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COMMUNITY
December 20, 2011 - The “Times”
Make Plans for Chamber Banquet
The Chamber of Commerce
is excited to announce that their Annual Banquet will be held Thursday, January 12, 2012, 6:30 PM at The Depot
All-State Continued from Page 1-A
THE CiTy OF FAiRFiELd PRESEnTS A CHECk FOR $2,400 to Healthy Rhythm Community Art Gallery of Fairfield as part of the dollar-for-dollar match grant program called BiG. Presenting the check to owner ken Vail and partner donna Strait (left) are members of the City Council (back row, left to right) kenny Hughes, donna Tyus, Leldon Childs, Mayor Roy Hill, Mayor Pro- Tem Luke Ward, Jr. and Joe Lee kirgan, Jr. along with Community development director Liz Thornton, City Administrator Jeff Looney, Chamber of Commerce member Mary Small, and FidC President dave Zuber. (Photo by nicole Schaefer)
Fairfield Council Continued from Page 1-A
that effect health, safety and welfare of yourself, neighbors and others. At the end of the day, I don’t like eminent domain, at all! However, there are a few rare instances when eminent domain can be a good thing, such as when it helps continue the flow of commerce or enforces codes which see to the health and safety of others. That being said, if we don’t make a decision on Eminent Domain, we’re going to lose the privilege of having that opportunity, perhaps forever, if we don’t take some action on this between now and the deadline. I’m concerned about losing that privilege because I don’t want us as a council to exclude other council members in the future from having the privilege of
utilizing a legal tool that is available to them. That’s where I stand.” Mayor Pro-Tem Luke Ward,
Jr. made the motion for approval. Kenny Hughes gave the second and all others approved. The next major discussion
on the agenda was a public hearing regarding code compliance enforcement for property located at 625 Church Street, owner Robert Jackson. At a previous council meeting held during the summer months, council members met with Jackson in an open hearing to discuss the issue. At the conclusion of that meeting, Jackson was given until the end of September to take care of the problems or the City would be forced to take action. He was also offered several avenues of assistance from the City as
well as a few citizens that were in attendance. According to City
Administrator Jeff Looney, since that meeting, the issue has not been taken care of, and Jackson has made no attempt to contact the City to accept assistance, nor has he responded to the many letters and notices sent or hand delivered to his property.
Following a lengthy
conversation, Mayor Hill asked council members to table the matter until the next meeting (Tuesday, January 10, 2012 beginning at 6:00 p.m.). “If Jackson’s situation is as dire as I suspect it might be, though I don’t know for sure, I would hate to kick a man while he is down,” explained Mayor Hill for his reason of requesting the matter tabled. “I think we as a council, or at least some of us, should sit down privately with Jackson and see if we can work this out, but also let him know that if we don’t come up with a solution, at our next meeting, we will begin the process of enforcing the property code.” “Though I don’t think it will
do any good, I will make the motion to table this item until the next meeting,” said council member Hughes. Ward gave a second and all others voted to approve. Council members also
WHiLE in THE CHRiSTMAS SPiRiT, MAyOR ROy HiLL SiGnS a check for $2,400 to Healthy Rhythm Community Art Gallery as part of the BiG program. BiG program is a dollar-for- dollar grant offered by the City of Fairfield as a way to help businesses update their facades. Healthy Rhythm, who applied the money to having the front of the building painted, is the first business to receive this grant. (Photo by Nicole Schaefer)
approved a request from XTO for a road use bond on Old Kirvin Road; tabled the discussion and possible action on pipeline crossing for Valance; and approved a water well permit application to Mid-East Texas Groundwater District for the Monarch Well. A discussion regarding
the need for an ordinance related to the construction
and permitting of new water wells within the city limits of Fairfield ended in a unanimous vote. “There is currently no law stopping people from getting a permit to drill wells without the City’s approval,” said Mayor Hill. “I would like to have an approval to get a proposal for an ordinance to protect our water table as a safety issue.” Joe Lee Kirgan, Jr. made the motion for approval. Donna Tyus gave the second, and all others approved. The City received a change
or from KDT Construction, Inc. for repairs on Utley Road citing the rise in cost of supplies and fuel for vehicles and equipment used. KDT’s original bid won out for the repairs as a turnkey contract, meaning it cannot be changed afterwards. Council members voted unanimously to deny the change order of $600.00. “He wanted to win by bidding low and he did,” stated Ward. “If he had money left over for a project, I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t return it to us because he didn’t use it all.” Also at this meeting,
council voted to table second quarter funding request of the Chamber of Commerce from the Hotel/Motel Fund; approve repair work on the lift gate for City truck #134 in the amount of $4,030; approve the transfer of $486,680 from the bond account to reimburse the general fund which initially paid off the bonds for this year; and approve a contract with Gary R. Traylor and Associates, Inc. for grant management services of the Home Investment Partnership Program reservation system participant agreement. A council retreat is scheduled for Wednesday, January 4, 2012 beginning at 4:00 p.m. for members to discuss options for water solutions and possibly other items. Next council meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at City Hall beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nicole Schaefer, reporting. _____________________
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great season, and I am very proud of him,” Bachtel further reiterated. Of his success, Eden stated,
“I feel glad; glad it happened. I worked hard for it. It was hard work and a lot of effort, but it was worth it in the end.
Athletic Director, Darrell
Piske said, “This is a real tribute to Eden and Coach Bachtel. He is a good kid who worked hard and did what it took to get the job done.” Of Coach Bachet, Piske
stated, “He is one of the best line coach there is,” The “Times” congratulates Eden for a job well done. Mary McDonald reporting. _____________________
X this year. Please make arrangements
for your business to attend, as they will be ringing in a new year with a new board of directors and thanking those that have served the past three years.
Business, Citizen,
Organization, Teacher and Student of the Year will be recognized again this year. Members are encouraged to
fill out the nomination forms emailed to you recently for Business, Citizen, and Organization of the Year and return these to the Chamber office. This is going to be a memorable event, and you don’t want to miss out on this great networking opportunity! There will be a silent
auction as well as a live auction. Tickets are $20. If you are interested in
donating an item for auction or purchasing tickets, please contact Cheryl Cockerell at 903-389-5792.
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Final Results: Central Texas Food Drive 2011
Mr. Ross Provost, Presi-
dent of the Lord’s Commu- nity Storehouse of Teague, announced the results of the Food Drive held Novem- ber 18, 2011. Teague’s Food Bank col-
lected 43,726 pounds! This included food and money donated by Citizens, Busi- nesses, Schools, Churches and Organizations. Mr. Provost stipulated that
he was informed by Channel 10 TV Station that the Food Drive Facilitators advised them that the Teague Area was the most successful in their collection, based on per capita of individuals. We thank each and every-
one who participated – Churches, Businesses, Schools, Individuals, Fami- lies and Citizens. I must pause and emphasize that for the past five years, the Lord’s Storehouse and Volunteers have been recognized and cited for their continuous physical improvements made to the building and the overall Program. The Capital Food Bank in Austin has expressed their appreciation and sent cer- tificates. The Teague Cham- ber of Commerce has made Mr. Ross Provost “Man of the Year” for 2010. Based on his acceptance speech, he concluded he could not have accomplished every- thing without God and the help of the Volunteer Staff and wonderful Workers, plus the outstanding sup- port of everyone in the Teague area. The Teague School System classes competed to see which class was able to bring in the most food and
money. The Junior High Class won with more than 11,000 pounds. Congratu- lations, but thanks to all the classes, because they are all winners based on their hard work. In the beginning of the
Food Drive, there were some “Angelic Donors” from First Baptist Church North Sixth Street in Teague who provided donations to the Food Bank that ensured 250 families had turkey, Large Chicken, Ham or Roast for Thanksgiving Dinner. God Bless You All! Because of their generosity, we don’t know of anyone who didn’t have a Happy Thanksgiv- ing.
The first donation was
made by Volunteer Worker, Ms. Florence Barker –- a 90-year-old retired Office Manager –- still making a difference. Second stand- ing and waiting for us to open up was one of the Offi- cials from NRG Company with a $1,000 donation. At promptly 7:00 a.m., Mr. Charles Day and Mr. Rich- ard Gillett picked up their collection containers and took up their positions at the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue. These two unbelievable men worked from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on November 18th taking short breaks and col- lecting hundreds of dollars for the Food Bank Program. They have done this for the last several years. They are both very special. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the Food Drive for making it a success! Submitted by Ernest
Busby.
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