Polk County News

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Polk County OEM

From the Polk County Office of Emergency Management

The National Weather Service in Houston/Galveston (NWS) issued a Winter Storm Warning, which is in effect from 9 p.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Monday for Polk County.

Periods of freezing rain or drizzle are expected, especially tonight and Sunday, creating icy conditions. A period of moderate snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected Sunday night and Monday followed by bitterly cold conditions Monday night and Tuesday.

Snow, ice and cold will likely pose a threat to life and property with hazardous road conditions, burst pipes and water mains, damage to infrastructure, and power outages. Temperatures are expected to drop to 26 degrees Sunday morning, 19 degrees Monday morning, and 8 degrees Tuesday morning.

NWS is forecasting 1-2 inches of snowfall for most of Polk County, with .10 to .25 inches of ice accumulation through Tuesday morning. A decision on closing County offices will be made late Monday afternoon.

Check your school district's websites and social media pages for school closure and virtual learning updates. Now is the time to insulate pipes, and make plans to shelter in place Sunday night through Tuesday if possible.

Remember to protect, pets, plants, and pipes. There is a risk of hypothermia for anyone outside who is not dressed properly.

Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking and weather stripping. Insulate pipes to keep them from freezing. Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.

Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication.

Remember the needs of your pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights and keep electronic devices charged.

Create an emergency supply kit that includes a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water and non-perishable food and snacks. Avoid travel if you can. To check highway conditions, log onto www.DriveTexas.org.

TXDOT began pre-treating highways yesterday and will continue to monitor and treat TXDOT roads as needed throughout the winter weather event.

Another winter storm is possible on Wednesday although it could bring more rain for southern areas, and an ice threat, especially in northern areas of Southeast Texas. There is uncertainty still with that storm.

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COURTESY PHOTO Texas Bucket List host Shane McAuliffe (left) poses with Pit Row Pit Stop owner Frankie Vinci. McAuliffe’s show will feature Vinci’s restaurant this weekend.

Special to the Enterprise

LIVINGSTON – Take a step back in time into this retro 50’s diner that’s known for more than their burgers and shakes, they are known for what Texas is known for, Barbeque.

Owner and Brooklyn born Californian Frankie Vinci went from building theme parks to building a diner to smoke barbeque like a true Texan.

“I'm a Brooklyn boy, I had no clue what a brisket is. We don't cook brisket in Brooklyn. So, I had to learn four years ago and I guess I got good at it,” said Frankie.

Not only does Frankie care about his brisket and ribs, he cares about his community and provides religious outreach for those in prison, since it was what helped him during his time behind bars.

So, tune in on Feb. 13-14 as host Shane McAuliffe visits a righteous man with the gift of giving and great BBQ on The Texas Bucket List. Pit Row Pit Stop in Livingston is featured alongside two other stops - Zito’s in San Antonio and The Stephen F. Austin Statue in Angleton.

Follow this link to find a station near you! https://thetexasbucketlist.com/where-to-watch.

COURTESY PHOTO Pit Row Pit Stop in Livingston will be featured this weekend on the Texas Bucket List.

About the Texas Bucket List

The Texas Bucket List, telling the tales of the Lone Star State one Texan's story at a time. The award-winning TV series shares the joy, wonder, beauty and excitement of Texas.

Each week, host Shane McAuliffe sets out to add more people, places, food and music to a list that every Texan should experience. Shane has been recognized with numerous television broadcast excellence awards including a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, three Lone Star Emmy Awards, the Barbara Jordan Media Award, several Telly Awards, and multiple Texas Association of Press Broadcasters awards.

He’s a native of Round Rock, and attended The University of Houston. The Texas Bucket List is produced by McAuliffe Productions, LP located in College Station.

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JASON CHLAPEK I PCE Ricardo Perez (left) answers a question by Livingston alderman Dr. Ray Luna (right) regarding Perez’s property during last Tuesday’s city council meeting.

By Jason Chlapek

A Livingston home owner will be given time to formulate a plan to save his home.

Ricardo Perez, whose family has owned a home on South Washington in Livingston for nearly 40 years, has until March 9 to come up with a plan to salvage the unsafe or dilapidated property. There are certain criteria Perez must follow to convince Livingston city council aldermen that his home is worth saving.

“Mr. Perez will be given until our next council meeting to find a contractor to repair the home and provide us with a plan on how much the repairs will cost and when they will be complete,” Livingston city manager Bill Wiggins said. “We don’t want to tear down other people’s property. We want to give them the opportunity to salvage it.”

Perez was present at last Tuesday’s monthly city council meeting and presented his case as to why he believes he can save his home, which has been vacant since 2006. The public hearing, which was nearly an hour long, was one of two on the evening.

The first public hearing involved the abandoned motel that once served as the Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn, Knights Inn or Royal Inn. The building, which has been vacant since December 2011, was ordered for demolition by the city back in October.

The owner of the property, Indira Patel, has taken action by hiring a firm to proceed with the building’s demolition. The demolition process is to begin this week, weather permitting.

The city also received a positive audit for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Kevin Bienvenu and Steve Palmerton of Harper and Pearson Company presented the audit.

“I thank the Good Lord for the good audit,” Wiggins said. “We were one of a few cities who actually had a sales tax increase in spite of Covid-19.”

The city also approved the final payment to Maguire Iron, Inc., who constructed two elevated water storage tanks. The payment is in the amount of $129,108.

The city also approved a public hearing for next month’s meeting on an unsafe or dilapidated property located on West Church Street, and Wiggins gave the city manager’s report. Wiggins said that ground work has begun for Chick-Fil-A, construction has started on Starbucks, and permits have been issued for Blue Wave Car Wash, Panda Express and T-Mobile.

The next city council meeting takes place Tuesday, March 9, at 5 p.m. at Livingston city hall.

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JASON CHLAPEK I PCE JT Drake (seated) recently organized a lemonade and hot dog stand that raised more than $4,000 dollars – all of which went to Making Sports Possible. Jason (second from left) and Gisele Ivy (third from right) are the co-founders of MSP, which helps underprivileged youth in Polk County pay for sign-up fees and equipment to play sports. Also pictured are JT’s parents Rachel (far left) and Marty Drake (second from right) and his sister Sully (far right).

Local youth raises $4K for nonprofit sports organization

By Jason Chlapek

JT Drake likes to play sports, particularly baseball.

JT, 7, plays Little League in Livingston and Select in Kingwood. Recently, the son of Marty and Rachel Drake did something that most children his age wouldn’t think about doing – start a fundraiser.

JT was the brainchild behind a hot dog and lemonade stand that brought in more than $4,000. The money isn’t going to his college fund either.

Each dollar of the $4,076.37 that JT and his family raised that Saturday afternoon was donated to a local nonprofit organization called “Making Sports Possible.” Gisele and Jason Ivy are the heads of MSP, which provides funds for sign-up fees and equipment for underprivileged children who otherwise can’t afford to play.

“I wanted to make sports possible so more kids could play,” JT said.

The Drake family began selling hot dogs, cookies and lemonade on their front lawn at 10 a.m. that day and stopped selling at 3 p.m. While the entire amount was not raised in that five-hour window, there were other methods people used to donate to JT’s cause.

“People also mailed money in and we had a lot of online donations,” Rachel Drake said. “We posted on social media that we had a lemonade stand.”

Last Tuesday, Gisele and Jason Ivy presented a trophy to JT at Bull Shack Coffee and Smoothies. The couple also has a connection with the Drake family, which includes younger daughter Sullivan, or “Sully.”

“We know Marty and Rachel from coaching the Go-Getters with Marty,” Gisele said. “We know their heart. We were surprised when we found out that JT wanted to do it, but we weren’t surprised that they did it because JT is such a sweet boy. It’s a blessing and perfect timing.”

MSP was organized in 2017 and started paying for underprivileged Polk County youth to participate in sports in 2018. The organization partners with youth basketball, baseball, football, soccer and softball leagues in Polk County.

“We saw the need to pay for some kids to play sports when my nephews played,” Jason said. “You would have kids show up one year then not show up the next because they didn’t have the funds to play.”

Jason Ivy graduated from Livingston in 1998 and joined the Army, where he served for 10 years. He and his wife, Gisele, LHS Class of 1994, moved back to Livingston in 2008.

“One year we had a pair of brothers on a team that had to share the same bat, the same glove and the same helmet,” Gisele said. “They couldn’t be on the field at the same time.”

Those instances inspired Jason and Gisele to put their heads together and try to figure out a way to not only make sure Polk County youth didn’t have to share playing equipment, but also make sure they had enough money to sign up to play.

“We reached out to friends and tried to fund it ourselves,” Gisele said. “But then we got together and decided to start this nonprofit.”

MSP also has a governing board of six members. In the previous three years, the organization has helped an average of 50-60 youth participate in sports.

“Almost every member on our board has been a member of the board since we started this organization,” Jason said. “Everybody continues to be an internal part of what we do. Without them, this wouldn’t be possible. We’re grateful for each and every board member. It’s a big family-oriented organization. The more people know about us, the more the funds increase. We want to help more kids and reach out to the community.”

A year ago, MSP was planning its annual color run fundraiser when Covid-19 hit. That fundraiser, as well as others, were canceled.

MSP also had raffles, motorcycle rides, sold tacos and set up booths at Hometown Christmas. The timing of JT’s fundraiser couldn’t have been more ideal.

“It was a God-send that he decided to do that right then and there,” Gisele said. “We were pretty low on funds and this is our biggest sign-up season because it’s baseball, softball and soccer all at the same time. This is the time where we have the most kids, so for him to decide to do that was amazing.”

According to the Ivy’s, JT’s fundraiser was the only fundraiser that MSP had this year. In addition to baseball, JT also plays basketball and golf, but baseball is his favorite.

JT plays on the coach-pitch level in both Little League and Select. Although he can play catcher, any of the three outfield positions, shortstop or third base, JT has his favorite position.

“My favorite position is third base because you have to have a strong arm in order to get the ball over to first base,” he said.

After the five-hour fundraiser, there was still plenty of food left. JT’s generous nature kicked in when he and his family were deciding what to do with the leftovers.

“We had leftover hot dogs and we gave them to people who didn’t have a house,” JT said.