NEWS
Developer questions City of Saint Jo support for new business
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The City of Saint Jo may not have put its best foot forward before a potential business prospect at its recent city council session where it met with a developer representing Dollar General.
There were a lot of frustrations vented and a few accusations thrown, but possibly by the end of the 90-minute meeting there may be more clear communication.
Michael Medford of Vaquero Ventures asked to meet with the council on Jan. 10 noting he had been working on a possible location in Saint Jo for the past several years. Medford was pretty straightforward with the council telling them there are not a lot of land or building opportunities that would work for Dollar General in Saint Jo, but they have looked at a few. However, he said there has not been good support or a clear channel of communication with city officials.
“These companies are huge and they don’t care about me or Saint Jo, so when we are not giving them updates or information they would just as soon say just forget about it, quit wasting time and move on to another city. It happens all the time when we can’t get something done,” said Medford.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Photo: Michael Medford, Vaquero Ventures a developer for Dollar General Stores, spoke to the Saint Jo City Council at its Jan. 10 meeting.
Mill St. between Wise St. & Tarrant St. is closed due to sewer repairs. Work should take 2-3 hours.
Please plan accordingly.
Members of the Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on April 8 in the council for its only meeting for the month.
The city manager’s report opens the meeting as he discusses the bid openings for the sewer line replacement project phase two and the North Smythe Street sidewalk reconstruction.
There is only one old item of business, the second reading of the ordinance amending water rates. The average residential customer using 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water per month will see an increase of $5 to $7.50 based on usage. This is the first water rate increase since 2018.
There are multiple items of new business. The 2023-24 outside audit will be presented by the staff of Mathis, West and Huffines. Four replat requests will be offered through the planning and zoning recommendations.
Base bid amounts for the sewer line replacement project phase two and the Smythe Street sidewalk project also will be reviewed. For the sewer project the base bid is $1,558,103.30. For the sidewalk it is $327,860.66. The sewer work is funded through a loan to the city from the Texas Development Board and the sidewalk through a Downtown Community Development grant program with the city having a matching portion.
The final item before public comments are two ordinance amending the mobile food vendors rules and permits.
After a successful multi-part workshop series last year, the Bowie Business Boost returns with a two-part workshop to take your business to the next level of effectiveness and profitability.
Attend this “AI Made Simple Workshop: Conquer the Tech Chaos and Win Fast” planned for April 24 and May 8. These will be breakfast programs from 7:30 to 10 a.m. The program will be from 8 to 9:30 a.m. with questions and answers to follow. Breakfast will be served 7:30 to 8 a.m.
The programs will be at the Bowie Community Center-west hall. Registration is $20 which includes both sessions. Registration is transferable. Register at accelerationbydesign.com/event-details/bowiebusinessboost25.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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