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Bruce Barker, age 65, barely escaped a fire that destroyed his mobile home and pickup late Monday afternoon.
Bowie Rural Fire Department was called to a fully involved fire at 271 Maple Road in Frontier Shores about 4:10 p.m. on Monday. The heavily wooded area and narrow roads were a tight fit for fire trucks and equipment.
The single-wide mobile home and addition was the residence of Barker and his pet dog. His daughter Brittney Nichole Barker said her father had been napping when she called and told him she and her daughter, age four, were coming over.
As they were walking up to the trailer she saw smoke at a cable hanging over the house and then immediate flames possibly from a nearby electric pole. She added it appears the dog woke him up due to the fire.
Bowie Rural was assisted by the Sunset Fire Department. Five trucks were on site and Brittney said it took about an hour to get the fire out.
Brittney said her father has lived at the home the past 21 years. She lives in Stoneburg. He lost everything including his pickup parked next to the mobile home.
Barker worked in carpentry most of his life and has been on disability the last several years due to a heart condition.
The daughter says while he only received minor injuries it has been very traumatic to face the loss of everything. They will be attempting to figure out the next steps including setting up a relief account at a local bank.

The mobile home and addition were destroyed by Monday’s fire. (Courtesy photo BRVFD)
Members of the Bowie Rural VFD and Sunset Fire worked the fire on Monday. (Photo courtesy BRVFD)
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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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