Sanger Sentinel, May 2022

SANGER SENTINEL

CONNECTING THE CITY, RESIDENTS, AND BUSINESS May 2022

SANGER HISTORY- Page 22 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE - Page 18

PUBLIC WORKS APPRECIATION MONTH PG 14

CONNECT WITH US City Hall Address 502 Elm Street Sanger, TX 76266 Hours:

7:30 AM - 5:00 PM M-TH 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM F

Phone:

940-458-7930

Online:

Sangertexas.org

Facebook: @SangerTexas Upcoming Closures Memorial Day 4th of July Labor Day

May 30, 2022 July 4, 2022 September, 5, 2022

EVENTS 2022 City Events July 2nd - Freedom Fest October 8 - Trash Off December 10 - Christmas Event TBD - Santa Around Town

Chamber of Commerce Events May 14 - Professional Wrestling June 4 - Health & Wellness Fair September 10 - Pet Fest (2nd Clinic) October 29 - Sellabration/Safe Spook

The City of Sanger hosts multiple events throughout the year. Be sure to follow the City Facebook page for complete details on all events.

SANGER SENTINEL - May 2022

CONTENTS 2

Connect with us

5

Note from City Manager

6

City Council

7

Utilities Services

8

Be Water Wise

12

Meet Jim Bolz, Director PW

14

Sanger Public Works

18

Economic Development

22

History Sewing Room

25 Now Hiring 28 Library 30 Freedom Fest

SANGER SENTINEL

N

OTE FROM THE CITY MANAGER

John Noblitt Sanger, City Manager

Welcome to the gorgeous month of May! The sun is warming, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the garden is growing. With this month, we have many things to celebrate, be thankful for, and have those we honor and remember. Among this month’s celebrations are Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day. We honor those who have served in our military on Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day reminds us of the tenacity of life. As a City, we celebrate Economic Development week May 9 – 13 and Public Works week May 15 – 21.

As I sit and reflect on these special days, I am reminded of my blessings and the excellent opportunities we are afforded here in Sanger. Our Public Library is the one thing that comes to mind when I think of possibility and how our City contributes to helping residents do more, go farther, and dream their wildest dreams.

People often think of a library as just a place for books, but their work involves so much more.

Libraries are community hubs. They connect people to information and people to people. They are safe havens for kids providing computers, games, and book clubs. They offer computer classes that allow older adults to stay engaged in a digital world. They offer e-books and e-readers, digital entertainment such as CDs, DVDs, Audiobooks, and games. They are a critical source for patrons who don’t have the budget to purchase personal computers or printers. These are just a few of the many resources that public libraries can provide. We are extremely blessed here in Sanger to have a public library. Not all cities have this critical resource.

Our library is a great place to become more involved with your community or find a volunteer opportunity. For example, our Friends of the Library group is actively recruiting members so they can further help our Sanger residents. If working with the Friends of the Library doesn’t sound like a great fit for you, talk to our staff. They know many reputable organizations that are looking for volunteers.

Take a look around you. What are you thankful for in our community?

Sincerely, John Noblitt City Manager, Sanger

S

ANGER CITY COUNCIL

City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month.

Location: Sanger Historical Church 403 N. 7th Street Time: 7:00 PM

Click here for the April Council Recap.

Thomas Muir Mayor

Marissa Barrett Place 1

Gary Bilyeu Place 2

Dennis Dillon Place 3

Allen Chick Place 4

Victor Gann Place 5

SANGER SENTINEL

UTILITY SERVICES TRASH & RECYCLING SERVICE

UTILITY CUSTOMER SERVICE Contact Number: 940-458-7930 EMAIL: utilitybilling@sangertexas.org Start/Stop Utility Service Click Here Click Here for on line utility payments To report a water issue after hours, call: 940-299-5358

Trash and recycling services in Sanger are provided by Waste Connections and are billed by the City of Sanger monthly on your utility bills.

For missed collections or service issues, contact Waste Connections: 800-909-9061.

For billing questions, contact Sanger Customer Service in City Hall at: 940-909-9061 or email utilitybilling@sangertexas.org.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

SANGER UTILITIES The City of Sanger provides water service to City residents.

The City also provides electric services to some areas of the community. Please contact our Utility Customer Service to confirm your provider.

Trash and Recycling services are provided through Waste Connections. To start or stop service, please contact the City of Sanger Utility Billing Department or visit us on line at SangerTexas.org for more information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Click the links below for answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Apply for a Building Permit Garage Sale Permit Pay a Municipal Court Fee Report a Concern Report a Code Violation Request Public Information Request a Vehicle Accident Report

Turning off the water while brushing your teeth saves up to 2.5 gallons of water per minute.

Reserve a Parks facility View Public Notices Employment Opportunities

SANGER SENTINEL

Special thanks to the Sanger Lions Club for their generous park bench donation. This is their 4th bench donation. This bench will be installed at Porter Park!

B E WAT E R W I S E

Be Water Wise at Home

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save up to 2 gallons a minute. That’s over 220 gallons a week for a family of four. Plug the sink instead of running the water to rinse your razor and save up to 200 gallons a month.

13,000

A faucet leaking at a rate of one drop per second can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water a year.

Reducing a 10-minute shower using a standard showerhead to 5 minutes will save 12.5 gallons of water in each occasion.

Install more efficient fixtures. A waterefficient showerhead can save the average family 2,900 gallons of water and $70 in energy and water costs a year.

Water-efficient gallons toilets can save up to 13,000 gallons of water a year.

If your toilet flapper doesn’t close properly after flushing, repair it.

3,400

Save up to 3,400 gallons of water a year by washing laundry only when the machine is full.

Using a water efficient dishwasher will save about 3,870 gallons of water over its lifetime.

gallons

Water wisely Avoid watering your lawn or garden in the middle of the day. Watering before dawn and after dusk allows for water to be absorbed instead of evaporating in midday heat.

10% =

32

billion

Store and use rainwater. By collecting rainwater from just 10 percent of the residential roof area in Texas, we could conserve more than 32 billion gallons of water annually.

It’s the Only One We’ve Got!

How is our customer service? www.tceq.texas.gov/customersurvey The TCEQ is an equal opportunity employer. The agency does not allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or veteran status.

M-68 (revised 5/20) | TakeCareOfTexas.org/publications | (formerly GI-370)

Printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based ink

How You Can Help It is possible to have a healthy landscape and save water. In fact, many plants grow better when they receive just the right amount of water. Below are some simple tips for saving money and water when caring for your landscape. You can also request an irrigation system evaluation.

Also, check out upcoming events to learn more about the topics below and have your questions answered.

Know When to Water: Irrigate only when needed, and no more than twice per week (helps your lawn grow a deeper, healthier root system). For more information on when and how much to water, sign up for Water My Yard recommendations. It’s like a watering calculator for your lawn.

Water before 10 am or after 6 pm. In fact, it’s best to water early in the morning (3am - 6am) when it’s cooler outside to prevent evaporation. Plus, many communities do not allow watering with automatic sprinkler systems between 10am and 6pm.

Water before 10 am after 6 pm Trinity graphic to water before 10 am or after 6 pm Get to know your irrigation controller and the other parts of your irrigation system. Consider using a WaterSense labeled controller to water more efficiently.

Install a rain and freeze sensor to prevent unnecessary watering. Here’s how.

Watering during the winter is generally not needed except to maintain soil moisture during the unusually dry periods. Turn your controller off to prevent sprinklers from running automatically.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE UPPER TRINITY REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT SITE.

The City of Sanger is excited to announce Freedom Fest 2022! Traditionally we have celebrated the holiday with small events throughout the month. This year, we have decided to celebrate on a much grander scale.

Freedom Fest 2022 will be held in our beautiful Porter Park. The events of the day will feature rows of food and merchandise vendors. We will have two kid’s areas. A mega water slides section for the young and young at heart plus carnival rides that will twist and twirl our thrill seekers. For those less adventurous, a trackless train that will give riders a relaxing tour of a portion of the park!

Live music will be provided throughout the day. Beginning at 4 PM, Tim Urban, American Idol Season 7 will take the stage. Our 5:30 PM slot welcomes Brandon Davis, Instagram Famous rising country music star, then at 7 PM we will have a Country Artist Tribute to Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Kenny Chesney.

To conclude the evening, we will have an amazing 20-minute firework display set to music.

Don’t miss your chance to support your community and to be a part of this spectacular event.

Sponsors will be recognized on social media, in the event press release, on the radio advertisement, on the City’s website, and in the Sanger Sentinel which has a current readership of 7.000 people and impressions of over 11,000.

If you would like to sponsor our event, please contact dgreen@sangertexas.org.

The City of Sanger is now accepting vendor applications for Freedom Fest on July 2nd, 2022.

We would like to invite your business to participate. Please email dgreen@sangertexas.org for a Vendor Application

Freedom Fest 2022 Saturday, July 2, 2022 | Porter Park | 4 PM - 10 PM

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS Freedom - Title Sponsor - $10,000 • • • • • • •

Title Sponsor Prominent Logo on banners and all signage Company announced in Press Release and all marketing materials as the title sponsor Full page ad placed in Sanger Sentinel Logo with link on City website and in Sanger Sentinel Acknowledgement on City’s Social Channels First right of refusal for 2023

Fireworks Sponsor - $5000 (5 available) • • • • • •

Logo on banners and all signage Company announced in Press Release and all marketing materials 1/2 page ad placed in Sanger Sentinel Logo with link on City’s website and in Sanger Sentinel Acknowledgement on City’s Social Channels First right of refusal for 2023

Bottle Rocket - $5000 (Kidz Zone) or Bomb - $5000 (Stage) • • • • •

Logo on banners and all signage Company announced in Press Release and all marketing materials 1/2 page ad placed in Sanger Sentinel Logo with link on City website and in Sanger Sentinel First right of refusal for 2023

Sparkler- $1000 (5 Available) - General Partner • •

Logo with link on City’s website and in Sanger Sentinel First right of refusal for 2023

To secure your sponsorship or for questions, please contact Donna Green @ dgreen@sangertexas.org or 469-559-5876

History has taught us over and over that freedom is not free. On this day we celebrate and honor the ultimate protectors of freedom and liberty. Throughout our history, they have answered the call to serve and protect. To all the brave women and men who currently serve or have served, we say, “Thank You.”

Remember & Honor

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military. Let us remember all of the brave men and women who courageously gave their lives.

Meet Jim Bolz, Director of Public Works, City of Sanger. Jim spent most of his childhood before high school graduation, living in the Texas Panhandle. However, there were a few years when he moved around to accommodate the requirements of his mother’s employment. He lived a few years in Arizona, then moved to Vegas. When his mother’s job called her back to Arizona, Jim decided that he would spend a few years back in the Texas Panhandle living with his dad to finish up high school.

After graduation, Jim took a job working on a cattle ranch. On New Year’s Day, 1984, Jim moved to North Texas, where he worked in construction for the next three years. It was September 24th, 1987, when he went to work for the City of Lewisville as their Wastewater Plant Foreman, that Jim began his career in Public Service.

On July 26th, 2004, Jim took a position with Sanger, working in the Wastewater Department. He was promoted to Supervisor in 2011, and in 2021, he became the Public Works Director.

Jim is married to his wife of 31 years, Tricia. They met when Jim was 20 years old. From the moment they started dating, they were inseparable. They met through some mutual friends, and one week later, Jim was taking Tricia on a date to the drive-in movies. Seven years to the day after, they wed.

God would later bless them with twin girls, the first girls born in the family in nearly 30 years.

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Jim is not at work, he still has a very active life. You can always find him outside. He owns two pieces of farmland where he raises cattle, chickens, hay, and gardens. As the garden comes in, he gets busy canning. Most would say that Jim’s free time is a full-time job. Jim says, “It is not work when you love doing it.”

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In addition to tending his farm, he spends his time caring for birds. He has houses for Purple Martins, Hummingbird feeders, and Blue Jays. He loves history and collects artifacts such

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railroad lanterns, glass bottles, and his prize possessions, arrowheads.

With this busy lifestyle that Mr. Bolz lives, you might wonder if he ever thinks about retiring. Jim told me that he plans to retire in July 2024. He loves Sanger and everyone he works with, but retirement is starting to call his name. However, Jim doesn’t plan to retire and be idle. He and his wife hope to do a bit of traveling. Jim has never been to Alaska and wants to experience it.

As for the farm life, Jim only speaks of that part of his life as getting bigger. After retirement, his first task on the farm will be to build new cattle pens. He plans to continue to raise cattle and chickens, and his garden will only get larger, so his canning will take longer.

Sanger Super

John Henderson Felipe Ibarra Michael Whatley Denzel Murray

Public Works Superhero Meghann Piercy - Operations Coordinator

Sanger Wastewater Treatment Superheroes Chris Hiesler - Superintendent Ryan Welborn - Plant Operator II Troy Slover - Plant Operator I

r Streets rheroes

n - Superintendent - Maint Worker I y - Maint Worker I y - Main Worker I

Sanger

Public Works Department

Sanger Water Superheroes Doug Lipscomb - Superintendent Jason Barnes - Utility Worker I Jeff Nixon - Utility Worker II Craig Davis - Utility Worker II Levi Perkins - AMR Tech

Felipe Sangee r Sang Public Works

Meet Felipe Ibarra, City of Sanger, Public Works Felipe has worked for the City of Sanger for 9 years. He started in the Parks department and after only a few short months, he was promoted and moved to our Public Works, Street division. Today he continues to work in Streets as a Team Lead.

Felipe decided to leave his mom, dad, and three sisters and move to the United States from Mexico in 1994. Shortly after his arrival in the US, he met the love of his life, Priscilla. They married in 1995. They have built there lives and raised their three children, two girls ages 25 and 21 and one son, age 12 in Krum. Priscilla works for the City of Highland Village. She started there shortly after she and Felipe married.

Felipe spends his free time with his family. He and his wife spend their holidays in Mexico visiting friends and Felipe’s three sisters.

Meet Denzel Murray, City of Sanger, Public Works Let me introduce you to Mr. Awesome himself, AKA Denzel! He joined the City of Sanger just six weeks ago on the advice of our own John Henderson. Denzel and John met through their love of playing corn hole. When Denzel mentioned to John that he was looking for somewhere he could build a career, John referred him to the City.

Denzel and his two younger sisters were raised by their mother. Denzel attributes everything good in his life to the love and values instilled in him from her. Growing up, Denzel’s family moved around a lot. Even though he was never in one school very long, he said that he always had a large group of friends. He said, “I am typically the life of the party.

Making friends was never something that was difficult for me.”

After graduating high school, Denzel attended Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa Oklahoma where he was studying aircraft maintenance. Life happened and he was unable to complete his final semester - something that he is considering completing in the future.

Denzel lives in Denton with his wife, Kya, their 2 boys (ages 11 & 8), their daughter (age 3), and in June, they are expecting their second little girl.

Denzel

anger EDC C

ity of Sanger Represented at ICSC Convention

Staff attended the ICSC Red River Deal Making conference March 30-April 1st in Dallas to make crucial connections with real estate professionals doing business in the region. Each year the SEDC staff attends this event in an effort to recruit retail businesses to the Sanger. Participation and networking at ICSC strengthen our effort to bring new business opportunities to our community.

P

the program, find out if your proposed improvement may be eligible for consideration, or with any questions or comments.

Let’s Connect!

Our focus is assisting Sanger businesses with their needs and developing a working relationship to connect them with resources and programs that will improve the business climate and achieve

roperty Enhancement Incentive Program

economic success. We want to get

re you a business in the City

you would like to schedule an on-

of Sanger that is looking to

site meeting, please contact Shani

A

to know you and your business! If

enhance your existing site visually, or

Bradshaw at 940-458-2059 or by

in ways that increase the viability of

email at sbradshaw@sangertexas.org

your property for business use? This program provides matching grants to reimburse commercial property owners or business operators for Eligible Enhancements made to their properties. The Program’s grant application process is administered by the City of Sanger’s Economic Development Corporation – applications and program guidelines are available online at www. sangertxedc.org. You can also call 940458-2059 to speak directly with the Economic Development Office about

Job Listings Is your business hiring? Let us help you advertise your open position!

Every Tuesday we will spotlight job opportunities that are available in our business community. All we need from you is your company name, position(s) available, link to apply, and if the position is full or part-time. Email your open positions to SBradshaw@sangertexas.org

Sales Tax March taxes for January sales were $229,884 Total FY 21/22 sales tax: $1,376,198 vs $1,247,385 for the same period last FY.

#SHOPSANGER Let’s keep our local businesses thriving!

The Sanger Economic Development Corporation challenges you to write a positive review about a local business or restaurant where you’ve had a good experience over the past month, and tag it with #ShopSangerTX. We need our Sanger businesses and they need us!

Help Support Sanger Businesses

Networking Opportunity The Sanger Area Chamber of Commerce Business over Breakfast is held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 8:30 am -9:30 am. This monthly event is a great opportunity for members to come together over breakfast, make new connections, exchange leads and referrals, and build relationships to help grow their business.

When you invest money in your local economy you’re not just helping local business owners – you’re helping yourself. You’re making Sanger a better place to live in, with a rich character, a thriving economy, and a tight-knit community. The more local businesses prosper, the more new ones will open – making it easier to continue shopping locally in the future. Shop local and support our local businesses in SANGER!

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

M

S H A N I B R A D S H AW

eet Shani Bradshaw, Director of Economic Development, Sanger, TX.

Shani was born in Nocona, and raised in Euless, Texas, then home of the Trinity Trojans! Like most Texans, she loves her high school and all things football. Shani grew up in what most people of today would consider a fantasy world. An only child, she was very close to her parents (who were married for 40 years) and her extended family.

Being very much a daddy’s girl and somewhat of a tomboy, Shani grew up playing softball, riding motorcycles, and camping and fishing with her parents nearly every weekend. She proudly admits she learned to gut a fish on one such camping trip! Her love for sports and the outdoors doesn’t stop there; during her high school years, she took up Rodeo Barrel Racing and, to this day, enjoys running to get her exercise and calm her mind.

After graduating high school, Mrs. Bradshaw attended Texas Women’s College, where she studied Marketing. Later she attended the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. She noted that her “first big-girl job” was working in the Accounting Department of Bass Enterprises. A few years into the job, she was promoted to Executive Assistant. Her venture into working for a city and, ultimately, Economic Development came about almost accidentally.

Her father-in-law was the first to plant the seed for her to work in public service. At the age of 23, Shani applied for and got a position in Utility Billing with the City of South Lake. In just two years, she had worked her way up to being Director of Utility Billing having four staff members reporting to her.

In 2003, Shani had her first child, Hunter. Hunter had some medical issues, so in 2004, Shani decided to take a step back from work to take care of her child. Once Hunter was better, a little over a year later, Shani decided it was time to return to work.

Shani decided to explore opportunities with the City of Justin. She was offered a position in marketing and events. A few years later, she was asked to take the Economic Development Director position. Initially, she turned it down, but after some reconsideration and the fact she was already covering a portion of the role, she decided she would take the job.

While working for the City of Justin, Shani continued to keep herself busy outside of her day job. The center of her world, both then and now, is her two boys, Hunter and Tanner. Both boys, at a very young age, played soccer and hockey. Tanner first stepped on the ice at age four, and both boys continued to play throughout high school.

In addition to the boys keeping her busy, Shani worked as a volunteer firefighter and certified EMT. She even worked as an EMT for the Texas Motor Speedway. But as her

Economic Development position grew more demanding and the boys’ sports took up more and more time with traveling, Shani knew she had to give up something. So, after seven years, she turned in her pager, letting go of the volunteer work, and focused on ED and her boys.

In 2017, after being diagnosed with uterine cancer, Shani’s life came crashing down around her. Shani said, “The hardest part was the two months after diagnosis. The time when you are going through all the unknowns and thinking only the worse possible outcome.” “My first thought was my boys. How could I leave them?”

Shani was one of the lucky ones. They caught her cancer early. She told me, “It really makes you stop and look at things differently.

The problems you used to think were impossible to overcome didn’t seem nearly as important.” So, she did begin to look at life differently.

One of the first things she looked at was her career. She had spent 10 ½ years in Justin. She loved ED, but things were changing in Justin, and for Shani, it was time to move on.

In her search for new opportunities, she came across a posting for Director of Economic Development for the City of Sanger. She had always loved Sanger, she had ties here, and she felt drawn to the Downtown. In August of this year, Shani will celebrate four years with the City.

I asked her what she loved and the challenges of the position. “I love the people and the

networking. It is great to meet so many people and help bring about the future of this great town.,” she said. “The challenge is in the perception. People think that we can snap our fingers and bring any business we want at any time. The reality is that Economic Development is a long-drawn-out process. It can take two to three years for a company to decide to locate here. It is rewarding when it happens. By the time we get to talk about it, we have been working on the project for a long time.”

What’s next for Shani? She plans to continue living as if she were dying.

She and her husband James love to travel. Recently they visited Greece and Paris and frequently travel to Mexico. Together, they plan to continue to explore the world.

Additionally, they love to go to concerts. Shani has a broad love of music but feels most connected to the music of the 80s. Motley Crue is coming to Dallas soon. She and James will have seats up close.

As for her career plans? Shani says that one day she hopes to retire. She says, “Retirement is out there somewhere, but I don’t expect it for another 10-15 years. As long as I continue to love what I am doing, I want to keep doing it.”

S

ANGER WPA SEWING ROOM

Works Progress Administration (WPA) was established in 1933 under the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide work for unskilled women and prepare workers for private industry. WPA also employed unskilled men to carry out public works infrastructure projects such as school buildings, new hospitals, laying storm drains and sanitary sewer lines, new bridges, airfields, and planting trees. The WPA engaged women in sewing rooms that were located in larger cities (such as Fort Worth) and smaller towns such as Pilot Point, Lewisville, and Sanger. Job training was provided, and the average pay was $35 a month for 140 hours of work. The federal government paid the salaries, with the cities and counties paying a percentage of the expenses.

This clothing was not sold. It was given to needy families during these difficult and lean years. A worker’s average output was two and a half garments a day and included men’s trousers, boys’ coveralls, women’s dresses, and baby clothing. In Fort Worth, only fifty dresses were made using the same pattern but had to be from different fabrics so that no two would be alike.

Sanger, Texas, became a part of this WPA effort in 1936, opening a sewing room in a twostory building (no longer in existence) located on 3rd Street between Bolivar and Elm Streets on the east side across from the old post office. Directly across from this sewing room building is now the location of the Sanger City Municipal Court. The upstairs of this WPA

Submitted by Sanger Area Historical Society.

Sewing Room building housed the telephone exchange owned and operated by L.B. Bailey and her son, Gordon. The building also housed the City’s first firetruck on a portion of the first floor of the building.

Mrs. Hattie Lee (Coggin) Richardson was hired as the manager of the new WPA Sewing Room in Sanger, which began as a partial-year operation and in July 1936 became a full-time sewing room. Richardson was a noted seamstress and led the ladies of Sanger in sewing garments to be distributed through the WPA organization. The sewing room work began at 8 a.m. and they worked until 5 p.m. daily except Sundays. During the summer of 1937, the workers were able to earn up to $600 per year. In late 1937 the Pilot Point and Lewisville sewing factories were converted to canneries for local produce to help feed the people needing assistance.

The only known photograph of the sewing room in Sanger shows a full room operation with as many as 15-20 women working each day. In the back of the room, dresses hanging in front of the windows appear to be completed garments, or perhaps they needed some extra trim or small details.

Hattie (Coggin) Richardson was married to John Teri Richardson, who passed away in 1947. Hattie and John had one son, Johnnie Lee Richardson, who became the postmaster in Sanger for many years after the retirement of the previous postmaster, John Nicholson.

Hattie passed away in 1978, and her son,

Johnnie, passed away in 1980. Another example of a good family who had their roots in the Sanger community, always working for the benefit of the people.

The City of Sanger has established both a Type A and Type B economic development board to stimulate economic growth. These boards utilize sales tax revenues to stimulate the creation of new primary jobs in the community and to address quality of life issues.

The Sanger Economic Development Department offers matching grants to reimburse commercial property owners or business operators for eligible enhancements made to their properties. For more information on the grant application process, visit www.sangertxedc.org or call 940-458-2059.

When lightning strikes, it flows from the cloud to the ground, but the part we see is actually the charge going from the ground back up into the cloud.

The easiest way for you to pay your City utility bills is by Automated Bank Draft. Get started here.

The tempreature of asphalt straight from the manufacturing plant is approximately 320 degrees fahrenheit.

An automatic dishwasher can use approximately 9 to 12 gallons of water while hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons of water.

You may be entitled to a credit towards any fine or costs owed, if you were confined in jail or prison after the commission date of the offense.

The City of Sanger is Hiring!

NOW HIRING! LOOKING FOR A REWARDING CAREER?

The City of Sanger is hiring! To apply, please fill out this application and submit it to Applications@SangerTexas.org •

Firefighter FT

•

Firefighter PT (2)

•

Maintenance Worker |Water FT (2)

•

Police Officer FT (3)

•

Parks Ground Maintenance FT

•

Parks and Recreation Coordinator

•

Planner

•

Plans Examiner

All applications must be submitted to Human Resources: Applications@sangertexas.org For complete job description details, please visit https://www.sangertexas.org/page/hr_employment

MADONNA WADE Meet Mary Poppins/Dr. Seuss/Mrs. Clause/ Mother Hubbard, or as those in the City know her, Madonna Wade, Library Assistant, Children’s Programming. I am sure that if you have been in Sanger for more than six months, have been to our annual Christmas Parade, or ever been to the library, you have at least seen her.

No, you are not seeing double. MaDonna has a twin sister, Katherine.

The girls were born in Iowa and moved to Arkansas, near Bentonville - home to Walmart – when they were eight years old.

MaDonna has been married to her high school sweetheart, Randy, for almost 25 years. They have two children Christopher 23, and MacKenzie, 22.

MaDonna and Randy started dating during her sophomore year of high school. They broke up for about one year but remained friends. She recalled how it was an awkward time. “I was so much in love with him, and at the same time, I was trying to help him as he dated other people.” The time not dating each other did little to stop their desire to be together. So, in August of Madonna’s Junior year, they decided to give it another try.

Madonna being sure of what she wanted, told Randy, “If we are going to do this, we need to just do it. If we are going to be together, we should get engaged.” They

agreed to take a week apart to think it over.

Randy and his mother went shopping for an engagement ring during their week apart!

MaDonna has always had a love for books, and even at a young age, she was babysitting and working with Kids. From the time she graduated high school, she has worked in early childhood education. While she loves all children, her favorite age is the two-year-old. She said, “Whoever said the terrible twos were bad never had to deal with a three-year-old.”

So, what could bring Madonna and Randy to Sanger, Texas from Arkansas where both had great jobs and secure life?

“God brought us to Sanger. We prayed about it. My dad lives here. Moving was weighing on our minds, so we prayed that God would give us a reason if it were meant for us to move to Texas.” One week later, Madonna lost her job. The decision was made.

They came to Sanger for an exploration trip.

Madonna had pre-arranged several interviews.

Before they returned to Arkansas, she had two job offers.

Madonna originally started working for a Montessori School in The Colony. Eventually, they found a place to live in Sanger. The commute was quite long, so she took a position at another facility in Sanger. A parttime opportunity became available at the Sanger Public Library, and she knew it was for her. Today, Madonna is now full-time and oversees the programming of the Children’s section.

What does the future hold for Mrs. Wade? She and her husband have a little over 5 acres in Oklahoma. They are in the process of building their forever home. It is a small 600 sq. ft. home. She recently purchased a 1957 stove for her new kitchen and can’t wait to use it. They aim to be as selfsustaining as possible. Plans include a garden, meat, dairy goats, pigs, and chickens. They even have plans for rain barrels to provide water for the garden.

So, with the move to Oklahoma, will Madonna still work for the City of Sanger? “Absolutely,” she says. “The commute is not that far, and I love what I do.”

Look for some great things to come from the library this summer. Madonna has plans for a summer reading program, STEM program, crafting, and some stuffed animal sleep overs!

Get Ready to Dive into Summer Fun! Prepare to be wowed by “Oceans of Possibilities” in June! Among other activities, there will be LED light juggling by a world record holder, ukulele classes, cool crafts, and even a Battle of the Books at the Sanger Public Library! We’ll also have events for adults, beginning with a presentation on Marie Kondo’s method of “tidying up” on June 2nd.

After two lower-key summers due to Covid, the library is ready to bring back more in-person events this year. Although the theme for this year’s Summer Reading program is officially called “Oceans of Possibilities,” we’ll be exploring a variety of subjects. We want to make reading even more fun by hosting Graphic Novel Book Clubs for both middle-grade students and teens and a Battle of the Books competition with the Krum Public Library. Readers will have chances to win weekly prizes for logging their reading through the READsquared online accounts and app, and this year we’ll offer the choice of logging by time, pages, or books. The point system in READsquared makes such options possible, as well as completing “Missions” to earn additional points.

Registration for the reading program begins at the Kickoff event on Saturday, June 4th, and the program concludes with the End of Summer Party on July 30th.

The full calendar of events for June and July will be available soon.

We look forward to seeing you in the library this summer!

Audrey Tolle, Library Director