September’s Wills Point City Council meeting leaned heavily on the bookkeeping side of operating a city, with council members approving both a budget and tax rate for the 2015-’16 fiscal year, and tackling a series of ordinances that will get the city one step closer to the construction of a new, city owned EMS station.
Business opened with a series of public recognitions, including several new city hires. Council members began by welcoming back John Turner as the city’s interim police chief.
In a statement made last week, Mayor Mark Turner (who was out of town during Tuesday night’s meeting) stated, “John served as our prior interim chief as well and I am so pleased that he has agreed to step up and do it once again. John knows our city and is respected as a leader and will hit the ground running. His service will provide city leaders with a much needed cushion of time to begin the selection of the next chief. We are truly grateful to John for his service.”
The Texas Inmate Families Association will hold its next Parole Packet Workshop from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Freedom Fellowship Church, L2915 SSE Loop 323L in Tyler.
This workshop is for family members and friends who have loved ones in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice unit and would like to learn more about the parole process and how to put together a parole packet, organizers said.
If you are in the forage business whether it is the hay business or forage to feed beef or dairy cattle, horses, sheep or goats, then you need to be on the watch for fall armyworms. With the wonderful rain we are starting to receive, we have already have received a few calls and with the rain last week producers need to be diligent in watching their pastures and fields.
The TVEC Charitable Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $2,500 to the Van Zandt County Precinct Watch Program. The foundation is funded by donations from Operation Round Up, a voluntary program that allows TVEC members to round up their monthly electric bills to the next whole dollar amount. The portion that is rounded up goes to the TVEC Charitable Foundation and may be used to award grant requests to local charitable organizations. TVEC Public Relations Representative Joy Long made the check presentation to PWP Chairman Buster Leavell, center, and Vice Chairman Tim Ball.
The East Texas Genealogical Society's annual fall seminar will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 and 9 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Fellowship Hall of First Assembly of God Church, 5309 Rhones Quarter Rd. in Tyler.
Cost is $15 for the Sept. 12 session and $50 for the Sept. 13 event.
The Van Zandt County Extension Wildlife and Natural Resources committee will be hosting the third annual Van Zandt County Wildlife Expo Friday, Sept. 11, at the Farm Bureau in Canton.
The program is from 8 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.
Cost is $12 per person which covers the cost of the program, refreshments and handouts.
The first day of fall is still be several weeks away (Sept. 23) and temperatures may still be hovering near triple digits, but that’s not stopping the Wills Point Chamber of Commerce from working on several community favorite events scheduled to take place before the end of the year.
BOO on the Bricks
The annual BOO on the Bricks celebration sponsored by Dukes Travel Plaza will return to the brick streets in downtown on Saturday, Oct. 31. Family friendly events are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., and stretch into the early afternoon.
The overall event schedule is set to include the Harvest Health Fair hosted by Alinea Family Hospice Care, trick-or-treat through the entire downtown, a kid’s costume contest hosted by STEPZ a pet costume contest hosted by Blair Dog Center, the annual Trunk-or-Treat and more.
The Van Zandt County Extension Livestock/Forage Committee will be collecting hay samples for the annual hay evaluation clinic from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Farm Bureau Building in Canton.
Following collection of the hay samples at 5:30 p.m., there will be a program on winter pastures, soil fertility and gearing pastures up for spring that will be available for producers in Van Zandt County.
The Wills Point Fire Department flies a flag indicating whether or not a burn ban is currently in effect in Van Zandt County. The flag currently flying outside the WPFD was raised on Aug. 11 after county commissioners voted to put a 90-day burn ban in effect. The ban could be lifted as soon as the next commissioners court meeting, scheduled for Sept. 8.
Thanks to the fickleness of Texas weather, even during the summer months, many local and county residents have questioned whether Van Zandt County is still under the burn ban enacted by commissioners back at their Aug. 11 meeting.
At that time, Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen approached commissioners requesting a burn ban due to temperatures over 100 degrees, a lengthy stretch of no rainfall and a high rating in the Keetch, Bryam Drought Index.
The index cited is used by the Texas A&M Forestry Service to predict fire danger for the area, rated the county in the dangerous range. Allen told commissioners that the county is at a level of 700 with the max level being 800. “Right now, we are at the 700 level, but that could potentially rise within the next two weeks to a 750. Unless we get some significant rain soon, we will remain under the burn ban,” said Allen.
The East Texas Genealogical Society's annual fall seminar will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 and 9 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Fellowship Hall of First Assembly of God Church, 5309 Rhones Quarter Rd. in Tyler.
