Connect with us

NEWS

Subdivision rules draw more debate; second hearing sought

Published

on

By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
After more than an hour of discussion about the use of “monitoring wells” within new subdivisions, the Montague County Commissioners tabled approval and want to have a second public hearing.
The court conducted a public hearing on July 8 reviewing the planning updates to the subdivision ordinance. The primary changes centered on water well spacing requirements and including a monitoring well in developments at 100 acres or more.
During Monday’s called meeting there appeared to be some confusion as to the definition of a monitoring well, which led to some testy exchanges. Last week realtors and land developers asked for additional clarification on the monitoring wells such as size, location and length of study.
County Judge Rick Lewis said the county’s legal counsel had made some adjustments, but it may need some refinement after he talked with Doug Shaw, general manager of the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, and officials in Wise County and what they are doing with observation wells. Lewis said in Wise County they require a groundwater availability certification study. A pumping well and an observation well are put in to provide the properties of the aquifer. Once the testing is done the developer can sell the wells with the lots. There was a lengthy debate about monitoring wells with some testy exchanges among the court members. Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

Continue Reading

NEWS

Medical needs community meeting on Nov. 19

Published

on

The second community meeting on needs for an emergency room or hospital in Bowie is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Bowie Community Center.
This is the second meeting to discuss these needs following the closure of the Faith Community Health Center emergency room on Oct. 6, just shy of a year of operation. More than 200 people attended that first meeting, where discussion centered on the creation of a taxing district to support any sort of medical facility.
Citizens in the Bowie area are encouraged to attend and take part in these discussions.

Continue Reading

NEWS

Bowie Council members to take oath of office

Published

on

The Bowie City Council has moved its Nov. 18 meeting to 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 where three new council members will take the oath of office.
Councilors include Laura Sproles, precinct two, Brandon Walker, precinct one and Laramie Truax, precinct two. After the votes are canvassed and the oaths given, a mayor pro tem will be selected.
The new members will jump right into training as City Attorney Courtney Goodman-Morris provides an orientation and discussion of duties for council members.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his monthly report on the following topics: Nelson Street, which opened last Thursday, update on the sewer line replacement project, substation transformer placement and information on medical companies.
A closed executive session on the Laura McCarn vs. City of Bowie lawsuit is scheduled. The suit arose in November 2022 when the city broached selling some 25 acres it owns on Lake Amon G. Carter, originally part of the land purchased for the 500-acre Bowie Reservoir completed in 1985.
McCarn challenges the ownership of the property stating it should revert to the original owners since it was not used for the lake.
This 24.35 acre tract is located at the end of Indian Trail Road surrounded by the lake and the Silver Lakes Ranch subdivision.

Continue Reading

NEWS

Council celebrates reopening of Nelson by moving the barricades

Published

on

One of Bowie’s major thoroughfares, Nelson Street, was reopened Thursday after one busy block has been closed since August 2021 when a section of the street failed.
Construction finally came to an end on Thursday when the street, including the Nelson and Mill intersection were reopened. Mayor Gaylynn Burris, City Manager Bert Cunningham, Councilors TJay McEwen and Stephanie Post, Engineer Mike Tibbetts and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance met at the site Thursday morning and removed the barricades. It only took a few minutes for vehicles to start arriving and drivers were excited to go through on the new roadway.
This section of Bowie has endured flooding and drainage problems for many years and in the summer of 2023 the city council finally bit the bullet and sought bids for the repair work expected to top $3 million. In August 2021 a one block section of Nelson was closed when a large sinkhole appeared on the north side of the street. Traffic had to be diverted including all the school traffic flowing from the nearby junior high and intermediate.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

Top photo – (Left) Mike Tibbetts, engineer with Hayter Engineering, talks with Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham as they look over the massive drainage project on Nelson Street.

City council members and city staff lifted the barricades from Nelson Street Thursday morning reopening it to traffic after more than two years of repairs. (Photo by Barbara Green)
Large concrete culverts now take water under Nelson Street.
The creek that flows through the former park has been rip wrapped to slow erosion.
Continue Reading
Ad
Ad
Ad
Ad
Ad

Trending