Be Well, Live Well
By Johanna Hicks, B.S., M.Ed., FCH Extension Agent, Hopkins County, [email protected]
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension prides itself in providing quality, research-based, evidence-based programming. A relatively new program, targeted toward individuals ages 50 and over, covers topics that are relevant to that age group. Before I get to the details of the upcoming program, I want to share a little background information.
Nutrition professionals have identified several nutrients which are often not consumer in adequate amounts by adults over the age of 50. Some of these might surprise you:
- Protein – this is an important nutrient for optimal immune function, wound healing, fluid balance, and maintenance of muscle mass. Major sources are beef, poultry, milk, cheese, fish, eggs, pork, and ham. All of these sources contain saturated fat, so moderation and portion control are important. Select lean cuts of meat, low-fat/skim milk and eggs. Plant proteins include legumes, edamame, and soy milk-beverages.
- Omega-3 fats – These are obtained from fish, shellfish, soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed. It is recommended that you consume two servings of fish per week.
- Calcium/Vitamin D and physical activity help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become brittle and break. The majority of dietary sources of calcium are milk, cheese, and calcium-fortified orange juice. Major sources of vitamin D are milk and breakfast cereals.
- Vitamin B-12 – This is vital for nerve function including cognitive performance and healthy blood cells. Natural dietary sources include beef, milk, and fish. However, the absorption of Vitamin B-12 diminishes with age. Therefore, it is recommended that adults over the age of 50 get their vitamin B-12 from fortified foods such as breakfast cereals or a vitamin supplement.
- Folate or folic acid – This is needed for growth and repair of all body tissues include healthy blood cells, and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer. Look for folate in fortified grain products such as bread, rice, breakfast cereals, orange juice, dark green vegetables, and beans.
- Zinc – This is required for wound healing. Major sources of zinc are beef, some breakfast cereals, and whole grains.
- Potassium – may help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing kidney stones, and decrease bone loss. Major dietary sources are fruits and vegetables.
- Fiber – improves digestive health and promotes fullness without additional caloric intake. Major dietary sources are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
- Water – the ‘forgotten nutrient.’ Water helps with temperature maintenance and transportation of oxygen, nutrients, and medications to every cell of the body. It is recommended that adults consume liquids throughout the day regardless of thirst. With age, the ability to detect thirst diminishes. Therefore, older adults are more susceptible to dehydration which can cause bladder infections, kidney stones, and confusion.
“Be Well, Live Well” is a 5-topic, 4 session series designed for the 50+ crowd. The series was cancelled in 2020 due to the Corona Virus, but we are back on track to hold the face-to-face series in 2021! I would love for you be part of the action! Below are the details:
- When: Mondays and Thursdays, April 12, 15, 19, 22
- Topics: Be Independent, Eat Well; Be Able, Read the Label; Be Safe, Eat Safe; Be Creative, Plan Meals/Be Fit, Move More
- Time: 10 a.m.
- Where: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Hopkins County Office
- Address: 1200-B West Houston St., Sulphur Springs
- To sign up: call 903-885-3443
- Limited to first 10 participants
There is no charge for the series. Each participant will receive a copy of the power points, recipes from each session, and a “graduation” gift.
Closing Thought
If Davy Crockett and James Bowie can survive 13 straight days of fighting at the Alamo, surely we can cut out some of the garbage in our diets. Let’s be Texas proud! – Mike Lopez
Chamber Connection: Safe-T Anniversary Celebration, Pacheco Spine Ribbon Cutting Scheduled Later This Month
By Lezley Brown, President/CEO, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce
This weather is making us think about golf, and our annual tournament is getting close to full! If you are interested in playing, call the Chamber at (903) 885-6515 to reserve your spot. We will have morning and afternoon tee times available. The tourney is set for Friday, April 9. It’s going to be a great day!
SAFE-T Crisis Center to celebrate their 14th Anniversary
SAFE-T Crisis Center is celebrating their 14th Anniversary on Wednesday, March 24, in their new facility located at 1716 Posey Lane in Sulphur Springs. Mark your calendars!
Pacheco Spine & Sport has scheduled a ribbon cutting
Pacheco Spine & Sport has scheduled a ribbon cutting celebration on Tuesday, March 30, at noon. The celebration will be held at their chiropractic office located at 1067 Gilmer Street, Suite C, in Sulphur Springs. Please make plans to attend!
Ribbon Cutting
McCullough Paint, located at 3913-B Wesley Street in Greenville, Texas, hosted their ribbon cutting celebration on Wednesday, March 10 at noon. McCullough Paint offers Benjamin Moore painting solutions for your home and office, so give them a call for your next project.
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 March 17, Janeen’s Country Cottage. You can read biographical stories at the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and Instagram page.
Wildcats Baseball Team Gets District Win at Mount Pleasant Exploding for 15 Runs
The Wildcats Baseball Team scored runs in six out of seven innings in a 15-6 district win at Mount Pleasant Tuesday (March 16) night.
The Wildcats scored 3 runs in 4 different innings while adding 2 in the fourth inning and one run in the seventh. The Wildcats had 12 hits.
Kaden Wallace led the offense going 4 for 6 with 2 RBI’s, 3 runs scored, a double and a stolen base. Hayden Hurst was 1 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a walk. Mayer Millsap was 1 for 6 with an RBI and 2 run scored. Colt Silman was 1 for 4 with an RBI, 3 runs scored and 2 walks. Ty Stroud was 1 for 1 with an RBI, 3 runs scored, a double, 4 walks and a stolen base. Aiken Owens was 1 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored, 2 walks and a stolen base. Matthew Sherman was 2 for 4 with an run scored. Colby Albritton was 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a walk. Dawson Carpenter walked twice and stole a base.
Hurst got the pitching win throwing 97 pitches over 5 innings allowing 4 hits, 3 earned runs with 6 strikeouts. Hector Martinez pitched the last 2 innings allowing 2 hits, 1 earned run with a strikeout and 3 walks.
The Wildcats are now 2-0 in district play and 5-10 overall. Friday the Wildcats continue district play at Texas High.
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.
Wildcats Soccer Team Wins Shooutout at Hallsville to Claim Playoff Spot
The Wildcats Soccer Team won a shootout, 6 penalty kicks to 5, to claim a playoff berth in a showdown at Hallsville Tuesday (March 16) night.
Wildcats Coach Alexi Upton said goalkeeper Tai Nguyen made two key saves to help secure the win.
The stakes were high with the winner earning a playoff spot and the loser facing the end of the season. The two teams tied 1-1 in regulation and neither team could score in overtime. That sent the game into the shootout.
The Wildcats lone goal came on an unassisted goal by Alejandro Diasdado. The Wildcats end district play with a 6-6 record with the one win by shootout. Their season record improves to 14-10-2.
Coach Upton the Wildcats would face either Lufkin or Whitehouse on March 26 in a bi-district playoff game.
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.
Wildcats Golfers Battle High Winds and Extremely Brutal Course Monday
The Wildcats Golf Team saw their scores soar Monday (March 15) when they played a most difficult course and encountered very strong winds.
The Wildcats played in the Warrior Shootout Monday at the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club. The Wildcats finished 14th out of 16 teams firing a 394. Kip Childress finished tied for 33rd place with a 90. Rylan Brewer tied for 64th with a 98. Grant Mohesky was 71st with 102. Luke Dietze tied for 73rd with 104. Caleb Kesting tied for 80th with a 107.
Wildcats Golf Coach Jeremy DeLorge said this tournament does not reflect his team’s playing abilities. He added this was by far the hardest course his team members will ever play in high school. Next the Wildcats play at a district preview at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater next Monday.
The district tournament will take place at Tempest on March 29-30.
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.
Lady Cats Soccer Team Just Misses Playoffs After Home Loss to Hallsville
By the narrowest of margins the Lady Cats Soccer Team missed the playoffs. With the Lady Cats 5-0 loss to Hallsville at The Prim and Mount Pleasant’s 8-0 win at Marshall on Tuesday (March 16), the Lady Tigers squeezed by the Lady Cats by a single point.
The Lady Cats ended with 17 points and Mount Pleasant and Pine Tree grabbed the last two playoff spots with 18 points.
The Lady Cats ended the season with a 6-6 district record (one by shootout) and an 11-10-4 record overall. Tuesday night, Hallsville, the district’s second place team dominated the first half scoring four goals with a wind to their backs. The Lady Cats played better in the second half but still could not penetrate the tough Lady Bobcats defense. Hallsville scored one second half goal.
Still Lady Cats Coach Javier Aguayo says the future is very bright for Lady Cats’ soccer. The Lady Cats recognized only two seniors of Senior Night Tuesday: Chloe Jones and Janine Yamaguchi. Their roster also included two juniors with six sophomores and six freshmen.
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.
Two Traffic Stops Result In 3 Controlled Substance Arrests
Two traffic stops Monday night resulted in three controlled substance arrests. A woman also turned her in on a warrant for violating probation on controlled substance charge Monday night, according to sheriff’s reports.
Davis Street Traffic Stop
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tanner Steward and Deputy Zack Horne reported stopping a Toyota Venza after noting the driver failed to signal a turn on South Davis Street at Connally Street.
While speaking with the occupants, identified in arrest reports as 40-year-old Tiffany Dawn McCrary and 53-year-old Kathy Denise Johnson, the deputies obtained permission to search the sport utility vehicle. Steward located on the passenger’s side floorboard a bag with a crystal-like substance which weighed 0.950 gram and tested positive for methamphetamine, the deputies alleged in arrest reports.
Both Sulphur Springs women denied ownership of the substance and were taken into custody around 11:35 p.m. on the charge. Then, the passenger claimed the driver tossed it on the floor while being pulled over, Steward alleged in arrest reports.
Johnson and McCrary were booked into jail at approximately 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 15, 2021, for possession of less than one gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance in a drug-free zone, the latter added due to the proximity to a church and child care center.
Both Tiffany McCrary, and Kathy Johnson, who is also known as Kathy Hughes, Kathy Hines and Kathy Dee Johnson, remained in Hopkins County jail Tuesday evening, Marc 16, 2021. Bond on the charge was set at $10,000, according to jail reports.
Monday was the second time McCrary has been jailed less than a month. She was also jailed Feb. 23 for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, then released the next day on a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.
Industrial Drive Traffic Stop
Just after 9:45 p.m. March 15, Deputy Zack Horne reported initiating a traffic stop on a blue Toyota Camry that failed to signal a lane change while traveling west on Industrial Drive near Bill Bradford Road. The car stopped in the bowling alley parking lot.
When he contacted the driver, Horne reported the 56-year-old Sulphur Springs man appeared to be nervous to the point his hands were shaking. Horne obtained permission to search the car, the deputy noted in arrest reports.
Deputies located a blue pipe with a small amount of suspected marijuana in it. After being placed into custody, Jeffrey Bryant Knutson allegedly admitted he had additional contraband hidden in his underwear. He removed a bag with a crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 0.705 gram. Knutson was booked into Hopkins County jail around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 16, 2021, on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1controlled substance charge, Horne and Sgt. Tanner Steward alleged in arrest reports.
Knutson was released from Hopkins County jail later Tuesday, March 16, on a $5,000 bond on the charge, according to jail reports.
Warrant Arrest
Brandy Lynn McCullough turned herself in at 10:45 p.m. March 15, 2021, at Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant.
The 36-year-old San Antonio woman was escort by Deputy Nick Marney into the county jail, where she was booked at 12 a.m. March 16, 2021, for violation of probation, which she was on for a July 31, 2018 possession of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance offense, according to arrest reports.
McCullough was arrested July 31, 2018 for allegedly handing a deputy a driver’s license with too many numbers on it, flagging it as false, and also was found to be in possession of controlled substances; and was wanted on a theft charge, deputies alleged in reports at the time of her arrest.
She was indicted in April 2019 on a possession of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance charge as well as possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance and tampering with a government or school record, license, seal or permit charge, according to court records. She remained in Hopkins County jail from Oct. 31, 2019 to Jan. 2, 2020, for bond forfeiture on both controlled substance charges and the tampering charge, according to jail reports.
McCullough was held in Hopkins County jail Tuesday evening, March 16, 2021 on the violation of probation charge, according to jail reports.
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.
Lady Cats Softball Emerges Victorious Over Mt. Pleasant, 4-0
The Lady Cats softball team beat district foe Mt. Pleasant 4-0 at Lady Cat Park on Tuesday, Mar. 16. It was due in no small part thanks to Crimson Bryant‘s dynamite pitching, who went on a tear versus the visiting Lady Tigers.
Bryant pitched a near-perfect game, allowing no hits, no runs, and walking only one Lady Tiger batter. The starting pitcher for Sulphur Springs did hit a batter, but Bryant managed to strike out 15 in the victory over Mt. Pleasant.
“They’ve got a really good team,” Lady Cats head softball coach David Carrillo said about Mt. Pleasant after the game, and said that he “knew going in to this game it would be one of our toughest [games] in district.”
Coach Carrillo said he was proud of the way his kids responded.
Through the first three innings, it looked as though the Lady Cats softball team were in the midst of their third straight pitcher’s duel. The Lady Cats lost Tuesday, Mar. 9, 4-0 at Hallsville, but won Friday over Longview, 1-0. So when the Lady Cats bats were able to come alive in the middle of the game, it was a sight for sore eyes.
“We got the timely hits when we needed them,” Coach Carrillo said.
In last Tuesday’s loss at Hallsville, the Lady Cats had an opportunity to at least tie Hallsville in the top of the fifth, with the bases loaded and only one out. The next two Lady Cats batters then proceeded to strike out and then flew out to end the inning, en route to a 4-0 loss at Hallsville. Coach Carrillo said after Tuesday’s win versus Mt. Pleasant that he thought his team was more aggressive at the plate and a little more offensive-minded, something he said his team has been lacking all season long.
Coach David Carrillo also said the win over Mt. Pleasant was “the best [his team] has hit the ball all year,” adding that his team was more focused at the plate in Tuesday’s win over the Lady Tigers.
And that they were, as Sulphur Springs’s second baseman Matti Smith singled in the bottom of the third paved the way for the Lady Cats offense to burst open the floodgates, as the next batter, Jayden Harper, was able to blast a ball behind the left field wall to record a two-run home run. Nylah Lindley followed up Harper’s homer with a bunt and was able to advance to first. Once Lindley led off first base and attempted to advance to second, an errant throw from Mt. Pleasant catcher Morgan Hill to attempt to force out Lindley at second base went awry and allowed the quick Lindley to turn past third and advance home due to error.
Coach Carrillo’s squad wasn’t done there, as in the bottom of the fourth, a double by Addison DeSmet with two outs set the way for Parris Pickett’s blast to deep left field, which drove home DeSmet and allowed Pickett to get an RBI in the win.
“We scored when we had to,” Coach Carrillo said, adding that he thought his team did a lot of things well in the district win. Coach Carrillo also said that that is how you beat a team like Mt. Pleasant, in that you have to take advantage of every opportunity that the Lady Tigers give you.
“Every game is tough,” Coach Carrillo said, adding that he liked playing in District 15-5A because he believed that teams from the Lady Cats district who are selected to advance to the playoffs are “definitely gonna be battle-tested for the playoffs because there’s good pitching [and players] all around the district.”
The Lady Cats varsity softball coach said that districts like District 15-5A are the ones you want to be in because it makes teams better getting ready for the post-season.
“When we get [to the post-season],” Coach Carrillo said, “[games like this are] just getting us ready.”
With the win, the Lady Cats softball team improve their record to 11-3 overall, (2-1 district). The loss puts the Mt. Pleasant Lady Tigers at 12-5 overall (3-1 district), according to Maxpreps.com.
Next up, Coach Carrillo’s squad will travel out to Texarkana on Friday to take on Texas High at 6 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.
All CHRISTUS Facilities Continue To Require Masks, Per CDC Guidelines
By Holly Ragan, Senior Market Development, CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs, [email protected]
Sulphur Springs, Texas, March 16, 2021 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has ONE mission: To Extend the Health Ministry of Jesus Christ.
Important Notice
We are aware of the new order announced by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that would lift the statewide masking mandate for many establishments on March 10. However, that will not apply to our CHRISTUS facilities. We will continue to require masks for those visiting, working or receiving care in any of our CHRISTUS facilities, per CDC guidelines, as well as hand hygiene and social distancing where possible.
We are continuing to closely evaluate the Governor’s executive order and will do the same for any additional guidance or requirements issued by the State Department of Health and Human Services or other entities. We understand that as more Texans are vaccinated, additional decisions will need to be made by the state, cities, and counties in which our ministries reside and we are prepared to respond accordingly. In the meantime, we remain focused on safely providing the care our communities need (whether COVID-related or not) and fulfilling our mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.
Hospital Visitation
For the safety and health of the community and our ministry, CHRISTUS Health is screening all associates and visitors to our hospitals to help lessen the risk of infectious disease transmission among our patients, associates, and guests.
- (1) Entrance to hospital through Emergency Department 24/7
- (1) Visitor per patient
- Visitors must be between the ages of 16-years old and 65-years old
- All visitors are screened at the door, including a temperature taken
- All associates are screened at each shift, including a temperature taken
- Visiting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (subject to change)
- ALL hospital visitors are required to wear a mask. Visitors should bring their own mask; homemade cloth masks are acceptable.
Clinic Services
COVID-19 Vaccines
At this time, vaccinations will be distributed by appointment only. Vaccine appointments can be made by visiting christushealth.org and clicking on the yellow chat icon on the homepage to connect you with Christy, our virtual assistant. If you agree to the terms, when she asks, “how can I help you” select “Vaccine information.” Next, choose, “Am I eligible for the vaccine?” You will then be prompted to answer a few screening questions prior to choosing a location nearest you and scheduling an appointment. If appointments are full, you can select other locations or check back regularly, as appointments are being added as supplies become available.
Urgent Care
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic Urgent Care, located at 1339 South Broadway St. in Sulphur Springs, is open. The Urgent Care hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The phone number to reach Urgent Care is 903.951.1001. The Urgent Care offers rapid COVID-19 tests, with results in 15 minutes.
Events
Hopkins County Health Care Foundation Hospital Gala 2021
The Gala is one of the most beloved and anticipated events of the year. This year, the 15th Annual Lights of Life Gala, will be that again – the theme this year is “Gala Unmasked.”
The Silent Auction will be open for bidding through March 20.
It will be live on the GiveSmart Platform as in year’s past: https://galaunmasked.givesmart.com
All items will be displayed again at the Civic Center and available for viewing:
- Thursday, March 18 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Friday, March – 9 to 11 am
The Virtual Gala | Live Auction will take place on March 20, at 6 p.m.
There will be THREE avenues to view Gala Unmasked and the Live Auction Telethon:
- Hopkins County Health Care Foundation Facebook Page
- www.youtube.com/chadsmedia
- www.chadsmedia.com
If you wish to bid on a Live Auction Item, please call 903.243.9098. Volunteers will be operating the phone bank to take bids. (This will happen in real time.)
Coloring Contest/Naming Contest for Kindergarten through 5th Grades
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has a new family member … the Mako robotic surgical assistant. We invited all local students from Kindergarten through 5th grades to enter a coloring sheet and come up with a name for our new robot. Students worked with their teachers to enter their submissions, and now the top 5 finalists will be shared on Facebook, and we invite you, the community, to vote on the winning name. The winner will get to meet the robot, have a pizza party, and we will post their photo in the newspaper with the robot and our Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Chris Meltsakos, who will be using the robotic assistant to work on patients’ knees. We will share the link for voting very soon! Stay tuned!
COVID-19
Don’t Delay Care
We want to be perfectly clear – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances remains a safe place for all to receive quality care. Go to the Emergency Department or call 9-1-1 if you are urgently ill. While COVID-19 is new, our processes and procedures in place for infection prevention and preventing the spread of illness are not.
To learn more about COVID-19, go to ChristusTMF.org or www.cdc.gov.
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System includes CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospitals – Tyler, South Tyler, Jacksonville, Winnsboro and Sulphur Springs, the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital – Tyler, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital a partner of Encompass Health, Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, a long-term acute care facility, and CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic.
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic is the area’s preferred multi-specialty medical group, with more than 400 Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers representing 36 specialties in 34 locations serving Northeast Texas across 41 counties.
For more information on services available through CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, visit christustmf.org
- Bed count – 402 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler
- Bed count – 8 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – South Tyler
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville
- Bed Count – 96 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs
- Bed count – 25 – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Winnsboro
- Bed count – 94 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital
- Bed count – 96 – CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart – Tyler
- Bed count – 51 – Tyler Continue CARE Hospital at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital
Save Dike From Solar Meeting Focuses On Concerns, Unification
More than 50 community members and media personnel turned out Saturday for a Save Dike From Solar meeting at Dike Community Center to express their concerns and focus on unification of like-minded community members opposed to the planned Hopkins Energy LLC project in the Dike area.
Community residents at the Saturday afternoon meeting expressed exasperation that more effort wasn’t made to notify Dike resident about the project before it and other solar projects were granted tax incentives from county, school and hospital taxing entities, upon which each project was contingent. The say the residents of the area that will be impacted, those on neighboring properties, should have been part of the decision process.
Save Dike From Solar organizers say they were told the information was published in the newspaper prior to it first being approved by school, county and hospital districts. Save Dike From Solar contends less than 40 of the 375-400 residents and property owners in Dike receive the newspaper, so that listing was not sufficient to properly notify the Dike community.
County officials have pointed out that Commissioners Court meetings are open to the public; agendas are posted on the county bulletin board and online for anyone who wishes to view them. School board agendas are also required to be posted for public viewing. Martin encouraged Dike residents to attend future school and county meetings to voice their opinions regarding the planned solar project during public forum.
Cynthia Martin, founder of Save Dike From Solar, and Michael Pickens, Martin’s son and the group spokesman, have attended more than one Commissioners Court meeting, along with a few other Dike residents, to express their displeasure about the planned Dike solar project.
Martin said “finding accurate information” about the planned project has been “incredibly difficult.” She has filed Freedom of Information requests with the county, and recently received a packet of documents over a few inches thick related to the project.
Pickens said the grassroots group has three primary goals: to point out the “reality of the project” and potential environmental destruction, in the hope of getting the project shut down, or at least getting local officials to rescind legal agreements granting tax incentives for the solar project, which has changed hands from German company Alpin Sun to ENGIE Solar N.A., LLC, a U.S. subsidiary of the French ENGIE company.
Dike residents Saturday protested the lack of local long-term jobs provided by the Dike project and other planned local solar projects. They pointed out the minimum job requirement was waived by local officials who have already granted tax incentives for Hopkins Energy LLC and at least three other projects. Saltillo ISD school district has also reportedly agreed to accept an application to be submitted to Texas Comptroller’s Office to determine if it meets state requirements allowing schools to grant the requested tax incentive.
Pickens contends that based on the information he’s received and researched the planned project isn’t for a solar farm but a solar industrial power complex.
The proposed Hopkins Energy LLC project was originally projected to encompass 2,962 acres in northeastern Hopkins County and be a 320 MW-AC solar electric generating facility, with 1,625,000 photovoltaic panels, and 140 central inverters. Of those, an estimated 1,184 acres is expected to be in Sulphur Springs ISD; that would include 128 MW-AC of capacity, 650,000 photovoltaic panels and 56 central inverters in SSISD. The rest would be located on land within Sulphur Bluff ISD.
Save Our Solar is concerned not only with noise during construction but from the solar facility once it is placed online. Pickens said when he asked he was told the noise generated from a solar facility will sound like a major highway going through Dike. That he anticipates would likely be louder than the farm to market and county road traffic Dike residents are used to.
A large section of post oak forest will need to cleared in order to install solar panels on leased acreage. Community members indicated they do not want the trees gone. That would disturb native wildlife which some residents have indicated they enjoy watching from their properties, and could lead to at least one environmental concern.
Michael Teague noted bald eagles have been known to rest in that area, and clear cutting the forest would disturb the habitat. He also asked if the area had been checked for Indian burial mounds.
Save Dike From Solar representatives and Dike residents also expressed concerns with solar panels being place in a flood zone. Cutting the trees down would likely further contribute to flooding issues in the area. They were told a complete environmental impact assessment of the impact the project could potentially have on wetlands and creeks was not required.
The group spokesman is worried about potential toxins, including cadmium, that could be contained in the panels which – if broken by a big hale storm, tornado or other storm debris – could seep into the ground.
They are concerned harmful chemical will be used to kill native grass under solar panels, which could also impact the environment.
Pickens said it’s his understanding the solar panels would be set in 3-5 feet of concrete, which he said goes against statements in the “original lease agreements” which indicated the company would not build on land with trees, creeks and in a flood area.
The project would likely require 17-foot tall fences, have security cameras and require additional roads through the properties.
Save Dike From Solar wants to know what provisions are in place not only to repair local roads when construction of the solar project is completed but to maintain county roads while heavy trucks use them to deliver materials to construct the solar facility.
Robert Joslin doesn’t cotton to the idea of solar panels and substations across the fence from his property.
The impact a solar farm will have on neighboring property values was another concern expressed at the meetings. Pickens cited a University of Texas study, which he said indicated property values around solar farms are projected to decrease by 20 percent.
One resident noted that area coal powered plants which generated power continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week were shut down for environmental concerns. Now, solar projects are planned. There’s no sunlight at night, so it’s his understanding the solar facility wouldn’t be able to generate power at night, nor any or at least limited power during cloudy and icy weather.
The idea that the power generated by the solar panels won’t directly benefit the local community, but be sent up the grid to other more metropolitan areas such as Dallas, was another point of contention voiced for Dike residents.
Save Dike from Solar invited representatives from Texas Conservation Alliance to the meeting. Two representatives attended, but emphasized they were just observing at this point as the matter has not been presented to TCA board. No representatives from local government nor ENGIE were observed in attendance.
Martin and Pickens reported an Austin attorney has been contacted to represent Save Dike From Solar’s interests. Donations were accepted in a gallon jar Saturday from any community members who wished to contribute toward legal costs.
A petition was passed around at the meeting for any Dike residents who wished to join Save Dike From Solar’s effort in protest of solar projects. Martin said the meeting was the first but does not plan for it to be the last for Save Dike From Solar.
A Facebook page was established for any who wish to join Save Dike From Solar to follow the group and keep up with activities.
