Tips To Better Protect Yourself And Your Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
As temperatures begin to dip overnight, it won’t be long until people begin lighting heaters to ward off the overnight autumnal lows. Before you do, be sure your home is protected against carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide or CO is an odorless gas that is sometimes called the invisible killer? It comes from burning fuel in vehicles, small engines, stoves, and other appliances that use gas.
Carbon monoxide can be harmful. When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it replaces oxygen in your blood. This can make you short of breath, cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, or even death. The most common causes of carbon monoxide build up are incorrectly installed or poorly maintained or ventilated appliances such as stoves and hot water heaters.
Now that you know what causes carbon monoxide build up, here are some tips on how to protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning and what should be done when there is an emergency involving carbon monoxide.
- Do not cover the bottom of natural gas or propane ovens with aluminum foil. Doing so can block air flow and cause carbon monoxide build-up.
- Never use a charcoal grill, oil lantern, or portable camping stove inside.
- Never use a portable generator or any gas-powered engine in your home or garage, even if doors and windows are open. These appliances should be used outside and at least 20 feet away from your home and other structures.
- Install a carbon monoxide alarm outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home. Make sure the alarms aren’t blocked by furniture or curtains.
- Test alarms every month. Replace your alarms every 10 years or when their end-of-life signals sound. Replace alarm batteries at least once a year.
- When the alarm sounds, do not ignore it. Make sure everyone goes quickly outdoors. Call 9-1-1 and stay outdoors until emergency responders say it’s safe to go back inside.
These are only a few tips to help you avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. For more information and any other resources on how to protect your home from emergencies, visit the Texas Department of Insurance website at tdi.texas.gov or and The Center of Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
Wildcats Cross Country Places Fifth at Hallsville Invitational
The Wildcats cross country team had a good day last Saturday.
The Lady Cats got things going at 8 A.M. in Hallsville, followed by the Wildcats around 8:30 A.M.
While the women’s team did not perform as well as the men did, two Lady Cats runners managed to medal at the competition.
That means of about 100 runners participating in the women’s 5A and 6A 5K race, two Lady Cat runners from Sulphur Springs placed in the top-15.
Haylee Schultz lead the way for the women’s team, placing 13th overall.
Coach Hicks said that Schultz’s time was a little bit longer than last week’s in the Kaufman Run with the Lions, but the cross country coach noted that Hallsville’s course is more challenging than the one they ran in Kaufman.
Finishing 15 seconds behind Schultz was freshman Jaicee Jasmer, a runner that Coach Hicks continually praises for her work ethic and ability to push her teammates to be better.
Jasmin Yanez came in after Jasmer, with the Wildcats cross country coach saying that the freshman ran really well.
The men’s team got themselves a top-5 finish thanks in large part to the seniors who anchor this squad.
The Wildcats were lead by senior Jose Mejia, who was able to narrowly miss out on the top-5 himself, coming in sixth place. Coach Ross Hicks said Mejia’s efforts in Hallsville was his best race of the 2021 fall season.
Hicks said that Mejia started out in a top-15 spot, but was able to claw his way back up to finish outside of the top-5.
Another senior followed Mejia in Evan Patrick, whose time was right around 18 minutes, Coach Hicks said. Like Mejia he made up lost ground thanks in large part due to his diligence, work ethic, and dedication to the craft.
Coming in third for the men’s team was freshman Cristobal Torres, a young gun the cross country coach says continues to get better as the season wares on.
Coach Ross Hicks and his team were missing a number of runners, with some missing due to illness and some as healthy scratches.
They will need to be back up to full strength on Friday if they hope to get a top-5 finish in Friday’s meet.
Next up, the Wildcats cross country team will be in Longview on Friday when they take part in the Pine Tree Mike Darby Invitational.
The start times for the meet, starting with the larger 5A and 6A schools which will be lead by the women’s teams, has the same start times as last week’s Hallsville Invitational; the 5A and 6A women will start at 8 A.M., with the men will begin around 8:30 A.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.
Tira News – Sept. 15, 2021: Tira Food Pantry Receives Boost From Community, Elementary Students
Dodd, Lewis Unopposed In Bids For Reelection To Tira City Council
By Jan Vaughn
The Tira City Council met on Sunday afternoon, September 12, 2021, at the Tira Community Center and conducted routine business. A few residents from the Dike community were also in attendance to observe. Joyce Dodd reported that the Tira Food Pantry had received some generous donations. I received an anonymous donation this week, as well. Sherry Smiddy Clair informed us on Monday that the North Hopkins Elementary School is collecting non-perishable items for the pantry. We appreciate everyone who contributes to the cause!
Tami Joslin reported that there have been a few instances of items being left on the ground outside near the pantry. The council would like to remind everyone to contact Tami, 903-268-2496, or Joyce Dodd, 903-348-8754, to arrange to deliver your donations, so that food is not left out in the weather. Just a reminder that ours is a small pantry, so there is no room for large food items. Also, we don’t have a clothing pantry, so those donations will need to be given to another organization.
Janie Lewis wasn’t in attendance, but she sent a report on the Community Center rentals. If you are interested in putting your event on the calendar, please contact Janie at 903-945-2395.
I, Jan Vaughn, Tira City Secretary, reported that Tira Mayor Allen Joslin and council members Joyce Dodd and Janie Lewis are unopposed for another two-year term. We appreciate their commitment to the community.
Robert and Yvonne Weir had visitors from Montana and Granbury Tuesday night, Ray Hall and Dave and Eileen Misener. Yvonne reports, “We had a good visit and played Mexican train. They left Wednesday morning headed for Tennessee.”
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
Commissioners Court Approves Reinvestment Zone And 381 Agreements For 3 Solar Projects
Hopkins County Commissioners Court this week, after hearing from at least five Dike property owners regarding issues related to a solar facility to be constructed in that community, tackled four other items on the agenda pertaining to three additional solar farms, including a reinvestment zone, an amendment to one Chapter 381 agreement, and requests for tax incentives for solar facilities proposed for Saltillo and Pine Forest communities.
These proposed solar projects are to be constructed on mostly agricultural exempt land. When they are put into production, that will increase revenue across the county for all taxing entities within the boundaries of which the project is located. A clause in the agreements stipulate they the property while in use for the solar project cannot be granted an agricultural exemption; taxes instead will be figure at fair market, County Judge Robert Newsom, Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley and Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Director Roger Feagley noted during the Sept. 13 Commissioners Court session.
Saltillo Solar Project
The Commissioners Court conducted first a public hearing to allow any who wished to speak or ask questions an opportunity to do so regarding a request to create a reinvestment zone and a Chapter 381 Economic Development Program agreement Stampede Solar LLC, a project planned for construction in the Saltillo area.
Feagley described a reinvestment zone as “a really benign little thing.”
“It’s nothing more than a geographical area, and it doesn’t affect anyone’s property values or property taxes or anything like that. We’re just drawing a line, a circle out there that says at some point in the future you can do some sort of tax incentive and that’s all it is. It doesn’t affect anybody around it. Matter of fact, you could make the whole county a reinvestment zone and it wouldn’t change anybody’s anything,” Feagley told the Commissioners Court during their regular meeting Monday, Sept. 13, 2021.
The reinvestment zone, Feagley noted, includes the property of the people who have leased the land, Stampede Solar, and only their property.
“That means if you didn’t lease your property to it, you’re not in the reinvestment zone,” Feagley said. “It lasts for 5 years and then it goes away, unless there’s tax incentive. Then, it will last until the end of the tax incentive.”
A reinvestment zone is needed for the hospital district to be able to consider a request from the developer for a tax incentive. The hospital district does not have the power to create a reinvestment zone, but the Commissioners Court does. Thus, the county officials were asked to consider approving a reinvestment zone for Stampede Solar so that Hopkins County Hospital District can, in the future, consider a request for a tax abatement for Stampede Solar LLC, Feagley explained.
After the public hearing for the reinvestment zone was closed, Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley made a motion that was seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Mickey Barker approving a resolution for the reinvestment zone for Stampeded Solar, LLC. The motion received unanimous approval of the Commissioners Court.
The Commissioners Court then considered Stampede Solar’s the request for a Chapter 381 Economic Development Program agreement, which is projected to include a capital investment of no less than $274.8 million. Stampede Solar has attained rights to use more than 2,800 acres across nine properties owned by four different families in the Saltillo area. The project will be located near County Line Road and FM 900 in the Saltillo area. Per the agreement, the project may include but is not limited to include:
Solar Modules and Panels
• Inverter Boxes
• Meteorological Equipment
• Operation and Maintenance Building
• Electrical Substations
• Associated Towers
• Storage Systems
• Racking and Mounting Structures
• Combiner Boxes
• Foundations
• Roadways, Paving and Fencing
• Generation Transmission Tie Line
• Interconnection Facilities and
• Power Conditioning Equipment.
Per the agreement, developer Enel Green Power North America Inc. agrees to pay all of the taxes owed from the previous year beginning in tax year 2022. The county would then, if the developer meets all conditions of the agreement, reimburse 100 percent of the county ad valorem taxes for tax years 2023-2032.
However, Stampede has agreed for tax years 2023-2032 to make a pilot payment annually. Annual amounts for the Pilot program are figured based on a couple of factors, including nameplate capacity, which is the total generating capacity of the improvements on the property in megawatts AC. The first payment is projected to be $429,000 in 2023, and would then be $286,000 each year after through 2032. Pilot payments are due on the Jan. 31, annually, following a year for which the reimbursed ad valorem tax applies. Payment for tax year 2023 is due on Jan. 31, 2024.
The project will provide 5 new full-time equivalent employment positions working on the property. The developer for Stampede Solar project is Enel Green Power North America Inc., with Zach Precopia as project manager.
The developer also, according to the 381 agreement, can terminate the agreement on or before Dec. 31, 2021, for any reason by notifying the county in writing. If the developer defaults, the county can cancel the agreement and recover any economic benefit provided to the developer through the cancelation date.
The developer has already submitted to Saltillo ISD a request for a tax incentive, which was vetted by Texas Comptroller’s Office as meeting requirements for the agreement. The Commissioners Court voted to approved the agreement for Stampede Solar
Pine Forest Solar I
Hopkins County Commissioners Court also agreed to amend the Chapter 381 Economic Development Program agreement with Pine Forest Solar I, LLC. during the Sept. 13, court session.
The agreement, according to Feagley, is essentially the same ast he one previously approved by the Commissioners Court, except the dates are backed up two years.
The Pine Forest Solar I, LLC, project is estimated to be at least a $252 million project which spans across an estimated 1,883 acres of land, across approximately 40 tracts of land owned at least seven different owner families or groups. The project is required to create two full-time equivalent employment positions working on the property for the term of the agreement. Construction of the project is to be completed, per the 381 agreement, by Dec. 31, 2024.
The facility is anticipated to have a total capacity of up to 284.6 MW AC of solar and will feature up to
approximately 995,148 photovoltaic panels, and up to approximately 76 central inverters. It will include but is not limited to include as components:
- Inverter Boxes
- Meteorological Equipment
- Operation and Maintenance Building
- Electrical Substations
- Associated Towers
- Storage Devices
- Racking and Mounting Structures
- Combiner Boxes
- Foundations
- Roadways, Paving and Fencing
- Generation Transmission Tie Line
- Interconnection Facilities
- Power Conditioning Equipment
- Solar Modules and Panels
Developer Telios, headed by Shannon McCall, agreed to pay all county ad valorem taxes for the property by Jan. 31 of each tax year, beginning in tax year 2024 through 2033. If all terms of the agreement are met, the county will then reimburse those 100 percent of those payments for 10 years.
Beginning in tax year 2024, and each year after through tax year 2033, the developer agrees to provide a compliance verification certifying the job requirement is fulfilled, including IRS 941 returns or Texas Workforce Commission Employer Quarterly Reports, the taxable appraised value of the property and personalty on the property for that tax year.
The developer also agrees to annually pay a pilot payment, based on a formula involving nameplate capacity and megawatt AC and paid to the county by Jan. 31 of each calendar year for the 10 years of the agreement. The first payment is anticipated to be $514,320.58, higher because it includes additional funding for road repairs and maintenance due to the use of the county roads to haul in the solar panels and other construction materials. Payments each year after, starting in 2025 and continuing through 2033 are projected to be $342,880.39, according to the amended agreement approved by the court on Sept. 13, 2021.
Pine Forest Hybrid I, LLC
The Commissioners Court too approved a Chapter 381 ED Program agreement for Pine Forest Hybrid I, LLC. Essentially, Feagley explained, this agreement mirrored the Pine Forest Solar I, LLC, agreement. The developer decided to add at least $150 million worth of batteries to the $252 million Pine Forest solar farm project.
The energy storage facility would employ two new full-time equivalent employment positions working on the property. The project is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2023, at which time the two employees would begin work.
The facility is anticipated to have a total capacity of up to 285.0 MW AC of Storage. and will include but is not limited to having as components:
Battery storage of energy
• Inverter Boxes
• Electrical Substations
• Associated Towers
• Combiner Boxes
• Foundations
• Roadways, Paving and Fencing
• Generation Transmission Tie Line
• Interconnection Facilities and
• Power Conditioning Equipment.
As is the case for the other 381 agreements approved Monday for solar projects, all county ad valorem taxes must be paid in full by Jan. 31 of each year starting in 2023 and continuing through 2032. Once required documentation is provided annually showing the solar business has met all terms of the agreement, the county ad valorem payment would be reimbursed for 10 years, starting with tax year 2023 and ending with tax year 2032.
A pilot payment also will be made for the solar storage project annually during the 10-years of the 381 agreement, based on a formula that factors in overall nameplate capacity and 285-megawatt AC. The first payment for the Telios solar storage project is expected to be $306,141.30, the annual payment in each of the nine following years is projected to be $204,094.20, according to the agreement.
Get Ready for the Saltillo Community Homecoming Sunday October 10,2021
The Saltillo Community Home Coming will be held in the Saltillo High school cafeteria. Those who are attending are asked to bring a covered dish. Tea and water will be provided.
- The Homecoming event will begin with coffee and visiting at 10:30 a.m.
- Lunch will start at 12:20 p.m.
- Following lunch, there will be a short program and the discussing of business, starting at 1:15 p.m.
- After the program everyone is free to visit with each other until they are ready to go home.
If there are any questions, contact Lydia Hatch at [email protected].
Sulphur Springs Man Accused Of Aggravated Sexual Assault
A 44-year-old Sulphur Springs man accused of aggravated sexual assault was arrested Tuesday evening on a warrant, according to police and arrest reports.
He is accused of the aggravated assault of a child who was younger than 14 years of age. The victim made an outcry. Sulphur Springs Police were alerted. The alleged victim was interviewed at Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center, a probable cause affidavit was composed and a warrant issued for Cesar Emilio Andino’s arrest.
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Robble Acosta contacted the man at his Sulphur Springs residence, confirmed Andino’s identity and took him into custody at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14, 2021, on the warrant. Investigation in the case is ongoing, according to SSPD Lt. Rusty Stillwagoner.
The 44-year-old was booked into the county jail at 7:18 p.m. Sept. 14 and remained there Wednesday morning, Sept. 15, 2021, on the aggravated sexual assault charge. Bond was set at $250,000 on the first-degree felony warrant.
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.
Chamber Connection – September 15, 2021: It’s Not Too Late For Stew Cooks To Register For Contest
By Butch Burney
It’s not too late for stew cooks to get their registration forms in for the 52nd Annual World Championship Hopkins County Stew Contest, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 23, at Buford Park.
Come by the Chamber office or send us an email and we will get the registration form to you. We are expecting a big turnout for this year’s event, so be sure and get your spot.
We will have the north and south sides of the park open for cooking, along with a vendor market. We are expecting a fully open stew.
Additionally, the Camber is still 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. Vendors who are interested in purchasing booth space, call the Chamber of Commerce at 903-885-6515 email us at [email protected]
Christmas Ornaments
Our annual Christmas ornaments are for sale for $40 at the Chamber office. They feature the City Hall at Christmastime, and are the fourth in our series of ornaments featuring county scenes.
Ribeye Roundup
The Ribeye Roundup, kids zone and evening concert are coming to Celebration Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 2. You can purchase tickets at Texas Heritage National Bank.
You can also buy t-shirts to promote the event for $12 at the Chamber office, 110 Main St. Come by and pick up your shirt today.
Arts and Crafts Show
The 2021 Hopkins County Fall Festival Arts & Crafts Show will take place in the Sulphur Springs High School cafeteria and north entry way on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23. This event is open to anyone with hand-made, hand-crafted items to sell. Unique items, including handmade soaps and lotions, greeting cards, Christmas and seasonal decorations, jewelry, wood carvings, and much more will be available for purchase. Contact Johanna Hicks at 903-885-3443 for more information.
Strong Town Seminar
Neal Barker, owner of Town and Country Cleaners has invited Charles Marohn, professional engineer and founder of the Strong Towns movement, to discuss with interested individuals how to improve the trajectory of our town and help us to become more resilient. He focuses on bottom-up strategies for making investments that will actually build wealth, all while improving quality of life for residents of our community.
The discussion is set for 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at The Venue at 219. Registration is free at the website: sulphurspringsstrong.eventbrite.com
Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a professional engineer and a land use planner with decades of experience. He is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.
90+ Celebration
The Senior Citizen Center will hold smaller birthday celebrations at each of the six local nursing homes and assisted living centers to take the place of the annual 90+ banquet.
Karon Weatherman, director of the center, will serve cake and ice cream to all the residents of the facilities as well as present the 90+ seniors their Certificates of Award.
The schedule for the celebrations are:
- Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. – Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab
- Thursday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. – Rock Creek Health and Rehab
- Friday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 p.m. – Carriage House Manor and the Cottages
- Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m. – Sunny Springs Nursing and Rehab
- Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. – Hopkins Place Assisted Living
- Thursday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. – Wesley House Assisted Living/Wesley Oaks Memory Care.
Business Highlight
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting a member of the Chamber each week. Please join me in congratulating our Business of the Week for Sept. 15, Sulphur Springs Floral. You can read biographical stories at the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and Instagram page.
Sulphur Springs Floral hosted a ribbon cutting on Monday, Sept. 13, at their new location at 309 East Industrial, Suite 30.
Ribbon Cutting
Paradise Products, a woodworking company, held a ribbon cutting at the Chamber office to introduce themselves to the community.
Hopkins County Food Agencies Need Help Loading Food onto Trucks…Can You Volunteer?
If you could spare about 1 to 2 hours on Mondays, our community could really use your help. Each Monday between 9:00 and 9:30am, the North Texas Food Bank Truck arrives at the Sulphur Springs Church of the Nazarene parking lot. Six food-distribution agencies who serve Hopkins County residents in various communities meet there to receive a shipment of food. Each agency brings it’s own truck and trailer to pick up their food.
Right now, these local agencies need help getting their food loaded onto their trailers and trucks. That is why volunteers are being sought to make the process a bit easier. The drivers are volunteers themselves, and many are senior citizens who help weekly with a food distribution process in their community. The extra helping hands are needed on Monday mornings only, and for 1-2 hours starting around 9am. Once loaded, the local food agencies can transport their food allotments back to their facilities, where it will be stored for their weekly distribution day for needy persons to receive.
According to Karon Weatherman of Meal-a Day, “the agencies are Cumby Food Bank, Fruitful Harvest Food Bank, Calvary Baptist Food Bank, Pine Forest Food Bank, Jehovah Jireh Food Pantry and Meal A Day. ‘Many hands make light work’ is an old adage that’s still true today. These agencies could really use your hands on Monday mornings starting about 9am at Sulphur Springs Church of the Nazarene parking lot, 1300 League Street”.
Paula Perkins: Skirts & Skirmishes, War & Widows: Finding Service Records, Pensions, & More
Paula is a proud 6th generation Texan, involved in family history research over thirty years. Her interest in family history began as a young girl when her parents took her to visit elderly “cousins” along with her maternal grandmother sharing stories and letters of family history. She is a genealogical consultant, lecturer, and genetic genealogist. Currently serving as the TxSGS District I Representative, Collin County Genealogical Society eNewsletter Editor and is a Past President for both Collin County Genealogical Society and the Navarro County Genealogical Society. She is a FamilyTreeDNA volunteer administrator of the following projects: Orphan Train & CCGS, and the Perkins, Cook, Fitch, Glaze DNA Surname projects.
Paula has served in many capacities for genealogical societies and libraries. Paula authored several articles in genealogical and historical journals, appeared on radio and television. Paula has spoken at TxSGS annual conferences, presented educational genealogical topics state wide and in multiple southern states.
Served on the Texas Heritage Online users group with the University of North Texas and the Texas State Library. Previously served as Executive VP Lectures/Fundraising Dallas Genealogical Society, Peters Colony Historical Society President, Executive VP Clayton Library Friends. Paula was appointed multiple terms to serve on a County Historical Commission’s Cemetery and Historical Marker committees. Paula is a TXGenWeb Project County website creator and Coordinator. She has successfully accomplished research in Northern, Southern and National U. S. repositories. Former Adjunct Instructor Genealogy Houston Community College, Past Coordinator & Presenter for Dallas, Texas local PBS station community outreach program in conjunction with PBS series “Ancestors.”
Excerpt
Nearly all your ancestors were eligible for military service. Finding records, pensions, citizen files, enlistment, and draft registrations can easily be located in the digital age. Veterans, widows and heirs made claims creating a wealth of information for genealogists. Migration patterns, children, births, death and marriage records can be proved. Exciting facts and discoveries are just waiting to be discovered in these records!
Read more in the PDF below!
Dike Property Owners Voice Opinions Regarding Planned Solar Facility, Property Rights, Incorporation
Nearly half of Monday morning’s Hopkins County Commissioners Court meeting revolved around planned solar projects in Hopkins County, especially the one greenlit for the Dike community. Dike property voice their opinions Monday morning regarding a planned solar farm in Dike, property rights and incorporation during public comments portion of the meeting.
Dike property owner Michele Barnes has frequently over the last few months voiced her opposition to Hopkins Energy LLC being constructed in Dike as well as her disapproval of the Commissioners Court’s approval of an agreement granting a tax incentive to the company behind it, especially the Precinct 3 Commissioner’s approval. On Sept. 13, Barnes addressed Precinct 3 Commissioner Wade Bartley directly regarding his comments Aug. 23 to her at the last court meeting she attended.
Bartley asked Barnes if she also shares the information she presents to the Commissioners Court with the two school districts and hospital district which “did exactly the same thing we did in allowing abatements for that solar company.” He queried why she keeps picking on the Commissioners Court.
“You asked why I didn’t complain to the school or hospital district. According to the property tax mailers I received 2 weeks ago, the school provides services for the children on what affects the school, not my property. The hospital special districts provide services for emergency services, not my property. Commissioners Court makes decisions that affect property in Hopkins County, and more specifically, you make decisions that affect Precinct 3 residents that voted you into office to represent them,” Barnes told Bartley. “I am not complaining to you. I am providing data that myself and other Dike residents have researched and would like to make comments to address our concerns to this Commissioners Court.”
Barnes then addressed the Dike men who during the special July 26 Commissioners Court session spoke in opposition to Dike becoming an incorporated area. She said despite what they stated, those in favor of Dike becoming an incorporated area do not want nor anticipate any taxes being imposed on community residents. She pointed to nearby Tira, an incorporated area that does not
“They are incorporated and have no property taxes, and that is what Dike would like to do also,” Barnes said. “We do not want city property taxes to be imposed when we incorporate Dike.”
“As far as owners’ property rights, if you want solar on your property, put a solar farm on it. But when someone builds an industrial solar power plant complex, you have infringed your property rights upon those around you. This is not just some simple solar panels being placed in the ground to gather energy. It is a complex that will have substations and 80 inverters that make noise,” Barnes said
Bill Pentak with Open Doors Public Relations, who is providing community outreach for Engie, the French company behind Hopkins Energy LLC, later in the meeting said despite what some have been the solar facility will not sound like a four-lane highway – like Interstate 30 – going through Dike, nor do the panel make grinding noises as they rotate.
“The truth of the matter is it’s none of these things. I don’t expect anyone to take my word for it or Engie’s word for it. Go see for yourself,” Pentak said, encouraging any who’ve heard that to park and walk up to the gate of a completed facility to see and hear for themselves the noise level and what a project of this nature will look like.
“You’ll hear the cars that will go down the road but you will not hear these solar panels. They have no moving parts in them. The only thing you will hear is occasionally – about every 15 minutes- you will hear a faint click as the solar panels turn to follow the sun,” Pentak said. “Something has been said about the inverters. You will not hear the inverters. Again solar panels have no moving parts in them. They are silent. Go and see for yourself, that’s what I encourage everyone to do today – go see for yourself.”
Dike property owners Jonas and Melanie Helm, on whose property a portion of the Hopkins Energy LLC solar project is to be located, said they’d recently visited the solar facility in Cunningham and a completed unit in Detroit area and couldn’t hear the solar panels.
“Solar is quiet,” Jonas Helm said. “You get out and you don’t hear things.”
Melanie Helm said they heard “literally no noise” from the completed portion of the project during their visit.
Barnes said she believes the foreign company constructing the solar project in Dike is showing they are trying to take over Dike, by not keeping it in one area. Crossing County Road 3518 shows their expansion into another area.
“If you want to see the devastation that will happen to Dike and other communities in Precinct 1 and 3, just go drive 30 minutes to Cunningham. There, you will see what happens to a town that does not fight against industrial solar power plant complexes,” Barnes told the Commissioners Court and packed courtroom at the regular Sept. 13 Commissioners Court meeting.
Barnes said she and others are fighting against Engie’s efforts to build the solar power plant in Dike because they want to save the rural heritage and keep the community from becoming either extinct or an industrial complex
“I just wanted to say for the record, that Engie is not trying to do anything to hurt the Dike community. We want to reach out to the Dike community. We want to work with the Dike community,” Pentak said. “Engie has set aside $900,000 for charitable philanthropic relations over the lifetime of this project. We want to work with the community. We don’t want to do one thing to hurt it.”
Four other Dike property owners and residents expressed differing opinions to those voiced by Barnes, and a public relations representative for the Dike solar project also spoke during public comments portion of the Sept. 13 Commissioners Court meeting.
Wayne Ray acknowledged he was one of the Dike residents who addressed the court at the Commissioners Court meeting referenced by Barnes, and Monday again voiced his opinions on the topic.
“I don’t want no more government. I don’t want no more taxes. “This year, I’m going to pay taxes on my little lot in Dike, Texas. I will pay more taxes than I paid for the property this year. I do have concerns. I see no reason for Dike to be a city,” Ray said. “We don’t have any services. We don’t have any sewage or water or anything to provide services. I see no reason for a city in Dike.”
He said based on a little research he’s done, it’s his understanding that those seeking incorporation will have to have conducted a survey of the area. As far as he’s concerned, the post office is as close as Dike should be to a city. Based on the information he’s read, only a 2-mile area would be included if some other Dike residents are successful in making Dike an incorporated area. That, he said wouldn’t even come close to being a large enough area to get satellite service extended to Dike.
“I’m not about whether to have solar or not solar, I’m about property rights. And the people that own this property, I’m happy for them that they’re going to get some income out of this property,” Ray said.
“I’m sure not an expert, but the windmills and solar deal have always excited me. It’s a new way. I remember a kid in school and them telling us that someday we’re going to get energy from the sunlight and we’re going to actually get to talk to someone and see them on the phone, and I thought they were nuts. Here were are. We’ve got to have electricity,” Ray said.
“I got to see the coal mine start and I got to see it close. There were lots of people here and all over Northeast Texas that made a good living from the coal mine. Solar power is not going to bring that kind of income to everybody, but the people that own the property, I’m happy for them,” Ray added. “It’s a good income. No cow is ever going to make that kind of money for them.”
Ray said he’s thankful in retirement to be able to travel. One thing he now does is stop and take pictures of solar facilities. One recent photo shows solar, wind power and farming in the same spot.
“I just can’t see what the problem is. I sure can’t see invoking what their desires are on all of us. I just don’t see a reason for a city in Dike,” Ray concluded.
Dike property owner Tim Fuller thanked the Commissioners Court for their “forward thinking in allowing the solar powers to come in.”
“Personally, I think it’s the way to go. We already know fossil fuels are not the way to go in terms of our environment,” Fuller said. “It all goes back to, this is my piece of property. I’d like for this to happen. Thank you.”
Dike property owners Melanie Helm said the decision she and Jonas made to lease their property for solar energy production was not a decision they made hastily nor did they take the potential impact lightly.
“This is something that we prayed about, something that we looked at,” Melanie Helm said. “We’ve done a lot of business decisions over the years. It’s not something we enter into lightly or take for granted. We thought about it. We looked at the pros and cons. It was something that we thought would be a good investment on our property as opposed to the cattle, that would be a lasting investment for our family, something that we could pass on to our family rather than later on after we’re gone having to divide the property up, having to have it sold off in different sections. This is something that we can pass on to our children and their grandchildren, be an investment and an income for them.”
Jonas Helm too emphasized the thought and work put in before he and Melanie reached the decision to allow part of a solar farm to be located on their property.
“We didn’t look at this and just sign a piece of paper and say this is what we want to do. We had a lot of thoughts, we had a lot of prayers about ‘Is this what we want to do?’ for not only for our future, for our kids and our grandkids. Never, once was it done in a malicious act of ‘Oh, I’m going to put this in Dike to destroy the community,” Jonas Helm said.
Only after months of going over the contract with lawyers did Jonas Helm sign an agreement allowing the solar project on the property.
“The contract reads exactly like I want that contract to read. I am part of that community. We bought that property in ’95. I’ve been in that community a lot longer than that, but I have owned that property since ’95,” Jonas Helm told the community members present at the Sept. 13 Commissioners Court meting.
Mrs. Helm noted she lived in Dike for 17 year and grew up in the community attending Sulphur Bluff schools. Solar panels are designated to be installed on the old homeplace she still considers home. Thus, she reasoned, if anyone is affected by it, her family would be. She said those properties the developer was focusing on to become part of a solar project received letters in 2019 notifying them of the company’s goal and intent.
“If you did not receive a letter, then it didn’t pertain to you. You would not be affected by it, and so, therefore, you didn’t know about it.” she said.
Melanie Helm too called the issue a private property issue, of her doing what she chooses to do on her private property, just as others can do with their property as they will.
“I may not like what you put on your property. I may not like what color your house is. I may not like what you do on your property, but it is private property,” Melanie Helm said. “Private property landowners have rights that you can’t take away.”
She said if she put a trailer home park or RV park on her land the community likely wouldn’t fight either of those, but estimated either would be more damaging than solar panels.
“I think if we start taking rights away from private land owners that you take just a little bit of our freedom away – just a little bit, bit by bit,” Mrs. Helm said.
Her husband said he’s heard a lot of reasons given in opposition to solar, including potential flooding, heat and noise. The truth, for Jonas Helm, is that other community members don’t want the solar farm in Dike, which he sees as a private property issue.
“I’ve heard about everything you can possibly come up with, but the truth of the matter is they don’t want it at Dike. And, the problem with that truth is that it’s a private property issue. You don’t want me telling you what you do on your property, but you’re not going to tell me what I want to do to my property,” Jonas Helm said.
The Helms noted the revenue the taxing entities receive from the solar projects will continue to benefit the community for generations after the project is complete, in improvements to Sulphur Springs and Sulphur Bluff ISDs, where public school children in Dike attend classes, as well as infrastructure.
According to Pentak. Sulphur Buff ISD and Sulphur Springs ISD will receive approximately $571,000 a year in combined revenue over the life of this project, a significant sum that could help employee and hire teachers, and help do things for hte schools that they need.
“How can you say you are going to save Dike when you’re trying to take this tax revenue away from the schools, that will help these schools for the next several generations?” Jonas Helm pointedly asked when speaking later during the meeting.
Mrs. Helm thanked the Commissioners Court for being forward thinking and “seeing that this is something that would greatly benefit the county.” Mr. Helm thanked them for “the job you’ve done, for making the decision you did..”
“I think it’s a great decision. I have a lot of people who call me, giving me support on a weekly basis on this project. So I just again wanted to come up here and thank y’all for what you’ve done, and anything I can do to help, just let me know,” Jonas Helm told the elected officials.
