Polk County News - Breakout

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Debbie Mayes speaks at the Livingston-Polk County Chamber of Commerce quarterly membership meeting.By Emily Banks Wooten
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Debbie Mayes, executive director of the Polk County Commerce Center, was the guest speaker for the quarterly membership meeting of the Livingston-Polk County Chamber of Commerce Tuesday at the Cho-Yeh Camp & Conference Center.

Thanking the chamber for inviting her to speak about the Polk County Commerce Center, Mayes said she’s been walking those halls for nine years now and that she is the only fulltime employee, but that she is blessed with some “as needed” employees that help her clean and reposition tables and chairs.

“Many people are confused as to who I work for so if you’re one of those people I’d like to explain. The Polk County Commerce Center is a county-owned building, but I do not work for the county. I work for the Polk County Higher Education & Technology Foundation Board of Directors. Those directors are Andy Evans, Garvey Jackson, Judge Sydney Murphy, Shelly Bush Sitton, Connie Slocomb, Dr. Brent Hawkins, Bill Wiggins and Martha Watson,” Mayes said. “This nonprofit foundation was created to assist in providing educational opportunities in Polk County. They’re supportive of Angelina College Polk County Center and the education opportunities they offer.

“Most of these board members have served faithfully for the entire nine years. They are all volunteers and do a great job. The next time you run into one of them, how about giving them a pat on the back for their dedication to serving our community through their volunteer service on this board,” Mayes said.

“Many people are unaware of this, but in the event of a natural disaster, the Polk County Commerce Center becomes a shelter for Polk County residents. It has been used in the past for those who were in danger due to flooding. When used as a shelter, the building is taken over by the county through the Polk County Emergency Management System. During the pandemic, the National Guard used the commerce center as a COVID testing site and the Polk County Emergency Management team organized 13 vaccination clinics at the commerce center,” Mayes said.

“Also during the pandemic, the Polk County judicial system used the commerce center seven times for the grand jury, jury selections and one trial. The commerce center was large enough to accommodate the social distancing guidelines that were in place at that time. We were paid through the county for all these events and what a blessing that was. The global pandemic in 2020 was devastating to the Polk County Commerce Center. When you’re an event center and nobody can have events, you suffer financially. There were more than 25 events cancelled in 2020,” Mayes said.

“My board was able to take advantage of a government loan that offered a low interest rate and a long-term payment plan to help us navigate through the crisis. Things really began to look up in 2021. I worked 49 events in 2021, and so far in 2022, I’ve worked or booked 45 events and have seven events booked for 2023,” Mayes said.

“We host a variety of events–gun shows, spa shows, weddings, quinceaneras, proms, graduations, Christmas parties and all manner of celebrations. First Baptist Church held their Easter service at the Polk County Commerce Center last year. We were honored to serve the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas in being the venue for the funeral of their chief, Herbert Johnson, last August. The Polk County Commerce Center hosts a variety of organizations’ fundraisers and serve many businesses during the Christmas season for their company parties,” Mayes said.

“With our ability to seat 1,200 concert-style, we’ve offered several Grammy Award-winning country artists, such as Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Asleep at the Wheel, Neal McCoy and through a private donor, Mickey Gilley. This October 8 through the generous donation of The Smith Family Foundation and Robert Smith, we’re bringing Grammy Award-winner Marty Stuart back. This is a Polk County Commerce Center fundraiser sponsored by The Smith Family Foundation,” Mayes said.

“People are hungry for live entertainment and hopefully they’ll come out and enjoy the beautiful music of Marty Stuart and help support their local community center. In the past, 90% of the people attending these concerts were out-of-towners which is great, because it’s a great promoter of tourism to our wonderful city and county. But if the local community would support these concerts as well, we’d have a full house and an even more financially successful fundraiser,” Mayes said.

“We’re thrilled that the Livingston Community Concert Association has selected the commerce center as their venue for all their concerts. I visited with a group that plans to hold a Comic-Con at the commerce center in the fall of 2023. It’s interesting work in that I meet so many people, with dreams of lots of interesting events. One of the people attending the Neal McCoy concert is a famous supporting actor and his name is Glen Morshower. He’s famous for his acting in “The Resident,” “Bloodline,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Blackhawk Down.” He was there to meet Neal McCoy simply because he was a fan. I met a famous entertainer from Switzerland at the Marty Stuart concert. He had flown into Houston and driven up because it was his birthday and he wanted to spend it at a Marty Stuart concert,” Mayes said.

“Also at the Marty Stuart concert I met Reid Gettys, a member of the Houston Cougars basketball team during the Phi Slama Jama days from 1982-1984. They were famous for slam dunking and their explosive fast breaking style of play. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were also a part of that team. Reid Gettys has a home on Lake Livingston and his wife is a huge Marty Stuart fan. He’ll be back in October and if you’re there, you won’t have any trouble spotting him. He’ll be the tallest man in the room,” Mayes said.

“This past November, Rachel Drake and Christina Stutts worked their tails off hosting a fundraiser for the Polk County Higher Education & Technology Foundation which benefits the Polk County Commerce Center. Their event was purse bingo and raised over $60,000. The Polk County Cares fundraiser raised over $80,000, which benefits the Center for Hope Food Bank, F.A.I.T.H. Ministries and Polk County cancer patients,” Mayes said.

“Back to interesting people that I’ve met while working at the commerce center—one of the nicest people I ever met was Bob Phillips, the Texas Country Reporter. He had so many good stories. He’s a good listener and was very interested in our city and county. He asked lots of good questions. We had such fun hosting an event for locals to watch Laci Kaye Booth live during one of the final episodes of American Idol. There were lots of folks there to support and vote for one of our own,” Mayes said.

“I don’t know what we did before the Polk County Commerce Center was built. There was no place for large groups to gather. We all need to support our local community center because a lot of community is supported there. If you have an upcoming event and don’t know where to have it, give me a call. Call me and let me help you with customized pricing for your special event. It’s a great job and a privilege to serve my community there. See you at the next event,” Mayes said. 

More chamber news

“We appreciate you being here today and we want you to know that we are here for you. Call us for anything. There’s no question you can ask that we haven’t heard before. Please call anytime,” Chamber CEO Yvonne King said, reminding everyone that the chamber’s mission statement is “… to enhance the success of business, tourism and civic interests of Polk County and to promote the quality of life for all citizens.”

Ambassador President David Burns apprised everyone of several upcoming events. These include ribbon cuttings at Coats Livingston Jewelers at 11 a.m. on Friday, at First Community Financial Group at 1:30 p.m. on April 20 and at Today’s Dental at 11 a.m. on April 22.

He reminded everyone of the 3rd annual Smoke in the Pines barbecue cookoff, auto and bike show and kids cookoff June 25 at Pedigo Park. The next Power Hour with the Chamber is slated for 8-9 a.m. April 5 at The Bull Shack. The next learning luncheon is slated for April 19 and Jody Morse of Livingston Fitness Center will be the speaker. The next quarterly membership luncheon is June 28 and Courtney Comstock with the Polk County Office of Emergency Management will be the guest speaker.

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By Brian Besch
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The Goodrich school board passed the GISD Compensation Plan for 2022-2023 and heard vupdates on maintenance items. 

All employees of Goodrich ISD will receive a bump in pay after an item approved by the school board. Superintendent Daniel Barton and his staff have worked on the plan since just before Christmas.

“We know our struggles. Our struggles are being competitive with our surrounding schools,” Barton said. “Part of the reason for it is that we pay social security and other districts don’t. The other reason is just our size. When you put 30 kids in a classroom, versus our classes — which are smaller and maybe half that size — it creates more of a cost and more of the burden on our district.”

Barton said many school districts now are paying first-year teachers more, and veteran teachers are not seeing the amount of increase in pay they once did.

“That is what we have tried to do, to align with that strategy,” Barton said of neighboring districts’ pay scales. “That is really the only way that we can begin to be competitive.”

Barton compared teacher salaries with school districts in Livingston, Onalaska, Shepherd, Big Sandy and Leggett. Currently, Goodrich has a similar pay scale to that of Leggett, yet still trails that district to the north.

Starting the next academic year, first-year teachers will begin at $43,000, which is an increase over the current $36,160 — nearly a 16% difference. 

Future compensation will be determined each year by the board, rather than an annual-step raise. Teachers will be paid by the pay scale upon entering Goodrich ISD. However, all teachers will receive a minimum increase of their annual step for 2022.

Barton said he and his staff originally had a goal of $40,000 for starting salary. When area schools recently increased their salaries, the superintendent said the school would still lose ground at that number.

Overall, teachers will receive a raise of 4.63%. The adjustment for steps 0-13 (teachers in their first 13 years of experience) is 8.19%. There will also be stipends for certain positions, such as math, science and foreign language instructors, as well as those with a master’s degree.

The increased cost projections for 2022-23 are $32,285 for teaching staff, $9,406 for administrative staff, $9,081 for support service staff, $4,549 for clerical staff and $24,507 for auxiliary staff. In total, the increase will be $79,828. That number will decrease by absorbing two positions, saving $47,525, meaning the total cost to the district for the compensation plan is $32,303. 

That number is a projection and based on the staff currently in place. Payroll for the staff is currently between $1.1 million and $1.2 million for staff.

The school is still waiting for a change order to mount the electronic sign that will sit in front of the campus. All products have arrived to complete the restroom renovations, while windows have yet to come in. 

There are a few leaks in the old gym. The school plans to have both the roofers and representatives from the solar panel company out to discuss the leaks April 8. McWilliams & Sons will be out to the campus June 6 for the air conditioning project. 

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Following a dedication ceremony Thursday, the Livingston Rotary Club renamed the Rotary Pavilion in the City of Livingston’s Matthews Park the Ward Jones Rotary Pavilion. Livingston Rotary Club President Andrew Boyce holds the plaque that will soon be mounted at the pavilion. He is joined by the Ward Jones family. Photo by Emily Banks Wooten

By Emily Banks Wooten
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Thursday was a special day in the history of the Livingston Rotary Club as members met at the Rotary Pavilion in the City of Livingston’s Matthews Park to picnic and to dedicate and rename the pavilion in memory of Ward Jones, a 65-year member of the club. Jones died in May of 2021 but his family gathered Thursday as Rotary Club President Andrew Boyce read the inscription on the plaque that will soon be mounted on the pavilion. It reads, “In loving memory of his longtime dedication of service above self, Ward Jones Rotary Pavilion, Rotarian 1956-2021.”

“I want to thank all the members of Rotary Club for this. Ward would be in hog heaven,” his wife, Billie, said. “He loved this club and each of its members. He was part of everything that went on with Rotary Club. I remember back during the Folklife Festival he and Bob Belt went around selling turkey legs out of a wagon and sold out. He loved this club. Our family thanks each and every member for this. He would be thrilled to death.”

On behalf of the city, Mayor Judy B. Cochran remarked on the importance of the event. “This is a special day and I’m so pleased that this pavilion is being dedicated to Mr. Ward Jones. Thank you to the family for being here.”

Reminiscing, Dr. Bill Watson shared recollections of Jones.

“About 50 years ago, Ward Jones did the job of bringing me into Rotary. We’ve known each other for 50 years and we’ve shared some things. He truly practiced Rotary congeniality. Each week he’d shake everyone’s hand and go around asking, ‘How are you doing?’,” Watson said.

“He had so many stories and we’d get him to tell them. He told about when the city swimming pool was put in up on Cemetery Hill in the 50s by all the service clubs. He knew when and how the pancake supper started. Evidently, in the late 50s the Rotary Club had a popcorn machine that they used for all the community events and they loaned it to the Lions Club and never saw it again. I came in ‘72. In ‘76 there was a bicentennial and there was a running thing with the Lions Club,” Watson said, telling about a tug of war in which the two clubs participated.

“As his health declined, one thing I think he missed as time went by were the dress up events – the Rotary Installation Banquet in June and the Christmas Party. We were both born in Polk County, both served in the service and came back to Polk County and started businesses. We were both in rentals. We certainly appreciated him and loved knowing him and Billie,” Watson said.

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By Emily Banks Wooten
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The Polk County Commissioners Court was apprised of an $18,250 grant that’s been received by Polk County Recovers during the informational reports section of the Court’s regular meeting Tuesday. Polk County Recovers is the county’s Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG), and the grant funds are earmarked for Winter Storm Uri repairs.

An LTRG is a cooperative body that is made up of representatives and volunteers from faith-based, nonprofit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families in their recovery after a disaster such as hurricanes or tornados.

“Our board that we appointed is wonderful. They are all very proactive,” Polk County Veterans Service Officer Melissa Gates, the county’s liaison for Polk County Recovers, said. Gates added that the grant funds were donated by Saint Bernard Parrish and that she has a couple of additional funding opportunities coming up soon.

County Judge Sydney Murphy commented that this funding came about through partnership with a nonprofit. An additional item on Tuesday’s agenda also illustrated the benefits of forming partnerships.

Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with Keep Texas Beautiful for the purpose of increasing the amount of recyclable #1 plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, or PET) collected at the recycling center.

“The volunteers have received a second baler for plastics,” Murphy said. “This is another example of a partnership. The recycling center opened Nov. 4 and, in that time, we’ve received funding in the amount of $40,000, two balers, a forklift, grants and volunteers. I can’t think of a better example of taxpayers figuring out what they want and what they’re willing to commit.”

Although the Court was to consider a request from Republic Services to initiate an exact change policy at the Citizen Collection Stations effective May 1, the item was deleted for the time being as the parties involved were unable to attend the meeting due to weather conditions.

Action related to application for the hazard mitigation grant program to update the multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan for emergency management was discussed and approved. According to Murphy, there is a 25% local match requirement but there is an additional grant that can be applied for that, if received, covers the match. She recommended that the Court apply for both, which they approved doing.

The Court approved the procurement of appraisal services for the Polk County Community Development Block Grant Program Voluntary Buyout Program GLO Contract #20-066-018-C125. Murphy explained that participation in this program allows the purchase of vulnerable properties that were damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Commissioners approved Jordan Appraisal to provide appraisal services and Scott Stephens to provide appraisal review services.

Commissioners were slated to consider the approval, upon conditions met, or the rejection of several subdivisions. They approved waiving the construction bond and allocating the maintenance bond for Rolling Pines, Section 2, Block 2 Subdivision, located in Precinct 2. They voted to reject Caney Pines Subdivision, located in Precinct 3, until the plat is received. They approved, upon conditions met, Royal Livingston Subdivision, located in Precinct 4.

Commissioners approved an order authorizing the sale of fireworks during the San Jacinto Day period of April 16 through midnight April 21.

A request for a waiver from the five-foot interval requirement on the topographic map for Hunter’s Ridge Subdivision, located in Precinct 2, was approved.

The Court approved requests for capital purchases to be paid from the general fund balance and included on the FY 2022 reimbursement resolution for the year-end issuance of legally authorized debt as follows: the purchase of a new scanner, not to exceed $1,000, for the Precinct 1 justice of the peace office and the purchase of security equipment, not to exceed $1,830.63, for the 411th Judicial District.

Although the Court was expected to discuss and consider approval of an interlocal agreement between Polk County and the Texas Department of Public Safety for a permanent commercial driver’s license facility in Polk County, the item was deleted from the agenda and will be brought back later.

Commissioners approved personnel action form requests submitted since the last meeting and also approved FY2022 budget revisions and amendments as presented by the county auditor’s office.

The following items on the consent agenda were approved:

Minutes of the March 8 regular meeting;

Schedules of bills;

An order designating surplus property;

The county auditor’s monthly report, pursuant to Local Government Code Sec. 114.025;

A proclamation designating April 2022 as Fair Housing Month in Polk County;

A request from Precinct 1 Constable Scott Hughes for asset forfeiture expenditure of seized property not to exceed $3,000 for annual furnished transportation expenses and $1,000 for annual communications expenses;

A request from Precinct 1 Constable Scott Hughes for asset forfeiture expenditure of seized property not to exceed $872.11 for reimbursement to Beau Price for travel expenses;

An order of special election to be held on May 7;

An update to the Master Street Address Guide;

An agreement with Texas Association of Counties for website services for the Office of Emergency Management; and

A resolution authorizing the submission of a hazard mitigation grant program application for the purchase and installation of emergency back-up generators at eligible public water supply facilities in the unincorporated areas of Polk County.

Col. Howard Daniel, pastor of Chesswood Baptist Church, opened the meeting with prayer.