News Stories

Sunday, July 25, 2010 Edition

Students beautify city hall

While many youth spent recent weeks playing video games and swimming, a group of Kennard youth planted flowers and shrubs around the Kennard City Hall and the Kennard Tiger Statue.

Pictured are Dan Davis, Tyrell Patton, Chance Pope, Ashley Brown, Jacob Deckard, Trenton Simon, Xavier Woods, Xyna Lamb, Holly Crocker, Dacoda Copaus, Craig Deckard (supervisor) and Gary Hurta. The project was funded by Houston County’s summer block grant.

Tuesday in Lufkin TxDOT to talk about plans with public

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will host a second series of open-house style public meetings to give citizens yet another opportunity to offer feedback on a long-range plan that provides the agency with a blueprint for the state’s future transportation needs. TxDOT held the first series of meetings in May.

The agency’s 25 districts will each host a meeting the first two weeks of August. The Lufkin District’s meeting is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, at the Lufkin District Office located at 1805 N. Timberland Drive in Lufkin.

Meeting dates and locations for the agency’s Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035 are available on the TxDOT website. The plan addresses future multi-modal transportation needs for Texas, including transit, rail, highways, bicycles and pedestrians.

This statewide plan is also the basis for a number of other TxDOT planning efforts such as the Texas Rail Plan, the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan and corridor-related initiatives. In addition, the plan provides direction to make it easier for all of these different efforts to work in coordination. It also assures the state’s goals are consistent with federal priorities and guidelines. TxDOT spent the last six months analyzing system changes that have taken place in the last 20 years and, based on this information, the agency has forecast anticipated changes for the next 25 years. Citizens will have an opportunity to comment on this analysis at the August meetings.

The meetings are designed to give Texans an informal venue for viewing an informational video and exhibits about the analysis findings, including the results of the transportation questionnaires completed by participants at the first round of meetings in May.

Participants may ask ques-tions and provide written com-ments on the plan which is scheduled to be completed and ready for adoption by the Texas Transportation Commission this fall. A final public hearing is tentatively scheduled for October 2010 in Austin. Public comments will be accepted for 30 days after the hearing date.

Citizens who cannot attend the meeting may send written comments to Peggy Thurin, P.E., Project Manager, Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035, 4544 Post Oak Place, #224, Houston, Texas, 77027. Comments may also be made online or by calling the toll-free number 1-888-TX-PLAN (1-888-589-7526).

Persons with special communication or accommodation needs may contact Kathi White, the district public information officer at (936) 633-4395. Requests should be made no later than three days prior to the meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate the needs.

For more information, contact Government & Public Affairs media relations at 512-463-8700. The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining nearly 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail and public transportation across the state.

TxDOT and its approximately 12,000 employees strive to empower local leaders to solve local transportation problems, and to use new financial tools, including tolling and public-private partnerships, to reduce congestion and pave the way for future economic growth while enhancing safety, improving air quality and preserving the value of the state's transportation assets. Find out more at www.txdot.gov or Fan the agency on Facebook at www.facebook.com/txdot. The agency can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/txdot.

Grapeland looking at Main St. options

By Lynda Jones
Managing Editor

Grapeland business owners, citizens and local politicians filled the Grapeland Senior Citizens Center Thursday night, July 22 to learn how Grapeland might qualify for the Texas Main Street program. The Texas Main Street Program falls under the auspices of the Texas Historical Commission.

Frieda Haley Hanley, whose father grew up in Crockett, is the Texas Main Street manager for Decatur. She presented examples of cities that participate in the Texas Main Street program, defined the program, discussed the program’s advantages and posed questions for the citizens of Grapeland to ask as they decide whether they want to apply to be a Texas Main Street town.

Hanley pointed to Palestine, Nacogdoches and Fairfield as Texas Main Street towns. She also showed pictures of downtown Livingston before and after the slip cover for Livingston Drug Store was removed and after the building was renovated. The City of Elgin used grant money to renovate its sidewalks, she explained.

Hanley also discussed the history of downtown areas, and said big box stores outside the downtown locations are losing popularity. One reason, she said, is the time it takes to shop in one. Another reason she said is the quality of customer service. With the economy down, customer service is “everything,” Hanley said.

Speaking in favor of renovating and reviving downtown areas, Hanley said it is too expensive to tear down and rebuild existing buildings. Furthermore, she said, reinvestment in an old building is a good thing in terms of going green. There are 85 active Texas Main Street towns. Hanley said there are 1,200 active programs in 42 states, including Hawaii. “Your downtown is special because of each of you,” Hanley said.

She pointed out the history of Grapeland, including the agriculture industry, the railroad and grapevines. Hanley told the audience that the Peanut Festival is a huge asset to the community, as is Salmon Lake. Another selling point for the city, Hanley said, is Pennington’s watermelons. Hanley explained the operational model of the Texas Main Street Project. It includes a four-point approach: organization, promotions, design and economic restructuring.

Texas Main Street is a volunteer-driven program that allows every member of the community an opportunity to be involved. Hanley emphasized the program cannot succeed without a committed volunteer effort. Hanley explained projects happen through the four-point committees which are the backbone of the volunteer effort. The program also requires commitment from the city. If Grapeland applies for and is chosen as a Main Street town, a manager for the project will have to be hired.

The Texas Historical Commission and the Texas Main Street program do not provide funding for the revitalization of a city’s downtown area, but they do offer an abundance of resources, according to Hanley. If accepted into the program, Grapeland could receive instruction on how to apply for grants. Additionally, the Texas Main Street program has a design staff to help with planning the renovation of buildings that have their slipcovers removed.

Hanley said the state staff will come to help with trainings, and there is an internet listserve that is another free resource. Acceptance as a Texas Main Street town is a competitive process, Hanley said, and not every city that applies is accepted. The deadline for applications is July 30 of each year. Hanley encouraged Grapeland to start now so it will be ready to apply next year.

Fulcher receives award for forestry stewardship

Houston County landowner Clay Fulcher was presented a Certified Forest Steward Award by Michael Easley, district forester for the Texas Forest Service (TFS).

The presentation was made at the Crockett Rotary Club meeting on Thursday, July 22. The Certified Forest Steward Award is presented to landowners who have a written stewardship plan for 10 or more acres of eligible forest land and have implemented key manage-ment activities listed in the plan to accomplish the landowner’s objectives.

In a Courier interview, Fulcher explained the steward-ship plan is a comprehensive plan put together by the TFS. The TFS goes out to the landowner’s property, inspects the property and talks to the landowner about objectives to be addressed, Fulcher said.

Next, the TFS puts together a plan to make the forest more healthy and vigorous, providing timber for wildlife and production and protecting the watershed, Fulcher continued. The TFS plan tells the landowner when to thin, when to do control burns, when to do clear cuts, based on the characteristics of the property.

Fulcher explained a clear cut is when the trees are so old they are no longer productive. After the clear cut, the landowner plants new pines from the hardiest of a generation of seeds. The TFS helps the landowner do this for two or three generations of seeds. Fulcher said this process provides better production of healthy trees.

Fulcher also mentioned many services in the community are drawn on during the clear cut and replanting. Labor is needed when the timber is cleared, bulldozers and working the property to prevent erosion, etc. Proven planters are selected. Fulcher said the landowner has to really subdue the hardwood trees to give the new pines a chance to grow.

The TFS also gives advice on the best practice for insecticides. “We just follow what they say,” Fulcher said. “We are very fortunate to have the Texas Forest Service here,” Fulcher said.