Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 27, 1995 Page: 1 of 26
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To reflect focus on solid waste
Department name changes
!S8
DAY OF PRAYER -- Worshipers gather at
the First United Methodist Church of
Livingston Monday for a Community Day
of Prayer. The sanctuary remained open
from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. for those wishing to
ENTERPRISE PHOTO IV GORDON URARRON
pray for world peace, in response to last
week’s bombing of a federal building in Ok-
lahoma City and other recent man-made dis-
asters.
LIVINGSTON - Polk County
Environmental Services is a term
which many citizens find confus-
ing, according to the department's
director, Jim McAlister.
At McAlister's suggestion, Polk
County .commissioners Monday ap-
proved changing the name of the
department to Polk County
Regional Waste Management, a
change which also reflects a return
to the department’s primary focus -
• management of the county’s solid
waste program.
For the past several years, Polk
County Environmental Services
has, in addition to governing solid
waste disposal and the landfill,
been in charge of issuing sewer and
flood plain construction permits.
Those functions are being turned
over to Polk County Emergency
Management on an experimental
basis.
Emergency Management Coor-
dinator John McDowell has agreed
to the change, which will put the
permit-issuing duties in his office
in the courthouse, which will likely
be easier for the public to find,
McAlister said. Solid waste opera-
tions are headquartered in Leggett.
Responding to concerns that the
change may eventually result in ad-
ditional help being needed in
Sales tax revenue reaches $302,703
AUSTIN - Polk County’s half-
ccnt sales tax has added $302,703
to county coffers through the first
four months of 1995.
Slate Comptroller John Sharp’s
office sent the county a sales tax
rebate of $54,365 this month,
representing taxes collected on
sales made in February and
reported by businesses filing
monthly returns in March.
Although this month’s payment
is 12.66 percent lower than the
$62,247 received during the same
month last year, payments through
the first four months of 1995 are
running 4.95 percent above last
year’s rebates for the same period.
Through April, 1994 the county
had received rebates totaling
$288,407.
Cities within Polk County that
levy sales taxes are also recording
sales tax revenue gains.
Tjie City of Livingston received
$114,448 this month, a 3.35 percent
increase over the $110,735
received during April of last year.
The latest rebate brings the total
received through the first four
months of 1995 to $569,108, a 6.17
percent increase over the $536,024
received through the first four
months of 1994.
Onalaska’s April rebate was up
17.39 percent from the amount
received at this time last year ••
$12,543 this month, compared to
$10,684 in April, 1994. Payments
to date for 1995 total $54,018, up
14.09 percent from the $47,346
received through the same date last
year.
Corrigan received $7,432 this
month, bringing 1995 payments to
date to $44,615. This month’s pay-
ment is a 3.31 percent decline from
the $7,687 received in April, 1994,
but payments for the year are run-
See GOODRICH pg. 12A
McDowell’s office, McAlister said
the permitting has not been a time-
consuming task.
Also related to solid waste, com-
missioners voted to readvertise for
bids on the purchase of open-top,
roll-off containers.
Other than one bid that was
faxed to the solid waste office,
rather than the auditor’s office as
required, no bids were received,
McAlister said. He attributed the
lack of bids to a inadvertent error in
the specifications and said (hat
specifications will be redrawn prior
to rebidding.
Both bids received on the pur-
chase of a road grader for the
landfill, with trade-in of a scraper,
were rejected as too high. McAlis-
ter said he has checked with
government surplus equipment sup-
pliers, but has been unable to locate
the type of grader needed.
Precinct 3 Commissioner James
J. "Buddy" Purvis has been helping
at the landfill and indicated he is
willing to continue that help until a
grader can be located. In other
business, commissioners passed a
resolution in support of the Com-
mittee to Save Dunbar’s plan to
seek grant Rinding to complete
renovation of the Dunbar Complex,
primarily the complex’s gym-
nasium.
The request was presented by El-
gin Davis, who chairs the com-
mittee. Davis indicated the Com-
mittee to Save Dunbar wants to
continue to operate the recreational
areas at the complex, but County
Judge John Thompson indicated
that only the resolution supporting
the grant application was on the
agenda for Monday’s meeting and,
therefore, other discussion relating
to the Dunbar Complex was inap-
propriate.
While si
supportive of the grant ef-
fort, the judge indicated he would
like to meet with the citizens of the
area to determine a consensus of
opinion before asking the court to
take any action concerning Dun-
bar's management. He has attended
several such meetings in the past
and said, "That are evidently
several ideas as to how it should be
approached."
Davis said he is unaware of any
disagreement, but invited the judge
to the next committee meeting.
Commissioners also agreed to
advertise for proposals for Section
125 employee benefit (cafeteria
plan) insurance. Thompson said the
present plan is up for renewal.
The court accepted an offer to
purchase two lots in Lakeshore II,
which had be seized for delinquent
taxes, at a cost of $3,000. Although
the county approved the purchase,
which will return the lots to the tax
rolls, final acceptance is pending
approval by the other taxing en-
tities involved.
Noting that the Livingston and
Onalaska school districts have both
recently rejected offers made for
seized property as being too low.
Commissioner Bobby Smith asked
what will happen if offers continue
to be rejected. "In my opinion,
we’re better off gcuing it back on
the tax rolls," he said.
Tax Assessor-Collector Bid
Smith said if offers are continually
rejected, the inventory of seized
property can accumulate and later
be sold in a "bus" sale in which all
offers are accepted.
The court recently started having
the commissioner of the precinct in
which the seized property is located
inspect the property prior to con-
sidering a purchase offer. Commis-
sioner Dick Hubert suggested that a
representative from the school dis-
trict involved be asked to accom-
pany the commissioner when that
inspection is made.
Commissioners agreed to discuss
possible modification of delinquent
tax property sale procedures at their
next meeting.
The court authorized the expen-
diture of $55,950 in Permanent
Road Fund monies for work on
portions of roads in the following
six areas in Precinct 1: Indian Hills
No. 1, Steven’s Lane, Indian Hills
No. 2, Sundance, Tempe Timbers
and Lake Livingston Estates Sec-
tion 1.
In what Thompson described as
a "housekeeping item," commis-
sioners authorized specific designa-
tion of First State Bank, First Na-
tional Bank, The Bank of
Livingston and Citizens State Bank
in Corrigan as depositories for the
county as well as for trust funds
held by county and district clerks.
Local blood drive Monday;
age limit no longer barrier
ENTERFRBE PHOTO IY GORDON URARRON
NEW FIRE STATION - The Onalaska Highway 190. The department will conduct
Volunteer Fire Department had a ribbon cut- their 22nd annual barbecue and auction
ting Monday in honor of their new fire sta- Saturday, see related story on page 8A.
tion, located on Old Groveton Road and
Among several accidents investigated
LIVINGSTON - Age is no lon-
ger a barrier for those seniors who
wish to donate blood.
The Gulf Coast Regional Blood
Center recently lifted the maximum
age limit for its blood donors. This
means senior citizens over 70, as
well as Livingston residents, can
give "the gift of life” at the
Livingston Community Blood
Drive on Monday, May 1.
The drive will be held at the
Central Baptist Church Family
Center at 506 N. Houston, from 2-7
"The Livingston Community
Blood Drives have always been
successful,” notes Derek Lew,
Group Program consultant for the
Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
”We are encouraging senior
citizens to become dedicated blood
donors. It's never too late to start!”
With only 7 percent of the
population donating blood, it is im-
portant for the over 70 age group to
become involved. Everyone is wel-
come at the drive and the qualifica-
tions to donate are simple: donors
must be at least 17 years of age,
weigh 110 pounds, and be in good
general health.
It is never to late to become a
blood donor, Lew reiterated. "Start
now by coming out to the
Livingston Community Blood
Drive on Monday, May 1, at the
Central Baptist Church Family
Center at 506 N. Houston, from 2-7
p.m."
For more information, potential
donors are encouraged to call Anita
Knousc, (409) 327-8546.
Truck flips and logs roll
LIVINGSTON — A truck driver
was injured Monday morning when
his 1990 Peterbilt truck-tractor
overturned off FM 1988, five miles
south of Livingston.
Jerry William Sumner, 37, of
Shepherd was driving the truck
eastbound when the truck entered a
curve, left the road and overturned,
accdrding to Texas Highway Patrol
Trooper Bobby Perry. Sumner was
listed on the accident report as hav-
ing sustained "possible” injuries
and was transported by ambulance
to Memorial Medical Center,
Livingston.
No charges were filed in connec-
tion with the accident, which oc-
curred at 10:45 a.m.
Charges of (hiving while intoxi-
cated and possession of a control-
led substance were filed against
one of the drivers involved in a col-
lision Saturday in which a 69-year-
old Goodrich woman was injured.
A 1990 Chevrolet pickup truck
driven by Dwaun C. Brown, 30, of
St. Louis, III was southbound on
U.S. 59 and collided with the rev
of a southbound 1988 Dodge Ram
truck driven by Allene J.
Richardson of Goodrich, according
to Perry. Brown faces the dual
charges in the incident, which oc-
curred at 7:40 a.m.
Richardson was taken by am-
bulance to Memorial Medical Cen-
ter, Livingston, with possible in-
juries.
Two drivers sustained possible
injuries when a car and a farm trac-
tor collided at S p.m. Saturday on
FM 62, nine-tenths of a mile
southeast of Moscow.
A 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse was
eastbound, attempting to pass a
1994 Belarus farm tractor, when
the tractor turned into the path of
the car. according to Trooper Rod-
ney Tucker. The car struck the trac-
tor in its right rear tire.
Both the (River of the car, 23-
year-old Sean Joseph Shelby of
Livingston, and the driver or the
tractor, Lowell Howard Moon, 60,
of Moscow, were listed as having
sustained possible injuries but
neither was transported by am-
bulance, according to the trooper’s
accident report Moore was cited
for failure to yield right-of-way
while turning left.
A 32-year-old Livingston
woman was taken to the local
hospital following a two-vehicle
collision Friday, April 21, on U.S.
190 at FM 350. two-tenths of a
See RAIN pg. 12A
Graduation
section ahaad
Local high school graduates who
did not have graduation pictures
taken of them through their school
may still have pictures of them-
selves included in the Enterprise's
annual graduation edition May 21
by submitting a photograph to the
Enterprise office no later dun May
12.
Either color or black-and-white
is acceptable. If you want the
photograph returned, please state so
when you submit h.
LOO ROLL - The driver of this log Ruck
reportedly escaped serious injury, but was
taken to the hospital, after the truck over-
turned off FM 1988 Monday morning.
1
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 27, 1995, newspaper, April 27, 1995; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790799/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.