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Volunteers far, near step up to help Bowie clean up

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By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Volunteers have converged on the storm-ravaged areas of Bowie this week helping the community clean-up and clearing debris so it can see the full extent of damage from the May 22 F1 tornado.
The hum of chainsaws and heavy equipment fills the southside neighborhoods while nearby in downtown debris removal and damage assessment continues as they all try to find a path forward.
City officials report power has been restored throughout the city’s storm area. Those who had their electric service torn directly out of their house and cannot afford to hire an electrician also are receiving assistance from city-hired electricians. Other communication companies also are busily working on restoring their services.
City Manager Bert Cunningham reported Friday morning all the streets that may have been blocked by debris have been cleared, however, there are still limbs along the curb which will be picked up. City and Texas Department of Transportation crews continue to collect and clear debris.
Vegetation will be accepted at the Bowie Business Park from 8 a..m. – 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be closed Sunday.
All citizens across Bowie and the county who received any type of storm damage are encouraged to take part in the disaster survivor assistance survey.
As of Friday there were 358 damage reports submitted. Of those 72 were businesses and 286 were residence. There are 34 who report they cannot reside in their homes due to the damage.
Links are available on the city website at: cityofbowietx.com and the city Facebook page. This survey, which takes a brief five minutes to fill out, will be used as part of the damage assessment report the city will use when applying for disaster relief funding. It does not matter whether or not you have insurance, own or rent.
Volunteers
From the morning after the storm throughout the rest of this week, Bowie has been filled with local volunteers and many from out of town who traveled with organized groups.

Members of the Texas Association of Baptist men brought nearly 100 volunteers who worked in Bowie throughout the week in their chain saw crews. (Photo by Barbara Green)

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

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NEWS

Amon Carter Lake Board to meet

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Members of the Amon Carter Lake Water Supply Corporation will meet at 6 p.m. on May 26 in the office at 607A Lindsey for a monthly meeting.
Items on the agenda include a consent agenda and minutes and financials. Possible discussion/action may be considered on the following topics: Treasurer’s report, review of finance and current loans; president’s report as to the written agreements with contractual employees; consider current water rates and a possible increase; and review of expenses and areas that need amendment.
An executive session may be entered to discuss personnel issues.

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Saint Jo City Council hires fire marshal

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The City of Saint Jo has a new fire marshal as the city council made the appointment during its May 13 meeting.
Gary Hines, a retired professional firefighter and certified fire investigator, will take the position. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the post is required by ordinance but has not been filled for a long period.
The council set dates for a budget workshop for 2 p.m. on June 14 and 2 p.m. on June 28 for the ordinance workshop, as the council works to update its rules.

Aldermen gave their support to a proposition by Councilman Jack Dunn who is asking the Legislature to allow Texas’ smallest cities, those with 2,500 or few in population, to receive an additional share of sales and use tax. He would like to see the funds used in these communities to repair and replace aging infrastructure without new taxes or reliance on state grants.
In letter to State Rep. David Spiller, whom Dunn will meet with on June 1, the alderman explains much of the state’s 6.25% share generated locally flows into general funds and is spent on other priorities. He would like Spiller to author this legislation. Dunn gave the letter to the council along with a powerpoint on the plan.
“A single water treatment plant upgrade or sewer rehab carries massive, fixed costs that do not shrink with population size. These communities, often with only a few hundred or a couple thousands residents, simply cannot spread those costs across enough ratepayers or a broad tax based,” the letter states.
Dunn suggests a “graduated sales tax retention policy:” 1% additional share for cities with 2,500 or fewer residents; .75% for those 2,500 and 5,000; and .50% for cities between 5,001 and 10,000. It would be dedicated to infrastructure. Dunn says the overall statewide fiscal impact would be negligible, but could help sustain small, rural cities.

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City of Nocona buys water storage tank, review dam repair

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The Nocona City Council approved a bid for a new 203,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water at the water plant and learned a slide repair to the lake dam is going to be pretty costly.
At its May 12 session the council received three bids on the tank and went with one from Tank Depot of Cleburne for $193,923. It is for a a 217,600 gallon tank usable for 203,000 gallons. The price could change slightly since it was based on estimate freight costs.

Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.

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