Hopkins County Set To Approve BT Solterra Solar Chapter 381 Agreement On Monday
Hopkins County Commissioners Court will meet Monday morning, January 10, 2022 to discuss and approve the reinvestment zone for BT Solerra Solar, LLC, a $140 million solar project planned in the Saltillo area. Also on the agenda is the approval of a 381 agreement with the solar company which will stipulate the level of tax-refund to the solar company as well as any PILOT payments to the county.
KSST News attempted to get details of the 381 agreement ahead of the scheduled Monday meeting, but those details were unavailable. If the agreement between Hopkins County and BT Solterra, LLC. follows earlier similar agreements, it will include a 100% tax refund to the solar company each year, after the county receives an annual PILOT, or “Payment In Lieu Of Taxes”. The PILOT payments have generally been substantially lower than the estimated tax burden. BT Solterra’s tax burden is approximated at almost $500,000 for the first year of operation for Hopkins County taxes alone. The contract could also include an up front one-time payment to the county for anticipated road damage to county roads during the construction of the project. Details of the contract will not be known until after the contract is approved Monday morning by the Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court.
Reinvestment Zone
The reinvestment zone as proposed in the Commissioners Court agreement is a contiguous geographic area which includes five properties owned by Delbert “Chip” Tully spanning across just over 260 acres and 10 owned by Los Senderos Cattle and Ranch Company totally just over 1,170 acres. Overall, that’s a little more than 1,430 acres, all located west of FM 900, starting south of FM 3536 and continuing to property across FM 3532 and narrowing to property west of FM 3536, the proposed reinvestment zone map shows.
Austin Willis said Belltown Power Texas hopes to begin construction in the second half of 2022 and operations in the second half of 2023.
The resolution designates the area as a commercial-industrial or residential reinvestment zone for a 5 year span to begin in December 2021, renewable for an additional 5 years at a time or sooner with an order for those parts if any section, paragraph, clause or provision in the document is found to be invalid or unenforceable.
The company, as has been the case with the six other planned solar projects in Hopkins County (including Stampede Solar which is also planned in the Saltillo area), is seeking tax incentives from local taxing entities (Hopkins County, Saltillo ISD and Hopkins County Hospital District) to build solar powered facilities.
Chapter 313 Application
The Chapter 313 application accepted by Saltillo ISD on Oct. 26, 2021, by Superintendent David Stickels and submitted for review by Texas Comptroller’s Office asks the school district for a 10 year tax exemption for the 10 year project, with operations expected to begin during the 2028-2029 school year and conclude during the 2052-2053 school year.
by the District on October 29, 2021. The application was then forwarded Nov. 16, 2021, and is being reviewed by Texas Comptroller’s Office.
The application shows one qualified employee would be employed to oversee project operations at an annual salary of $47,221, which would require approval for a job waiver to meet Chapter 313.025 (F-1) of the Tax Code, which stipulates creation of 10 permanent jobs unless the jobs created exceeds the industry standard.
“The solar energy industry standard for committed jobs is one job per 350MW. In line with these industry standards for solar project’s job requirements, BT Solterra Solar, LLC, as a 143MW project, has committed to create one qualified job,” Brandon Westlake, senior tax consultant for Cummings Westlake property tax advisers, wrote in a letter to Stickels with the application.
The 143 MW facility will all be located within Saltillo ISD. Panel placement is subject to change but for purposes of this application, the Project anticipates using approximately 321,617 PV modules or equivalent and 49 inverters.
The “Qualified Investment and qualified property” for the requested 313 agreement with Saltillo ISD would include “solar modules/panels, tracking equipment, racking and mounting structures, O&M building, substation, inverters boxes, combiner boxes, meteorological equipment, foundations, roadways, paving, fencing, collection system, generation transmission lines, interconnection facilities, SCADA systems, transformers, fire suppression systems and all necessary ancillary equipment for commercial generation of electricity.”
The map in TAB 11 shows the potential locations of improvements within Saltillo ISD boundaries; however, the final number of panels and inverters and the location of each of these facilities is dependent upon ongoing negotiations with power purchasers and other factors. That application, however, said the project is “anticipated to begin in the Q1 2027 with completion by December 31, 2027.”
The 313 application also notes Belltown Power Texas anticipates producing final proof of a reinvestment zone or enterprise zone for the proposed solar powered electric generating facility known as BT Solterra Solar, LLC, by April 2022.
The company anticipates asking for a 100% tax incentive from the $0.8688 Saltillo ISD maintenance and operations tax, a 100% tax incentive from Hopkins County’s tax rate and a 100 percent tax incentive from Hopkins County Hospital District’s $0.22 per $100 valuation tax rate. BT Solterra Solar, LLC, being built in Hopkins County is contingent on the tax incentives, “due to the extremely competitive power market in Texas.”
“The property tax liabilities of a project without tax incentives in Texas lowers the return to investors and financiers to an unacceptable level at today’s contracted power rates under a PPA. A signed PPA in the Texas market is at a much lower rate than other states because of competitively low electricity prices. Both parties of the PPA have an escape clause if the terms of the PPA cannot be met. Without the tax incentives in Texas, a project with a PPA becomes non-financeable. Therefore, this appraised value limitation is critical to the ability of the proposed Project to move forward as currently sited,” the Chapter 313 application made to Saltillo ISD and the Comptroller’s Office states.
At Least 6 Jailed On Felony Charges This Week
January 7, 2022 – At least six people were jailed on felony charges this week, three on warrants, one on a controlled substance charge and two on a firearm charge, according to arrest and jail reports.
Russell Drive Arrest
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Victor Reyna and Sgt. Matt Glenn responded at 9:27 p.m. Jan. 5, 2022, to a report of a theft at a South Broadway Street gas station. Upon arrival, the cashier told officers the Jamar Jaray Rose was the passenger in a red GMC Yukon that fled the location.
Officers reported finding both the vehicle and the 18-year-old Paris man at a Russell Drive residence. A records check showed Rose to be wanted in Lamar County for bond surrender on an evading arrest or detention with a dangerous weapon and on a burglary of vehicle charge.
The teen was transported to Hopkins County jail, where he remained Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. Bond was set at $10,000 on the evading arrest charge and $4,000 on the burglary charge.
Arbala Road Firearm Arrests
Sulphur Springs Police officers Edward Jaime reported stopping on a Chevrolet Trailblazer on Arbala Road at 9:49 a.m. Jan. 4, 2022, for a traffic violation. Upon contact with the driver, the officer noted the driver to be extremely nervous and had him step out of the SUV. During a pat down, Jaime reported finding a glass pipe of the kind used to smoke marijuana as well as a glass pipe containing a crystal-like residue on 52-year-old Lyle Matthew Mahoney of Point.
Jaime then had the passengers of the SUV step out of it while conducted a probable cause search. Jaime reported finding a firearm. When asked if the firearm was his, Mahoney said he thought it belonged to one passenger’s cousin. When asked if the firearm was his, one passenger initially said it was is, then recounted the statement, claiming a cousin let him borrow it the day before. Records checks showed Mahoney and the passenger, identified in arrest reports as 64-year-old David Jerry Cason of Point, to be convicted felon, prohibited each from carrying a weapon. Consequently, both Cason and Mahoney were arrested at 10:37 a.m. and jailed on an unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon charge.
Both men were released from Hopkins County jail Jan. 5, 2022, on a $5,000 bond on the third-degree felony firearm charge.
FM 275 Stolen Vehicle Report
A report of a stolen vehicle on a FM 275 south property resulted in a Dallas woman’s arrest on three warrants.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Steve Shing and Richard Brantley responded at 2:39 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, to the initial report. Upon arrival, the deputies reported seeing a woman close the front window curtain; she refused to answer the door.
The property owner arrived a short time later and gave deputies access to the residence. They reported finding the female, identified as 28-year-old Marti Susan Perez of Dallas, hiding in the attic, covered in insulation. The stolen vehicle was recovered and towed to the owner’s residence. Perez was was found to be wanted by Tarrant County authorities on three charges.
Perez was jailed Jan. 4-7, 2021, in Hopkins County on the Tarrant County possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance; injury to a child, elderly or disabled person; and assault of a family or household member that impeded breathing or circulation charges.
Moore Street Arrest
HCSO Sgt. Tanner Steward contacted a Sulphur Springs woman at 7:26 p.m. Jan. 4, 2021, as she opened the driver’s side door of a car she pulled into a South Moore Street address without properly signaling prior to the turn. She asked to go inside the residence to get her driver’s license when asked for it. She reportedly grab her purse and clinch it while looking inside of it.
for Tracey Davis
She allegedly gave conflicting stories while talking to the officer. The officer had her step out and vehicle and obtained permission to search her purse. When he asked her about a white bottle he found in the purse, she snatched it away from him. She then reportedly told the officer to get a search warrant and withdrew consent for the search. The officer, in arrest reports, said he believed, based on his experience and training, that the bottle to contain something other than pills.
The woman then reportedly became highly agitated and began screaming. Steward called for another officer to respond to assist and requested a police canine to respond as well. The K-9 officer gave a positive alert on the vehicle. During a probable cause search, the bottle was found to contain a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 3.5 grams.
Consequently, 66-year-old Tracey Davis was taken into custody at 7:52 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, and booked into the county jail for possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance. She was released Jan. 5, 2021, on a $5,000 bond on the felony charge.
HCSO Deputy Zack Horne and SSPD Sgt. Josh Shufeldt were credited with assisting at the location.
Jail Transfer
HCSO Deputy Steve Huffman took Christopher Chance McGary into custody at 10:40 a.m. Jan. 3, 2022, at Holiday jail unit in Huntsville, and transported the 37-year-old Sulphur Springs man to Hopkins County jail.
McGary remained in Hopkins County jail Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, on the warrant for violation of probation, which he was on for a possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Texas Reskilling and Upskilling at Paris Junior College
As we begin 2022 at Paris Junior College, I believe that despite the pandemic there’s never been a better time to get training for a new career or to take the steps toward the career you dream of. Since the pandemic began, we find that jobs have changed, new skills are required, more people are working remotely, and the use of technology has advanced. In ten months, there was an acceleration in technological advances that would have taken ten years had there been no pandemic. For example, demand for online shopping has already met retail projections for 2030.
Because of the changes in jobs and demand for employees, the Texas Legislature created the Texas Reskilling and Upskilling Through Education (TRUE) Initiative. Texas made stimulus funds received from the federal government available to colleges as grants to initiate these reskilling and upskilling training programs. Paris Junior College received two grants to help reskill and upskill residents of our service area.
The College received funds for an Industry Readiness program. This program is a short-term non-credit training program that offers 80 hours of training over five weeks. Students can attend class Monday through Thursday evenings or on Saturdays and Sundays. They will receive OSHA certification, fall protection certification and a forklift certification along with training in electrical hazards, blueprint reading and logistics. Students are required to have a high school diploma or GED and the cost of the program will be covered by a scholarship from the TRUE funds. Once the program is complete, students will be prepared for entry level employment with local industries. The program will be offered in Paris, Greenville and Sulphur Springs.
PJC also partnered with Dallas College and Tarrant County College on a TRUE grant to develop an information technology talent pipeline along the I-30 Corridor from Sulphur Springs to Fort Worth. Students can choose between online Cloud Training, Full Stack (Java) training, or IT help desk. Once completed, students will have placement assistance for an IT position and the potential to work remotely.
In addition to the TRUE reskilling and upskilling opportunities, PJC continues to provide multiple options for workforce training through credit programs.
This spring, PJC will use federal stimulus dollars to help each student meet the costs of attending college. Students enrolled full-time in at least twelve hours will receive $1,000 to help with the costs of attending and those enrolled part-time will receive $500.
There has never been a better opportunity to reskill or upskill for a new job or career. For our communities to grow and thrive economically, it is critical that we have a trained workforce ready to meet the needs of current and future industry. Call PJC today to enroll in one of our TRUE grant programs or in a credit program.
Pamela Anglin
President,
Paris Junior College
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
FDA Shortens Interval For Booster Dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to 5 Months
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to shorten the time between the completion of a primary series of the vaccine and a booster dose to at least 5 months for individuals 18 years of age and older.
“The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and other variants that have emerged,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity. Today’s action also brings consistency in the timing for administration of a booster dose among the available mRNA vaccines. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated—it’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster.”
The most commonly reported side effects by individuals who received a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine after completion of a two-dose primary series were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills. The fact sheets for recipients and caregivers and for healthcare providers include information about the potential side effects, as well as the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis.
The amendment to the EUA was granted to ModernaTx Inc.
Additional Resources
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
City Applying For $3 Million Community Development Block Grant To Help Build New Senior Citizens Center
Hearing Slated Jan. 11 For Public Comments To Discuss Submission Of Grant Application
The City of Sulphur Springs plans to ask for a $3 million Community Development Block Grant to help build a new senior citizens center, which is expected to cost considerably more than originally budgeted due to continued increases in construction materials.
In December 2021, Sulphur Springs City Council approved KSBR to work with city officials to complete the grant application to help fund costs of constructing the new senior citizens activity center, at that point budgeted at about $3 million.
On Jan. 4, 2022, the City Council amended Resolution No. 1284 authorizing the submission of a Community Development Block Grant CARES Act grant application to Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the Community Resiliency Program and authorizing the city manager to represent the city in all matters related to the city’s potential participation in the grant program. City staff said as indicated in a prior meeting, they were recommending an update in the resolution to include the proposed amount the city anticipates applying for.
In December, city staff anticipated asking for $1.5 million in grant funding, to double the amount of funding available for the project, which would not only make up for increases in construction costs over the last year. The additional funding would allow the city to expand the new senior center to about 11,000-square feet to better serve and meet the needs of those utilizing the facility.
In January, Sulphur Springs Finance Director/Assistant City Manager Lesa Smith reported that the most recent estimates to construct the new senior center to be much higher even than predicted previously. In December, city officials estimated the entire project would cost about $3 million.
Sulphur Springs Community Development Director/Assistant City Manager Tory Niewiadomski noted that Don Roundtree, who has served as a manager for the Pacific Park project, has been helping prepare estimates for construction of the new senior citizens center, but without a crystal ball to see what material prices will be in April, it’s hard to achieve a very accurate estimate.
“Just for the structure itself, to get the building up and to get the building finished – all the permanent structures, the estimate came in around $3,600,000 for the 11,000-square foot building,” Smith noted.
A $4.2-$4.3 million estimate is the best and latest figures based on current inflation and pricing, the city staff members reported.
Thus, city officials anticipate applying for $3 million from TDHCA’s Community Resiliency program. The grant won’t apply to anything in the building that’s not permanent, such as furnishings. The city will use the 2020 bond funding and any other funds allocated for the project to apply toward the remaining costs.
Part of the grant process is to a hold public hearing to discuss the submission of a Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Community Resiliency Program Pre-Application to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. That meeting will be held next Tuesday.
Community members, agencies, groups and individuals are invited and encouraged to attend the public hearing to be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in the Council Chambers inside Sulphur Springs Municipal Building (city hall), 201 North Davis St. Those attending will be able to hear information about the grant application and planned project and to voice questions or comments they may have about the senior center project during the public hearing.
Those who will be unable to the Jan. 11 public hearing may submit written comments on the project until 6 p.m. Jan. 11 to Tory Niewiadomski at [email protected].
The CDBG-CV Entitlement Program is designed to provide rural communities with funds to prepare for, prevent, or respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The activities must be primarily for the benefit of low-income and moderate-income residents and align with one of the three national objectives for HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program.
The application will indicate the City of Sulphur Springs is seeking “funds to support Sulphur Spring’s Senior Citizens Center, specifically construction of a new facility to enhance numerous services for seniors including meal preparation, emergency housing and pandemic preparation and response. These areas have already been certified to meet the HUD definition for Area Benefit for low- and moderate- income (LMI) persons. Sulphur Springs is requesting funding from TDHCA in the amount of $3,000,000.”
The grant application must be submitted by 5 p.m. Jan. 19 in order to meet the deadline for consideration. Award notifications are expected to be made around March 10, 2022, with grant contracts to start five days later.
Friday Game Day Has Both Soccer Teams in Day Two of Tournaments
Both soccer squads are the only teams in action on this Friday, Jan. 7 game day.
Men and women’s soccer are locked in for day two of their respective tournaments.
Men’s soccer yesterday had their first regular-season contest in the Forney tournament, taking on Mesquite Poteet.
Sulphur Springs tied with Coach Alexi Upton’s alma mater in Poteet, 2-2. Edgar Salazar and Uriel Santacruz scored for the Wildcats, and were assisted by Jose Rodriguez and Angel Andino, respectively.
Coach Upton said it was fun playing his Poteet, his alma mater and enjoyed it.
Men’s soccer gave up two goals early but the Wildcats coach said his squad fought hard in the second to get back in it. The tie starts the men’s soccer regular season at 0-0-1.
Coach Upton and his Wildcats are back in Forney for two matches today, both at Jackson Middle School:
- First versus Ennis at 11:15 A.M.
- And the final match is later Friday afternoon at 3:30 P.M. against Crandall.
Men’s soccer also has a match Saturday, Jan. 8. Opponent and start time have yet to be determined.
Women’s soccer has their second match of three today in the Kilgore tournament today.
Coach Javier Aguayo’s squad takes on Spring Hill at 1:15 P.M.
Win or lose on Friday, Jan. 7, the Lady Cats are back in Kilgore on Saturday, Jan. 8 for their final tourney match in Kilgore.
Saturday has women’s soccer take on Pleasant Grove at 5:30 P.M.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
Major Crash Reported On I-30 East In Sulphur Springs
A major crash was reported on I-30 east in Sulphur Springs in the area of Bill Bradford Road and South Broadway Street early Friday morning, Jan. 7, 2022. No apparent life-threatening or incapacitating injuries were reported to have resulted from the four-vehicle collision.
The multi-car crash was reported to emergency dispatchers at 6:20 a.m. Friday on I-30 east in the area at the Bill Bradford Road overpass. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered four vehicles were involved – a car, two pickups and an 18-wheeler on the bridge. Traffic stalled on I-30 east until after 7 a.m. Jan. 7, backing up for about 2 miles, past the League Street exit.
That section of roadway had cleared by 7:15 a.m. and was being diverted onto East Shannon Road past the Bill Bradford Road overpass. One lane of I-30 east was reopened at 8:15 a.m. and the road fully reopened by 9:15 a.m. Friday.
According to initial police reports, the small car was traveling on I-30 east and struck the wall, then bounced back into the road. One pickup approaching attempted to avoid the car by going around, but ended up making contact as well. The second truck struck the car. An 18-wheeler coming over the bridge then struck the wreckage. The small car was destroyed, with only the driver’s side compartment remaining, and to sustained damage. The male driving the car, however, reportedly managed to get out the driver’s side window. He had no apparent incapacitating or life-threatening injuries, but was checked out at the hospital as a precaution. No other serious injuries were reported to have been sustained by the occupants of the other vehicles involved.
Bid For Concrete, Purchase Of Restroom Approved For Pacific Park
The Pacific Park renovation progressed this week with Sulphur Springs City Council’s approval of a bid for concrete and purchase of a ready-to connect public restroom through an online purchasing cooperative.
The city received only two very close bids from businesses interested in supplying concrete for the playground borders, walkways and splash pad and any concrete for the park except the concrete the sports pavilion will be built on in Pacific Park. Bell Concrete Inc. bid $120 per cubic yard and Martin Marietta – Sulphur Springs Ready Mix bid $121 per cubic yard.
Both bids are indicative of the impact of inflation on construction costs. A year ago, when the city awarded bids for a similar project the cost for concrete was $110 per cubic yard, $10-$11 less per cubic yard than current bids for the same materials, Sulphur Springs Director of Finance/Assistant City Manager Lesa Smith pointed out.
Bell Concrete was awarded the bid to provide concrete for Pacific Park grounds improvements. The City of Sulphur Springs will use a portion of the $750,000 in funding assistance awarded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, administered by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Recreation Grants Branch. City staff plan to move quickly, getting started with that portion of the park renovation started,
Sulphur Springs City Council also earlier this week approved the purchase of a restroom for Pacific Park from CTX Precast Concrete Products. The $87,820 purchase will be made using a Sourcewell purchasing cooperative contract, which in the long run was reported to be about $6,491 cheaper than buying the restroom directly from the vendor.
“When MHS designed Pacific Park, they designed it with this specific bathroom in mind. It’s a bathroom that comes fully complete. It’s delivered on a truck and set down, utilities are connected to it. It’s concrete. It’s sturdy. It’s good for what we need out at the park. It also has a graffiti coating on it so that if anybody marks on the bathroom, it’s easier to remove,” Smith noted.
Sulphur Springs voters in 2019 approved $3 million in bond funding, with half to be applied toward Pacific Park improvements, including a construction of a new HW Grays Building, and the other half going toward construction of a new senior citizens center. The bonds will be paid for annually using a portion of the Economic Development funding.
The City of Sulphur Springs also applied for and received a $25,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign to construct an Outdoor Fitness Court in Pacific Park
While the TPWD grant couldn’t be applied toward the Grays building, it can be used for improvements to the park grounds identified by the community during the planning process for an updated Parks and Recreation Open Space Master Plan for city recreational facilities.
The TPWD grant will help fund the new playground. The $245,000 project was designed by MHS Planning & Design and provided by Whirlix. Additional improvements planned at Pacific Park include the basketball pavilion and new restrooms. Walking paths and landscaping are expected to follow thereafter. Funding permitting, city officials hope to irrigate the park so that it will continue to be lush like Celebration Plaza.
Learning Skills at the Paris Junior College Sulphur Springs Center Welding Shop
LEARNING SKILL
Erik Heckles of Pine Forest and Dillon Beadle of Saltillo, both advanced students in the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center welding shop, work on a pipe welding project during their recent class at the campus.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
Thursday Game Day Has Both Soccer Teams, Team Tennis in Action
Thursday, Jan. 6 is a busy one for Sulphur Springs sports as three teams, both soccer squads and team tennis are in action.
Wildcats soccer is the first team up on Thursday, Jan. 6 in day one of the Forney tournament.
Coach Alexi Upton and his squad take on Mesquite Poteet at 1:45 P.M. at City Bank Stadium in Forney.
Sulphur Springs plays again in Forney on Friday, Jan. 7 at Jackson MS against Ennis and Crandall at 10:15 A.M. and 3:30 P.M.
Wildcats Team Tennis had an early start as well on this Thursday game day, taking on Sherman in the DFW metroplex at 2 P.M.
The tennis program, led by head coach Tony Martinez had a good fall season, qualifying for the playoffs before falling to Whitehouse in the Bi-District round.
Coach Martinez’s squad made leaps and bounds of improvement in the fall, winning several matches against opponents in years past they perhaps were swept by, including winning some matches in the Bi-District loss to Whitehouse.
Team tennis look to improve upon their solid fall season by starting out Spring 2022 with a win in Sherman.
Moving over to women’s soccer, the Lady Cats were originally slated to participate in the Longview tournament but that has since been changed to the Kilgore tourney.
Thursday, Jan. 6 has Coach Javier Aguayo’s team lacing up at 5:30 P.M. for their first contest of the tournament against Bullard.
Sulphur Springs has two more days of the Kilgore tournament on Friday and Saturday:
- Friday, Jan. 7 — Spring Hill @ 1:15 P.M.
- Saturday, Jan. 8 — Pleasant Grove @ 5:30 P.M.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
