures and install safety end treatments.
FM 2648 widening, Lamar County: Watch for work zones and drive safely through construction areas as final work is being performed.
SH 24 expansion, Delta County: from Cooper, Texas, southwestward towards Commerce. Watch for work zones and drive safely through construction areas as final work is being performed.
The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, we deliver a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods. Find out more at txdot.gov. “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter/TxDOTParis.
Chamber Connection for July 4, 2019
By Lezley Brown, President/CEO, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber is excited to announce our vendor call for the Stew Fest Market! On July 1, the Chamber began accepting vendors for the Stew Fest Market, which will be located on the south side of Buford Park during Friday night and Saturday Stew Contest activities. This is a great opportunity to sell goods or to promote your business to 7,000 people who attend the Stew Contest annually. Vendors may rent booth space to sell goods or distribute information about their business. Booths will be assigned on a first-paid basis. Access to electricity is not guaranteed. Generators are permitted. Desserts may be sold, but no other food or drinks may be distributed. Vendors who are interested in purchasing booth space, call the Chamber of Commerce at (903) 885-6515.
Meraki hosts one-year anniversary celebration
Meraki, located at 217 Main Street in Sulphur Springs, will host their one-year anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting at noon Wednesday, July 10th. Make plans to come by and congratulate Meraki on their first year of business in Hopkins County.
Rock Creek is celebrating their 10th Anniversary
Rock Creek Health & Rehab is celebrating their 10th Anniversary of operating in Hopkins County. They will host a Business After Hours on Tuesday, July 16th from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. Rock Creek is located at 1414 College Street. Make plans to join Rock Creek for their big anniversary celebration!
Ribbon Cutting: Gordmans hosted their grand opening
On June 27, Bealls officially closed and became Gordmans of Sulphur Springs. They hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration on the 27th at 9 a.m. Welcome, Gordmans to Sulphur Springs.
Coach Cipoletta Offers Conditioning, Agility Drills And More For Players This Summer
Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta is among the Sulphur Springs coaches who are offering voluntary conditioning and agility workouts for players this summer.
Tuesday morning, July 2, Coach Cipoletta had his players going over and back, over a short fence that surrounds the band practice field and then doing some sprints.
He says his players are lifting weights and doing running and conditioning drills several times a weeks. The players can also practice a couple of times a week and they are also offered time to shoot on their own.
Coach Cipoletta says he is getting players out of their comfort zone to make them more mentally tough. He says he wants to put the players in challenging situations, where they can push themselves and hopefully grow in those moments.
Coach Cipoletta says a really good group is showing up. He says they are a hungry group and he hopes the hard work will pay off when the season starts. Coach Cipoletta says mental toughness is something players can’t do without.
He says players show up to repeat what they have done and hopefully go places they haven’t been before and he says hard work is what it takes to accomplish those things.
PJC Board Receives Good News on Enrollment, Retention
Both enrollment and retention are up at Paris Junior College, the Board of Regents learned at their meeting held June 24.
The report on Summer I enrollment shows contact hours are up 3.6 percent from the previous year and head count is up 14.78 percent from a year ago.
“Summer II registration is going well,” said PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin, “I think Summer II enrollment is going to be really good.”
Retention is the percentage of students who did not drop. For the fall semester, the institutional retention rate was 94.39 percent and 95.56 percent for the spring semester.
In other actions, the Board of Regents:
• Received a financial report showing that in the ninth month of the fiscal year, PJC’s cash position remains strong and budgeted expenses are in line with revenue.
• Took no action on the Lamar County Appraisal District’s purchase of land for relocation of their facility.
• Approved the Memorandum of Understanding for the 2019-2020 Dual Credit Agreement with high schools that incorporates legislative requirements.
• Received a legislative update on PJC’s annual budget – up $127,830 more annually than this year. Both NETnet and the TC3 consortium were funded for the next two years.
• Accepted the employment of Kenneth Hanushek and Brandon Langehennig as Government Instructors and Nathaniel Webb as Chemistry Instructor, effective August 16; and the reassignments of Carey Gable as English Instructor effective August 16 and Katherine Barnes as Financial Aid Veterans Specialist effective July 1.
Hopkins County Gardening In July
By Bob Suson, Master Gardener
The 2019 spring was probably the wettest spring vegetable gardening in our memory; the changes that have occurred are beginning to show up. If you experienced less than desirable results, July is time to start to plan on what you want or need to change. Low spots that hold water areas that is too shady for plants to grow and don’t produce to their potential these are suggestion areas that could be problem.
The rain will stop sometime in the near future our lawns and trees and other plants needs will change, keep an eye out for changes that indicate a need for more water and other needs. October will be the time to do soil test that should give you time to amend the soil for peak performance in next spring’s gardening, lawns trees and other plants you may have that may, require different soil amendments.
New to gardening or want to make changes for improvement
A good plan is the first step in establishing a flourishing home vegetable garden. Planning includes selecting the garden location; deciding on the size of the garden; determining the types and varieties of vegetables to plant; and planning where, when, and how much of each vegetable to plant in the garden.
Choose a place where the soil is loose, rich, level, and well-drained. Do not choose low areas where water stands or the soil stays wet. Vegetables will not grow in poorly drained areas. Do not plant where weeds do not grow; vegetables will not grow well there either. Vegetables need sunlight to grow well. Do not plant where buildings, trees or shrubs will shade the garden. Most vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. Do not plant vegetables under the branches of large trees or near shrubs because they rob vegetables of food and water.
Making the garden too large is one of the most common mistakes of enthusiastic, first-time gardeners. A garden that is too large will be too much work. When determining the size of your garden, consider these factors: Available room. For apartment dwellers, the garden may be a planter box. In a suburban or rural area, however, there may be plenty of ground space for a garden. Available time. If the only time you have for gardening is after work or school, or on weekends, there may not be enough time to care for a large garden. Family size. If gardening is a family activity, a large space can be cared for. A larger family also can use more vegetables.
Raised beds
Raised beds are freestanding garden beds constructed above the natural terrain. Texas gardeners are discovering that raised bed gardens can help solve many problems.
In many areas of the state the soil contains too much sand or clay, or is too alkaline for some plants to grow well. Soil that is poorly aerated because of compaction or poor drainage also may be a problem. Soil quality problems are often aggravated in urban and suburban settings, where topsoil and vegetation have been removed or the grade changed during construction.
Raised bed gardens improve growing conditions for plants by lifting their roots above poor soil. Soil in the beds can be amended to provide a better growing medium for plants, even plants that would not naturally thrive there. The soil in raised beds warms up earlier in the spring and is less apt to be invaded by certain grasses and by tree roots. Also, the height of raised beds may make them easier to maintain.
The first step in planning a raised bed is deciding where it will be located. Site selection and plant selection go hand in hand.
Many vegetables, ornamentals and herbs require a lot of sunlight; a bed for these plants should be located where it will receive full sun. If that is not possible, select a site that receives morning rather than afternoon sun. If only shady sites are available, try growing cool season vegetables that tolerate shade, such as broccoli, cabbage and lettuce. Also, some ornamental plants do best in partial shade.
In windy regions, place beds where they are protected from prevailing winds by fences, buildings or other structures. Beds should not be located in frost pockets or where air circulation is poor because fungal diseases often develop where there is little air flow.
A raised bed should drain well because soil that remains very wet will deprive plant roots of oxygen. Also, plant diseases develop more easily under wet conditions.
Good drainage is especially important in vegetable beds. The soil and the location determine how well a raised bed will drain. If the bed contains clay soil, it should be amended with at least one third by volume of coarse sand, organic matter or a coarse grade of perlite to improve drainage.
Do not locate a bed in a marshy area where it will sit in water. Construct landscape beds so that they slope about 2 percent (a ¼ inch drop per foot of horizontal distance) away from any structures, or away from the center of the bed. Sometimes it is necessary to install special drains; determine this during the planning stage.
Drain tiles or septic line tubing can be extended the length of the bed and through the walls at either end to create a drainage channel. Normally, one line every 4 to 6 feet is sufficient. Another way is to dig a trench in the desired direction of water flow (from the bed to a lower elevation), lay 3 to 4 inches of coarse stone in the trench, and then lay tiles or perforated tubing made of clay, concrete or plastic in the center of the trench. Cover the trench with more coarse stone and then soil.
Acknowledgments
The original version of this publication was authored by Sam Cotner and B. Dean McCraw, “Building a raised garden,” Priscilla Files, Michael Arnold, Douglas Welsh, and Frank Dainello Former Extension assistant, professor, horticultural sciences, the Texas A&M University System.
Tire Ordinance Passes; Sulphur Springs Businesses Have 6 Months To Comply
Local tire businesses will be limited in the number of scrap and used tires on their property, as well as how they may be stored.
Sulphur Springs City Council Tuesday evening approved Ordinance 2746, which amends the city code regarding tire businesses.
Businesses will be restricted to 500 used or scrap tires on the ground outside on the property. Those outside of the business must be secured from public view and covered to prevent rainwater from getting into them. The number of tires stored in enclosed trailers will be limited to 1,500.
Every two weeks, tire businesses must consider “vector control,” that is check for mosquitoes, rodents, snakes and other things the tires could harbor that would be potentially harmful to humans, and if found treat the area to prevent the hazard.
Existing tire businesses will have 6 months to meet the new regulations.
Sulphur Springs City Attorney Jim McLeroy told the council he learned while attending a used tire class taught by the Texas Illegal Dumping Resource Center 2 weeks ago. Based on the information he gleaned, the ordinance as proposed may not be the same as any other city’s but it does meet state requirements for a scrap tire ordinance.
Lake Fork’s ‘Patriot Sporting Challenge’ Launches a New Program for Starkids, Gold Star Kids
As you may already know, the purpose of the successful three year old Patriot Sporting Challenge not-for-profit is to conduct charitable events that benefit American military veterans and their families. Since 2017, the PSC has done this in events on Lake Fork while donating funds and support to other worthwhile efforts, including Folds of Honor. According to President and Executive Director Garry Schnabel, there is a new program which will launch in October 2019 in conjunction with new partner Trinity Oaks. ‘Legacy Day’ is designed to provide a day of outdoor education for the dependent children of fallen military heroes and children of fallen first responders, known as Gold Star Kids or StarKids.
PSC welcomes Trinity Oaks in bringing the belief that participation in the great outdoors is not only a powerful healing and life-changing phenomenon, it helps children to build skills and self confidence as well as develop mentor relationships. The first annual StarKids’ Legacy Day event is set for Saturday October 5, 2019 at Links at Lands End as a free-of-charge event for the children left behind by a fallen first responder or combat veteran. If you know of such a child, please contact Garry Schnabel at 903-383-2003. Each child, supported by their pre-assigned mentor, will be given the opportunity to experience an exciting day of outdoor education, to share their feelings of grief with other children, and to develop new coping behaviors through their partnership experiences in the areas of fishing, golfing, archery and shooting air rifles. Participation in the 2019 event is capped at forty (40) StarKids ages 10-18. Additionally, if you would like to assist as a Sponsor on Legacy Day, there are levels for one, two or three children which start at $300. You can find out more at PatriotSportingChallenge.org.
City Council Calls For Special Election To Help Fund Pacific Park Improvements, New Senior Citizens Center
Sulphur Springs voters will be asked Nov. 5 to go to the poles to determine whether or not to allow economic development funds to be used to help fund improvement at Pacific Park and to build a new center for senior citizens.
The city council was asked to approve a resolution for the special election to allow the EDC sales and use tax funding to be used by the city’s parks department for qualified 4B projects, including construction and maintenance of Pacific Park and Senior Citizens Center facilities.
“So at the last meeting, I put the idea out there; let’s do it again, do what we did with Coleman Park — using EDC money for a 4B purpose, this time for Pacific Park and a Senor Center. Lets authorize $200,000 a year for 20 years. That will fund $3 million worth of bonds: $1 1/2 million to go to Pacific Park and $1 1/2 million for a senior center. We will also add to that another half-million dollars in grant funding from Texas Department of Parks and Recreation to go with the Pacific Park money. So that’d be a total of $2 million to go towards Pacific Park,” Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell told the council when presenting the election proposal Tuesday night.
Maxwell said the resolution stipulates that the city would be limited to $200,000 in EDC funding per year for 20 years.
“This is how we did Coleman Park, this is how we paid for it?” Sulphur Springs Mayor Norman Sanders asked.
Maxwell affirmed “this is exactly” how Coleman Park construction was funded 20 years ago.
The City Council gave unanimous approval to Resolution 1171 calling for the special Nov. 5 election.
“I really think that changing this and using that money from EDC that we usually use for bringing businesses in, I believe that its important to go that route because sometimes those amenities for our cities are also attractive for businesses coming into the city that may have people retiring or they may have living in those neighborhoods that would utilize those facilities. I think that’s an important way to look at it because, although we are not using that to recruit that is a recruiting tool. I think that’s a way to look at it that people need to be aware of as they consider their vote,” Sulphur Springs City Councilwoman Erica Armstrong said following the vote on the matter.
