Tyler County News - Breakout

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By Mollie LaSalle
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COLMESNEIL – The Colmesneil City Council held a short meeting last Tuesday, with Mayor Duane Crews attending via FaceTime over the phone.

Crews called the meeting the order, quickly called for approval of the minutes from the previous meeting and asked for any citizen comments.

Catherine Deason wanted to know what could be done about a hole in the road coming off her street that is on Hwy. 69. The mayor advised that he would let Keith Barnes know about the situation.

The city has opted to engage Todd, Hamaker, & Johnson, LLP, out of Lufkin once again to perform their FY 2022 audit. Last year, they performed the audit at a cost of $9,400+; this year they submitted a bid of $9,800. Council approved the proposal to use this firm going forward. City Secretary Wendy Bendy reported that the CD’s at Education First in Woodville were performing well and earning money (from interest). She also advised that David Waxman had called that morning, and the city has been approved for another round of CDBG money for this year. The next step in this process will be to meet with the engineers, she added.

Crews mentioned the high number of leaks per the water and sewer report. The four-day freeze in December and the continual wet weather were contributing factors in the problem. Council members were also pleased with the updates to the play area at the Community Center.

With no further business to discuss, council adjourned at 7:12 p.m.

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WOODVILLE – The 2023 Miss Tyler County Scholarship Pageant is Feb. 11 at the Woodville Eagle Summit.

The pageant starts at 7 p.m. You can buy a wristband at the door on the day of the pageant. The event will feature special entertainment that night with Shelby Tillery, Paige Price and our very own 2023 Miss Tyler County, Kamrie Spearman.

Brandon Belt, former San Francisco Giants first baseman, will be our special co-host with the wonderful Miss Texas 2008, Rebecca Robinson Romero.

The 2023 Baby Miss Tyler County Pageant starts at 9 a.m. with the 2023 Little Miss Tyler County Pageant following afterwards at 2 p.m. Just like with the Miss Tyler County Pageant, attendees can buy wristbands at the door on the day of the pageants. Come out and support your young women of Tyler County.

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By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – In a special-called meeting of the Tyler County Commissioners Court last Thursday, the commissioners unanimously voted to approve a vendor agreement for the county’s senior nutrition program.

The agreement signed is between the county and the Tyler County Hospital District, and Pct. 1 Commissioner Joe Blacksher, who took the reins on the program for the county after the previous provider ended its service last year, was authorized to sign the agreement.

The program outlined for the county puts the service at $8.51 per meal, with two options noted on the agreement, one price for 30 meals per day at $253.30 and another figure of 42 meals per day at $357.42.

The item had been tabled from a December 2022 meeting. Blacksher explained in the meeting that the number of meals would fluctuate but wanted to get the information for the two per-day figures, as a ballpark average of when the program picked up. The vendor agreement will give the county time to go out for bids for food suppliers starting in February, Blacksher said.

The agreement “had never been a permanent thing…we’re going to get off the ground [with the program],” he added.

Blacksher emphasized the importance of the nutrition program for the county’s senior population, providing low or no-cost meals. “We need to do this for our senior citizens,” he said, and noted that in today’s economic climate, many seniors have little money left for food after healthcare and other expenses.

In meeting with counsel on the matter, Blacksher said the agreement should not exceed $45,000 per year, and noted also that the funding from DETCOG on the program will help greatly, as there will be staffing to consider as well as the meals.

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By Chris Edwards
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IVANHOE – The Ivanhoe City Council met in its regular monthly meeting last Thursday, with Mayor Skip Blackstone starting off with his report, which outlined some grant-funded projects.

Blackstone said the $11.4 million GLO-allocated grant for flood and drainage is waiting for the state Historical Commission to approve archeological digs, and once approved the final notice will run through the granting authority, with the estimated authority to use the funds starting February of this year.

For the $7.9 million CDBG-funded streets and flood drainage improvements grant, Blackstone provided a map outlining some of the areas intended for work under the funds and said the map will be published to the city’s website.

Blackstone also provided an update on a $1.9 million grant for roadway drainage that is part of the 75979 Project, is awaiting GLO review and requests for more information. Blackstone said it may end up going to contract late this summer.

Another grant, a $300K to repair 22nd street, which is funded through the TDA Community Development Grant, is “a done deal,” Blackstone said, with a contract anticipated in March.

A $300K comprehensive plan that is ongoing needed more input from the council, Blackstone said, as to what would fit the city’s needs. A previous plan was conducted, and a lot of things were found to be ill-fitting of what would fit Ivanhoe, Blackstone said.